Bowl Mania Day One

I’m back for redemption. It all started about a year or so ago in the WCWP break room. Fellow WCWP host and website contributor Matt Soldano challenged me. “Jordan”, he said “how do you think you would do if you picked every college bowl game?” I told him I thought I’d do quite well. We decided that I would pick every game and put the picks on the website.

Unfortunally, I finished 17-17. Soldano has reminded me of this fact on almost a weekly basis since. So, I’m back for another round. As he puts it, 17-17 is the definition of mediocrity. I know I’m better then that. He knows I’m better then that. Here begins year number two of this experiment.

It’s Bowl Mania ‘09


New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs Wyoming- Fresno State finished the year 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the WAC. After loosing three of their first four games, the Bulldogs won seven of their final eight. This team can score. They’ve failed to put up thirty points only twice this season. Quarterback Ryan Colburn threw for over 2000 yards and 18 touchdowns this season.

Trivia question: Who led the nation in rushing yards per game this season? Was it Heisman winner Mark Ingram? Standford’s Toby Gerhart? Nope, it was Fresno State’s Ryan Matthews. Matthews averaged over 150 yards per game while totaling over 1,600 and 17 touchdowns. Against Boise State, Matthews ran for 235 yards and had at least 150 in three others. Expect Matthews to have a field day against Wyoming. The Cowboys gave up over 160 rushing yards in their season ending victory over Colorado State. Against TCU, over 300 rushing yards were yielded.

Although the Fresno State defense can get torched, allowing over 50 points three times this season, I don’t think that’ll happen today.

In fact, this game has blowout written all over it. Wyoming finished 6-6 and 4-4 in the Mountain West. They scored nearly half the points that Fresno State did this year and gave up nearly just as many. Ryan Matthews had more yards himself this season then Wyoming did as a team. Cowboys quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels had a 7 to 4 touchdown-interception ratio. That’s not good. The more you crunch the numbers, the harder it is to see how this game is competitive, much less whether or not Wyoming has a shot.

The Pick: Fresno State



St Petersburg Bowl: UCF vs Rutgers- Give Rutgers a ton of credit. They could have given up. They could have laid down. But they didn’t. 2009 could not have started much worse for the Scarlet Knights. They looked awful in a 47-15 loss to Cincinnati at home. Sure, knowing what we know now about the Bearcats, that loss doesn’t seam unreasonable, but to look that uninspired in your home opener on Labor Day waved a ton of red flags.

I crushed Schiano and his staff on the radio that week and had to eat my words a few weeks later. Besides a perplexing loss to a bad Syracuse team, Rutgers had itself a decent year. They finished 8-4 overall and 3-4 in the Big East.

They had a shot against Pittsburgh in mid-October and knocked off South Florida 31-0 when South Florida was ranked 24th in the nation. West Virginia needed a few big stops to hold the Scarlet Knights off in the final game of the year.

Watch out for running back Joe Martinek. Martinek finished with over 900 yards this season, including four games with over 120. Against South Florida, he ran for 128 and one touchdown.

UCF matches up well with Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have a little better statistical defense, but the offenses are evenly matched. UCF has won there last three games, including a 37-32 win over Houston when Houston was ranked 15. Two of their four losses came against teams ranked in the top ten at the time (Texas at 2 and Miami at 9). Rutgers will have to stop running back Brynn Harvey. Harvey racked up over 1000 yards and 14 touchdowns this year. Rutgers had trouble against strong rushing attacks this year. They gave up 162 yard on the ground to West Virginia and 223 to Pittsburgh (including 180 to Dion Lewis). UCF quarterback Brett Hodges passed for over 2000 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. He also threw 11 interceptions.

I like Rutgers in one of the better pre-Christmas bowl matchups. They have a better defense and will force Brett Hodges to make plays. When that happens, I’m leery of the rough touchdown to interception ratio Hodges has. If this game comes down to turnovers, I like Rutgers a little better.

The Pick: Rutgers


Jordan Lauterbach

Landry Loses Teeth in Nowitzki's Arm

Yuck.



Once again. Yuck.


--Max Caster

New York Yanks Johnson Harder

From the NY Post:

The Yankees and Nick Johnson are moving toward a one-year deal for the left-handed hitter to be the club’s DH, and it could be announced Friday morning.

Asked today by The Post if there was deal to be announced, Brian Cashman said, “Not at this moment.’’

Johnson has drawn interest from the Mariners and Giants to play first base, a position that isn’t available to him as a Yankee because Mark Teixeira is entrenched there


I don't have a huge problem with the Yankees signing Nick Johnson to play DH. He's a lefty with power and an excellent on-base percentage. The only issue I'd have with this is the lack of flexibility he provides.

Johnson, as a 1st and 3rd baseman, won't get too many opportunities to play in the field. Only when Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira need a half-day off will Johnson be able to switch position and keep himself in the lineup. But what about days when Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano or Nick Swisher need a DH day? Johnson doesn't help.

And while it seems like a miniscule problem to have -- and it is -- it's magnified when a guy like Mark DeRosa is just as available as Nick Johnson. DeRosa can play every infield spot and in the corner outfield. That ability to fit into so many places caters to Joe Girardi's National League style of managing.

So before the Yanks jump on Johnson, they need to give DeRosa some strong consideration.

Edit before posting: Ken Davidoff is reporting, via Twitter, that New York and Johnson are finishing up a 1-year, $5.5 million contract.


--Max Caster

Rhodes Wants to Leave NY

From PFT:

Responding to a tweet from a Jets fan who asked him if he realized how lucky he was to be playing football in New York, Rhodes tweeted the following (edited for clarity):

"New York is an OK place to play! Very good place to live and do other things, but to play is OK. I love real fans like you, trust me. The only reason I would leave is to show the few that hate what I will do with another team and let them know that having me isn't that bad! I promise a lot of teams would love to have me as their problem!"


As Dave Chappelle once said: "What a biggedy bitch."

I've defended Kerry Rhodes a lot throughout the last few weeks. He's a Pro Bowl talent who's fallen off a bit and has made some awful plays. But I defended him. Well, not anymore. Rhodes could cry all he wants, but after this, he should not see the field for the New York Jets.

I have a similar view of the Terrence Williams Twitter scandal. Williams posed the hypothetical 'What if I wasn't a New Jersey Net?' The Nets being 2-20, you could understand why he'd be upset. But it's not something you put out publically. That's why he's sat for the past few games (funny enough, T. Will just checked in for NJ against Indiana). The same goes for Rhodes.

Say hello to James Ihegdibo, Jets fans!


--Max Caster

Jersey Shore Nicknames

The guys on 'The Replacements' use the Jersey Shore Name Generator to make up names for everyone at WCWP Sports.

Tiger Woods Parody Porno Names

He Has Finally Arrived

He is the shortstop the Red Sox have needed for quite a while and his name is Marco Scutaro. Now before I give you my opinion about this interesting man, lets go straight to the facts.

A 34 year old player who came up in 2002, but played his first full season in 2004. This past season was his best ever where he hit .282, an OBP of .379, had 12 HR, 60 RBI, 14 SB, and scored 100 Runs. All of which were career bests for him. He has played the last two seasons with Toronto and four with Oakland before that. If you put a player who gets these stats in Fenway Park with the line-up that Boston can provide, those numbers should only go up. One last interesting thing to note about his hitting is that at home this year he hit .242 with a .353 OBP, away he hit .322 and had a .405 OBP. The same follows in 2008 as well. So get him out of Toronto and life should become much better.

Now I don't know how much better he can get at age 34, but I am one who believes anything is possible and never say never.

People were thinking that that he was going to get a nice long term deal from some team and get overpaid as well. Luckily, that was not the case when it came to signing with the Red Sox. Essentially they got him for two years of $12.5 million. With a 3rd year as a mutual option.
If you really want to know how the deal breaks down go here:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/12/marco-scutaro-rumors-thursday.html

For the deal that the Red Sox acquired him, I am in favor of it. He fills a big void the Red Sox had in getting a shortstop, he didn't cost too much and in my opinion is worth the amount he got, and to get him for only two guaranteed years, I am more than happy. Originally I was not in favor of the Red Sox signing him at the price tag of rumors floating around, but for the price and what he can provide, I like it.

They have had some big shoes to fill at shortstop since the 2004 season after winning the World Series. That year they acquired Orlando Cabrera when they traded away long time shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, but kept him til the end of that season. Which is probably for the best because I only want people on my team who are physically strong enough to break a bat. Then in 2005, they go out and get Edgar Renteria who gets a four year $40 million deal. He makes only 30 errors in 2005 and gets traded away. To bring some defense to the table they go and get Alex Gonzalez, but he barely provides any offense. In 2007, they get Julio Lugo for 4 years at $36 million. Things did not go well for him because of injury and they bring up farm raised Jed Lowrie during the second half of the 2008 season. He gets injured as well and last year they bring back Alex Gonzalez who filled in nicely. Now they have Scutaro though and let Alex Gonzalez go. In fact they both switched teams.

As far as where he will hit in the Red Sox line-up, I imagine it would be near the bottom because the batting order is pretty solid as is.

Only two other big issues to address left, getting a starting pitcher and figuring out who's going to play left field next season.

-As always this is, Corey Sobel, with a special report

Damon: Haters Can Suck It

From the NY Post:

Johnny Damon said he doesn't believe Curtis Granderson’s arrival will hurt his chances of returning to the Yankees.

"I don’t think it affects what I can still do. Either they come out and pursue me or they don’t," Damon told The Post from Orlando, where he just landed after returning from Barcelona. "I still know how to play baseball and will make any team better."


Memo to Johnny: Drop the asking price, nutcase!


--Max Caster

Yanks Get Granderson

From MLB Trade Rumors:

The Yankees receive center fielder Curtis Granderson, who turns 29 in March. Granderson is owed $5.5MM in 2010, $8.25MM in '11, and $10MM in '12, with a $13MM club option/$2MM buyout for '13. That's $25.75MM guaranteed over the next three years. Melky Cabrera could now be expendable for the Yankees, and the Cubs are one possible suitor.

The Diamondbacks receive a pair of starting pitchers: Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. Jackson, 26, is under team control for '10 and '11 and is owed an arbitration raise on this year's $2.2MM salary. Kennedy, 25 this month, missed most of the '09 season due to surgery to remove an aneurysm near his shoulder. As far as I can tell he is under team control for another six seasons. This is the second year in a row Jackson has been traded at the Winter Meetings.

The Tigers receive four players: starter Max Scherzer, relievers Daniel Schlereth and Phil Coke, and center fielder Austin Jackson. The Tigers get five years of Scherzer, six of Schlereth, five of Coke, and six of Jackson, potentially 22 years of control in total. Scherzer, 25, and Jackson, 23 in February, are probably considered the prizes of the haul.


I wasn't a huge proponent of the Yankees getting Curtis Granderson. As a leadoff hitter, his 30 homeruns are nice, but his low on-base percentage is troubling. But all things considered, this isn't a horrible move.

New York now has filled the gaping hole in left field without Johnny Damon. Granderson can play centerfield and Melky Cabrera can play left (or vice versa). The move, for the most part, replaces Damon's production offensively, and creates a huge upgrade in defense.

Also, the Yanks won't be forced to give out a big contract to a leftfielder, whether that be Damon (asking for 4 years) or Matt Holliday (asking for 8 years, $180 million). Granderson's contract isn't close to those numbers and allows Brian Cashman to uphold his desire for a team with a budget -- albeit a loose one.

Along with the payroll goes the character and demeanor the Yankees want to run with. The team has changed its appearance to a professional yet casual facade. Granderson fits the bill. He's a high energy guy, plays hard every day, and is active in the community. He's been an international ambassador for the MLB and is always in the running for the Roberto Clemente Award for charity. The award was taken home by another Yankee, Derek Jeter.

New York didn't lose much in terms of players either. The biggest loss is Phil Coke, who did a good job as a setup man this past year. But like any Sabermetrician will tell you, relievers are easy to find, so Coke can be replaced.

Then it's Austin Jackson, the prospect we've been hearing about forever. The Yanks were in a bind this year because they had to call him up. He's at his peak in Triple-A, and isn't getting any younger. While he's a great talent, I don't think Joe Girardi would have wanted Jackson as the 4th outfielder with Brett Gardner as an everyday starter. So be happy for Austin Jackson. He'll get an opportunity to play in Detroit (and will probably kill the Yankees).

Then Ian Kennedy, who showed some promise but never lived up to the hype. OK...

That's one spot filled, and a few more to go. Starting pitching must be next on the itinerary in Indianapolis.


--Max Caster

Bruney Traded to Washington

From Ken Davidoff:

That it's for a player to be named later (from Washington) likely means it's someone not on the Nationals' 40-man roster who is eligible for Thursday's Rule 5 draft. Once the player gets through that draft still on Washington's roster, then he'll be dealt.

Which means, in turn, this isn't for a significant player.


This is the best news I've heard all day. Forget about what he did at the start of 2009. Forget 2008. Brian Bruney became a liability for the Yankees -- even in games where New York had a commanding lead.

He lied about his injury in 2009. He didn't make me forget about Joba Chamberlain. He didn't live up to the hype.

Good riddance! The Yankees will be better for it.

Oh, and subscribe to Newsday.


Edit: Fun fact about Brian Bruney. Google Image Search his name (with SafeSearch off) and look at the fourth picture that comes up. I'm glad I won't have to search him anymore...


--Max Caster