Hard to Manage

The Chicago White Sox have lived under the shadow of their cross town rival Cubs throughout the history of the franchise. But there was one magical year in 2005 the White Sox were known for more than just a scandal in the 1920's and 87 years of mediocrity. The Chicago White Sox, for one postseason, were able to step outside of the Cub's shadow when they defeated the Houston Astros and were crowned World Series Champions. Leading the way for the team that ended the second longest championship drought in major league history was a former shortstop with a fiery personality and loud comments. He was a man with a love for the game of baseball that could be heard through every post game interview. Even when people did not like his swearing, sports journalists gathered, microphones at the ready to listen to what he would say next. This man may have been one of the most scrutinized managers in White Sox history, but he was also one of the best. Now after an entertaining eight year marriage, Ozzie Guillen and the Chicago White Sox have parted ways. 

Ozzie Guillen's career with the Chicago White Sox was similar to a dysfunctional celebrity marriage. First there was the honeymoon phase. Ozzie Guillen was introduced as the Chicago White Sox manager in the 2003 off season as the successor to Jerry Manual, and the White Sox were happy to have their shortstop of 13 years manage their franchise. The White Sox had success early on in the relationship, for the team finished with at least 83 wins for the first three years of Guillen's career. And a World Series win in 2005. Then the honey moon phase ended as the White Sox did not make the playoffs for the next two years. But the marriage did get rekindled for the 2008 season when the White Sox won the American League Central. But from 2008 to 2011, the marriage was on the rocks as the White Sox performance suffered and Guillen and general manager Kenny Williams reportedly began to feud behind closed doors. And yesterday, the divorce papers  finally had been filled out and baseball's most compelling love-hate relationship ended.  

But there was more to Ozzie Guillen  than just a 668-617 record, two playoff appearances and one World Series Ring. Ozzie Guillen always had something interesting to say, whether fans liked it or not. Guillen's comments ranged from not quitting on his team, to blasting Wrigley Field , to calling Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia a G*Da&% Jockey. Every comment that Ozzie Guillen made was instant television in the world of sports because no manager seemed as real as Ozzie Guillen. He was different from the cliche plagued managers who gave post game comments for the sake of giving post game comments. Ozzie Guillen was very forward with the media, sometimes to forward for his own good. But we all watched and waited for what Guillen had to say because it was always entertaining. 

The fact of the matter was that it was time for Guillen to go. His relationship with the White Sox had been so strained that it was doing both the team and the manager more harm than good. So yesterday, Ozzie Guillen managed his last game with the Chicago White Sox and announced his new deal with the Florida Marlins. Was Guillen a dark cloud over the city of Chicago? At times certainly. But Ozzie Guillen brought the White Sox success, controversy, and attention unlike anything the franchise had never seen before.

Change is a Coming

One of the staples to the spectacle that is college football is the tradition that runs deeper than floodwater at every school. But in 2011, there have been a plethora of schools that have forsaken traditional conference setups and have moved on in order to get a bigger slice of the NCAA's revenue pie. Schools that have moved on from their previous conferences include but are not limited to Boise State (WAC to Mountain West), Utah (Mountain West to Pac 12), Nebraska (Big XII to Big 10), BYU (Mountain West to Independent) and Colorado (Big XII to Pac 12). Now, two more teams have pulled the conference switcheroo. Earlier this week, the Atlantic Coast Conference voted to except both Pittsburgh Panthers and Syracuse Orangemen to their football family.

Naturally, the reshaping of college football's landscape has brought up some questions for the future of the sport.

With so many teams switching conferences, will Texas A&M actually move to the SEC?


Is the end near for the Big XII?


What will the Landscape look like in five to ten years?


Will bigger conferences lead to the often asked for playoff system in college football?

Realignment is a tricky subject because there are so many moving parts to it. And we never really know what is going to happen five to ten years from now. That being said, here is what is most likely to happen.

Texas A&M is heading for the SEC, not this year but it could depart as early as at the end of the season.

The Aggies spent a good portion of the summer flirting with the possibility of relocation to the South Eastern Conference, and now that move seems to be all but certain. Even Oklahoma's president David Boren said to ESPN that A&M relocating is "highly likely" even with a threat of legal action by the Big XII against A&M. The fact of the matter is that the SEC is the most prominent conference in college football because of the success of schools like Alabama, Florida, LSU, and Auburn over the course of the last decade. It is only natural that other schools would want a piece of the pie not only because of the harvest of recruit potential, but also there would be a nice chunk of change coming to the schools in the SEC. The A&M to the SEC is a money grab, but if it benefits their university, why would they decline this invitation? The short answer is they would not. Expect the Aggies to be a part of the SEC as soon as they figure out a legal way around the pending lawsuit from the Big XII if they left. 

Speaking of the Big XII, there is simply no room for them in the future landscape of college football.

Yes the Big XII has been a very strong conference over the course of the past decade and yes the presidents of schools in the Big XII have pledged their television rights to the conference, but the fact remains the Big XII is going down for a few reasons. 

1. The conference has only been around since 1994, so there is not as much deep rooted tradition that exists in other conferences such as the Big Ten. So there is far less ground for the "tradition" arguments to stand on.
2. The Big XII have lost 2 teams to the realignment already (Nebraska and Colorado) and Texas A&M is on it's way out. The fact of the matter remains that if the Big XII were as stable as the Presidents say it is, then it would not loose a quarter of it's conference to realignment. Rather they would try to add more teams to the conference.
3. The University of Texas has gained to much power for the conference, and will likely go independent because they generate so much money on their own. If Texas leaves the conference, the other nine schools (excluding A&M because they are all but gone) will follow in order to try and match the money that Texas is making through their own television networks.

The Big XII will go down kicking and screaming, but at the end of the day, there is no future for this conference. 

So if College football's landscape is changing, what will it look like in five to ten years?

Although it will be tough to come up with conference names, there will be four very big versions of the SEC, Pac 12, Big Ten, and ACC left standing.

The Big Ten, SEC, Pac 12, and ACC are the biggest conferences remaining and they will only get bigger as the college landscape continues to shift. Geographically, it is very possible to divide the college football world into four regions. The SEC will likely have it's current schools, some of the southern schools from the Big XII and most of the schools in the Big East below the Mason-Dixon line. The ACC will most likely have the Upper portion of the Big East (Pitt Syracuse Maryland etc) and a few other schools that make sense geographically. The Big Ten will expand South and West to absorb the upper half of the Big XII and other schools as far west as Wyoming. And the rest of the West will be part of the new look Pac 12. There will be two or four divisions within these conferences depending on the sizes of them and a far more interesting conference tournament.

So if the college football landscape does shift this much, it is time to answer the sport's ultimate question: Will expansion lead to a much desired playoff system in college football?

Expansion does make a college football playoff system more attainable, but unless something drastic happens over the next five or ten years, college football will not have a playoff system.

If the college football landscape does undergo this dramatic makeover to four super conferences, then a playoff system could be sculpted. Split the conferences up into divisions, for the sake of argument we will say two, and have the division winners meet in an eight team playoff format using the big bowl games as tournament games; so the Cotton Bowl, Capital One Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and BCS National Championship games would still be played.  If these new conferences are too big, then it could still be split up into four divisions with a sixteen team playoff format. And the other teams that do not make the top 16 will still get to play their respective bowl games if they win six games.

That may sound like a good idea, but the individuals in charge of the BCS playoff system will not budge on this issue because they make too much money off of the current system. Even though a playoff system could generate just as much, most likely more, revenue for participating schools. 

Relocation can be a scary thing for anyone at first, but eventually, we all get used to it. And the same philosophy can be applied to the likely shift in college football's landscape.

Move to the Music

Baseball is a sport of tradition, superstition, and routines that go far beyond normal understanding. And every single player has some form of crazy set of actions that players do before getting ready to play ball. Whether it be Nomar Garciaparra taking off and putting on his hitting gloves, Garry Sheffield moving his bat back and forth as if it were a angry dog trying to break away from it's leash, or even Hideki Matsui staring up the barrel of the bat as if to know what it was thinking, baseball players stay true to a routine that is working. But one of the coolest parts of baseball is when either a hitter first walks to the batters box or a pitcher comes in from the mound to awesome music filling the ballpark. Now it is time for a look at the five best walk up songs that baseball players have to offer.

Number 5: Ryan Braunj walks up to H.A.M by Jay Z Kanye West and Busta Rhymes

This song has all of the critical qualities of a good walk up song. A good beat, popularity with the fans, and most importantly of all, the ability to get the batter pumped up. Jay Z, West, and Busta debuted the song on January 11th of 2011and it has done well in its eight months of existence. Speaking of doing well over the course of an eight month span, Ryan Braun has been playing extremely well in 2011 with a .333 batting average 31 home runs and 103 runs batted in so far. Ryan Braun and H.A.M have both had very successful runs in 2011, and with the Brewers dominating baseball, Ryan Braun will be going H.A.M . 

Number 4: Chipper Jones walks into Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne

In terms of personality, there are almost no similarities from the Atlanta Braves hot corner and the interesting rock icon. But in terms of success in their industry, both Chipper Jones and Ozzy Osbourne have had plenty of success. The song Crazy Train was released onto the world in 1980 and has maintained its popularity as one of the best pump up songs to date. While we are on the topic of older, but still successful individuals, Chipper Jones is still producing for the wild card leading Atlanta Braves. In 2011, Jones is hitting .282

with 17 homers and 68 runs batted in. Jones and Osbourne may be past their primes, but both the hitter and the musician are still recognized today.

Number 3: Johan Santana walking in to Smooth by Carlos Santana

There is a unique bond that both Johan and Carlos Santana share that goes beyond their last names. Both Santanas were dominant in their respective fields in recent years, but you do not hear much of either today. The song Smooth was released to the general public in 1999 and it has been one of the most memorable songs in the resume of Carlos Santana. The flair of the song lies in the catchy beats and the skill of Santana on guitar that cannot be duplicated on Guitar Hero. In recent years, Johan has been dominant on the field in his days with the Minnesota Twins, but he has not pitched in 2011 due to serious arm fatigue. Although neither Santana is on top of their game today, Johan and Carlos each give fans a look back into their successful pasts.

Number 2: Mariano Rivera walks into Enter Sandman by Metallica

There are some surprising similarities to Mariano Rivera and Metallica in the sense that both have been considered the best at what they do for a long time. Enter Sandman has one of the most famous guitar parts in music and the crescendo makes for a very intimidating walk up song. Metallica first debuted the song in 1991, and the song has been one of the most famous that the rock and roll hall of fame band has every written. But Metallica is not the only one in this duo who has maintained success for a long time. Mariano Rivera has had 17 years of baseball dominance and after getting save number 602, Mariano Rivera has made clear to the baseball world that he is the best closer in the history of the game. Metallica and Mariano Rivera have both been intimidating and consistent for the better part of two decades, and neither the band nor the pitcher is done yet.

Number 1: Trevor Hoffman walks into Hells Bells by AC/DC

Both Trevor Hoffman and AC/DC may not be around anymore, but when they were playing there were few better. AC/DC has been one of the most well known names in music for the better part of the 1980s, and Hells Bells is one of the band's most famous songs. The trademark bell ringing followed by one of the best guitar lines in recent memory excites the audience and has them begging for the song to begin. As for Trevor Hoffman, he was one of the best closers in baseball history. Hoffman picked up 601 saves over the course of his career and he also managed to pick up 1,133 strikeouts to go along with his saves. When Hoffman entered the game combined with Hells Bells, everybody knew that the game was over.

Different people like different kinds of music, but there is a certain quality of music that brings people together regardless of race, sex, or political beliefs. Combine the unifying power of music with one of the nation's most historic sports, well that gives you a recipe for success.

Mo For Sure

Everybody who has ever been to see the New York Yankees play a home game has seen the ritual unfold. First, the intro to Metallica's "Enter Sandman" begins to play over the loudspeakers across the stadium. Quietly at first, in fact barely audible to those who are in the crowd. Then the music begins to get louder, just slightly louder, as if to awaken the fear that lies deep within the opposing batter's mind. The music gets louder as he makes his way to the bullpen door. As the into changes to one of the most well known riffs in music, the bullpen door swings open. The guitars explode, thousands of flashes go off to catch an image of him, and the fans roar with excitement. He begins his long, slow, trek to the mound with the fans still cheering and the cameras still flashing. After a few warm up pitches, the music stops and it is time to get down to business. Finally, three quick outs later, he is gone as quietly as he entered and John Sterling gives his signature call of "The Yankees Win." This ritual is just another day at the ballpark for Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.

Statistically speaking, there is little question that Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer in baseball history. Rivera has 600 career saves, and he only needs two more to go before he is the all time saves leader. Rivera's career earned run average is a staggering 2.22, and his career WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is 1.00. Rivera also has accumulated 1,106 career strikeouts and has only given up 274 walks in 17 years. But where Rivera is truly scary is when it matters most, in the postseason. Rivera is the proud owner of five world series rings and has the longest consecutive scoreless innings streak, 34 and one thirds innings, in baseball history. Rivera also holds the records for lowest career postseason earned run average at 0.71, the most saves in each postseason round (18 in League division series, 13 League Championship series and 11 world series), and Rivera's nine series clinching games saves are the most in postseason history.

But it is not just the statistics that make Mariano Rivera the thing opposing hitters see in their nightmares. The signature pitch Rivera throws, his cutter, has been untouchable for almost two decades. Rivera could build a log cabin out of all the bats he has broken over the course of his career. Because of Rivera's dominance over the course of his career, the Yankees have had their solution in the ninth inning for 17 years. No other club in baseball can say that.  And for all of the fear that he puts into an opposing batter's mind, his demeanor on the mound remains the same, calm, cool, and collected no mater what the situation may be.

Mariano Rivera is one of those once in a generation pitchers that not only Yankees fans, but baseball fans in general, will be able to say to their kids and grandchildren in their waning years "I saw Mariano Rivera pitch." Rivera may be 41 years old, but his career is not over yet. And until the day he decides to hang up his glove and cutter, batters will have to sleep with one eye open and grip their pillows tight, because they might have to face the sandman the next day.

Week 1 Recap

It is hard to believe that just a few short weeks ago, analysts, fans, and coaches were preparing for a year without football. Well, the action in week one has everyone forgetting the daily updates of the NFL lockout dominated the sports headlines. Here are some of the most important things that emerged from week one in my opinion.

The Green Bay Packers are still the team to beat....

The first big time matchup of the NFL season did not disappoint. The Packers defeated the Saints 42-34 in a great shootout. Aaron Rogers went pass for pass with Drew Brees and both offenses looked as if they had not missed a beat. Receivers Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson carved up the Saints secondary and Randall Cobb burst on to the scene with a record tying 108 yard return touchdown. The Packers defense was not good in this game, few defenses are when facing a top five quarterback, but when the pressure was at its highest, the big cheese's defense stuffed Mark Ingram at the goal line. Both of these teams were very good, but after the game was over, the cheese stood alone. 

....But the Baltimore Ravens look up for the challenge.

The Baltimore Ravens avenged their playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a big way by winning 35-7. Ray Rice looked unstoppable as he ran for 107 yards and a touchdown while also having four catches for 42 yards and another touchdown. Joe Flacco looked hellbent on proving his critics wrong as he threw for 224 yards with three touchdowns and had a passer rating of 117.6. And on the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens were relentless. Ed Reed had two interceptions against quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense turned the ball over seven times in the game. The Ravens looked great in week one and embarrassed their rivals at home.

The strongest division in football went 0-4 for the weekend

The strongest division in football did not pick up a single win in the first week of action. The Saints looked really strong offensively against Green Bay, but their defense got carved up like Christmas ham. The Carolina Panthers got 422 passing yards out of Cam Newton in his rookie debut against the Arizona Cardinals, but it was not enough as they lost to the Cardinals 28-21. The Buccaneers looked disappointing against the upstart Detroit Lions. Tampa's defense got carved up in the first half and misses linebacker Barrett Ruud a great deal. But most surprisingly the Atlanta Falcons got their wings clipped by the Chicago Bears 30-12. Michael Turner rushed for 100 yards, but Matt Ryan threw a pick and none of the Falcons receivers had an outstanding game. The good news for the NFC south, everybody is in first place.

The Buffalo Bills looked really good and Kansas City is not winning the AFC West.

A wise man once said, nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills. Well those wagons ran over the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday as the Bills won 41-7. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a very good game throwing for 208 yards and four touchdowns without and interception. Stevie Johnson had a nice game as well, catching four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. And Fred Jackson ran for 112 yards against a decent defense.
On the other side of the ball, the Kansas City Chiefs looked horrible. Jamaal Charles had only 56 yards rushing and Matt Cassel threw for a meager 119 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Chiefs defense gave up 364 total yards to one of the worst teams in the league in 2010 and did not intercept the ball once. There may be hope for Buffalo to get out of the cellar yet, while Kansas City looks like they were playing their first game together.

The coolest play from the weekend happened on a routine play.

Back to the Ravens and Steelers game for the coolest play of the weekend. The Ravens already had a big lead, but they were looking for more. So on the extra point, the ball was snapped to punter Sam Kotch, and he ran right down the Steelers throats for a two point conversion. Nobody on the Steelers sideline saw it coming and the Ravens celebrated the PAT as if they scored a game winning touchdown. Some will argue that Baltimore was running up the score on that play. But if a punter runs right down your throat into the end zone, there is no defensive excuse for that. Plus, if the Steelers did not want Baltimore to go for two, they should have stopped the Ravens. But they did not, and the collective surprise and shock was a big hit to the Steelers ego.

Week one concludes tonight with the Patriots vs. Dolphins and Raiders vs. Broncos, and the best of the NFL season has yet to come.

Never Forget

It is inevitable that in some point in all of our lives, we all have been or will be touched by some form of tragedy.
That form of tragedy struck many people on September eleventh 2001 when the twin towers were erased from the New York skyline. Family members, friends, co workers, fire fighters, policemen and women, and so many more were taken from their loved ones on that day. The rest of the nation that was not directly impacted by that day cried with the victims. When something as terrible and heart wrenching as 9/11 has an impact on a person, how they respond to the tragedy will shape them for the rest of their life.

Now, ten years later, there will still be services for those who passed, still be people angry about the entire situation, and there will be people who will honor those who died on September eleventh 2001. One of the people who will pay tribute to the men and women who died that day is Lance Briggs, and his patriotic cleats and gloves that violate the NFL uniform policy.

Normally, the no fun league would ask Briggs to write a very large check for breaking the very strict dress code. A couple of notable situations where the NFL fashion police did come calling were when Chad Ochocinco got fined $10,000 for wearing the wrong chinstrap and threatened Peyton Manning with an alleged $25,000 fine if he wore special shoes to honor the late Johnny Unitas. But given the special circumstances of 9/11, the NFL will not be fining players who wear special gloves and shoes made by NFL licensees. And because the NFL has given the okay, other players will follow suit in remembering 9/11. Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles will wear the same shoes and gloves that Briggs has. While Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne and safety Antoine Bethea will wear similar gloves and shoes. And Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will wear shoes with stripes and the words "never forget" on them.

Despite the leniency by the NFL in this situation, some would argue that the no fun league is being hypocritical by allowing this gesture to fly while others like the Manning/Unitas gesture are not allowed. Those who take that side are correct, but if the NFL fined the players wearing this gear there would be a great deal of people across the country who would be outraged. The public relations hit that the NFL would take by not okaying the gesture would be too great to not allow this gesture to go on unpunished. Every rule is meant to have an exception, and for the NFL's dress code, allowing players to wear this gear is just that.

On the ten year anniversary of September eleventh 2001, let us all give our thoughts and prayers to the families who were hurt the most. And football starting on Sunday may be a distraction to many, however, the people of this country will never forget 9/11.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Like all others, the journey of an NFL quarterback is as full of peaks and valleys that not even Mount Everest can rival. A quarterback can go from the prince of his team's city one week, to a pauper that his fans do not deem worthy to scrap the dirt off their shoes. And very few quarterbacks have had they type of career journey that Rex Grossman had. Grossman has been a great deal of things in his NFL career. A first round draft pick, a bust, fan favorite, a bum, a quarterback who took his team to the Superbowl, the beneficiary of a great defense, and many other things that are not printable. And Grossman's journey of a thousand miles took another turn today when he was officially named the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins.

This is not Grossman's first time playing for the Redskins. Rex signed a one year deal with our nation's capital in 2010 and coach Mike Shanahan turned to sexy rexy to lead the team in the final two games of the regular season. Grossman played fairly well in his two starts, throwing for 322 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in a three point loss to the rival Cowboys, and beating the Jacksonville Jaguars. That all being said, 2011 will be Grossman's first year starting with a team that does not have a plethora of talent. So is an 

inconsistent journeyman quarterback the answers to all of Washington's prayers? 

Not likely.

Sexy rexy's career numbers are pretty tough to look at. Over his nine year career with three different teams, Grossman has thrown for 7,081 yards and 40 touchdowns, with 40 interceptions to match. Grossman may have been played in the Superbowl, but it was the Chicago Bears defense that put the team on its back and carried them all the way to the big game. Speaking of Superbowl XLI, Grossman was simply not good enough when he needed to be. Sure he completed 20 of his 28 passes including one touchdown, but two interceptions, one of which was a pick six, and his two fumbles killed the Bears momentum. 

In Grossman's defense, the lackluster quarterback is not going to get much help this season. The Redskins offensive line is not the secret service by any stretch of the imagination. Mostly because they gave up 46 

sacks, which was the fifth most in the league in 2010. In addition to his offensive line woes, Grossman really only has an aging Santana Moss and injury prone Chris Cooley to throw to. Also, Tim Hightower is not a running back that will have enough success to open up the play action for Grossman. Even elite quarterbacks would have a sub .500 record on the 2011 Washington Redskins. Still a good quarterback can get your team two or three more wins, and Grossman certainly will not do that.

Rex Grossman's journey at quarterback continues in the mess in our nations capital. The Washington Redskins may be everyone's homecoming game in 2011, but not all of it will be because of Rex Grossman, even though he will get all of the blame.