- The Jeter contract talks are heating up and it seems that both sides may be drawing a line in the sand. The Yankees have offered a 3 year deal for 45M while Jeter is seeking a minumum of a 5 year deal. Jeter has had a great career and he is worth more to the Yankees then anyone else. However Jeter needs the Yankees just as much as they need him thus he has no leverage. There is not another team in baseball who would offer Jeter the 3 year 45 as the Yankees have and there would certainly not be a team who would offer a 36 year old SS who is coming off a bad year, comparativly speaking, a 5 year deal. These contract negotiations will likely be played out in the media and Jeter will likely get a three to four year deal at about 15 per that will likely have sometype of service contract included for when Jeter decides to hang up the cleats.
- I believe the Football games played in baseball parks were a success. Sure Wrigley may not have been the Friendly Confines in terms of space but the game managed to feel big even if it was a matchup between to middle of the pack Big 10 teams while Yankee stadium hosted to teams near .500. This weekend provided the perfect moment for these to be a success. The top 4 teams in the country all were idle on Saturday and only four matchups featured both teams in the Top 25 and those were more about Conference positioning then the pursuit of a National Title. I believe in a typical week it would be hard to imagine GameDay covering a Illinois vs. Northwestern game at Wrigley. Also add the fact that Wrigley holds about 34K while the Big 10 average is likely north of 100K so that ultimatley results in lost revenues for the schools. It would seem that Northwestern wants to market itself as Chicago's school therefore I can see them attempting this event again at some point but outside of contest against Indiana and Illinois I don't believe it would make sense financially. And no doubt adjustments would have to be made to the field alignment to make sure you can actually use the entire field. As for Yankee Stadium this will not be a isolated event. I believe Yankee Stadium will now host a bowl game and I can see the Irish making this a bi-yearly schedule stop as well as a possible Army vs. Navy destination.
- For the most part I feel the College Football experts do a good job of idntifying who will and won't be players during the season. However occasionally they over and under value teams. Look at Texas as a prime example of overvaluing a team. At football factories such as Texas you just assume a highly touted recruit can replace another and the effects will not become apparent often times that is the case but as is with Texas this year it's not a rule. Often times the opposite happens so much value is put on returning players. We just assume that the experienced player of last year is better than the inexperienced first year starter. If it was as simple as replacing all players with a 17 or 18 year old Freshman this may be the case but more often than not you are replacing a Senior with a 4th year Junior or JC transfer. Often times these players come in and you instantly improve in areas that you didn't think were possible given the lack of experience that was lost. Look no further than NC State and Oklahoma State. Both were selected by many to finish last in their respective divisions to begin the season but both teams are now a win away from a appearence in the Conference Championship game. For Oklahoma State it has been first year starting QB Brandon Weeden who has performed much more consistently then Zac Robinson. While for NC State it has been improved play from Russell Wilson along with Mustafa Greene a freshmen RB who has enegized the offense while the Defense has improved despite returning only 4 starters from last year.
- As a Irish fan I am delighted that this unit has become Bowl eligible. Grant it this 6-5 Irish team will likely play in some meaningless Bowl game in late December but it's a bowl game none the less. Thirty extra practices go a long way in building your squad for next season. After a 1-4 start the Irish rebounded as the schedule eased up but after losses to Navy and Tulsa a bowl season looked doubtful. However last week the Irish upset a overrated Utah team and a win over Army on Saturday gave them their six wins needed to bowl. A win over USC on Saturday would be icing on the cake on what should be deemed a succesful season should they go 7-5. They have been ravaged on offense by injuries. All-American TE Kyle Rudolph has been out most of the season. Dayne Crist has missed the last three games and is out for the year. Playmaker Theo Reddick has missed extensive time as has Armando Allen who is also done for the year. For the record I don't see the Irish beating USC on Saturday sure the Trojans are coming of a embarassing performance on Saturday against Oregon State but to expect a 18 year old kid to better a Monte Kiffin lead defense is a little to much to ask. Regardless I believe the first year of the Brian Kelly era has been a success.
- Are you prepared for this weekend of College Football action? Though the conference championships and regular season finales aren't until first week in December you could argue that the culmination of the season is this coming weekend. Three of the top four teams will face their toughest remaining challenge in their pursuit for perfection. Auburn must travel to Alabama while Oregon host Arizona and Boise State travels to Reno to face Nevada. Combine this action with classic rivalry games such as Arkansas and LSU, Notre Dame vs. USC, Michigan vs. Ohio State, Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State, and Florida vs. Florida State it's almost to much for one to take. Add this with the Thanksgiving Day NFL action and Black Friday it is quite possible that come Sunday Night yours trully will have had about 8 hours sleep in a 72 hour period but I have little doubt that it wouldn't have been worth it.
- I was a Jets doubter to start the season however after watching Mark Sanchez's late game heroics the last two weeks it's time I start buying stock. I don't think their defense is 85 Bears good as they would like you to think but it certainly is amongst the best in the league if not the best and Sanchez has grown leaps and bounds in year two and I feel as though he should be considered amongst the leagues elite. Think of it this way how long is the list of QB's you would take over him. Perhaps 5 maybe 6. Manning, Brady, Brees are all no brainers Vick, Rivers and Rodgers would certainly be at this point but after that I believe Sanchez belongs in the same class as Matt Ryan, Eli Manning, Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger. As for myself I belive I would take Sanchez over any of them.
- Just because I'm becoming a Mark Sanchez supporter doesn't mean I am penciling the Jets into the Super Bowl. At this point I just don't know who the best team is in either league. I do believe their are groups performing and the list of who will not win the Super Bowl is getting longer. In the AFC I believe the best of the best includes the Ravens, Jets, and Patriots while I can still see the Colts, Steelers and Chargers as possible Super Bowl teams. Outside of these teams I don't see another team that can win four consecutive games in the playoffs. For as much smack as the NFC has had to endure this season when compared to the AFC I actually think they have nearly just as many squads capable of winning it all. I don't believe the conference as a whole is as deep as the AFC however the Falcons, Giants, Eagles, Saints, and Packers all seem to be among the games elite. What will likely be the big differences between the conferences come playoff time will be the upsets. When I look at the NFC I see chalk until you get into the final four while in the AFC I could see a six seed such as Houston or Oakland or whomever winning a couple of games and busting the whole bracket.
- The Patriots got the better end of the Colts on Sunday however I will not change my stance on Manning over Brady. The Sports Talk circuit tossed around this topic all week leading up to the game itself and I would say it was about a 50/50 split. Over the years I have come to respect Brady as a player however I just think if you take Manning of the Colts even in their 13 and 14 win season they would have been a 4 or 5 win team. No doubt the Patriots wouldn't have won Super Bowl after Super Bowl without Brady but as we all know Cassell lead this team to 10 victories in Brady's abscence. I have just always felt that Brady has had better talent around him as well as a more consistent defense year end and year out. Brady also had the fellow who always wore that bad cutoff sweatshirt. Make no mistake Manning has had some good players Harrison, Clark, Wayne, Addai, James etc. and in terms of Pro-Bowl appearences the two teams are a wash. In terms of defense the numbers are also comparable in terms of Defensive Ranks throughout Manning and Brady's carrer so depending on whose side your on you can manipulate the numbers to support your claim. And though I'm not a huge Tony Dungy guy it's not like he's Brad Childress come game day. If your a Brady guy you could also claim that Brady had to change Coordiantors more frequently than Manning who has had only two during his career. The arguement certainly makes for good conversation over some cocktails but much like the BCS or playoff your likely committed to your decision.
- I would be shocked if Brett Favre is the QB for the Vikings in two weeks. Given the 3-7 mark and nearly all playoff hopes vanished I can see Number 4 packing it in and calling it a career and truth be told I wouldn't blame him one bit. I have been critical of Favre often over the last few years but this is a situation I would be on his side. The season is over the coach hates him and routinely dogs him and a December in Minnesota doesn't sound like a good time for a country boy from Kiln. I expect this nagging shoulder to become to much for one man to bare and it will allow old number four to walk away and the Tavaris Jackson era to once again begin. As a AP owner in the 64/60 as well as a person who spent a foolish 82 dollars on Sidney Rice I hope this isn't the case but I've got a feeling that it's right around the corner.
- Since Vince Young isn't capable of providing fireworks on the field he has decided to provide them on the sidelines. Before he was injured he was ineffective and was showered with a heavy dose of boos and responded as any immature starting QB in the NFL would by encouraging the fans to boo more by waving both arms in a increase volume fashion. After Young was injured, which likely could end his season he left the field and threw shoulder pads into the stands which has been confirmed and possibly a helmet which has not been confirmed. It is also speculated that Young and Fisher had words while it has been confirmed that Young and a teamate had a locker room confrontation which ended with Young being chased by a man in shorts( I don't know if they were boxers, briefs, or actual shorts) as he left the locker room. In the postgame press conference Jeff Fisher stated that injury or not Vince Young is no longer the Titans starting QB. All of this combined with the suicide stuff from last season seals the deal for Young to be exiled out of town and Suicide Hotline staffers should plan on working some overtime this week.
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