The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (11/23/2009).....

Today's The SportsFan Buzz podcast is a late night production. Deciding sleep means nothing to us, I am joined by Mike Tricarico (Twitter mtrico) as we discuss a variety of topics. All taking place after we finished watching the Titans/Texans Monday Night Football game.

Among them in part one is Notre Dame football and whether the ND job is still a good job, LSU's clock management problems, and Mike going to the premier of the New York Yankees' World Series DVD.

In part two, we discuss NFL Week 11 and the upsets that occurred, and a glance at what the playoff picture is shaping up to look like with 6 weeks remaining.

Enjoy the late night ramblings.

The SportsFan Buzz: November 23, 2009 (Part A)

The SportsFan Buzz: November 23, 2009 (Part B)

The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (11/10/2009).....

Today's The SportsFan Buzz podcast is broken up into two parts today as my childhood friend, Mike T. and I start discussing football and baseball, along with the Steelers, Yankees, and steriods, and go on for a while.

In Part A, Mike and I talk about his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers winning in Denver on Monday night, what is ahead for both the Steelers and Broncos in the upcoming weeks, and the great QB class that came out of the 2004 draft.

You can download Part A directly from this link. The SportsFan Buzz: November 10, 2009 (Part A)

In Part B, Mike and I switch from football to baseball and talk about the Yankees winning their 27th World Series, Cole Hamel's collapse, Joe Girardi's uniform number, the money / salary situation in baseball, and how we look at players and steriods.

You can download Part B directly from this link. The SportsFan Buzz: November 10, 2009 (Part B)

You can also have all future podcasts automatically downloaded to you (including to iTunes) by subscribing to The SportsFan Buzz.

Week 9 NFL Picks & The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (11/5/2009).....

SportsFan Buzz now also has a podcast. I hope you enjoy, and please provide all comments as this is in the very infant stage. Thank you.

Week 9 NFL picks (see below). Yankees' championship & celebration. Yankees buying World Series. A different turn in the Brandon Spikes suspension.
Please click on the below link to directly download the episode, or you may use this link Subscribe to The SportsFan Buzz (also found to the right) to get a subscription and automatic download (including iTunes).

The SportsFan Buzz: November 5, 2009

If you have picks you want to share, please use comment section. More details behind the picks is discussed in the podcast.

Week 9 picks: (home team in CAPS)

JAGUARS (-6 1/2) over Chiefs
Jaguars should ride Maurice Jones-Drew to a victory at home over a poor Chiefs team. The Larry Johnson mess during bye week did not help Chiefs. Picking up Chris Chambers, should help Matt Cassel and the Chiefs passing game.

Ravens (-3 1/2) over BENGALS
Another desperate game for Ravens, as a loss puts them 2 games behind Bengals, plus losing season series. Ravens seemed to put it together last week, and they get revenge for the early season late game loss to Cincinnati back in week 4.

Texans (+9) over COLTS
Houston's offense will put up enough points to keep this close, but Peyton Manning and the Colts should win the game. Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson really have the passing game clicking. The loss of tight end Owen Daniels could slow them down.  Colts losing CB Marlin Jackson for the remainder of the season could be huge to Indianapolis' defense.

FALCONS (-10) over Redskins
Atlanta played well in New Orleans, and seemed to get running game rolling. Matt Ryan needs to protect the ball better from the interceptions. Washington is a mess, and I don't think it got fixed during bye week.

Packers (-9 1/2) over BUCS
Tampa Bay could go winless again 33 years after first winless year. Green Bay gets back its two offensive tackles in Mark Tauscher & Chad Clifton, which should make Aaron Rodgers very happy and keep him upright, which will allow him to get the ball downfield to Donald Driver and Greg Jennings.

BEARS (-3) over Cardinals
Arizona is in that group of teams that you just are not sure about. Chicago also fits into that category. Think the Bears at home will get enough offense to win the game, but they way these two have flip flopped in their efforts, anything is possible.

Dolphins (+10 1/2) over PATRIOTS
Back to the scene of the "birth" of the Wildcat. It may not be all Wildcat, but expect the Dolphins to run Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown and try to keep Tom Brady on the sidelines. Miami runs enough to keep the game close.

Panthers (+13 1/2) over SAINTS
Carolina may have finally realized last week what every fan has known all year. That they are a running team first, and should pass only when needed. If they stick to that gameplan, they should keep it close and could even surprise a Saints' team coming off a tough Monday Night victory.

SEAHAWKS (-10) over Lions
Lions looked very poor last week in losing to the Rams, at home. Traveling cross country will not help them. Even though Seattle is beat up on defense, they should have enough offense and home field advantage to win and cover this game.

49ERS (-4) over Titans
Tennessee got their first win last week, but it will stop there. San Francisco is looking good on offense with Alex Smith, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree & Vernon Davis. Those weapons should be able to take advantage of the Titans defense which is still playing poor. Look for the 49er defense to cause a couple of Vince Young turnovers.

Chargers (+ 4 1/2) over GIANTS
I think the Giants will win this game, but it will be a 4th quarter victory. Expect the Giants to get back to basics on both offense and defense, and take advantage of a Charger defense which is not where they were 3 years ago. Battle of the "traded 2004 QBs" with Philip Rivers facing Eli Manning.

EAGLES (-3) over Cowboys
The Giants helped Philadelphia's offense get very healthy last week, and look for it to keep rolling this week at home against Dallas. Philly's speed could mean even more big plays against this Cowboy defense. Roy Williams sounded "TO ish" in his reasoning behind his poor numbers will not help the Cowboys. Look for the Eagles' defense to harass Tony Romo.

BRONCOS (+3) over Steelers
Denver at home on a Monday night is a nice combination. The loss last week to Baltimore was not totally unexpected, and we will see how they respond after their first setback. Look for the Bronco defense to get back on track and put plenty of pressure on Ben Roethlisberger.

Week 8 record (8-5)
2009 season (15-10-1)

The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (11/3/2009).....

SportsFan Buzz now also has a podcast. I hope you enjoy, and please provide all comments as this is in the very infant stage. Thank you.

World Series Game 5, Monday Night Football between Saints & Falcons and the Urban Meyer "suspension" of Brandon Spikes is discussed. Enjoy.

Please click on the below link to directly download the episode, or you may use this link Subscribe to The SportsFan Buzz (also found to the right) to get a subscription and automatic download (including iTunes).

The SportsFan Buzz: November 3, 2009

This & That (Monday 11/2/09).....

--- Sunday, November 1, 2009 was the first day that the NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL all had games scheduled on the same day. The day before, October 31st was just as good as you could swap the NFL for college football. Great weekend to be a sports fan. Your remote batteries still work?

--- The NFL Game of the week was "The Return of Favre" in Green Bay, but Minnesota took care of business 38-26, with Favre throwing four TD passes in his Lambeau return. The Packer fans did boo him with a little extra zest then a normal visiting player, but Brett got the last laugh with the victory. Aaron Rodgers played well and through three touchdowns, but Rodgers' biggest problem was that he was sacked six times, and in the two Viking games he has been on the turf fourteen times.

The Broncos suffered their first loss at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, 30-7. The Ravens stepped up after 3 consecutive losses, and took control in the second half, which in the first six games had been Denver's strongest time in grabbing their victories. Be interested to see how the Broncos respond next Monday night against Pittsburgh.

The Colts had a tough time with the 49ers, but remained undefeated with a 18-14 fourth quarter victory. The Colts needed a bit of deception for their final score, as the winning TD pass to Reggie Wayne came from Joseph Addai on a halfback pass, and not a traditional Peyton Manning connection.

The Tennessee Titans (30-13 over Jacksonville) and St. Louis Rams (17-10 over Detroit) both got their first victories of the season, and both rode their monster running backs to the wins. Chris Johnson had 228 yards rushing and two TDs for the Titans, while Steven Jackson had 149 and one TD in the Rams win. In Jacksonville's losing effort, Maurice Jones-Drew had 177 yards on only 8 carries. Amazing running days for these three excellent running backs.

Meanwhile the Giants lost again, this time the Philadelphia Eagles 40-17, and just look confused on defense, not in sync on offense. Did we over value this team, or is it just a slump?

--- The Yankees take the two weekend games in Philadelphia to take total control of the World Series.

What a difference a year makes, especially in the cases of Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge. Last year both had complete confidence in their pitching and were on the top of their games, and this year it is a 180 degree turnaround.

Hamels was pitching pretty well on Saturday night up until the 3-2 pitch to Mark Teixeira. Yes, it was close, but it was inside for ball four. Perfect sense that Hamels wanted it, as the camera caught his reaction to the ball call, but he needed to get back on track. The 2008 Hamels would have done just that, but the 2009 Hamels let it effect him. Once the Alex Rodriguez drive was ruled a home run (which I disagree with, as there was no conclusive evidence that the ball does not come down and hit the fence if the camera was not there), Hamels was completely lost. I knew watching that he would implode, and Hamels certainly followed his 2009 pattern. To me that was the turning point of the series.

As for Lidge, his confidence thread snapped in the 9th inning of game 4 as soon as Johnny Damon stole second base, then took third when no Phillie (Lidge) was covering the bag. As soon as that happened, Lidge went away from his slider and was only throwing fastballs. Huge mistake and the Yankees took advantage as both Rodriguez and Jorge Posada's hits were against Lidge's fastball.

Cliff Lee starts tonight trying to send the series back to Yankee Stadium. I think the defending champions will have enough pride in the tank and will send it back to New York for a Game 6.

Game 3: Yankees 8 / Phillies 5
Game 4: Yankees 7 / Phillies 4

--- Biggest news or event out of the NBA this weekend was Manu Ginobili swatting a bat out of the air during the Spurs game against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday (Halloween) night. Of course PETA has made a statement about the tragedy of the event.

--- The NHL had a quiet weekend, but a few of its biggest stars are banged up right now. Evgeni Malkin (shoulder), Alex Ovechkin and Eric Staal (both upper body) all will miss some time, and are needed by their teams and the NHL back and healed soon.

Some separation is starting to take place between teams as each club has played about a dozen games. Two teams, Carolina and Anaheim, have been huge disappointments so far, and need to start looking at how they want to correct their problems.

I don't want to see them every night, but I did get a smile from seeing the Montreal Canadiens' 1912 uniforms on Saturday night.

--- Florida and Texas tried to set themselves apart from the other top college teams on Saturday, with more impressive victories then they have had in prior weeks. The story out of Florida's win over Georgia was that linebacker Brandon Spikes was caught trying to gouge the eyes of Bulldog running back Washaun Ealey while making a tackle. Spikes has been suspended for the first half of next week's game against Vanderbilt.

The game of the weekend was Oregon putting it to the USC Trojans 47-20 to take control of the Pac 10. The loss was USC's worst of the Pete Carroll era, and biggest losing margin since 1997.

This & That (Thursday 10/29/09).....

--- Cliff Lee! Wow! Complete game, 6 hits, 0 earned runs, 0 walks and 10 strikeouts, against this Yankee lineup and in Yankee Stadium. The only run coming on the throwing error by Jimmy Rollins, or he might have had the shutout. In 2007 he was kept off the Indians' playoff roster, in 2008 he wins the AL Cy Young, and now this great performance. This deadline trade may be considered one of the best ever made if Lee can keep this up.

This takes nothing away from CC Sabathia who pitched a good game. Sabathia's performance would have been good enough to win on most nights, but not last night. He struggled early, but got out of the first inning after loading the bases. The Chase Utley homer in the 3rd is a warning track flyout in most other parks, and then he retires the next 8 before Utley gets him again, with a well hit ball off a location mistake.

I really thought that if both guys made it through 6 or 7 innings with three runs against them, we would be talking about how well they pitched. Instead, two runs and 8 hits total for the first 7 innings? Great pitching by the two aces.

Phil Hughes made my preview of this series look good with his terrible performance in the 8th, when he walked the only 2 batters he faced, allowing the Phillies to open up the game. The Phillies bats only got one hit in the inning, and that was the Raul Ibanez single that scored the two runs to make it 4-0. Then Brian Bruney was a disaster in the ninth when the Phillies made it 6-0. Besides not keeping the game close, this happened at home, when they should be relaxed. How will this bullpen react when they get in front of the hostile Philadelphia fans? Joe Girardi is going to have tough decisions to make when he leaves the dugout to pull his starting pitcher the rest of this series. I don't think he has confidence in anybody besides Mariano Rivera and maybe David Robertson.

As for the Yankees' bats, this was a bad performance. Derek Jeter with three of the six hits, while Alex Rodriguez strikes out three times. It will be interesting to see how A-Rod bounces back, if he does bounce back, after looking like the "old post season" Alex Rodriguez.

For tonight, the ball is in AJ Burnett's hand for the Yankees, with the pressure on. The Yankees paid him like a #2 pitcher, and he has shown those flashes this year, but that money was really given for this type of situation. Let's see if Burnett is able to step forward.

For the Phillies, a relaxed Pedro Martinez takes the mound. No pressure on Pedro after last night's win, but the demons of Yankee games past will be in his mind. I think we might hear quite a bit of the "who's your daddy" chant tonight at the stadium.

--- The NCAA has decided the Oklahoma State's wide receiver, Dez Bryant, will remain suspended for the remainder of the year. The decision basically ends his college career, as Bryant will most likely enter next year's NFL draft. His crime? Lying to the NCAA about being with former NFL star, Deion Sanders. Although he didn't think he did anything wrong when he met with Sanders, when questioned by the NCAA, Bryant, in speaking with ESPN, claims the questioning made him feel that he did do something wrong, so he lied about being with Sanders.

In the end, Bryant did nothing against NCAA rules in his meeting with Sanders, and this has been confirmed by the NCAA. What he did was lie about the meeting, and while I don't condone his lying, there are legitimate concerns brought up by Bryant concerning the questioning of him, and how they made him feel during that questioning. In the end, a one or even two game suspension would have served it purpose, but instead the NCAA has decided to be heavy handed and end a kid's college career. In my opinion, this is a real shame, and a terrible ruling by the NCAA.

--- Mark Sanchez didn't feel well on Sunday (not sure why with his opponent being the Raiders) with a slight upset stomach. Late in the game, with the Jets well ahead cameras caught Sanchez on the bench eating a hot dog. He was trying to keep it secret, but it is just something football players do not do. Most of the "controversy" has to do with it being a hot dog as compared to a "sport snack" that is usually on the sidelines, like a Power Bar.

At least he put mustard on it (though with an upset stomach was that the smartest thing). Can you imagine the uproar in New York if he went the ketchup route? Mike Francesa over at WFAN in New York, would have ranted for two days about it.

--- Larry Johnson was suspended one game by the Kansas City Chiefs following two gay slur remarks he made on Twitter. While it is one game for now, I would not be surprised if further action is taken by the Chiefs, or the NFL, after this one game passes and that Johnson does not see the field again this year.

Johnson, who had two monster years in 2005 & 2006, has not been the anywhere close to the same player since. Add in the fact that he had prior off the field problems, and will be 30 this November, and it does not make a great combination for the former Penn State running back.

--- Vince Young will be starting this Sunday for the Tennessee Titans in place of Kerry Collins. While the dreadful start has not been Collins' fault, at 0-6 the Titans season is lost, and they have a large investment in Young. This will be a ten game audition to see if he is the possible quarterback of the future, or if they need to find someone else to put under center in the coming seasons.

--- The NBA season has started, but not particularly well for the Cleveland Cavaliers. So far the LeBron James & Shaquille O'Neal pairing is 0-2, and looks a little out of sorts, though James is putting up monster numbers. This should be interesting to keep an eye on.

--- Over in the NHL, the Rangers, Sabres, Kings and Avalanche have been the surprise success stories in this early part of the season, but it is Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin's Washington Capitals that are leading the show. Add in that some of their teammates are having outstanding starts (Marc-Andre Fluery in goal for Pittsburgh and Nicklas Backstom centering Ovechkin) and this is going to be another good year for the NHL.

Phillies / Yankees preview.....

As a Los Angeles Dodger fan I want neither the Yankees or the Phillies to win the World Series. The Yankees have always been the "anybody but" team for me growing up, and after two straight NLCS losses to the Phillies, they are not at the top of my favorite team list.

So for me, they can cancel the series and hand it to the Angels for the tough season they went through. Or how about giving it to the Indians seeing that less then 15 months ago both Game 1 starters were part of their rotation? Sorry, Indians fans. At least you have Manny Acta managing after his Nationals' stint.

At least I am not a Mets' fan. What do those fans do? They despise both of these teams and it kills them that they are playing each other. I would guess they just want the series to end quickly & quietly, and move on to 2010.

Actually, I don't hate either of these teams. I am not a Yankee fan, but I do like some of their players. How can you not like, or at least respect Derek Jeter for all he has done over his career? Also, I am a fan of CC Sabathia and his willingness to put teams on his back and pitch whenever asked to take the mound. Add in Mariano Rivera, Johnny Damon, and Mark Teixeira, and this is a group of Yankees that doesn't give you that "bad taste" like others have in prior years. Unless of course you are a Red Sox fan, and that bad taste is permanent.

I also like this Phillie team. They have won the NL East the last three years and won last year's World Series, and seemed to have fun as a team the whole time. It sounds cliche, but I really think it is important for a team to like each other. They don't have to be close like high school sweethearts, but I believe a team liking each other can give it an edge over a long season, and especially in the playoffs. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are all good hard working players and the heart of this team. Add in their "like a grandpa" manager in Charlie Manuel, and it's hard to root against them.

The Yankees will have the edge in starting pitching, once we get off the two aces, as I think Sabathia and Cliff Lee are a wash, but AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte have the edge over Pedro Martinez and Cole Hamels. The Phillies are hoping that Pedro keeps his magic ride going since they picked him up and that Hamels turns into the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP pitcher, but those are two big "ifs". Manuel and the Phillies will be ecstatic if either pitcher can give them 6 innings in Games 2 or 3.

For the bullpen, I think this is an overall even matchup, but if you believe closers or middle relievers are more important then the other you might disagree. Rivera has the edge over Brad Lidge, as I am not one of those who believes that Lidge is back to 2008 form. As for the middle relief and set-up men, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain have been disappointments this past month plus, so much so that Joe Girardi used Rivera for a 6 out save to nail down Game 6 against the Angels. Meanwhile the Phillies middle relief and set-up men have been solid, and as long as Manuel doesn't overuse them, could be the difference in this series.

The lineups for both teams are impressive, and probably the best two in baseball. Jeter, Rodriguez, Teixera, Damon, Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui on one side with Howard, Rollins, Utley, Shane Victoino, Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth on the other. Neither set of pitchers is happy looking at the opposing lineups they will face. Add in that both ballparks play "small", and we could see quite a few 10-8 and 8-6 games this series.

As for a prediction, I like the Phillies in six or seven games. They are a good defensive team, so they shouldn't give the Yankee lineup extra outs, and their lineup is as good as anything these Yankee pitchers have seen all year. For some reason I think we will see a well pitched game from either Pedro or Hamels, that will give the Phillies a boost. Another reason is the bullpen work. Unless the Yankees middle relief gets straightened out, it might not matter that Rivera is waiting in the 9th. I also think because the Phillies won it all last year, and there is a bit of history involved (only three other NL teams have ever won back to back World Series: 1907-08 Cubs, 1921-22 Giants and 1975-76 Reds), they will scratch out the wins to give the city of Philadelphia a reason for a parade.

***If this series goes the full seven games, Game 7 is scheduled for Thursday, November 5th. That is ridiculous to begin with, and does not account for any bad weather. How long before a World Series game is between the Thanksgiving Day NFL games?

November baseball is plain and simple, wrong. Who's looking forward to possible November games in Minnesota's new outdoor stadium? How about starting the regular season one week earlier in warm weather and dome cities, and scheduling seven day/night double headers for each team to reduce another week from the calendar. That way based on this year's schedule, Game 7 would be October 22nd. Not great, but better then any November dates.

Another problem is playoff scheduling. These playoffs started October 7th, and if the series ends in four games, will finish on November 1st. That is 25 days, but the Phillies and Yankees would have only played 13 games in that time. Twelve days off during the post season, while during the regular season most teams don't have more then 20 scheduled off days. Baseball is a rhythm game, and playing what turns out to every other day, ruins rhythm. I know MLB is beholden to FOX and the scheduling, but can we please do something about this?