KRUI Sports has moved this blog to a new site! You can now find us here(www.kruisports.wordpress.com). Enjoy!
Manny, Don't Be Manny Anymore
by David Heffernan
5/7/09
It was the news this morning that once again shook up the baseball world. Another star and another face of the disgraced game had been found using steroids. Manny Ramirez, the star leftfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers has been suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball and he has said he will not appeal. Like every other player that has stepped forward Ramirez expects us to believe that it was not his fault and that he was completely naive in the matter. A physician gave it to you? I don’t know what type of physicians you are going to Manny but they don’t just hand out steroids like they are candy. This was just another slap in the face to the game that has seen arguably its’ best hitter, Barry Bonds, and best pitcher, Roger Clemens, accused of steroids and backed into corners. This comes just months after Alex Rodriguez admitted to taking steroids. As a fan of this beloved game I do not think I can sit and watch anymore of its’ stars be found guilty of using steroids. If Albert Pujols and Derek Jeter are found using steroids I may just have to give up the game completely and I’m sure many more would soon give it up as well.
Hot Corner of Fame: Where Does Chipper Stand?
by Josh Roth
Chipper Jones has been the cornerstone of the Braves for over 15 years. He has won an MVP award, Silver Slugger Award, a batting title, and a World Series. His career numbers are absolutely fantastic:
Name AVG OBP SLG OPS HR Runs RBI
C. Jones .310 .408 .547 .955 410 1390 1382
So where does Chipper stand amongst the rest of the Hall of Fame? His hitting numbers are in the top five amongst all of the Hall of Famers including top slugging percentage and OPS. His run and RBI totals should rise as well and could possibly be the best in both of those respective categories. After looking over all the statistics there were three other candidates that could put up a case for being better than Chipper Jones: Wade Boggs, Eddie Mathews, and Mike Schmidt. Eddie Mathews had a great career, but the only thing in the end that will separate him from Chipper is the homerun totals, so I will place Chipper ahead of Eddie Mathews.
Next in line is Wade Boggs, who seems to go under the radar, but his stats are actually very good. He has the best average and OBP of any Hall of Fame third basemen, plus he won a couple of gold gloves. Boggs also is part of the 3,000 hits club, which it would likely take five more good seasons for Chipper to reach. However, the thing that separates him and Chipper Jones is the power. Chipper’s slugging is over a hundred points better, he has 292 more homeruns than Wade Boggs. He also has more RBI and has an MVP, unlike Boggs.
So that leaves Mike Schmidt, with the stats being very close. Mike Schmidt has more homeruns at 548 and has more RBI. However, Chipper Jones could surpass that RBI total given he averages 71 RBI in the next three seasons, but will likely not pass the homerun total unless he can play four more seasons and average 37 homeruns. Chipper has a better average, slugging, OBP, and OPS. Both have won a World Series, but Schmidt has won ten Gold Gloves and two more MVPs than Chipper. Overall it may seem like Schmidt is the clear winner, but Chipper makes a good case for himself. If we are looking at pure hitters, Chipper probably is the top hitter out of any third basemen in the Hall of Fame. All of his offensive numbers could be better than Mike Schmidt’s with the exception of homeruns. However, the ten gold gloves could be the key to the argument which would make Schmidt the best all around third basemen. Yet the fielding percentage is very close, with Mike only having a 1 point better fielding percentage. Either way one looks at it, Chipper will be a Hall of Famer and should, by the time he retires, be amongst the top two hall of fame third basemen. Here are the stats of some of the hall of fame third basemen:
Name AVG OBP SLG OPS HR Runs RBI
C. Jones .310 .408 .547 .955 410 1390 1382
M. Schmidt .267 .380 .527 .907 548 1506 1595
W. Boggs .328 .415 .443 .858 118 1513 1014
E. Mathews .271 .376 .509 .885 512 1509 1453
So you decide who is the best third baseman of all time? (Excluding Alex Rodriguez at this time)
MLB Playoff Predictions
By Josh Roth
(Check out http://thegoldenwhip.wordpress.com/ for more in depth coverage, including team by team previews)
ALDS:
Boston Red Sox defeat Cleveland Indians
Minnesota Twins defeat Los Angeles Angels
NLDS:
Chicago Cubs defeat Atlanta Braves
Los Angeles Dodgers defeat New York Mets
ALCS:
Boston Red Sox defeat Minnesota Twins
NLCS:
Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Chicago Cubs
World Series:
Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Boston Red Sox (MVP: Andre Ethier)
American League Preview
By Josh Roth
(Check out http://thegoldenwhip.wordpress.com/ for more in depth coverage, including team by team previews)
AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays
AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Detroit Tigers
AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Oakland A’s
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners
MVP Candidates
1. Grady Sizemore
Grady Sizemore has a chance to have 100 runs, 100 RBIs, and 100 BB. Not to mention that he may wind up with 40 HR and 40 SB. There will be two things standing in his way. One will be whether or not the Indians make the playoffs, which I think they will. The second will be his average, which is slightly overrated. If he brings up the average and his team makes the playoffs he should be near the top of the MVP race.
2. Justin Morneau
Justin Morneau has been a beast when it comes to driving in runs, driving in over 110 in the last three years. Expect him to do the same this year. The one discouraging thing from last year was that his homerun total went down, but I expect him back to 30 plus homeruns this year and if he keeps his average around .300 he should be a top three candidate. The one thing that may hold him back would be whether the Twins make the playoffs or not, but I believe they will.
3. Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Youkilis had a career year last year and probably should have won MVP. The power seems to be increasing and we all know he his patient, he is the Greek God of Walks of course. One big question mark will be his homerun total, there wasn’t too many guys with massive homerun totals last year, but that may change this year, so if he wants to sway the votes he will have to hit around 30 HR again, which I believe he will do. Another factor will be Pedroia, as long as the media doesn’t fall in love with him again, Youkilis should be fine. Expect the OPS and RBI totals to be near the top of the AL again and for him to be a top 5 candidate for MVP.
4. Vladimir Guerrero
Vladimir Guerrero is a constant contender for the MVP award. He has a career .323 avg which is rather insane. He is also good to hit 30 HR if he stays healthy and should have around 100 RBIs too. The big keys will be whether he can get guys in front of him to get on and if has protection following him, which he should with the addition of Bobby Abreu and the power of Mike Napoli, that is if he is in the lineup. Another big key will be the Angels pitching; if they can get healthy soon they should have a good chance to make the playoffs, which would help Vladimir’s chances for MVP.
5. Jason Bay
Jason Bay is my sleeper pick. This was a great pick up for the Red Sox last year and should get a lot of RBI chance batting 5th or 6th in that great lineup. There will be a good chance he hits 30 plus homeruns again and his slugging will go up playing with the Green Monster in Fenway. He is also patient which will bode well for his OPS. However, the problem with Bay is that he plays on the same team as Youkilis, Pedroia, and Ortiz. So it will be difficult, but he does have a shot, look out for Jason Bay.
CY Young Candidates
1. Jon Lester
This is a bit of a stretch, but I like Jon Lester here. He had good numbers in the second half of the year last year posting and ERA below 3. His strikeout rate also was over 7 post all star game and his walk rate went down. Lester also plays for the Red Sox so he should have a good chance for a good amount of wins. He may need to continue to raise his strikeout rate, but I think Lester could have a big year.
2. C.C. Sabathia
Sabathia was very impressive last year for both the Indians and Brewers, but he will have a lot of pressure on him going to New York. I still expect to have a big year for the Yankees, though. He has really good strike out to walk ratios and he struck out 251 guys last year. As long as he doesn’t let the pressure get to him and the Yankees can give him wins in his starts he should have a real good chance to take home the CY Young award.
3. Roy Halladay
Halladay is one of the best pitchers in AL. He put up great stats last year including an ERA under 3 and had a 5.28 BB/K ratio. The only thing that held him back from winning the CY Young last year was the phenomenal year of Cliff Lee. The thing that could hold him back this year will be his team, which will probably finish near the bottom of the division, but he did wind up with 20 wins on a mediocre team. He will have a good chance to win this year and will probably, at the very least, be a top 5 candidate.
4. James Shields
James Shields has arguably been the ace of the Rays staff the last couple of years. He is still very young, but his ERA and WHIP have dropped in the past couple of seasons and he has a very good strikeout to walk ratio. It was tough deciding between him and Kazmir, who barely missed this list, but I will give the slight nod to Shields. If the Rays can stay competitive and stay above .500, he should have a good chance to rack up more wins.
T5. Kevin Slowey
Yet again another stretch, but you got to love Sloweys BB/K ratio (5.13), the stat I love to rave about apparently. I think the most impressive thing is that he only walked 24 guys last year. His WHIP is also very low at 1.15 and if he can do better job at keeping the ball in the yard he should have good success. However, like Derek Lowe in the NL he may not get a lot of strikeouts which could hurt him, but the thing he needs the most is the Twins to get him some wins. Like I said before it is a big stretch, but I think there could be big things from Slowey this year.
T5. Jered Weaver
I know I am going with a 6th option, but I really like the chances of Jered Weaver. He strikes out a decent amount and overall has a solid BB/K ratio. In fact those rates have been getting better including his WHIP. The only thing that didn’t improve was his ERA, but I expect him to have a good year this year and to continue to improve upon those numbers. Look out for Jered Weaver this year, he is a major sleeper.
National League Preview
By Josh Roth
NL East Standings
1. New York Mets
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals
NL Central Standings
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres
Wildcard
1. Atlanta Braves
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. St. Louis Cardinals
NL MVP
1. Manny Ramirez, LAD
With Manny back for his first full year with the Dodgers, he should put up monster numbers. It also helps with Furcal and Hudson at the top of the order right in front of Manny, he should put up a lot of RBIs.
2. Aramis Ramirez, ChC
Here is the dark horse in the competition. He has quietly been one of the top third baseman in the league. Last year he was more patient and with his homerun total to be around 30 hit should bode well for his OPS. Not only that, but he will drive in more runs and put more numbers up due to the addition of Milton Bradley, but Bradley needs to stay healthy, which could be a big question mark. He still put big numbers up even without Bradley though.
3. David Wright, NYM
If the Mets do make the playoffs expect David Wright to be right in the mix for the MVP award. He will no doubt put up the numbers to win the award and is a fan and press favorite.
4. Albert Pujols, StL
It is obvious why his name is on the list, considering he is the best hitter in the National League and probably in all of baseball. Oh yeah and he won the award last year. The only question one may ask is why he is so low, well I think he will have enough competition this year and his team will likely miss out on the post season.
5. Ryan Braun, Mil
The best hitter on the Brewers and is turning into one of the best hitters in the National League. He has nice protection with Fielder, Hardy and Hart. He could improve his chances if guys like Weeks and Hall produce and if the Brewers make the playoffs. However, I think the Brewers will just miss the playoffs, thus decreasing his chances on winning.
NL Cy Young
1. Dan Haren, Arz
Many people may consider Brandon Webb to be the best pitcher on the Diamondbacks, but I think this year Haren will be. Haren strikeout rate was at his highest point last year, had his lowest WHIP number last year, and walked only 40 guys last year (that makes for a good K/BB ratio!). Expect big things from him this year with an ERA right around 3.00, quite possibly below that.
2. Johan Santana, NYM
Expect big things for Johan in his second year with the Mets, not that he didn't do well last year. He might be the best pitcher in baseball, but I see him coming up a little short. However, it won't be a surprise if he wins it.
3. Derek Lowe, Atl
Derek Lowe had a very good last year and if he would have gotten more wins could have made a case for the CY Young last year. He is an underrated pitcher, partly because he doesn't put up big strikeout numbers. If the Braves make the playoffs he should get more attention and should be a big reason why they get there.
4. Tim Lincecum, SF
Coming off a Cy Young year I expect a little drop off, but should still be a top ten, probably top five pitcher in the National League. Lincecum struck out a whopping 265 guys last year, but did walk over 80 guys. If his walk totals stay high and he winds up striking out less he may be less fortunate. He is only 24, going on 25 and should be a CY Young candidate for the years to come.
5. Yovani Gallardo, Mil
This guy has ace stuff and will clearly be the Brewers best pitcher with C.C. Sabathia being gone. The big question will be health which has hampered him a bit in his early career. If he does have a healthy year expect him to put up big strikeout numbers, a low WHIP, and a low ERA.
(Check out http://thegoldenwhip.wordpress.com/ for more in depth coverage, including team by team previews)
1st Weekend of the NCAA Tournament
by Brandon Hurley
As usual, we got a taste of some excitement over the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. Most of the top seeds struggled on in the second round except for UCONN, who blew out a solid Texas A&M team, 92-66, after coming off a 56 point smackdown over sixteen seeded Chattanooga. Louisville slithered their way from an up and coming mid major power house, Siena. North Carolina had to rely on banged up point guard Ty Lawson in order to sneak past LSU, and Pitt got a giant game from Sam Young dropping 32 points and also received a few clutch baskets from point man Levance Fields to overcome the fight of the Cowboys from Oklahoma State.
While on the topic of the no. 1 seeds, I believe Ty Lawson showed absolutely no signs of his toe injury. When the Tar Heels needed a basket, Lawson pulled a quick crossover and used his speed to get to the rack. After a few plays mid way through the second half I had already forgotten about his injury showing us why he won ACC player of the year. The Heels are a completely different team with Lawson in the lineup. He makes them run like a well oiled machine. Now if he can stay healthy for the rest of the tournament there is no doubt UNC will reach the Final Four. They only have to get past Gonzaga and either Syracuse or Oklahoma.
Even though Louisville struggled in their first two games I still have no doubt they will run through the rest of their bracket. They have nothing to be concerned of because, T-Will, Terrance Williams, had another NBA caliber game dropping 24 points while snagging 15 boards and knocking done four trey balls along the way, and Earl Clark had a double-double as well pulling down 12 rebounds and adding 12 points in the win against Siena. I see the Cardinals making the Final Four but they will get tested by Arizona and the winner of the colossal coaching matchup of Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans and Bill Self's defending champion Kansas Jayhawks. Each of these games Lousiville will have to fight to pull out the victory but I don't see anyone being able to bring them down. Pitino's squad just has too much overall balance for anyone to keep up. If T-Will isn't getting his points he can affect the game in other areas with steals and assists.
Then on the other side of the bracket, Pitt looks to have the tougher road to Detroit. The Panthers have to face a Xavier team out of the Atlantic 10 that is totally outmatched. They don't have enough players to shut down Dejuan Blair down low, Young on the wing and Fields at the point. They only way I can see Xavier pulling the upset is if the fairy godmother comes out of nowhere and blesses the Musketeers with superior shooting ability and Blair is eliminated from Pitt. Other then that it's highly unlikely that Xavier gives Pitt a fight for the entire game. The elite eight game is where it gets dicey for the Panthers. They have to face either either Villanova or Duke. I definitely see Nova over Duke with the way they are playing, but if the Dukies hit a hot streak anything can happen. Now when Nova gets past Duke, it's nearly a toss up from here. The Wildcats beat Pitt at home earlier this year and this game is in Boston, so the crowd will most likely be split. It's tough to say who will win, but if Nova keeps shooting like it did against UCLA, and Dante Cunningham keeps roaming the paint down low, and Pitt continues its struggles, I could very easily see Nova punching it's ticket to Detroit.
No doubt UCONN has the easiest route of the four top seeds. They face a slow Purdue team in the Sweet Sixteen, then face either Mizzou or Memphis in the elite eight. Memphis hasn't really been tested in the last two months besides it's opening round matchup against upstart Cal State Norhtridge who gave the Tigers a giant scare and Mizzou can play with anyone because of their pressure D, but they can also get blown out like they did at Phog Allen Field House against Kansas about a month ago. So UCONN should make the final four with relative ease, especially after not even having to play their starters the whole game for either of the first two games.
For those harping that the Big Dance doesn't have anymore stunning upsets, I say to them, big deal. The NCAA was made to settle who the best team in the nation is, and if a fifteen seed doesn't beat a two seed every year it's nothing to cry about. We got our fair share of first round upsets with thirteenth seeded Cleveland State blowing out fourth seeded Wake Forest, 12th seeded Arizona taking down fifth seeded Utah, even though that wasn't much of an upset because 'Zona was actually favored in Vegas, 11th seeded Dayton knocking off sixth seeded West Virgina, 12th seeded Western Kentucky upsetting a five seed for the second year in a row against the Fighting Illini of Illinois and 12th seeded Wisconsin beating fifth seeded Florida State. The upsets haven't been major, but they have been there. If you really know basketball, you will appreciate the top seeds moving on. So what if it is chalk? It makes for good basketball games between great teams. We don't need a George Mason going to the final four every year. Parity is good, but the reason most people watch the NCAA tournament after the first two rounds is because they want to see the best teams in the nation face off against eachother. What game would you rather see, Cleveland State vs. Western Kentucky, or North Carolina vs. Pitt? Case and point. If it was the regular season, nobody would even watch that first game probably just the fans of the team. Prennial powerhouses are what people want to see, not the Horizon League versus the Atlantic Sun. It has no draw to it.
Even the games that weren't upsets were exciting. Gonzaga had to come down to a last second layup to beat Western Kentucky in the second round, Utah State missed a three pointer near the end of the game and Marquette escaped with a first round victory, then staged a monstrous comeback behind the courageous play of senior guard Dominic James only to fall short to Missouri in the second round. Michigan State held off an upstart USC team behind a career high 18 points of Travis Walton to give Izzo another trip to the Sweet Sixteen, and Oklahoma held off a feisty Michigan team. Heck Duke pulled a typical coach K style game getting favorable bounces and calls to knock off a very underachieving Texas team. Scheyer's save was an incredibly lucky and skillful play. Then to make matters worse Texas is out rebounded one Dukie while they had three guys lined up around him. The Sweet Sixteen is filled with many coaching geniuses which include; Izzo, coach K, Self, Jamie Dixon, John Calipari, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim and Mark Few. Not only is the Sweet Sixteen loaded with talented players, but also with bright minds, so settle in and enjoy some more exciting March Madness in the weeks to come.
A Real Humm(el) Dinger
by Jordan Loperena 3/15/09
In what was probably the best game of the weekend, the Purdue Boilermakers captured the Big Ten Tournament title today over the Ohio State Buckeyes by a final score of 65-61. The Buckeyes made quite a run and gave a very outstanding effort, as they did all weekend. However it was not enough.
E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson, and Chris Kramer were spectacular for the Boilers and so was Keaton Grant off the bench. However, the Most Valuable Player award belonged to Robbie Hummel. He was not only statistically impressive throughout the entire tournament, but Hummel defined the phrase "lead by example". He's not your 30 points per game type of leader. He's not your double-double every single game type of leader (but close). Robbie Hummel is your put the ball in the basket, grab the rebound, down to business type of leader. You will rarely see him holding his jersey up so the crowd can read "Purdue". He won't jump up on the scorers' table after scoring the game winning shot. He definitely won't be found taunting his opponents' players or fans. He plays the game the way it is supposed to be played and respects it the way it's supposed to be played. That is why I was more than happy to see Purdue take this tournament. Ohio State will get into the NCAA tournament after an impressive showing this weekend and Evan Turner will continue to turn heads after he made his best efforts for Big Ten Tourney MVP this weekend.
Time for the real March Madness to begin, should be a fun month!
See Ya Later Sparty ... or Should I Say "#2"?
by Jordan Loperena 3/14/09
Ohio State took care of business in impressive fashion today and looked hotter against the #1 team in the tournament than they did against the #4. Maybe it was the matchup. Maybe it was the pre-game and halftime speeches. Maybe it was the beds in the hotel they were staying in. All I know is that today, Ohio State looked like the team fighting for a #1 spot in the NCAA Tournament. While North Carolina was in the process of losing and Pitt, UConn, and Oklahoma had already lost - a #1 seed for the Spartans seemed almost automatic if they could just win the Big Ten Tournament. Not the case today, my friends.
P.J. Hill was outstanding on defense for the Buckeyes as he may have been the speediest defender I had ever watched live. The Spartans could not make the shots when they needed to and could not seem to find their rythm. The Buckeyes were the team playing with authority and let me tell you know - this rotation of B.J. Mullens and Dallas Lauderdale could become deadly for their opponents in the NCAA Tournament. That's 10 fouls that you can give total to two very legitimate Centers vs. teams who only have one big man and thus will only get 5 fouls. Evan Turner also has made probably the best campaign for tournament MVP than anyone else who has taken the floor at Conseco Fieldhouse this weekend. Let's just say it was a gloomy scene at the Westin Indianapolis, where we were staying along with the Michigan State Basketball squad and what seemed to be a mass amount of their fans.
Purdue came out and ran circles around the Illini in the 2nd game of the day and Illinois failed to capitalize on opportunities to grab momentum and Kramer, Moore, and Hummel were too much for the Illini as their close to dominant performance against the Wolverines was all for none as they fell to the Boilers 66-56. The atmosphere inside Conseco was more electric for this game than any other game this weekend. Illinois traveled a bunch of fans, unlike their football team - their basketball team knows how to bring along a road following. Purdue brought a fan section that you would imagine them bringing, playing about an hour away from West Lafeyette.
Tomorrow's championship game featuring #5 Ohio State and #3 Purdue should be a dandy. These two teams have been the most impressive in their games. I know you're thinking "obviously Jordan, you idiot, they are the most impressive teams because they are in the championship". However, what I mean is that these are two teams that won their games and were in control of the entire game for the most part. These are not the teams who threw down some crazy Cinderella 3's in the final seconds. These are not the Top Dogs who underperformed but managed to shatter this time of the year's favorite Disney Princess's glass slipper in the final minutes. These are two teams who came to Indianapolis to play some basketball and that they have done. If Ohio State can pull of their 3rd straight upset in as many days - Mr. Turner will be the tournament MVP. If Purdue wins, the field will be wide open for that honor. I'm just hoping for a great game, a buzzer beater would be nice to see this time of year.
The Big Boys Are in Town
by Jordan Loperena 3/13/09
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - In the 2nd day of Big Ten Tournament Action, the big boys came out to play and did so in impressive fashion. An Illinois team that suffered a stunning and potentailly momentum stopping loss to Penn State for the second time this year to wrap up their Big Ten regular season showed that they were here to play. A Michigan team that knocked down 70% of its shots from the field against our Iowa Hawkeyes yesterday was held to 33% from the field. That was basically the story as a late run from Michigan wasn't enough but at least closed the gap to make the final score look respectable as the Illini took this one: Illinois 60- Michigan 50.
Ohio State took care of Wisconsin in a 61-57 behind Evan Turner's 19 points. Dallas Lauderdale and B.J. Mullens were able to control things down low as they held Wisconsin's Joe Krabbenhoft to 4 points. The Badgers put three players in double digits but that wasn't enough as Ohio State wrapped this one up in the final minutes.
Michigan State takes care of Minnesota with no problem as they were firing on all cylinders. They never quite let Minnesota have a chance and the more interesting game going on during this time slot feautred the ACC Tournament. Virginia Tech lost to UNC in the final minute and caputred a lot of attention at the local Hooters - not that I was there, just happened to hear it from a little local birdie.
Purdue also put Penn State away early and never let them in to the game. Talor Battle was contained in the first half and Penn state never had a chance. A disappointing day if you were looking to catch some upsets, but one thing was made apparent to me. There are some teams here that don't belong on the bubble. They should either be in the tournament with no bubble talk or have their bubble burst.
As of today
In - Ohio State, Michigan (Despite the loss)
Out - Penn State (looked like they rely way too much on one player and don't appear to have much depth)
Bubble - Minnesota, Wisconsin (remained competitive but a loss to an unranked team could hurt. If Ohio State knocks off Michigan State this loss may be less harmful).
The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves
by Jordan Loperena
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - In one of the least inspiring efforts I have seen a Hawkeye athletic team put up in quite some time, Iowa took a beating this afternoon, falling - scratch that - plummetting to the Michigan Wolverines. The Hawkeyes showed no sign of the effort they put up against the Wolverines just a couple of weeks ago when they were able to take down the Maize and Blue in an overtime victory inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Apparently, that is the only court Iowa decided to play on a level even close to Division-I NCAA Basketball this season. They had stretches of hope within individual games, but failed to finish on many occassions. However, I will cut them some slack - they at least put up impressive efforts in almost every one of their games during the last half of the Big Ten season.
After the trouncing Michigan State handed to them inside Carver on a night in which the students finally decided to pack the Hawk's Nest, the Hawkeyes seemed to turn things, well - not completely around - but at least in the right direction. This is what makes the Hawkeyes' 73-45 defeat to the Michigan Wolverines at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis this afternoon so disappointing. The signs of hope, the stretches of improvement, the admirable effort all disappeared. It looked as if the Hawkeyes decided to give up on a season they had fought so hard to repair during the last half of conference play. At this point, the beatings will continue until morale improves. Call it cliche - call it stupid if you want, but it puts things in perspective for the Hawkeyes. If they can improve their morale by keeping this bad taste in their mouth they can become a dangerously hungry and fresh team for next season. If they look at this as just another Big Ten loss on a court besides their own - if they even use that as another excuse - the beatings will indeed continue. Keep your heads up Hawk fans, it's the small things that count - and the small things that we can improve to prevent another disappointing finish next season.
Senior Night for Women's Basketball vs. Illinois
by Josh Bolander
The Iowa women’s basketball team improved its overall record to 19-9 (12-5) Thursday night at Carver Hawkeye Arena with a 69-56 victory over Illinois 8-20 (4-13). The win was extra sweet for the five Hawkeye seniors who, during the last three minutes of the second half, took the court for the first time together since their freshman year against Purdue. Senior night provided many highlights but perhaps the most intriguing was that seniors Wendy Ausdemore, Megan Skouby, and Kristi Smith broke the Big 10 all time trio scoring record after combining to score the first six points of the game. Although Illinois put together a late charge in the second half, behind 20 points and 8 rebounds from Big 10 player of the year candidate Jenna Smith, the Hawks were able to control the final ten minutes and lock up there twelfth Big 10 win and secure the fourth seed in the upcoming Big 10 tournament. Bench scoring turned out to be the difference in the game with the Hawks outscoring the Illini 16-3.
The Current State of Iowa Basketball
by Brandon Hurley
For those of you that weren't able to witness the basketball game that took place at Carver-Hawkeye Arena Sunday evening, you missed out on one of the more gritty performances of the season. The Hawkeyes pulled out an overtime victory against the Michigan Wolverines, 70-60. The clear cut player of the game was sophomore Jake Kelly, who had a breakout type performance with 23 points, eight rebounds and nine assists and only two turnovers in 45 minutes of play, gaining Big Ten player of the Week honors.
He nearly had a triple-double and completely took over the extra period, accounting for nine of the 15 points. Kelly has really seized the opportunity to play point guard while fellow sophomore Jeff Peterson sits out with a sore hamstring. Over the last two games he is averaging a cool 21 points during that span. This team has made a lot of noticeable improvements the last four or five games. Without a true point guard leading the team, Iowa was able to beat a Wolverine squad that has beaten Duke and UCLA. The team played solid defense throughout, with Kelly shutting down super sophomore Manny Harris, refusing to let himself to get crossed over.
This was a bit of a turning point game for the program, especially for Kelly. Even though they blew an early 12 point lead, the Hawks were able to stay within striking distance the entire game, and even came back from a four point deficit with a minute left. I was impressed with how the team dealt with blowing a lead and the Wolverines hitting a few clutch three pointers. When Michigan hit a three with a little over a minute left to go up by four, I personally had doubts that the Hawks could pull this one out. But to the surprise to most of the fans at CHA, they tied it up with four clutch Matt Gatens free throws and pushed the game to OT. Once it got to that point, the Hawkeyes never looked back.
The state of the program after this victory looks bright, even though many fans refuse to believe so. This team has been plagued by suspensions and the injury bug all year. They lost freshen sharpshooter Anthony Tucker to academic suspension and senior big man Cyrus Tate has been hobbled by an ankle sprain just as he was hitting his stride. And Peterson was really developing his jump shot before he tweaked his hamstring at Wisconsin. Heck, Jarryd Cole has just now reached 100 percent health after sustaining an ACL injury last season. He is good for eight points and six rebounds every game from here on out.
If you are able to take a glance at the roster for next season, you will notice that we only lose one key component to the team in Tate. Other then that we have everyone returning and we gain high school commits Eric May and Brennan Cougill to fill that void. By this time next year I think you will be hearing people throwing around Kelly's name as one of the best players in the Big Ten. With another year under their belts, the group of Gatens, Tucker, Peterson, Cole, Aaron Fuller, Devan Bawinkel and Jermain Davis, will be pleasantly surprising everyone. We will have three top notch shooters in Gatens, Tucker and Bawinkel and Kelly and Peterson will be forces taking the ball to the rack along with Cole and Cougill picking up the scraps from missed shots. Give this team a break, and watch the Hawks finish strong and be looking forward to next season. Head coach Todd Lickliter is doing all he can with the little pieces he has and I think everyone needs to cut this team some slack. Things may look dark now, but by this time next year, you will have forgotten we were dueling in the bottom cellar of the Big Ten.
NBA Trade Deadline Grades
by Josh Roth
Chicago Bulls –Sacramento Kings-Portland Trailblazers
Bulls : Brad Miller and John Salmons
Grade: A-
Comments: There are a lot of good aspects about this trade for the Bulls. First they are able to dump some salary for the big free agent year of 2010, the big salary big that of Andres Nocioni. They were also able to get a better post player for the system that the Bulls run. Is Brad Miller great? No, but he is a better defender than Drew Gooden, a better post offense (again not great, but solid), and a smarter player. As for John Salmons they are able to get a longer guard, a solid scorer, and solid defender. It also helps them out for next year, when Ben Gordon becomes a free agent, which if the Bulls front office has any intelligence will not re-sign him. John Salmons is not only a good back up plan for Ben Gordon, but he can play both the guard and small forward position.
Kings: Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Ike Diogu, Cedric Simmons
Grade: C+
Comments: I am confused at what the Kings are trying to achieve in this deal. I like Andres’s intensity and defense, but he has a long and somewhat expensive contract and for a team that won’t be winning anytime soon. I don’t see how this helps their future, plus they bring in Drew Gooden who is not very good defensively and doesn’t have a true post game, but who knows maybe he can turn things around in Sacramento, but I doubt it. The one good thing however, is that Drew Gooden becomes a free agent next year, so even if he doesn’t produce they get an expiring contract.
Trailblazers: Michael Ruffin
Grade: C
Toronto Raptors-Miami Heat
Raptors: Shawn Marion, Marcus Banks, and Cash
Grade: B+
Comments: I like the deal here, they bring in a much needed defensive small forward with length. It also allows for Andrea Bargnani to get more minutes and play alongside Chris Bosh. Jermaine O’Neal just didn’t seem to fit into the Raptors system and now if they can play more of an up-tempo game, I think they can make a legitimate run to the playoffs. It may be tough to get there, but I think this trade will help them and who knows maybe they can bring back Marion at a reasonable price next year and get back to playoff form.
Heat: Jermaine O’Neal, Jamario Moon, Conditional Draft Pick
Grade: B-
Comments: I don’t know if I am on board with the majority on this trade. Jermaine O’Neal wasn’t a bad player to bring in, he gives them a solid post player, who will play better defense and grab more rebounds than Beasley at this point, but I hate the idea of moving Beasley to the small forward position. I just see other small forwards around the league having a field day with him and offensively he may struggle as well seeing as his best offensive game is taken bigs of the dribble or shooting jumpers. Now he won’t be able to have that versatility. Second I love what Marion brings to the table and is a huge asset to any team with his defense. I thought they should have tried to work out a deal for a Tyson Chandler type, a true center that can get boards, block shots, and give the Heat much needed size. This could work out if Beasley dedicates himself to playing defense and O’Neal can come close to returning to his old self.
Orlando Magic-Houston Rockets-Memphis Grizzlies
Magic: Rafer Alston
Grade: A-
Comments: I love this deal for the Magic. They needed to fill the void for Jameer Nelson and I believe Rafer Alston can fill it. Now I don’t believe that he completely fills the void, but for what was out there this was the best option.
Rockets: Kyle Lowry and Brian Cook
Grade: B
Comments: An interesting deal for the Rockets. I think they wanted to give Aaron Brooks an opportunity to show what he can do and possibly see if Lowry can have better luck with them than Memphis. Also with McGrady out, they may have felt like they weren’t winning a championship, so they wanted to experiment a little bit with the point guard position. Overall I think it was probably the right move for the Rockets and should give them idea of whether Brooks and Lowry can handle the point or if they need to make a move for a point.
Grizzlies: Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks, and Magic 1st Round Pick
Grade: B+
Comments: I like this deal for the Grizzlies, because all they do essentially is trade their backup point guard for a late first round pick. However, Mike Conley will have to step up and take over, he is now the guy. Plus they don’t take a big hit to the salary cap and Foyle becomes a free agent next year.
New York Knicks-Chicago Bulls
Knicks: Larry Hughes
Grade: B-
Comments: This is not a bad move by the Knicks; they are able to get a shooting guard that could really bring more length and fit well into D’Antoni’s system. As long as he doesn’t whine about his playing time this should turn out to be a solid deal for the Knicks.
Bulls: Tim Thomas, Jerome James, and Anthony Roberson
Grade: C
Comments: All the Bulls were trying to do here was to get rid of a nuisance. Tim Thomas may give them value, as long as he puts the past behind him (a feud with Skiles in 2006). They also essentially just traded expiring contracts for expiring contracts, so this deal really doesn’t have too much impact for the Bulls, besides getting rid of a guy who didn’t want to be there.
New York Knicks- Oklahoma City Thunder
Knicks: Chris Wilcox
Grade: B-
Comments: This deal gave them a post player that could fit well into D’Antoni’s system. It also could help them make a push to the playoffs and they didn’t have to give up anyone significant.
Thunder: Malik Rose
Grade: D
Comment: The reason I am so down on this trade, is that Wilcox could have netted them Chandler, who in my opinion could have made them significantly better.
Chicago Bulls-Oklahoma City Thunder
Bulls: Conditional 1st Round Pick
Grade: A-
Comments: After the deal that brought in Salmons, it just didn’t seem like Thabo Sefolosha was going to see any playing time. It seems that the Bulls didn’t want to stunt the growth of Thabo, so they shipped him to someone who would give him time. In return they are able to get what will be a late first round pick, which is great value for a little used guard.
Thunder: Thabo Sefolosha
Grade: B+
Comments: I also like the deal for the Thunder. They have a hand full of first round pick and they desperately needed a shooting guard. Currently they had Kyle Weaver starting at the shooting guard position and he was hardly producing anything. I think Thabo can be productive for them and at the very least will give them a solid defender and some athleticism.
Minnesota Timberwolves-Sacramento Kings
Timberwolves: Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown
Grade: B-
Kings: Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth
Grade: C
Comments (For Both Teams): Pretty insignificant for both teams. Kings get a solid wing player that will bring them a little offense of the bench and Minnesota gets some depth for the loss of Al Jefferson. All contracts are expiring soon so not a whole lot of money being gained on either side, just depth.
Top 3 Winners, Bottom 3 Losers
Winners:
1. Chicago Bulls
Comments: Get slightly better with the additions of Miller and Salmons and are able to clear some cap space for 2010.
2. Orlando Magic
Comments: Get a much needed point guard with the season ending injury to Jameer Nelson. Alston could be a key piece to this team potentially getting to the finals.
3. New York Knicks
Comments: I really liked what the Knicks did here, they really take on any salary for the big 2010 off-season and were able to get players that can contribute and help make a push for the playoffs.
Honorable Mention: Toronto Raptors
Comments: Marion could be a key addition and a nice fit with Bosh and Bargnani, it could make for a pretty good up-tempo team.
Losers:
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
Comments: They had a chance to make big improvements to their team and make them better for the future in adding Chandler. He would have given them a great defender and height to a pretty small team, at least in the post.
2. Sacramento Kings
Comments: Taking on Andres Nocioni’s contract was a big no no for a team that will probably have no chance for the playoffs in the years to come.
3. Portland Trailblazers
Comments: Thought they needed to get something for Raef’s contract and failed to do so. Now I am sure it was hard for them to make such a move so I will cut them slack. It just would have been nice for them to add a small forward or point to help them make a deep run in the playoffs.
Honorable Mention: Cleveland Cavaliers
Comments: Thought they may have been able to add an additional piece to the puzzle, but failed to do that, with a good bargaining chip in Wally Szczerbiak.
Evaluation of Other Deals that Occurred Earlier in the Year
Detroit Pistons-Denver Nuggets
Pistons: Allen Iverson
Grade:C
Comments: Good news he becomes a free agent next year. Bad news, they lose a big part of their team in Billups which could lead to them missing the playoffs or getting ousted in the first round.
Nuggets: Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess (Released & Back with Detroit), and Cheikh Samb
Grade:A+
Comments: Turned out to be a fantastic deal for the Nuggets who could wind up getting a home court advantage in the first two rounds. Billups has really changed the complexion of the team and has them playing some defense.
Phoenix Suns-Charlotte Bobcats
Suns: Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley, 2010 Conditional 2nd Round Pick
Grade: B-
Comments: Lost some good defenders, but maybe Richardson can give them more athleticism and a nice running mate for Nash.
Bobcats: Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, Sean Singletary
Grade:B
Comments: Able to get rid of Richardson and add some solid defenders and a little bit more quality depth.
New York Knicks-Los Angeles Clippers
Knicks: Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley (Retired)
Grade: A-
Comments: Able to shed salary for the big free agent year in 2010 and get rid of head case.
Clippers: Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins
Grade: C+
Comments: Gained a head case, but could bring them better post offense.
New York Knicks-Golden State Warriors
Knicks: Al Harrington
Grade: B
Comments: Adds a nice versatile player into their run and gun scheme.
Warriors: Jamal Crawford
Grade: B-
Comments: Lose depth, but gain a guy that can shoot and handle the ball.
Beanpot
By Amanda Kusek
If you had the pleasure of listening to my show, Out-of-Bounds, with Evelyn Lau on February 7th, you most likely heard an extensive conversation about this year’s Beanpot hockey tournament. I’m not going to take a lot of time explaining this to you because 1. You should have been listening and 2. There is always Wikipedia (I checked, it’s in there). What I will tell you is that it is a tradition between Harvard, Boston University, Northeastern University, and Boston College. It’s such a big deal that these guys get to play in the Bruin’s very own TD Banknorth Garden. I’m sorry— the GAHDEN.
Hey bro, I know what you are thinking right now. Sound a little like—“Why do I care about a hockey tournament on the Northeast Coast? There’s $2 U-Call Its at ETC. and I’m really only a fan of the Hawkeyes. (LET’S GO HAWKS!)”
But check it out, you can be one of few out here who appreciates hockey and with this knowledge you can one up the guy who claims he “likes all sports.” So sit back, scroll down and pick up some interesting facts about the Beanpot and well, hockey itself.
Matched up for the 57th Beanpot tournament were the Boston University Terriers and the Northeastern Huskies. The Terriers entered their first game against the Harvard Crimson with amazing odds. The powerhouse Colin Wilson was leading the Hockey East conference in scoring and their coach Jack Parker was basking in the glow of an 800th win. Though the Crimson managed to pick off the Terriers early on last year, it wasn’t the case for 2009. BU won 4-3.
The Huskies absolutely plowed through Boston College in their matchup winning 6-1. The Huskies, though coming in during an amazing season, were historically the underdogs only winning 4 of the 57 tournaments played to date. (BC managed to redeem themselves in their match-up with Harvard winning 4-3.)
Northeastern entered the game ranked as No. 3 with a record of 17-6-2 and Goalie Brad Thiessen who, at the time of the game, was ranked 8th in the NCAA with a .934 save percentage. Thiessen went on to win the Eberly Award as the top goalie of the Beanpot.
The Huskies managed to leave the first period with a tied game. BU was down a player because Luke Popko was sent into the box for boarding. (For all you hockey illiterate, the “box” refers to the penalty box and boarding is called when a player pushes another into the boards of the hockey rink while the player is facing the boards. See? Hockey does have rules.) McLaughlin scored on a rebound with 26 seconds left in the period.
The second period came to be the last in which Northeastern managed to score—surely leaving Northeastern fans sitting sore for the remainder of the game. McNeely made this goal on an empty net much to the chagrin of BU goalie Kiernan Millan.
It was all downhill from there for Northeastern. BU managed to score twice in the second period and twice more in the third leaving the final score 5-2 BU. This was Terrier’s 29th Beanpot win putting them at the top followed by Boston College with 14 wins, Harvard with 10, and of course Northeastern, at 4.
As a rabid or avid (whichever) fan of Northeastern Hockey, I was sorely disappointed by the loss. This now gives my co-host, Evelyn Lau, bragging rights for quite sometime seeing as she is sooo into BU. Next year, Huskie fans, next year. Besides, wouldn’t you rather be a Huskie rather than a Terrier? A little bit cooler, a little bit bigger.
Of course, nothing beats a Hawkeye. Though many of my alliances lay with the Northeast (my homeland) I am a Hawkeye. Now football fans, maybe you can start to appreciate Hockey? At the very least, it’s another excuse to get drunk and start a fight.
We're Back!
Welcome back to another excellent semester of KRUI Sports Programming! We have added 3 new shows this semester in addition to the shows we had last semester, bringing us to a total of 8 - and giving us a show on all 7 days of the week for the first time in quite a while.
We have also added new members to our on-air staff and are also introducing our off-air staff of about 25 sports analysts who will be covering various Iowa sports throughout the semester.
We now run one show on every day of the week, be sure to listen in:
Weekend Programming
Friday: 2:00-3:00 PM - College Basketball Breakdown
Saturday: Noon-1:00 PM - Sports Issues/Out-of-Bounds Girls Sports
*Saturday shows are rotated every-other-week.
Sunday: Noon-1:00 PM - HawkSmack National Sports Talk
Weekday Programming
Monday: 9:00-10:00 AM - Wakeup Call w/Kiff and Jordan
Tuesday: 5:00-6:00 PM - From the Cheap Seats
Wednesday: 9:00-10:00 AM - Hot Track Sports
Thursday: 9:00-10:00 AM - Sports Talk w/Jeff Pawola
Big Ten (Bowl) Season - We Are Who They Thought We Were
By Jordan Loperena, 1/6/2009
When did this all begin? Was it the thrashing Ohio State faced against Florida in the 2007 National Championship Game? Was it Appalachian State kicking off the 2007-08 season by blocking a last second field goal attempt to knock off perennial national powerhouse Michigan at The Big House? Was it another SEC beatdown of Ohio State in the 2008 Nat...you get the point.
This year's Big Ten football season got off to a great start - no one lost to an FCS team opening weekend. Did it really get any better from there? Michigan still lost their home opener but to a potentially undefeated Sugar Bowl champion Utah team. They then went from juggernaut status to a team that loses at home to a poor MAC team (Toledo) that actually replaced their head coach at the end of the season. At least Appalachian State was a defending national champion in their own right. Ohio State got blown out again by another conference's top team in the "Collision at the Coliseum". It was a collision alright - a collision course for Ohio State's dreams of South Beach. Our poor excuse for a 2008 Rose Bowl representative failed to even qualify for a the Motor City Bowl (or any bowl for that matter) - after losing primarily one key player on both sides of the ball (Ra. Mendenhall and J. Leman). Their athleticism and recruiting is still there, no doubt - but their coaching and discipline is about that of a middle of the road Pop Warner team. Knowing one of your players broke his teammate's jaw, not suspending him, then calling his number on a touchdown pass the following Saturday? All do respect, Mr. Zook - what were you thinking? One of our top ranked preseason teams in Wisconsin squeaked by what ended up being a mediocre Fresno State squad then went on to finish 7-5. They did make a nice run to end their season and qualify for a bowl game, but they didn't meet anyone's preseason expectations. Heck, our conference's biggest win all year (Iowa over Penn State) made the rest of the nation happy for eliminating a Big Ten team from National Championship contention.
As if I even needed to get started on the Big Ten Bowl Season, that IS what this piece is about in the first place and I'll kick things off with Mr. Bielema's Badgers.
CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL - 12/27/2008
Florida State 42 - Wisconsin 13
In a game that may have started off with the most impressive, consecutive string of three punts (all downed inside the 5 yard line) that I have ever seen by Florida punter (and Lou Groza winning placekicker) Graham Gano, Florida State just took it to Wisconsin. Wisconsin was outplayed by a much more athletic Florida State football team and having bobby Bowden as their coach didn't hurt. A coach many had thought might have lost control of his team, Coach Bowden did nothing but prove that he still knows what he's doing out there and has now outlasted two sons for the moment in the college football head coaching realm. Did we think Wisconsin would win this game? It was hard to tell - Florida was just one of multiple Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde teams out of America's Children's Conference (the ACC) this season. The "Mr. Hyde" in them showed up in Orlando and playing at full tilt, they had no problems with the Badgers.
VALERO ALAMO BOWL - 12/29/2008
#21Missouri 30 - #23Northwestern 23 (OT)
It's safe to say that Northwestern thought they deserved to be playing in a New Year's Day bowl game. It's also safe to make an argument that they belonged in the Outback Bowl at 9-3 over Iowa (8-4) especially since they had beaten Iowa in Kinnick Stadium. Statistically, maybe it made sense but when traveling fans come into play for considering teams for a bowl game, few in the nation compare to Iowa. That being said, no one knew how to pound that chip onto Northwestern's shoulder more than their fearless leader, Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald. One of the Big Ten's bright spots on the year, Northwestern improved from mediocrity in 2007 to respectable bowl game status in 2008. In a game that they were given underdog status, they came out firing on all cylinders, forcing a more athletic (yes, another more athletic opponent) Mizzou squad to have to come from behind to win this overtime thriller, despite great efforts from seniors C.J. Bacher, Eric Peterman, and Tyrell Sutton (who actually played this game with a cast on his arm) just to name a few. Unfortunately, the Big Ten lost out on a great chance for an impressive bowl victory but those Cats from Evanston showed some fight from our conference that most of the nation was not aware of.
INSIGHT BOWL - 12/31/2008
Kansas 42 - Minnesota 21
The Gophers were without a doubt the most improved team in the Big Ten and the nation in 2008 (1-11 in 2007, 7-6 in 2008). However, the way they ended their season hardly makes that claim relevant after losing their last five games of the season. At 7-1, the Gophs were turning some heads, even if it was the kind of turn you try to attempt after waking up with a kink in your neck and you nearly fail to turn your head at all, it was still a turn. Then came one of the more surprising finishes to a game this season as a near-walkoff interception was returned for a touchdown by Northwestern's Brendan Smith. That was the beginning of the end as they would eventually finish their regular season getting blown out 55-0 to Iowa in the Gophers' Metrodome Finale. The Insight Bowl proved to slightly resemble the pattern of Minnesota's season. They were up early on the Jayhawks 14-7. Kansas then managed to tie it up by the end of the quarter, take a 14 point lead by half, and score their 28th unanswered point to take a 35-14 lead at the end of the 3rd. Final score - Kansas 42, Minnesota 21. This game was an interesting matchup as both teams headed in at 7-5 but Kansas found holes in a Minnesota team that had forgotten how to win, allowing Todd Reesing (27/35, 313 yds, 4 TD) and Dezmon Briscoe (14 rec, 201 yds, 3 TD) to have tremendous games. Both will be back in Lawrence next year to give the Big XII North's secondary a workout. That being said, it was disappointing for me and several other members of the Hawkeye Faithful to watch the Big Ten close out 2008 in this fashion while dining at Lee Roy Selmon's Restaurant in Tampa. (Outstanding BBQ by the way - I highly recommend for anyone who visits the Tampa area)
OUTBACK BOWL - 1/1/2009
Iowa 31 - South Carolina 10
Iowa came into this game hotter than almost anyone in the Big 10 and as hot as almost anyone in the nation. The Hawkeyes finished their regular season by winning five out of their last six games to finish 8-4, highlighted by a last-second victory over then #3 Penn State and a 55-0 blowout win to capture Floyd of Rosedale up in Minnesota.The Big Ten's second highest scoring offense and one of their most stout defense's were able to start licking their chops when they found out they were paired up against The Old Ball Coach's Gamecocks. In what was possibly the Big Ten's luckiest matchup of the bowl season, it was the only one in which they were favored in. Down in Tampa, it was apparent that Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz was still running very physical practices and South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier was running practices with a more laid back attitude. This proved to be true to their team's performances on the field as the Hawkeyes began their blowout of the Gamecocks with an opening drive that took up close to half of the first quarter, converting on three 3rd-and-long situations. It didn't take long for the flood gates to open as South Carolina QB and Tampa native Stephen Garcia threw three first-half interceptions (two to Iowa Freshman Safety Tyler Sash)and added a fumble just for fun, helping give Iowa a 21-0 lead at the half. South Carolina QB Chris Smelley replaced Garcia after halftime, completing the first pass of the second half only to have it fumbled away to the arms of the Iowa Hawkeyes' defense, who recorded an Iowa Bowl Game Record 5 turnovers in the game. Iowa led 31-0 after three and went on to win 31-10. This was a great statement win for the Big Ten. Mitch King and Matt Kroul wrapped up outstanding Iowa careers, as did all of the Iowa seniors who played in the game, and Doak Walker Award winner Shonn Green was named Outback Bowl MVP right after declaring for the NFL Draft on the field following the game. Despite South Carolina being the SEC's bowl team version of that crazy relative no one wants to invite to Christmas dinner - the Cousin Eddy of the Griswold Family if you will, the Big Ten needed to beat an SEC team and Iowa did so in fashion.
CAPITAL ONE BOWL - 1/1/2009
#15 Georgia 24 - #18 Michigan State - 12
Michigan State surprised many in this game by leading Mark Richt's Georgia Bulldogs 6-3 at halftime. However, in yet another game in which the Big Ten was outmatched in athleticism, Georgia took control of the game early in the second half and never looked back. Georgia RB and Doak Walker finalist Knowshon Moreno exhibited his outstanding receiving qualities out of the backfield and Matthew Stafford had a solid game as well in what may have been his final game at Georgia. Not quite what Georgia had expected at the start of the season, but a solid bowl win over a quality Big Ten team nonethheless, helping cancel out the SEC's loss to the Big Ten earlier that day in the Outback Bowl.
ROSE BOWL - 1/1/2009
#5 USC 38 - #8 Penn State 24
Well, at least the Big Ten didn't get blown out ... on the scoreboard. Despite only losing this game by two touchdowns, USC took this game over in the 2nd quarter with 24 unanswered points, giving them a 31-7 halftime lead. Penn State's loss of star running back Evan Royster did nothing to help their cause as they struggled to get back into the game. Coming within two touchdowns, Penn State was deep into USC territory in the final minute in hopes of bringing the score within one touchdown but a Darryl Clark thrown interception ended hopes of any kind of miracle comeback. This is probably one of the only times I was disappointed with Penn State all season. Having a chance to score quickly to activate the looming thoughts of a miracle comeback, they failed to do so and killed any hopes of a comeback by completing a short passing play, staying in bounds and failing to stop the clock. Several seconds ran off the clock and this all but ended the game. A poorly thrown ball into the back of the endzone ended hopes of what could have been a very respectable 38-31 final score. Losing 2 of their last 4 games in no way resembled the season that Big Ten Coach of the Year Joe Paterno and the Penn State Nittany Lions put together. Hardly predicted in the top 2 spots of the conference pre-season, Penn State took the Big Ten by storm in 2008, winning the conference and earning a Rose Bowl berth. Not quite the finish they were hoping for, but a much more respectable representation of the Big 10 in the Rose Bowl than the previous year.
FIESTA BOWL - 1/5/2009
#3 Texas Longhorns 24 = #10 Ohio State Buckeyes 21
The last shot the Big Ten had at winning a second bowl game this bowl season fell short in the final minute of the 2009 Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes gave another valiant effort for an underdog Big Ten team, but came up just short. Creative playcalling and the double threat use of quarterbacks Todd Boeckman (Senior) and Terrelle Pryor (True Freshman) helped Ohio State come back and take a 21-17 lead with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game. While rejoicing for the Big Ten, we all had the though "too much time left on the clock" in the back of our minds. That proved to be correct as Texas used the final 2 minutes of the game to mount an impressive last drive on the arm of Colt McCoy and the hands and speed of WR Quan Cosby. Another disappointing loss for the Big Ten. Although it was a great effort by a Big Ten team to knock off an offensive powerhouse from the deadly offensive Big XII South Division, in the end there were no cigars, no locker room t-shirts, no hoisting of a BCS game trophy for the Big Ten.
We Let Them Off The Hook
It's like beating a dead horse, but there's no other way to lay it out on the table. Once again, the Big Ten underachieved in their bowl season. Yeah, we can all be proud in our hearts for the efforts of Northwestern and Ohio State in games where no one gave them a chance on paper. The rest of the nation, however, does not have the place in their heart for the Big Ten. At least not at the moment. Do they have reason to? I don't see one. Alright one - Iowa. The lone win for the Big Ten this bowl season came out of Kirk Ferentz's bunch from Iowa City. If at the beginning of the regular season, any professional would have predicted Iowa as the only Big Ten team to win a bowl game in the upcoming year - they would have jeopardized their job security and been laughed at. That's just how this year turned out in the Big Ten. One Big Ten bowl victory, an astonishing six bowl losses. The Big East and ACC get their fair share of criticism in their bowl success and sure, they get the "Do they belong as an automatic BCS conference?" talk. No one expects anything too fantastic out of them though. The Big Ten has proven over time that they are annually capable of producing winning teams, competitors, national champions. The ugly fact is that the Big Ten is quickly entering that "Do They Belong?" discussion. Of course they belong. The difference between the Big Ten and the other conferences falling into the "Do They Belong?" discussion is that people have grown to expect so much out of the Big Ten that at the first sign of failure, the conference's credibility is questioned. Right now, the Big Ten still has something to prove. This Big Ten Bowl Season itself, especially in the close and devastating losses suffered by Northwestern and Ohio State (that could have knotted us up at 3-3 and shut up a fair amount of people) proved that the Big Ten is becoming College Football's competitive and feisty little brother. We play our hearts out in the backyard but just can't quite hack playing with the big kids yet. Heading into this bowl season, Iowa was the only Big Ten team favored going into their bowl game and they were the only Big Ten team to win their bowl game. Are we THAT predictable? It seems as if we are. We are who they thought we were, and in our chances to shock the nation and flourish, we let them off the hook.
-Jordan Loperena, Sports Director, KRUI Radio 89.7
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)