Stewart Mandel of SI.com writes on his blog that the NCAA is about to add 3 more bowl games, putting the total at 35 games. You soon might get a bowl game by just showing up for the season. It is becoming like the trophies you get for just participating in youth sports.
Stewart writes:
The 2008-09 bowl lineup could be even bigger.
Next week in Weston, Fla., organizers for three potential new bowl games will make their presentations to the NCAA's Bowl Certification Committee. They are: The Congressional Bowl in Washington D.C (Navy vs. ACC); The St. Petersburg Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Big East vs. Conference USA); and the Rocky Mountain Bowl in Salt Lake City (Mountain West vs. WAC).
Is the NFL Draft still something you all will find interesting this weekend? Or, with the Browns being silent until the fourth round, is this a weekend for mowing lawns and watching the Cavs?
My guess: The draft will still pull in good ratings in NE Ohio.
And here are just some of the reasons:
Folks will want to see how much info ESPN and the NFL Network can squeeze on their HDTV screens.
They will want to see if Mel Kiper Jr.'s hair deflates.
They will want to see if Chris Berman will be able to yell into his microphone for the entire first day of the broadcast.
They will want to think about the fact they might be the only person at that moment watching the NFL Network and Mike Mayock.
They will want to wonder who in the world is Mike Mayock.
They will want to see which team can act more like the Raiders in adding as many bad characters as possible: the Raiders or the Cowboys.
They will want to throw the remote at the TV screen when the Patriots add a top flight player with the seventh pick and then get reminded that the 18-1 Pats face the easiest schedule in the league this year.
They will want to see who goes with the 22nd pick to the Cowboys … you know the choice that the Browns gave up for their backup quarterback.
They will want to get excited about the most popular fourth-round pick in the history of the Browns. And what is wrong with this? Nothing at all.
It is just this area's most popular sport, and this weekend will be just more proof of that fact.
The NBA is where it is, or, at least, where it was, because of Magic and Bird. The NHL got its big lift when Mario Lemieux was winning Cups and Wayne Gretzky was playing in the L.A. market. Baseball is doing better than it has, because the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are playing well. The NFL does well … well … because Las Vegas exists.
This brings me to auto racing. I have read several times, now that Danica Patrick has won the IRL is going to grow. Or, once Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins, NASCAR will be back.
So, yes, Patrick winning helps the IndyCar Series. And yes, when Earnhardt Jr. breaks his slump, NASCAR will be in the headlines.
The point of this post, though, is: Neither of the sports will die if these drivers fail.
IRL is the strongest it has been since it began, particularly now the open-wheel racing merged this season. The Indy 500 this year will again have a great field like it did in its heyday.
NASCAR TV ratings still blow away everything expect the NFL and Tiger in the lead in major golf events, and its stands are filled at nearly every track.
So, go ahead and praises these drivers or scorn them for not winning, just don't say that their series are depending on them.
Not sure where the Cavs season will end, although it is likely next series against the Boston Celtics, but I think coach Mike Brown deserves some credit for getting this team in position to advance in the playoffs.
He obviously has had trouble getting any type of consistent offense going in his three seasons with the Cavs, but with LeBron James, I think most coaches would follow his plan: Play defense and let LeBron win the game at the other end.
It worked well with the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan.
Brown has done a nice job working the officials in the media the past few days, as well.
All things that should give the Cavs a solid foundation for the future.
If the Cavs don't win a title this season, and they likely won't, it won't be Brown's fault.
The Tribe continues to scuffle with their bats. A 3-0 loss to another rookie Saturday.
Some folks, think that the Travis Hafner contract is out of whack (Me included) and his lack of production is killer. Others point to Casey Blake's poor production in the clutch.
Those are valid points, but the real problem is the amount of strikeouts.
There is no base-runner movement on a strikeout; it is not a productive out. And with little speed on this team, it is not built to manufacture runs.
I will always point to the White Sox in this case. The year they won the World Series, many folks hammered them for trading Carlos Lee for Scott Podsednik. Yes, they traded away a power bat for not much of a pedigree in Podsednik. But the leadoff hitting outfielder got on base and made things happen. In the end, GM Kenny Williams had won a World Series.
By the way, since they have let Podsednik go, they haven't won.
Now Grady Sizemore gets on base a lot, but it is different. He strikes out too much, too.
In fact, the Tribe would be better with him lower in the lineup, if and this is a big IF, they find a leadoff guy who can get on base.
With the way this team is set up, it will need to be a second baseman or corner outfielder in that role. Maybe Asdrubal Cabrera can pull it off, otherwise I don't see one on this version of the Tribe.
C.C. Sabathia is showing no signs of the pitcher who won the Cy Young last season.
And now with latest loss, the Indians have fallen into a tie with the Tigers at the bottom of the AL Central. That might be the saving grace of this April, that the Tigers have been just as bad as the Tribe. Unless, of course, the Chicago White Sox run away and hide from the rest of the division.
Back to C.C. Unlike Joe Borowski, Sabathia seems to have his velocity; it is his command that is way off. Patrick McManamon points out in his column today that since the playoffs, Sabathia is 1-5 with an 11.34 ERA (42 runs, 33 innings) in his past seven starts.
Can the Indians win the division without a great Sabathia and a solid bullpen, no way.
Now it seems that Joe Borowski was hurt, and from what I get from the articles, the Indians knew it.
What is up with that?
Now he is hurt bad enough that he will be out for about a month. Ridiculous.
Most would think that baseball players, especially pitchers, are babied too much. But here is a case where the team needs to be made more important than the individual.
Remember these games and management decisions come September.
By the way, the best way to screw up a bullpen is to have a bunch of poor starts from the rotation. The next way is to put the relievers in roles they aren't used to. For next month or more, that will be the case for the Indians.
The Indians closer blew up again with that 83 mph so-called fastball.
Sheldon Ocker's story had two points worth highlighting. One, the fastball was so slow to Manny Ramirez last night Manny wasn't sure if it was a fastball or change-up. Two, Borowski said he is healthy but that he is going to undergo some sort of tests. If he is hurt and hasn't told anyone, that is not a good situation. But if he isn't hurt, what happened to about 7 mph on his fastball?
Bullpens are a funny thing in baseball. One year great; the next the same guys are awful.
This has to be fixed fast, or no postseason baseball will this year's change-up.
– The TV talk this weekend will center around Tiger Woods and The Masters. This usually signals the beginning of golf season in NE Ohio. With temperatures in the 40s this weekend, maybe the Browns minicamp in May would be a better starting point.
– Is C.C. Sabathia struggling with expectations? Many thought that he turned the corner last season. But the playoffs. The contract talks. The slow start this season. Maybe it is all starting to add up.
– The NHL has to pleased with Alexander Ovechkin being in the playoffs. We get to take a look tonight on Versus and Sunday on NBC.
– I have seen a couple of folks saying Brady Quinn would be the No. 1 pick in this draft. Then how does he not beat out a player who was cut from his first NFL team and another player who becomes the backup with the Seahawks. I think Quinn still needs a lot of work, and obviously the Browns agree.
– Red Sox and Tigers coming to town early next week. We'll get an early indication of what to expect this year in the American League.
– Coming on Ohio.com on Saturday and Sunday, is Patrick McManamon writing about Fausto Carmona, free throw shooting and other random thoughts. Also we'll have coverage of the Masters, the Cavs finish of the season, the Tribe-A's series and a wrapup of the Zips spring football camp.
Does the Tribe's move in signing Fausto Carmona end any chance of bringing C.C. Sabathia back?
Now it can and has been argued — I believe I have written this before — that Sabathia is done here. The Tribe is in no position to sign Sabathia to $160 million for seven seasons. And I beleive that. Just like the Travis Hafner deal was ludicrous. That type of deal for Sabathia should not be on the Tribe's radar. It makes no sense long or short term.
That being said GM Mark Shapiro has said talks with C.C. aren't dead. And later today, he probably will say that again.
But don't believe it. It really doesn't fit into the Tribe's way of thinking to pay a pitcher for that long when he will be in his mid-30s when the deal is complete.
I believe any chance of Sabathia staying with the Indians died today.
