Bleacher Report - Articles by Richie Lovell

Ken Griffey, Jr: It Could Be a Sad Day in Cincinnati

Richie Lovell — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:17:11 -0400

I turned on the local news today and they were showing Ken Griffey, Jr.'s home run from last night. The three-run homer put the Reds up 5-0 and they went on to a 9-5 victory, snapping a four-game losing streak.

But this isn't why they were showing it on the news. They were showing it because today, sadly, Ken Griffey, Jr. may be traded to the Chicago White Sox.

And I felt my eyes water...

Ken Griffey, Jr. has now hit the 608th home run in his career. That puts him one away from tying Sammy Sosa with 609. And Reds fans have been waiting awhile now to see Griffey hit 609, but now that privilege could belong to White Sox fans.

No. 608 could be the last home run Griffey hits as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. The leader and face of the team for the past five years will be going elsewhere to finish his career.

I'm happy for Griffey, he deserves to be apart of a team good enough to win the World Series, and the Reds aren't even good enough to finish above .500. But I'm selfish and I want to see him finish his career in Cincinnati.

No longer will Reds fans be able to see the great duo of Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey, Jr. No longer will Moeller students and grads be able to watch a fellow Crusader play the sport he loves in the town he grew up in.

No longer will Ken Griffey, Jr. be seen in the outfield with that great smile of his. No longer will Ken Griffey, Jr. be a Cincinnati Red.

The top-selling Reds jersey is that of No. 3, Ken Griffey, Jr. And the 30,000 plus fans who come to Great American Ball Park each and every day of the season come to see No. 3, Ken Griffey Jr. And I speak on behalf of every Reds fan when I say that Griffey will always have a home in Cincinnati, and that we will miss him and wish him the best of luck for the rest of his career.

In the modern era of baseball, full of controversy and steroids, Ken Griffey, Jr. has shown how to play the game right, and one day No. 3 will be retired in Cincinnati and Griffey will be a proud member of the Hall of Fame.

College Football Power Rankings—The Quarterbacks

Richie Lovell — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:00:44 -0400

Who are the players to watch out for in the upcoming college football season? I give my Power Rankings of the Top 10 best players at every position in college football, starting with the quarterbacks...

Top 10 Quarterbacks:

1. Tim Tebow, Florida: Choosing the number one quarterback was harder than most would think, but who can deny Tebow the number one spot?

2. Pat White, West Virginia: The running quarterback could surprise people with his arm in the upcoming season.

3. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: One of many talented quarterbacks in the Big XII this upcoming season.

4. Dan Lefevour, Central Michigan: Led his team to the MAC championship and was a stud in their memorable bowl game loss to Purdue.

5. Chase Daniel, Missouri: Yet another stud quarterback out of the Big XII. He has thrown 61 touchdowns the past two seasons but his best season has yet to come.

6. Matthew Stafford, Georgia: His stats won't wow you but his smarts and his mechanics will.

7. Curtis Painter, Purdue: One of the top passers in the country and could be a first-round draft pick come next year.

8. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech: It's plain and simple, Harrell is a system quarterback. But you can't deny the fact that he is as talented as any other quarterback in the county.

9. Jake Locker, Washington: Dual-threat quarterback should lead Washington to a surprising season and a bowl bid in 2008.

10. Cullen Harper, Clemson: How will Harper fare with only one returning offensive linemen? Luckily he has the talent around him for another successful season.

Honorable Mentions: Todd Reesing (Kansas), Colt McCoy (Texas), Rusty Smith (Florida Atlantic), Nate Davis (Ball State), Willie Tuitama (Arizona).

Best Quarterback Match-Up Next Season: Sam Bradford vs. Graham Harrell is the best match-up between quarterbacks, but watching Tim Tebow against Matthew Stafford will definitely be a more intriguing game as both Georgia and Florida are good enough to not only win the SEC, but win the national championship as well

As a side not, if you're good enough to win the SEC, you are more than likely good enough to win the national championship.

Another intriguing match-up is when Dan Lefevour will take on Curtis Painter. Lefevour played against Painter twice last season and went 0-2, but will get a third chance this year.

Michigan Football 2008 Preview

Richie Lovell — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:41:09 -0400

Michigan Stadium isn't the only thing being reconstructed up in Ann Arbor these days. The football team and coaching staff is being reconstructed also.

Gone are Chad Henne and Mike Hart, who had started for the Wolverines since their freshman year, in which they led the Wolverines to a Big 10 title and a trip to the Rose Bowl.

Michigan fans are hoping that their 0-4 record against the Buckeyes goes with them.

This season will be about new faces for the Wolverines, starting at the top with new coach Rich Rodriguez, who will bring along his vaunted spread offense to Ann Arbor.

Rodriguez went 60-26 as the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers, winning the Big East crown in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007.

But Rich Rodriguez has left behind quarterback Pat White and the Mountaineers and is going to start anew at Michigan. His first season at West Virginia he went 3-8. He's hoping for better success in his first year with the Wolverines, and his success could come down to the quarterback play.

Redshirt freshman Steven Threet is the projected starter at quarterback for the Wolverines. Threet does not seem equipped to run the offense, but the Wolverines really have no better option, to well…run the option.

But what will help Threet is the relative strength at the running back position, lead by junior running back Brandon Minor. The former four-star prospect should do a nice job filling in at running back. While he lacks breakaway speed he makes up for it with his toughness, vision, and ability to break away from tackles.

Minor finished last season with 385 yards rushing but only one touchdown to show for it.

At wide receiver, Greg Matthews needs to step up his play as for he is the only proven player in the bunch. Matthews finished the 2007 season with 366 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

The Wolverines lost a combined total of 2,056 receiving yards and 16 receiving touchdowns between Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington.

The only bright spot for the Wolverines coming into next year is their defense, which projects to have six senior starters, led by senior cornerback Morgan Trent, along with defensive end Tim Jamison and strong safety Brandon Harrison.

The defense may have to lead this team in the early going as the offense tries to find its way, and they should do just that as they should be one of the stronger defensive units in the conference.

The first game of the year for the Maize and Blue could set the tone for the early part of the season. The Wolverines don’t want to start out the season 0-1 as they did a year ago, but it seems likely to happen.

The Wolverines will have to open the season against one of the stronger non-BCS teams in football, Utah, which led by senior quarterback Brian Johnson will give Michigan the kind of test they need early in the season.

Fans should get a glimpse right away as to whether or not this will be another successful year in Michigan football, or quite possibly, the first losing season in quite a long, long time…