Bleacher Report - Articles by chad lamasa

Anyone Want My Glass Of Orange Kool-Aid?

chad lamasa — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:23:48 -0400

I outgrew drinking Kool-Aid around the time I was eight or nine. The reason? It's just not good, much like the Baltimore Orioles.

Of course, you can see the potential in it—mix in some sugar or soda and it improves it, but it's still not great. Again, much like the Orioles.

Sure the O's have made improvements this season, but enough of the orange Kool-Aid drinking already.

Last night, the O's made the biggest comeback in franchise history. I flipped the game on when it was 4-0 Red Sox. When the Sawx jumped out to a 9-1 lead, I got annoyed and changed the channel.

To what you may ask? A WNBA game, in which the only player I knew was Candice Wiggins, daughter of former Orioles second baseman Alan.

When I woke up this morning, I was amazed to hear the Orioles had come back to win the game. Much like Dave Trembley, I didn't get overly excited about it. I was much more excited about the start of the NHL free agency period.

I was happy they had won, but at the same time it was one win over the course of the 12th consecutive losing season for the O's.

Any momentum they had gained last night, was shattered when Trembley pulled Brad Bergesen today, in the top of the ninth. Of course, the bullpen blew a 5-1 lead and eventually lost the game in the 11th inning.

The Orioles have some nice pieces in place. Bergeson seems like the real deal. Nolan Reimold, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones are a solid outfield combo. Matt Wieters is coming along nicely (a couple of throwing errors notwithstanding).

Here's where the Kool-Aid comes into play.

The team keeps telling us that in 2011, the Orioles are going to be great with our three young pitching studs (Tillman, Arrieta and Matusz) coming to the parent club. There is no guarantee that all or any of them will even pan out.

Baltimore fans have been hearing this for a while now.

"Just wait until Hayden Penn and Adam Loewen come up."

"Daniel Cabrera has the 'stuff' of a great pitcher" (none of whom are still with the organization). "Just wait until next season. We'll be better."

I, for one, can't take it anymore. I have had enough. I see the team heading in the right direction, but I don't want to hear about 2011. I want to see them turn the corner now.

Eleven years of waiting is long enough.

I'm not even asking for them to win the division. Just get to 82-80. It's a shame that two games over .500 would make me happy, but that's what happens after 11 straight losing seasons.

I used to be a huge Orioles fan. I went to all the games I could and kept score. I bought every card and piece of memorabilia I could get my hands on. I would love to get a new road jersey, with Baltimore on it, but I refuse to give the organization any of my money until I feel like there is a product worth supporting.

Cal Ripken was my hero from 1981—when I was 10—until the day he retired. When he did, my interest in baseball started to fade.

They were already five years into losing and things haven't changed since. In fact, they seem to have gotten worse. The players have forgotten the fundamentals of the game.

Players like Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora, two of the slower guys on the base-paths, have run the team out of several innings. Felix Pie holding the ball in CF after Wieters had over-thrown second on a pick-off attempt. Brian Roberts, not diving for a ball he could have had. Ty Wiggington misplaying a grounder at first.

Things like this make me feel like they are more than just a year or two away. I hope they can get back to being the team I used to love, but I don't see it happening in the very near future.

What I miss the most, is taking my son to the games. I loved going to the games with my dad when I was his age. There is nothing like a father and son bonding over sports and baseball lends itself to this better than any other sport.

But unless I get some free tickets, I don't think we'll make one this year.

What the Washington Capitals Need To Address During the Offseason

chad lamasa — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:11:49 -0400

Now that I've had some time to get over the disappointing game seven loss to the Penguins, it's time to look forward to next season.

With the success of Simeon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth, the Goalie position is set for years to come.

Varlamov has at least earned the right to compete for the number one job, if not be named to it out right.

Brent Johnson is an unrestricted free agent now. I'd like to see the Caps re-sign him for what he's helped them accomplish in his four years with the team.

However getting rid of Jose Theodore would be a cap hit (no pun intended) so that may eliminate Johnny from consideration.

The offense is set, do I really need to mention the names? I didn't think so.

The other unrestricted free agents for the Capitals this off season are:

Sergei Federov - C, 39
Alexandre Giroux - C, 28
Viktor Kozlov - C, 34
Donald Brashear - LW, 37
Quintin Laing - LW, 29
Graham Mink - LW, 30
Bryan Helmer - D, 36
Tyler Sloan - D, 28

To see unrestricted free agents throughout the league click here.

I would like to see the Caps re-sign Federov. He wants to keep playing and has become a fan favorite. His production may be down, but his experience and leadership is invaluable. If the Caps are worried about his age, do a year at a time. But I'd like to see him retire as a Capital.

Giroux, had some nice moments this season when he was called up. He may never be an All-Star but I think he could be a good player, if given the opportunity.

Kozlov is another guy whose numbers are on the decline, but he fits in well with the other Russians on the team and like Feds, his leadership and experience is worth keeping around.

During the season my opinion of Brashear changed. At first I just thought he was thug, but then he proved to me that he had some skills. However the hit he put on Blair Betts in game seven of the Rangers series reverted me back to my original thinking. I wouldn't mind seeing him move on.

Laing and Mink, basically had cups of coffee with the Caps this year and I don't even remember seeing them play.

Between Helmer and Sloan, if the Caps can only keep one, my preference would be Sloan. Neither puts up a ton of points, three and five respectively, Sloan however is eight years younger and has more upside.

If there is one area that needs work it would be the defense.

Mike Green is a solid player and is on his way to being an elite defender, if he's not there already.

He vanished in the playoffs but was fighting the flu for much of the Rangers series. I wouldn't be surprised if he gave himself a concussion, slamming head first into the boards after missing a check on a Rangers player. He was clearly dazed when he got up and didn't seem right for much of the rest of the game. Or the rest of the playoffs for that matter.

Karl Alzner was productive in the limited time he saw with the parent club. He may not have put up huge numbers but was solid in his end of the ice and didn't make many mistakes. At least none that were so glaring that they jump out at me right now.

They have Green to be offensive minded. What the Caps need is a veteran leader that can come in and help mentor some of the younger guys and be a stay at home lock down defender. Guys that don't make a lot of mistakes or let pucks bounce off of them into their own net.

A guy like Hal Gill or Paul Mara would be a nice addition, though they may command too much money.

Another alternative may be Steve Montador, at 29 and a salary of $800,000 he may be a guy they could sign to a four or five year deal at a reasonable price. His +17 rating ranked 45th in the league.

Other than Mike Green (+24) and Jeff Schultz (+13) none of the Caps defensive corp broke double digits on the +/- rating. Many were circling zero or were on the negative side.

The Capitals had a fantastic season this year and I believe they are only a piece or two away from making an even further run next season.

Ray Lewis Needs To Swallow Pride, Return To Ravens

chad lamasa — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:52:38 -0500

Four days into free agency and Ray Lewis, a first-round draft pick in 1996 and sure fire first ballot Hall-of-Famer, remains unsigned.

The Ravens offered him what they thought was a fair deal for a 33-year-old linebacker, saying that it would be the best deal that he would get. The offer was in the neighborhood of $20 million over three years, with $17 million guaranteed.

Lewis turned it down and decided to test the market. I'm sure he felt that every NFL team would be knocking down his door to sign him.

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to Ray Lewis receiving a huge contract—no one has come knocking. Not even the the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets, who were thought to be the front runners for securing his services.

Rex Ryan, the former Ravens defensive coordinator and current Jets head coach passed Lewis over for the younger Bart Scott. He is also rumored to be in talks with Corey Ivy and Jim Leonhard, other Ravens teammates of Lewis's.

I'm sure Lewis has taken a major blow to his ego, with the lack of interest from the rest of the league, but now it is time for him to swallow his pride and realize that he needs to stay in Baltimore. I don't fault him for wanting to see what he's worth on the open market though.

This is his job, and a very cool job at that, but a job nonetheless. Just like any job, if you can get more from somewhere else of course you're going to take it.

This whole thing about a hometown discount is absolutely ridiculous. If I was looking for another job and my current employer said, "We want you to stay here, but we want you to take less money," I wouldn't accept that either.

Would any of you? I don't think so.

That being said, Lewis needs to know what he has with the Ravens. If he was on the Lions or Rams, I could understand wanting to leave in order to make a run at the Super Bowl. But just a few weeks ago, with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco and first-year head coach John Harbaugh, they were a game away from the Super Bowl.

Even losing Bart Scott, this defense will still be in the top five in the league in 2009. The offense is finally starting to close the gap and that has made the team more rounded. Barring injuries the Ravens should again compete for the AFC crown.

Forget on-the-field accolades for a minute, and just realize how revered Ray Lewis is in Baltimore. No. 52 is one of the most popular jerseys in the stands at home games. His was the first Ravens jersey I bought.

He has achieved a one-name status in Baltimore. Only four other Baltimore players in the history of the city's professional sports teams have done that—Cal, Eddie, Brooks and Johnny.

One day his number will be retired and he will be in the Ravens Ring of Honor.

Even when he had his legal issues, this city rallied around him.

This situation reminds me of when Coach K was thinking of leaving Duke to coach the Lakers. Durham is the perfect place for him. If he had left Duke and failed at the pro level, he would have been just another college coach that couldn't cut it. At Duke, he is a hero and one of the best coaches of all time. He made the right choice to stay.

Ray needs to do the same.

If he leaves, he will be considered a sell-out by Ravens fans. If he's not successful the fans of his new team, will consider him a waste of money.

Also a new team is not going to structure their defense around him. At this point in his career, does he really want to learn an entirely new system?

He will not be able to replicate the chemistry he has with the guys he currently plays with. They want to play with him and make him proud. Does DeMarcus Ware really care what Ray Lewis thinks of him?

I doubt it.

Lewis's dance at the beginning of home games and his "Where my dogs at" rant won't matter to players on other teams where Lewis might go, nor would the fans care about these rituals. He won't be "The Man" on another team or the face of the franchise.

Ray has it made here. There may be a few hurt feelings in Baltimore, but once he gets a sack, interception or even a few tackles in the first game of the season, all will be forgiven.

Not to be crude, but I think it's time for Ray to suck it up and come home. If there are hurt feelings on his side, I can accept that, but they will go away as soon as he steps on the field and he hears all the Ravens fans cheering for him.

And cheer they will.

JJ Redick a Bust? Maybe Not

chad lamasa — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:33:32 -0500

The first article I wrote on Bleacher Report was titled "JJ Redick: The Orlando Magic Are Ruining His Career." The majority of the comments I got were about how JJ was a bust in the NBA.

My response was that he wasn't getting consistent playing time. His PT was so erratic that no one would have been able to be productive.

Ever since we changed the calendar to 2009, Redick has been getting his chance and is making the most of it.

Redick has been receiving more playing time due to injuries to Keith Bogans and Mickael Pietrus. He is trying to make it difficult for Stan Van Gundy to bench him when they return.

On New Year’s Eve he got almost 20 minutes and scored seven points on 3-6 shooting.

Nothing spectacular sure, but that was the beginning of his consistent playing time. His last six games he has played between 17:33 and 28:38 minutes per game.

In those games he has averaged 11.5 points per game, including two games in which he scored 15 points each. He shot 24-43 overall and 17-26 beyond the arc. He is also 4-5 from the charity stripe.

Redick has four assists and three steals during this stretch.

His best game was in the Magic's 121-87 blowout victory versus Atlanta. Redick shot 4-7 overall but 4-5 from behind the three-point arc.

In the Magic's victory over San Antonio, JJ shot 4-6 from three-point range. The biggest one came in the final minute, which sparked a run from the Magic to seal the victory.

Against Sacramento, JJ made four of the Magic's record 23 three-pointers.

The knock on Redick has been his lack of defensive ability. That appears to be changing a bit as well with three steals and 13 defensive boards over this six-game span.

Those aren't huge numbers I know, but they are a step in the right direction. Besides when you have a beast like Dwight Howard on your team how many boards are you really going to come down with?

All JJ ever wanted was to get his shot. Now he is, and he's showing that maybe he can be a solid role player in the NBA.

I've never claimed he would be an All-Star, but I do think he could be a good sixth or seventh option for the Magic. With Howard always in the paint being double-teamed someone has to be open on the perimeter to knock down a trey. And Redick is deadly from three-point range.

Capitals Get Revenge, Beat Flyers in Shootout 2-1

chad lamasa — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:17:31 -0500

The Capitals worst loss of the season came at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers in December.

Since then the Capitals have not lost a game.

The Flyers visited the Verizon Center tonight looking to snap the Caps seven-game overall winning streak and their 24-game home winning streak dating back to last season.

Tonight would not be the night however.

Nick Backstrom (12) opened the scoring at 2:10 into the first period on a power play goal. He was assisted by Alexander Semin (20) and Viktor Kozlov (18).

That would be all the scoring until 23 seconds into the third period, when Braydon Coburn (5) converted on a power play, with assists from Kimmo Timonen (22) and Jeff Carter (17) to tie the game.

The game would go into overtime as neither team could score for the remainder of regulation.

OT was more of the same as the Caps and Flyers engaged in a goalie duel.

Flyers' goalie Martin Biron, filling in for an injured Antero Niittymaki, stopped 33 of 34 shots on the night.

The Capitals Jose Theodore put up identical numbers.

The game went to the shootout assuring both teams of a point.

Viktor Kozlov took the first shot and scored the only goal in the shootout on a nice fake-out of Biron.

The game featured the leading goal-getters in the league right now, Alex Ovechkin and Jeff Carter, but neither scored and remain tied at 27 goals apiece for the season.

Theodore, who has been playing extremely well of late, picked up his 14th win of the season and was selected as the first star of the game.

Kozlov and Biron were the second and third stars respectively.

Other notes:

The Capitals killed off 30 seconds of five-on-three play late in the first period.

The win was Theodore's sixth in a row.

If not for the loss to Philly in December, the Caps would be riding a 13 game winning streak.

The Caps' 57 points are now only five points behind the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference lead, and remained 10 points ahead of Carolina in the Southeast Division.

The Ed Reed Travesty: James Harrison Named Defensive Player of the Year

chad lamasa — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:17:26 -0500

Not only are Senate seats for sale this year, apparently major awards in the NFL are as well.

Don't get me wrong, Steelers linebacker James Harrison put up great numbers this season (16 sacks, seven forced fumbles, and one interception), but does he deserve to be named Defensive Player of the Year?

In one word, the answer is NO.

Ed Reed should have won the award.

This may sound like I'm being a homer, and maybe I am, but I'm not the only person who thinks this.

While listening to ESPN Radio today, these are some of the things I heard about Ed Reed.

On Mike & Mike In the Morning, ESPN analyst and future Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Cris Carter said, "Ed Reed is the most explosive player at the safety position EVER!"

Later in the show, Kordell Stewart said of Reed, "Ed Reed is something else...Teams should work on 'stop Ed Reed drills.'"

While being interviewed by Colin Cowherd today, Cowboys linebacker Bobby Carpenter said, "Ed Reed is the best free safety in the game right now."

Cowherd responded by saying, "His instincts are amazing."

Scott Van Pelt called Reed "the most disruptive force defensively."

Does this not sound like the most valuable defensive player?

Sacks are great, but do sacks change the complexion of the game? Occasionally they do, but not in the same way a pick-six will.

Ed Reed has played out of his mind this season. He recorded nine interceptions during the regular season, two of which were returned for touchdowns. The total yardage on those returns? 139 yards. This included a 107-yard return against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Reed had four two-interception games this season. On the season, Reed compiled 264 return yards. That's more than two and a half football fields.

This put the Ravens in far better field position than 16 sacks would have.

Reed sacked Ben Roethlisberger in a crucial AFC North showdown and forced a fumble against Jacksonville, a must-win game for the Ravens to make the playoffs.

In the Wild Card game against the Dolphins, Reed added two more interceptions, another TD, and 76 more return yards to his totals. The return yardage put him over 1,100 on his career.

The two picks gave Reed three consecutive games with two interceptions.

Not only has Reed put up amazing numbers, he has done it playing injured all season.

Reed hurt his neck in training camp and has not fully recovered. A report I heard said this could be a career-threatening injury.

Here's a guy playing at less than 100 percent and putting up game-changing numbers.

How does that not rank as the best defensive player in the league?

Ed Reed this season moved from possible Hall-of-Famer to sure-fire first-ballot lock.

James Harrison, the Defensive Player of the Year? Not even close.

The voters got this one wrong.

Capitals-Sabres: Chris Bourque Nets First NHL Goal

chad lamasa — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:00:16 -0500

After being blanked 5-0 by the Sabres in their last visit to Buffalo, the Washington Capitals struck quickly against Sabres goalie Ryan Miller.

Derek Roy was called for tripping 46 seconds into the first period, and Brooks Laich scored his 11th goal of the season on the ensuing power play at the 1:57 mark.

Chris Bourque, a recent recall from AHL Hershey and son of Hall-of-Famer Ray Bourque, tallied his first NHL goal at the 9:02 mark of the first period to give the Caps a 2-0 lead.

The goal was assisted by his former Hershey Bears line mates, Eric Fehr and Dave Steckel.

Jose Theodore, in his fourth straight start, looked good early, stopping all 17 shots he faced in the first two periods, including a break-away by Jason Pominville.

Early in the second period, Clarke MacArthur clanged one off the post.

The Caps were held to just two shots in the first 11 minutes of the second period.

After a tripping call on Andrej Sekera, the Capitals took five shots in the first 38 seconds of the power play.

Mike Green missed on his shot during the power play, but Nicklas Backstrom scored—his 11th of the season—on the rebound to increase the lead to 3-0.

The Capitals penalty-kill stepped up in a big way, limiting the Sabres to three shots on their first four power plays.

Adam Mair clanked one off the post and past Theodore on a nice backhand shot for his fifth of the season at the 7:41 mark of the third period.

The goal gave the Sabres a glimpse of hope, cutting the lead to 3-1.

Boyd Gordon added an empty-net, short-handed goal from 150 feet away to seal the game with 43 seconds left in the game.

The Sabres would score with 11 seconds left, on a power-play goal by Clarke MacArthur, for a final score of 4-2, ruining a perfect night for the Caps penalty-kill.

Other Notes:

No Capitals team has ever started the season with four straight winning months. They could achieve that with a winning record in January.

Brooks Laich's goal tonight gave him six in his last nine games.

Jose Theodore stopped 31 of 33 shots on the night to secure his 13th win of the season, while limiting the rebounds.

Theodore has allowed only five goals in his last nine periods, after allowing eight in the previous four periods.

Alex Ovechkin's grandfather passed away over the weekend. My thoughts go out to Ovie and his family.

Haloti Ngata: Unsung Ravens Hero

chad lamasa — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:46:33 -0500

This morning on Mike & Mike in the Morning, the Mikes were talking about the 2006 NFL draft. They said that after the top two picks of Mario Williams and Reggie Bush, the first round of this draft was pretty thin.

Granted there have only been three Pro Bowlers out the first round—Vince Young, Antonio Cromartie, and Joseph Addai—but there are plenty of other notable players in this draft. Some of these include D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Vernon Davis, Matt Leinart, and Jay Cutler. These players were all drafted above the focus of this story, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.

Ngata was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 12th overall, a pick they swapped with the Cleveland Browns. Since being drafted Haloti has started 46 straight games for the Ravens. Barring injury he will be up to 48 at the end of the regular season.

Surrounded by names like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Bart Scott, Terell Suggs, and Kelly Gregg, Haloti Ngata gets over shadowed. However, he is starting to make a name for himself.

In his first professional game, the 6'4", 345-pounder picked off Chris Simms and rumbled 60 yards until he ran out of gas at the seven yard line.

He finished his rookie season with 31 tackles, 13 solo, one sack, and one interception.

In 2007, his second year in the league, he finished the season with 63 tackles (43 of these were solo tackles), three sacks, and two batted down balls. He had four games with seven tackles. His best game was against the New England Patriots, who went undefeated for the regular season.

Ngata was a big part of why the Ravens almost pulled off the upset, recording seven tackles, all solo, and a sack of Tom Brady.

This season he has continued to improve and with two games left he seems to be on pace to at least match last season. So far this season he has recorded 50 tackles, 38 solo, one sack, five batted balls, and two interceptions.

His best game, even though the Ravens got blown out, was against the NY Giants. In this game he recorded seven tackles, five of which were solo.

My favorite play of the game on Sunday against the Steelers, possibly of the season, was a tackle he had on Willie Parker. To show how powerful he is, he basically just stood upright as Willie Parker slammed into him. He might as well have been a brick wall, as Parker bounced off and fell to the ground.

Haloti Ngata deserves to be selected to the Pro Bowl this year. If he doesn't get voted in he should at least be a reserve for the AFC team.

He's not a household name outside of Baltimore yet, which will hurt his chances to get voted in. To prove that, his name doesn't even come up on this site when you search for tags.

His only downfall may be that he just goes out there and plays his game. He doesn't talk smack, he doesn't complain he's not getting enough attention. He just quietly goes out, does his job, and does it well.

Colts-Giants: The Greatest Game Ever Played

chad lamasa — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 08:47:40 -0500

The first overtime game in NFL history featured 17 future Hall-of-Famers, between players, coaches, owners, and broadcasters.

My dad was 11 years old when this game was played. He told me that he didn't even watch the game on television. He went roller skating with his friends but listened to the game on the radio, from time to time.

This game has been the subject of many books (one of which my dad brought for me to read), articles, and television programs. There is no need for me to try to recap the game here.

ESPN aired a special about the 50th anniversary of the game last night. I watched the Capitals, because I called my dad on Thursday to see if he wanted to come over and watch the special with me this morning, and I wanted to watch it for the first time with him.

They don't call ESPN the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" for nothing. This special was amazingly put together.

They matched up many of the surviving players with current players. Artie Donovan sat with Michael Strahan, Pat Summerall sat with Adam Vinatieri, Tony Dungy sat with Ray Berry, Lenny Moore sat with Brandon Jacobs, just to name a few.

It was very cool to watch the respect that the new guys had for the Hall-of-Famers and vice versa.

One of the neatest things was the fact that ESPN had the game colorized. Not in that terrible way they have used on classic movies in the past. The color was drab and dingy. It looked like it could have been filmed on some of the early color film and faded over time.

As stated in the special, much of the original broadcast footage had been lost, so they spliced together what they could, and used some still photos in between and players would comment on what was going on.

It was really great to sit with my dad and listen to him talk about this game and the Colts in general.

He told me he went to the 1959 Championship game with my grandfather, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. In the rematch, the Colts dominated the game and won 31-16.

He also told me that his aunt went to the game in 1958. Afterward, she was riding the subway back to the train station, or the hotel, and she over heard a Giants fan exclaim that the Colts got lucky and she burst out laughing.

Apparently the Giants fan didn't appreciate that, and gave her a nasty look that made her a bit scared for the rest of the ride.

While watching the footage, several players commented on how poor the quality of the field was. I couldn't see a single blade of grass. It just looked like dirt. Players had a hard time getting traction on the field and many turnovers occurred.

One of the things that was discussed between the current and former players, was how the game was different then, but at the same time very much the same.

The main differences were the rules. For example, pass interference was called back then but it had to be very blatant. Not like today where if there is the slightest bump, a flag will be thrown.

There was a disputed third-down play in the third quarter, where a ball spot caused the Giants to miss a first down. Art Donovan said that he saw Frank Gifford in Baltimore last September, and he was still talking about that play 50 years later.

ESPN brought in a forensic mapper and reconstruction expert. They used a technique called photographic mapping to show that Gifford indeed came up short of the first down.

This game not only featured all those HOFers but also the birth of the two-minute drill.

My dad commented that is where Johnny Unitas was unsurpassed as a QB, and this drive made me understand why he said he that. Late in the game, the Colts were trailing 17-14 after being up 14-3. Unitas picked apart a very talented Giants defense and got the Colts into field goal range.

Steve Myhra was not a great kicker. When he came in, the Colts players were worried, but he made the kick to cause the first over time period in professional football history.

Apparently, during the overtime period, the television signal was lost. Someone had kicked out a cable. An NBC employee pretended to run on the field being chased by three policemen in order to delay the game until the feed was fixed.

On the final drive of the game, Unitas threw a dangerous pass to Jim Mutscheller, who ran out of bounds at the one. This play set up the game winning touchdown from Alan "The Horse" Ameche.

Mutscheller's reaction to seeing himself run out of bounds was kind of funny. He said "stay in bounds you stoop."

Pat Summerall called the play a "dangerous pattern."

If the ball had been intercepted, it would have been what we call today, a pick six. The Giants would have returned the ball 98 yards to win the game.

In the locker room after the game, Johnny demonstrated why he was one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL, quarterback or otherwise.

Dave Anderson, a reporter for the New York Times, asked Unitas, "Weren't you taking a chance on an interception?"

Unitas stared back with "his wonderful Unitas cold stare" as Anderson put it, and said, "When you know what you're doing, you don't get intercepted."

This game is responsible for the NFL the way it is today. Forty-five million people across the country watched the game on television, which was the largest audience for a football game at that point.

The game, however, was blacked out in NY. The owners were worried that TV would have taken attendance away from the stadium and hurt their box office.

The fact that this game put up a great rating made people realize that there was a lot of the country without a pro team, as there were only 12 teams at the time. This led to the formation of the AFL which merged with the NFL a few years later.

If you get a chance to watch this special, please do. And if possible, watch it with someone who got to experience it in 1958. This is a memory I will hold on to for a long time.

Photo above courtesy of AP images.

Capitals-Canadiens Review: Rookie Goalie Steps in for First Win

chad lamasa — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:02:20 -0500

First let me say Happy 39th Birthday to Sergei Federov.

This obviously wasn't the story of the game though. The Capitals played their second game in as many nights in Montreal and came away with a 2-1 victory. The Caps have struggled in the second game of back to backs all season. It was nice to see them get the victory tonight.

Nicklas Backstrom got the scoring under way at the 9:41 mark in the first period with a power play goal, his 10th of the season. The Capitals are 14-3-1 this season when scoring first.

The Canadiens tied the game 4:35 into the second period on Patrice Brisebois' slap shot, his third of the season.

Michael Nylander scored his third goal of the season, his first in 25 games, with 3:32 left in the game to give the Caps the victory. Nylander scored off the foot of Montreal goaltender Jaroslav Halak, on an assist by recent call up and Quebec City native Alexandre Giroux.

The true story of the game was Simeon Varlamov, the 20-year-old rookie goaltender for the Capitals.

Varlamov was the Capitals' first round pick in the 2006 draft, selected 23rd overall. He was just the second goalie ever drafted in the first round by the Capitals, the other was Olaf Kolzig.

Filling in for Brent Johnson, who got the victory against the Ottawa Senators a night ago, Varlamov played extremely well.

He may have had butterflies in his stomach, but you couldn't tell by the way he played tonight. Varmalov stopped 32 of 33 shots. The only shot that got by him was the blast by Brisebois that went top shelf. I'm not sure many goalies would have stopped, rookie or otherwise.

Varmalov had a lot of help from his defensive corps tonight, but made many great saves. He allowed very few second chance opportunities as he didn't give up rebounds.

The Capitals found their pentaly kill again and did they ever need to. The Caps got called for nine penalties during the game.

In the second period alone they had to kill off 10 minutes worth of penalties. The PK unit, which had been struggling lately, did not give up a goal.

Meanwhile the Caps' power play kept rolling.

The final shot of the game went off the rink. A fan retrieved it and tossed it back over the glass to Tom Poti, who in return gave the fan his stick, so that Varmalov had the puck from his first NHL win.

Varmalov and Nylander were selected as the top two stars of the game respectively.

The Capitals are starting to get healthy again as the recent returns of Semin, Green, and Federov indicate. Unfortunately they are hurting between the pipes, thus the reason for Varmalov's call up.

Jose Theodore, who pitched the Capitals only shutout on the season the last time these teams played, was scratched for the second straight game due to a hip injury, and Brent Johnson has been banged up recently, but was available tonight if needed.

Baltimore Ravens: Who Is the Most Valuable Raven?

chad lamasa — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:26:16 -0500

After 12 weeks of the season, I think it's time to start looking at who is the Most Valuable Raven.

The Ravens have truly surprised me by winning eight games at this point in the season. I was hoping for an 8-8 record to be honest—especially with a new head coach, offensive coordinator, and a question mark for quarterback.

John Harbaugh has come in with no head coaching experience and took the reins of this team and lead them in the right direction and quite possibly a playoff spot after a disappointing season last year.

Harbaugh has proven that he won't put up with the same nonsense that Brian Billick did. When Chris McAlister became a distraction he was removed from the starting lineup. An injury has sidelined him for the remainder of the season but I don't think we will see C-Mac suiting up for the Ravens next season.

Cam Cameron, has a proven track record as an offensive coordinator, last season in Miami notwithstanding. He fueled the high powered San Diego Chargers offense for a few years. Miami was a fluke as he is proving this year. Bringing in trick plays and new packages, he has opened up the offense this season.

I have written a story about the quarterback situation during the preseason, and then the progress of Flacco during the season.

Joe Flacco, to me is the MVR, this season. Coming off of an unspectacular preseason, he was called into service as the starting QB, due to an injury to Kyle Boller and Troy Smith coming down with tonsillitis.

In the first game of the season, Flacco got his first win, against the Cincinnati Bengals. He didn't have huge numbers 15-29 129 yards passing but he didn't have any turnovers. Also he showed he has mobility by running for a 38 yard touchdown.

Over the course of the season he has gone from game manager to game winner. In the first few games of the season, the playbook was limited while Joe was getting used to the speed of the pros. He didn't air out many passes, and we ran the ball a lot.

After five or six games it seemed like the game was slowing down for Joe. The playbook became bigger and deep plays started showing up. Finally the receivers have someone that can get them the ball downfield accurately.

The team has embraced Flacco and trusts him. As a rookie he has had ups and downs this season but it seems the ups are more frequent than the downs. He has a poise that Kyle Boller could never get even after six years in the league.

When Flacco does make a mistake, he doesn't try to make it up for it on the next play. He seems to forget about it before the next snap.

In the last seven weeks he has turned the corner and thrown 11 of his 12 touchdowns and only two interceptions, both against the Giants. Only one of those was his fault. Derrick Mason didn't catch a ball he should have and the Giants came up with it. Over that span Flacco's 99.1 passer rating is the best in the league.

The Ravens and Baltimore may finally have the franchise quarterback they have been waiting for since days of Bert Jones.

I look forward to watching Flacco for many years to come.

Baltimore Colts' Forgotten Hero Bert Jones

chad lamasa — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:35:48 -0500

Baltimore Ravens rookie, Joe Flacco, may be the first franchise quarterback in Ravens history and the first in Baltimore since Bert Jones in the 1970's and 80's.

Bert Jones was the first sports hero I ever had. During his best season of 1976, I was five years old, my son's age now, I wasn't completely aware of sports at that point, but I remember watching the Colts on TV with my dad and grandfather.

The photo on this article is his card from the 1977 Topps series. I used to carry this card with me in my pocket everywhere I went. I believe I still have it. Needless to say it's rather beat up and even in mint condition, it's not very valuable, but that doesn't matter to me.

Bertram "Bert" Jones was selected by the Baltimore Colts, as the second overall pick in the 1973 NFL draft with a pick acquired from the New Orleans Saints. Some other notables in this draft were John Matuszak (first pick overall), Dave Butz, Ray Guy, Ron Jaworski, Tom Jackson, Dick Jauron, and HOFers John Hannah, Dan Fouts and Joe DeLamielleure.

The Colts won the AFC East, three years in a row between 1975-1977. Unfortunately they were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round each of those years.

Jones' best season was 1976, when he posted 3,104 yards passing, 24 TDs, nine INTs, 214 rushing yards, two rushing TDs, and a passer rating of 102.5. Only two other quarterbacks put up 100+ passer ratings in the entire decade of the 1970's, Roger Staubach in 1971 and Ken Stabler also in 1976.

Bert won the MVP and NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards in 1976. He was also elected to the Pro Bowl. He made the Pro Bowl the following year as a reserve.

In 1982 he played in only four games with the then Los Angeles Rams and then was forced into an early retirement due to a neck injury. His final stats were 10 seasons, 124 TDs, 101 INTs, 18,190 passing yards, 1,429 rushing yards, 14 rushing TDs and a passer rating of 78.2.

In 1990, Bert Jones won the retiree category of the first NFL QB Challenge and finished third in the regular competition. Bobby Beathard, then the GM of the San Diego Chargers, as a result tried to get the 39 year old Jones to come out of retirement and play for the Chargers. Jones decided not to try a comeback attempt.

Bert Jones was allowed to call his own plays and was a true field general. His armstrength was so great that only Brett Favre, John Elway and Doug Williams could rival it, reportedly able to throw the ball almost 100 yards in the air.

Ernie Accorsi, speaking of injury problems, said of Jones "if he had played under different circumstances, he probably would of have been the greatest player ever."

More high praise came from Redskins great John Riggins, who known for his toughness, who said "Bert Jones was the toughest competitor he ever witnessed."

Bill Belichick, gave his choices for greatest quarterbacks of all time, before this years' Super Bowl, listed Bert Jones among them and called him the "best pure passer he ever saw."

Bert was a beloved figure in Baltimore, a step below the legend followed on the Colts, Johhny Unitas.

Capitals-Lightning: Washington Spoil Olaf Kolzig's Return to D.C.

chad lamasa — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:48:01 -0500

Olaf Kolzig, aka Godzilla, made his return to Washington tonight. It was very strange seeing Kolzig in a Lightning jersey and having to root against him for the first time ever.

Kolzig was the Capitals first round pick in the 1989 draft, 19th overall. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2000, was a first team All-Star in 1999-2000 and is the all time leader in Caps history with 305 wins and 35 shutouts. He also helped lead the Caps to the Cup finals in 1998.

Ollie said in an interview prior to the game that he was "just as nervous tonight as he was when he made his professional debut in October of 1989."

The fans cheered when his name was announced, Kolzig tried to avoid looking at the crowd for the first 30 seconds or so.

Kolzig said Barry Melrose had asked him earlier in the season if he wanted to start tonight's game against his former team. Kolzig said yes because he "...just wanted to get the game out of the way and behind him."

The Capitals didn't have a shot in the first eight minutes of the game. That's when all the warm and fuzzy feelings went away. Tom Poti scored, his second goal in as many games, at the 8:20 mark of the first period on the Caps' first shot of the game.

Mike Green scored his fifth goal of the season (first at full strength) about 1:40 later on the second shot of the game for the Capitals.

After that the Capitals dominated the offensive zone adding another goal by Eric Fehr and ending the period with 12 shots on goal. With two assists on each goal, nine different Capitals had a point in the first period.

In the second period Kolzig got over the butterflies and stopped six shots including a blazer by Dave Steckel with about 10 seconds left in the period.

Meanwhile Kolzig's counterpart, good friend and former back up, Brent Johnson, stopped the first 14 shots he faced, until Gary Roberts broke the shutout on a power play goal at the 16:30 mark of the second period.

Kolzig said he was proud of the way the Brent Johnson has been playing so far this season, after taking over the starting job from the inconsistent Jose Theodore.

On a beautiful pass from Alex Semin, Alex Ovechkin broke the longest goalless draught of his career with a goal at the 15:54 mark in the third period, giving the Caps a 4-1 lead.

With about 25 seconds left in the game, Gary Roberts scored his second power play goal of the night. The two goals tonight gave the 42-year old, 436 for his career. The goal cut the lead to 4-2 which would be the final.

Baltimore Ravens Roundtable: The Keys to the Ravens' Success So Far

chad lamasa — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:31:45 -0500

Chad Lamasa: There are several things that I see as the keys to the Ravens success so far this year. In no particular order they are...

1. Controlling the clock. The Ravens have dominated in Time of Possession this season. This is a stat I think gets overlooked by many people. By being able to sustain drives you are keeping your defense off the field, which keeps them fresher later in the game.

Not to mention the impact to the other team. If you are controlling the ball then their defense is on the field much more, which causes them to run out of gas by the fourth quarter. Also if their defense is on the field more that means their offense isn't, and that limits the amount of scoring opportunities.

If they can't score they can't win.

2. Turnovers or lack there-of. Flacco started out the season with seven picks in the first five games. In the last four Flacco has not thrown an interception in over 100 passes. We've had a couple of fumbles in those games but have managed to recover the ball.

Many teams give games away by turning the ball over. Case in point the Houston Texans turning the ball over four times yesterday. Were the Ravens really that dominant yesterday? Partly but if not for the picks and great field position after the returns they don't put up 41 points with their offense.

3. New offensive schemes. Firing Brian Billick and bringing in Cam Cameron was probably the best thing that could have happened to the Ravens. Cameron likes to be creative and experiment with new options. You could almost set a clock by what Brian Billick would call.

3a. Spreading the ball around. 11 different players have at least one reception this season, including Flacco himself. By utilizing different receivers you keep other defenses on their toes trying to plan for 11 guys is a lot tougher than planning against one or two. I'll use the Texans as an example again. Their main receiving threat is Andre Johnson. We held him to seven catches and 66 yards. Kevin Walter had four catches for 85 yards. Most of that came on a 60-yard touchdown.

3b. Running game. The three-pronged attack we have been using has proved effective and hard to defend against. McGahee has had two 100+ yard games and rookie Ray Rice has had a 154 yard game. If you shut one of them down the one of the others will step up. Throwing McClain and Neal into the mix gives you four capable runners.

4. Defense.I think enough has been written about the Ravens' defense the last several years that I don't really need to add to that. I will say they are playing more the level of their Super Bowl winning counterparts than to the 5-12 team of a year ago. Creating turnovers and putting pressure on opposing QBs.

5. Rookies. Plenty articles have been written about the progression of Flacco over the course of the season.

Ray Rice is having a solid season this year as well, posting a 154-yard game already. Splitting time with McGahee as the featured back, he won't have a ton of 100+ yard games. Even if he puts up 50-75 yards a game and keeps McGahee fresh for later in the game that will be a huge help to the Ravens.

The defense has several rookies that have stepped up in a big way, including Jameel McClain.

Even John Harbaugh has proved that the Ravens made the right choice in giving him his first chance at being a head coach. From play calling to benching Chris McAlister, he has taken control of the team and gained their respect.

Sean O'Brein:

1. Flacco stays consistent

If rookie Joe Flacco can build off the momentum he's gained on their four-game win streak, then the Ravens should continue to score 20+ points a game. The problem is that the secondaries he's faced in that stretch aren't ranked very high so games against the NFC East and as well as a rematch against Pittsburgh will surely test this young quarterback's mettle.

Luckily, Flacco has all the keys for success. He has a very strong defense as well as a power-running game to lean back on. If he can learn to better read defenses and avoid the pass rush, he will be a force to reckon with.

2. Defense stays healthy

Right now, the Baltimore secondary is banged up and some of their other key defensive positions are aged. If they don't keep the rotation going and let their older players rest, we could see a drop in the productivity.

Ray Lewis is a great field general and keeps the defense in line and disciplined. Up in the secondary, safety Ed Reed has really helped the young CBs progress but there's still work to be done.

If Flacco and the offense can keep the defense off the field and rested by using a strong running game mixed with play-action, this defense should click on all cylinders.

3. The offensive line needs to keep improving

Games against Philidelphia and Pittsburgh, aka Blitzburgh, will force the offensive line to step up. If they don't, the Eagles and the Steelers will knock Flacco off balance as well as plug up the holes in the running game.

If they need to go low to cut off a rushing defender, that's what they should do. Anything to protect your QB. In the running game, they won't need to force gaping holes open for McGahee or Rice, but they do need to continue opening up whatever lanes they can so that their talented RBs and FB can bulldoze through for positive yardage. The key will be to stay focused and make good blocks.

4. Defensive line needs to keep getting pressure

Look at the NY Giants if you want a winning formula. Their offensive line holds off the pass rush and their defensive line gets into the opposing QB's face. The Baltimore "D" should continue pressuring the QB and stuffing the run up front to help their inexperienced secondary.

Led by Haloti Ngata and Brandon McKinney, this D-line has been looking fresh and aggressive every game. As long as they continue playing at this pace, it will be hard for opposing O-lines to hold them off or RBs to find open lanes.

If Terrell Suggs keeps getting pick sixes, the Ravens will be able to stay close in tough games or blowout teams they should beat.

DE Trevor Pryce may be playing his final season, so expect him to step up the productivity and begin racking up sacks.

To sum it up, the key to Baltimore's success is playing as a team. The defense needs to feed off the offense and vice versa. Not getting frustrated with one another will be the nail on the hammer in comeback games, much like the against Cleveland.

Matt Williams: Contest Winner and Red Raider

chad lamasa — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:12:58 -0500

Imagine this scenario. You're a fan of a team, you sign up for a halftime field goal kicking contest, your name gets selected, you trot out on the field just hoping not to make a fool of yourself in front of the home team fans, and you nail a 30-yard field goal to win the contest.

As if that weren't enough, you get a call from the coach asking you to come play for the team.

Well, this is exactly what happened to Matt Williams, a sophomore at Texas Tech. In his first game he was used strictly for PATs and converted six in a row.

This past weekend in the huge upset win over No. 1 Texas, Williams got to try his hand—er, foot—at field goals. He converted his first two attempts of 29 and 31 yards. His third attempt, a 42-yarder, was blocked and recovered by the defense.

Another 42-yarder was made by kickoff man Donnie Carona.

However, Matt Williams continued his perfect streak for PATs, converting four in this game and putting him at 10 for 10, including the one for the game-winning TD by Michael Crabtree with :01 left.

A lot of you may know that I'm not really a College Football fan, but I did watch this game, and it was a great game all around. I couldn't resist writing about this story though because it's so cool.

We've all had sports fantasies, and most of us never get a chance to fulfill them. Matt Williams did, and even if this is as far as it goes, he will have a great story to tell his kids and grandkids.

Photo courtesy of Orlin Wagner, Associated Press

Ravens-Raiders: Baltimore Takes the Wind Out Of Oakland's Sails

chad lamasa — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:08:06 -0400

Taking a page out of the Dolphins' playbook, the Ravens used different packages that included both quarterbacks and players from both sides of the ball. The most exciting of which was a play in which Joe Flacco snapped the ball, tossed it to Troy Smith, and took off down field to record a 43-yard reception.

This was called the Suggs package, because earlier in the week, Terrell Suggs said that Troy Smith was more suited to being the starting quarterback for the Ravens.

The offense is finally starting to be exciting in Baltimore, something that hasn't happened since Vinnie Testaverde was the quarterback, but back then, the defense wasn't so great.

Joe Flacco continues to improve weekly. His numbers may have been a touch low this week, but that is partly do to the fact that the Ravens used the Wildcat offense. If he had thrown the pass to Smith, instead of receiving it, he would have had 183 yards and a passing touchdown. He also rushed for a 12-yard touchdown, and most importantly, he had his second straight game of no interceptions.

The defense stepped up in a big way, again without the services of Chris McAlister, limiting the Oakland offense to just 47 rushing yards and 187 passing yards, sacking JaMarcus Russell four times (once for a safety) and intercepting him once.

The penalties are still hurting the Ravens, who were penalized eight times for 52 yards, including two that cost the Ravens touchdowns.

Future Hall of Famer, and the first draft pick in Ravens history, Jonathan Ogden was inducted in to the Ravens Ring of Honor at half time.

The Ravens defeat of the Oakland Raiders was the 100th victory in franchise history.

As great as all this was, the best part was that I lucked into four tickets the morning of the game and got to take my five-year old son to the game with me and two of my friends.

Seeing the excitement on his face walking in was one of the greatest moments of my life. He was into the game asking me to pick him up so that he could see what was going on.

I explained what a field goal is, we had end-zone seats, so Matt Stover kicked a field goal right towards us.

I pointed out Todd Heap, Ray Lewis, and some other players he knows. The other fans around us were high fiving him when we scored. He was chanting "D-Fense" with everyone.

I'll probably forget a lot of the details of the game itself as time goes by, but I will never forget the time spent with him at his first Ravens game.

Washington Capitals Open Season on a Strong Note

chad lamasa — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:52:51 -0400

Alex Ovechkin—the most exciting player in the NHL—has been held pointless in two of the three games that the Washington Capitals have played so far this season. But that hasn't seemed to stop the Caps from picking up where they left off last year.

After losing 7-4 in their season opener against division rival Atlanta, the Caps won their next two games to open the season 2-1.

This is not to say that Ovechkin has not contributed to the success of the team. Teams are trying to take away his offense, which doesn't seem to bother him much. He finds other ways to contribute to the game, whether it's laying down big hits or playing on penalty kills for the first time in his career.

While Ovie has been shut down, other members of the Capitals have been stepping up.

Alexander Semin has already put up three goals and three assists on the young season. Defenseman Mike Green has three goals and two assists. Milan Jurcina equaled his goal total from last season with a sick slap shot in the second period.

Not to be outdone by the "Young Guns," veterans Michael Nylander, Sergei Federov, and Donald Brashear have all contributed in various ways.

The team is looking healthy again and very hungry. My only concern is the lack of a true No. 1 goalie between the pipes. Brent Johnson played extremely well—earning his 100th career victory—but only faced 10 shots.

Jose Theodore has struggled so far in his two appearances, having given up six goals in less than six periods.

With that said, the Capitals have so much firepower they only really need a goalie that will make the big saves when necessary.

They don't need Marty Turco or Martin Brodeur. The just need someone who will keep them in the games and allow the skaters to win them.

Candace Parker has had an amazing 2008

chad lamasa — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:29:12 -0400

Candace Parker, the 6'4" forward for the Los Angeles Sparks has had a year few athletes, male or female, can lay claim to. It all began with winning the second of her back to back NCAA titles with the Tennessee Volunteers, despite an injured shoulder.

Shortly there after she was the top pick in the WNBA draft.

In her first game as a pro she dominated, posting the best debut in WNBA history. Missing a triple double by two assists, scoring 34 and grabbing 12 boards.

On May 29th, she put up 16 points, 16 rebounds, six blocked shots, five assists and five steals.

She led all rookies with astounding numbers: 18.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.3 bpg and 33.6 mpg on her way to winning Rookie of the Year honors.

Candace was deservedly named the leagues' MVP. She is the first player to receive both ROY and MVP, in the same season, in league history.

She led the league in double-doubles with 17, had 12 games in which she scored 20+ points, and 17 in which she grabbed 10+ boards. She tallied 30 or more points in three games, including her career high 40 on July 9.

Parker led the league in rebounds, and finished fourth in points, and second in blocks.

She also made the first team ALL WNBA and helped her team make the playoffs.

Along the way she also helped team USA capture the gold in Beijing.

The only thing that would have made it sweeter, would have been to get a ring. It may not have happened this year but it's only a matter of time.

Click here to see all her numbers and awards

photo courtesy Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

Ravens-Bengals: Baltimore Finds Success on Opening Day

chad lamasa — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:32:12 -0400

I'll be honest, as a Ravens fan I was a little nervous going into this game. Opening the season for the second straight year against divisional rival Cincinnati, I was prepared for the worst.

Having to start a couple of rookies because of injuries and having several of the defensive players seeing their first action since last season is not how you want to begin an NFL campaign.

However, the Ravens surprised me quite a bit.

I shouldn't have worried about the defense. They were the typical Ravens shut-down D, causing three turnovers. They held the Bengals to only eight first downs, two of which were due to penalties, and only allowed two successful third down conversions on 13 attempts.

Chad Ocho Cinco only had one reception for 22 yards late in the third quarter and was never a factor in the game.

Ray Lewis, the heart and soul of the team, added four more tackles onto his franchise record. Dawan Landry and Terrell Suggs also contributed four tackles apiece.

Jarrett Johnson led the team with five tackles, including one sack. Justin Bannan also recorded a sack on Carson Palmer. Chris McAlister came up with a pick and a fumble recovery.

The Bengals could only muster 65 yards rushing and 99 yards passing.

Joe Flacco looked calm, cool, and collected, and seemed to gain more confidence with each snap of the ball.

Fellow rookie Ray Rice performed fairly well, rushing for 64 yards on 22 carries. He did have one fumble after trying to make something happen when he should have just gone down.

Fan favorite Todd Heap seemed a bit rusty after only playing in six games a season ago, and seeing no action in preseason. Heap made a nice catch on the second play of the game, but then fumbled as he was being tackled. This is very unusual for Heap, and once he gets back into the swing of things it won't be an issue for the Ravens.

Chris McAlister had his interception after the Heap fumble, so that didn't hurt the Ravens either.

Probably the biggest surprise was Le'Ron McClain. The second year fullback, splitting carries with Rice due to Willis McGahee's injury, had 86 yards on 19 carries. He also had two catches for 24 yards. Last season McClain carried the ball eight times for 18 yards. He had 12 yards on one carry in this game.

Losing Hall-of-Famer Jonathan Ogden left a huge hole on the offensive line. The line performed well as a whole, giving Flacco great protection and allowing no sacks. The line is extremely young now, with mostly second-year players and a couple of fourth-year guys. If they can continue to mature together, Ogden's loss may be easier to take.

Cam Cameron calling the plays on offense is a major step up over Brian Billick. Late in the first quarter, Cameron called a double reverse, which worked perfectly and resulted in a touchdown.

Flacco faked the hand-off to McClain and then flipped the ball to Derrick Mason, who flipped it to Mark Clayton, who scored the first rushing touchdown of his career after a 42-yard run. Billick never would have called something like that, and that's why he is now a commentator.

I know it's only the first game of the season, but I saw a lot of things that give me hope for the Ravens this season. If they can stay relatively healthy, they may be able to make some noise in the division.

Joe Flacco Impressive for Baltimore Ravens in Debut Against Cincinnati Bengals

chad lamasa — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 10:18:21 -0400

Kyle Boller goes down for the season. Troy Smith comes down with a virus. The Ravens have no choice but to start Joe Flacco.

I wrote an article a couple of weeks ago about starting rookie quarterbacks and how risky it can be.

Well, Joe Flacco may just make me eat those words.

Flacco, the 6'6" 230 pound rookie, seemed comfortable right from the opening play. He finished the game 15/29 for 129 yards passing, along with four rushes for 38 yards and his first rushing touchdown.

No, he didn't put up huge numbers, except for one, zero INTs. This was due mostly to the play selection the coaches sent in. It was obvious they didn't want him to do too much and get rattled.

Behind an extremely young offensive line that gave Flacco great protection, he did exactly what John Harbaugh asked of him and managed the game extremely well. He seemingly grew more confident with every snap of the ball.

The Ravens recorded 21 first downs, 12 rushing, eight passing, and one on a penalty. Flacco helped convert 52% of third down attempts as the Ravens had the ball for over 36 minutes of the game.

When a play was busted, he made adjustments. Flacco knew when to throw the ball away, instead of forcing something. He didn't panic when pressured and make stupid decisions.

These are things Kyle Boller has yet to learn after five years in the league.

With 27 seconds left in the third quarter, there was a busted play. Derrick Mason was supposed to get the ball, but Flacco never called for motion before the snap. Flacco rolls out to the right and then takes off running for a 38 yard touchdown.

This surprised the announcers as well as the viewers. I'm not sure anyone thought he was that mobile.

Flacco spread the ball around using seven different receivers. The most frequent was Mason who had four catches for 44 yards.

Of course this is only the first game of the season, so I can't say that he's going to turn the team around. However, this could be the beginning of good things in Baltimore.

Hopefully he will get the start again next week. I'd like to see Harbaugh and Cam Cameron open up the playbook a little more and see what the kid can really do.

Photo above courtesy of baltimoreravens.com

Five American League MVP Hopefuls

chad lamasa — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:46:45 -0400

There are five players in the American League that seem to be running away with the MVP race. Four of those five players are on teams fighting for playoff spots.

All stats and standings are before the games on September 3rd, 2008.

Alex Rodriguez - 3B, New York Yankees

Key Stats: .311 AVG, 30 HR, 86 RBI, 16 SB, 31 2B, 93 R, .398 OBP, .586 SLG

The knocks on A-Rod this season are his lack of clutch hits and the fact that the Yankees are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1996.

Over the last 10 games, he has batted .333, with two HR and nine RBI.

Rodriguez, a first ballot Hall-of-Famer for sure, is putting up typical numbers. He has now hit 30+ HR in 12 seasons. Hank Aaron holds the record with 15 seasons.

I think the Yanks missing the playoffs (though I won't believe they can't make it until they are officially eliminated) will keep A-Rod from collecting his fourth MVP award.

Carlos Quentin - LF, Chicago White Sox

Key Stats: .288 AVG, 36 HR, 100 RBI, 7 SB, 26 2B, 96 R, .394 OBP, .571 SLG

Quentin's numbers are slightly better than A-Rod's, plus the White Sox are tied for the lead in the AL Central over the Minnesota Twins.

Carlos started off the season hot, with a .302 AVG, seven HR, and 21 RBI in the month of April. In May and June, his average dipped a bit, but his power was still there. In July, his average started coming back up. In August, he caught fire again, posting a .322 AVG, eight HR and 17 RBI.

He has been mired in a slump over the last 10 games or so, but that may be due to a sore forearm.

Ozzie Guillen is taking precaution with Quentin to make sure he doesn't further injure the arm and possibly miss the postseason.

Justin Morneau - 1B, Minnesota Twins

Key Stats:.311 AVG, 21 HR, 109 RBI, 0 SB, 39 2B, 84 R, .387 OBP, .517 SLG

OK, so Morneau is no speedster, but his other numbers make up for it. He has only batted under .300 in two months of the season, the lowest being .277 in April. His lowest RBI total for a month this season was 20 in May.

Unlike his division rival, Quentin, Morneau has been tearing the cover off the ball the last 10 games, batting .372 with two HR and 11 RBI.

Josh Hamilton - CF, Texas Rangers

Key Stats:.301 AVG, 31 HR, 121 RBI, 8 SB, 30 2B, 86 R, .363 OBP, .517 SLG

Hamilton's story has been well documented this season. We all know about he's battled back from drug addiction to turn his life around, and on a less-important level, his career.

If Hamilton won the MVP, it would certainly make a nice chapter to his story.

In April, Hamilton batted .333 with six HR and 32 RBI. He stayed pretty consistent until he had a drop off in August, recording his lowest stats in average, home runs, and RBI.

However, in the last 10 games, Hamilton seems to be finding his swing again, batting .287 with 2 HR and 6 RBI.

Dustin Pedroia - 2B, Boston Red Sox

Key Stats: .333 AVG, 17 HR, 76 RBI, 17 SB, 44 2B, 110 R, .378 OBP, 505 SLG

Dustin Pedroia is the first player in Red Sox history to record a five-hit, five-run, and five-RBI game in the same season.

Since he has been hitting cleanup, he has a .643 AVG. He is leading the American League in runs scored, hits, and average. Pedroia is third in two baggers.

Maybe his power numbers are low, but you don't expect a lot of power from a second baseman anyway. He makes up for his lack of power with good base running, having been caught stealing once in 18 attempts and extra-base hits.

Pedroia has been amazingly consistent this season, batting under .300 for a month only once, when he hit .260 in May. In June, he batted .356, and in August, he batted .374.

Over his last 10 games, he has been sick, going 22-for-43 (.512 AVG), with four HR and 15 RBI.

Just a quick update: Hall-of-Fame writer, Peter Gammons, was on Mike and Mikethis morning (9/5/2008) and he said "if I were to pick the MVP today, it would be Pedroia."

As I mentioned earlier, I think A-Rod is out of the running, with the Yankees struggling to make the playoffs.

Hamilton and his Texas Rangers are 14.5 GB in the wild-card race and 17 GB of the Angels in the West and won't make the playoffs. This will probably exclude him from consideration as well.

Morneau and Quentin may cancel each other out, being in the same division.

This leaves Pedroia as the front-runner.

Several people have told me that Pedroia won't win it because he doesn't have 100+ RBI on the season. Well the season isn't over yet and he's not that far away, so he still may reach that total.

The 100+ RBI plateau is not a requirement for MVP though.

Ichiro won the A.L. MVP in 2001 with only 69 RBI.

More recently Jimmy Rollins won the N.L. MVP, just last year with only 94 RBI.

If you think I left someone off this list, or you think I should replace someone, please let me know.

Three Reasons I Hate College Football, One Reason I Don't

chad lamasa — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:18:29 -0400

I have tried repeatedly over the course of my life to be a college football fan. I've never been able to do it.

When I was I kid, I was into Notre Dame for a while, but the NFL always won out.

Maybe it's because Duke has never had a good football team (at least that I can remember). Whatever the reason, it never took.

During the first couple of weeks of every new season, I try again. I'll find myself starting to get hooked on a game, and then it happens. Reason No. 1 why I don't like college football:

The Overtime

Both teams get to start in field-goal range, at the opponent's 25-yard line. There is no game clock, only a play clock.

This is one of the most ludicrous things in all of sports.

As Scott Van Pelt said on the Tirico and Van Pelt show today (paraphrasing), "football is played on a 100-yard field and is timed."

SVP also stated that you should "at least have to get one first down before you are in field-goal range."

Maybe they could have them start at the 50-yard line instead of at the 25. At least that way you would actually have to work to get in range.

The way it is now, why can't you just kick a field goal on first down?

This giving away of points reminds me of reason No. 2:

The Lack of Defense

You always have these insane scores, like 57-0 or 49-35. If I wanted high scores and no defense, I'd watch the Arena league.

I understand that point differential factors in to who goes to bowl games and who doesn't, but come on. Sometimes it seems like the offenses can just score at will.

This brings me to reason No. 3:

The Lack of a Playoff System

The BCS is the most convoluted thing ever; if someone can explain it to me, I'd love to hear it. No, seriously, can someone please try to explain it to me?

There needs to be some kind of playoff system. I not talking March Madness, here, but maybe take the top eight or 10 teams and have them play for a true title.

Of course I am oversimplifying these, but they are all things that bother me about college football.

Even if they only fix the third one, I think I would be more interested.

My complaint is, what if I get invested in a team that has success but winds up ineligible to contend for the national title?

What an anti-climatic way to end the season. If I was a Boise State fan a couple years ago, when they were undefeated but weren't able to contend for the title, I would have been extremely disappointed.

Now with all that being said, there is one thing I really do like about college football:

Atmosphere

As far as I'm concerned, the atmosphere of a college game puts the NFL to shame.

Between the fight songs, the tailgating, and the fact that, in many cases, an entire town—or even region—gets behind these teams, I am just amazed.

Many of the college stadiums are bigger than NFL stadiums, and they are always sold out. College fans are probably even more rabid than their NFL counterparts.

A lot of this probably comes from the fact that many colleges are in small towns without pro sports.

So, if anyone can make me see the error of my ways, and help me become a college fan as well, please feel free to enlighten me.

Does Matt Stover Deserve to Be Enshrined in Canton?

chad lamasa — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:42:09 -0400

The list of placekickers enshrined in the Football Hall of Fame is short—very short. It contains one name: Jan Stenerud.

Stenerud played 19 seasons in the NFL for the Chiefs, Packers, and Vikings. His career stats look like this: 1,699 points on 580 PATs and 373 FGs. He racked up 100-plus points in seven different seasons.

The 1,699 points put him, at the time of his retirement, second on the all-time list behind George Blanda. He kicked 17 field goals of 50-plus yards in his career.

Stenerud's longest field goal was 55 yards. Probably the most astounding mark on his record is that he never had a field goal or extra point attempt blocked.

This short list could, and should, add another name five years after Matt Stover decides to hang up his cleats.

Stover, the last of the original Cleveland Browns, is entering his 19th season.

Currently fourth on the all-time scoring list with 1,822 points, he trails only Morten Andersen, Gary Anderson, and George Blanda, and is five spots ahead of Stenerud.

He is fewer than 200 points behind Blanda, so it's conceivable he can be in the top-three of all-time once his career is finished.

Stover has made 435 field goals and 517 points after touchdowns. He has not missed an extra-point attempt since the 1992 season, when the Ravens were still the Browns.

His 83.8 field-goal percentage and 99.4 extra-point percentage rank among the best of all-time. Stover has made 13 field goals of 50-plus yards.

He has also only had eight field goals blocked in his 19-year career, with no more than two in any season.

He is closing in on 1,000 kickoffs, totaling almost 57,000 yards, with only 117 touchbacks and three returned for touchdowns. Stenerud never performed a kickoff in his career.

Matt Stover holds the record for most points scored with one franchise. He has won a Super Bowl, been a Pro Bowler, and has been a Pro-Bowl Alternate.

Morten Anderson has not yet been enshrined, so Stover may be the third placekicker to be in the Hall of Fame.

I don't want to see him go anywhere for a while, but when he does, I hope it's to Canton.

Should Rookie Quarterbacks Start in the NFL? : AFC North

chad lamasa — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:29:11 -0400

Joe Theismann, the legendary Redskins quarterback, was on the Tirico and Van Pelt Show on Aug. 22, stating "No rookie QB should start."

I think I agree with Theismann for the most part.

Below are the four teams in the AFC North: the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers. I'll take a look at each of their starters and see if Joe is correct.

Kyle Boller, Baltimore Ravens

This is a prime example of what Theismann was talking about. Drafted in the 2003 draft, No. 19 overall, Boller was named the starting QB almost immediately. Boller was Brian Billick's choice, pushing to draft the Cal quarterback. During his senior year, in 2002, Boller passed for 2,815 yards, 28 TDs, and 10 INTs.

Boller was named the starting QB based on his senior year and the fact that the Ravens didn't have a better option.

In his rookie season, he started the first nine games. He posted a 5-3 record, had a 51.8 percent completion rate, 1,260 yards, seven TDs, and nine INTs. In his ninth game against the Saint Louis Rams, he injured his thigh and was basically sidelined the rest of the season.

During his second season, he showed some improvement. Starting all 16 games, he set career highs of 2,559 yards, with 13 TDs, 11 INTs, and completed 55.6 percent of his passes. He also had his first rushing TD.

His third season, 2005, was injury plagued. He went down in the first game of the season, against the Indianapolis Colts, and then missed the next seven games. In just eight games, Boller posted some of his best numbers: 58.4% completion rate, 1,799 yards, 11 TDs, and 12 INTs. He became the first Ravens quarterback to have a 110+ rating in consecutive games.

The Ravens brought in Steve McNair and demoted Boller to backup. Boller accepted the demotion with dignity and class, never complaining. He finally had someone in front of him on the depth chart that he could learn from.

During a game versus the Carolina Panthers in Week Six, McNair was injured. Boller came in at the end of the first quarter. He completed 58 percent of his passes for 226 yards, three TDs and one INT.

Late in the game, the Ravens were down by nine. Boller led the team to two TDs, but the Panthers ran the clock out and won 23-21.

The Ravens would finish the season 13-3 and make the playoffs, led by both McNair and Boller.

In 2007, McNair was injured in the opener against division rival Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals won the game on a bad offensive-interference call on Todd Heap, which reversed a touchdown.

Boller then started game two and played quite a bit in the third game to give McNair some rest. After sitting for the next two games, Boller was again named the starter for Weeks Six and Seven.

In Week 11, Boller was finally given the starting job. Boller played well but the Cleveland Browns won on what seemed to be a missed field goal. After review, the field goal was called good, and the game went to overtime. The Browns won 33-30.

The next game was against the New England Patriots, who were running through the league on their way to a 16-0 regular season. The Ravens, led by Kyle Boller, played extremely well and almost pulled off the upset.

The final game of the season for Boller would be the following weekend against the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins were looking for their first win of the season. Boller was injured, and Troy Smith came in and played well. The Dolphins went on to their only victory in 2007, winning 22-16 in OT.

Boller is currently competing for the starting job with Troy Smith. Smith has shown promise and looks to be the favorite to win the job. Rookie Joe Flacco looked good against the St. Louis Rams, when he was given an emergency start due to Smith being sick.

Boller's problem has always been inconsistency. He will make strides that show his potential one week and then take two steps back the next. I don't think he should have started his rookie year, but there really wasn't a better choice.

Injuries cost him a lot of games early in his career, when he would have been developing his skills. After McNair was brought in, Boller made great strides but just couldn't get over the hump.

Hopefully the Ravens will learn from the mistake of rushing Boller out there and let Joe Flacco absorb the game before he is named the starter.

Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals

Palmer was selected in the same draft as Boller, 2003, as the No. 1 overall pick.

Though he was picked first overall, Palmer didn't take a single snap during the 2003 NFL season. Incumbent Jon Kitna remained as the starter. With Kitna mentoring him, Palmer learned the game from the sidelines.

Palmer was given the reins his second year and went through some growing pains. I was at a game in December of 2004 when the Bengals were playing the Ravens. The Ravens had built a 20-3 lead by the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Palmer transformed from the Bengals' QB of the future to their QB of the present right before our eyes. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 200 yards and led the Bengals to a victory.

In 2005, Palmer had his breakout season. He led the Bengals to an 11-5 record and the division title. He finished the season with nine-consecutive games with a passer rating of 100+, and he led the league in completion percentage. He finished fourth in the league with 3,836 yards and a Bengals' franchise record 32 TDs.

After being injured in a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Palmer required offseason surgery.

The following season, he took all but one snap. It took until Week Nine of the season for him to completely regain his form. In a game against the San Diego Chargers, he threw for a career high 440 yards. He finished the season with a franchise record 4,035 yds, 28 TDs, and 12 INTs.

He was also selected to his second Pro Bowl.

The 2007 season was not good for the Bengals, as they finished with their first losing record with Palmer at QB. However, he was still productive, completing 376 passes for 4,131 yards, both franchise records, 26 TDs (including the 100th of his career), but 20 INTs, a career high.

In Week Two of the season, the Bengals lost to the Cleveland Browns, 51-45. Palmer threw for 401 yards and six TDs.

So far, Theismann is batting .1000. The drastic difference can be seen between Boller and Palmer.

Derek Anderson, Cleveland Browns

He was originally drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round of the 2005 draft. The Ravens waived him on Sept. 20, and the Browns picked him up the following day.
Anderson was the third-string QB, behind another former Raven in Trent Dilfer, and Charlie Frye in 2005.

After Dilfer left in 2006, Frye was promoted to starter, and Anderson was the backup. Anderson took one snap in a game in October, but made a bigger impact in his second appearance.

In a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Charlie Frye was injured. Anderson played the entire second half of the game, throwing his first two TDs and rushing for 33 yards. He led the Browns to a come-from-behind overtime victory.

The 2007 season was Anderson's breakout year. Charlie Frye was named the starter for the Browns but struggled in the first quarter of the season opener. Anderson would come in and never looked back.

In his first start, he led the Browns to a 51-45 victory over the Bengals. With a passer rating of 121.0, Anderson threw for 328 yds and five TDs.

Anderson would lead the Browns to two victories against the Ravens. It was the first time since 2001 that the Browns had swept Baltimore.

The Browns finished 10-6, and Anderson finished the season with respectable numbers: 3,787 yds, 29 TDs, 19 INTs, and an 82.5 passer rating.

Anderson signed a three-year extension during the offseason, but will probably have to fight Brady Quinn for the starting job.

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben was drafted 11th overall by the Steelers in 2004.

Originally, Ben Roethlisberger was the third string QB for the Steelers, behind Tommy Maddox and Charlie Batch. Batch was injured in the preseason, and Ben moved up to No. 2.

Maddox started the first two games of the season for the Steelers. The second game was against the Baltimore Ravens, in which Maddox was injured. Roethlisberger took over.

The third game of the season was the first start of Ben's career.

His rookie season was supposed to be a time for him to sit and learn the system, but Big Ben was thrown out there due to injuries, and he performed extremely well. Going 14-1 in his 15 starts, 13-0 during the regular season. Roethlisberger was the first QB to be named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 34 years.

Roethlisberger struggled in his first playoff game, throwing two INTs; however, the Steelers managed to hold on and win the game against the New York Jets. They would lose to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

He finished the season with 2,621 yards, completing 66.4% of his passes, 17 TDs, 11 INTs, and a passer rating of 98.1.

In 2005, the Steelers were 11-5 and became an AFC Wild Card team. Ben Roethlisberger missed four games due to injuries, and the Steelers were 9-3 with him and 2-2 without him.

He finished the regular season with the third-best passer rating behind Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer. Completing 62.7 percent of his passes for 2,385 yards, 17 TDs, and nine INTs.

As the wild-card team, the Steelers won three road games to reach the Super Bowl, beating the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, and Denver Broncos.

The Steelers went on to win Super Bowl XL, despite Roethlisberger's struggles. He completed only nine of 21 passes for 123 yds and two INTs. His passer rating of 22.6 is the lowest for a Super Bowl winning QB. But he also become the youngest quarterback to win the Super Bowl.

During the offseason, Roethlisberger was almost killed in a motorcycle accident and then had to have an emergency appendectomy. Needless to say, he missed the first game of the 2006 season.

He struggled through the first several weeks of the season, until Week Six against the Kansas City Chiefs. In a 45-7 rout, Ben threw for 238 yards, two TDs, and zero INTs.

The following week, Roethlisberger was playing well until suffering a concussion. Upon his return, Ben threw four INTs in a game against the Oakland Raiders, his fifth loss of the season, two more than in his first two seasons as a starter combined.

2006 was the worst season of Roethlisberger's young career. Finishing the season with a passer rating of just 75.4, completing 59.7 percent of his passes for 3,513 yards, 18 TDs, and 23 INTs.

The Steelers opened the 2007 season against division rival Cleveland Browns. Roethlisberger bounced back from his poor 2006 season right away, routing the Browns 34-7. Ben had the first four-TD game of his career.

In Week Nine, he tied the franchise record of five TDs in a game, held by Terry Bradshaw, against the Baltimore Ravens in a 38-7 victory.

In Week 12, in horrible weather, Roethlisberger completed 85.7 percent of his passes and beat the Miami Dolphins 3-0.

During the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ben threw his 29th TD of the season, breaking Terry Bradshaw's franchise record.

He became the first quarterback to have two perfect passer rating games (158.3) in a single season.

The Steelers made the playoffs but lost in the first round to the Jaguars. Capping off a great comeback season Ben was named to his first Pro Bowl. His final stats for the season were a 65.3 percent completion rate, for 3,154 yards, 32 TDs, 11 INTs, and a passer rating of 104.1.

So it seems that Joe Theismann is correct. At least based on this division. Boller should never have started his rookie year, Palmer and Anderson didn't and have become solid quarterbacks. Roethlisberger started his rookie year, due to injuries, and he is the exception in this group.

Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh Cap Amazing Run with Gold Medals

chad lamasa — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:12:11 -0400

On a rainy Thursday morning Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh take the court with hopes of becoming the first beach volleyball team, men or women, to repeat as gold medalists. The top seeded Chinese team of Tian Jia and the 6'3" Wang Jie were looking to derail those hopes.

Misty May-Treanor's hero, Jason Kidd, was in attendance despite the men's basketball team playing late the night before. May-Treanor grew up idolizing Kidd and has worn his No. 5 throughout her athletic career. In fact, her No. 5 has been retired by Long Beach State.

Going into the match, both teams were undefeated in Olympic play. They have previously met a total of seven times, with Misty and Kerri prevailing in five of those matches. All seven of the matches were decided by sweeps.

The eighth match would be no different, although this one would be no cake walk.

May-Treanor served to open the match, and Walsh got a block to give the Americans the 1-0 lead. The Chinese team tied it and then took a 2-1 lead.

After a 2-2 tie, Tian and Wang extended the lead to 5-3. Misty kept them in the game through the first set, while Kerri was struggling a little bit. They took an 8-6 lead until the Chinese tied it at 8-8.

Serving at 8-8, China served long to give the U.S. a 9-8 lead. Walsh came up with two big blocks in a row to extend the lead to 12-10.

At 13-12, Tian served two aces in a row, the second hitting the top of the net and trickling over, to regain the lead at 14-13.

May-Treanor and Walsh reclaimed the lead on a Kerri Walsh ace. After two more ties at 16-16 and 17-17, the Americans went up 20-17. It took two set points to finish the set with a final score of 21-18.

The second set was no easier. Even though Misty and Kerry got off to a quick 3-0 and then a 4-1 lead, Jia and Jie battled back and kept it close.

Down 8-7, Tian again served up two straight aces to give China the lead. The second ace again clipped the top of the net and fell straight down.

Two quick points gave the lead back to May-Treanor and Walsh. Then came the ties at 10-10, 11-11, 12-12, and 13-13.

A fifth ace for the Chinese team broke the tie and put China up 14-13.

More ties came at 14-14 and 15-15. The Americans then went on a 6-3 run to claim their second gold medals. This time needing only one set point to win the set, 21-18.

As she had done in Athens after winning the gold, Misty May-Treanor honored her mother, who passed away from cancer, by sprinkling some of her ashes on the court.

I don't think anyone can dispute their dominance now. I put them right there with Michael Phelps.

Both said they were going to start families now, so here are their final stats together (for a while at least):

18 straight tournament titles.
Undefeated in two Olympics, without dropping a set in either.
108 straight matches, without losing a set.
69 straight international matches, without losing a set.
They haven't lost in over a year.
Misty has 103 career victories, most all-time for a woman
Kerri is right behind her with 100.
They are the all-time winningest team in Women's Beach Volleyball.

Congratulations, ladies. We are proud of you and hope to see you back on the courts soon.

Photo above by Wally Skalij / LAT

Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh Beat Brazil for Easy Two-Set Victory

chad lamasa — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:35:27 -0400

What is there left to say about these two? As dominant as Michael Phelps was in swimming, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh (or "Six Feet of Sunshine," as she is affectionately known) have been in women's beach volleyball.

After cruising to yet another two-set victory, Misty and Kerri are now on the precipice of becoming the first beach volleyball team, men's or women's, to repeat as gold medalists.

They will have to get by one of the two Chinese teams to accomplish this feat. The gold medal game will be played on Wednesday night.

Let's get to the recap of tonight's game though...

Maybe my articles are bringing some love to May-Treanor and Walsh, as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were in attendance.

The second Brazilian team in as many matches, Talita and Renata, had apparently kicked May-Treanor and Walsh off of warm up court No. 1 earlier in the day. And it seems that the Americans took it personally.

In the first set May/Walsh jumped out to an early 5-2 lead. Again there was a score change as we came back from the commercials. The Americans were up 9-3. Somewhere during the ads, they went on a 4-1 run.

May-Treanor and Walsh ran the score to 18-8. After a long volley back the Brazilians cut the lead to 18-9. They then got another quick point to cut it to 18-10. After that, the Americans won three of the next five points, to win the set 21-12.

The second set was more of a battle as Misty and Kerri fell behind quickly 2-1 and 4-3.

Talita and Renata kept the match close after May-Treanor and Walsh took the lead. After another long volley, and a penalty on Walsh that I didn't quite understand, the Brazilians tied the game at 10, then went up 11-10.

After that, it was over. The Americans went on a 10-1 run to take a commanding 20-12 score.

The Brazilians reeled off two quick points to cut the lead to 20-14. The ensuing serve went into the net to give Team USA the victory.

All this was with Misty playing while under the weather. You'd never have known from watching her though.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh have yet to drop a set in the Olympics. They have also increased their total win streak to 107, including 68 international matches.

Tune in Wednesday to see them try to repeat as gold medalists.

Good luck, ladies!

If an INT isn't the QB's Fault, Why Should it go Against their Stats?

chad lamasa — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:05:54 -0400

As I've been watching NFL games the last several years, I've decided that there needs to be a different kind of stat.

Basically, I'm tired of QBs getting screwed on INTs. I don't mean every interception. Just the ones that aren't their fault.

For example, in the Ravens' recent preseason game, Troy Smith threw a pass to Mark Clayton. It was thrown a little bit behind Clayton, but he got his hand on it. However, he knocked it up into the air and it came down in the hands of the defender.

Another example of this occurred during the Cincinnati Bengals' preseason game against the Detroit Loins. Chad Johnson caught a pass, but he came down on his shoulder and the ball popped into the hands of the defender. This also was called an interception.

How can these be the QBs fault? If the receiver botches the catch, or causes the pick, that should be on the receiver, not the QB.

Just like in baseball, if a fielder makes an error, the run becomes unearned. It doesn't affect the pitcher's ERA negatively.

So why does it effect a QB's stats negatively?

I can think of at least four or five interceptions over the course of Kyle Boller's career that would fall into this category.

I'm not saying that eliminating these interceptions would make him a better quarterback. But they still shouldn't be on his stats.

There needs to be a new stat for receivers. Maybe you could just call them errors as well. Maybe we could call them picks and leave balls that are the quarterbacks' fault as INTs.

Just think of the possibilities this would open up in fantasy-football leagues.

For quarterbacks that are hard throwers, like Brett Favre, you may be less reluctant to draft him, if you know that several of his INTs wouldn't be counted against you.

For receivers, you may be more reluctant to draft one that has a history of causing picks or errors, which could hurt you in a league.

This should have been a rule more than 75 years ago, when the NFL was created. I'm not sure why it wasn't.

Purists will say well that's the way it's always been, why change it now? Well, there was a time before challenges, instant replay, and heck, even before facemasks. There was a time when the goal posts were right on the goal line. All of these things have been changed and it has all been for the betterment of the game.

I say changing/creating this stat would also be better for the game.

Let the debate begin.

Dara Torres: All That the Olympics Should Be

chad lamasa — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:16:47 -0400

At their core, the Olympic Games are supposed to be about goodwill and sportsmanship. The world comes together in friendly competition.

To me, Dara Torres embodies the word sportsmanship. At 41 she is old enough to be the mother of many of her teammates, or at least their big sister. She accepted that role and took her teammates under her wing.

Torres, appeared in her fifth Olympics. Beijing could have been her seventh Olympics but she has retired twice. She is one of the most decorated female swimmers in Olympic history, though she has never won an individual gold medal.

Prior to one of her races, she noticed that a competitor, Therese Alshammar of Sweden, was having trouble with her swimsuit. Torres took time out of her warm up to try to help the other athlete.

When she realized she couldn't fix the problem, Torres went to the official and asked if the race could be delayed until Alshammar could change.

This wasn't for a teammate—this was for a girl she barely knew. To me it was one of the best moments of the Olympics so far.

Many athletes probably wouldn't have noticed if a competitor was having an issue with equipment. Or if they had noticed, wouldn't have given it much of a thought beyond, "Okay, there is one less person I have to worry about."

But she took the time to go and try to help the girl, and then asked to delay the start of the race.

She somehow managed to get her focus back and was the fastest qualifier in the 50 meter freestyle, with a time of 24.27 seconds. Torres lost the final by 1/100th of a second and joked that she shouldn't have filed her nails the night before.

She may have only taken a silver medal in the race, but she definitely has a heart of gold.

Photo above By Daniel J. Powers, USA TODAY

Quarterback Overload: Who will lead the Baltimore Ravens Pt. II

chad lamasa — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:27:11 -0400

After two preseason games, the starting quarterback job is still up in the air. The only clear result is that Joe Flacco is not really in contention for the job.

This is actually a good thing. The Ravens need to learn from what happened with Kyle Boller. He was thrown to the wolves his rookie season, and I think it has really hurt his career.

Flacco will be better served standing on the sidelines, learning from Smith and Boller this season. He may be the future of the organization, but unless there are injuries, or we are out of the playoff picture, I don't see him getting much playing time this season.

On to the breakdown:

Troy Smith got the start against the Vikings this weekend and played the entire first half.

On his first possession, Smith only threw one pass, a completion to Bergen for seven yards. This was the first snap of the game. Smith showed some good mobility, evading two defenders before throwing to Bergen.

The rest of the possession was handoffs to Rice and McLain.

Smith did have one rush for 10 yards.

There was nothing spectacular from Smith this possession. However, Smith did lead the team down the field for their only offensive touchdown of the game.

The second possession was basically more of the same. Smith opened the series with an eight-yard completion to Rice.

After two straight handoffs, Smith tried to scramble and was knocked out of bounds.

The next play was a false start against the Ravens. After the penalty was assessed, Smith threw incomplete to Yamon Figurs. The Ravens punted.

Possession No. 3 was again more of the same. On the first play of this drive, Smith scrambled for seven yards.

After two more handoffs, Smith again takes off and rushes for 18 yards.

Another handoff, then sacked for a 12-yard loss.

The next play was an 11-yard completion to Figurs, but this only brought them back to the original line of scrimmage.

Again, the Ravens had to punt.

Smith's final possession was one play and not a good one. Smith's pass to Mark Clayton was a little short. Clayton did manage to get his hand on it, but knocked it up in the air, and into a defenders hands for an interception.

This was not entirely Smith's fault. Yes the pass was a little short, but if the receiver gets his hands on the ball, he should make the play, or at least knock it down away from the defender. I don't think plays like this should go against the QB's stats, but that's an article for another time.

If I saw any signs of Smith separating himself from the pack, it was his mobility and his poise under pressure. He didn't try to create something on busted plays.

One play, he even called an audible that lead to a big gain. I believe it was the play that Rice rushed for 42 yards, but I could be wrong on that.

Smith finished his night going 3-5 for 25 yards, no TDs, and one INT, while rushing for 35 yards.

As the second half opened, Smith was replaced by Kyle Boller.

Just as Smith didn't do much to separate himself, neither did Boller.

However, he did start his night going 8-8, before throwing three-straight incompletions and then an interception on his final play of the night.

Boller's final line: 8-12 for 40 yards, no TDs, and one INT.

Boller still gets flustered when he's under pressure. This doesn't seem like something they can train out of him. After five seasons in the pros, that's not a good thing.

Joe Flacco entered the game with 8:01 left in the fourth quarter.

His first play was a handoff to Ross for a three-yard gain.

On the next play, Flacco was sacked and fumbled the ball. Fortunately, the Ravens recovered.

Flacco's first completion as a pro, a nine-yard gain, came on the following play.

After being sacked again, Flacco completed his next two passes, for six and three yards, respectively.

His next possession began after the two-minute warning. Flacco looked like he was more comfortable in the pro setting running a no-huddle offense.

He opened the drive with two straight completions and a first down, the first one of the second half, other than one from a penalty on the Vikings.

He threw an incomplete pass and then followed that up with three more completions for 19 yards.

After a ball thrown out of bounds, Flacco completed another pass for a 14-yard gain.

Flacco spiked the ball to stop the clock since the Ravens were out of timeouts.

The following play resulted in an interception; however, the play was waived off, due to a penalty on the Vikings.

Flacco's final completion was a 12-yard gain.

After spiking the ball a final time, Flacco ended his night with an incompletion.

His final line: 10-15 for 74 yards, no TDs, and no INTs.

My concern with Flacco right now is that he seems very immobile.

On the first sack in particular, he looked like a statue. Granted, the offensive line broke down and let the man through, but Flacco didn't move.

This may still be due to some nerves, and he may develop into a more mobile quarterback; but right now, this is his downfall.

I'm still not ready to write him off. I'd like to see him play with the starters or at least the second-string guys. Maybe with better protection he would have more success.

After watching this game, I would have to say that Smith still holds the reins, unless Boller can step up and win the job.

Are the Baltimore Orioles Headed in the Right Direction?

chad lamasa — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:38:55 -0400

In a word: YES!

When Andy McPhail was brought in, my thought was, "Great, another good GM that Peter Angelos will interfere with and drive out of town, just like Pat Gillick."

However I was wrong. So far, Angelos has stayed out of the way and let McPhail do the job he was hired to do.

He traded away two players that were basically a cancer in the clubhouse. Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard.

For Bedard, the O's received:

George Sherrill, who was the Orioles' lone representative at the All-Star Game this season. And has panned out as our closer. He has struggled a bit lately but has converted 31 of 37 saves and has 52 strikeouts in 48.1 innings pitched. Sure, his ERA is a bit higher than it should be for a closer—4.66—but that has come from a couple of three-run outings.

Adam Jones, who, until he got hurt, was having a pretty solid season. He's made a lot of highlight-reel catches in center field, with a .993 fielding percentage. He has filled in at a position we have had concerns with for the last couple of seasons.

He batted .279 over 108 games (which is more than he played in his first two seasons combined). With his speed, he had eight steals and six triples.

As the weather has warmed up, so has his power stroke, with five of his seven homers coming in June and July. Jones fouled a pitch off his foot and will be out at least four weeks, but he is definitely someone the team can build an outfield around.

Minor-league pitching prospect Chris Tillman, who is currently on the Orioles' AA affiliate Bowie Baysox. He is tearing up the minor leagues, with a 7-4 record, 3.67 ERA, and 124 strikeouts in 112.2 IP over 24 games.

I expect that he will make his major-league debut during the September call-ups. Unless there is an injury before then.

As well as two other minor-league pitchers, Kam Mickolio and Tony Butler

For Tejada, the O's received:

Luke Scott, who has become entrenched in LF. Scott started off very hot, reaching a .389 BA by Apr. 18. Of course, he cooled off, but had a respectable.282 BA by the end of April. Over the course of the season, he is batting .267 with 19 doubles, 19 home runs, and 47 RBI.

Dennis Sarfate has struggled in his two starts but was effective as reliever.

Matt Albers has pitched well sporting a 3-3 record, 3.49 ERA, 26 strikeouts in 49 innings before being placed on the DL.

Besides these new acquisitions we have some great veterans.

2B Brian Roberts was almost shipped to the Chicago Cubs several times, but the right deal couldn't be worked out. I, for one, am very happy about this. Not only is he a fan favorite, he is one of the best defensive 2B in the game. He has compiled a .984 fielding percentage over his eight-year career.

This season, he has only committed five errors and has a .991 fielding percentage. He is also having one of the best offensive seasons of his career, batting .294 with eight home runs and 41 RBI.

Yes, his power is down, but other than 2005, his career HR high is 12, which is still completely in reach.

What he has lacked in power he has made up for in extra-base hits, with 44 doubles and 8 triples. He is also very wily on the basepaths, having racked up 29 steals, while only being thrown out 10 times.

3B Melvin Mora: Since the All-Star break, he has been on fire, raising his BA from .233 to .262. In August, he is batting .395 with two HRs and 14 RBI.

1B Kevin Millar is a leader on and off the field. I'm not a big fan of his, for reasons I don't feel like getting into here, but I can see what he brings to the team.

At .244, he could be hitting better, but he does have 18 HRs and 60 RBI on the season.

He is a very good fielder as well, having committed only four errors on the season while compiling a .996 fielding percentage.

Rounding out the infield is our catching tandem of Ramon Hernandez and Guillermo Quiroz. Ramon's stats for the year, thus far, are .254/12/47 in 95 games. Guillermo is batting .204 with two homers and 12 RBI in 38 games.

Waiting in the wings is Matt Wieters, our first-round draft pick in the 2007 draft. He is rapidly working his way through the minor leagues.

His season stats are .351/24/80 over 112 games and two leagues. If he doesn't get called up during the September expansion, he will be vying for the job in Spring Training.

You're probably wondering where the shortstop is? Well, that's what O's fans are wondering as well. This is one of the glaring deficiencies on the team. Since dealing Tejada, we have lacked offensive production from the position. Several players have taken turns at SS and none have filled the void either offensively or defensively.

DH Aubrey Huff is having a fantastic year, batting .302 with 24 HRs and 76 RBI. I thought he may be trade bait at the deadline, but it didn't happen.

Along with Scott and Jones, Nick Markakis rounds out the OF.

Nick has progressed every season at the plate, as well as being extremely consistent in the OF making only 6 errors in 3 seasons.

This season, he is batting .301 with 17 HRs and 71 RBI.

Another speedster, Markakis has 10 steals on the season.

He is becoming an elite outfielder, yet he is one of the lowest paid OFs in baseball. We signed him through this season, but he wasn't happy with the amount. I don't care what he wants; this is a guy the Orioles need to wrap up for a long time.

Filling in for Jones, while he's been injured, have been Jay Payton and Lou Montanez. Payton is a solid bench player and has a strong arm.

Now, on to the pitching staff.

Daniel Cabrera is a 6'9" right-hander that has finally begun to grow into the potential they have been talking about his entire career.

So far this season, he is 8-7 with a 4.78 ERA, 89 strikeouts, and 71 walks.

You may be asking if I think that he's turned the corner finally. Well, the main thing is that he's become more consistent. His walks are down, as is his ERA. Meanwhile, he is an innings eater and has two complete games this year.

He still has a way to go, but I like the progress I've seen with him this season.

Jeremy Guthrie is 9-8 with 3.26 ERA and 102 strikeouts.

The Orioles picked him up off waivers from the Cleveland Indians prior to last season, and he has been very good for us ever since.

He struggled a bit at the beginning of the year after being labeled the ace of the squad. But he has recovered nicely and is back on track.

The bullpen has been pretty good this season, with guys like Jamie Walker and Fernando Cabrera having pitched well.

Chris Ray, Hayden Penn, and Adam Loewen are trying to work their way back to the bigs after various injuries have sidelined them.

One of the best moves I think the Orioles have made in the last year or so was to make Dave Trembley the manager. After being named manager during the 2007 season, he led the team to a 40-53 record.

Yes, the Orioles are under .500 again this season, but they are improving.

Trembley believes in fundamentals. They practice the same drills during the season as they do in Spring Training.

His reasoning is that if it's important to work on those things before the season, why wouldn't it be just as, if not more, important during the season.

I agree with this philosophy and have seen solid results from it.

We will probably finish in the cellar again this season, but I think this will be the last year we do so.

If McPhail can make a deal for a shortstop, or if one presents himself from the minors, we will start climbing the steps very shortly.