JRB Sports Scribe

Super Bowl XLVI Prediction

2012-02-05T13:33:00.000-08:00

I’m feeling it, and I’m calling it.

Today, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, football fans will bear witness to the first ever Super Bowl overtime.

In a battle between the AFC champion New England Patriots and the NFC champion New York Giants, today is the day NFL history happens.

It just makes sense. Overtime in the Super Bowl is long overdue.

In regular season NFL games, on average, there is at least one overtime game per week. That’s one or more games out of 14-16 games that head into a fifth frame.

Thus, it’s a bit befuddling how there’s been 45 Super Bowls played without overtime.

Besides the odds of overtime within a regular NFL weekly slate, there’s also the factor that these title games typically feature two teams that are of nearly equal strength.

Moreover, c'mon, it’s the Super Bowl. Each of these matchups should be a highly competitive fight to the bitter end.

There’s simply no a better time to make NFL history in this year’s game.

On one side, you have two-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady leading a Patriots team that’s enters today on a 10-game winning streak. On the other side, you have one-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning leading a Giants squad that’s only won five straight, but has arguably been the hottest team in the NFL.

Other factors:

Today’s game is a rematch of the Big Game four years ago, when the Giants accomplished the greatest Super Bowl upset in NFL history by knocking off the then-18-0 Patriots. Sure, the rosters have changed. But several of the key players have not … You think Brady, Coach Belichek and Wes Welker have forgot about that game? Not a chance.

Today's game features one of the NFL’s all-time greatest quarterback, New England’s Brady, against one of the fiercest pass rush attacks in recent history.

Today’s game features the second-worst pass defense in the league against arguably the hottest passing attack – Manning has thrown for 923 yards and eight touchdowns in three post-season games, he’ll face a Patriots defense that’s allowed an AFC-worst 4,703 passing yards this season.

Then there’s Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. The second-year player out of Arizona caught 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns this season (an NFL record for TDs by a TE). Yes, he’s been nursing an injury this week (and he may not play as many snaps as he’s accustomed to), but Gronk will play and will have an impact. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound beast has been a matchup nightmare for opponents all season - this will be no different against the Giants today.

Meanwhile, New York has some dangerous passing options of its own. There’s newcomer Victor Cruz – who set a Giants’ single-season record with 1,536 reception yards this year. And on Eli’s other wing, there’s Hakeem Nicks – who’s torched NFC secondary’s this postseason to the tune of 18 catches for 335 yards and four touchdowns. Both Cruz and Nicks have big play capability that’s vastly superior to the Patriots’ downfield threats.

New England has the better record, at 15-3 including postseason. The Giants salvaged a once 6-6 record to its current 12-7 mark.

Oddsmakers have the Patriots favored by three points; yet most national pundits appear to be picking the Giants.

This game is an intriguing battle, to say the least. I’ve already proclaimed overtime ... So who comes out on top?

I’m going with the Giants … 27, 24.

2012 Conference Championship Predictions

2012-01-22T06:55:00.000-08:00

AFC

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots

Sunday, Jan. 22 – 2:00 p.m. CT

Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)

Baltimore linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs engineer an impressive effort to stymie the New England’s terrific tight end tandem (of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez). No matter, Tom Brady uses his trusty safety valve, Wes Welker, instead. Welker nabs 9 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown as Brady’s mighty Patriots offense continues to soar. New England tops the Ravens for its tenth straight win and a ticket to Super Bowl XLVI. Patriots win, 30-24

NFC

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers

Sunday, Jan. 22 – 5:30 p.m. CT

Candlestick Park (San Francisco, CA)

San Francisco’s magical ride ends today. After a spectacular victory last week against New Orleans, Jim Harbaugh’s hard-hitting crew cannot halt the Giants. Eli Manning continues his torrid play and New York’s vaunted pass rush harasses Alex Smith into disarray. Manning throws for 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Giants advance to the Super Bowl. Giants win, 24-17.

** New York’s win also sets up a rematch of the 2008 title game, where Eli’s Giants wrecked the Patriots’ push at perfection.

2012 NFL Divisional Round Predictions

2012-01-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

NFC

New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers

Saturday, Jan. 14 – 3:30 p.m. CT

Candlestick Park (San Francisco, CA)

The 13-3 San Francisco 49ers enter its home contest with New Orleans this afternoon with the NFC’s top defense, limiting opponents to 308.1 yards and 14.3 points per game. The Saints, meanwhile, have the conference’s 12^th-ranked defense. On offense, New Orleans comes in producing a blistering 7,474 yards per game (467.1 per game), tops in the NFC. San Francisco has the conference's 14th-ranked offense, posting a mere 310.9 yards per game. It will be an intriguing contrast of extremes when the teams square off at Candlestick today. In the Niners’ favor, the team is playing on its familiar grassy turf (where the Saints are far less effective than on artificial) and its strength meshes incomparably to the traditional football adage, “Defense wins championships.” Unfortunately for San Francisco, however, is that offense may be the new defense - which could especially be true considering the impeccably accurate Drew Brees and his vast assortment of offensive weapons. The Saints have rolled up more than 600 yards in each of its past two games (617 on Jan. 1 vs. Carolina and 626 vs. Detroit last week) … Behind the play of its elite inside linebacker Patrick Willis, San Francisco’s stingy defense will undoubtedly slow down the Saints’ production today. On offense, the Niners will hope to dominate the clock by giving the rock to stalwart running back Frank Gore. But it won’t be enough. Brees spreads the ball among his many targets and connects with favorites Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston for touchdowns, as New Orleans conquers and advances. Saints win, 27-10.

AFC

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots

Saturday, Jan. 14 – 7:00 p.m. CT

Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)

There could be a major letdown this evening in New England when the Patriots host Tim Tebow’s Denver Broncos. Despite the Patriots being 13 ½-point favorites, this game is being billed as the most anticipated playoff game … ever. Why? What else? Tebow. Tebowmanina, Tebowing, Tebow Train, etc. The Denver quarterback is arguably the most polarizing player in NFL history, certainly this season at least. Just when it seemed Tebow’s mystifying flair for dramatic victories evaporated on Denver’s home turf in the wake of a 41-23 loss Dec. 18 – a loss followed by Tebow’s two worst games of his career (40-14 at Buffalo, 7-3 to Kansas City) – the Miracle Man has risen again. Tebow had his best game yet last week versus Pittsburgh, throwing for 316 yards, including a jaw-dropping, 80-yard game-winning touchdown to Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime ... Miraculous as that play, and Tebow’s season, might be, what about Tom Brady? Brady was the main reason for Tebow’s Dec. 18 demise. He passed for 320 yards and two touchdowns in that game, and rushed for a key late-second quarter TD followed by an emphatic spike in front of the Mile High faithful. So what about that guy who delivered Denver its first loss since Oct. 30? All the seven-time Pro Bowler has done is engineer eight straight wins and led to New England to the AFC’s top seed and home-field advantage for the playoffs. Brady is brimming with confidence and eager to put another dagger into Tebow fever. Patriots win, 34-20.

AFC

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens

Sunday, Jan. 15 – 12:00 p.m. CT

M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, MD)

Baltimore is looking to extend its perfect 8-0 home record to nine against Houston tomorrow. The Texans hope to build of its stunning 31-10 win at home last week in the team’s first playoff appearance ever. It will be an interesting battle, the NFL’s second-ranked defense (Houston) against the third-best (Baltimore). It’s also a battle of two of the most potent dual-threat running backs in football – Balitmore’s Ray Rice (1,364 rush yards, 76 recs, 704 rec yards) and Houston’s Arian Foster (1,224 rush yards, 53 recs, 617 rec yards). Houston also bears one of the league’s top receiving weapons in five-time Pro Bowl wider receiver Andre Johnson. This game will be a nip-and-tuck tussle, but home-field advantage and experience ultimately gives the edge to Baltimore. Ravens win, 20-17.

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers

Sunday, Jan. 15 – 3:30 p.m. CT

Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI)

Coming off a dominant 24-2 win last week against the Falcons, New York is riding high and has suddenly become a fashionable upset pick in tomorrow’s game against the 15-1, Super Bowl defending Green Bay Packers. Added reasons for this is the Giants’ near upset of Green Bay earlier this season (a 38-35 loss on Dec. 4) and its resurgent pass-rush attack since then. Also, Eli Manning is having a banner year, passing for 4,933 yards and 29 touchdowns, and Victor Cruz has become an unexpected sensation at wide receiver - catching 82 passes for a franchise record 1,536 yards … But let’s not forget about Aaron Rodgers. For all the Drew Brees’ MVP talk, Rodgers passed for 4,643 yards and 45 touchdowns in 15 games this season, while completing 68.3 % of his passes with just six interceptions. Rodgers’ 122.5 quarterback rating this year is the best in NFL history. Plus he gets back his No. 1 weapon in wide receiver Greg Jennings – 67 receptions for 946 yards and 9 TDs before suffering injury in week 13. Rodgers and Jennings revamp their pass-and-catch chemistry tomorrow as the two lead Green Bay by New York in Lambeau. Packers win, 34-28.

2012 NFL Wild Card Round Predictions

2012-01-07T09:10:00.000-08:00

NFC

Wild Card Round

SAINTS over lions

Everyone who’s expecting a high-scoring affair will not be disappointed. The Saints are 8-0 at home this season. Drew Brees has thrown for 2,624 yards and 29 touchdowns (to six interceptions) at a 72.0 % completion rate at the Superdome. Oh yeah, and the Saints have scored 41.1 points per game there this year. Needless to say, there’s something special brewing in the Bayou … Sorry, Lions. You’ve had a nice run but the roar ends here. Saints win, 37-27.

GIANTS over falcons

For wide receivers in the NFC, there’s Megatron (Detroit Pro Bowler Calvin Johnson) and there’s … Victor Cruz?! Johnson is having a mammoth year for the Lions, but guess who’s not far behind. Cruz, an undrafted rookie out of Massachusetts, caught 82 passes for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Only Johnson yielded a higher yardage total than Cruz. Also, only Johnson had more 40-plus yard receptions (10) than Cruz (9). Lined up opposite Hakeem Nicks (76 receptions, 1,192 rec yards and 7 TDs), Eli Manning’s new favorite weapon has made New York a premiere passing offense … Atlanta has a nice passing attack of it’s own – QB Matt Ryan (4,177 pass yards, 29 TDs), WRs Roddy White (100 recs, 8 TDs) and Julio Jones (959 rec yards, 8 TDs), as well as a fine running back (Michael Turner – 1,340 rush yards, 11 TDs). But the Giants pass rush, featuring Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck, will provide New York the advantage in this one. Giants win, 27-24.

AFC

Wild Card Round

steel over BRONCOS

A hobbled Ben Roethlisberger is better than a healthy Tim Tebow. And having the league’s top defense in both points (14.2 ppg) and yards (271.8 ypg) allowed doesn’t hurt Pittsburgh’s chances as well. Roethlisberger manages to throw for 200 yards and a touchdown. But it’s back-up running back Issac Redman who takes the leading role in this game … Denver’s only shot in this game is if Tebow stays pick-free and keeps the game close down the stretch. Neither one happens. The Steelers D picks Tebow twice and Redman paces Pittsburgh’s offense with career highs in carries and yardage. Steelers win, 24-6.

bengals over TEXANS

It’s an exciting time for the players and fans of both these teams. Houston makes its first playoff appearance, ever. Cincinnati rebounds from a 4-12 season to make it to the postseason for only its third time since 1990. Both teams have stout defenses. Both have decent offenses with rookie quarterbacks. But Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton is better than Houston’s T.J. Yates. … On defense, the Bengals shutdown Yates and contain Houston’s dynamic running duo of Arian Foster and Ben Tate. On offense, Dalton works his chemistry with Bengals rookie WR A.J. Green, connecting with him for a clutch fourth-quarter touchdown to give his team the edge. Bengals win, 20-17.

NFL 2012 Playoff Predictions

2012-01-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

NFC

Seeds: (1) Green Bay Packers (2) San Francisco 49ers (3) New Orleans Saints

(4) New York Giants (5) Atlanta Falcons (6) Detroit Lions

Wild Card Round

SAINTS over lions

GIANTS over falcons

Divisional Round

saints over NINERS

PACK over giants

NFC Championship

saints over PACK

AFC

Seeds: (1) New England Patriots (2) Baltimore Ravens (3) Houston Texans

(4) Denver Broncos (5) Pittsburgh Steelers (6) Cincinnati Bengals

Wild Card Round

steel over BRONCOS

bengals over TEXANS

Divisional Round

PATS over bengals

RAVENS over steel

AFC Championship

PATS over ravens

Super Bowl XLVI

Saints over Patriots

NFL Week 17 Predictions

2012-01-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

SUNDAY (EARLY GAMES)

VIKES 24, bears 17

Jared Allen is a man on a mission. The Vikings' fiery defensive end is determined to dominate against the Bears today for two key reasons – a shot at the all-time NFL single-season sack record and the prevention of his team tying Minnesota’s franchise-worst 3-13 record. Allen anchors the defense and Percy Harvin has a big day on offense and special teams as the Vikes prevail at home.

lions 27, PACK 23

These past two weeks Matthew Stafford has passed for a combined 764 yards and 7 touchdowns with zero interceptions. The Detroit QB continues his hot play at Lambeau today as the Lions defeat Green Bay.

niners 24, RAMS 3

San Francisco’s stock continues to rise as St. Louis’ continues to plummet. The Niners roll past the Rams and into the playoffs as the NFC’s No. 2 seed.

Jets 21, FINS 14

Coming off a pair of disappointing losses, the Jets still have playoff hope. Reggie Bush has rushed for more than 500 yards in Miami’s last four games. With Bush out with a knee injury today, his team will sorely miss him. The Dolphins’ loss is New York’s gain as the Jets get the win in South Beach.

PATS 27, bills 17

Tom Brady leads New England to a three-touchdown lead at halftime as the Patriots cruise past Buffalo to claim home field advantage in the AFC playoffs.

SAINTS 34, panthers 27

Drew Brees continues his MVP-worthy season today against Carolina. The Saints quarterback tacks on another 300 yards to his single-season NFL record passing total and New Orleans defeats Cam Newton’s Panthers in an offensive showdown in the Bayou.

EAGLES 30, skins 17

Philadelphia gives its fans an appetizing preview for next season as the Eagles blow by the Redskins to end its season on a high note with four straight wins.

JAGS 20, colts 16

In an otherwise disappointing season in Jacksonville, Maurice Jones-Drew carries home the NFL rushing crown today as the Jags top the Colts at home.

TEXANS 17, titans 14

In preparation for its first playoff appearance, Houston’s defense picks off Matt Hasselbeck and stymies Chris Johnson to end its regular season with a win.

SUNDAY (LATE GAMES)

FALCONS 38, bucs 17

The bumbling Buccaneers end its despicable season on a 10-game losing streak as the team is crushed by its division foe Falcons in Atlanta today.

BENGALS 20, ravens 17 (in OT)

In a nip-and-tuck defensive battle at Cincinnati, the Bengals secure a playoff spot by edging Baltimore in overtime.

steel 16, BROWNS 6

The Browns finish their season with a spirited effort at home today. But Pittsburgh’s defense is just too strong for Cleveland’s feeble offense to overcome. The Steelers get the win and nail down the AFC’s No. 2 seed.

chiefs 21, BRONCOS 17

Kyle Orton returns to Denver today and capitalizes on his chance to exact revenge on his former team. Orton’s Chiefs beat the Broncos, dampening its division foe’s playoff hopes.

chargers 24, RAIDERS 20

San Diego bounces back from a disappointing effort in Detroit last week as the Chargers defeat the Raiders in Oakland today.

Hawks 23, CARDS 20

Similar teams square off in Arizona this afternoon as the Seahawks face the Cardinals. Both teams had been hot down the stretch, but both teams were officially knocked out of playoff contention last week. In an evenly matched game, I’m giving the edge to Marshawn Lynch and the Hawks.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

GIANTS 34, boys 30

It should be an exciting NFL regular season finale in New York tonight, where the Giants face the Cowboys. In this installment of a heated division rivalry, the winner goes to the playoffs and the loser goes home. The Outcome? Eli Manning outduels Tony Romo as the Giants discard Dallas and earn the NFC East crown.

NFL Week 16 Predictions

2011-12-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

SATURDAY (Dec. 24 – Christmas Eve) (EARLY GAMES)

vikes 27, SKINS 24

With the Colts’ improbable win Thursday night, there will assuredly be some Vikings fans out there who hope Minnesota loses its last two games with hopes of drafting Andrew Luck this spring. However, the coaches and the players have too much pride to not to play hard. Adrian Peterson has a monster game and the Purple get a long overdue win today.

BILLS 23, broncos 20

Speaking of wins far past due, how about those Bills? Buffalo overcomes Tebow’s late-game magic and get its first win since Oct. 30 today.

BENGALS 20, cards 16

Former Fordham Rams quarterback John Skelton leads his Cardinals into Cincinnati today on a four-game winning streak. But the Bengals are playing for a playoff bid and TCU alum Andy Dalton is poised to defend his home turf, leading Cincy in accomplishing a crucial victory.

jags 24, TITANS 20

Maurice Jones-Drew rumbles through Tennessee’s defense today, as the Jaguars upset the Titans in Nashville.

raiders 23, CHIEFS 20 (in OT)

Last week’s impressive upset victory over the Packers have suddenly given the Chiefs hope for a playoff birth. What? Chiefs? Playoffs? Oakland quickly dashes this hope, as Michael Bush rushes for 100 yards and leads his Raiders past its division rival in K.C.

PATS 34, fins 17

Tom Brady carries his fire from last week’s win at Denver onto his home field today. New England dumps the Dolphins with ease.

giants 27, JETS 23

It’s the Battle of the Big Apple today at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the New York Giants take on the New York Jets. With both teams fighting for playoff berths, it should be a no holes barred fight to the finish. In the end, Eli Manning redeems himself for his three-pick performance last week and leads his Giants to victory.

STEEL 17, rams 6

It’s a snooze fest in Pittsburgh today, where the Charlie Batch-led Steelers take on the Kellen Clemens-led Rams. Batch against a sub-par St. Louis defense is a better matchup than Clemens against a Pittsburgh defense ranked No. 1 against the pass. The Steelers overcome Big Ben’s absence, pick up the win and improve to 11-4.

PANTHERS 30, bucs 20

What happened to the 4-2 Tampa Bay team that beat the Saints on Oct. 16? Egad! They’ve lost eight games and have become a huge disappointment. Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers have won three of its past four games and surpassed the Bucs in the standings. The NFC south foes meet today in Charlotte, where Cam Newton continues his spectacular rookie season and Carolina tops Tampa by ten.

RAVENS 23, browns 10

The Browns defense proves to be no challenge for Ray Rice. The Ravens running back racks up a combined 160 rushing/receiving yards today, as Baltimore crushes Cleveland and completes its regular season home schedule a perfect 8-0.

SATURDAY (LATE GAMES)

chargers 31, LIONS 27

The resurgent Chargers continue its strong late-season play in Detroit today. San Diego contains Calvin Johnson, defeats the Lions for its fourth straight win and keep its improbable run at the playoffs alive.

BOYS 34, eagles 30

With the return of QB Michael Vick, the Eagles have suddenly become an exciting team once again. Philadelphia has destroyed its past two opponents by a combined 71-29 score and become relevant in the playoff picture again. At 8-6, Tony Romo and the Cowboys face a lot of pressure to defeat their NFC East foe at home this afternoon. Pressure can either make a team panic or give them energy to feed off of. Today, Romo is able to use the pressure to his benefit, as Dallas defeats Vick and the Eagles in an offensive showdown at Jerry World.

HAWKS 16, niners 13

An opposing team finally scores a rushing touchdown against San Francisco, as Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch carries the pigskin past the pie line today and the Seahawks upset the Niners.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (Dec. 25 – Christmas Day)

PACK 34, bears 10

Green Bay is an angry team after Kansas City ruined its perfect season last week. The Packers take out this frustration against the Bears tomorrow night and deliver their rivals some Christmas coal. Aaron Rodgers returns to precision form, passing for 300-plus yards as the Pack wins big.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

SAINTS 38, falcons 28

Drew Brees is on fire right now. Tomorrow night, the Saints QB torches the Falcons in a shootout and New Orleans rolls on to its seventh straight win.

NFL Week 15 Predictions

2011-12-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

SUNDAY (NOON GAMES)

SAINTS 38, vikes 24

Drew Brees passes for 500 yards and seven touchdowns. Okay, maybe that’s a little steep. Let’s go with 400 yards and five touchdowns. The Saints punish the Purple.

BILLS 27, fins 17

Buffalo mercifully puts an end to its miserable six game skid. Ryan Fitzpatrick gets it together and hooks up with Stevie Johnson for a pair of touchdowns as the Bills top the Fins at home.

hawks 17, BEARS 10

Marshawn Lynch continues his dominant play. Lynch pounds the rock against the Bears in pacing Seattle past Chicago.

COLTS 20, titans 17 (in OT)

It’s hard to believe a team goes from 10-6 to 0-16 by losing just one player, even if that player is Peyton Manning. Somehow, someway, the Colts get it done today.

pack 27, CHIEFS 10

There will not be a 0-16 team this season, but there very likely will be a 16-0 team. The Cheese trump the Chiefs in K.C.

GIANTS 34, skins 24

Eli Manning flirts with his second consecutive 400-yard passing game today, as the Giants stomp the Redskins in New York.

TEXANS 23, panthers 17

The Texans’ defense and running game control the clock against Cam Newton and the Panthers at home today. Houston continues to overcome its key injuries and remarkably wins its eighth consecutive game.

SUNDAY (LATE GAMES)

lions 31, RAIDERS 23

Amazingly, the pass defense-challenged Vikings held Detroit WR Calvin Johnson in check last week. Not so much today. Matthew Stafford connects with his star receiver for a pair of scores as the Lions trounce the Raiders in Oakland.

pats 27, BRONCOS 17

How long can the Tebowing, Tebow Train, Tebow Time, Miracle Man, Divine Intervention – call it what you may – continue?! If Denver can neutralize New England and keep this game close, Tebow and the Broncos could very well win its seventh straight game. But that’s a pretty big if. Brady and Belichick prevail as the Pats win by ten.

EAGLES 20, jets 16

New York comes into Philadelphia today hoping to nail down a playoff spot. But Rex’s Crew doesn’t get it done. Michael Vick leads a revived Eagles attack and Philly entertains its suffering home fans with the win.

CARDS 24, browns 6

Cleveland has been stumbling and bumbling. Arizona has been very strong. Browns QB Seneca Wallace throws a pair of picks. Cardinals CB/PR rookie phenom Patrick Peterson touches pay dirt yet again. Arizona wins big.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

CHARGERS 23, ravens 20 (in OT)

In an entertaining, back-and-forth, nail-biter, San Diego survives Baltimore in overtime to keep its playoff hopes afloat.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

steel 17, NINERS 10

Surprise, surprise, Ben Roethlisberger plods through the pain and heroically leads his Steelers past the Niners in San Fran.

NFL Week 14 Predictions

2011-12-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

SUNDAY (NOON GAMES)

LIONS 31, vikes 23

Megatron, a.k.a. Calvin Johnson, puts the Fox NFL robot to shame in the Motor City today. Facing a dismal Vikings pass defense, Johnson hauls in eight receptions for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Detroit extends its playoff hopes with a with at home.

BENGALS 14, texans 10

Quietly, coolly and calmly, the Texans are looking for its seventh consecutive victory. A team perennially known for its pourous defense, Houston enters its contest at Cincinnati with the league’s No. 1 defense. However, the team is unable to overcome key injuries (WR Andre Johnson and QB, Matt Schaub) today, as Andy Dalton, A.J. Green and the Bengals get the win.

saints 27, TITANS 17

Domed-home New Orleans would like to prove its toughness with a road win against the surging Tennessee Titans today. It will be a tall task, especially having to contain the NFL’s hottest running back (Chris Johnson), but Drew Brees and Co. get the job done and improve to 10-3.

eagles 17, FINS 14

Michael Vick returns to the field for Philadelphia today. But will he be ready against the mystifying Miami Dolphins (a team that is 4-1 in its past five games after beginning its season 0-7)? Vick plays well, but it’s Philadelphia’s defense –

keyed by CB Nnamdi Asomugha’s coverage of Miami WR Brandon Marshall – that particularly rises to the occasion as the Eagles triumph in South Beach.

JETS 23, chiefs 6

The Chiefs pulled off a shocking road upset in Chicago last week. Can they do it again? Not quite. No Tyler Palko-Dexter McCluster miracle today. The Jets win this game handily.

pats 27, SKINS 17

Washington was embarrassed at home last week against the Jets. So the Skins are looking to rebound for its home fans … The problem is, the Patriots are the team invading the nation’s capital today. Tom Brady continues his astounding season, Rob Gronkowski runs his touchdown total to 15 and New England marches to its fifth win

in a row.

PANTHERS 27, falcons 24

Super Cam has already doubled his team’s win total from last season. Newton makes it three wins in a row for Carolina today, as the Panthers earn the upset win and put a damper on Atlanta’s playoff hopes.

JAGS 20, bucs 17 (in OT)

The Jaguars looked lost and distraught last week in interim head coach Mel Tucker’s debut. Today, however, Jacksonville takes advantage of its star running back’s matchup against the league’s 29^th-ranked rush defense. Maurice Jones-Drew bowls through the Buccaneers defense and Tucker’s team emerges victorious in overtime.

RAVENS 38, colts 13

Ray Rice has a chance at history today, seeking his second straight 200-y

ard rushing day at home against the Colts. Baltimore wins big.

SUNDAY (LATE GAMES)

BRONCOS 17, bears 10

All Chris Carter does is catch touchdowns. All Tim Tebow does is wins games. Tebow’s lack of passing prowess could catch up to him next week against New England, but the Miracle Man does just enough to lead the Broncos past the wounded Bears today. Denver

wins its sixth straight.

CARDS 17, niners 14

Upset alert. Beanie Wells becomes the first opposing player earn a rushing touchdown against San Francisco this season, as the Cardinals follow its upset of the Cowboys last week with an impressive defeat of the 49ers today.

PACK 34, raiders 17

Oakland poses no match for the Pack today.

CHARGERS 38, bills 17

After a dominant win in Jacksonville last week, San Diego takes another big step towards salvaging a woeful season today. The Chargers score early and often in beating Buffalo to a pulp.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

giants 23, BOYS 20

Under the radar, Giants WR Victor Cruz could earn a Pro Bowl spot the way he’s playing. The second-year receiver out of Massachusetts adds to his 62 receptions, 1,076 receiving yards and 7 TDs tonight in Dallas, as the Giants improve to 3-0 against its archrival Cowboys in Jerry World.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

HAWKS 24, rams 10

Marshawn Lynch has been a wrecking ball for Seattle in recent weeks. So who’s to think the revolting Rams can stop him tomorrow night? Certainly not me. Seattle dispatches St. Louis and improves to 6-7.

NFL Week 13 Predictions

2011-12-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

SUNDAY (EARLY GAMES)

VIKES 23, broncos 20

The Broncos have been on a roll in recent weeks – winning five of its past six games. The Vikings, meanwhile, have lost three straight and are mired in a dreadful season. The talk of the nation is Tim Tebow, but how about that Vikings quarterback? Christian Ponder looked pretty good last week in Atlanta, especially in the second half. Also, linebacker Chad Greenway played like a man possessed, amassing 16 tackles and stifling Falcons RB Michael Turner. Minnesota is without Adrian Peterson again. But with Ponder and Percy Harvin leading the offense, and Greenway and Jared Allen leading the defense, the Vikings oust Denver in dramatic fashion today.

BILLS 24, titans 20

Buffalo is starving for a victory. After coming oh so close last week at against the Jets, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick leads the Bills to a home win over the Titans today.

BEARS 20, chiefs 13

In a battle of two inexperienced quarterbacks and two mediocre defenses, Bears RB Matt Forte plays the role of difference-maker today. Chicago defeats the Chiefs by seven.

FINS 17, raiders 13

The Raiders march into Miami looking for its fourth straight win. Behind a revived defense, the Dolphins have been a very strong football team in recent weeks. The Fins defend their home turf and defeat Oakland for its fourth victory in five weeks.

PATRIOTS 34, colts 7

Dan Orlovsky takes over the reins at quarterback for the Colts today in New England. The move makes absolutely no difference. Tom Brady, Wes Welker and company lead the Patriots in steamrolling Indianapolis.

STEEL 23, bengals 17

Andy Dalton has brought new hope to the Cincinnati Bengals this season. The team is 7-4 and on the brink of a playoff bid as it travels to Pittsburgh today. However, Big Ben and the Steelers are too tough to handle. The Steel cages up the Bengals by six.

BUCS 27, panthers 24

Quarterback Josh Freeman (injury) yields to back-up Josh Johnson today in Tampa. Johnson steps up and delivers, as he and RB LeGarrette Blount lead the Buccaneers past the Panthers.

jets 20, SKINS 17

Shutdown corner Darelle Revis rebounds from a subpar outing last week against the Bills. The Jets beat its division rival Redskins by a field goal.

falcons 23, TEXANS 17

Atlanta’s No. 2 rush defense against the Texans’ No.1 rush offense makes for an intriguing battle today in Houston. Atlanta’s Matt Ryan against third-string quarterback Tyler Yates proves to be the difference, as the Falcons top the Texans by six.

SUNDAY (LATE GAMES)

ravens 23, BROWNS 6

The host Browns are no match for the Ravens today in Cleveland. Baltimore wins big.

pack 34, GIANTS 31

In an awesome shootout at New York this afternoon, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers prevail over Eli Manning’s Giants to go to 12-0.

boys 31, CARDS 17

The Cowboys are all over the Cardinals in the desert today. Tony Romo passes for 300-plus yards, as Dallas wins its fifth straight game.

niners 27, RAMS 10

San Francisco has been licking its chops to get on the field again after the team's Thanksgiving night loss at Baltimore. The Niners crush St. Louis at home today.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

SAINTS 38, lions 24

New Orleans’ trouncing of the Giants on Monday night served as a preview for its contest against Detroit tonight. Drew Brees and the Saints clobber the Lions at the Superdome.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

chargers 21, JAGUARS 14

Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates put an end to San Diego’s six game losing streak tomorrow night. The Chargers overcome a strong effort from Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew to defeat the Jags by a touchdown.

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (Dec. 1)

PREDICTION: eagles 21, HAWKS 17

It's the Battle of the Birds tonight in Seattle, as the Philadelphia Eagles fly cross-country to

face the Seahawks. Both teams are 4-7 and fighting for any shred off playoff hope they can possible grasp onto. Touted as Super Bowl contenders in the preseason, Philadalephia has been a colossal disappointment this season. The Eagles began its year 3-6, then lost its No. 1 quarterback, then lost its No. 1 receiver and last week found itself being booed heavily by its home fans in a 38-20 loss to New England. Seattle, meanwhile, has looked awful at times this season (i.e. 24-0 loss at Pittsburgh, 34-12 home loss to Cincinnati) but has pulled off some quality wins as well (Week 5 at New York Giants, Week 10 vs. Baltimore) ... It may be a lot of travel on a short week, but heading on

the road is the right remedy for Philadelphia right now. The Eagles top the Seahawks by four.

RESULT: HAWKS 31, eagles 14

Philly's pathetic season continues. The Seahawks lambasted the Eagles 31-14 on Seattle's CenturyLink Field last night. The tone of the game was set on Seattle's first drive, when Marshawn Lynch peddled through a plethora of Eagles defenders before breaking through for a 15-yard touchdown. Lynch added another touchdown a few minutes later and the route was on. Missed tackles on defense, four Vince Young interceptions and a shameful performance from should-be star wide receiver DeSean Jackson spelled doom for Philadelphia. Young's counterpart, Tavaris Jackson, was 13-for-16 for 190 yards and a touchdown. Lynch totaled 148 rushing yards.

Caledonia stomps Moose Lake, crowned Class 2A champions yet again

2011-12-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

Nearly out of breath, Caledonia running back Connor McCormick savored the moment and dished out the praise after his team’s Class 2A championship victory Friday night at the Metrodome.

“It was like I was dreaming,” McCormick said, referring to his team’s key fourth quarter drive. “I see Teddy [Barthel, Caledonia’s hefty lineman] downfield and think, 'geez he’s fast.' It’s because of that heart and how they were able to keep going that I could keep going.”

The drive resulted in McCormick bursting his way to a 12-yard touchdown run to put fifth-ranked Caledonia up 20-0. The team tacked on seven more en route to an impressive 27-0 blanking of the mighty Moose Lake/Willow River Rebels.

It was the Warriors’ fourth state title in five years.

“It’s about gap control defense and 11 kids out there believing they can stop anything,” head coach Brent Schroeder said.

Schroeder could not say enough of his defense. The No. 2-ranked Rebels entered the game scoring a Class 2A-best 51.7 points per game. ML/WR features a fierce rushing attack, led by junior running back Jake Disterhaupt.

Disterhaupt rushed 2,242 yards this season, including 244 in his team’s state semifinal win last week. Yesterday, Caledonia defenders stifled Disterhaupt, bottling him up for 49 yards on 15 carries.

“It’s the best offense I’ve seen,” Schroeder said about Moose Lake. “They’ve been killing everybody, I haven’t slept for a week and a half.”

Led by senior linemen Travis Frank and Ted Barthel, the Warriors were up to the task. Beside Disterhaupt, ML/WR has two other 1,000-yard rushers – Josh Cisar and Chris Gassert. But none of the Rebels runners had much success Friday.

Instead, it was McCormick and Caledonia quarterback Kennan Bruening who dominated the ground game today.

The first half began rather slowly on both sides. Until, that is, Bruening fumbled on his own 37-yard line – one of three fumbles on the day for him. This set up ML/WR with an excellent opportunity to strike first.

But the Warriors defense stood strong as, with the Rebels facing third-and-six at the Caledonia 14, linebacker Austin Goergen stuffed Disterhaupt and teammate Alex Betz followed with a stop of Gassert on fourth down.

On the ensuing possession, Bruening redeemed himself – leading his team on a nine-play, 87-yard touchdown drive.

“We have some stud seniors on the right side, and our stud fullback and running back just went through the holes and I’d follow them,” said Bruening, who carried the ball six times for 65 yards on the drive.

Bruening then capitalized on his running prowess by lofting a 10-yard strike to WR Adam Drenckhahn, who easily beat his defender for the game’s first score.

The drive consumed 4:21 of game clock and finished one minute into the second quarter. From there, the Caledonia defense was at it again.

Disterhaupt rushed for nine yards on first down. But the Warriors stuffed ML/WR for no-gains on consecutive plays and followed the three-and-out with a blocked punt.

Senior Houston Halverson rejected the Rebels boot and Caledonia recovered on their opponents’ 13-yard line. However, the scoring opportunity went for naught, as a Goergen 30-yard field goal attempt went wide left.

Caledonia would tally another score five minutes later, when Drenckhahn made the offensive play of the game.

Bruening looked downfield to his left and lofted a pass for his senior receiver. The pass may have been a tad long, but Drenckhahn was able to extend his hands, tip the ball up and haul in the reception before tumbling toward the goal line.

McCormick followed with a one-yard plunge to make it 13-0 at halftime.

The second half featured more Caledonia defense. All game long the Warriors harassed ML/WR quarterback Tony Adamczak and his stable of running backs.

Adamczack completed just one pass, finishing 1-for-5 with two interceptions – he entered the game with only three interceptions all season.

On offense, it was a whole lot of McCormick, rushing behind his dominating offensive line that eventually wore out the Moose Lake defense.

“It’s our O Line getting a drive every single play,” McCormick said. “They don’t get tired, they keep

pushing and so do our fullbacks.”

Before long, Caledonia found itself crowned 2011 state champs.

After a raucous celebration with the team trophy, Schroeder spoke of what this year’s title meant to him and his team.

“Awesome,” he said. “It’s just a tribute to our kids, our coaches, how they work in the offseason, in the weight room and what a great community that we have behind us. I just want to thank everybody for all of that.”

** This game, the 2011 Class 2A Prep Bowl, occurred Friday, Nov. 26. I wrote this story for the Rochester Post-Bulletin. The photos used in this blog posting are AP photos provided by the Post-Bulletin. Descriptions of the photos, from top-to-bottom, are as follows: Caledonia RB Matt Peterson (30) leads his team in a post-game celebration. Caledonia QB Kennan Bruening carries the ball by a pair of Moose Lake-Willow River defenders on a first half run. Caledonia RB Connor McCormick rushes past a ML-WR defender en route to one of this three touchdowns in the game.

NFL Week 12 Predictions

2011-11-27T09:49:00.001-08:00

SUNDAY (EARLY GAMES)

FALCONS 31, vikes 17

I’m sorry Purple Faithful, but this game looks hopeless. Atlanta’s awesome aerial attack versus a weak Minnesota secondary combined with Adrian Peterson’s absence spells doom for the Vikings today. Falcons QB Matt Ryan tops 300 yards as his team cruises to its seventh win of the season.

BENGALS 17, browns 10

It will be a battle of field position today at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium. Bengals QB Andy Dalton will miss his stellar rookie connection with A.J. Green, but RB Cedric Benson plows his way past the Browns in pacing the home team to victory.

bucs 24, TITANS 20

At 5-5, Tennessee desperately needs a win to keep its playoff hopes alive. Tampa Bay has underwhelmed this year and has lost its last four games. Today, however, the Buccaneers harness their talent and earn a road upset over the Titans.

panthers 23, COLTS 17

Oh how the Colts continue to miss Peyton Manning. Could Indianapolis go from perennial playoff contenders to joining the 2008 Lions as the only teams in NFL history to go 0-16? At this point, the answer is “yes.” After a deflating loss in Detroit last week, Cam Newton gears up for a paltry Colts pass defense as the Panthers surpass its win total from last season.

RAMS 20, cards 17 (in OT)

Two very mediocre teams meet in St. Louis today as the Rams host the Cardinals. Okay, maybe mediocre is too nice. In a game of little relevance, Steven Jackson gives those diehard Rams faithful who attend the game at the Edward Jones Dome something to cheer about. St. Louis tops Arizona as the teams even their records at 3-7.

JETS 17, bills 13

Rex Ryan may have a big mouth, but its Mark Sanchez who may be the scapegoat for the Jets falling well short of reaching its third consecutive conference title game this season. New York’s playoff hopes are in jeopardy, but the team’s sixth-ranked defense tames slumping Buffalo as the Jets squeak by the Bills today.

texans 17, JAGS 10

The 7-3 Texans look to put a huge stake toward its first division championship today in Jacksonville. The Jaguars (3-7) have struggled, but its defense poses a daunting task. Moreover, Houston starting QB Matt Schaub was put on season-ending IR after suffering a torn ligament against Tampa Bay two weeks ago. Back-up Matt Leinhart has yet to throw a pass this season, but he does have the NFL’s top defense, the AFC’s top running game and the return of star WR Andre Johnson on his side. Leinhart manages the game clock, limits his mistakes and hands off to Arian Foster as the Texans pick up the win.

SUNDAY (LATE GAMES)

RAIDERS 24, bears 17

Chicago picked up a big win last week against the Chargers. But the team also lost its quarterback. With Jay Cutler gone for the season and no prominent back-up plan, the Bears struggle in Oakland today. Unlikely heroes Carson Palmer and Michael Bush continue leading the Raiders toward the playoffs. Oakland beats the Bears.

HAWKS 23, skins 17

This game almost has the allure of today’s Rams-Cardinals game. The Seahawks scrape by the Skins on a ho-hum day in Seattle.

pats 27, EAGLES 17

Vince Young impressed in New York last week against the Giants. Not so much today. Building off its Monday Night blowout of the Chiefs, Tom Brady and his arsenal of passing weapons lead the Patriots past the Eagles in Philadelphia this afternoon.

CHARGERS 27, broncos 20

Denver’s defense has been very strong in recent weeks and Tim Tebow simply continues to win games. San Diego has underachieved and finds itself in the midst of a miserable five week losing streak. It’s hard to pick against the fortuitous Tebow, but Philip Rivers is due for a breakout game. The Chargers win at home.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

steel 23, CHIEFS 16

Pittsburgh is definitely the better team in the Sunday Night matchup this week. But the Chiefs can be very tough to beat at home. In a closely fought battle, Pittsburgh pulls away at the end and improves to 8-3.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

SAINTS 34, giants 20

The Saints return from its bye week revived and ready to make a serious playoff run. Drew Brees rifles through the Giants secondary in leading New Orleans to a comfortable win at home in the Superdome tomorrow night.

NFL Thanksgiving Day Predictions

2011-11-24T06:37:00.000-08:00

Packers 31, LIONS 27

Improving to 7-3 after its 49-35 defeat of Carolina last week, Detroit looks like a playoff force again. Hosting its annual Turkey Day contest, the Lions take on Aaron Rodgers and the undefeated Packers. Green Bay showed some vulnerability last week against Tampa. So can the Lions exploit these weaknesses, pounce on the Pack and earn a huge win for its franchise? Close, but not quite. Anticipate a wildly entertaining contest featuring fabulous efforts by both teams, but the Super Bowl Champs survive with a late game touchdown drive.

BOYS 24, fins 13

Both teams enter this game playing fantastic football. Miami began its season with seven straight losses. Then suddenly, behind a staunch defense and outstanding play by QB Matt Moore, the Dolphins have won three straight by a collective score of 86-20. Dallas puts an end to this today. The Cowboys push its win streak to four, celebrating its Thanksgiving with a feast of the Fins.

RAVENS 20, niners 17

First-year coach Jim Harbaugh has his 49ers playing outstanding football. Under the management of Jim’s older brother, John Harbaugh, the Ravens have been strong but inconsistent. This epic battle of the brothers is a brutal bout fought tooth and nail. Led by lethal linebacker Patrick Willis, San Francisco brings its A-game across the country tonight. But Baltimore is too tough at home. RB Ray Rice leads the Ravens attack as the home team ekes out the win by a field goal.

NFL Week 11 Predictions

2011-11-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

PREDICTION: jets 23, BRONCOS 13

New York was embarrassed last week. The Broncos defeated Kansas City despite just two completed passes. Denver QB Tim Tebow, come hell (or maybe heaven, in this case) or high water, has been finding ways to win. Tebow might turn his magic into a couple more wins before Denver's season ends. Tonight, however, the ex-Gator finds himself lost in Revis Island. Meanwhile, Jets QB Mark Sanchez connects with his talented, 6-foot-5 touchdown target (Plaxico Burress) as the Jets soar past the Broncos at Mile High.

RESULT: BRONCOS 17, jets 13

Broncos cornerback Andre Goodman picked off an errant Sanchez pass and dashed in 26 yards for a game-tying touchdown late in the third quarter. The Jets would answer with a Nick Folk field goal. Then, once again, Tebow (who went 9-for-20 for 104 yards passing) worked his magic. The Miracle Man engineered a 95-yard game winning drive, culminated by his 20-yard touchdown scamper with 58 ticks left on the game clock. Broncos improved to 5-5, while the Jets fell to 5-5.

SUNDAY (EARLY GAMES)

VIKINGS 27, raiders 24

Perhaps I’m too much of a homer, but I’m going to pick the home Purple despite its despicable Monday Night performance six days ago in Green Bay. Losing Antoine Winfield for the season, Minnesota’s pass defense sunk a step lower by resigning Benny Sapp – the ex-Viking dumped by the 2-7 Dolphins earlier this season. Meanwhile, Raiders QB Carson Palmer is coming off a near-perfect performance in his team’s upset win at San Diego. Palmer picks apart the Vikings secondary today, but “All Day” Adrian Peterson paces the Purple offense just enough for his team to eke out a home victory.

Jags 17, BROWNS 13

Week by week, Jacksonville rookie QB Blaine Gabbert continues his gradual progression. He's also able to lean on a solid defense and his 5-foo-7 bulldozer RB Maurice Jones-Drew as the Jaguars top the Browns in Cleveland.

LIONS 30, panthers 27

Get ready for a shootout! Matthew Stafford rebounds from a rough outing last week in Chicago and outduels Cam Newton today as the Lions edge out the Panthers.

PACK 38, bucs 17

Uh-oh. This pick reminds me of my 34-13 Eagles over Cardinals prediction last week. However, the way Aaron Rodgers is playing somehow leaves me without a shred of doubt that his Packers win comfortably in this one.

bills 20, FINS 17

Buffalo QB Ryan Fitzpatrick connects for 100 yards and a touchdown with

WR Stevie Johnson as the Bills defeat their divisional foe Fins in Miami.

boys 27, SKINS 17

Cowboys RB Felix Jones returns from a nagging ankle injury that’s sidelined him since week six. The way rookie rusher DeMarco Murray has carried the ball, 607 rush yards on 75 carries since taking over as Dallas’ lead back, Jones merely adds a nice change-up to Murray’s

fastball. The Boys take out the Redskins in D.C. today to climb to 6-4.

RAVENS 20, Bengals 13

Facing the league’s top defense without standout WR A.J. Green proves to tall of a task for Andy Dalton and the Bengals. Ray Rice leads the Ravens ball control offense as Baltimore improves to 5-0 at home

SUNDAY (LATE GAMES)

RAMS 24, hawks 17

St. Louis slowly works to salvage a season that started 0-6. QB Sam Bradford's regained form from injury, the welcomed addition of WR Brandon Lloyd and continued solid production from RB Steven Jackson are too much for the Seahawks to handle. The Rams protect its home turf today, defeating Seattle by seven.

NINERS 27, cards 17

John Skelton looks like he just might be stealing Kevin Kolb’s job as Arizona’s starting QB. The Cardinals were spectacular in an impressive win at Philly last week, but Skelton and standout receiver Larry Fitzgerald aren’t enough today. The 49ers stunning season continues as San Francisco defeats Arizona and improves to 9-1.

FALCONS 31, titans 23

After a crushing overtime loss at home to the Saints last week, Atlanta doesn’t put itself in position to push its luck on fourth down behinds its own 30-yard line today. The Falcons topple the Titans by eight.

BEARS 27, chargers 24 (OT)

San Diego is in trouble, having lost four straight and its AFC West lead. Things get worse as the team travels to Chicago to face a hot Bears team. Philip Rivers, Vincent Jackson and the Chargers put for a spirited effort. But the Bolts fall short as Matt Forte and a resurgent Bears defense stave off San Diego in overtime.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

GIANTS 24, eagles 17

Philadelphia’s Vince Young gets his chance to back up his preseason “Dream Team” talk in New York tonight. Lacking WR Jeremy Maclin and practice with Philly’s first team offense, Young and LeSean McCoy aren’t enough to spearhead a win. Eli Manning came up short of a comeback win in San Francisco last week. Tonight, the Giants set the pace early and defeat the Eagles at home.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

PATS 27, chiefs 10

Kansas City has been playing lackluster football as of late. New England looked like Super Bowl contenders last week in blowing out the Jets in New York. Tom Brady has little trouble solving the Chiefs defense as the Pats pound KC at home.

NFL Week 10 Predictions

2011-11-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

PREDICTION: CHARGERS 31, raiders 17

San Diego suffered a tough home loss to the Packers last Sunday. However, QB Philip Rivers was able to rekindle some lost mojo during the game's final three quarters. The bitter taste of Cheesehead defeat, combined with Rivers’ revival, sparks the Bolts to a swift knockout of the Raiders.

RESULT: raiders 24, CHARGERS 17

My prediction was way off. San Diego’s offensive line offered minimal

protection – to say the least - of Rivers. Instead of Rivers, Oakland QB Carson Palmer played the role of revived quarterback. Palmer’s precise 16-of-20, 299 yard, 2 TD performance, combined with RB Michael Bush’s 157 yards on the ground, led Oakland to an impressive road win.

SUNDAY (EARLY GAMES)

saints 31, FALCONS 27

Drew Brees has his way with Atlanta’s defense as the Saints maintain its grasp on the NFC South. Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones and Michael Turner roll up their share of production, but New Orleans’ offense proves too much to overcome.

steel 17, BENGALS 10

Rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have been impressive, but Pittsburgh’s bone-crushing defense bruise up the Bengals today. Paced by QB Ben Roethlisberger and Rashad Mendenhall, the Steelers stymie Cincinnati by seven.

rams 23, BROWNS 13

Cleveland’s offense is fast and furiously declining. RB Steven Jackson leads his Rams to a road win in Ohio.

BOYS 27, bills 20

The feel-good, no-named 3-0 bunch out of Buffalo watch its upstart season come to a halt. The Cowboys, led by Dez Bryant and surprise RB sensation DeMarco Murray, have little difficulty handling the Bills in Big D. Dallas improves to 5-4, Buffalo falls to 5-4.

jags 17, COLTS 13

Its hard not to think the Colts will eventually win a game. Hosting the 2-6 Jaguars seems like a good opportunity to accomplish this. Right? Wrong. Indy’s pitiful defense and lack of good quarterback play lead to loss No. 10.

CHIEFS 24, broncos 17

Kansas City rebounds from its embarrassing 31-3 home loss to Miami last week. Matt Cassel rallies his troops and finds his top target (WR Dwayne Bowe) for a pair of scores as the Chiefs beat the Broncos at Arrowhead.

FINS 20, skins 16

This game competes with the Rams/Browns and Jaguars/Colts for the least intriguing matchup of the week. Miami picks off Washington QB John Beck not one, not two, but, three times today as the Dolphins pick up its first home win since week 10 of last season.

EAGLES 34, cards 13

No DeSean Jackson. No problem. With Philly’s playoff hopes on the line after losing to the Bears last week, Michael Vick carves up Arizona’s defense as the Eagles cream the Cardinals.

BUCS 24, texans 20

Tampa Bay’s enigmatic season takes a turn for the better today. The Bucs manage to contain Houston superstar Arian Foster to eke out a four-point win at home.

SUNDAY (LATE GAMES)

Ravens 27, HAWKS 13

Ray Rice runs all over the Seahawks in Seattle. Ravens win big.

BEARS 27, lions 23

A hotly contested division duel takes place at Chicago’s Soldier Field today as the Bears host Detroit. The Lions’ lack of running game leans the advantage toward the home team as Chicago wins its fourth straight.

giants 20, NINERS 17

Missing some key offensive cogs, Eli Manning managed an impressive road win in week nine. Manning maintains his mojo in San Francisco today as his Giants hold off the Niners.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

JETS 20, pats 17 (in OT)

The most closely competed contest of week 10 ends with the Jets stingy defense staving off Tom Brady’s Patriots in overtime.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

PACK 37, vikes 27

Offense abounds as Vikings rookie QB Christian Ponder progresses with his passing game in Green Bay tomorrow night. It’s not enough, however, as Aaron Rodgers dices his way through Minnesota’s secondary and the Packers run at perfection continues.

NFL Week 9 Predictions

2011-11-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

SUNDAY (EARLY GAMES)

BILLS 20, jets 17

Buffalo’s resurgence continues as the upstate New York gridders hold off the big market Jets by a field goal. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson lead a balanced offensive attack past a stifling Jets defense.

BOYS 24, hawks 10

Rebounding from an embarrassing loss Sunday night in Philadelphia, the Cowboys soar past Seattle with ease.

falcons 34, COLTS 13

It’s hard to believe how much difference one player can make? The lost season that is the 2011 Colts continues to spiral downward spiral as the Falcons swoop into Indy and put this game away by halftime.

CHIEFS 24, fins 16

After being hammered by a combined score of 89-10 and losing its star player in the team’s first two games of the season, the Chiefs have a four-game winning streak and appear poised to take hold of its division. QB Matt Cassel and his KC crew make it five in a row, dispatching the Dolphins at home.

SAINTS 31, bucs 27

New Orleans is out for revenge against its NFC rival this week. The Saints defense has proved to be a sieve this season (ranking 28^th in yards allowed); but after losing to the Buccaneers at home in Week 6, the team plays just well enough to top Tampa this time.

niners 24, SKINS 17

The wrecking ball that is Frank Gore leads the NFC’s unexpected gem past the downtrodden Redskins in D.C.

TEXANS 23, browns 10

No Peyton Hillis and no Montario Hardesty for Cleveland trumps the absence of Houston’s Andre Johnson. The Texans ride Arian Foster past the bumbling Browns.

SUNDAY (LATE GAMES)

bengals 20, TITANS 17 (in OT)

Who would have thought the Bengals and Bills would both be 6-2 at the season’s midpoint? Yep, that’s what I thought. No one.

RAIDERS 23, broncos 13

The Tim Tebow experience comes up short again. Oakland’s defense steps up while Carson Palmer learns the Raider ropes.

rams 23, CARDS 17

As bad as this team looked two weeks ago, the once 0-6 Rams feast on John Skelton’s Cardinals for its second straight defeat.

pack 27, CHARGERS 24

Some pundits (i.e. Star Tribune writer Mark Craig) predict the Packers to suffer its first loss this week. I beg to differ. San Diego plays tough at home, but Aaron Rodgers is too good. Green Bay goes to 8-0.

PATS 27, giants 24

New York’s aerial attack versus the Patriots week pass defense is intriguing. But missing a couple key cogs (RB Ahmad Bradshaw, WR Hakeem Nicks) causes the Giants to come up short in New England.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

STEEL 20, ravens 13

Pittsburgh has won six of its last seven, but don’t expect the team to be complacent against its vaunted divisional rival. Think the Steelers forgot that embarrassing 35-7 shellacking the Ravens doled out in Week 1? Pittsburgh makes certain to avenge that loss and come away with the victory tonight.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

EAGLES 27, bears 17

It was just a matter of time before this juggernaut put its pieces together. The Eagles bury the Bears tomorrow in Philly.

2011 NFL Season Predictions

2011-09-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

Regular season records

NFC North
Green Bay Packers 12-4
Detroit Lions 9-7
Minnesota Vikings 8-8
Chicago Bears 7-9

East
Philadelphia Eagles 11-5
Dallas Cowboys 10-6 (*)
NY Giants 9-7
Washington Redskins 5-11

South
Atlanta Falcons 10-6
New Orleans Saints 10-6 (*)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-7
Carolina Panthers 3-13

West
St. Louis Rams 9-7
Arizona Cardinals 6-10
Seattle Seahawks 5-11
San Francisco 49ers 5-11

AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers 12-4
Baltimore Ravens 11-5 (*)
Cleveland Browns 6-10
Cincinnati Bengals 2-14

East
New England Patriots 12-4
NY Jets 10-6 (*)
Miami Dolphins 6-10
Buffalo Bills 5-11

South
Houston Texans 10-6
Tennessee Titans 9-7
Jacksonville Jaguars 7-9
Indianapolis Colts 6-10

West
San Diego Chargers 12-4
Kansas City Chiefs 9-7
Oakland Raiders 6-10
Denver Broncos 5-11

(*) Denotes wild-card winners

Playoffs

NFC
Seeds: (1) Green Bay, (2) Philadelphia, (3) Atlanta, (4) St. Louis, (5) Dallas (6) New Orleans

Round 1
(3) ATLANTA over (6) New Orleans
(5) DALLAS over (4) St. Louis

Round 2
(2) PHILADELPHIA over (3) Atlanta
(1) GREEN BAY over Dallas

NFC Championship
(1) GREEN BAY over (2) Philadelphia

AFC
Seeds: (1) San Diego, (2) New England, (3) Pittsburgh, (4) Houston, (5) Baltimore, (6) NY Jets

Round 1
(3) PITTSBURGH over (6) NY Jets
(5) Baltimore over (4) HOUSTON

Round 2
(1) SAN DIEGO over (5) Baltimore
(2) NEW ENGLAND over (3) Pittsburgh

AFC Championship
(2) New England over (1) SAN DIEGO

Super Bowl XLVI – Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN)
Green Bay over New England
Score: Packers 27, Patriots 23

George, Athletics club Diamond Kings for 15-5 win in seven

2011-07-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

The Lakeville Athletics sent 13 batters to the plate in the first inning, scored eight runs and all but sealed a victory before the game got going.

Lacking its pitching corps, and a bench (a player’s father filled in as the team's ninth player), Inver Grove Heights was able to field a team and play ball tonight. However, the team fell 10 runs short, as the Diamond Kings lost to the home Athletics 15-5.

Manager Jon Wulff began the day as Inver Grove's de facto starting pitcher, and it was a rough day on the hill for the righthander. Wulff retired seven Athletics before exiting the game having surrendered 10 runs - including three hits and 5 RBI from Lakeville third baseman Kevin George.

“It was good. It was quite the change from the Eagan game, they found a way to drop [today],” said George - who hammered the ball well in his team's 14-1 loss to Eagan last Saturday, but finished the game 0-for-4.

For Inver Grove, it was a rough night to say the least. Wulff finished his outing having allowed seven hits, five walks and two hit batsmen in less than three innings.

He allowed 10 runs (five unearned) before his day mercifully came to an end as he motioned for LaShomb to relieve him on the mound.

“I just said I can throw a couple innings,” LaShomb said, “It’s probably about four years since the last time I pitched, So I just tried to go in and throw strikes, let them hit the ball and [let our defense] make plays.”

LaShomb, who said hadn’t pitched since high school, retired his first two batters to get his team out of a jam in the third. But the Athletics put a hurting on him in the fourth.

Lakeville right fielder John Degerness flew out to right to begin the inning. The next batter, Justin Hahn, slapped a single to right. Eddie Golom followed with a walk. Pitcher Trent Larson shot a double down the third base line to score one run. Eric Watts followed with a single to right to drive in two. Then George collected his third hit of the day - a towering blast to right center for a two-run homer.

“[LaShomb] was throwing it around the plate and pretty straight, so he was a good pitcher to get under one on,” George said. “Especially when he’s throwing fastballs, he didn’t have any off-speed [pitches] as far as I saw. So sitting fastball in a hitter’s count, it’s a good place to hit a home run out of.”

The home run was a no-doubter, as the Inver Grove right fielder took no more than a step before watching George’s bomb sail over the fence.

LaShomb was shelled pretty hard on the mound, as his team was down 15-2 before he esccaped the fourth. Although his team was going down, LaShomb made sure he went down swinging.

In the top of the fifth, LaShomb sparked some life into his Diamond Kings. The burly slugger belted a Larson offering deep to right-center that appeared to be leaving the park. LaShomb’s blast stayed in the yard, but he was able to easily pull up with a lead-off double.

Larson lost control afterward, as two wild pitches scored LaShomb. Actually, the Athletics hurler did not have much control be for that either - Larson earned the win, but he walked seven in five innings.

The pace of the game eventually picked up as Diamond Kings reliever Dan Lojovich retired six of the seven batters he faced. Lakeville reliever Josh Spitzack followed suit, retiring six of the seven batters he faced as well.

Lojovich had an usual delivery, but he got the job done. Watts, who went 2-for-2, was the one Athletics batter who reached base off the ... Sidewinder?

“He threw about the same speed [as LaShomb], but from way off to the side,” Watts said, describing Lojovich as best he could. “He almost tucks his elbow into his body. So it’s a little different picking up [his delivery].”

With a combined 14 walks, three hit batters and four errors in seven innings (the game was shortened due to mercy rule), it was not the cleanest of games. But after losing its previous four games, a win was a welcomed sight for Lakeville with the postseason looming near.

“It’s good to get a win,” Watts said. “We’ve got two more games [to play], then playoffs, so we might as well keep getting hits.”

  The Athletics travel to Burnsville tomorrow to face the Bobcats. The team’s season finale is the following Monday against Savage. Both games are played at Alimagnet Park and both games have 7:30 start times.

**I was the PA for this game, thus could not take in-game photos. Following the game, I interviewed and took photos of three of the game's star players. Pictured in the photos, from top-to-bottom, are Lakeville's Kevin George, Inver Grove's Alex LaShomb and Lakeville's Eric Watts.

**Notable individual efforts
LAKEVILLE ATHLETICS
Kevin George: 3-for-5, HR, 2B, 5 RBI, R
Eddie Golom: 2-for-3, RBI, 4 Rs
Eric Watts: 2-for-2, 2 RBI, R
Trent Larson: 1-for-1, 2B, HBP, 2 BBs, RBI, 3 Rs
Josh Storm: 2-for-3, RBI, R

IGH DIAMOND KINGS
Alex LaShomb: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 Rs
Jeremy Bade: 1-for-3, BB, 3 Rs
Ted Rebka: 2-for-3, 2B, SF, 3 RBI

Can patchwork Twins mend its way to a division title?

2011-07-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Two days after the All-Star Game, the Minnesota Twins returned to action with as Francisco Liriano took the Target Field mound last night against the Kansas City Royals.

At 41-48, could the Twins (once a dismal 17-37) compete with and surpass division foes Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago to win the American League Central? Maybe.

One could have been considered crazy to think so six weeks ago. As of today, however, a seventh division title in 10 years is a remarkable possibility. But despite the wonderful run they've made, the rest of this 2011 journey is promising to be an arduous, uphill climb.

The Twins have won 24 out of its past 35 games and are within 6.5 games of the Tigers - a spectacular feat. They've also been very fortunate to be playing in a division where the leader is only six games over .500.

So it would seem feasible that a division title and playoff bid would be within their reach.

However, based on talent, it's not reasonable to think Detroit (49-43), or Chicago (44-48) for that matter, will have less success in the second half as they've had in the first. In fact, it's very rational to believe these teams will play better.

Considering was has transpired for the Twins thus far, taking home the Central crown would be simply sensational. But thanks to the team's impressive play of as of late, it's certainly within the realm of possibility.

Let’s examine a few things that have happened in their 2011 season thus far. Then we can construct a hypothesis for the team’s final outcome.

Minnesota’s opening day lineup was very promising.

Leading off, Denard Span, followed by Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Danny Valencia and Alexi Casilla.

All but Nishi and Casilla have had proven big league success.

Mauer has three batting titles and an MVP, Morneau is a four-time All-Star with an MVP as well (thus the two being pitched as the M & M Boys - a famed moniker attributed to all-time baseball greats Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris). Moreover, at ages 27 and 29, respectively, the Twins sluggers are both in the prime of their careers.

Span, 27, is the Twins 2002 first-round draft pick and a player who has appeared to be a player on the rise (and was rewarded handsomely for it, netting a five-year, $16.5 million in 2010). Young, the overall No. 1 Major League Baseball draft selection in 2003, was returning from a breakthrough 2010 season - 21 home runs and a team-high 112 RBI. Cuddyer, who has been a 10-year-rock for Minnesota, made his first All-Star appearance on Tuesday.

The final two starting pieces of the lineup (Kubel and Valencia) had not shown MLB star caliber ability prior to this season, but have had nominal success in the Bigs. Kubel, 29, entered the season with periods of proven big league success and a spectacular spring training. Valencia, 24, exhibited the makings of a burgeoning star last year (producing 10 homeruns and 46 RBI in a half-season’s amount of at-bats), thus tabbed as the Twins opening day third baseman this year.

Offensive starters aside, this year’s Twins also featured the vast majority of a pitching staff that ranked tops in the AL Central last season (with a 3.95 ERA), veteran slugger Jim Thome (who batted .283 with 25 home runs in 2010) and a state-of-the-art, spectacular new ballpark.

Needless to say, excitement and expectations abounded for the Twins entering 2011.

Then came April 1 and an season-opening, three-game series at Toronto.

First game: Toronto 13, Twins 3. Disappointing, but what’s one game out of 162? Next game: Toronto 5, Twins 1. Game 3: Minnesota was able to win 4-3, however, a little bit of worrisome tone began to settle in Twins Territory nonetheless, albeit still only three days into the season.

Twins faithful rightfully believed this funky aura would soon rub away. But a trip to New York to face the Yankees was next, and the Twins lost two of three. Okay. But those were the powerhouse Pin-stripers, taking one of three could almost be considered applaudable. However, the Twins promptly came home and lost three of five to lowly Oakland and Kansas City.

The problems continued to mount. Mauer and Nishioka went down with injuries, Morneau, who was thought to have recovered from a severe concussion suffered last season, was not returning to form and the team’s losing ways continued.

The woes hit rock bottom when the Tampa Bay Rays came up to Target Field and swept the Twins in a three-game series April 27-28.

It was a series Twins fans would love to forget, but one still forged in the depths of their memory banks.

To refresh with details: Two words, Ben Zobrist.

The Rays utility man had the series of his life. In game one, Zobrist was relatively tame, collecting a two-run triple and a sacrifice fly in five plate appearances - although the triple did set the tone in a four-run first inning. Tampa won 8-2. As for the following day? (a day-night, double-header) Zobrist connected for a home run, two doubles and 8 RBI in a 15-3 Rays win in game one; in the nightcap, he tacked on another home run, double, 3 runs and 2 RBI to spearhead a 6-1 Tampa victory.

In total, Zobrist was 8-for-14 with six runs scored and 13 RBI. Tampa defeated the Twins by a collective score of 29-6.

Minnesota followed the Rays ruination with a pair of losses to Kansas City to finish its first month of 2011 with a 9-17 record.

The frustration had a distinct feeling of a disgust. As poor as the record was, the team's performance was worse, as the Twins flat out stunk.

On May 1, the Twins ranked dead last the American League in pitching (bearing a 4.88 ERA) and nearly last in all of baseball in offense - ranking 29th both with its run production (82) and team batting average (.233).

Only the Padres ranked worse in hitting (.211 average, 77 runs). But at least San Diego had the 3rd-ranked pitching staff in baseball.

The Twins stunk. And things worsened. The Mauer and Nishi injuries, along with the discouraging play from Morneau, were not the only problems. Other key players struggled, too.

Cuddyer, Young and Valencia were horrible at the plate.

Cuddyer, consistently batting fifth or sixth, managed a mere 4 RBI through his first 33 games of the season. Young, who primarily hit sixth, finished May with a .197 batting average, one home run and 5 RBI (very poor, although in fairness to Young - as opposed to Cuddyer - he missed several games with a rib injury). Valencia registered a .211 batting average with only two home runs through his first 95 at-bats.

The two pitchers thought to be the aces of the staff - Liriano (14-10 with a 3.62 ERA last season) and Carl Pavano (17-11, 3.75 ERA in 2010) - were both awful.

Liriano owned a 1-4 record with an abysmal 9.13 ERA after his first five starts. Pavano (who was given a two-year, $16.5 contract in the off-season) posted a lofty 6.64 ERA with a 2-4 record through his first seven starts.

Then there’s Joe Nathan, who, much like Morneau, was also unable to make a successful return from a sidelining injury from last year. The four-time All-Star who is four saves short of becoming Minnesota’s all-time saves leader, blew three of five save opportunities before removing himself from the closer’s role and finishing April with an ERA of 10.00.

Only Span and Kubel were having success. Span had a .300 batting average with 29 runs scored through his first 203 at-bats, while Kubel was having an All-Star caliber start of the season (.310 average, 30 RBI in 200 at-bats).

But two players don’t make a team as the Twins followed its 9-17 April with a 8-19 May.

Mercifully, the team’s struggles seemed to have bottomed out on June 1, when its record reached twenty games below .500 after it was swept three games by Detroit at Comerica Park.

On June 2, the Twins were prescribed with just the right remedy - a four-game series at Kansas City. Visiting a ballpark, Kauffman Stadium, where Minnesota has been perennially dominant (albeit this time coming in more woeful than ever), the Twins did not disappoint.

The Twins swept the Royals to ignite a string of success the team is still riding as they come out of the All-Star break. Okay, they were temporarily deterred with a six-game losing streak in late June, but they were able to recover from it quickly.

How have they managed this turn-a-round?

Well, it’s almost a mystery.

Mauer and Nishi finally returned recently, but neither have posted eye-popping numbers. Morneau (wrist and neck injuries) has not played since June 9. Kubel and Span, the team’s only two solid hitters through April and May, have been out with injuries as well - Kubel (sprained left foot) hasn’t played since May 30, Span (concussion) has been out since June 6.

So how have the Twins gone 24-11 over the past six weeks?

Manager Ron Gardenhire and his staff have carved out a winning ballclub with the likes of Luke Hughes, Trevor Plouffe, Rene Rivera, Ben Revere, Rene Tosoni and Brian Dinkleman.

Okay, Dinkleman only had 14 at-bats, so he did not have much of an impact (I just couldn’t resist mentioning a guy with a name like that). But the rest of this group has had at least 60 at-bats and made clutch contributions that have bred sudden success for a team that, at one point, looked destined for historical shame.

The aforementioned group of players have not put up strong numbers or lit up many scoreboards; but they have complemented a hot stretch of hitting by Casilla (32-for-87 (.368), May 24 - June 17), an impressive offensive resurgence from Cuddyer and a stark turn-a-round from the team’s starting pitchers, to put themselves back into division (and playoff) contention.

It’s been an amazing ride. But can it continue?

The team has relied on clutch hits from inexperienced players and superb pitching performances from its starters to win ballgames for a long time now. But how much longer can this continue?

Players are beginning to return from the disabled list. As mentioned, Mauer and Nishi are back, and they’ve been playing better as of late as well. Thome, who missed time with back and toe issues, has returned. Young was officially re-activated yesterday. Morneau isn’t due to return until mid-August, but Kubel and Span are expected to return shortly.

This return to health should help a little, but the Twins have an awful bullpen and will still require strong contributions by prospects the team was not expecting to promote to the pros this season.

A division title is still possible. Difficult, but possible.

Thinking optimistically, let’s revisit those first month team statistics and rankings. Then compare them to where they're at today.

On May 1, Twins pitchers combined for a 4.88 ERA (which ranked last in the AL, 27th overall). The team’s offense, once again, was the second-worst in MLB in both batting average (.233) and runs (82).

As of today, Twins pitchers have shaved its cumulative ERA to 4.29 (which ranks 13th in the AL, 26th overall). The offense has produced 347 runs (13th AL, 25th overall) and raised its team batting average to .248 (11th AL, 21st overall).

The climb in rankings is not overwhelming; but the statistical (and record) improvement is remarkable, considering where the numbers were in earlier in the season.

It should be noted that the team's offensive upswing has been made without much improvement in power. On May 1, the Twins ranked 29th with 11 home runs. As of today (two and a half months later), the team has hit 55 homers.

Also, the team’s pitching numbers are weighed down significantly by its bullpen - which, at an ERA of 5.01, ranks last in baseball (Detroit is second-worst at 4.68). Thus further enforcing how impressive the starters have been.

Remember Liriano and Pavano’s drastic struggles earlier in the season?

Liriano, who pitched a no-hitter at Chicago on May 3, has still been inconsistent but has shown signs of recapturing his ability to dominate - lowering his ERA from 9.13 (April 27) to 5.06 and improving his record from 1-4 to 5-7. Pavano has improved mightily, re-emerging as one of the team’s most reliable pitchers - sharpening his ERA from 6.64 (May 8) to 4.10 and evening his record at 6-6.

Scott Baker ("Big Spot" Scott) has easily been the team’s steadiest pitcher throughout the season. The 29-year-old righthander is 7-5 with a 3.01 ERA and 104 strikeouts - his ERA and strikeout total rank 10th and 13th, respectively, among AL competition.

Of the newbies, Ben Revere has shined the brightest. Filling in for Span in centerfield, the excitable 23-year-old has made several outstanding catches, batted .275, stolen 11 bases and scored 24 runs. Revere’s downside is his lack of arm strength, but the former Twins 1st-round pick (drafted 28th overall in 2007) is winning over coaches, teammates, and thousands of Twins faithful, with his defense, speed and perpetual smile.

Revere wears jersey No. 11. Hmm, a Twins outfielder who wears #11 on his back and an endless smile on his face. Trigger any memories, Twins fans? (Ahem. Jacque Jones, circa 1999-2005)

Plouffe, who was recalled from AAA Rochester on Wednesday, put up some decent power numbers in his first stint (three home runs, 10 RBI in 58 at-bats) but the shortstop had some defensive issues. The Twins had Plouffe play some other positions at AAA and hope this time around will go a little better for him.

Tosoni, who was sent back to AAA on Wednesday, batted .205, but had two home runs and 10 RBI in 73 big league at-bats. The outfielder also came up with a couple late-inning hits that helped the Twins seal up victories.

Rivera, who split catching duties with Drew Butera when Mauer was out, batted only .181 with one homer and 4 RBI through 72 at-bats. However, despite his lack of offense and inexperience in the pros, the 27-year-old Puerto Rico native showed terrific gumption and leadership with handling Twins pitchers (both the rookies and veterans).

Lastly, but not least, among Minnesota’s new players making an impact this season is Luke Hughes. While he’s not been spectacular (.249, three home runs, 15 RBI in 168 at-bats), like Tosoni, he, too, has come up with some clutch hits. Hughes has also filled a void defensively, playing second base when Nishi was out and first base in place of Morneau.

The contributions by the team’s rookie call-ups aside, the biggest key to the Twins offensive rebirth has unquestionably been Cuddyer. Since about the time Kubel went done with his injury, Cuddyer has risen from his early season woes and carried the team with his bat.

Three solo home runs and four RBI. That’s it. That was Cuddyer’s production as of May 10. The 10-year Twins veteran was admonished in local newspapers and by fans (and rightfully so). But Cuddyer remained confident and upbeat, and he now leads the team with a .298 batting average and 13 home runs, while boosting his RBI total to 43.

Moreover, Cuddyer has achieved his recent success while playing terrific defense at right field, first base and second base. He’s also been a wonderful mentor to the Twins' rookies.

The consistent leadership both on the field and off merited Cuddyer an All-Star selection - the first of his career. And although he saw one pitch and popped out, he was proud to represent his team and the Twins were proud to be represented by him. Also, whereas some of the veteran All-Stars skipped the game due to other plans and the slightest of injuries, Cuddyer was overjoyed with being chosen and soaked up the honor as best as possible.

So bringing the first-half analysis full circle and back to today ... Can the Twins, once 17-37 and left for dead, make the playoffs?

It will definitely be a difficult challenge. But yes, they can.

There are two competitors that are particularly daunting - Detroit and Chicago.

Detroit has a terrific lineup, led by Miguel Cabrera (.311, 18 home runs, 59 RBI), Victor Martinez (.316, 50 RBI) and Jhonny Peralta (.312, 14 homers, 50 RBI). The Tigers also have a bona fide ace in All-Star Justin Verlander, who is 12-4 with a 2.15 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and an ML-best 147 strikeouts.

Chicago, who is currently 5 games behind Detroit, has a stronger overall pitching rotation (led unexpectedly by Twins castoff Phil Humber - 8-5 with a 3.10 ERA). The White Sox also have a power-packed offense, which, with the exception of Paul Konerko (.319, 22 home runs, 67 RBI), has vastly underachieved thus far. Thus, despite the cringing of Twins' fans when hearing Chicago announcer Ken "Hawk" Harrelson make his "He Gone!" call, it's safe to expect the bothersome phrase to be echoed more often throughout the rest of the season.

Cleveland has been great, but there’s no way they can sustain their current success. The Indians have a chance to finish .500, which, all things considered (youth- and talent-wise), would be a positive sign for them. Kansas City has some exciting rookies and a potent offense, but they are still a losing ballclub. The Royals pitching woes trump its solid hitting as the team appears to be destined to finish in last place.

It will be very difficult to surpass Chicago and Detroit, but Minnesota is definitely capable of it.

Below, I’ve outlined some of the keys to a Twins title run:

* The team is getting some key cogs back. Strangely enough, however, the Twins have played its
best when its been the least equipped ... Minnesota cannot expect sustained success from back-ups and call-ups. Veteran staples, such as Mauer, Morneau, Span and Young, will have to be healthy and play well in the final ten weeks of the season.

* As similar with the first point, some of these veterans will have to get on hot streaks, as the
team cannot (nor should not) rely on Cuddyer to continue carrying the them for the remainder of the season.

* Valencia, who has played well in July thus far (batting .349 with 2 home runs and 13 RBI through 11 games), will need to continue to supply more power and play consistent defense at third base.

* Nishioka must continue to progress well. The Japanese import has improved his defense and hitting in recent weeks. Minnesota cannot expect the 26-year-old to have phenomenal success in his first MLB season, but finishing with a .270 batting average and scoring runs at a higher frequency are objectives within his reach.

* The starting rotation must continue to pitch well and go deep into games. Minnesota’s bullpen is shaky and the offense, while it should improve, is unlikely to become a powerhouse.

* Matt Capps, Nathan and Glen Perkins must provide a solid back-end of the bullpen. The middle relief has been awful and its unknown how well it will improve (either via trade or improvements within). Perkins has been a bright spot all season (1.87 ERA, 36 Ks in 33.2 innings) and Nathan has been better of late. Those two will have to keep throwing well and Capps must regain the dominant form that merited him a $7.15, one-year contract this past offseason.

* Players such as Hughes, Plouffe and Revere must continue contribute well. The health and level of play from Twins veterans is not imminent. Three players in particular - Morneau, Span and Thome - all have nagging conditions and injuries, and can not be counted on for consistent production. Thus, the aforementioned rookies will be needed to fill gaps at the first base, designated hitter and outfield positions.

* Minnesota will need to play good defense. This team is unlikely to be the best defensive
team in baseball, but it will need to make the routine plays and be above average overall.

* Lastly, the team will require some good fortune. As mentioned, Detroit and Chicago have top-tier talent likely to play better baseball in the second half of the season. The Twins will have to win 49 of its final 73 games to reach 90 wins. That’s a lot to ask for. It might be possible for the Twins to win the division with a win total in the mid-80s, but whatever the case may be, Minnesota must benefit from some luck to achieve such a win total and/or for the Tigers and White Sox to fall short that many wins.

It’s sure to be an exciting 10 weeks (July 14 - September 28) as three teams (possibly four, if Cleveland can keep winning) battle it out to the end.

The MLB’s unbalanced schedule will add to the excitement, as the majority of the teams’ series with division opponents have yet to be played.

For the Twins, beginning with its game last night against Kansas City, the team plays 45 of its final 73 games against the Indians, Royals, Tigers and White Sox - whereas the team played just 26 divisional games in its first 89 games.

Minnesota will look to start its second half strong as it has a tremendous opportunity to gain significant ground immediately. The Twins, who have won 13 of its past 17 home games, come out of the All-Star break with 12 straight games at Target Field.

The team hosts four-games series with Kansas City (July 14 - 17), Cleveland (July 18 - 20) and Detroit (July 21-24).

**The photos used in this story are (from top to bottom) as follows: Joe Mauer high fives Matt Capps after a July 8 win at Chicago, Mauer congratulates Justin Morneau at a 2010 road game, Carl Pavano fires a pitch in Minnesota's 13-3 opening day loss at Toronto, Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist cracks a three-run bomb against the Twins on April 28 at Target Field, Joe Nathan gets removed from a game at Tampa Bay on April 16, Luke Hughes congratulates Rene Tosoni after a home run May 10 versus Detroit, Reliever Jim Hoey (who posted a 7.71 ERA and 2.14 WHIP before being demoted June 23) exits the mound at a May 14 game versus Toronto, Ben Revere rounds second on a lead-off triple against the Dodgers on June 29, Michael Cuddyer appears at the July 12 All-Star Game in Arizona with his son, Detroit pitcher Justin Verlander, Chicago first baseman Paul Konerko, Valencia slugs a home run in Minnesota's 9-7 win over Milwaukee on July 3, Perkins delivers a pitch in the May 14 defeat of Toronto, Young crushes a double in an 8-4 Twins' victory over the Royals on July 14.

McKracken, Rocks survive steam bath for 5-0 win at Lakeville

2011-07-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

It was an absolute scorcher at Lakeville South High School yesterday afternoon, as the Athletics hosted the Minneapolis Rocks.

The hot, humid, sweat-drenching weather was wearisome for both teams, but Minneapolis was able to labor the conditions better than Lakeville. In a game that lasted less than two hours, pitcher Kyle McKracken breezed through the Athletics lineup and led the Rocks to a 5-0 win.

"[I had] good command today,” McKracken said. “I didn’t feel like I had a lot of velocity, but I just tried to work off my off-speed pitches and throw the fastball enough to make the off-speed effective.”

“I tried to keep my pitch count low, too, because it was so hot,” he said. “So I tried to keep my team off the field as much as possible.”

McKracken worked quickly and faced just two batters over the minimum through seven shutout innings (including retiring his last 10 batters). However, partially due to heat exhaustion, he gave way to Rocks reliever Kirby Morsching, who sealed the victory with a pair of perfect innings to end the game.

Offensively, Minneapolis was led by its spark plug shortstop, Tim Churchill, who played spotless defense and was 4-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored.

Churchill had two singles, a double, a triple and two steals for the game.

“I’ve come off a couple games where I hit the ball hard but [hit it] right at people, so I think it was kind of my day today where the ball was falling.”

The game began with Mark Berger on the bump for Lakeville.

Berger made it through the first inning okay. He encountered some struggles in the second, but combined with leftfielder Eric Watts for a nice defensive play to escape danger without allowing a run.

Minneapolis’ Paul Bissonette led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a stolen base. Berger retired the next two batters before Rocks third baseman Mark Bearmon slapped a single to left that appeared it could drive in Bissonette. However, Watts came up with a cannon shot toward home, which Berger cut off in front of the plate, threw to first and caught Bearmon retreating to the base.

The game remained scoreless momentarily, but the Rocks broke through in the third.

Morsching began the damage with a lead-off double to deep right. Two batters later, Churchill drove him in with a solid single to right. Berger struck out Rocks first baseman Luke Sather for the second out. However, Churchill swiped second base during the at-bat and came in to score as Aaron Larson followed with a bloop a single to right.

Up 2-0, the Rocks would tack on two more in the fifth. Berger retired Ryan Sele on a fly to right, but then came up that pesky Rocks shortstop again. It was in this at-bat where Churchill really powered up, pounding the hardest hit ball of the day. He found a Berger offering to his liking and smashed it to deep left-center, pegging the fence on one hop for a booming double.

“It felt good,” Churchill said. “It was a slider that started in and broke over the middle of the plate. I knew [Berger] was coming slider after he threw a first pitch fastball, because it was the first fastball I saw all day.”

Sather followed Churchill’s blast with a walk. The two then executed a double steal, but Lakeville catcher Brent Johnson made an errant throw to second as well. Johnson’s throw was late and in the dirt, but his error could be shared by Athletics shortstop Eddie Golom and second baseman Nick Daniels as well, as the ball trickled by them and allowed Churchill to scamper home and give Minneapolis a 3-0 lead.

Another Lakeville error allowed a fourth Rocks run to score. Berger allowed another single to Bearmon to put two runners on, but he was then able to retire Cousins to bring the inning and his outing to a close.

John Degerness came in to pitch in relief and had some success against the Rocks. The sidewinder kept the Rocks in check, pitching scoreless sixth and seventh innings.

On the other side, however, the Athletics batters could not crack McKracken. The Rocks starter continued to leave the Lakeville in the lurch, retiring 14 of the final 15 hitters he faced.

Minneapolis (13-12-1) prevailed with the victory as the Rocks tandem of McKracken and Churchill - who also played with each other for four years at Bethel University - was too much for the Athletics to handle.

The loss followed Lakeville’s 14-1 loss against Eagan on Saturday.

Degerness was not happy with his team’s hitting effort but took some solace in his team’s defense - which made several plays and committed two errors yesterday, compared with its lackluster, five-error performance Saturday.

“It wasn’t as bad of a loss in that we didn’t beat ourselves today,” Degerness said. “We played solid defense out there and they earned what the got.”

Lakeville (4-13) returns to action on Wednesday, as the team heads to Elko for a 7:30 p.m. contest against the Express.

**I was the public announcer for this game. I couldn't take in-game photos, but took a pair of post-game shots for the story. The photos, in order, are of two of the game's star players - Minneapolis starting pitcher Kyle McKracken and Minneapolis shortstop Tim Churchill.

**Notable individual efforts
MINNEAPOLIS ROCKS
SP Kyle McKracken: 7 IP, 3 Ks, 1 BB, 2 Hs, 0 Rs
SS Tim Churchill: 4-for-4, 3B, 2B, 2 1Bs, BB, 2 SBs, RBI, 3 Rs
3B Mark Bearman: 2-for-3, SB
2B-RP Kirby Morsching: 1-for-2, 2B, R ... 2 IP, 2 Ks, o Hs, 0 Rs

LAKEVILLE ATHLETICS
CF-RP John Degerness: 1-for-3 ... 2 IP, 2 Ks, BB, H, 0 Rs

Eagan pounds Lakeville in reversal of fortune

2011-07-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

Just ten days after the Lakeville Athletics routed the Eagan Bandits at Goat Hill Park, the Bandits moseyed in onto Lakeville’s home turf yesterday and returned the favor.

Eagan pitcher Matt Johnson started the June 29 game and was hammered from the get-go - allowing four first inning runs in a 16-8 loss. Johnson made the start again as the two teams met yesterday, only this time he pitched seven shutout innings and his Bandits trounced the Athletics 14-1.

“I don’t know, I just didn’t have it [last week],” Johnson said of his previous performance against Lakeville. “I think what it comes down to today is they were hitting right at some guys and we were playing better defense than last time.”

“[Also] I was locating it a bit better today, so that helped; and my curveball was sharper today,” he added.

The Athletics tallied 20 hits in its win at Eagan. Yesterday, Johnson held Lakeville to a mere two hits. Conversely, five Bandits batters achieved multiple-hit days to lead its team’s offense.

The Bandits jumped out of the gates early with four first inning hits and three runs.

Lakeville starter Jeff Farr allowed a single to Eagan’s Tony Johnson. The next batter sacrificed himself to get Johnson to second, but Farr threw wildly to set up runners on second and third with no outs.

The error proved costly as Eagan catcher Trent Anderson followed with a solid drive to center for a two-run single. As it turned out, just three batters into the game, Eagan had all it needed to emerge with the victory.

The Farr error would be the first of five on the day for Lakeville. The team also botched a rundown in the third inning.

Farr had Eagan’s Paul Hallgren picked off first base, but as the Athletics infielders played catch with one another the Bandits’ Adam Carl came in to score. What could have been a three-run deficit was instead a 5-0 hole thanks to the errant play by Lakeville’s defense.

Two innings later, Eagan’s Derek Dietrich crushed an RBI-double to right-center. Two batters later, Joe Eiden singled to center to drive in another run.

There were also control issues with Farr, who finished his day after six innings with a line of 11 hits and four walks allowed, surrendering seven runs (six earned). Athletics relief pitcher Ben Elliot had an even rougher outing.

Following a Dietrich walk in the seventh, Hallgren pelted an Elliot offering deep to left center, hitting the fence on one hop for an RBI double.

“When you come out and you’re up by a few runs, you can relax and try to put a good swing on the ball,” Hallgren said. “[Elliot] grooved me a nice pitch and I put a good swing on it.”

If Eagan’s lead wasn’t already strong enough, Hallgren’s blast all but ensured defeat as the Bandits increased its lead to a commanding 8-0 advantage.

“He’s been coming around really well for us,” Johnson said of his leftfielder, Hallgren, who finished with three hits and two RBI.

“[Hallgren’s] had a couple clutch hits for us these last few games,” Johnson said. “He works hard everyday, he’s always one of the first guys out here ... So it’s good to see him coming around and getting some extra-base hits for us.”

Hallgren was one of three Bandits hitters with three hits as Eagan amassed 15 hits in total.

It was a disastrous final frame for Lakeville, as the Bandits padded its lead with six runs on two hits in the ninth.

The Athletics defense committed two errors to begin the inning. Elliot could not find his control from there, walking three straight batters. A pair of hits and another Lakeville error enabled Eagan to score its final three runs as the Bandits sent 11 batters to the plate before a fielder’s choice mercifully quelled any further damage.

Blocking several balls in the dirt and scrambling after wild pitches, it was a hard day’s work for Lakeville catcher Kevin George.

“It’s brutal anytime when you spend a long time in the field and not a long time on the bench,” Geroge said. “Without stringing any hits together [on offense] and [making] a lot of errors in the field, it’s not a winning combination.”

The two hits Lakeville achieved were a solid single to left by Eddie Golom in the third and an infield hit for Mark Berger in the seventh. Although it could be said that George hit the ball the hardest for his team’s offense yesterday.

The Lakeville cleanup hitter finished his day 0-for-4, but hit the ball on the screws for a liner to center in the second and pounded a pitch from Eagan’s Neil Kunic in the eighth. With the bases loaded, George absolutely crushed a line drive toward the right field line. However, Bandits rightfielder Dietrich made an outstanding running catch.

“I was thinking triple off the bat, but the guy made a nice play,” George said. “It’s tough to see that get caught, but that was the way the whole day went. Everything we hit hard was right at someone and everything they hit found a way to drop in.”

Dietrich’s web gem robbed George of extra bases and likely three RBI. Kunic, who also struggled with control, hit Lakeville’s next batter - John Degerness - to score the Athletics lone run.

All in all, it was a fantastic game for the Bandits and a dreadful day for Lakeville.

The Athletics look forward to quickly turning the page as the team welcomes the Minneapolis Rocks to its Lakeville South home field today at 5:00.

**I was both the public announcer (PA) and scoreboard operator for the game, thus was unable take in-game photos. The photos displayed in the story (from top-to-bottom) are of Eagan's Matt Johnson and Paul Hallgren, and Lakeville's Kevin George. Johnson and Hallgren were two of Eagan's top performers. Despite going hit-less for the game, George played well in defeat and offered to be his team's spokesperson afterward.

**Notable individual efforts:
EAGAN BANDITS
SP Matt Johnson: W, 7 IP, 2 H, 6 Ks, BB
CF Tony Johnson: 3-for-5, 3 1Bs, R
C Trent Anderson: 2-for-5, 2B, 1B, BB, 2 RBI, 3 Rs
1B Ryan Sward: 3-for-5, 3 1Bs, BB, RBI, 2 Rs
LF Paul Hallgren: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 1Bs, BB, 2 RBI, R

LAKEVILLE ATHLETICS
SS Eddie Golom: 1-for-4, 1B, HBP, R

Hauck’s pitching, offensive outburst lead Lakeville to victory

2011-06-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

It’s been a rough go thus far for the Lakeville Athletics this season. The team entered June having been rained out three times and losing all four of the games they did play.

On Saturday, the team welcomed near-perfect, low 80s, sunny weather and a winless Rosemount team to its Lakville South home field. But while the climate improved, Lakeville’s gloomy trend did not, as the Black Sox defeated the Athletics 11-6.

On Sunday, however, the sixth time was the charm for Lakeville. Two-time Cannon Valley League All-Star Jake Hauck threw six strong innings and the Athletics broke out the bats for 13 hits in achieving its first win of the season, defusing the Westside Bombers 9-2.

“I’m just really getting back into the swing of baseball, these college guys got a leg up with the season they play,” the veteran, 29-year-old Hauck said. “It was good, I just got out there and threw strikes today and once our bats get going like they did today, it takes the pressure off me.”

Hauck was a craftsmen on the mound. The wily righthander carved up seven Bombers batters, including four of whom went down looking.

“We were inconsistent [today], starting at the plate,” Westside manager David McDonald said of his Eden Prairie-based ballclub. “The effort was good, but we need to make the plays in the field and swing the bat; too many strikeouts looking.”

The at-bat that seemed to epitomize Hauck’s day came in the fourth inning.

Westside’s Blake Carlson was at the plate, hoping to drive in Bryan Szmergalski (who was at third base) for the team’s first run. With two outs and a two-strike, one-ball count, Carlson fouled off a hard fastball on the outer side of the plate to keep his at-bat alive. Carlson took the next pitch for ball two. The next pitch was pure filth, as Hauck threw a nasty slider to stun Carlson for strike three.

The pitch started well off of the plate as it came toward the right-handed Carlson, who reacted by backing away from the plate. But before he knew it, the ball darted inward, found the edge of the strike zone and the umpire called strike three. It left Carlson to pause for a moment, as a “did that just happen” look came upon his face.

“It’s my slider that I was throwing today,” Hauck said, regarding his strikeout performance. “I don’t throw as hard as I used to, but when I got the slider and I can throw it for strikes, I feel pretty good about it.”

Hauck’s performance came on the heels of a rough outing Wednesday, May 25 at Elko - in a game Hauck was tabbed as the starter but felt he couldn't make it due to tightness in his throwing arm. Despite the pain, he entered that game as a reliever; and he struggled mightily, allowing walks to his first four batters as part of an 8-0 loss to the Express.

Thus Sunday was a welcomed sight for both him and the team.

Hauck was healthy and threw very well. The defense played error-free baseball behind him. And, offensively, nine different Athletics recorded hits as part of a season-high nine runs scored.

“Everyone was hitting today,” shortstop Max Shower said. “A lot of hits. Lots of hits. It was a good day at the ballpark.”

Shower led the Lakeville bats with three hits on the day. The Athletics lead-off hitter manufactured and scored the game’s first run - hitting a chopper up the middle for an infield hit, and swiping both second and third base before scoring on a bloop single to left. Shower later contributed two more singles, drew a walk and scored two more runs.

In the second inning, the Athletics wore down Westside starting pitcher Justin Ruud, making 11 plate appearances and scoring six runs.

Derek Hahn began the barrage by pounding a Ruud offering to deep right field for a double.

The next two Athletics batters benefited from a pair of errors. Westside shortstop Travis Zenda fielded a routine ground ball and airmailed it over his first baseman’s head to allow Mark Berger to reach base. Zenda’s gaffe was followed by Bombers second baseman Jason Thompson on the next play as he dropped a can of corn in shallow right to allow Jeff Farr to reach base and Hahn to score.

Ruud retired his next batter, Eric Watts, on a fly ball to left that should have ended the inning. Instead, the Athletics took advantage of the Bombers' gaffes and Watts was able to earn an RBI with Berger scoring on the play.

Ruud then began to break down - as is often the case when a pitcher’s defense gives the opposition extra outs. The Westside hurler beaned Lakeville’s No. 9 hitter, Justin Hahn, and walked Shower.

Then came the killer blow of the inning. With the bases loaded, Athletics third baseman Eddie Golom pounded a Ruud offering deep into the left-center gap to score three runs.

Lakeville scored one more run (a single to right by Kevin George scored Golom), before Ruud was able to retire Derek Hahn and Berger to end the inning.

All in all, the Athletics put up a 6-spot in the second, giving Hauck a comfortable lead.

Hauck stayed in his groove, finishing his fine outing with the seven strikeouts, one walk and three hits allowed (all singles).

John Degerness pitched the seventh and eighth, allowing three hits and a run.

Collin Baker - who initially entered the game at first base in place of Josh Storm - finished the game on the mound, but not before he supplied one final firework for the Lakeville offense.

Combined with his substitute performance in Saturday’s game, Baker had a strikeout, reached on an error and was beaned twice - including in the sixth inning Sunday by Westside reliever Geno Larkin.

In the eighth, Baker faced Larkin again. This time, the hefty righthander delivered him a pair of fastballs. Baker swung wildly at the first one, but he got the best of Larkin on the second.

“Both [pitches] were straight down the middle in pretty much the same spot," Baker said. "The first one, I was in front of it and took a chop at it. So [on] that next swing, I sat back and let ‘er rip.”

Baker silenced the crowd with an absolute rocket to left, pelting the fence about a foot short leaving the park. In fact, several spectators - himself included - thought it was a homer.

“Yeah, I definitely probably should have been running a lot harder rounding first base,” Baker said, admitting he thought he knocked it out.

Instead of a homer, Baker ended up loafing into second with a double. The shot was pretty impressive nonetheless. The contact sounded like it hit the sweet spot squarely. In fact, without a brisk breeze that was blowing in from left field it most likely would have left the yard.

In any regard, Baker put a very nice swing on it. Especially considering the stark contrast compared to his swing on the first pitch, as well as some swings he took against Rosemount on Saturday. Baker had all the good reason to be pleased with his effort.

“It felt nice smoothing out the bat,” Baker said. “ That was a nice swing. I hadn’t swung in awhile so I’m glad to get my first hit.”

Baker said he’s primarily been a pitcher and hadn’t swung the bat much recently. So it was quite the way for him to get his first hit of the season.

Besides the first hit, Baker’s ninth-inning pitching appearance was the first time he’s taken the mound for the Athletics this season.

He allowed one hit, one walk and no runs in one inning of work. He also had two strikeouts.

Overall, Baker said he was happy with his first outing but also hopes to sharpen his skills as the season moves forward. Moreover, he’s happy with the team’s performance and how competitive the Athletics are capable of being.

“It looks like [with] that lineup we had tonight, and with that infield [defense], we could be pretty tough,” he said.

The Athletics travel to Rochester tonight for its next contest. Lakeville then returns to conference play on Saturday, with a home game against the Eagan Bandits.

**I was the PA for this game, the writer of this recap story and photographer of the three post-game photos.
**The game photos were contributed by Tim Watts
**Descriptions of the photos from top-to-bottom are as follows: Lakeville starting pitcher Jake Hauck, Hauck pitching, Lakeville shortstop Max Shower, Lakeville first baseman and relief pitcher Collin Baker, Baker pitching.

Miscues abound as Rosemount outlasts Lakeville for five-run win

2011-06-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful, sun-soaked Saturday evening at Lakeville South High School.

For the Lakeville Athletics, however, its home field offered little advantage, as the team fumbled a few plays on defense, missed the plate on the mound and showed little punch at the plate in losing to Rosemount by a final score of 11-6.

The visiting Black Sox accomplished its double-digit score on nine hits. Rosemount batters posted only six RBI, as Lakeville errors and wild pitches accounted for its other runs.

The first three innings of the game went quickly and crisply.

Lakeville starter Jeff Farr allowed one hit and one walk while facing the minimum nine hitters. The Black Sox’ Michael Robohm yielded a single and a pair of walks in allowing no Athletics to touch home plate.

Then things became ugly.

In the top of the fourth inning, Rosemount’s Andy Schwantes led off with a single and Ben Lemke followed with a walk. Then a wild pitch allowed the each runner to advance. This set the stage for Corky Adams, who cashed in with a two-run single to left.

The Black Sox cleanup hitter, Jason Kirschman, followed Adams with a base knock to drive in a third run; a groundout produced a fourth run, then an error by Athletics shortstop Max Shower enabled a fifth Rosemount run to score.

Down 5-0 with only one out at this point, Farr mercifully struck out the next two batters to mitigate any further damage.

In the bottom of the fourth, Lakeville fought back with two runs of its own.

Robohm retired the first two Athletics batters, before Derek Hahn drew a walk to keep the inning alive. Robohm then plunked John Degerness and walked Brent Johnson to load up the bases.

Next up was left fielder Eric Watts, who had hit into a fielder’s choice with a runner in scoring position and two outs his first time up. This time Watts delivered. The fourth-year Athletics veteran found a pitch to his liking and drilled it down the third base line to drive in two runs.

Robohm was able get Shower on a ground out to end the rally, but the Athletics showed some spark in cutting Rosemount’s lead to three.

Unfortunately, for Lakeville, its two runs were nullified almost immediately, as another error and two wild pitches led to two Black Sox run in the top of the fifth inning.

Schwantes started the inning with a sharp grounder to Lakeville’s Collin Baker at third. Baker was unable to get in front of the ball as it ricocheted off his body and trickled away to his left, allowing Schwantes to reach base on the error. The next Black Sox batter, Ben Lemke, followed with a grounder to second that ate up Lakeville’s Nick Daniels. Instead of charging the ball, Daniels chose to sit back on it. The ball then took an awkward bounce and deflected off his wrist and chin as Lemke was awarded an infield single.

After suffering some poor luck with a pair of seemingly routine ground ball outs, things only became worse for Farr. He allowed a walk to his next batter and was suddenly forced to face Kirschman with the bases loaded and nobody out.

Farr flung a wild pitch to allow Schwantes to score and the other two runners to advance. The righthander then regained his composure as he was able get Kirschman to hit a ground ball. The he ball was hit directly at Baker, who once again had difficulties gloving the ball; but this time Baker kept the ball in front of him and was able to make a strong throw home in an attempt to prevent another run from scoring. His throw was off to the right of the plate, but catcher Kevin George made an outstanding grab, swipe and tag to retire Lemke.

The team was saved from a run, temporarily, but Farr soon unleashed another wild pitch that allowed Adams to score. Farr retired the following two hitters to get out of the inning, but the Black Sox regained its five-run lead at 7-2.

Farr’s day was complete as Andrew Yetzer replaced him to begin the sixth inning. However, the lefty did not fare much better, as he lost control of a few pitches as well.

Yetzer pitched a scoreless sixth inning, but he was not so fortunate in the seventh. He surrendered a lead-off double to Adams, issued a walk to Kirschman and would later allow both Black Sox to come home on wild pitches.

Down 9-2, the downtrodden Athletics fought back again, scoring a pair of runs in both the seventh and eighth innings. Lakeville was aided by Rosemount errors for two of the runs, while Mark Berger and Justin Hahn collected RBI for the other two.

The home team had crept back to within three, but it was too little, too late. The Black Sox countered with two runs in the ninth and sealed up a five-run victory.

For Rosemount, the win was the team’s first of the season - improving its record to 1-6.

Lakeville (0-5) dropped its fifth straight decision, as the team remains in search of its first win of the young season.

**I was the PA for this game and the writer of this game recap story
**Tim Watts provided the photographs. Descriptions of the photos from top-to-bottom are as follows: (Within story) Lakeville starting pitcher Jeff Farr delivering a pitch, Lakeville leftfielder Eric Watts digging in at the plate before delivering a double in the fourth, Andrew Yetzer delivering a pitch, (Below story) Lakeville catcher Kyle George connects for a double in the seventh inning, the home plate umpire rules Lakeville first baseman Josh Storm out as Rosemount catcher Matt Foley springs up after his tag on Storm.

Joyous Jo-Jo achieves memorable Memorial Day win

2011-05-31T10:49:00.000-07:00

In a battle to defeat an embarrassing impression on Major League Baseball history, Toronto’s Jo- Jo Reyes was able to avoid a dishonorable distinction by earning a victory yesterday.

“This night belongs to Jo-Jo," Blue Jays manager John Farrell said of his starting pitcher’s effort in Toronto’s 11-1 win over Cleveland yesterday (according to an Associated Press article). "Just an outstanding game on his part."

At approximately 7:07 (ET), Reyes delivered ball one to Cleveland’s Michael Brantley in pursuit of his first victory since June 13, 2008. Yesterday, not only did he win, Reyes was able to fill his victory vacancy with a complete-game gem.

"It was just an awesome game," a smiling Reyes said regarding his performance (according to the AP article). "I guess this was the way to do it if I had to choose."

The 2004, 2nd-round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves scattered eight hits through 121 pitches in avoiding ignominy with a memorable Memorial Day win at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

Reyes’ victory was long overdue to say the least. The 26-year-old entered yesterday’s game having been winless in his previous 28 starts. The streak had put Reyes in a three-way tie for the longest string of starts without a win in MLB history - Oakland’s Matt Keough (1978-1979) and Boston’s Cliff Curtis (1910-1911).

So while the lefthanded hurler will still very likely never live down his name’s link as the answer to a bar trivia question, Reyes can breathe a big sigh of relief.

Thousands of Blue Jays fans and Reyes’ Blue Jays teammates could say the same.

With all eyes upon were upon him, the crowd of nearly 13,000 chanted “Jo-Jo, Jo-Jo” as Reyes struck out Indians third baseman Jack Hannahan to end the game.

“Even before the game a few fans were chanting ‘We believe’ and it was awesome to have that support,” Reyes said (as stated in a Toronto Sun story).

"The whole pitching staff is happy for him," teammate and staff ace Ricky Romero said (in the AP article). "I was one of the first guys [to reach the mound]. He was kind of serious when I first went out there. I was like 'Hey man, you can smile now, it's over.' I gave him a big hug."

While a miserable streak of 28 consecutive starts without a victory undoubtedly requires some poor performances, a great deal of bad luck is also necessary.

Reyes’ record in those 28 starts was 0-13 with a 6.59 ERA - extremely poor numbers where MLB standards are concerned. To Reyes’ credit, however, Major League managers saw enough flashes of talent in the southpaw to merit him starting mound honors despite the lack of results.

Some recent examples of games where Reyes displayed his pitching prowess came May 3 in Tampa Bay and May 23 versus Houston.

Against the Rays, Reyes allowed four hits and one earned run, leaving the game after the sixth inning with the Jays up 2-1. Toronto took that lead into the ninth before a two-run homer by B.J. Upton off Jon Rauch spoiled Reyes’ efforts as Tampa walked-off with the 3-2 victory.

The Houston game was worse. Reyes was brilliant against the Astros, allowing five hits (all singles) and no runs in seven scoreless innings. Toronto had a 2-0 lead entering the eighth before Hunter Pence shattered Reyes’ shutout effort with a two-run double, which was followed up with three more runs in the ninth to seal a 5-2 Astros win.

Thankfully, for Reyes, his team gave him plenty of run support in the win yesterday.

As superstitious as many baseball players are, it’s curious to wonder whether or not in Reyes’ future starts he will request wearing the specialized hats MLB players sported in yesterday’s Memorial Day action? Or perhaps the fifth-year pitcher will choose to pretend the United States holiday occurs everyday he takes the mound from this day forward?

Maybe it’s best for Reyes to simply continue pitching the way he has and hope for better luck to come in terms of wins. After all, despite the dismal 0-13 record and mid-6.00 ERA in his winless stretch, his performance yesterday puts him at 1-4 for the season with a respectable 4.15 ERA.

Now that he’s shaken his loss-stricken stigma, perhaps the win will propel Reyes to several more victories as his 2011 season rolls on.

2011 MLB Predictions

2011-03-31T06:38:00.000-07:00

** Note: I posted the record predictions prior to the MLB opener. The notes and pictures were posted at a later date.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

AL East
Boston [97 - 65] ----
* NY Yankees [92 - 70] 5 GB
Baltimore [84 - 78] 13 GB
Toronto [81- 81] 16 GB
Tampa Bay [76 - 86] 21 GB

Notes: Boston will not only win
the East, the Red Sox will reign over all of Major League Baseball. How are the Sox, offensively? Terrific. With Carl Crawford and Adrien Gonzalez added to Youkilis, Big Papi and a healthy Pedroia, the Sox are armed and very dangerous. As for pitching? Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz will continue the dominance they established last year. Beckett and Lackey bounce back from subpar seasons and Papelbon, if healthy, will be a solid closer - if not, the team has two strong back-up options in Josh Bard and Bobby Jenks ... The Yankees will have its pitching struggles this year. New York can always rely upon one of the best aces in baseball in C.C. Sabathia. After that, however, things get a little shaky. Phil Hughes could be a solid No. 2 and Burnett has to be better this year (He can’t be any worse than last year. Can he?). The Pinstripes offense - as always - will be one of baseball’s best. Teixeira, A-Rod and Robbie Cano anchor the team’s power-packed, high-octane batting lineup ... Baltimore has improved its offense from last season. However, the team’s pitching has yet to garner much success and will have a slim improvement (from last year) at best. Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman are keys for the staff’s success (Matusz, MLB’s No. 4 overall draft pick in 2008, Tillman a second round pick in ’06) ... Toronto has a solid offense, but the team lost Vernon Wells and it’s highly unlikely Jose Bautista replicates his performance last year. The Blue Jays pitching will be woeful. Outside of Ricky Romero, the Jays are a potpourri of unprovens and journeymen ... Tampa Bay finishes its 2011 season in its division basement this year. Evan Longoria will be the team’s only reliable bat, as Johnny Damon and Manny (“being Manny”) Ramirez will prove to be poor acquisitions. As for the Rays pitching rotation? David Price is a worthy ace, but the talent drops off considerably from there. Youngsters Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson will need to come up huge if Tampa hopes to be competitive.

AL Central
Minnesota [90 - 72] ----
CHI White Sox [88 - 74] 2 GB
Detroit [82 - 80] 8 GB
Kansas City [78 - 84] 12 GB
Cleveland [72 - 85] 18 GB

Notes: Unlike Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse (who predicts Chicago to win this division handily) I’m going to take Minnesota to win the AL Central by two games. Maybe I’m looking through my rose-colored Twins glasses, but I believe the Twins offense will be more than formidable - granted Mauer and Morneau perform to their capabilities. The Twins pitching is a little sketchy, but should be solid. Can Carl Pavano replicate his terrific 2010 season and can Liriano finally become that dangerous ace the Twins are in desperate need of? Those will be major keys to the team’s 2011 success ... While I like the Twins, Reusse has good reason to pick the White Sox as his Central champ. Chicago has added “Country Strong” slugger Adam Dunn to supplement an already potent offensive arsenal. The team’s pitching rotation is very good with the potential to be great. The Sox lack of speed could prove to be the team’s downfall in its competition with Minnesota this year ... Led by ancient sage Jim Leyland, Detroit should have a solid squad once again. However, there’s just not enough punch in either its pitching, offense or defense to post more victories that Minnesota or Chicago. Miguel Cabrera, the team’s 27-year-old All Star (who seems like he’s 35 with how many years he’s played), will rest-assured have another awesome year - even despite his offseason transgressions. Newcomer Victor Martinez will provide some pep as well, but after those two there’s really nobody else in the team's lineup that puts any fright into opposing pitchers’ psyches. Pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer will keep the team competitive, but the Tigers finish third this year ... Good ol' Kansas City, the team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2003. Can the Royals finally be a winning ballclub again? No. However, this KC team will be a much improved club over its 2010 team that finished 67-95 ... In the Central rear is Cleveland, who has little reason to be hopeful this season. Sure, the team has some great prospects (i.e. catcher Carlos Santana); but it’s funny how that phrase always equates with a load of losses. Unless Grady Sizemore is healthy and both he and Travis Hafner relive their glory days, Indians fans can look forward to watching a handful of position players and pitchers who could be good in the future.

AL West
Texas [87 - 75] ----
LA Angels[ 85 - 77] 2 GB
Oakland [80 - 82] 7 GB
Seattle [ 70 - 92 ] 17 GB

Notes: Texas is poised for another postseason chase. There have been a couple changes to its roster, but the ballclub still boasts a cast of highly-talented offensive employees. Back to full strength, Ian Kinsler returns to a strong Rangers lineup 1-through-9. Kinsler, added with Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz, will form arguably thee most talented offensive trio in baseball. Catcher / first baseman Mike Napoli, veterans Adrian Beltre and Michael Young will also support this Texas batting barrage. Rangers pitching is fairly average; but with that fabulous bat attack, average arms might be all they need to win the West ... Los Angeles, which unfortunately are still officially labeled the “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim,” will be the Rangers' top division competitor this season. This Angels team will be sneaky-good, with having a lack of household names but a lot of talent. Even with its mighty first baseman’s (Kendry Morales) health in question, the Halos core of veterans Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells stabilize a solid batting lineup. Relative unknowns Erick Aybar, Alberto Callaspo and Maicer Izturis provide good defensive and underrated offense. The team’s pitching staff is led by Dan Haren and Jered Weaver - two unflashy, quietly composed hurlers who continue to lull opposing hitters into strikeouts ... Finishing in third place is Oakland, who continues to produce high-caliber pitchers each and every year. Despite its offensive deficiencies, the Athletics have a lot of hope with its young pitching talent. This year’s crop features 23-year-olds Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson, 25-year-old Gio Gonzalez, and 27-year-olds Dallas Braden and Brandon McCarthy ... Lastly, sorry Mariners fans. Enjoy watching your team compete every five games - when ace Felix Hernandez takes the mound. Because when King Felix is not on the mound, baseball is very sleepy in Seattle.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NL East
Atlanta [92 - 70] ----
* Philadelphia [91 - 71] 1 GB
Florida [84 - 78] 8 GB
Washington [79 - 83] 13 GB
NY Mets [74 - 88] 18 GB

Notes: Surprise, surprise, all you Philly fans. This year’s NL East belongs to Atlanta. The Braves pitching is not as good as Philadelphia’s, but it's still pretty good. Savvy veterans Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe lead a group of highly talented youthful Braves pitchers in forming a more than serviceable staff. The Chop Shop is very stout on the offensive side as well. Martin Prado at lead-off and a 3-through-6 of Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Dan Uggla and Jason Heyward provide the team with a fearsome collection of bats. First-year manager Fredi Gonzalez successfully carries the torch passed on to him by longtime Braves skipper Bobby Cox ... Okay, okay. Relax, Phanatics of Philadelphia. While the Bravos overtake you for division honors, your squad still makes the playoffs and also has the better shot at winning the NL pennant and World Series. The Four Horsemen of superstar pitching - H²OL (Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee) - will live up to its highly ballyhooed expectations. However, the team’s offense will not be as productive as many may think. Ryan Howard is healthy and will have another tremendous season. The Phillies peripheral batting talent, however, is not very strong. Chase Utley is a huge question mark (with his knee injury), J-Roll (Jimmy Rollins) has appeared to have faded the past couple seasons and slugger Jason Werth has departed for D.C. ... Led by its stellar ace pitcher, Josh Johnson, the Marlins will finish seven games behind Philadelphia in third place. Flanking Johnson in the team’s rotation is veteran hurler Javier Vazquez and a surging young trio of Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez and Chris Volstad. Pitching will be this team’s strength, but Florida should have a formidable offense as well. Centered around superstar shortstop Hanley Ramirez, the Fish lineup also includes veteran catcher John Buck and a handful of rising talents (i.e. Logan Morrison, Gaby Sanchez and Mike Stanton). The progression of its youth will be Florida’s key in having a winning ballclub this season ... Next up are the 2011 Nationals, who, in its seventh season (since the franchise’s relocation from Montreal) are hoping to become the franchise’s first winning ballclub. Can it happen? Sorry, Nats fans. Close, but no cigar. Ryan Zimmerman plays a mean third base and swings the bat well, and Washington’s prized acquisition, Jayson Werth, also provides a lot of offensive punch; but the Nationals’ surrounding talent - both offensive and pitching - are not enough to make D.C. a winner ... Finishing a few notches below the Nats are the last place Mets. New York has some nice talent in its left side infield tandem of Jose Reyes and David Wright, but there’s not a whole lot to speak of outside of them. Johan Santana isn’t likely to return from his shoulder injury until at least mid-season. Five-time All Star Carlos Beltran is supposed to be healthy this season, but his production can not be counted on.

NL Central
Milwaukee [90 - 72] ----
Cincinnati [87 - 75] 3 GB
St. Louis [83-79] 7 GB
CHI Cubs [ 81 - 81] 9 GB
Houston [78 - 84] 10 GB
Pittsburgh [69- 93] 21 GB

Notes: Despite Milwaukee and Cincinnati both having injury problems, those two teams will still be the ones duking it out for first place in NL Central this year. In the end, the Brewers prevail. Both teams’ offenses are very dangerous, but the Beer Makers pitching is slightly better than Dusty Baker’s Reds. Joining budding star Yovani Gallardo in the Brew Crew rotation this year is Cy Young award winner Zach Greinke (from Kansas City) and Toronto’s Shawn Marcum (a 13-gamer winner last season). Add wily veteran Randy Wolf into the mix and that’s a very formidable rotation. Milwaukee’s offense - featuring Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Corey Hart - may be the NL’s best ... The Reds will certainly battle the Brewers ‘til the end. But, as opposed to last season, Cincy will come up a tad short. The tandem of Reds first baseman Joey Votto (arguably MLB’s breakthrough player of the year last year) and rising talent Jay Bruce are poised to punish opposing pitchers this season. Surrounding Votto and Bruce in the team’s lethal lineup are Scott Rolen, Brandon Phillips, Drew Stubbs and Jonny Gomes. The offense is potent, but Cincinnati's pitching staff is mediocre-at-best. The health and effectiveness of the Edinson Volquez and the evolution of Aroldis Chapman will be the big keys for the Reds pitching success ... The loss of ace Adam Wainwright greatly dooms St. Louis this season. Having another ace (Chris Carpenter) helps, but the rest of the Cardinals are not good enough to carry them to back to division supremacy. The team’s offense - led by Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday - will definitely score its share of runs, but it will not be good enough to propel the Cards past Milwaukee or Cincinnati ... The Cubs, America’s lovable losers, will not make the playoffs this season. However, Chicago should improve from its 75-win 2010. Offense will have to carry the Cubbies, as the team’s pitching is very suspect. A balanced lineup featuring a handful of established veterans has the potential for greatness. The team can achieve this greatness if rising stars Starlin Castro and Tyler Colvin can live up to their expectations. Veterans Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza will be counted upon to lead Chicago’s pitching staff ... Houston has a couple nice pitchers (Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers) and a few good hitters (Carlos Lee, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn), but not enough to compete with the big boys yet ... Perennially pathetic Pittsburgh completes another woeful season. The 2011 Pirates will finish its campaign with a Major League-worst 69-93 record.

NL West
San Francisco [90 - 72] ----
LA Dodgers [89 - 73] 1 GB
Colorado [ 83 - 79] 7 GB
Arizona [76 - 86] 14 GB
San Diego [73- 89] 17 GB

Notes: The defending World Series champs will have an opportunity to repeat as San Francisco wins the NL West once again on the wings of its impeccable pitching staff. Starters Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez and Matt Cain headline a stellar rotation as relievers Brian Wilson, Javier Lopez and Sergio Romo highlight a stifling bullpen. The team’s offense could be quite pedantic again - although perhaps a tad better, with a full season from its 2010 NL Rookie of the year catcher, Buster Posey. In any regard, mediocre bats can be carried by the Giants’ pitching, which, as great as it was last year, should be even better this season. The team’s primary three cogs - Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez - are emerging in the prime of their careers. Add in the promising, young Madison Bumgarner and this staff is in store for a spectacular season ... Don Mattingly’s Dodgers - the Giants’ arch rival - are very strong and will fight Frisco to the brink this season. Los Angeles has a very formidable pitching staff and a better offense than the Giants. Clayton Kershaw, L.A.’s 23-year-old ace, could very well be in line for his first Cy Young award. Chad Billingsley and the addition of veteran Ted Lilly support Kershaw in a stout Dodgers rotation. Offensively, Los Angeles should be very sound. The middle of the team’s lineup - Andre Either and Matt Kemp - are poised to put up monster numbers this season ... Colorado will go as far as its top two hitting stars - Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki - can take them. CarGo and Tulo might each belt 25 HRs and drive in 100 runs, but it will not be enough for the Rockies to nab a playoff spot. Ubaldo Jimenez is a bona fide ace, while pitchers Jorge De La Rosa and Jhoulys Chacin are also very talented. This team is nice, but not spectacular. By season’s end, the Rocks will land themselves six games behind L.A. for third place in the division ... Justin Upton, Chris Young and Miguel Montero give Arizona a strong nucleus in its batting lineup, but the Diamondbacks are far too young (as a whole) to make a playoff push this season. Young arms Daniel Hudson and Ian Kennedy can give the D-Backs potential pitching prowess, but the team is still a year or two from being a serious contender ... San Diego won 90 games last season. This year, however, a combination of a paltry offense (now without All Star slugger Adrien Gonzalez) and a pitching staff that significantly overachieved last year equates to a tough 2011 for the Padres. The team’s ace - Mat Latos - begins this season on the disabled list, leaving Aaron Harang and Clayton Richard as its top starters. Heath Bell is a great closer, but the aforementioned pitchers and a batting lineup featuring Orlando Hudson, Brad Hawpe and Ryan Ludwick as its 3-4-5 hitters mean it will be very difficult for the Padres to make many ninth innings with a lead.

* Wild Card winners

Ohio State leaves Cleveland with look of a champion

2011-03-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

This year’s George Mason Patriots basketball team entered Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena this afternoon with a purpose of proving they ARE this year’s Patriots, and not the 2006 team.

With a 26-point deficit by halftime, the team certainly proved its claim.

This year's Patriots definitely are not the 11-seed 2006 George Mason team that toppled three elite programs to reach the NCAA Final Four. Nope. This year’s eight-seeded squad ended its run with an embarrassing loss in the field of 32.

Led by 17 points from fifth-year senior David Lighty and freshman Jared Sullinger’s 13 points and seven rebounds, the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes pounded George Mason 52-26 ... by halftime.

On cruise control in the second half, the Buckeyes proceeded the demolition en route to a 98-66 blowout.

Prior to the game, George Mason players said they appreciated the comparisons to the 2006 club, but tired of the talk as well. Team members sported T-shirts reading "We ARE this year's George Mason" to separate themselves from the team from five years ago.

The Patriots looked promising early on in this game. Up 6-2, senior star Cam Long pumped up a shot from beyond the arc that clanged off the back of the hoop’s rim. The ball bounced up about six feet high before falling and serendipitously rattling its way in for a seven-point George Mason lead.

Ryan Pearson followed Long’s shot with a bank-in to put the Patriots up by nine.

That’s when Ohio State figured enough is enough.

Seconds after Pearson’s hoop, Lighty responded by pulling up and calmly sinking his first of his five first half three-pointers as the Buckeyes immediately snatched momentum and seized control.

George Mason’s 11-2 lead vanquished in a hurry as Sullinger pounded the paint and his Buckeyes teammates poured in a barrage of three pointers to end the half on a 54-13 run.

By game’s end, Lighty absolutely lit it up, scoring 25 points on ten shots. The sixth-man extraordinaire came off the bench to go a perfect 7-7 from three-point range and 9-10 overall to lead the Buckeyes attack.

Sullinger had 18 points and nine rebounds, junior William Buford matched Sullinger with 18 as well, while senior marksman Jon Diebler connected on four treys in contributing 13 points for the game.

The Buckeyes leave their home state looking like champions. Next up are the highly athletic Kentucky Wildcats, whom Ohio State will face Friday in Newark, New Jersey.

Kentucky qualified for the fourth round with wins over Princeton and West Virginia. John Calipari’s squad may match the Buckeyes in athleticism, but seniority favors Ohio State. The freakishly athletic Sullinger is arguably the best freshman in the country, but Lighty headlines a fearsome force of upperclassmen who guide the Buckeye ship.

As the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, Ohio State will be favored over the four-seeded Wildcats. However, Kentucky will be certain to have its ample supply of supremely talented athletes and boatload of fervent fans.

Kentucky Blue or Buckeye Red, this Sweet Sixteen match-up should be a memorable one.

Century Swim Team’s Big Dance was Saturday

2011-03-06T14:01:00.000-08:00

Century swim team’s Big Dance was Saturday
Team places fourth overall, Freeman wins 500 Freestyle

As the calendar page turns to March, the madness of sports fans builds throughout the country as the NCAA basketball tournament nears. For the Rochester Century boys swim team, its Big Dance occurred two days ago.

“A lot of kids come in here and think, ‘oh my God, this is the big dance!’” explained Century Coach Linda Freeman, describing the atmosphere at the Boys Class AA State Swimming and Diving competition Saturday night at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

Having been mentally preparing for this meet for a long time, Freeman said her team came into the competition relaxed and ready. It appears she was right, as Century claimed fourth place in the meet’s overall team rankings.

“Look at Minnetonka, all these kids, Edina, all these kids, Eden Prairie, and then here’s little Century with seven kids,” said Freeman - Minnetonka, Eden Prairie and Edina finished first, second and third, respectively. “To hold on and finish a strong fourth in this field, with such deep Twin Cities teams, it’s a bit of a miracle, but it’s very well deserved because they worked so hard, so hard, it was wonderful.”

Using the words “so hard” twice is fitting, perhaps, as preparing to compete with such powerhouses might be twice as hard for her squad as it is for the others.

Leading the Panthers attack was senior Chris Freeman, the coach’s nephew, who took home first place honors in the 500 Yard Freestyle.

Freeman’s time - 4:32.24 - was 0.55 seconds off the Minnesota all-time Class AA record.

“It felt really good,” said Chris.

“I have to tell you, when Chris won that 500, I lost it,” exclaimed Coach Freeman, who watched her nephew poolside. “I was so proud of him, I was so grateful.”

“That record, to be honest, I thought it was gonna go today,” the coach added. “I thought it was, and he got very close. What Chris did today ... it’s almost impossible.”

The 500 Freestyle Class AA state record - 4:31.69 - was set in 2006 by former Mounds View swimmer Pete Stacy.

As evidenced by their reactions, Chris and Linda are very different in terms of expression of emotion.

“The guy is just crazy good and he’s very humble,” said the elder Freeman. “It’s hard to get him to talk much.”

Chris would have won two titles Saturday were it not for Edina’s Mike Gratz, who swam neck-to-neck with Freeman before pulling away and defeating him for the 200 Freestyle championship.

Gratz, who finished his swim with a mile-wide smile you couldn’t shake off his face, came close to the all-time Minnesota record with a score of 1:38.98 - current Minnesota Gophers 10-time All American Curt Carlson owns the record (1:38.35), which he swam in 2007 as a senior at Maple Grove.

The Edina senior carried his beaming smile and indelible glow throughout the remainder of the meet as well. He swam the final leg for his team’s 400 Freestyle Relay championship and nearly topped another individual state record in the 100 Freestyle.

“I’m just feeling ready,” Gratz said, following his 100 Freestyle swim. “I’ve rested what I need to do, I’ve eaten [right], just done everything I needed to do for a good meet.”

The Hornets swimmer swam his 100 Free in 45.13. His time finished 0.17 seconds behind Jordan Watland - who swam the 100 Freestyle in 44.96 seconds for Minnetonka in 1998.

“I do not know [Watland],” said Gratz. “But that’s a really fast time and I was going for it; but 45:13 is really good for me, so I’m happy about that.”

Coach Freeman said she knows Gratz very well from watching him compete with Chris for many years now.

“Michael Gratz and Chris Freeman have been swimming head-to-head since they were 10 years old,” Coach Freeman said. “They’re both elite swimmers, you put each one of them in a position to win and they will not be denied.”

Both seniors, Freeman and Gratz hope to compete at the college level next year. Each swimmer is undecided as of now, but Gratz said he hopes to for St. Olaf while Coach Freeman said Chris’ hopes are to swim for the Gophers.

The other Century swimmers who helped their team to its fourth place finish include senior Andrew Grosback, junior Chris Tri and sophomore Nikita Dolin.

Century had three team events. The Panthers were seventh in the 200 Freestyle Relay (1:28.57), ninth in 400 Freestyle (3:16.07) and 11th in the 200 Medley (1:41.06)

Grosback placed 10th in the 200 Individual Medley with a time of 1:59.45. He placed 14th in the 100 Breaststroke (1:01.49). Tri placed sixth in 500 Freestyle (4:46.55). Dolin took fourth place in the 100 Backstroke (52.89) and fifth in 200 IM (1:57:09).

John Marshall and Mayo Class AA results
Rochester John Marshall competed in four events Saturday. The Rockets finished 14th in the 200 Freestyle Relay (1:30.56). Seinior Conner Garrett took sixth place in the 1 Meter Dive with a score of 371.00. Junior Tanner Nimke finished seventh in the 100 Freestyle (47.90) and 15th in 50 Freestyle (22.09).

Rochester Mayo swam in two team events. The Spartans placed 15th in the 200 Freestyle Relay (1:30.82) and 16th in the 200 Medley (1:43.47).

**Written for the Rochester Post-Bulletin (Monday, March 7th) newspaper. Photos by Post-Bulletin photographer Jack Boder - top (Rochester Century's Chris Freeman, Edina's Mike Gratz), bottom (Rochester John Marshall Diver Conner Garrett)

Pine Island’s Schmidt gets beam surprise at State

2011-02-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

When Pine Island gymnast Brittany Schmidt landed the final dismount of her gymnastics career, a slight grimace emerged upon her face.

“I just thought I could do better,” she said of her balance beam routine at the State Class A individual meet, Saturday at the University of Minnesota’s Sports Pavilion.

After sticking her beam finish, Schmidt was greeted and consoled by her coach, Chris Templeton. The two rejoined the other Panthers gymnasts as the remainder of 1A rotation of the beam competition resumed.

About an hour later, at the awards ceremony, Schmidt was seated with her teammates on the floor exercise mat as the winners were announced. Templeton stood nearby, unsuspecting any of his athletes earning medals - which would mean top six finishes in each gymnast’s respective events.

But then it came. Schmidt was announced as the fifth place medalist in balance beam.

“[It’s] nothing that I can explain, it was just overwhelming,” said the Pine Island senior, describing the moment her name was called.

“I was very surprised,” Schmidt said. “I just never thought I would place at state.”

Templeton was shocked as well, pumping his fist with pride. He described his pupil’s performance minutes before Schmidt had stepped atop the wooden platform adorned with a brown No. 5.

“Bars are her event,” Templeton said. “She took a fall on that, so she was very disappointed.”
When a gymnast falls, an automatic 0.5-point deduction is applied to her score. Schmidt’s uneven bars score was an 8.30, meriting an 18th place finish.

“In order for her to come back, re-gather herself and stick her beam the way that she did, it really speaks to the maturity that she has,” Templeton said. “Beam was her last event as a high school gymnast and she stuck it.”

Schmidt’s score on balance beam was 9.15.

Pine Island had three other gymnasts competing Saturday - Chelsie Glabe, Siera McNallan and Brenna Ruegg. McNallan and Ruegg each nabbed ninth-place finishes - McNallan in floor exercise (posting a 9.30), Ruegg in vault (9.425).

Schmidt’s medal was the first Pine Island captured at State since 2008, when Sarah Lerum earned three medals - placing third in floor, fourth in all-around and fifth in bars. Saturday was also the first time in Pine Island history that three gymnasts earned top ten finishes.

Other Rochester area Class A girls who competed were Austin’s Abby Bickler and Selena Hataye; Megan Lawson and Laura Mesenburg of Byron-Lourdes; Rochelle Thesing (LaCresent); and Hope Stremcha (Caledonia/Spring Grove/Houston).

Thesing earned a sixth-place medal in the all-around competition (with a score of 36.35), she also nearly earned a second (finishing seventh in bars, 9.0).

Pair of Mayo gymnasts compete in Class AA floor and vault
Hours after Class A concluded, a new crop of gymnasts stretched out and chalked up their hands in preparation for State AA individual competition.

Rochester Mayo seniors Leah Butterbaugh and Kayla Wiltrout competed in the floor exercise and vault events, respectively.

Butterbaugh performed first, as the fifth competitor in the first rotation (of eight) in floor. She executed her routine very well according to her Mayo coaches, Abby Siems and Dan Christy, among others.

Thus her score, a 9.2, befuddled them.

“The scores didn’t reflect what we thought she earned,” Siems said. “But that’s how gymnastics goes and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

A teary-eyed Butterbaugh also thought she deserved better. After accomplishing a career-high 9.65 at sections, her grade at State was tough to take.

“I think I did a good routine, except in my last [tumble] pass I piked out a little bit and that may have brought it down,” she said. “I felt I should have gotten a higher score, but that’s how it is.”

The suspect scoring aside, Butterbaugh’s coach approved her effort.

“Getting here [to State] is an accomplishment, she has a lot to be proud of even if it didn’t meet her expectations or what we had hoped for,” Siems said.

Approximately forty minutes after Butterbaugh’s floor exhibition, on the other side of the Pavilion was Wiltrout, who had her sights set on the vault.

Each vault competitor had two attempts. Christy explained there are three types of finishes a gymnast can attempt after she springs off the pommel horse - a tuck, pike and a layout, where the legs are either tucked in, slightly bent or straight out. Each having its own degree of difficulty.

A flawlessly executed tuck merits a 9.6, a perfect pike nets a 9.8, and an unblemished layout must be performed to achieve a 10.

In Wiltrout’s case, she went with her bread-and-butter, a pike, on her first attempt and a layout on the second. The results were 9.50 and 9.525, respectively. Christy said Wiltrout’s layout was something he and her had been working on all year but only used in competition in her last couple meets.

“I’ve been working on that Tsuk for a while,” said Wiltrout of her layout attempt, which included a Tsukahara (a midair move involving a half turn off the springboard onto the horse and a push backward into a flip). “It’s my last meet, so I went all out and hoped for the best.”

Wiltrout’s scores landed her in 15th place, which satisfied the Spartans senior. She said reaching State was something she had strived for since first entering high school.

“When you set a goal and say you want to make State and you make State, that’s a good year no matter how you look at it,” Christy said.

**This story was written for the Rochester Post-Bulletin. It's coverage of Rochester area high schools for Minnesota Class A and Class AA State gymnastics meet.
**Photos were taken by Post-Bulletin photographer, Jack Boder

Eastview downs Apple Valley despite Jones’ career-high

2011-02-15T22:40:00.000-08:00

Apple Valley freshman phenom Tyus Jones tied his career-high scoring mark last night, but it was rival Eastview who invaded his home court and claimed the victory.

“We’re very spoiled to have him here, he’s such a good point guard, he gets us organized and he had a great night,” said Zach Goring, Apple Valley’s head coach.

Goring’s floor general tallied 33 points and seven assists for the Eagles, but Eastview emerged the superior team, defeating Apple Valley 74-67.

Eastview’s win sealed the season sweep over Apple Valley - the Lightning defeated the Eagles 50-44 on Jan. 14.

Last night - much like the first game - it was the Eastview bigs that were the difference. Junior forward Joey King poured in 30 points and senior Frank Veldman pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.

“They’re strong post players,” Goring said of Eastview’s frontcourt. “I know over there (in the game at Easview) they had 18 offensive rebounds and tonight they were up 10 on the glass again. Against a team like that, that shoots that well, we need to secure those rebounds.”

Despite the rebounding disparity, Goring’s team had its chances tonight.

Forty-five seconds into the game, Tyus Jones had two baskets and it was 4-0 Eagles. But the Lightning immediately responded to Jones’ second hoop as forward Frank Veldman opened Eastview’s scoring with a thunderous dunk.

Oddly enough, nearly two hours later, Veldman finished Eastview’s scoring with another dunk.

In the game’s waning moments, three Eagles defenders had Eastview’s Ben Oberfeld pinned near the boundary line under his own basket, when Oberfeld somehow managed to squeak a pass through to a teammate, which quickly led to the game-sealing slam.

“He pitched it ahead, [another Eastview player] pitched it ahead, dunk,” Goring said, recalling how fast the play transpired.

“We’re not a great pressing team, we’re more of a half-court, get back and defend team,” he added. “When it gets to the end of the game, we’re taking chances, trying to make plays and we fouled guys.”

Goring was also speaking to the consecutive old-fashioned threes the Lightning accomplished prior to the dunk.

Apple Valley cut its deficit to four on a Jones’ lay-up with two minutes remaining; but King and Oberfeld both made hoops plus free throws, and suddenly Eastview’s lead balooned to 72-62 with 42 ticks to spare.

Tom Schalk, Apple Valley’s leading scorer - who had 18 points and six rebounds for the night - shared his postgame thoughts.

“It was just discouraging, really discouraging,” Schalk said. “They killed us on the boards down the stretch, made plays when they needed to and took over down the stretch.”

Jones acknowledged his high-scoring night and that he tried his best to help his team win, but also expressed his disappointment with the loss.

“I was just trying to get the team a W, whatever it took to get the win,” Jones said. “If I had to get scoring, I was going to score, if I had to get other people in position to score, I would to do that. I was just taking what was open, which [tonight] was scoring.”

“It was a tough battle, we played a tough Eastview team,” he added. “In the second half we just couldn’t buckle down and get the stops we needed, and they went on their run.”

Another key part of the game, which Goring was particular upset with, was toward the end of the first half. His team was up 10 points with less than a minute remaining, when suddenly that lead evaporated to five in an instant.

“At one point, we were up 41-31 with a minute left” Goring said. “[Then], ten to five in the snap of a finger.”

Despite the disappointment, Goring said he told his team to stay positive and “hopefully we’ll see those guys a third time.”

The Eagles will hope to have get that chance as both teams prepare for sections and state, which start in less than three weeks.

**This was written for Sun Newspapers, to be posted as online content for the paper's website. There were some difficulties with my camera and taking game photos, thus not many of them did not turn out and the ones that did aren't nearly as satisfactory as I hoped. The first Tyus Jones picture was shot after the game. Descriptions of the photos in the story - from top to bottom - are as follows: Tyus Jones (post-game), Jones (21) in the Apple Valley huddle, Tom Schalk (30) preparing for an in-bounds play, Apple Valley Eagles basketball team (pre-game)

Tribute to Griffey: An Epitaph for My Cat

2011-02-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

It was approximately 12:15 on the afternoon of Saturday, February 12 2011 when my beloved cat - Griffin Kenneth “Griffey” Barthel - looked at me with despair.

His right eyeball almost entirely above the upper ridge of his eye frame, Griffey appeared dazed and confused as he meowed for my attention. Peering downward from my computer chair, I noticed his nearly all-white eye and my heart immediately saddened for my poor pet’s problem.

The past few weeks, my 20-year-old cat seemed in decent health - especially for his age. But the revelation of this latest impairment to my fair Griffey instantly led me to a gravely imminent decision - it’s time. It’s time for Griffey to be eternally rested.

As difficult it is for me to see this happen, I’ve already been preparing myself for several weeks and months for the death of another dear spirit - my grandma, Ceil Barthel. My precious 94-year-old grandmother’s rapidly declining health aside, Griffey still appeared in good health and spirits.

At the fragile stage of 20 years’ age, Griffey’s had the natural propensities of weaker legs, increased lethargy and general slowness. But he has also been enjoying life’s two most essential needs - food and love.

Despite spending countless hours - perhaps 21 or 22 a day - sleeping near the heat register of my bedroom, Griffey portrayed vigorous excitement when presented with a fresh bowl of food beneath his eagerly awaiting mouth. Also, he has continued to show his appreciation for affection, releasing a smooth purr when receiving soft hugs or gentle touches of my hand on daily occurrences.

Thoughts of Griffey living another six months or one-to-two years crossed my mind, until that fateful Saturday - yesterday. It’s time for him to go, time for him to ascend upward to the holy pet haven in the sky.

Besides a brief time with one other kitten, Griffey has been the sole pet and soul part of my life. The warmth, the joy, the calm, the care, Griffey has been a constant companion over my ever evolving existence.

My heart, my care, my love ... they all run deep with the joy you’ve bestowed upon me, Griffey. Yes, my dear friend, you can rest assured that you will never be forgotten.

Love always and forever,
-Jeff

**Written Sunday, Feb. 13 (in preparation of my dear cat's passing)

Super Bowl XLV: Green Bay v. Pittsburgh

2011-02-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

Picture one hundred and six athletes donning golden polyester pants. Now picture these players wearing pads and helmets, butting heads with one another.

Such will be the scene tomorrow night in Arlington, Texas, as the Packers and Steelers compete in the NFL’s 45th Super Bowl.

Pairing up its gold with green will be Mike McCarthy’s Green Bay club, while Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh team supplements its Steelers gold with black.

But colors - much to dismay of superstitious fans - will not determine the game’s victor. No, the spoils shall go to the team that puts for the best effort and (in most cases) benefits from a little more luck.

So who will take home this year’s Lombardi Trophy?

I'm predicting the Packers to win by four.

Naturally the two cold-weather teams face off in a uncharacteristically cold and icy in Dallas / Fort Worth area. However, the climate-controlled Cowboy Stadium should negate that factor.

So why choose Green Bay as opposed to Pittsburgh?

Two primary reasons, (1) Aaron Rodgers has been the hottest quarterback in football over the past couple of months and (2) Green Bay’s speed - in particular its receiving corps, secondary and lead linebacker.

Sure, at 28 years of age, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger eyes a third championship ring while Rodgers completes his third full season. But Rodgers - despite unrelenting disdain from Vikings and Bears fans - is the better choice for this title game.

Yes, Big Ben seems to have that special knack - despite lackluster numbers - to make the big play and win the big game, but tomorrow is Rodgers’ time to shine.

The 27-year-old led the NFC with a 101.2 passer rating this year and played a near-flawless gem in his last indoor contest - a 48-21 win over the top-seeded Falcons Jan. 15 in Atlanta. By game’s end tomorrow, expect Rodgers to fully vanquish any lingering stigma of his legendary Packers predecessor, Brett Favre.

But enough about Rodgers and Roethlisberger. Signal-callers aside the Pack has other reasons its better equipped for tomorrow’s tilt than Pittsburgh.

Receivers and overall team speed.

The Steelers have arguably the fastest wide receiver in football in Mike Wallace (with Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson being right there with him). However, while Wallace has been impressive - 60 catches, a 21.0 yards-per-catch average and 10 TDs in his second NFL season - his team’s other top wide-out is a slowly fading, 34-year-old Hines Ward.

Green Bay, on the other hand, has Wallace’s superior in 27-year-old WR Greg Jennings; not to mention wily veteran Donald Driver and young guns James Jones and Jordy Nelson.

On a team that spreads its passes to several targets, Jennings totaled team-highs and ranked among league leaders in catches (76), receiving yards (1,265) and touchdowns (12). The fifth-year player is healthy and in his prime, and he’s consistently displayed the capability of both making the key third-down catch and hauling in the homerun.

Driver, Green Bay’s eldest receiver, is older than Ward but still caught 51 balls this year and has been instrumental in the mentorship of Rodgers, Jennings, Jones and Nelson.

Lastly, in terms of the Packers advantage in team speed, is the team's edge at the quarterback position.

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Roethlisberger can be very crafty as a runner (with his ability to shake off opposing sackmasters), but Rodgers has proven to have the faster set of feet. He used his quickness to tally 356 rushing yards this season, which trailed only two other NFL quarterbacks - Philadelphia’s Michael Vick and Tampa’s Josh Freeman.

Defensively, the Packers also have the advantage in speed.

In the team's backfield, on one side stands 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and 7-time Pro Bowler Charles Woodson; on the other side is Green Bay’s postseason standout Tramon Williams - who has three interceptions, including one for a 70-yard touchdown, in three games. The Woodson and Williams tandem trumps a respectable Steelers duo of Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden.

The Packers also have the faster linebacker in rising star Clay Matthews.

Pittsburgh’s James Harrison may be the tougher and more accomplished LB - as evidenced by his four Pro Bowl selections - but the veteran was out-sacked by Matthews this season (13.5 to 10.5). The second-year Matthews has excelled in the playoffs as well, using his instincts and quickness to corral a team-high 3.5 sacks this postseason.

While Green Bay may have the edge in quarterback and speed, Pittsburgh definitely has the upper hand in Super Bowl experience.

Roethlisberger (as mentioned above) has two titles under his belt - leading his Steelers to Super Bowl wins over Seattle in 2005 and Arizona in 2008. Moreover, veteran teammates Harrison, Ward and 2010 Defensive Player of the Year Troy Polamalu were also present and played key roles in those championships.

Then there’s coaching, where Pittsburgh's Coach Tomlin holds the experience edge over Green Bay's McCarthy.

Tomlin has captained the Steelers to its 2008 title, his teams are a combined 5-1 in postseason play and if the Steelers defeat the Packers tomorrow, Tomlin will become the youngest coach ever to have won two Super Bowls. McCarthy is in his fifth season as head coach and will be making his Super Bowl debut.

For me, all this adds up to a 24-20 Green Bay victory.

It’s a tough game to call, but I’m taking Rodgers over Roethlisberger and youth over experience in this contest.

One thing’s for sure, it should be an entertaining extravaganza. Dallas GM Jerry Jones’ 2010 Cowboys team may not have panned out like he hoped it would, but his billion dollar, 110,000 capacity stadium surely will.

NFL fans: Get your popcorn ready, because a record-setting crowd and an exceptionally electrifying atmosphere awaits you as Super Bowl XLV kicks off tomorrow night in the heart of Texas.