Here are a few thoughts about a busy sports world, particularly around here:
1. The Giants are No. 1.
Give the defending champs credit. They are a very good football team in a mediocre league. They go to Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers badly in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, this despite issues with their star receiver, Plaxico Burress, who is imitating Terrell Owens these days. The Giants are tougher than everyone else, just like they were in February in Glendale, Arizona. I guess the Tennessee Titans are legitimate threats in the AFC, but their offense will be exposed at some point in January. They are a good team. What they have going for them is there isn’t a good team to push them, even with deficiencies at QB.
2. Rams coach was going to go for two-point conversion.
This was a sleeper story in the Pats-Rams story. If the Rams had scored a touchdown in the final minute, coach Jim Haslett said they were prepared to go for the win and not go to overtime. I believe this is a new wave thing, just like the Dolphins single-wing offense. I like that decision. Why send a game to overtime, when you might not get the coin flip, when you have a chance to win the game if you can move the ball two yards. I would do it all of the time and twice on Sundays. Be prepared for that to happen this season a few more times, as the Broncos did when they beat the Chargers.
3. Bud Selig doesn’t appear in control.
What’s the difference between Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell? Besides good looks, it is control. Goodell looks the part. And Selig, in his folksy Milwaukee way, seems to be along for the ride. The rainout issue was not planned properly.
4. Instant replay in baseball.
Is it me or the umpires blowing more and more easy calls? There should be instant replay in baseball. The misses are amazing. It shows the human eye can’t see stuff right in front of it sometimes. On plays in the field, out and safe, we should use video. If it slows the game down by five minutes per game, make it up in other areas (time in between pitches, earlier starts, etc.). I have no problems with balls and strikes. In fact, that part of the umping has been, in my mind, exceptional. It is worth discussing. If the video is there, get it right without ruining the integrity of the game.
5. Kevin Youkilis must stay.
The scenario that Youkilis would have to be dealt away if the Red Sox were to sign Mark Teixeira as a free agent is blasphemous. Youkilis is an MVP candidate. He is a better all-around player than Teixeira, sans a few RBI. Youkilis was born to play here. He deserves his big payday, too. If you asked me to choose between the two, I will take Youk in a landslide. Teixeira is a very good player, but he’s no Youkilis.
6. Win or lose, Joe Maddon is the best.
I probably said this a few weeks. If I did I apologize. Joe Maddon is the best manager in MLB. Period. But he’s not just a manager. I would put him in the Bill Belichick category of builders. His best work isn’t on game day. It started when he was hired, building a winning atmosphere. As was noted in a story last week, Carlos Pena owes maybe his new-found career to Maddon, who basically became his sports psychologist.
7. James Posey will be missed, but …
If the Celtics were the Yankees, with unlimited revenue, Posey would still be here. But he was simply over-priced on a team with three $18 million per year players. He will be missed. He did a lot of the dirty work that often goes overlooked. He would give or take a hard foul. He could hit the 3-pointer. He could cover Kobe Bryant and Lebron James as well as they could be covered. But for $25 million over four years, that was one year and $10 million more than the Celtics could “afford.”
8. Rajon Rondo will have breakout year.
This might make up for some of Posey’s absence. Rondo is ready to roll. He apparently worked his butt off hitting open jumpers, the bane of his existence, and the reason he was available when the C’s grabbed him three drafts ago. He did not like the bench duty he had during the playoffs. I expect him to be a borderline All-Star in ’08-09.
9. Jury still is out on Matt Cassel.
Here’s the deal with Matt Cassel. His and the Patriots overall success will come down to Cassel performing in one area … The Red Zone. If he improves his numbers inside the opponents’ 20 yard line — he is 14-for-34, with 5 TD, 1 int. and a QB rating of 77.3 — the Patriots will be a contender. He has been sacked six times in this area, which is too much. The Patriots are protecting him by throwing more on first down. But that’s what they’re supposed to do … get him some confidence. But the fact that he identified Kevin Faulk being covered by a linebacker and changing the play, inside the Red Zone, is a good sign. Stay tuned.
10. Rams season is doomed.
I started with the Rams and I’ll end with them. Their “letter” to the NFL, complaining about the lack of penalties called on the Patriots — one was called, but they refused it — is laughable. Coach Jim Haslett said the refs missed a facemask, a roughing the passer and a, get this, hitting a player who was already out of bounds. This is not good, blaming the refs. The team should know that they blew a golden opportunity to beat the Patriots, who were without their three “tailbacks.” Excuses should be kept inside the coaches office. I am predicting a losing streak for the Rams.
