2012 - Page 25 of 114 - Last Word On Sports

Is MLB's Playoff System Broken?

Posted on October 13, 2012November 5, 2021 by Max Warner

Turn up the hearing aid Bud, not everyone in Major League Baseball is enamored with the new playoff format which debuted this year. Just ask the Atlanta Braves or Texas Rangers how they feel about “qualifying for the postseason” only to have their postseason destiny determined in a single-game playoff.

Bug Selig says the new Wildcard Playoff increases the reward for winning the division championship, but does it really? This year, two division winners in the A.L. and two in the N.L. received only one extra day of rest compared to the wildcard playoff winners and had only three days off between the end of the regular season and the start of the ALDS. Both wildcard playoff winners were given a day off before commencing their ALDS against division winning clubs, despite the logic that a wildcard team playing two games in a row would be at a far greater disadvantage than their division champion opponent.

Another strong criticism is that the new system allows even weaker teams to qualify for the playoffs, particularly when adjustments for schedule inequalities are considered. MLB has an unbalanced schedule, with division opponents playing each other 18 times, and non-division league opponents playing each other between five to ten times, plus interleague play. Despite the A’s and Rangers playing in the same division, Oakland played 3 more games against the Yankees and two more against the Orioles this year than the Rangers. The Rangers played six interleague games against the 107-loss Houston Astros, while the A’s got three each against the contending Giants and Dodgers.

Although purely hypothetical, when strength of schedule (number of games against stronger opponents, as defined by the opponents’ actual win-loss record and runs scored and allowed) is factored in, the results have suggested that the ninth, tenth and eleventh best teams in MLB, based on adjusted records, advanced directly to the ALDS because they won weak divisions, while Atlanta was forced to play the Wildcard Playoff despite having the 2^nd best adjusted record in the National League. The adjusted standings also suggest that St. Louis qualified for the playoffs despite an adjusted win total of about 82, sixth-best in the N.L. But even without adjusting records, it is clear that the current playoff system prejudices clubs based purely on their division placement, as the seventh best team in the A.L. (Detroit) made the playoffs because they won the A.L. Central, while the fifth and sixth best teams (Tampa Bay and the Angels) didn’t make the playoffs.

A better setup from MLB would be to adopt a system of two, eight-team divisions in each league. This would allow interleague play to be limited to designated blocks during the schedule, as it was under the system used until the end of this year. This would also allow each team in a division to play precisely the same schedule of opponents, which would greatly reduce the level of imbalance seen in the current MLB schedule. There would be a mandatory four days between the end of the regular season and the start of the Division Series, during which time the second and third place teams from each division would playoff in a best of three series. The two winning teams of this best-of-three series would move on to play their respective division champions in a best of five ALDS. This system would not only guarantee each wildcard team a home game, it would allow the division winners to have their starting rotation fully rested for the ALDS, a far greater reward than that offered under the current system. Unfortunately, adding two more expansion franchises simply will not happen anytime in the near future. Miami and Tampa Bay are already in terrible baseball markets, and few cities in North America have the stadium or demographics required to host an MLB franchise.

But don’t expect MLB to abandon the idea of a Wildcard Playoff anytime soon. The value of the Wildcard Playoff is not simply a dramatic single game that draws decent TV ratings, it is the fact that it gives more teams the illusion of being close to qualifying for playoff ball. Take 2012 for example, when with one week left in the regular season, four teams were within three games of a playoff spot. The illusion of being able to make the playoffs has been successfully parlayed by other major sports leagues, notably the NHL, into increased media coverage, fan interest and attendance. Although different from the system employed by the NHL, MLB’s new playoff system undoubtedly was created to achieve these same goals.

MLB can also use the extra playoff spot to placate clubs with middle and lower-class payrolls, who no doubt want a salary cap system in place to create more parity between rich and poor clubs. Now, MLB can say to such clubs that there is more opportunity to make the playoffs and earn additional revenue. However, from 2007 to 2011, 12 of the 20 American League teams that made the playoffs had payrolls in excess of $110 million, and 14 of 20 teams had payrolls above $92 million. The reality is that, with a few rare exceptions, playoff baseball remains the domain of rich clubs and two measly, one-game playoff spots will do very little to change that or to bring more parity to Major League Baseball.

Follow me on Twitter: @MaxWarnerMLB

Red Dawn: Why the Time is Now for Canadian Soccer

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Mitchell Tierney

The entire stadium were on their feet, thousands of voices joining in a chorus of excitement and of anticipation. The free kick was in a good place, down close to the corner of the box. Fans exchanged glances, knowing that this could be a key moment in the match. Suddenly there was mass confusion, a lone red player broke away from all the others with an arm outstretched. He slowly dropped his arm and began to roll his shoulders up and down, stalking forward, with each repetition of the action making the reality increasingly clear. With each repetition the confusion of a moment before transformed into pure pure ecstasy.

It has been more then a decade since a more important goal was scored for men’s soccer in Canada. Dwayne De Rosario’s winner was important not simply because it exponentially increased Canada’s chances of advancing to the next round. Exponentially increase would also be the term to describe the effect of this goal on popularity for Canadian soccer. For years there has been a destructive concept surrounding the domestic game in Canada. That the Canadian Men’s National Team were not good enough, and that they were not worth supporting.

That outlook is now starting to evaporate. Canada are still not a team with plenty of quality, yet things are improving rapidly. This is why these current set of games are so important. Exposure to the program is improving at an impressive rate. Just this past cycle a Canada Men’s National Team match was available on City TV, and was therefore available to the majority of Canadians. It seems that the days in which Canadian supporters had to rely on highly unorthodox means to follow National Team games is coming to an end.

However, all this new exposure is pointless if Canada cannot get results on the field. If Canada want to be a competitive team in CONCACAF they have to learn to win difficult matches away from home. This phenomenon will be placed squarely in the spotlight when Canada visit Honduras on the final match day of Round 4 of qualifying. Recently, a loss to Panama away from home somewhat deflated the momentum that Canada had been feeding for several matches. It was a match in which Canada struggled to deal with the pressure of playing in a hostile CONCACAF environment.

If Canada can realize their potential and get themselves to the next round the resulting chain-reaction could finally carry this program into legitimacy in the Canadian sporting culture. The club will advance to the next round with more media coverage then ever before. There is no indication as to where the next round of matches will be should Canada advance, but so far the CSA’s decision to host all three games in Toronto has been a good one. The crowds have shown up and are finally almost completely in support of the home side.

Should Canada advance they will also receive a face lift for their lineup. Canada will go into this final set of World Cup Qualifiers without the man who earned them their biggest victory thus far, Dwayne De Rosario. Should they advance to the next round Canada’s leading international goalscorer will return to th fold more hungry then ever. On top of that Josh Simpson, quite possibly Canada’s best player, will return to the fold after being out 8 months with a broken leg. Even more importantly Canada could finally acquire Junior Hoilett of QPR, a player who could make all the difference for a program.

It will not be easy. The away match against Honduras will be one of the more difficult matches in CONCACAF. Yet if Canada can pull off what some would call a miracle the sport will have finally arrived domestically in the country.

It's Do or Die Time for the Bills D-Line

Posted on October 12, 2012November 5, 2021 by Ben Kerr

It is “do or die” time for the Buffalo Bills and their defensive line. We know the story of the highly-rated defensive tackles, the pass rush specialist and the highest paid defensive player of all-time. But the story, and the contracts, just aren’t adding up.

Through five games this season the Bills rank dead last in footballoutsiders.com defensive efficiency ratings. When you go beyond the numbers to the tape you see the problem starts upfront with the men who were supposed to key the Bills defensive turn around. It began in week one when Mario Williams had a favorable match-up against a NY Jets right tackle making his first pro-start ever. Instead of taking advantage of the situation it was the Bills who were dominated as Williams was whipped up and down the field all day. The results have only declined from there as the Bills have failed to make a dent in the high-powered offense of the New England Patriots and the ground attack of the San Fran 49ers. The Bills four defensive line starters have failed to live up to expectations so far this season and if they can’t get the job done when the Bills travel to Arizona this week then it will be time to write them off.

I wrote about the Bills defense in the offseason. While I tried to be optimistic for the sake of Bills fans, I had to point out that the gathering of these D-line parts the Bills’ had assembled would not guarantee any success. Remember that in 2010, Houston had both Mario Williams and Mark Anderson and they were one of the worst defenses ever. I don’t believe all is lost for the Bills, however.

They have looked terrible lately, but keep in mind the level of competition they have faced. New England is a dominant offense that knows the Bills well and has studied how to attack them. Going on the road to San Francisco will be a tough match-up for any team this year, remember that last week was only San Fran’s second home game this year – the other being a dominant win over the Detroit Lions that ended a lot closer than it actually was at 27-19. It is clear that any good team would have put up a better effort in either of those games, but we are past the point of talking about the Bills as a good team, and now need to turn our attention to salvaging some respectability and possibly reach .500 against a weak remaining schedule.

It is understandable for a team to get crushed by that schedule, and it is happening elsewhere in the league right now, yet nobody is pushing the panic button in Denver. That’s right, in three games versus top flight competition (Atlanta, Houston, New England) Denver has fallen behind by nearly 20 points early in each game. Peyton Manning was able to claw his way back into the game and make them look respectable, but the final scores were much closer than the games. The problem for the Bills is that we now have the last 14 games of evidence that Ryan Fitzpatrick is not going to lead a high-powered Bills attack. Over that time they are only 3-11. Making matters worse for the Bills this season is their injuries at running back. What began the year a dynamic 1-2 punch has deteriorated into a back field of replacement level players. If the Bills are going to make any turnaround it will have to come from the defense.

What is important for Buffalo is that the defense continues to take care of business against the bottom feeders of the league – or risk joining them. The Bills own a 2-3 record because they have played Kansas City and Cleveland, two of the league’s worst teams, and they have looked good against them.

Make no mistake that Arizona is also amongst the worst the league has to offer. The Cardinals record of 4-1 is deceiving – in reality they have only outplayed one of their opponents – the Eagles in week 2. There is a reason the Cardinals were only a 1-point favorite over the lowly St. Louis Rams on the road last week, and there is also a reason why the Cardinals looked like they had no chance to win once they fell behind by 7-0 in that same game, because they really didn’t. Nobody is fooled into believing this is a legitimate 4-win team this early in the season. The main reason for this doubt is because of their horrendous offensive line.

The Cardinals lost both of their starting offensive tackles prior to the season and they have had to patch together their line with players nobody else wanted, and it has shown. Over the last two games the Cardinals have giving up a stunning 17 sacks. This seems bad, but their pass blocking is not nearly as bad as their run blocking has been. The Cardinals as a team have failed to break the lowly average of 3 yards per rush in all but one game this season. Against the Seahawks this season their leading rusher was a receiver who had only one rushing attempt all game – and it went for 15 yards! Futility like this is just what the doctor ordered for the Bills defense.

The Bills have their backs against the wall. Even though they sit at 2-3 their recent performances place an added emphasis on this weeks match-up. It feels like the Bills need to do something to change the momentum of the season or they will get lost in a seemingly endless string of 6-10 performances. If the Bills defensive line has any juice at all then Sunday against the Cardinals will be the time to show it. A failure by the Bills D-line to impact the game this week will mean it is officially time to label them overpaid, and then start looking on toward next season.

Tune into “NFL Sunday Night Blitz Package” on Last Word Radio. We’ll run down a busy Sunday in the NFL, and get you primed for the Sunday and Monday nighters.

Game Of The Week: #15 Texas vs. #13 Oklahoma

Posted on October 12, 2012November 5, 2021 by Lindsay Higgins

It’s the Red River Shootout! Time to kick back with something deep-fried (I’ve always wanted to try fried peanut butter and jelly, myself) and enjoy what should be a good football game.

The Texas Offense: At this point in the season, the Longhorns are averaging 46.8 points per game, and much-improved QB David Ash has thrown 11 TDs to just 1 interception. The running game, however, ranks just 38th in the nation, a stat that makes sense given that the RBs for the Longhorns, Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray, are still just a sophomore and a freshman. Given what the Longhorns’ defense has looked like thus far, the offense will have to put up a fair number of points to keep Texas in this game. They’ll need to make sure that the run game is established early, and that Ash gets time in the pocket.

The Texas Defense: The Longhorns are allowing an average of 404.2 yards of offense per game this year. For a top-tier team, that figure is much too high. In Week 1, Texas allowed Wyoming to throw for 276 yards. A week later, the pass defense was tightened up as New Mexico had just 35 yards passing, but the Lobos also had 206 yards rushing. Clearly consistency is an issue. The Longhorns absolutely need to manage to stop the run and pressure Landry Jones- who can get rattled- or it will be a long day for them in Dallas. Keep an eye on junior DE Jackson Jeffcoat, whose dad Jim played several years for the Dallas Cowboys. Jeffcoat and fellow DE Alex Okafor are probably the top two players on the Texas defense.

The Oklahoma Offense: The Sooners, behind (or, I guess technically in front of) QB Landry Jones, are averaging 38.8 points this season. Jones has an array of talented pass-catches at his disposal, notably Kenny Stills, Justin Brown, and Sterling Shepard. You can add Fresno State transfer WR Jalen Saunders to that embarrassment of riches, as he received his eligibility from the NCAA yesterday, effective immediately. As far as the running game, Dominique Whaley and Damien Williams are more than capable of racking up the rushing yards when called upon. The offense, particularly Jones, had a rough outing two weeks ago against Kansas State, but redeemed themselves last week by beating Texas Tech handily. Establishing the running game early will allow the Sooners to use play-action later on, a ploy that could be useful against a struggling and inexperienced Texas defense.

The Oklahoma Defense: Number one, the Sooners need to limit how much Texas can run the ball. That keeps them from having play-action opportunities later in the game. Number two, they need to get pressure on David Ash. The Sooners game plan must be to get him moving and take away his time to set his feet and deliver the ball accurately to his receivers.

Prediction: This isn’t going to be a repeat of the 55-17 whitewashing of last year, but I do expect the same ultimate result. The offenses can go toe-to-toe with each other, but at this point I don’t see the Texas defense stopping the Oklahoma offense with all that much success. Oklahoma 31, Texas 21

Don’t forget to tune into “College Football Warm-up”, every Saturday morning from 9 -10am !

NFL Week 6 Lecture Notes

Posted on October 11, 2012November 5, 2021 by Anto Dowsett

Five full weeks have now been completed in the NFL season and I would like everyone who thought the Minnesota Vikings would be 4-1 at this point in the season to put their hands up. Now keep your hands raised if you also thought the Saints would be 1-4. If anyone has their hands in the air at this point in time, I would like for you to send me your phone number, there is some gambling to be done. Looking at the schedule this week we have the Panthers, Bears, Jaguars and Saints on bye, meaning I have fourteen games to look forward to watching.

– Thursday night special features two AFC teams: the Steelers and the Titans. Last week we saw Mendenhall come back and have an immediate impact on the Pittsburgh offense, can he carry his momentum to this Thursday night? Can Chris Johnson improve on his current 2.9 YPC average or will the tough “Steel Curtain” have their way with the once All-Pro “CJ2K”? The latter is much more reasonable but how will the absence of Lamar Woodley and Troy Polamalu affect the Steelers defence?

– After the GM mortgaged their future, the Falcons drafted wideout Julio Jones last year to give their offense a deep threat. It has turned out to be a good addition as Drew Brees is the only QB having a better statistical season than Matt Ryan. Raiders are coming off their bye but Atlanta’s firepower will just be too much to handle. Side note: it will be nice to see Darrius Heyward-Bey back on the field after receiving a dangerous hit from Ryan Mundy a few weeks back.

– The next matchup features what could be the most overrated team in all of football: the Dallas Cowboys. With the offense they possess, they should be able to fight with the big boys day-in and day-out but their offense can never seem to put things together. Baltimore, on the other hand, are putting the ball in Joe Flacco’s hands and seeing what he can do with it. Although a bit inconsistent, he has brought the Ravens to 4-1 and should be capable of pulling out a victory here.

– The Browns vs. the Bengals, I mean rather, the Trent Richardson’s vs. AJ Green and the Bengals. Richardson is awesome, but is he enough to take on 22 players at once, playing both offense and defense? Can’t blame a guy for trying.

– What could turn out to be my favourite pick in this year’s draft: Janoris Jenkins, has 24 total tackles this year, with seven pass deflections and one interception. The Rams took a chance with his past off-the-field issues, and it seems to have worked.

– The Jets are just terrible… plain, old, terrible. The Colts on the other hand, what a week! No one could have expected Andrew Luck to be capable of putting the team on his shoulders so early on in his career, but four games in, Luck is making it easy for Indy fans to forget about Peyton. Can the Jets stop Luck, or will the Colts keep playing for Chuck Pagano?

– Is this the week the Eagles put everything together? Is this the week the Lions put everything together? A little repetitive, you think? Both teams are filled with star power but have heavily underplayed their potential thus far.

– Jamaal Charles. He really does deserve his own point, meanwhile the Bucs definitely do not.

– Cardinals vs. Bills; the battle of who can score the least amount of points. Fitzpatrick likes throwing INT’s and Kolb gets sacked more than newly grown potatoes.

– Seattle’s defense has turned out to be one of the league’s best thus far, and Brady’s offense is very diverse, but something’s gotta give. Seattle gets the advantage of being at home, so the game will consistently feature 12 men vs. 11.

– When the Giants face off against the 49ers, the public will be subject to a rematch of last year’s NFC title game, where the Giants came out eventual champions. Will the Giants repeat their success, or can San Fran complete all the plays they need to win? Side note: Kyle Williams’ key turnovers hindered 49ers’ chances last time the teams faced off, will he be up to those antics again?

– After being on the receiving end of a vicious hit last week, RG3 has been cleared for practice and should be capable of playing this weekend. This is very good news for the Redskins as their defense has already lost two of it’s all-star linebackers. Vikings, on the other hand, are sitting at a surprising 4-1 and are playing great football. Will Minnesota be capable enough to stop the Shanahanigans or will RG3PO prevail?

– Packers vs. Texans. Anyway I can box this game? Texans are throughly amazing, both offense and defense, but the Pack have been inconsistent and have surprisingly choked in the 2nd half of games. Which team will show up this week?

– Battle of AFC West teams on Monday night. Peyton Manning has been nothing short of his old self and he can thank the Bronco receivers for that, meanwhile Ryan Mathews had a bit of a breakout game last week. This game is going to be a shootout, and a meaningful one at that.

Any comments on the above points? Leave them below.

Britain's FIFA Rep Argues for Diving Ban

Posted on October 11, 2012November 5, 2021 by Jack Stone

Britain’s representative on the FIFA panel, Jim Boyce, has brought diving talks into FIFA, and the FA (EPL). This is fantastic and needs to be seriously considered. The idea is to ban diving retrospectively by reviewing matches after the fact to determine any offending players who embellished or completely fabricated a penalty.

Apparently the FA has already had discussions about diving penalties in the past, but the notion was refuted. Unfortunately, I feel the new requests by Boyce will most definitely be declined by FIFA, but it does have an outside chance of at least coming to fruition in the EPL. Much has been made in the English news about players such as Luiz Suarez, who has been recognized as a diver and cannot even get a blatant foul call.

Boyce wishes the other representatives from other nations on the FIFA panel will join him in acting against diving, and also hopes other leagues around the world take action too. Boyce also said, “If leagues won’t do anything a manager could step in and tell the player to smarten his act,” which I agree with.

As a Manchester United fan I use Ashley Young as a prime example. He dove two matches in a row to get calls and Sir Alex benched him the next two matches for this behaviour. I have since watched Young closely and I believe he has improved in terms of diving (or rather not diving) for United. However, when Young played in the Euro’s for England he reverted back to diving. This goes to show how much impact a manager can have, and I wish others would follow Sir Alex on this one! He’s not always right, but he certainly has many fine moments.

In English football I see a lot of PK’s awarded as a result of diving. In Italy you see the players roll around like they were shot, only to get right back up when play resumes. In many leagues within South America it is completely out of hand. We all remember the famous dives by Brazilian star, Rivaldo, but those dives are commonplace in South American leagues.

Football would be a much better game if we could eliminate this garbage that happens all over the world in every country, it is now deemed as part of the game… diving! Part of the game? It’s certainly not a good part of the game.

How great would it be for retrospective diving suspensions to take place in football? It seems like such an obvious solution, but would we not have the same problem that we currently have with vicious tackles? Calls against seem to escape the big clubs and big name players. This is probably what would happen, but that’s not an excuse not to try something. And who knows, maybe in time we will see that slowly eliminate, starting with diving suspensions.

Parting Shots: Look, we know diving is out of control and needs to stop, so anything that works to solve that glaring issue is a great idea to me, and I applaud Jim Boyce for talking about it. The problem is that it won’t go anywhere anytime soon. As fellow LWOS writer Frank Giuliano brought to my attention many years ago, FIFA wants control of their tournaments. This is why goal line review is still not in the sport, although that seems like it might come soon because FIFA are being pressured by, well, everyone. We all know FIFA is a business and we have all seen funny things happen in World Cup tournaments. The last thing they want to do is make the game fair, as pessimistic as that sounds. Don’t get too excited about goal line review talks and diving suspensions, because they are just not in any position to give up control anytime soon!

Don’t forget to tune into Last Word Radio’s “Thursday Night Premier League Roundtable” as we discuss this, and other news affecting players and teams in the English Premier League.

Things We Learned In College, Week 11

Posted on October 11, 2012November 5, 2021 by Lindsay Higgins

-Let’s start with the biggest thing we learned yesterday: Alabama is not invincible. In the first quarter, the Tide did not have a first down. A&M was 5 for 5 on 3rd down. Alabama QB A.J. McCarron saw his streak of over 290 pass attempts without an interception, dating back to the Mississippi State game last season, fall in the first quarter. (He threw another one later). And so forth and so on. The Alabama team that lost to A&M last night, and should have lost to LSU last week, bore very little resemblance to the Tide that rolled (no pun intended) over their last 20 or so opponents dating back to last year.

source: Shutterbug459 Wiki Commons

-On the topic of the Aggies, that Johnny Manziel can play a little, can’t he? WOW. Even more than his mechanics and grasp of the offense- which are pretty damn impressive for a freshman- I’m awed by how little he gets rattled. I think it was Gary Danielson who made a good point on the broadcast last night- a lot of running QBs get scambling and when they look to throw, look for the home run throw way downfield. Manziel can leave the pocket and he doesn’t hesitate to make the screen pass or the short throw if that’s what’s there.

-Northwestern has now lost three games, in each of which they had a lead at some point in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats are a good team, but they’ve got to learn to finish games. I really like how Pat Fitzgerald has them playing through the first three quarters, and I like the dimension that having both Kain Coulter and Trevor Siemian gives them.

– Michigan’s Devin Gardner, making his second straight start in place of the injured Denard Robinson, looks pretty good at QB for a guy who’s played the position very little (and started there even less) since high school. Gardner takes more snaps under center than Robinson does, and the team runs more pro-style sets with him in there.

-Gotta give a shout-out to my home state UConn Huskies, who played Pitt on Friday night. At halftime, the score was 24-0, the rushing yards were 99 to 24, and the first downs were 14-4, all in favor of UConn. This is a three-win team that’s averaging 17 points per game, up 24-0 at the half. Pitt came out stronger in the second half, but the Huskies prevailed for their fourth win of the season, 24-17.

-Big night for the LSU defense in their win over #21 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs were held to just 47 rushing yards in the entire game. In addition, the Tigers’ Craig Loston returned an INT 100 yards for a touchdown, the first 100-yard pick 6 LSU has had since 1988 and just the third in school history. To the delight of Tiger fans, Zach Mettenberger picked up where he left off last week against Alabama, going 19/30 for 291 yards, 2 TDs, and no INTs.

-Here’s a stat for the ages: Kansas State has scored 114 points off of turnovers this season. Off of their own turnovers (not that there have been very many), they’ve allowed zero. That’s insane.

– Notre Dame went into Boston College and showed off their great defence once again. Manti Te’o got another late game interception to preserve a win, and BC didn’t score a single TD in the game. Yes the Eagles have struggled this season, but this defence has been impressive all season. Another big primetime interception won’t hurt Te’o as he looks to attend the Heisman ceremony in New York.

-Congrats to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on their bowl eligibilty. (I had to include that, both of my parents are Minnesota alums).

-You can breathe, Florida fans; it was a bizarre ending, involving Loucheiz Purifoy blocking a punt with :02 on the clock and Jelani Jenkins returning it for a TD, but the #7 Gators did escape a serious threat from the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns.

-Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 68-50 yesterday (yes, that was the football score, not a basketball score) and set a new ACC record for points in a game.

-The Big East lost its last unbeaten team as Louisville went down to Syracuse.

-Big props to Louisiana Tech QB Colby Cameron. Not only does he have his team poised to possibly end the season in the BCS Top 25, he’s broken two NCAA records this year. After last week’s game, Cameron had 358 passing attempts without an interception, breaking West Virginia QB Geno Smith’s single-season record of 273. Yesterday, he broke the NCAA record for total consecutive passing attempts without an interception, previously held by NC State/Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson. After yesterday’s game, his streak stands at 419 attempts.

Top Shelf Prospects: 2012-13 NCAA Preview – ECAC

Posted on October 11, 2012November 5, 2021 by Ben Kerr

Welcome to today’s edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. Previously I reviewed the prospects of all thirty NHL teams, and previewed the CHL season. If you missed any of my previous articles you can find a complete listing of my them here.

Over this past weekend many NCAA teams started their pre-conference schedules with various exhibition games against Canadian Universities, pre-season tournaments, or in other showcase games against teams from other NCAA conferences. With that in mind we turn our attention to previewing the NCAA season, and looking at conference play.

Today I move on to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference. While conference re-alignment has created major changes for many conferences in the NCAA, ECAC Hockey will remain unscathed.

The ECAC might be the most competitive conference in the nation as there are five or six legit contenders to take down the title. The conference continues to produce great teams and great players and has made a name for itself nationally in recent years. ECAC teams can legitimately challenge teams from any of the current big three power conferences.

Top Contenders:

Union Dutchmen: Union made it to the NCAA Frozen Four last year, losing to Ferris State in the National Semi-final. It was a remarkable performance for the squad, as Union is a small school of only 2200 students and they don’t even offer any athletic scholarships in building their program. That said, Union looks good on paper again and is back looking for more this season. It won’t be easy after the team lost Jeremy Welsh to the pro game and a contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, and Kelly Zajac to graduation. However the team does return Troy Grosenick the star goalie who was outstanding for the club all season long as a sophomore. Now a junior, Grosenick, will be the backbone of the club, and should provide them with the best goaltending in the ECAC. The team will look to Daniel Carr, Kyle Bodie, and Matt Carr to lead the offence. While Shayne Gostisbehere and Mat Bodie lead a veteran group of defencemen. Senators draft pick Timothy Boyle is the big recruit and should add to the teams defensive depth. It all starts in the defensive end of the ice for the Dutchmen, and they will again look to suffocate their opponents and grind out wins.

Harvard Crimson: Last season was the story of as Danny Biega goes, so went the Harvard Crimson. Biega is one of the best defencemen in the NCAA, and there may not have been a player more valuable to his team in all of college hockey. The defensive leader plays 30 minutes (plus) per game, in all situations, and generally does it all for Harvard. This season Biega returns, and should provide the same exceptional play, but the surrounding cast is greatly improved. Besides Biega, the team returns most of their defence core, and the experienced group should provide plenty of support this season. Raphael Girard returns in goal and he is a solid goalie who is greatly aided by all the defensive talent in front of him. Up front, the team is bolstered by the return of Colin Morrison’s return from injury and the best recruiting class in the conference including Lightning second round pick Brian Hart, and EJHL Superstar Jimmy Vesey who had 91 points in 45 games last year. The Crimson are a legit threat to Union in the conference, and could even do damage on the national stage.

Cornell Big Red: Cornell finished 2nd in the conference last year and earned an invitation to the NCAA tournament, the 20th appearance in the program’s illustrious history. Brian Ferlin, John Esposito, Dustin Mowrey and Greg Miller are all back to lead the high powered Big Red attack. Incoming Finnish forward Teemu Tiitinen, and 6’6″ forward Christian Hilbrich are recruits who played USHL hockey last year. While Penguins prospect Nick D’Agostino is back to lead an experienced crew on defence. However, if Cornell are going to improve on last year’s 2nd place finish, they must get better goaltending from Alex Iles, who is capable of playing well, but just didn’t show consistency.

Quinnipac Bobcats: The Bobcats finished fifth in the conference last season, but look to take a big step forward this year. The team returns most of last year’s squad, and with top line Matthew Peca, and twins Connor and Kellen Jones, the squad’s offense is in good hands. All three were point-per-game players last season. With Jeremy Langlois on the second line, the team certainly has the ability to score goals. Senior Goaltender Eric Hartzell and his backup sophomore Michael Garteig, also return, ensuring the goaltending will be solid. On the blueline, the Bobcats have a wealth of experience with three returning seniors in Loren Barron, Zack Currie and Mike Dalhuisen, along with junior Zach Tolkinen all back this year. Another all-around team that can challenge in this very competitive conference.

Top Players to Watch

Danny Biega, Defence, Harvard Crimson: As mentionned above Danny Biega is among the best defencemen in the NCAA. The junior defenceman, and Carolina Hurricanes prospect, put up 35 points in 34 games for the Crimson last year. He provided more than just offence and powerplay time though, Biega did it all. He played big minutes against other team’s top lines, was a key penalty killer, and generally played close to 30 minutes a night and over that amount in the playoffs. Biega is an outstanding skate who has very good speed, acceleration, agility, and edgework. His pivots and transitions are excellent and aid him to transition from defence to offence and vice-versa extremely quickly. As a result he almost never gets caught flat footed. Despite being listed at just 6’0″, Biega plays a physical game, as he is not afraid to take the buddy off the rush, or to battle in corners and in front of the net. Offensively Biega has outstanding vision and great passing ability. He is the quarterback of the Crimson powerplay and does so extremely effectively. Biega is a Hobey Baker award contender, and will go pro shortly after his senior season is done.

Brian Hart, Forward, Harvard Crimson: Brian Hart played hockey and soccer at Exeter High School and was offered division one scholarships in both sports. He decided to focus on his hockey career and was drafted in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hart is said to play a power forward style game and drive the net hard. He is a goal scorer who is willing to get down and dirty, and go through defenders if necessary to put the puck in the back of the net. He is also said to have an excellent wrist shot and released. It will be intriguing to see where his game goes this year.

Matt Beattie, Forward, Yale Bulldogs: Beattie was Brian Hart’s teammate at Exeter Academy and actually outscored him last season. He did enough to get the scouts to notice him as well and became a 7th round pick of the Vancouver Canucks. Beattie’s best attributes are said to be his outstanding skating, and soft, smooth hands. It is also said that he could stand to work on his shot, and his physical game. He should be a valuable weapon for Yale in the coming years, and a rivalry with former linemate Hart could be a nice side storyline in the always intriguing Yale/Harvard matchups.

Kenny Agostino, Right Wing, Yale Bulldogs: A 2010 pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Agostino had 14 goals and 34 points in 33 games last year as a sophomore for the Bulldogs. He plays a very straightforward and gritty game, working hard in the corners and in front of the net. Agostino is a quick and powerful skater who gets in hard on the forecheck and is difficult to knock off the puck. He’s not the slickest with the puck on his stick and he doesn’t dangle around defensemen very often, but Agostino’s power game generates offence and goals for the Bulldogs. In fact he plays for the right team as comparing him to a bulldog is probably apt. His hard work on the boards also helps him in the defensive zone and Agostino’s responsible two way game will be relied upon by Yale as they look to challenge the big four in the conference and gain the first round bye that comes with finishing in the top 4 in the ECAC standings.

Ryan Jacobson, Right Wing/Centre, Brown Bears: As a freshman, Jacobson scored 12 goals and 21 points in 32 games for the Brown Bears. Jacobson was a streaky scorer last season and looks to be more consistent as he grows into a bigger role for Brown this year. Jacobson has good speed and is most dangerous off the rush as he loves to go wide on a defenceman and then take the puck to the net. He has a decent shot, but could stand to improve his release. He also has a tendency to get tunnel vision at times and must use his linemates better to reach the next level.

Dustin Walsh, Centre, Dartmouth Big Green: Walsh was a 2009 Draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens. Last season Walsh came out of the gate strong and really looked poised for a big season for Dartmouth. He had clearly improved his skating and it had gone from being a weakness in his game to a real strength. With his new fleeter skating he had 10 point in 8 games (after 20 points in 34 games as a sophomore) and looked to becoming one of the most dangerous forwards in the conference. Unfortunately Walsh suffered a leg injury and was lost for the season. He’s got good size and is a smart playmaker with good vision and passing skills. Walsh also has a good wrist shot and good release that he just doesn’t use often enough. Going into his senior season, Walsh will need more of the offensive production he showed as a sophomore and a little bit of improvement in the defensive end of the ice to earn a pro contract with the Habs next year.

Tim Boyle, Defence, Union Dutchmen: The younger brother of Rangers forward Brian Boyle, it was interesting to see Tim get drafted by the Ottawa Senators given the well publicized feud between Brian and the Senators in last year’s NHL playoffs. The younger Boyle is a defenceman who joins Union as a freshman this season. He’s not the giant that his brother is, as Tim Boyle comes in at 6’1 and 180 lbs. He’ll have to spend his time in college adding weight to his frame. He is said to play bigger than his listed height though, a tough and gritty defenceman who knows how to throw his body around on the boards and battle in front of the net. He’s also said to have decent passing skills and the ability to put up some points for the Union powerplay.

Daniel Carr, Left Wing, Union Dutchmen: As a sophomore Carr had 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points in 41 games playing on the Dutchmen top line. With centre Jeremy Welsh gone, Carr will be asked to lead the Dutchmen offence this season. Carr is a sniper with an excellent wrist shot and one timer. He’s got decent skating, which is aided by his good positioning and hockey sense. Carr finds holes in the defence and sets up where he can unleash his accurate and powerful shot. He also has decent vision and playmaking skill for a winger. He returns to Union after attending the Boston Bruins Development camp this summer, and hopes that the experience will make him an even better player at the college level and earn him a pro contract with the Bruins or another NHL team going forward.

Brian Ferlin, Right Wing, Cornell Big Red: A Boston Bruins 4th round Draft pick in 2011, Ferlin had 21 points in 26 games for Cornell last season. Ferlin has a very strange, choppy skating stride. It certainly isn’t textbook, but it is effective as he generates good speed out there. He also has very good hockey sense and makes the smart play most times out there. He also has a very good shot and takes the puck to the net effectively. Ferlin looks like a natural goal scorer and I expect to see him put more pucks in the net for the Big Red this season as he will be asked to take a bigger role in the offense.

Matthew Peca, Centre, Quinnipac Bobcats: A 7th round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2011 Draft, Peca had 8 goals 31 assists and 39 points in 39 games as a freshman for the Bobcats last season. Flanked by the Jones twins, Connor and Kellen, the entire line returns this season for the Bobcats. Peca is undersized at 5’9 and 165lbs but he’s definitely got offensive talent. He is an extremely good skater, with very good speed, quick acceleration and the ability to change gears that fools opponents off the rush. He’s well balanced on his skates and is not afraid to battle in corners or in front of the net despite his size. He will however need to add some more muscle to be more effective in playing that type of game. He does have good vision and playmaking skills and will continue to be the pivot man between the twin snipers this season. He’s an important two way player for the Bobcats and is featured on the team’s penalty kill.

Thomas Larkin, Defence, Colgate Red Raiders: Larkin was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 5th round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The young defenceman became the first ever Italian trained hockey player to be drafted in the NHL. Larkin is a defensive anchor for the Red Raiders, using his huge frame (6’5″) and long stick to cut down passing lanes and block shots. He will be expected to lead Colgate’s young squad this year as the team continues a rebuilding effort. One big criticism of Larkin is that he just doesn’t play as physical as you’d hope someone with his size would.

Christian Finch, Forward, Clarkson Golden Knights: Its a rebuilding year for Clarkson after they lost Senior Goalie Paul Karpowich to graduation. Karpowich was among the best goalies in the conference last season and without him the Golden Knights will struggle this year, and are in serious rebuild. One of the fresh faces who the team will build around going forward is Christian Finch, the team’s prize recruit this year. Finch was the CJHL MVP last season scoring 104 points in the OJHL for the Stouffville Spirit. Finch originally started as a defenceman for Stouffville, before transitioning to forward last year and showing his offensive potential. He is said to have excellent skating, puckhandling and playmaking ability and should further develop his game as a forward over his college career.

Andrew Calof, Centre, Princeton Tigers: Calof scored 17 goals and 31 points in 32 games for Princeton last season. Two years ago he was the ECAC rookie of the year as a freshman. I’ve mentionned a number of players who are good skaters, but Calof might be the best of the bunch. He is absolutely lightning quick out there and has outstanding acceleration and edgework. Calof is deadly off the rush as defenders must back off and respect his speed or he is capable of taking them wide and driving to the net. When they do this Calof is fully capable of unleashing an accurate wrist shot or setting up a play for a teammate. His skill set makes him extremely difficult to defend in the transition game. As a junior Calof will again be the go to guy for the Tigers as they continue to build towards being a true contender in the conference.

Nick Bailen, Defence, RPI Engineers: Bailen is the leader of the RPI offence despite the fact he plays defence. Heading into his senior year this year, he is the true quarterback of the RPI attack getting things started with a good first pass, or rushing from his own end of the ice. He has great stickhandling ability and the poise to make plays under pressure and in traffic. On the Powerplay he is a true quarterback for the Engineers as everything flows through his spot on the point. Bailen is undersized at just 5’9″ and as such he’s really going to need a huge year as a senior in order to force NHL teams to give him a second look and offer a pro contract after this season. Otherwise a minor league deal or European hockey may await. However at the NCAA level, his size hasn’t been a hindrance and he’s one of the most productive defencemen in the conference.

Greg Carey, Centre, St. Lawrence Saints: Carey had 15 goals and 37 points in 36 games for the Saints last season. The team will rely on him to continue to put up offence in his junior season as he is one of the biggest threats on a team that is a little weak on paper. Carey is a pure goal scorer blessed with one of the best wrist shots in the conference and a great release. He really could put up even better offensive numbers if he had a setup man to play with and a bit better supporting cast. He is absolutely lethal when he gets the opportunity and seeing his shot, its easy to see how Carey put up 72 goals in 48 games to set the OJHL record in his last season with the Burlington Cougars. Greg may find that playmaker this season though, as his brother Matt joins the St. Lawrence roster. It will be interesting to see how the brother act will work for the Saints going forward.

Feel free to leave your own comments below and to follow me on twitter @LastwordBKerr

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Hammer Radio: UFC 153 Preview

Posted on October 11, 2012December 24, 2021 by Ben Kerr

Its Wednesday Night, so the Hammer Radio show is back, and available in Hamilton on 93.3 CMFU FM.

The Boys at the Hammer feature weekly coverage of all things MMA. This week they are back with another new episode and you can listen to the archived podcast by clicking here. Hammer Radio 114.

“It’s MMA overload this week. We start the show previewing UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar (yes, that fight is really happening, and we kind of love it), as well as the rest of the card coming live from Brazil this Saturday night.

Then we hit up a bunch of news, including the weekly Strikeforce debacle, Mayhem Miller’s latest meltdown, fighters who’ve been fired, fighters who are now in jail, fighters who should be in jail, Bellator ballshots, and another extremely fun all-women’s show from Invicta FC.”

The Hammer features lastwordonsports’ own writer Greg Persson, long time internet superstar Steve Jeffrey, and is hosted by MMA aficionado Dave Abraham.

The Hammer has had interviews with some of the biggest names in MMA over the years, including BJ Penn, Dan Henderson, Sean Sherk, Mark Coleman, Rory MacDonald, Brendan Schaub, and others. They continue to bring unparallelled, independent coverage of all things MMA to fans of the sport.

They’ll give you the straight goods and the Last Word.

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Year: 2012