To make it official for posterity's sake, this blog is now just a Twitter account.
Please check in at @PadsBoltsIllini for future updates, photos, and 140-character analysis of the Padres, Chargers, and Illini.
Good times.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Saturday, March 9, 2013
A Few Seasons at the Hot Corner
Though the position has been oft-maligned in the 40-plus years of the franchise - Sean Burroughs, though a monster in my view, comes to mind - the Padres have had some quality single seasons by third basemen.
Leaving out the names for now, how about these lines produced by Padres third basemen:
1. .286/.376/.498 31 bombs 115 ribeyes
2. .330/.385/.580 33 bombs 100 ribeyes
3. .326/.408/.621 40 bombs 130 ribeyes
4. .286/.310/.472 21 bombs 64 ribeyes
5. .306/.388/.588 41 bombs 126 ribeyes
6. .228/.329/.413 20 bombs 65 ribeyes
Granted, this is pretty much all there is worth mentioning (except maybe a Kouz season I left off), but these seasons are pretty solid. Even the dicey seasons put up by #s 4 and 6 were at least good enough to produce a few runs virtue of the 4-bagger.
You probably know these guys, but here are the names to match:
1. '12 Chase Headley
2. '92 Gary Sheffield
3. '06 Ken Caminiti
4. '73 Dave Roberts
5. '01 Phil Nevin
6. '84 Graig Nettles
Nothing wrong with a trip down memory lane. The reason I bring these numbers up is because I wonder if Chaser can improve on his monster '12 season and put up a season like Cammy or Nevin did back in the days of "enhanced" numbers. Though I don't expect Chase to match those numbers, I'm looking forward to watching him try.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The Rotation
The Padres currently have, give or take a guy, 14 pitchers competing for rotation spots this Spring Training. That number includes Cory Luebke and Joe Wieland who are recovering from Tommy John surgery and won't be available until mid-summer at the earliest. The remaining 12 guys are a mix of veterans and youngsters, none of whom are top-of-the-rotation starters. It could be a long season at Petco Park.
But what if some of the veterans had a season equal to their best season ever. Then the Padres would have something! Just look at the numbers:
1. Jason Marquis - 15-7 3.71 201.1 [2004]
2. Edinson Volquez - 17-6 3.21 196.0 [2008]
3. Clayton Richard - 14-9 3.75 201.2 [2010]
4. Freddy Garcia - 18-6 3.05 238.2 [2001]
5. Tim Stauffer - 9-12 3.73 185.2 [2011]
6. Eric Stults - 8-3 2.92 92.1 [2012]
This could absolutely happen. In fact, if Freddy Garcia doesn't throw 238 innings, I'll be shocked.
Friday, August 31, 2012
What Will It Take For The Illini To Win a BCS Championship?
Can the Illini win a national championship in college football? At the moment, no. While theoretical physics, I'm sure, could prove that yes, it is possible for the Illini to win a BCS Championship, the cold reality of big-time college football as it currently exists in this SEC and Southern Cal-dominated world counsels otherwise. The fact is, while possible, it is the longest shot of any of the teams I steadfastly root for - those teams being, of course, the Padres, Chargers and Illini football and hoops - and certainly not something that looks attainable any time in the foreseeable future.
What, then, would it take for the Illini to win a BCS title? To try to answer that question I've compared the recruiting rankings of the current Illini two-deep to the recruiting rankings of the current two-deep at LSU, a recent national champion and a team on the short-list of those favored to win a title this season. Granted, comparing recruiting rankings - in this case the rankings from Scout - is by no means a concrete indicator of what Illinois needs to do to win a championship. Players are regularly overlooked by scouting services, players develop physically in unexpected ways, and players simply get coached up. Recruiting rankings aren't the be-all end-all. But I hope the comparison will at least provide an approximation of where the Illini currently are, and where they need to be.
Quarterback
LSU Illinois
#14 QB in the '09 class #20 QB in '09 class
#35 QB in the '11 class #67 QB in '11 class
#8 QB in the '10 class #106 QB in '10 class
The Illini are doing okay here. Our top guy was roughly an equal recruit in the same class as LSU's top guy. From there it drops a bit and we start to see why depth is important in college football, but we also see why these pure recruiting rankings are misleading. When I tell you that the #2 at LSU is Stephen Rivers and the #2 guy at Illinois is Reilly O'Toole, do you really see much difference between the two? (Setting aside, of course, that Stephen can call his legendary brother, Philip, for advice at any time.) Here, the rankings are also skewed a bit because LSU's #3 is a transfer from Penn St., Rob Bolden. Any time you can get an immediately eligible former #8 QB recruit with BCS conference experience as a starter you have to take him. Who knows how Les Miles will use Bolden but at minimum he adds to LSU's depth, a key factor in winning national championship. That said, if your starting QB is a top-20 recruit you are doing okay for yourself. And the Illini are there. Not just with Nathan now, but when Aaron Bailey gets to C-U too.
Running Back
LSU Illinois
#27 RB in '10 #92 RB in '11
#25 RB in '11 #107 RB in '11
#3 RB in '09 #94 RB in '12
#10 RB in '10 #93 RB in '12
Things start to get dicey here. I'm as optimistic as anyone about the Illini's young group of running backs, but they weren't thought of very highly by the recruting services, at least not at Scout. If any of them succeed - and they very well might - it will be because Zook and Beckman found some sleeper athletes and put them in a system that suits them. But I don't think you can win a national championship if all your running backs are ranked in the 90s or lower. You need a top 10 guy in the mix, backed up by at least one other 4-star. Or multiple 4-stars like LSU does it.
Wide Receiver
LSU Illinois
#40 WR in '11 #57 WR in '10
#2 QB in '09 NR WR in '11
#44 WR in '10 NR WR in '10
#4 WR in '11 #254 WR in '10
Not looking good. Both LSU and the Illini, as with most football squads at any level, will have more than 4 pass catchers at wide out, but this is a representative sample of the four wideouts on both teams who stand to catch the most passes. LSU, as you can see, is loaded. They'll run out pure quality as starters and then have two former 5-stars, one a sick athlete who was converted from a QB out of high-school, as backups. The Illini have one guy who might crack the rotation on a national championship contending team, but after that it's a group of hard-working overachievers who are lucky to be in the Big Ten. To win a title the Illini need more Arrelious Benns, not Jeremy Whitlows.
TE/FB
LSU Illinois
#14 DE in '08 #7 TE in '11
#10 TE in '10 NR QB in '08
#43 DE in '10 #63 TE in '10
NR MLB in '10 #50 TE in '11
Here is the Illini strength at least on the offensive side of the ball. I like LSU's style of converting athletic guys who were ranked in high school at other positions and moving them to TE or FB. I don't think that's all that uncommon, and indeed, the number 2 TE on the current Illini depth chart, Eddie Viliunas, was an unranked QB coming out of high school. The fact he has risen to number 2 on the depth chart says something about the usefulness of these rankings. That said, the true TE star on the Illini is Jon Davis, the #7 TE in the '11 class. Anytime you recruit a top 10 guy at a position and then back him up with other ranked guys, you are putting yourself in a position for hardware.
Offensive Line
LSU Illinois
#77 OT in '09 NR OT in '09
#16 OG in '11 #57 OT in 11
#67 OT in '09 #16 OT in '08
#11 OG in '12 #20 C in '10
#2 OT in '11 NR OG in '09
#78 OT in '07 #12 C in '11
#21 OT in '09 #81 OT in '10
#7 DT in '09 #128 OT in '11
#26 OG in '08 NR OT in '10
#35 DT in '10 #96 OT in '11
The Illini offensive line will compete but there are too many unranked guys on the depth chart to reach elite status. Of the top 10 guys LSU plans to rotate on the OL this year, only three were ranked outside the top 35 at their position, including a couple guys in the top 10. The Illini have a few guys in that class of player, but the depth is not there. This is another area where the Illini need to improve recruiting, making it that much more of a shame they missed on every single OL recruit in the upcoming '13 class in the state of Illinois.
Defensive Line
LSU Illinois
#6 SLB in '09 #47 DE in '08
#23 TE in '08 NR DE in '10
#7 DE in '09 #87 DT in '09
#8 DE in '11 NR FB in '10
#7 DT in '10 #34 WLB in '08
#9 DT in '09 NR DT in '09
#65 DE in '09 #52 DE in '09
#1 DT in '11 #76 DE in '11
Here is the difference between a good defensive line, filled with sleepers who have been coached up, and a truly elite defensive line filled with pure monster talents. Looking at the numbers you'd hardly know the Illini defensive line is ranked among the top 10 units in the country. That's a testament to Ron Zook's ability to find sleeper talent, and Coach Gilmore's ability to coach 'em up. Looking at LSU's list you wonder whether it could compete as a unit not in the college ranks but in the NFL. Fact is, as good as the Illini defensive line is predicted to be this season, to win a national title you probably need at least a few top 10 guys anchoring the line.
Linebacker
LSU Illinois
#19 WLB in '09 #68 DE in '10
#84 OLB in '12 #54 MLB in '11
#20 SLB in '09 #40 MLB in '10
#35 OLB in '10 #33 MLB in '12
#4 MLB in '09 #102 CB in '08
#87 OLB in '10 #93 OLB in '12
What's this? Are the Illini almost equal here? Well, no, considering the top 3 recruits are all on LSU, including the #4 middle linebacker in the 2009 class, but on average LSU, a national title contender, will put a LB ranked about 41 on the field. The Illini linebackers will average about a 65. The Illini are one or two top 20 or so LB recruits away from fielding an elite LB corps. And that doesn't even account for the Illini's Jonathan Brown who might just be the best LB in the country, a result not indicated by his recruiting rank coming out of high school. The Illini are close at linebacker.
Defensive Backfield
LSU Illinois
#13 S in '10 #11 WR in '09
#23 CB in '12 NR CB in '11
#34 CB in '12 #23 CB in '09
#98 CB in '11 #36 CB in '08
#4 S in '10 #79 WR in '09
#40 S in '11 #54 S in '10
#1 S in '09 #51 WR in '08
#45 S in '11 #52 CB in '08
Even without Tyrann Mathieu, who wasn't all that highly ranked a recruit anyway, LSU has a significant advantage here. Three top 10 guys including a former #1 safety with every other backup except one ranking in the top 40 of their respective class. That's how you do it. The Illini have some quality but lack the depth and truly elite talent to compete at the highest level.
Overall, the comparison above doesn't necessarily reveal anything we didn't already know: the Illini need more elite talent to compete for a national championship. But how elite? Do they need a couple top-10 guys at every position? I think the answer to that question is probably yes. LSU has 17 on their 2-deep; the Illini have 1 (here's lookin' at ya, Jon Davis!) Once you get those top-10 guys, you need to back them up with another range of guys ranked roughly between 11-70 at their position (LSU - 23, Illini - 22: nice!). And you need to find some sleepers - a skill the Zooker, and hopefully Beckman, had down pat. And then after all that, you need to get those guys on campus and coach 'em up. At that point, maybe - maybe - you can get in the conversation about teams capable of winning a national championship. Beyond that it's all grit, preparation, toughness, and luck.
The Illini's road to a national championship begins with winning a few recruiting battles for some elite talent (Lequon Treadwell?!?), while continuing to spot and develop the Mikel Leshoure's and Whitney Mercilus' who, while not ranked as elite talents out of high school, became that type of talent during college, and ultimately ended up in the pros. The Illini can do it.
Friday, August 24, 2012
The Flip Side
Suffice to say that I've always wondered how my Padres and Chargers fandom would have been different had I moved to San Diego in August 2000. Let's start with the Padres. Knowing myself, in my single days, and with nothing more than schoolwork to occupy my time, I'm guessing I would have attended 40+ home games a season. Certainly for a cash-strapped student, taking the trolley over to the Q and grabbing a cheap seat in the upper deck would have been very appealing. I've always envisioned myself studying Contracts or Torts up in the upper sections of the Q during a weeknight game, no one else within 10 rows of me, then heading home after the game - maybe to OB or PB or Mission Beach - and sitting at a bar sipping beers and imagining being a surfer despite having little interest in actually getting into the ocean. It's all very romanticized.
Just imagine my time in San Diego in the early oughts watching Padres games at the Q! I would have been there for the Golden Age of Klesko and Nevin. I could have been excited seeing Mike Daar emerge as young outfielder and then crushed by his untimely death. Maybe I would have spotted Bret Boone's roids use. I might have been as disappointed in Ruben Rivera as was Geoff Young. I could have seen Tony's final days. Seen Rickey break some records. Welcomed Kotsay for his first sojourn with the team. Been there for the rise of Peavy and for Trevor's post-surgery comeback. I'd have been there for the Q's last game and Petco's first game, and seen live the team, in 2004, play their best baseball since 1998. Those were some great years to be in San Diego.
And the Bolts too. How many games would I have seen live each year? Probably not all 8, but maybe 4? 5? Certainly possible. Maybe not in 2000 though. That was one of the worst teams of all time with Ryan Leaf leading the way to a 1-15 record. You'd have to give me a break on that one. I was too young at the time to go to games just to appreciate the work of Rodney Harrison, Junior Seau and John Parella on defense. But I remember 2001 and the team's 5-2 start and the young LT, the old Doug Flutie, and the chatty Marcellus Wiley. And in 2002 I was fully on board with Marty and Brees and LT and the team's 6-1 start. Even as the season turned, I watched every game in a dark, cold sports bar in D.C., wondering what it was like to watch live in SoCal. Being at the Q nearly every Sunday in '01 and '02 watching LT emerge as one of the great young running backs of all time would have been an irreplaceable experience. I envy those who got that done.
What this all comes down to really is cred. Street cred with Padres and Bolts fans. There's no substitute for the experience of going to the stadium, not only during the glory years, but in the worst years too. Meet other fans, cheer on the team, get to know every inch of the stadium or the ballpark, know it like your own house, amass tales of epic comebacks, walk-off victories, dagger losses, random run-ins with the players, boozy nights where maybe the ushers you've gotten to know by name throughout the long season tire of your antics. All these things add up when you go to the games night in and night out. They are stories that can't be replaced about games that will never be played again. You become part of the team's history in a very real way. Twelve years of that is what I missed out on by not moving to San Diego in 2000.
But I also gained an immeasurable amount by living in D.C. and New York, and I'm not just talking about sports. Most importantly I met my wife and now have an 18-month old daughter. Those are the two greatest things ever to happen to me ... especially since neither the Padres, Bolts, nor Illini have won a title. (Since you asked, those three events, were they to happen, would slot in as 3, 4, 5 on my greatest moments list. Though if Deron and Luther and Dee and Augie and Powell had got it done in '05, my wedding night might have slipped to 3 on the list. I'm only being honest here. Also note, I say "three events," not four, because let's be honest, the Illini aren't winning a national championship in football. On the other hand, maybe this guy is just crazy enough to do it.)
That's not to say the sports on the East Coast aren't great. Here follows just a short list of sporting events I attended live largely, if not wholly, because I lived in D.C. and New York City for over a decade:
1. seeing the final round of the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage;
2. watching playoff baseball, in particular Game 6 of the '03 Yanks-Red Sox ALCS, Game 2 of the '04 Yanks-Red Sox ALCS, Game 1 of the '06 Mets-Dodgers NLDS, Game 2 of the '07 Red Sox-Indians ALCS, Game 2 of Yanks-Twins '09 ALDS, and Game 2 of the '09 Yanks-Phillies World Series;
3. seeing the Padres at Old Yankee Stadium in '04 and '08;
4. seeing the Illini at the Garden (2003 v. Providence, 2010 v. Maryland and Texas);
5. seeing the '05 Illini at Georgetown and against Temple at the Palestra;
6. seeing Iverson score 50 at the Comcast Center in Philly;
7. watching the Illini lose at Rutgers in 2006 in possibly the ugliest college football performance of all time;
8. taking three trips to watch the Padres play the Pirates at PNC Park;
9. seeing the Padres at Fenway last summer;
10. seeing the Padres at RFK and at Nationals Park, including this memorable Peavy performance;
11. seeing the Padres at the Vet and at Citizens Bank Park, including this memorable Peavy performance; and
12. never seeing a meaningful Knicks game at the Garden despite going to several Knicks games at the Garden.
It all adds up to a great decade and, considering everything, I don't regret moving to the East Coast instead of San Diego in 2000. But this whole post is just my long way of saying I no longer live on the East Coast. As of this summer I moved to Southern California. I'm not all the way to San Diego - at least not yet - but Los Angeles, in large part because it puts me within regular striking distance of the Diago, isn't a bad place to call home.
Just so long as the Bolts don't join me up here.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Will See You On The Flip Side
Friends,
After tonight's Chargers loss to the Raiders, I have decided to take a leave of absence from sports.
I will see you all again soon.
Best,
Bormo
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Carson Palmer Versus The Bolts
As you know by now, the Raiders went ahead and traded for Carson Palmer yesterday, giving up two high draft picks for the aged but talented quarterback in a clear attempt to "win now."The move concerns me as a Bolts fan. The Raiders were a difficult matchup for the Bolts before they picked up Palmer - the power run game, the improving Heyward-Bey, the steady defense that can apply pressure - but now they add a veteran QB who's had success against the Bolts in the past. He hasn't always beaten the Bolts - he's had a less talented team, even in Bengals playoff years - but his passing numbers have been very good, and the games have always been close.
Let's look back at the full history of Palmer v. the Bolts.
Game 1: November 12, 2006, at Cincinnati, Bolts win 49-41
One of the more epic games in Bolts history. The Bungles went up 21-0 and went into halftime with a 28-7 lead behind a pure blitzkrieg led by Palmer and his minions Chad Ochocinco, TJ Houshmandzadeh, and Chris Henry. And remember, this was a dominant Bolts team that would finish 14-2 on the season, and had probably the best defense of the Bolts' recent successful run from 2004 to present. Merriman was in his dominant prime (17.5 sacks), Donnie Edwards was still ably patrolling the middle of the defense, Quentin Jammer was a young ballhawk, and Shaun Phillips, Luis Castillo, and Randall Godfrey got after the quarterback. I mean Luis Castillo had 7 sacks on the season. He hasn't had more than 2.5 since.
Yet despite all that defensive firepower, Carson Palmer carved up the Bolts. He went 31-42 for 440 yards and 3 TDs with no picks. It was the first 400-yard game of Palmer's career (it may also be the last, I didn't go that far in the resaerch). He did fumble on a big sack in the second half that led directly to an LT touchdown run, but he can't be blamed for a Bungles defense that allowed the Bolts to score 42 second-half points en route to a stunning 49-41 victory. Palmer in fact responded after the Bolts pulled to 31-28 in the third quarter by tossing a 74-yard bomb to Ochocinco, and he drove the Bungles to the Bolts 15 with a chance to tie the game late, but just missed a 4th down completion that closed out the game.
He came up a bit short, but no one except Palmer put up more than 30 points on the Bolts in 2006.
Game 2: December 20, 2009, at San Diego, Bolts win 27-24
A matchup of playoff teams, this game was typical of the type of glorious victory the Bolts pulled off time and again during the '09 season, right up until they were bounced rudely out of the playoffs by the New York Yets.
Despite the Bengals loss in this game, which was their first game following the untimely death of Chris Henry, Palmer was again solid against the Chargers defense. He completed 27 of 40 passes for 314 yards with two TDs and a pick. Not an epic day, and the Bungles only scored one touchdown in four red zone trips, but it was enough to keep pace with the AFC's #1 seed on their home turf. Palmer also showed some grit by blocking downfield on a screen pass to Chad Ochocinco on a big 4th quarter play, and, a few plays later, scored a big 2 pt conversion on a sneaky QB draw. He also drove the Bungles 90-plus yards in 6 minutes for a tying field goal with less than a minute to play (including recovering a fumble to save the drive along the way). The Bolts didn't put the game away until Nate Kaeding hit a 52-yard field goal with three seconds to play.
Game 3: December 26, 2010, at Cincinnati, Bengals win 34-20
One of the worst games I've ever watched. The day after Christmas last year, the Bolts merely needed to beat the 2-11 Bungles to maintain their playoff chances. A win at Cincy, and then a win the next week against the just-as-lowly Broncos, would give the Bolts their fifth straight playoff appearance and a home game during Wild Card weekend.
Unfortunately the team came out sloppy and Carson Palmer took advantage. He managed an excellent game, going 16-21 for 269 yards and throwing 4 touchdown passes, including a dagger 59-yard bomb to Jerome Simpson early in the 4th quarter on a dastardly quick snap that caught Antoine Cason unawares and unready. He didn't throw his first incomplete pass until the third quarter, and didn't throw any picks at all. He was also missing the corpses of Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens who both sat out the game with injuries (that actually may have helped him), but still got the job done. In short, it was exactly the kind of game that I'm scared he'll be able to pull off against the Bolts this season. Mixing in a strong running game (Ced Benson and Bernard Scott ran a combined 33 times for a 102 yards in last season's game, doesn't that sound at least like something McFadden and Michael Bush could do) he only needed to pick his spots and pass 21 times, and the results were devastating to the Bolts.
Bottom line: I'm scared of the Raiders and Carson Palmer. And I'm not afraid to admit it.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The Illini Versus The Buckeyes
First, great photo of Whitney "Nine Piece" Mercilus by John Dixon of the News-Gazette. Second, the Illini have only defeated the Buckeyes 12 times in Champaign. The teams have played there 46 times since their first meeting in 1902. I'd like to have more victories at home against any team, especially a bitter Big Ten foe, but that low win total will help to make today's victory - and I'm sure it will be a victory - even more special.
Here's a quick list of the Illini victories against Ohio St. in Champaign:
October 12, 1991: Illini 10 - Buckeyes 7
October 7, 1989: Illini 24 - Buckeyes 14
October 5, 1985: Illini 31 - Buckeyes 28
October 15, 1983: Illini 17 - Buckeyes 13
October 8, 1966: Illini 10 - Buckeyes 9
November 18, 1950: Illini 14 - Buckeyes 7
November 16, 1946: Illini 16 - Buckeyes 7
October 13, 1934: Illini 14 - Buckeyes 13
November 24, 1928: Illini 8 - Buckeyes 0
November 22, 1924: Illini 7 - Buckeyes 0
November 16, 1918: Illini 13 - Buckeyes 0
October 17, 1914: Illini 37 - Buckeyes 0
My conclusion from this list: the Illini are due for a win. Against Ohio St. In Champaign.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Who Would Dare Match Wits With The Zooker? (My Second Try To Finish The Post)
Yesterday I celebrated the beginning of the Illini football season by starting a blog post looking at the 12 coaches Ron Zook will stare down - and no doubt intimidate - on the opposite sideline this season. Unexpected fatherly duties prevented me from finishing that post before the start of yesterday's game.
Today I'll complete the post, starting with the third game of the season.
3. Sept. 17 v. Arizona St. - Dennis Erickson
Erickson likely needs no introduction. He's twice coached in the NFL (for the Seahawks and the Niners) but hasn't done all that well (40-56). His greatest stretch came as the head coach for Miami (so dirty) in the early '90s where he won two national championships. Still, as anyone who watched The U knows, those were really Jimmy Johnson's teams. His more impressive accomplishment is turning around the Oregon St. Beavers in the late '90s-early '00s, leading them to a top 5 finish in the 2000 season. He has ASU clicking on many cylinders at the moment and will present a strong challenge to the Zooker. In dispatching Erickson, the Zooker might actually break a sweat.
4. Sept. 24 v. Western Michigan - Bill Cubit
Cubit played WR for Delaware in the '70s before starting his coaching career in the mid-80s as defensive backs coach at Central Florida. He bounced around for awhile, eventually rising to offensive coordinator for several D-1 schools (Mizzou, Rutgers, Stanford) before taking the head job at Western Michigan in 2005. Cubit has been a nemesis of Zook's in the past, drawing blood with a victory over the Illini in 2008. No doubt Zook is now wise to Cubit's non-BCS guerilla tactics, and can counter them with the might of his BCS-bred heavy cavalry (Ford, Young, Ferguson, Prosch, Pocic, Thornton, Cornell).
5. Oct. 1 v. Northwestern - Pat Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald, the second-youngest coach in all of D-1 football, rose to fame as a stud LB for Northwestern in the mid-90s. After serving 5 seasons as Northwestern LB coach, he was promoted to head coach in 2006 following the sad death of Randy Walker. He's had marginal success at Northwestern, primarily the result of cupcake non-conference scheduling. He suffered a near-mortal wound at Zook's hands last November at Wrigley Field, as Zook's boys ran up over 300 yards rushing in a dominant Illini victory. With that beatdown fresh in his mind, I wouldn't be surprised if Fitzgerald doesn't even show up for this season's game.
6. Oct. 8 at Indiana - Kevin Wilson
The long-time assistant at several schools, Wilson is in his first year as head coach at Indiana. He apprenticed for 19 years at various schools under the now-deceased former Miami (OH) and Northwestern coach, Randy Walker, and more recently worked under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma. In his short tenure at Indiana he has shown both steely resolve (winning the recruiting battle for Gunnar Kiel) and total ineptitude (losing yesterday to Ball St.). Knowing Zook, he will not show any mercy on Wilson, even if it is the guy's first season at the Hoosier helm. I wish Wilson luck.
7. Oct. 15 v. Ohio St. - Luke Fickell
I won't deny this fact: Fickell looked impressive on the sideline Saturday during the Buckeyes win over Akron. Fickell played nose guard for the Buckeyes in the mid-90s, starting 50 consecutive games, including the '97 Rose Bowl where he played despite having a torn pectoral muscle. Not only that, he seems to be handling the current adversity in Columbus with aplomb. The Zooker may have his hands full with this young warrior from the Land of Buckeye.
8. Oct. 22 at Purdue - Danny Hope
Hope spent several years jumping around as an offensive line coach (including time at Purdue) and then five years as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky before joining the Boilermakers for the 2008 season as Joe Tiller's assistant head coach. He took over for Tiller a year later and now, in his third season, has basically run the program into the ground. Yes, that is an exaggeration, but the Zooker should have little trouble with Hope this season.
9. Oct. 29 at Penn St. - Joe Paterno
Who? I don't think I've heard of this guy. And I can't find anything written about him online or elsewhere in the press. This guy is a total unknown.
10. Nov. 12 vs. Michigan - Brady Hoke
A round, pudgy-looking guy, Hoke has never coached a game for Michigan (at least as the head coach) that wasn't called due to severe weather. Hoke is an old school guy who spent 8 years as a Michigan defensive assistant before taking head coaching jobs at Ball St., San Diego St., and now Michigan. I've said from day one that this was a good hire for Michigan, and nothing I saw yesterday changed that fact. Except for the fact he apparently can't control lightning. Zook can control lightning. Advantage Zooker.
11. Nov. 19 vs. Wisconsin - Bret Bielema
I'm going to go ahead and announce Bielema as the Zooker's archnemesis. Bielema played LB for Iowa, and then joined the Hawkeyes as an assistant coach for nine years. He spent one year as the co-DC at Kansas St. before joining Wisconsin as the DC in 2004. Barry Alvarez named Bielema as his successor in 2005, and Bielema has been riding the coattails of Alavarez's work for the past five years. Bielema may be an okay coach, but he has no business running a program as successful as Wisconsin has been the past few years. It's time for Bielema's wake up call and the Zooker is just the man to do it.
12. Nov. 26 at Minnesota - Jerry Kill
This guy won at Saginaw Valley St., he won at Southern Illinois, he won at Northern Illinois, and he almost pulled the upset in his debut game for Minnesota on the road at Southern Cal. He also beat kidney cancer. And his last name is "Kill." I like this guy. I may feel the slightest bit of remorse when Zook steps on his neck this coming Thanksgiving weekend.
It's going to be a great season.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Who Would Dare Match Wits Against The Zooker?
Today begins another season of Illini football. To mark this momentous occasion, I thought I would look at the twelve coaches who would dare take the opposite sideline against Ron Zook this season. These gentlemen must be very brave, or very stupid, to challenge our Champion - the Zooker - in pitched battle. So who are these guys?
1. Sept. 3 v. Arkansas St. - Hugh Freeze
First-year college head coach, better known as the guy who coached Michael Oher in high school. I don't know much about Freeze's coaching philosophy, but if he is anything like how the actor Ray McKinnon portrayed him in The Blind Side movie ("Hold it in here, between the tits!"), I like Zook's chances.
2. Sept. 10 v. South Dakota St. - John Stiegelmaier
Like Freeze, Stiegelmaier was a former high school coach before becoming a graduate assistant at Wisconsin, and eventually moving on to South Dakota St. He became the head coach in 1997 and has a career 83-60 record. But whatever his merits as a coach, you have to question the decisionmaking of a man would spend 14 years coaching a team called the Jackrabbits. It's safe to say Zook can handle this guy.
Oh my. Just spent the last couple hours on unexpected Dad duty. Didn't get a chance to finish this before heading out to watch the Illini game. I'll finish this post before next week.
Go Illini!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
A Midsummer Visit To The Baseball Hall of Fame
On the Friday that started July 4 weekend this year I took a trip to Cooperstown to visit the venerable National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. I traveled with one of my advisors, and noted beer aficionado, Tom Teatro. In addition to the Hall, we toured the excellent Ommegang Brewery, taking not one, but two tasting tours. And drinking several other of their fine Belgian-inspired beers at the bar on premises.
But as good as the Ommegang visit was, we were really there to see the Hall of Fame; as always, it did not disappoint. A few photos follow.
One of the things we wanted to accomplish over the weekend was to play catch on Doubleday Field. We gave it our best shot - eventually making it onto the field and throwing the ball back and forth for a few minutes - but then the Assistant Groundskeeper threatened to call the Cooperstown PD if we didn't exit the premises immediately. He even whipped out a walkie-talkie and pretended to radio the cops, a move he's no doubt honed by booting legions of teenagers ... and anyone who just spent the day drinking at Ommegang.
Before we "trespassed" onto the field, we caught the end of this game. We couldn't tell what level it was, but it appeared to be a Babe Ruth League game (does that still exist?) - maybe 14 to 16 year olds. They didn't look like varsity high-schoolers. I think this kid made the final out of the game when the ump called strike three on a ball a foot off the plate. Surprisingly, my drunken calls of "Blue, what are you doin'!" didn't change the call.
One of the great things about visiting Cooperstown is perusing all the memorabilia shops. They have some incredible stuff in these stores, often juxtaposing old jerseys and other memorabilia of stars of different eras in cool ways. For example, this store window showed off one of the greatest baseball players of all time. And Derek Jeter.
Like I said, I love the random groupings of gear from great players that otherwise wouldn't be grouped together. Here you have jerseys for Koufax, Clemente, and Musial, three of my top 5 favorite players of all time, hanging on the wall side-by-side. Unless you happened to be touring the locker room of the Ryan's Favorite Player All Stars, I don't know where else you'd see these jerseys hanging together. Except here, in Cooperstown. 
The first World Series I remember watching was the 1982 Series between the Cardinals and Brewers. For that reason, even though I'm no fan of either franchise, I've always had a fondness for those two particular teams. These Cardinal colors worn by the '82 team - a team that featured former Padres Ozzie Smith, Gene Tenace, George Hendrick, and Steve Mura in prominent roles - are colors I'll always associate with early 80s baseball, a great, but often underrated time to grow up and learn about the game. 
Really liked this Gwynn jersey except for one thing: when did the Padres ever wear a black jersey? Was this from an All Star Game? Was Tony secretly on the Pirates for awhile? Am I colorblind? Neither Teatro nor I could figure it out. Granted, we'd had 8 beers each at Ommegang, but still ... 
Respect.
Another choice grouping. What's fun about these groupings, other than just being cool to look at, is that you can imagine these guys playing together. For example, let's say I get Mantle, Koufax, and Schmidt on my team. Then I let you go ahead and pick your entire team and you take, oh I don't know, Bench, Gehrig, Morgan, Ozzie, Brooks Robinson, Teddy Ballgame, Mays, and Aaron. And Bob Gibson to pitch. But then I fill out my team with Bill Dickey, Jimmie Foxx, Rogers Hornsby, Robin Yount, Barry Bonds, and Babe Ruth. I don't know who wins that game, but I'd probably buy a ticket to watch it.
High comedy. You know I love Tony, but I'm not paying $149 for his signed anything (okay, maybe that's too far; I could see buying a game-worn jersey from the '84 Series or one of his game-used bats maybe). But that's obviously not the funny part. $99.95 for an Ozzie Guillen signature? $69.95 for Travis Hafner? I mean you couldn't make this up. 
The next day we started early at the Hall of Fame. I didn't take photos of everything; no one could. There's just too much good stuff. I did take some photos of things that caught my eye, or that had special meaning to me, and it started with this Christy Mathewson jersey. Christy has always been one of my favorite players based on his exploits in the 1905 World Series, and he wore this jersey, if I remember correctly, during a tour of Japan. 
Here's a stretched animal hide commemorating the Red Sox 1915 World Series victory. Why don't teams issue commeorative animal hides anymore? Baseball should really get back to that.
Look at Babe load his swing. If you're like me, even though you've read all the stories and seen all the numbers, you still look at the old Babe footage and wonder sometimes how he could have been as good as he was. But then I see a photo like this and realize it was probably because he had ridiculous hand-eye coordination, a ton of strength, very quick hands through the zone, and perhaps most of all, loaded his swing like a slingshot. I know he's just messing around here, but wasn't he always? 
Musial's stirrups. Now I can say I saw them.
The Hall of Fame celebrates moments as much as it does individual players. Here you have George Brett's bat from the pine tar incident. I thought the presentation was done well because they included Brett's jersey - the classy Royals blue and white - and his glove, and didn't just make it about the bat. Brett was a monster whose career was memorable for so much more than that one moment.
A jersey Dave Winfield wore with the Padres. It must have been one of his last seasons in San Diego because I didn't know the Padres had moved to this lettering until after Winfield left town. But more importantly, you should have seen what other items shared space in this glass showcase. There was a Red Sox jersey that Pudge Fisk wore in '76, the bat and ball Jim Rice used to get his 400th total base in '78, the glove Gary Carter wore in his NL record-breaking 1,862nd game behind the plate, Wade Boggs' bat and batting glove from '89, his 7th consecutive year tallying 200+ hits, the bat Cal Ripken used to hit a bomb in the '91 All Star Game, the jersey and helmet Robin Yount wore when he got his 3000th hit, and the hat, glove and ticket stub from Nolan Ryan's 5000th strikeout game.
I'm just a humble baseball fan, but I'd say that's one heck of a glass showcase.
Here is the uniform Eddie Gaedel wore during his famous at bat for Bill Veeck's St. Louis Browns in 1951. I took the photo in honor of Kyle Gaedele, Eddie's grand-nephew, who the Padres had drafted a few weeks earlier. Incidentally, I'm currently reading Bill Veeck's autobiography - Veeck: As In Wreck - and the opening chapter is a solid firsthand account of the events leading up to the Gaedel at bat. I hightly recommend it.
After touring the museum upstairs, we went downstairs to the Plaque Gallery. As good as the presentation is upstairs, I still love the plaques the best. You could read these all day long, literally. Goose's plaque is great. I loved this line: "Incredibly durable, posted 52 saves of at least seven outs." From the vantage point of being a fan in 2011, that's an incredible statistic.
"An artisan with a bat ...."
The Artisan in close up.
I'd either forgotten or never knew that Clemente led the NL in batting four times, and finished his career with a .317 average. There really was nothing he couldn't do on a ball field.
I'd grin like a goofball too if my nickname was "The Man."
And the end of the hallway housing the Plaque Gallery is a place of honor for the First Five Hall of Fame inductees: Ruth, Mathewson, Wagner, Cobb, and Walter Johnson. It's all very well done.
Here's a wide view of the First Five and some of the more recent inductees that surround them. Tony Gwynn's plaque is to the left of the First Five.
Here's the glass ceiling that lets in sunlight on the First Five and other recent inductees. The sky that day was perfect. Look at how the clouds are reflected in the marble.
Two lefties that would have no trouble hitting at Petco.
This was genius. In the gift shop you have to pass through to leave the Hall they have these sets of 50 random cards for each team. They cost $9.50 each so obviously I purchased a Padres set without even hesitating.
Finally, I couldn't leave the Hall without snapping a photo of these three statues honoring Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, and Roberto Clemente. The statues are placed so they greet you when you enter the Hall, and wish you well on your way out. There probably aren't three better ballplayers they could have chosen for this duty. Again, well done.
Here is the uniform Eddie Gaedel wore during his famous at bat for Bill Veeck's St. Louis Browns in 1951. I took the photo in honor of Kyle Gaedele, Eddie's grand-nephew, who the Padres had drafted a few weeks earlier. Incidentally, I'm currently reading Bill Veeck's autobiography - Veeck: As In Wreck - and the opening chapter is a solid firsthand account of the events leading up to the Gaedel at bat. I hightly recommend it.
After touring the museum upstairs, we went downstairs to the Plaque Gallery. As good as the presentation is upstairs, I still love the plaques the best. You could read these all day long, literally. Goose's plaque is great. I loved this line: "Incredibly durable, posted 52 saves of at least seven outs." From the vantage point of being a fan in 2011, that's an incredible statistic.
"An artisan with a bat ...."
The Artisan in close up.
I'd either forgotten or never knew that Clemente led the NL in batting four times, and finished his career with a .317 average. There really was nothing he couldn't do on a ball field.
I'd grin like a goofball too if my nickname was "The Man."
And the end of the hallway housing the Plaque Gallery is a place of honor for the First Five Hall of Fame inductees: Ruth, Mathewson, Wagner, Cobb, and Walter Johnson. It's all very well done.
Here's a wide view of the First Five and some of the more recent inductees that surround them. Tony Gwynn's plaque is to the left of the First Five.
Here's the glass ceiling that lets in sunlight on the First Five and other recent inductees. The sky that day was perfect. Look at how the clouds are reflected in the marble.
Two lefties that would have no trouble hitting at Petco.
This was genius. In the gift shop you have to pass through to leave the Hall they have these sets of 50 random cards for each team. They cost $9.50 each so obviously I purchased a Padres set without even hesitating.
Finally, I couldn't leave the Hall without snapping a photo of these three statues honoring Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, and Roberto Clemente. The statues are placed so they greet you when you enter the Hall, and wish you well on your way out. There probably aren't three better ballplayers they could have chosen for this duty. Again, well done.Saturday, August 13, 2011
The Kevin Quackenbush/Colin Rea/Matt Andriese All Stars: A Look At The Padres 2011 Draft
The Padres drafted 53 young ballplayers in June.
Where are they and what are they doing as of today, August 13, 2011, three days prior to the signing deadline?
1s. Cory Spangenberg - 2B crushed Eugene, coming around at FW
1. Joseph Ross - RHP, a UCLA commit, still has not signed
1s. Michael Kelly - RHP, a Florida commit, still has not signed
1s. Brett Austin - C, an N.C. St. commit, still has not signed
1s. Jace Peterson - .246/.362/.325 at Eugene
2. Austin Hedges - C, a UCLA commit, still has not signed
3. Matthew Andriese - 1.59 ERA in 8 starts for Eugene
4. Cody Hebner - 4.15 ERA in 7 apps (3 starts) for Eugene
5. Mark Pope - 4.24 ERA in 6 relief apps for Eugene
6. Kyle Gaedele - OF hitting .213/.340/.279 for Eugene
7. Matthew Wisler - signed last week, first appy disaster for AZL
8. Kevin Quackenbush - 0.32 ERA, 14.3 K/9 in 24 apps for Ems/FW
9. Justin Hancock - 7 apps, 4 starts, 5.50 ERA for AZL
10. Robert Kral - C, nice start (.424 OBP) in first 33 PAs for AZL
11. Casey McElroy - 5 hits (2 2Bs) in first 13 PAs for AZL
12. Colin Rea - 0.88 ERA in 11 starts for Eugene
13. Lee Orr - .231/.381/.410 as primary RF in Eugene
14. Burch Smith - Junior RHP from OU is unsigned
15. Greg Gonzalez -1.42 ERA in 12 relief apps for Eugene
16. Jeremy Rodriguez - 26 walks, only 14 Ks (.413 OBP), C at Eugene
17. Matthew Stites - 1.33 ERA in 16 relief apps for AZL and Eugene
18. Mike Gallic - OF raked with Eugene, now struggling with FW
19. Jeremy Gigliotti - 3.68 ERA, 12.3 K/BB, 19 relief apps for Eugene
20. Christopher Haney - shelled in 12 relief apps for Eugene/FW
21. Zach Kometani - mediocre start for 1B w/ Ems (.258/.342/.375)
22. Matthew Colantonio - part-time C at Eugene, more BBs than Ks
23. Robert Eisenbach - 2.62 ERA in 13 apps (3 starts) for AZL
24. Erick Fedde - Vegas high schooler, UNLV commit, not signed
25. Paul Karmas - 1B, mediocre start at AZL (.263/.368/.394)
26. Roberto Suppa - Canadian RHP, Cornell commit, not signed
27. Arby Fields - JC OF prospect, LSU commit, not signed
28. Rashad Ingram - .257/.373/.329 for 2B/SS at AZL/Ems
29. Vimael Machin - P.R. high-school SS, VCU commit, not signed
30. Justin Miller - 2B, crushing ball at AZL/Eugene (.388/.463/.526)
31. Clint Moore - Army grad, 3B, avg start for Ems (.226/.317/.434)
32. Kyle Brule - pitched well in AZL, RHP not doing well at Eugene
33. James Jones - primary closer for AZL, 3.80 ERA 5 saves 20 appys
34. Dennis O'Grady - Duke grad, 4.50 ERA in 8 starts at AZL/FW
35. Travis Whitmore - Eugene 3B/DH hitting well (.306/.398/.408)
36. Andrew Rash - draft-eligible soph at VA Tech, not signed
37. Cody Semler - Texas high-school SS, not signed
38. Patrick Connaughton - baseball/hoops schollies to ND, not signed
39. Josh Pond - Junior RHP Cal St. San Bernardino, not signed
40. Taylor Murphy - IF Torrey Pines H.S., Pacific commit, unsigned
41. Dante Flores - high-school 2B, and USC commit, has not signed
42. Garrett Boulware - H.S. C, Clemson commit, not signed
43. Cody Gabella - 2B, rocky start at AZL (.111/.220/.358)
44. Spenser Linney - LHP, Stanford commit, not signed
45. William Goss - CF from Tupelo, no college commit, not signed
46. Eddie Salomon - H.S. 2B, may have signed in July, no stats
47. Vincent Voiro - rising Senior RHP from UPenn has not signed
48. Kent Rollins - H.S. from GA, going to Air Force to play football
49. Ryan Hutchison - Junior RF from W. Ky, not signed
The deadline approaches. Deals must get done.
Friday, August 12, 2011
An Evening At Citi Field With The San Diego Padres
On Wednesday night I went to Citi Field in Queens, NY, home of the Mets, to watch the Padres-Metsies game. Solid ballpark, great night. Not only did the Padres win 9-5, but there were a fair amount of strong performances, historic moments (if you consider James Darnell's first big league hit "historic," which I do), and even a little drama in the 9th (Heath Bell did pitch after all).
If you don't mind, I think I'll show you some photos.
I thought it was nice of this Mets fan to recognize former Padres first-round pick, and current Mets minor-leaguer, Allan Dykstra. I mean he hasn't even made his big league debut yet and this guy already has an Allan Dykstra jersey. That's supporting the system!
I attended the game with noted Metsies fan, and guest of this blog, Father D.P. McGillicutty. We began the game sitting in right field just beyond the foul pole, a few yards into foul territory. This is not a bad spot to watch the game. You have a clear view of the field and, on nice nights, you can see a bit of the sunset above the stadium lights. The sun shines in your eyes for a few innings, as the photo above proves, but I'd still recommend this spot if you're looking for a good outfield seat.
How good was that '86 Mets squad? In addition to this photo of Keith Hernandez, Doc Gooden, and Darryl Strawberry, the Mets also showed a montage of Gary Carter highlights on the big screen that made me want to clasp hands in a manly way with my worst enemy. What a pack of monsters. Seeing the billboard above, it made me wonder what similar billboard the Padres could hang at Petco. It would have to be three guys from one of our best teams - probably the '84 or '98 squad - and you'd need a stud pitcher, a stud HR hitter, and one of the team leaders. They wouldn't all have to be home-grown players (Hernandez was drafted by the Cardinals), but it would be nice if 2 of the 3 guys were drafted and developed by the team.
So obviously, Tony Gwynn is on the billboard in the middle spot occupied in the photo above by Keith Hernandez. Then, if we're doing an homage to the '84 team, let's put up home-grown kid Kevin McReynolds in the Strawberry spot (ironically McReynolds played with all these guys on the Mets a few years later), and let's put Eric Show on the board in the Gooden spot. Arguably Goose or Dravecky or Lefferts could take that spot, but I'm putting the spotlight on Eric. It's my imaginary billboard after all. (Ed. note: the '98 billboard of Gwynn, Cammy, and Kevin Brown wouldn't suck, nor would the '05 billboard of Peavy, Giles, and Trevor, not to mention the '78 billboard of Winfield, Ozzie, and Gaylord Perry. Let's get these hung at Petco immediately.)
Check out this action shot of former-Padre Mike Baxter warming up between innings. Baxter is a Queens native so he's living the dream at the moment. At least that's my guess. I haven't actually talked with him about it. In this game he went 1-3 with two walks, which means, if my math is correct, he was on base three times. Not bad for a youngish guy trying to break in with his hometown team. When Alderson and DePodesta claimed him off waivers a few weeks ago, I thought it was a dirty sneaky move, but I totally respected it. And maybe now Mike will get a good shot to prove himself at the big league level over the next 6 weeks. Good luck to him.
I posted this slightly blurry photo from right field merely for comedic purposes. You can't really tell from the photo, but that's Cameron Maybin jogging down the first-base line back toward the dugout. Moments before taking this photo I had turned to McGillicutty and said, "Watch Maybin go yard here." Then, with that statement barely out of my mouth, Maybin hit a dribbler four feet in front of the plate and was thrown out at first. And then I took this photo.
See, isn't that hilarious?
Check out that moon. Reminded of a moon I once saw in Pittsburgh.
If anyone ever tells you I wasn't at the game where James Darnell got his first big league hit, they are wrong. Remember that. Could come in handy in a bar bet someday.
Shake Shack is one of New York's best spots to get a burger. Very trendy but also very tasty. They put up a location in the outfield at Citi and the Mets put a sweet neon skyline of New York above the sign. This is kind of a haphazard photo of it, but you get the idea. I'm a fan of the whole presentation.
And here's a last final shot of Citi Field from outside the stadium. That's the back of the centerfield scoreboard. You can see the small green sign for McFadden's toward the bottom of the photo. That's a sports bar that's on the Citi Field grounds that is a good spot to go if it's past the 7th inning, the game is fairly meaningless, and you stupidly run out of beers. One caveat: you can't get back into the stadium once you walk into McFadden's.
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