The word of the day in the NFL is parity. In the NFC, just two teams have clinched playoff berths, and one of those is 8-6 Arizona, who benefits from being in the worst division of all time. The Giants, who started out 11-1, can go into the playoffs as a Wild Card team [Edit: by winning the NFC East, the Giants are not a Wild Card team. However, they can still be the #3 seed, playing in a Wild Card game. My apologies to Roman and Giants fans everywhere] if they lose their next two games and the Vikings win their next two.
The Vikings, meanwhile, could claim the 2 seed in the NFC. With Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson as your quarterbacks, you shouldn’t be the 2 seed in the Big 10. Although when Terrelle Pryor grows up, his best case scenario is to be Jackson (sorry Spence).
In the AFC, three teams in the East are tied for the division lead at 9-7, and the AFC West winner will probably have 9, and maybe even 8 wins. The four division alignment has destroyed football. It has allowed teams with terrible records to get in (not that it didn’t happen before) and perhaps more importantly, the way the schedule is set up rewards mediocre teams just for the division they play in. For example, if you’re an AFC East team, and you play the AFC West and NFC West, that should be at least 6 free wins right there. It’s like unbalanced scheduling in baseball: if you’re the Angels and you can play the A’s, Rangers and Mariners 19 times, of course you’re going to get close to 100 games. Back to my mild dig at Terrelle Pryor and Ohio State, I think I should defend the Buckeyes here. I need a barf bag while doing it, but I’m going to do it nonetheless. A lot has been made about a 2 loss Buckeye team making the Fiesta Bowl over an undefeated Boise State team. Regardless of who you think would give Texas better competition (although both teams, and probably even an All-Star team of both teams, would get rolled by 30), the BCS was designed to do one thing: match up the #1 and #2 teams. That’s it. Nowhere does it say that the top 8, now 10, teams have to all be in the BCS, or the highest ranked at large teams have to be taken. The bottom line is Ohio State is going to have more fans at the Fiesta Bowl, and will buy more tickets, merchandise, hotel rooms, etc. So for their sake, I agree with the Fiesta Bowl’s decision. This Boise State team isn’t as good as the one that beat Oklahoma. I would have liked to see them playing in a bigtime bowl, but I’ll still watch Texas v. OSU.
Staying on campus, ESPN.com released some of their season in review features for each team in college football. Browsing through Kansas’s, I was shocked at how many players they have returning next year. Todd Reesing, Jake Sharp, Kerry Meier and Dez Briscoe all come back for what could be the best offense in America. If the Jayhawks can shore up a porus defense they could be on the shortlist for a BCS berth.
Moving to hockey, the World Junior Tournament starts on boxing day in Ottawa. The host country comes in as heavy favorites, having won the past 4 competitions. Of the 22 players on their final roster, 20 have been drafted by the NHL, and the two that have not are not eligible yet. Half of the players are first round NHL picks, and 5 more were selected in either the 2nd or 3rd round. From last year’s Gold Medal team, their entire fourth line is in the NHL. That is ridiculous. So are their top pair of defensemen. 7 players currently in the NHL were eligible to be on this team. This team is so good that Angelo Esposito, a former first round pick of the Penguins, just made this team for the first time on his fourth try. That’s like Kevin Durant not making a US Under 20 team.
I fully expect Canada to take Gold, but the United States could be right on their heels. The US roster has some veterans back from next year, and has three players in James van Riemsdyk (New Hampshire), Colin Wilson (Boston U) and Jordan Schroeder (Minnesota) who are 3 of the best 5-10 players in the tournament. The small ice will help the two North American teams, and I think we could see a US-Canada final.
Moving to the diamond, just a few tidbits to finish off:
-Bobby Abreu seeks a 3 year, $48 million deal.
-The Mets could be moving Brian Schneider to make way for the corpse of Jason Varitek.
-The Phillies signed Jamie Moyer to a two year, $16 million deal. They also signed Chan Ho Park.
-Rafael Furcal reportedly is returning to the Braves, even though the A’s offered him a better deal. The Braves are going to be god awful, what is he thinking.
Links!
Auburn fans love Gene Chizik. /sincere (CGB)
The Yanks (not those Yanks) have their second baseman for the World Baseball Classic (Fenway West)
Way more than you want to know about the Mariners. (Baseball Reflections)
Let’s take a peek at the cash cow that is the new Yankee Stadium (River Ave. Blues)
Who hates Romo? He hates Romo. PS you missed a November post. (Cousins of Ron Mexico)
And now, your bitchin babe(s) of the week.
Fetch who is in the Abreu sweepstakes?
I’m not all sure Tampa. One interesting team I’ve heard is the Rays. I think the Cubs want him as well. I think I’ve heard White Sox but I could be wrong. Obviously that would be dependent on them moving Dye.
Madonna is the only bidder so far.
Do the Rays need a DH?
They might be able to come up with a cheap platoon better than Abreu.
They probably could. I think they actually want him to play the outfield. It could be a bit of a PR signing.
Possibly. I think Joyce might already be better than Abreu. Abreu’s defense has gotten bad.
The NFC East Champion World Champion New York Football Giants have in fact won their division so they can’t be a Wild Card team..they can play in the first round and miss the first round bye…which will not happen but I like factual statements
that;s what i meant. be the three seed.
Roman, he obviously means they’ll play in the Wild Card Round. Quit being so salty about Cole Hamels.
what do i care if TP sucks in the NFL? he’ll be unstoppable for 2 more years in columbus.
and the fiesta bowl’s plans might have backfired…OSU fans aren’t buying tix in the same quantities as years past (probably don’t wanna spend a buttload of money to watch an asswhooping).
Yeah Roman. Cole Hamels shoved it down your boys’ throats, but we don’t have to keep hearing about it.
@spence: Economy no doubt playing a role.
Yeah Roman, get over it. And check out these pics I got of David Wright making out with a dude on facebook.
Those are actually of him and Roman. True story.
You sure about that, Nick? I have a friend who lives in a lakehouse in Ohio and he seems to do pretty well. He’s old and all he does is eat, drink and bone a bunch of chicks all day.
Clown..I also have a similar friend but he used to stay in hotels when he followed around tOSU..now he plans on staying on some Jewish guy’s couch in Arizona…economy is a bitch
your friend bones dudes though, right roman?
miz…no doubt he does..no doubt
Yeah Roman. You’re a bitter old man. Here, I’ll paypal you a dollar to buy a clue.