Re-Alignment: Fixing Baseball, Part 1

post from The Productive Out on 20 October 2009 03:29:00 AM. © The Productive Out

[...]

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1952 Bowman Small - Buddy Young

post from Sports Locker on 20 October 2009 03:13:00 AM. © Sports Locker

My 1952 Bowman Small Texans team set is coming together. This weekend I also picked up this Buddy Young card.

Buddy was the shortest player in pro football! He was 5' 4.5" inches tall. Despite his size, Young was a track star at the University of Illinois. He won the National Collegiate Championships in the 100 and 220-yard dash and tied the world record for the 45 and 60-yard dashes. An amazing accomplishment considering his size.

As a Texan in 1952, Young had 3TDs rushing and 2TDs receiving. He retired from football in 1955 with the Baltimore Colts.

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Dave Cokin’s Hardcore Football 10/20/09

post from Dave Cokin's Hardcore Football on 20 October 2009 02:42:00 AM. © Dave Cokin's Hardcore Football

I’ve developed a pretty solid rep in college football over the past 30 years or so. I’m living up to billing and then some so far this season. See for yourself at vegasinsider.com, where I’m currently rated #1 in the categories that count, winning percentage and net units. The good news is that the season is only at the midway point and that doesn’t include the bowls. I’m going to run a special covering the next three weeks of college action. If you’re serious about making money, this is something worth checking out. Just leave your contact info in feedback and I’ll personally get in touch with the details.

On to some NFL thoughts. I’m not what one would refer to as a coach basher. Fact is, the media and fans alike are way too quick to give too much credit or pin too much blame on the coaches and managers in every sport. I guess it’s just much easier to pass on delving into the real reasons a team is succeeding or failing and instead just assign praise or blame on the guy in charge. That’s fine for the talking heads who have little idea of what they’re talking about, and mostly just say things for effect as a substitute for actual thought.

That said, enough is enough with Norv Turner in San Diego. The Chargers had a huge game on Monday hosting Denver and they were outplayed, outhustled and outcoached. The brain trust on the Broncos side made the right adjustments as the game progressed and they were the vastly superior team at crunch time. The Chargers played uninspired football and they basically got run over in the fourth quarter as Denver scored the game’s final 17 points.

Some of the San Diego play calling in this game was peculiar, to say the least. The offensive line was a sieve down the stretch. LaDainian Tomlinson was having a very strong game, but the Chargers got him only seven touches in the second half. Look, I’m not qualified to be a football coach. But I don’t think you have to be Vince Lombardi to understand that when LT is having a good game, as he was here, you get him the football and let him do his thing.

Ever since Turner took over, the Chargers have gone into each season as one of the projected teams to beat. And they’ve gotten out of the blocks with lead weights attached to their collective feet on an annual basis. The 2009 campaign is not even at the midway point, but the Chargers are now way behind the Broncos. They’re three games back of Denver in the loss column, and that basically means the Chargers are now looking at the wild card as their only realistic route to the playoffs. For a team with this much talent, that’s simply not acceptable, and it’s not like this is an isolated scenario. San Diego has been digging itself out of a hole since Day One of the Turner regime.

I have trouble passing judgment on coaches of teams that don’t have enough talent. So while it’s easy enough to hammer the coaches in charge of the weakest teams, that may not always be the proper assessment. In the case of the Chargers, however, the blame must be laid squarely on the shoulders of those making the decisions. Say what you want about his unfortunate playoff record, there’s no way anyone can convince me that this franchise would not be a whole lot better off had they not fired a coach named Marty Scottenheimer. They’re paying for this insane blunder now and may well continue to do so for years as the window of opportunity begins to slam shut on the Chargers.

————-

My free play for Tuesday is up now, on a taped message at 1-888-712-6800. Be sure to call every day!

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Angels Trip Yankees

post from BASEBALL HOT CORNER on 20 October 2009 02:07:00 AM. © BASEBALL HOT CORNER

Baseball is never easy. Yankee fans craving a sweep of the slumbering Angels were destined for[...]

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Scouting Report: Yusei Kikuchi, LHP

post from Prospect Insider on 20 October 2009 02:05:09 AM. © Prospect Insider

Scouting Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi.[...]

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Thoughts on Relievers and Roster Construction

post from Capitol Avenue Club on 20 October 2009 02:02:54 AM. © Capitol Avenue Club

One of the primary concerns among Braves fans this off-season is how the team will deal with the back end of the bullpen. With the impending free agency of Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano, the Braves are losing their two best relievers and many fans worry about how the team will fill the void. A [...]

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Happy Birthday to The Voice of God. Mr. Sheppard
turns 99 years old today. A Yankee Legend indeed

“Good afternoon (or Good evening)… ladies and gentlemen… and welcome… to Yankee Stadium.”Robert (Bob) Leo Sheppard or the “Voice of God” has been behind the microphone since 1951. He has announced over 4,500 Major League Baseball games during his broadcasting career. It’s truly remarkable. I have stated my appreciation for Mr. Sheppard many times on [...]

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10/20 Winter Ball Report

The Surprise Rafters lost to the Scottsdale Scorpions 7-3 tonight, dropping their record to 4-3: Box Score - Recap

Offense:Brandon Laird: 1-for-4, 2B, RBIColin Curtis: 1-for-4, R
Pitching:Grant Duff: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K, pitches-strikes: 28-14, (0.00 ERA)Zack Kroenke: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, pitches-strikes: 11-7, (2.25 ERA)
I'll have an update on the Puerto Rican, Venezuelan and Mexican leagues tomorrow.

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