The Jayhawks' Down Year

I have always admired Bill Self and I consider him a great college basketball coach.  We all know he is a terrific recruiter and one of the best coaches roaming the sidelines.  Coach Self though, did suffer through one of his worst recruiting seasons of his career last year.  He got caught in late May waiting on a handful of young studs to make their decisions on which college they would attend and Self missed on most of them.  Self was forced to scrape together some leftovers and scraps just out fill out his roster.  Of the guys that chose KU, three were eventually deemed ineligible by the NCAA and one subsequently left the program.  Self was left with his most shallow bench, by far, for this team.

Self seems to have learned his lesson when it comes to waiting for young, flighty, self-absorbed children to make up their minds about where they want to play their one year of college ball.  Self has locked up most of his recruits for next season already and he won’t be relying on any late signers to make or break next year’s roster.  Most, if not all of the signed players, are good students and should not have any NCAA academic issues. 

Now, let’s return to the thought about Self being a great coach.  This version of the Jayhawks features one big, super-stud in Thomas Robinson.  T-Rob is a beast, a match-up problem for almost any college teams.  KU also relies on a flighty, inconsistent, often times, brilliant guard in Tyshawn Taylor.  Many fans have been quite harsh with Taylor, and sometimes he has earned this, but KU would not be anywhere near as good as they are without him.  While his uneven play will undoubtedly cost the Jayhawks a win or two, his athleticism and skills with certainly win the Jayhawks many more games than he will lose.  He has already done so.  I think fans need to accept Taylor for what he is and be glad he plays for us and not someone else.

Jeff Withey has been better than I ever thought he would be.  While he is not a perfect player, he offers so much that is positive to this team.  I think he has been the biggest key to the success of his team thus far, more than any other single player.  The starting line up is rounded out by a couple of players in Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford who have developed into decent role players.  While I think both are underachievers on the offensive end, both have been playing terrific defense and in Self’s system, this is as important as scoring points.  EJ especially needs to gain offensive confidence if the Jayhawks hope to go very deep into the NCAA tournament.

The bench is where Self’s recruiting shortcomings really rears its ugly head.  Self is basically stealing minutes of rest with just three players, none of which are really good enough to be playing regularly in a conference as good as the Big XII.  Conner Teahan is the most disappointing because he is supposed to be a three point specialist and he has struggled mightily most of the season.  Let’s face facts here – if Teahan isn’t hitting 3’s, he isn’t contributing much.  His defense is barely adequate and he often looks overmatched on both ends of the court.  He does hustle and rebound but most times, it is not enough.  Kevin Young and Justin Wesley are both just foul fodder.  There have been few seasons when either of these guys would have been good enough to see any court time at KU.  Again, they work hard but just fall short of being skilled enough to make much more than an occasional positive contribution.

This team reminds me a little of the 1987-1988 champions.  Each features one incredible player of the year candidate and not a whole lot else.  Each team had some big ups and downs throughout the season.  This biggest difference is that this squad has overachieved most of the season.  They have been a ranked team all year.  They still have a great chance to win another league championship.  I can not predict at this time how I think they will do in the NCAA tournament.  I can easily see this team losing in one of the first two rounds.  When a team is as shallow as this one is, a single game can easily be influenced heavily and negatively, by foul trouble or a slight injury.  If KU would lose early in the tourney this season, I would be disappointed but not overly surprised.  Self’s teams do have a history of early exits in the tournament.

On the other hand, we all know perfectly well that a single player can throw a team over his shoulder and carry them to the promise land.  We have seen it firsthand.  T-Rob could be this kind of player.  Robinson also has a very talented caddy in Taylor, who could easily go on a six-game hot streak and propel KU right into the Final Four and maybe even to a championship.  Coach Bill Self has a history here too.  We all know he has a championship under his belt as well as some of those early exits. 

I think if this turns out to be KU’s down year and Coach Self learns from his past mistakes in recruiting, as it appears he has, we as KU fans should feel very fortunate.  There are a lot of schools out there who love to be ranked in the top ten and be tied for first in their conference in a down season.  This may very well be Self’s greatest coaching job.  He has worked miracles with a team with very few BCS-type players.  As KU fans, we are definitively spoiled rotten.  I, for one, don’t mind.   I am looking forward to the last few weeks of the regular season and the tourney season.  I will cheer the Jayhawks on for however long they last in the post season and I will probably be disappointed and a little mad if, or when, we lose.  Yet, I wouldn’t want to follow any other team or coach.  Rock Chalk!

Get my latest movie and tv reviews at jawsrecliner.blogspot.com and get twitter updates @jawsrecliner

Tired of Waiting for Next Year

We still have a few weeks before the beginning of Spring Training and I find myself thinking more and more about baseball and the Kansas City Royals.  I view the AL Central as a relatively weak division this season because unlike the other divisions, there really aren’t any big boys like the Yankees and Red Sox in the East, and the Rangers and Angels in the West.  At the risk of sounding like a homer, I think the Royals can compete for the division title this year.  Evidently, Dayton Moore and the Royals’ brain trust do not.

It has been a fairly quiet off season for the Royals.  They made a big splash early on during the hot stove season by trading Melky Cabrera, coming off a career year, to the Giants for starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez who suffered through a slightly sup par campaign.  Since then, the only move that has even registered was the idiotic signing of Yuniesky Betancourt as a utility infielder, because his glove is so good!  As this hot stove season begins to cool down, two free agent pitchers are still sitting around with no contracts.  One is Roy Oswalt, who I think could be signed for a 1-year, $10 million deal, plus incentives.  The other is Edwin Jackson, who is probably going to garner a 4-year, $48 million contract.  While each has his warts, both would be an improvement over some of the starters the Royals are going to run out there every five days.

Dayton Moore has hinted strongly that the Royals will not be signing either pitcher and probably won’t be pulling off anymore staggering trades between now and the start of the season.  They want to see what they have in Felipe Paulino, Danny Duffy, Mike Montgomery, Jake Odorizzi, and others.  They don’t want anyone to block the development of these young prospects. 

The question I have to ask is when will it be next year?  As a Royals fan, we have been waiting forever for a competing team.  We keep hearing about the process.  Things have to be done a certain way.  We heard 2011 was going to be the year Kansas City challenged for a Central title.  Then it was 2012.  Now, it seems to be 2013.  Why not 2012?  Why not go for it just a little bit.  Take a chance on one of those free agents pitchers and just go for it!  Now may be the time.  The problem is we probably won’t get the chance to find out.

The Royals’ recently vaunted minor league system really started to produce in 2011.  We all know the list of young bats and bullpen arms that performed very well in 2011.  Is it not possible for the offense, as a unit on the whole, to match or improve its numbers from last season?  Is it unreasonable to expect that the deep and talented bullpen can’t do the same in 2012?  If these two things happen in 2012, wouldn’t a stronger rotation only be a good thing.  Young pitchers can contribute and develop in AAA and as depth in case of injuries.  For years, this organization has rushed guys in the majors.  Is it so bad to be patient now that there is a chance for an improved MLB roster?

It is my opinion that the AL Central is ripe for the picking.  Two teams, the Twins and White Sox, while not officially rebuilding, are certainly in a big transitional stage.  Both have big questions both offensively and on the mound for 2012.  The Indians were one of these surprise teams of 2011 and they in a similar position as the Royals.  They have some young players they are counting on to be productive.  They have some talent on their pitching staff but they have numerous question marks.  The Indians could go either way in the standings; nothing is for certain in Cleveland.  The reigning Central champs are the Tigers and while they have Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera, there are several holes in the line-up.  They are really lacking at third and second and their outfield is inconsistent.  It will be difficult, if not impossible, to fully replace the bat of Victor Martinez, who is out for the season.  If the Tigers can’t fill those holes and their pitchers regress, they could be vulnerable.

Oswalt or Jackson could be just the thing to put the Royals over the top in this division.  Oswalt could offer invaluable leadership for a young staff.  He is a bulldog, ground ball pitcher who has battled injuries in recent seasons.  Still, if healthy, he would really add quality depth to the rotation.  Edwin Jackson has been inconsistent in the past but is still just 28 years old and wouldn’t be out of line with the Royals’ youth movement.  And he is durable.  I have a hard time believing he wouldn’t be an asset. 

For all we know, the Royals will take every step forward in every area and with every position and will compete on 2012.  This is not likely.  Maybe the young rotation and prospects in the minors will makes strides forward and no longer be the weak link on the club.  Maybe Moore knows exactly what he is doing and the Royals will compete for the AL Central title in 2012.  I hope so because I am tired of waiting for next year. 

(Since writing this a few days ago, the Detroit Tigers signed Prince Fielder to a 9-year contract.  I no longer think signing Oswalt or Jackson would help the Royals win the AL Central in 2012.  If things went absolutely right for Kansas City and absolutely wrong for the Tigers, it is still possible for the Royals to win.  Those are two very big ifs...)

Read movie and tv reviews at jawsrecliner.blogspot.com and get twitter updates @jawsrecliner

Thoughts on Charlie Weis

Two different friends of mine, who don’t know each other, reacted to KU hiring Charlie Weis as the new Jayhawk football coach with the same exact word – underwhelming.  I was astonished at their reaction.  I mean, just who did they think Kansas was going to get for the job?  Let’s face this simple fact – the job of the football coach at the University of Kansas is not a plum job.  It isn’t even a stepping stone for later success at other schools with better programs.  Who was the last KU football coach who went on to another, better program, let alone had success?  I can’t think of a single one.  Not one. 

So, just who were my friends expecting KU to hire?  Why would any hot commodity young coach from a smaller school in a non-BCS conference come here?  Just how did the careers of Terry Allen and Turner Gill turn out?  Why would any coach want to come to a basketball school in a football conference?  Why would any big time coach come to Kansas to take over a team coming off a 2-10 season (and it wasn’t even THAT good, really)?  Just how enticing would it be to take over a team that is the reigning bottom dweller in a powerhouse conference, a school with exactly six seasons with more than eight victories (1899, 1905, 1908, 1968, 1995, and 2007)? 

The hiring of Charlie Weis is a home run hire for the Jayhawks.  Period.  Charlie Weiss is the biggest name KU fans could ever hope for.  He may be the biggest name hire for KU in their history, certainly in my lifetime.  Only two coaches since 1953 have had winning records at KU (Jack Mitchell and Mark Mangino, each just 2 games over .500) so I can’t imagine there were hordes of big time coaches trampling each other to take over the reins to this team.  Whether or not Weis is successful really isn’t an issue at this point and time.  This hire of Charlie Weis at this time was a terrific coup for Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger.

Charlie Weis has done a good job filling out his staff as well.  He kept the one guy he should have from the previous regime in Reggie Mitchell.  I love the hire of Tim Grunhard as the offensive line coach.  Grunhard had a successful pro career with the Chiefs and has been a successful high school coach.  This was a natural progression in his career and he knows what it takes to be successful as a player.  There are several coaches I just don’t know much about and there doesn’t seem to be much, if any, negative reactions to them.  I am going to assume they will do a better job than the previous coaches.

I do know about Dave Campo.  Again, I think this is a fantastic hire.  I don’t care he hasn’t coached at the college level for twenty-some years.  He was successful at the college level before having terrific success on the professional level.  He knows defense and he knows how to coach players.  That is all I want.  Many times last season, the defense simply looked uncoached and that is not acceptable.  I was also thrilled Weis brought back local boy, Clint Bowen, as the special teams coach.  KU special teams have been awful over the last two years and Bowen had great success with these units in the past.  Not only was it a good PR move, it was an astute football hire.

Now that this staff is in place, it will be a matter of time before we see if they can actually coach the players on campus.  Their job will be to bring players to fit their system and to coach them up.  Weis has already garnered three transfers with good reputations, if not some mixed on the field results.  I trust Weis knows what he is doing when it comes to recruiting and can get this program back on the right track.  Weis’ record at Notre Dame was 35-27.  He was fired by the Irish; if he puts up that record here in his first five years, he will be a god.  I know it is all relative but I would be thrilled with 35 wins in five seasons.

Don’t expect a huge improvement on the record next season.  I just am not sure how much talent he was to work with for 2012.  I just want see an improvement in play.  I want to see a team that looks like they have been coached.  It is a tough row to hoe to make big strides in the Big XII.  If KU wins four games and is competitive in their losses, this will be a huge step forward.  It will be going forward, not backward.  I will have faith Weis will get this program on the right track.

One more thing – now that Weis is going to return the names to the back of the jerseys, he now needs to return the Jayhawk to the helmets.

Thanks for reading.  Check out my movie and tv review blog at jawsrecliner.blogspot.com and get twitter updates @jawsrecliner

Grading the Kansas City Chiefs

In early September, I made my prediction that they Kansas City Chiefs probably wouldn’t win more than 4-6 games.  Well, I was off – they won a surprising 7 games.  Nearly everything else I talked about in that post played out as I discussed.  It is not often I nail something so squarely on the head as I did about the Chiefs in 2011.  Now I am going to pass out my grades for the Chiefs.

COACHING AND FRONT OFFICE

F

I am going to start right at the top and I am going to be harsh.  If this team could win 7 games and be a home win in week 16 against Oakland away from winning the crappiest division in football, think how good this team might have been with even slightly better management.  At the end of the lockout, Scott Pioli sat on his wallet and did almost nothing to address the incredible lack of depth on this team.  I don’t know who made the decision to let Brian Waters go but he was signed by the Patriots and made the Pro Bowl – again.  Obviously he was washed up.  Pioli signed LT Jared Gaither early but released him after Thanksgiving after only playing a few snaps.  The Chargers picked him up and started him almost immediately and I read a quote from Philip Rivers where Rivers said Gaither had solidified their offensive line.  Pioli and Haley deserved F’s for those moves alone. 

Injuries wracked the Chiefs early and often and Kansas City did not have quality back-ups.  Green Bay last season and Houston in 2011 proved you can have numerous players lost for the seasons and still have the depth to win playoff games.  Pioli did not have this team manned with enough quality players.  Haley did his part.  After another lackluster preseason, the Chiefs got stomped early in the first two games and even though he rallied the troops for a 4-game winning streak, his decision making was suspect.  Again, I am not sure whose decision it was to have Tyler Palko as the back-up to Matt Cassel but it was an awful one.  It helped speed along Haley’s exit and rightfully so.

There is plenty of blame to go around as far as the front office and coaching goes and it is hard to list every short coming.  Suffice it to say, they failed utterly in 2011.

QUARTERBACK

D

Matt Cassel was not going to reproduce his 27/7 touchdown to interception ratio of 2010 no matter how many games he played in 2011.  He was at 10/9 when he got hurt in game ten.  His passer rating was nearly 20 points lower as well.  That being said, Tyler Palko made him look like Peyton Manning.  I am not sure how Palko was even on a NFL roster.  He was awful.  Kyle Orton was a bright spot for the front office but Haley really didn’t want to play him, which was another reason to see Haley to the door.  Cassel probably played above his head last season when he got more blocking and his 2011 performance is probably closer to what he can offer year in and year out.  That isn’t very good.  Orton played well enough to at least warrant contract talks for 2012 but I can’t imagine him on the roster with Cassel.

RUNNINGBACK

C

We all knew it was trouble when Jamal Charles went down in game two.  Thomas Jones’ best days are behind him and try as he might, he just couldn’t get rolling on any consistent basis.  Jackie Battle conquered his fumble issues and provided some good work but couldn’t wrestle the job away from Jones, then later, Dexter McCluster.  McCluster was the most effective runner the Chiefs could field but he was by no means a punishing runner.  Le’Ron McClain offered up some toughness and effective blocking at times.  While none of these guys were just terrible, none of them were good enough to claim the job as the main back.  Who received the bulk of the carries seemed to vary from game to game.  I don’t discount their combined effort, just their talent.  They certainly are back-ups and shouldn’t be counted on to shoulder the load for any length of time.

WIDE RECEIVERS AND TIGHT ENDS

WR – B, TE – F

Dwayne Bowe continued to make spectacular, incredible catches and he continued to drop routine balls in key situations.  Bowe could be dominating, physical star in this league if he could maintain his focus all of the time and stop dropping so many passes.  Steve Breaston was solid for most of the season and exhibited good toughness.  Rookie Jonathon Baldwin missed the first five games due to mouthing off to the wrong guy in the locker room in preseason and getting his rear kicked and never really got it going.  He showed a few flashes but dropped his share as well.  He will continue to get better.  The tight ends are not worth the time to list individually and were awful as a group.  Tony Moeaki may have been the biggest single loss of the season.  The wide receivers were probably the strongest part of the offense but still exhibited too much inconsistency.  The tight ends were just terrible.

OFFENSIVE LINE

C-

I have a hard time believing there are many starting tackles worse than Barry Richardson.  He is slow and gets manhandled on a regular basis.  He should be strictly a back-up to fill in when a starter needs a play or two off.  I love Casey Wiegmann and his streak of 11,000 plus straight snaps is as impressive as any record you will see but he is old and very undersized and seemed to get pushed back on a consistent basis.  I was disappointed the Chiefs seemed more interested in keeping Weigmann’s streak in place instead of getting rookie Rodney Hudson some experience.  Brandon Albert seems better fitted to be a right tackle but played fairly well.  We saw growth out of Jon Asamoah.  Ryan Lilja looks to be on the downside of his career.  Major rebuilding needs to be done here but that has been the case for several years now.

DEFENSIVE LINE

D

The Chiefs continue to be blind to the fact that Tyson Jackson was a gigantic mistake and Glenn Dorsey has been a relative bust.  Neither player has made the necessary steps toward being legitimate forces on the d-line.  Both get pushed off the line too often and neither can mount any sort of pass rush.  Free agent acquisition Kelly Gregg played okay against the run but also offered no pressure on passing downs.  I thought the line played much better when back-ups rookie Allen Bailey, Amon Gordon, and Wallace Gilbury were in the game.  The starters may have had a slight advantage against the run but the second team was much better at pressuring the quarterback.  The Chiefs have to find an effective nose tackle and a legitimate starting defensive end if they hope to improve this horrible unit.

LINEBACKERS

A-

Tamba Hali continues to do amazing work getting to the quarterback considering he gets almost no help from his line.  Derrick Johnson continues to get better each year and has become a major force in that defense.  The Chiefs’ defense improved late in the season and it was due mainly to the improvement of rookie Justin Houston.  Houston started very slowly but ended up being a legitimate threat to sack the quarterback late in the season.  His 5.5 sacks really give me hope for the future for this unit.  Jovan Belcher is a steady, if totally unspectacular performer in the middle.  Belcher could be upgraded but compared to the other glaring holes on this team, improving the linebacker corps is not a priority.  It could use some help with depth via free agency but I hope they don’t waste any high draft picks here.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

B+

The Brandons – Carr and Flowers – have really solidified the cornerback position for Kansas City.  They have become shut down corners on both sides and if the Chiefs could find any way to pressure the quarterback, these cornerbacks would become even more valuable.  Back up Javier Arenas has gotten better and is a decent nickel back.  Eric Berry lost a full season of development with his season long injury and I can only hope he returns the same player as before.  Kendrick Lewis at safety improved in 2011 but needs help from Berry to be at his best.  John McGraw would be just fine as a back-up but he gets exposed when he plays a lot.  The rest of the stiffs the Chiefs ran out there on a weekly basis all need to improve or be upgraded mightily.  Still, this group of players is the Chiefs second strongest squad on the team and just need better quality in its depth.

SPECIAL TEAMS

C+

Dustin Colquitt is an underrated punter who never worries about his stats.  He is more than willing to do what he has to do help his team win the field position battle.  His stats aren’t as eye catching as others around the league but there aren’t many I would trade him for.  I am a big fan.  Succop would have pushed this part of the grade to above average it weren’t for the two blocked field goals against the Raiders.  Nothing really stands out to me about the return game so I give an average grade here.

Overall, the team receives a C-.  They won a game or two I wouldn’t have predicted but they also lost a couple of games they shouldn’t have.  At times they were horrible, getting blown out in lopsided fashion.  At other times, their defense played well enough to keep them in games  This off season, the Chiefs need to address both the offensive and defensive lines, in free agency if possible.  I would love for the Chiefs give up some picks to get Robert Griffin III and spend some money in free agency.  With better health and more depth, there is no reason not think the Chiefs can’t win the weak AFC West. 

For reviews of some new movies, check out jawsrecliner.blogspot.com and get twitter updates @jawsrecliner

Big Week for Tebow & The Broncos

I want to establish right away that I am not a Tebow hater.  I do not hope for his failure.  I think he is a genuine person who is very sincere in his beliefs and faith.  I have no problem with him as a human being.  In my opinion, this whole Tebow phenomenon is silly and much to do about nothing.

Tim Tebow as a team leader seems to have what it takes to be successful.  He is fiery and has a never give up attitude.  He believes he can win any game and that is necessary to win ball games in the NFL.  The problem is that it takes the ability to be able to throw the ball on a consistent basis to be a quarterback who can have success year after year.  This is why I don’t think Tim Tebow is the quarterback of the future for the Denver Broncos.  He simply isn’t a good passer.

Tebow is, however, the quarterback of the present for the Denver Broncos.  He has a very big game for his team coming up this weekend.  He faces the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend and if they win, Denver will win the AFC West and will go to the playoffs.  If they lose, they will go home and face an off season full of questions about their quarterback.

Tebow has a completion percentage of 48%.  That just isn’t very good.  He only had two games over 50%.  It is very difficult to be successful with those numbers.  The last time he faced the Chiefs, he was a whopping 2-8 for 69 yards.  Despite these horrific numbers, the Broncos won the game.  The Broncos as a team have had success and it seems to me that Tebow has received more than his share of the credit.  In many of the games, Tebow has not played well for most of the game but the Denver defense played well enough to keep the game close, setting up opportunities for Tebow to be the star.  To his credit, Tebow has taken advantage of these opportunities.  In one game, the opposing running back made two horrible mistakes, once at the end of regulation and once in overtime, setting up Tebow with chances to tie, and then win this game.  Another game, the Broncos’ defense came up with a late turnover giving Tebow a very short field to produce a late comeback.  Part of being a winner is taking advantage of every chance you get to win games and Tebow has down that thus far.

 Tebow is also very good on his feet.  He is big and strong and he runs without fear.  He creates with his legs and he has enjoyed a lot of success.  Over an extended period of time, how will he hold up taking punishing hits from aggressive defenders trying to take his head off?  My guess is not for long.  In my opinion, Tebow needs to spend a lot of time this off season really working on his accuracy and improving his passing within the pocket.  I’m not saying he can’t improve; he certainly can – and he must.  To me, it would be a bigger story if he came into next year as a better quarterback than his tough performances covering up pedestrian stats this season.

If Tebow and the Bronocs lay an egg this Sunday against the up and down Chiefs, it could be a long off season for Tebow and the Broncos.  Questions about his ability to be The Guy will follow them everywhere for the long winter months and into next summer.  If Tebow performs well and leads his team to victory and a divisional championship, he will be considered The Guy, until the following week that is.  That is what I fear is Tebow’s future in the NFL.  He will always be only as good as his last start.  This is kind of the life of most quarterbacks in the NFL anyway – I think it will always be worse for Tim Tebow.  For whatever reason, there is a large group of people out there who cheer for his failure and will be the most vocal when he doesn’t perform very well.  I think in the end, this just may be his fate in the NFL, for better or worse.

Read movie and television reviews at jawsrecliner.blogspot.com and get updates @jawsrecliner

Wouldn't Yu Darvish Look Good in Powder Blue?

While the rumor mill is churning out the word that Toronto is the heavy favorite to win the bid for Japanese sensation, Yu Darvish, I'm not convinced.  I've read that Darvish's bid was higher than Dice K's 51.1 million.  I have also read that Toronto's bid was 48 million.  This would lead me to believe the heavily rumored Blue Jays did not win the bid. 

I am not saying the following is a fact or even a rumor.  I have NOT heard or read anything anything about this.  I just want everyone to know that it would not surprise me at all if the Kansas City Royals submitted the winning bid for Darvish. 

I know some of you are thinking, "Dude is crazy!"  While this statement is undoubtedly correct, I have several reasons for believing this to be possible:

1) I have not read anywhere that the Royals did NOT submit a bid.

2) Dayton Moore plays things very close to the vest.  Many (most) of his moves are big surprises.  The Royals run a tight, quiet ship under Moore - very little is ever leaked.

3) Moore is convinced it is nearly impossible to lure a big name free agent to sign KC.  I have heard him say this. 

4) Moore believes the price in prospects is too high for a team like the Royals to make a trade for the likes of Gio Gonzalez, Jair Jurrjens, etc. Just look at the hall for Matt Latos.

5) Former Royals manager Trey Hillman, who also managed in Japan for several years, is a huge Darvish fan.  I'm sure Moore knows this very well.

6) I think Moore believes the Royals are one top-of-the-rotation pitcher away from being a serious contender for the AL Central.  I can't disagree.  Moore may consider this the only way for Kansas City to get a top starting pitcher without giving up several top prospects.


We all will find out within the next few days what team submitted the highest bid.  I'm not saying it is the Royals.  I am saying it is very possible and I won't be surprised in the least.  This is all speculation on my part based on rumors I have read on the internet, for goodness sake.  I know those rumors aren't worth a red penny.  They just made me stop and analyze the situation,  And, as a Royals fan, it has allowed me to dream a little, even if it is just for a few days.


Thanks for reading.  Check out my movie and tv review page at jawsrecliner.blogspot.com and get twitter updates @jawsrecliner

JAW's Raw Topics

I originally was going to write a two page rant on the continued ridiculousness of the BCS but I’m just not mentally prepared to get that fired up right now.  Instead, I will comment on a few topics that have me riled up in general, the BCS just being one of them.

THE BCS

Once again, I think it has come to the point where this system doesn’t work.  It’s not that I think Alabama is undeserving.  They are deserving.  So is Oklahoma State and Stanford.  That these teams don’t get a shot is just stupid.  This is the only sport where the national champion is crowned on opinion and not on the field of play.  If LSU should beat Alabama again (hopefully this time at least one team can score a touchdown), LSU will be crowned champ without them having to play either of the other top teams.  That the BCS should take the coaches’ poll into account in their standings is enough to make their system illegitimate.  Coaches have their own agendas and they are so busy, how can they have the time to make educated decisions on the votes.  It is a stupendously stupid system.

The crazy part is that they could use the BCS bowls as the quarterfinals games.  Each bowl would be guaranteed two premium teams.  The NCAA then could pick a location for the semifinals and final game much like the Final Four.  Think about the money that would pour in for that spectacular event.  It would be gigantic.  One more thing – use the top eight teams.  There will always be those 9^th, 10^th, etc. teams that are left out and that will lead to great discussions every year, much like the NCAA tournament.  This is a win-win situation.  Plus, these games would take place during the winter break and the players wouldn’t even have to miss school.  No-brainer!

THE HOT STOVE LEAGUE

I love this week in December because it brings baseball back into the limelight, even for just a few days.  What I hate though, is the irresponsible spending from some of these teams.  Some of these contracts are ridiculous.  I understand how good Albert Pujols is.  I get it.  I do not understand how the Angels, or any team, can give a player who is going to be 32 years old by Spring Training a ten year contract.  No matter how good he may be over the first 5 or 6 years, what can they expect as a return for the last few years, especially from a player who has had a few nagging injuries accumulating over the last few seasons.  This doesn’t even touch upon the $254 million involved.  The market, which may have involved 5 teams, dictated this amount but that doesn’t make it any less silly.

It also sucks that mainly just two teams, the Marlins and Angels, have made most of the big splashes this winter.  It just shows how far apart the teams are in baseball.  The new CBA will hurt the small market teams, in my opinion, in the long run and it will make baseball have an even bigger competitive imbalance.

THE NBA WILL RESUME SOON

Does anyone really care?  That’s not fair.  The NBA has lots of fans.  Just don’t count me in their number.  In my opinion, the NBA is the worst evolution of the game of basketball.  The court and lane need to be larger and the rim should be higher.  The players are so much bigger than they were even 20 years ago and the bodies are too big for the space, leading to a brutal style of play I think is unwatchable.

I have an interesting fact.  Since 1980, only 9 teams have won the NBA championship, three of those only won once.  Six teams have won the other 28.  There is no balance in the NBA.  Many perennial losers have only themselves to blame for their woes because year after year they are lottery teams and year after year they draft players with potential and leave the proven and talented players to the already successful franchises.  It has been happening for decades now and it drives me crazy.  The young high schoolers and one-and-done college players that are big impact players are the exceptions, not the rule.  This league needs a huge make over and the new CBA isn’t the answer.  If one sport was in desperate need of contraction, it is the NBA.  I don’t know exactly which teams should go but there are too many teams.

THE QUARTERBACK PROBLEM

If every NFL team has three quarterbacks on its roster, this means there are 96 quarterbacks in the NFL.  If Peyton Manning ever returns, there are 4 elite qbs (Manning, Brady, Rogers, and Brees).  There are about 15 to 16 average or slightly above average qbs and another 12 to 16 or so below average or pedestrian field generals out there.  You do the math.  That leaves around 60 quarterbacks on rosters that really aren’t good enough to play in the NFL.  Yet the teams have little choice.  Quarterback is easily the shallowest position in football.  Now you understand why having a good to great quarterback is essential to continued success in the NFL.  There is no real solution because there just isn’t enough talent to fill the out the rosters.  Teams just have to hope their starters don’t get hurt and if they do, the back up doesn’t kill their chances of winning games.  Players like Tyler Palko and Caleb Hanie are forced into service and their teams have little or no chance of success.  This position, so important to teams’ success, just isn’t deep enough for every team to have one good quarterback, let alone 2 or 3.  Teams just have to get lucky and strike gold here. 

Thanks for reading my rants and letting me vent a little.

Check out my movie and tv review blog at jawsrecliner.blogspot.coma and get twitter updates @jawsrecliner