DAN SHAUGHNESSY AWARD FOR WORST SPORTSWRITER

Unfortunately, this was another banner year for bad sportswriting. More sensationalists, more dumbasses, more loudmouths.

The nominees are...

Dan Shaughnessy - Boston Globe
Michael Felger - Boston Herald, WEEI.com
Jemele Hill - ESPN.com
Ken Rosenthal - Fox Sports
John Tomase - Boston Herald
Tony Massarotti - Boston Herald/Boston Globe

Shaugnessy wrote a negative piece on the Celtics because they needed 7 games to beat Atlanta. Felger's evolved into someone who automatically contradicts whatever the general consensus in Boston is. Jemele Hill compared the Celtics to Nazis. Rosenthal wrote that pointless and empty piece about how white the Red Sox are. Tomase, like an excited high schooler on prom night, couldn't wait to bust his story about the Rams' walkthrough that turned out to be false.

But the worst of them all was our winner...

Tony Massarotti.



Whereas the other nominees made glaring mistakes here and there. Massarotti was consistently and habitually Massarotten (that's a horrible play on words worthy of a Boston Globe headline). His columns have developed into critiques on the proletariat of Boston sports fans. His remarks about "repressed middle aged men" in their "Tedy Bruschi jerseys" and all those basement dwelling bloggers out there smacked of elitism and shit-don't-smell-ism.

He's better than every other sports fan in Boston, at least in his mind he is.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ AWARD FOR BIGGEST CHOKE/DISAPPOINTMENT

This Award is one of the more vague ones. It can be given to an individual, a team, an executive, a group of players, anyone really. I named it after A-Rod because we all know he’s a choker.

This year there is no need for nominations. We all know who the winner (loser) is...

The New England Patriots



The Pats were on the verge of history. They were about to win their 4th Super Bowl in 6 years, and do it with an unblemished record. They had beaten Dallas, Indianapolis, San Diego (twice), the Jets (twice), Pittsburgh, Washington, the Giants, and Jacksonville. They had set records as individuals and were about to set one as a team.

Not only would 19-0 have been a record, it could have been a record that stood FOREVER.

It's painful to revisit Super Bowl XLII. But it's amazing how close the Patriots were, and how many times they let triumph literally slip through there fingers.

Pierre Woods falls on a fumble, rolls over onto his back for some reason and coughs it up.

Asante Samuel comes within inches of picking the ball off and ending the game.

Belichick goes for it on 4th and 13 instead of a long field goal attempt.

1:59 on the clock and the Giants get 9 on 3rd and 10, then Brandon Jacobs rushes for 2 on 4th and 1.

David Tyree's miracle catch.

So close. So much pain... I need a drink.

BOWL PREDICTIONS PART VII

More incorrect predictions of Bowl games. Then again, I'm 15-12 so far, so not that bad. These are the three January 2nd contests.

AT&T Cotton Bowl
Dallas, TX
#25 Ole Miss vs. #7 Texas Tech

What do the Rebels get as a reward for finishing 2nd in the SEC West? A date with 11-1 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders were snubbed out of the BCS so the Big Ten could cram two teams in there and generally waste everyone's time. Crabtree and Harrell will be steaming about not getting Heisman nominations, and Tech will beat the Rebs like it was 1865. In fact, reverse that for the final score. TTU 65, Ole Miss 18.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Memphis, TN
Kentucky vs. East Carolina

ECU's actually had a solid season. They beat #19 Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Tulsa. Kentucky, on the other hand, was 2-6 in the SEC, and 6-6 overall. Those 4 non-conference wins that got them to bowl eligibility? @ Louisville, Norfolk State, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky. The Pirates pillage Kentucky 31-14.

AllState Sugar Bowl
New Orleans, LA
#4 Alabama vs. #6 Utah

The Crimson were one win away from a national title shot. Utah, well the Utes did everything a team can do to get into the national title game. Utah actually might be the 2nd best team Alabama will play all season. They beat #11 TCU, and #16 BYU. They also beat Oregon State, which USC couldn't do. I honestly think Utah will win this one, but I can't pick against Alabama. GO BAMA! ROLL TIDE!

BOWL PREDICTIONS: PART VI

Predictions for the New Year's Day Bowls...

Outback Bowl
Tampa, FL
South Carolina vs. Iowa

Normally the Outback Bowl provides a good matchup to start New Year's Day with a bang. But neither of these teams impress me. South Carolina beat #25 Ole Miss on the road, but they also fell to LSU, Vanderbilt, and Clemson. Iowa's claim to fame is that they beat Penn State, but they lost to Illinois the week before that. They didn't have to play Ohio State, and they lost to the other top Big Ten teams. Gotta go with the Cocks.

Capital One Bowl
Orlando, FL
#15 Georgia vs. #18 Michigan State

A pair of 9-3 teams with solid histories. Georgia lost to #4 Alabama, #2 Florida, and #14 Georgia Tech. But the best team they beat was probably South Carolina. MSU lost to #8 Penn State, #10 Ohio State, and Cal. Their best win was over #23 Northwestern. These teams seem made for each other. They can't beat the best, but they take care the rest. I think UGA will be out to prove something after losing to Georgia Tech, and they'll pull away late in this one, 35-21.

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl
Jacksonville, FL
Nebraska vs. Clemson

In some other year, this might seem like a good Orange Bowl matchup. But not this year.

Nebraska's on the way up, Clemson's on its way down. Nebraska's four losses: ACC Champ VA Tech, #21 Missouri, @ #7 Texas Tech (in OT), @ #1 Oklahoma. Sidenote: how big was that OT loss to Tech. If Nebraska wins that game, Texas goes to the Big XII title game, and maybe the national one. Anyway, Clemson beat South Carolina and that's pretty much it. Another 7-5 ACC team with a 4-4 conference record. And unlike the others, they're very much overmatched in this one. Nebraska 31, Clemson 13.

The Rose Bowl Presented by Citi
Pasadena, CA
#8 Penn State vs. #5 USC

A couple of 1 loss teams with legit arguments to be in the title game. Apart from the Championship game, this is the best Bowl of the season. Both teams lost to weak opponents on the road. Both teams otherwise dominated their conferences. I have to go with Penn State in this one because fuck Pete Carroll.

FedEx Orange Bowl
Miami, FL
#12 Cincinnati vs. #19 Virginia Tech

Ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly. What a hideous matchup. Following Penn State/USC with this is like eating fillet mignon then washing it down with Keystone Ice. Virginia Tech wins this tragic game.

SPECIAL TEAMS EXPLOSION

Two power play goals and a shorthanded score propelled the Bruins to their 9th straight victory, 5-2 over the reeling Penguins.

The Bruins dominated the contest, even though they didn't lead until halfway through the 2nd. The Penguins knocked in a freak rebound, and Chara gave up the puck to Sidney Crosby at his own blue line, and that's how Pittsburgh scored twice.

But the B's put 40 shots on net and had a majority of the scoring opportunities.

Martin St. Pierre had the shorthanded goal, his first score in a Bruins uniform. He was set-up by Savard who poke-checked a pass, saw St. Pierre was free, and went up the ice 2 on 1. Savard also set up Phil Kessel's goal in the 2nd, and scored one himself earlier in the period. Dennis Wideman also had a goal and 2 assists.

Aaron Ward returned from his ankle injuries and looked decent. Having Ward back gives the Bruins much more depth on the blue line.

The Bruins have 60 points this season. They didn't reach 60 until February 8th of last season. This was also their 12th win in December. The last time the Bruins had 12 wins in one month was 1977.

These two teams meet again Thursday night in Boston. The B's will be looking for their 14th straight home win, and 10th straight overall.

And I hate Michel Therrien, so the more the B's can pile on, the better.



Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

BOWL PREDICTIONS: PART V

More baseless predictions for you. These are the New Year's Eve games:

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Fort Worth, TX
Houston vs. Air Force

Both teams should have good fan support in this one. Houston isn't too far, and there are a lot of Air Force installations in Texas. I just love the Mountain West too much this season to pick against them, especially when they're facing a 7-5 C-USA team. Air Force flies away with this one.


Brut Sun Bowl
El Paso, TX
Oregon State vs. #20 Pittsburgh

There's a big difference between Pasadena and El Paso. Oregon State was rerouted from their potential Rose Bowl trip by rival Oregon and I think they'll be out to prove a point in west Texas. OSU also beat USC earlier this year. Pitt's biggest win was against West Virginia. They also lost to Bowling Green and Rutgers. They needed OT to beat Notre Dame. The Beavers win one for the Pac-10 44-30.


Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl
Nashville, TN
#24 Boston College vs. Vanderbilt

Speaking of teams one win away from a BCS Bowl...

Vanderbilt has the homefield advantage, and they'll need it. The Commodores are 6-6, and they've lost 6 of their last 7, including a 23-10 loss to Wake Forest, and a 10-7 embarrassment to Duke. BC should handle them with ease, but they'll probably find some way to make things difficult. Nevertheless, the Eagles extend their bowl winning streak with yet another triumph in a semi-relevant Bowl.

Insight Bowl
Tempe, AZ
Kansas vs. Minnesota

For some reason people expected Kansas to be really good at football this year. Maybe once more this century it'll happen, but that's gonna be it. Then again, Minnesota's no prize pig. They went 3-5 in the subpar Big Ten. And to be fair to the Jayhawks, even though they're in the Big XII North, they had to play Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. This was Minnesota's fluffy non-conference schedule:

Northern Illinois
@ Bowling Green
Montana State
Florida Atlantic

KU wins this one with ease. Rock. Chalk. Jayhawk.


Chick-fil-A (Peach) Bowl
Atlanta, GA
#14 Georgia Tech vs. LSU

As bad as the ACC was this season, they've gotten some pretty winnable bowl selections. The Yellow Jackets might have been the best team in the ACC, if not the second best. LSU, on the other hand, was a monumental disappointment, finishing 3-5 in the SEC. Tech also gets to play this one just a few miles from campus. They were 2-0 against SEC teams this season and will improve to 3-0 with a victory over the Tigers.

THE ECONOMY'S IMPACT ON SPORTS

A few months ago I wrote a post about how the lagging economy might affect our favorite sports. I'd like to reintroduce the topic with a few more specific predictions/possibilities for what the future might hold.

Without going into too much detail, the economy sucks right now because there's not enough debt to go around. Companies use debt in order to expand, or even just to run their business day-to-day. Example: A bar uses debt to buy a month's worth of alcohol, which they sell over the course of a month. Without that debt, the bar can't buy the booze, then can't sell it, then it goes out of business. Then all the bar's employees are out of work, they can't buy as much stuff at Best Buy, then Best Buy goes out of business, and so on, and so on.



FEWER BOWL GAMES:
College football's postseason is 34 Bowls deep these days. These Bowls are fueled by corporate sponsorship. But companies are trying to go lean in order to survive, which means cutting advertising and promotions. Furthermore, the attendance at Bowls games has already been down this season, and 2009 might be even worse. People have less money to spend on a trip to Shreveport or Houston to see their favorite team play in the Independence Bowl.

The big games will be fine, and unfortunately, so will the BCS.

THE NHL IS FUCKED:
The NHL is going to have to cut its salary cap in 2 seasons, which will squeeze every good team that's near the max payroll. The League might have to contract teams if it keeps losing money. Teams like the Bruins, Rangers, Canadiens, Maple Leafs, and Red Wings are doing well, and will continue to do well. But the teams down South, and in smaller Canadian markets (Calgary, Alberta, Ottawa) will be going through some tough times, and might be deleted or relocated.

The Phoenix Coyotes have already asked for an advance on their revenue sharing money. They might have to declare bankruptcy. Other NHL teams are in similar predicaments.

SELL! SELL! SELL!
We've already started to see this here in Boston. The New York Times wants to sell their share of the Boston Red Sox, for about half what it used to be worth. Almost every company in the world is desperately trying to generate cash to keep themselves afloat. Selling assets like a sports team is an easy way to get this cash. But who's going to buy?

How do you buy something big like a sports team? By borrowing money (debt). But nobody is lending. And nobody is willing to borrow for something that's essentially a toy for super-rich people to play with (See: Mark Cuban).

THE YANKEES JUST MIGHT GO BANKRUPT:
Right now the Yankees have enough cash, a discounted Stadium all their own, and tons of reliable revenue. They're the only team in baseball that isn't acting as if there's a recession. This off-season they've committed nearly half a billion dollars to players. Right now they're still sitting pretty. But two or three years from now, if the economy hasn't rebounded, they might be royally fucked.

Imagine if half the companies that buy luxury boxes from the Yankees go under, then those posh, expensive cash generating boxes would be nothing but closets with a great view of the field. Season ticket holders are likely to dwindle if the economy stays stagnant. As are the casual fans who go to 3 or 4 games a year with the family. People won't be paying $25 for Derek Jeter t-shirts (although that money is divided among all 30 teams).

The Yankees are committing huge sums of money in a very dangerous economic climate. It's like driving to the mountains during a blizzard. You might make it, and if so, the skiing will be great; but you might get blown off a cliff and explode in a fiery maelstrom of death.



THINGS WILL BE CHEAPER:
Notice how cheap gas is these days? How about all those 40% off sales before Christmas and those 70% sales right after? One good thing about a recession is that prices drop for pretty much everything, especially non-essential and/or recreational things like sports tickets.

What are the odds the Pats increase ticket prices? If anything, they'll go down. And it will be even better for fans in cities with smaller fanbases and less success on the field. If I lived in Florida, I could probably get Marlins tickets for $5 for an entire weekend series. Hell, they might even pay me to go to games.

And imagine the deals you'll get at minor league parks and college games. Can anyone say 50 cent beer night?

MORE SCRAP HEAP PITCHERS FOR THE SOX

The Red Sox have once again tapped the seemingly inexhaustible pool of has-beens and DL addicts to replenish their pitching staff.

Brad Penny was signed to a one year deal worth $5 million, and potentially more if he reaches certain incentives. Penny was sidelined with tendinitis for most of the 2008 season. When he did make it to the mound, it was even more painful. He was 6-9 with a 6.27 ERA

However, he's only a year removed from back-to-back 16 win seasons. But at the same time, he's never been a consistent pitcher, healthy or unhealthy.

After the Yankees signed away Kevin Cash, the Red Sox were compelled to acquire a back-up catcher. They signed Ithaca's Josh Bard. You may remember Bard being acquired in 2006, then traded for Doug Mirabelli right before a Tim Wakefield start.

Bard hit .202 for the Padres in '08, playing in only 57 games.

Maybe I'm just in a bad mood because Patriots season is over, but both of these moves irritate the piss out of me. Another question mark riddled starter a la Bartolo Colon. And a .202 hitter to back-up the .220 hitting starting catcher.

Source:
WBZ