Perfect Weekend for Alabama

I thought it was impossible, but it looks like Alabama and LSU are bound for a rematch. Oklahoma State couldn't handle lowly Iowa State, then Oregon and Oklahoma lost their second games of the year, effectively eliminating them from title contention.

So if LSU takes care of business against Arkansas (then Georgia), and Alabama beats Auburn, it looks like we'll have a rematch between two SEC West opponents. Who else could it be?

Oklahoma State? Even if they beat Oklahoma, they don't have the quality wins. Beating OU doesn't have the same amount of weight as it would have.

Virginia Tech? Is winning the ACC that impressive? Besides, for VT to finish with one loss, they'd have to beat Clemson, which would be their biggest win. They also lost to Clemson. Not too impressive.

How about Stanford? Well they nearly lost to Cal, and their loss to Oregon looks worse after the Ducks lost to USC.

Boise State? Please.

Houston? They're undefeated. It sucks that in this system that they won't get a shot, but how would they do in the SEC West?

The reason Alabama deserves another shot is because they're the answer to a question. It's a question I've never asked when thinking about BCS title contenders until now. If LSU are the undisputed #1 team in the country, who has the best chance to beat them? It's not Stanford, not Houston, not Oklahoma State.

It's Alabama.

The Tide have the best chance among the one-loss teams to beat the Tigers. They should have beaten them if not for Nick Saban going with a weirdly timed wildcat trick play. They are the clear #2 team in the country, so long as LSU is #1.

Of course, things once again get messy if Arkansas beats LSU. Or if Auburn beats Bama.

Photo Credits:
AP Photo

What the Red Sox Forgot to Consider

When the Red Sox fired Francona, they forgot to do something. They forgot to take a pivotal step in the process. And now they're paying the price for it.

Whether you agreed with Francona's dismissal or not, or were like me and didn't like it but begrudgingly understood it, the Red Sox' Front Office didn't have a plan to replace him.

Epstein was replaced in a heartbeat. But Francona's replacement has been a bit more difficult to find. Maybe the Sox should have considered that when they decided not to keep Tito in town. Instead, they threw the Captain of the ship overboard without giving thought as to who would take the helm.

Now we're talking about Bobby Valentine? I've heard fans that want guys with no managerial experience. Because that will straighten out the Josh Becketts of the world, someone who is figuring out how to do their job, and is one phone call away from going back to being some team's 3rd base coach.

I guess the manager's identity doesn't matter. It's still very telling about how much of a mess 4 Yawkey Way is that they fired a manager well over a month ago, and are interviewing hack TV personalities like Bobby Valentine.

Why not Remy? Why not Cam Neely? How about Jason Varitek? Or Doug Mirabelli.

It's November 21st, do you know who the manager of your ballclub is?

The Worst Timeout Ever

Last week, Rex Ryan called the timeout Mark Sanchez took just before halftime "The stupidest play in football history." Bob Stoops rewrote those history books Saturday night, when he called timeout with 51 seconds left in a tied game while Baylor possessed the ball. The Bears were content to go into overtime, as they had no timeouts. I guess Stoops wanted to force a 3-and-out, get the ball back with 40 seconds, and try to win in regulation (with no timeouts left).

Two problems with that:
#1: The OU defense had only forced two 3-and-out drives (one was 4-and-out) all game.
#2: Robert Griffin III had been torching Oklahoma's defense all night.

Robert Griffin III proceeded to punish Stoops' greed and arrogance with a 5 play, 80 yard drive ending with a 34 yard TD pass.

Stoops could have gone into overtime. And if you believe your team is the best, why not do that? That way, even if RG3 beats you, there's a chance to respond. The Bears had the ball on the 20, and only needed 47 yards to reach their kicker's range of 50 to win the game. Baylor had already amassed 536 yards of offense.

Bob Stoops cost his team a spot in the National Championship Debate, which would have raged for weeks. Now they must run the table just to win the Big XII.

Eight Straight, Mate

How dominant have the Bruins been in this 8 game win streak? They've outscored their opponents by 28. They still only have the 13th best record in the NHL, but their goal differential is the highest in the NHL. They're +25. The second best differential is Philadelphia's +13.

Their 6-0 win against the Islanders was a product of solid defense preventing the Islanders from getting anything going. New York managed 2 shots on goal in the 1st. Just 2.

Then the Bruins scored opportunistically. Bergeron finished a Seguin and Marchand breakaway. Seguin is now a point shy of his TOTAL from last season. Horton put in a Power Play goal and Kelly was given an early Christmas present from Rick DiPietro.

After that, the Bruins didn't play with 110% intensity, but they didn't screw around either. And in the 3rd period, the floodgates opened again. Ference scored just after the end of a Power Play, Kelly scored an effort goal, and Chara had a rare (for him) breakaway goal.

The fact of the matter is, the Bruins are a good team that played like a good team and the Islanders are a bad team that played like a bad team.

Next on the schedule is a decent team. If the B's want to extend their winning streak, they'll need to play with a bit more fire. That shouldn't be a problem considering they'll be in Montreal. The Canadiens, by the way, were the last team to beat the Bruins. Twice. I'm sure the Bruins will want a measure of revenge.

Tonight, Bruins @ Canadiens.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

MLB To Add Wild Card Teams

As soon as next year, each league could be sending 5 teams to the playoffs instead of 4. This will be the first time MLB has expanded its playoff structure since 1995. This also means that the Red Sox would have made the playoffs the last two seasons.

I don't mind the expansion. MLB will be sending 10 teams to the playoffs. The NFL sends 12, the NBA and NHL send 16 each. Any complaints about losing late-season pennant race drama can be silenced by pointing out that in any given year the race for 5th can be just as tight as the race for 4th. In 2010 for instance, the Red Sox had 1 more win than the White Sox in what would have been an exciting race for 5th.

I'd actually prefer 12 teams in the playoffs, with the top two from each league receiving byes.

What I don't like is the way that the new "Wild Card Round" will probably be played: a one game winner-take-all playoff. So after 162 games, it will all come down to just one? That seems a bit unfair. Especially since you're only as good as your starting pitcher performs that day. One meltdown start could be the end of what could have been a very good season.

It's also unfair to Wild Card teams that have better records than divisional winners. In 2010 the Yankees won the AL Wild Card with the 2nd best record in the AL. Why should they have to risk their entire season in a one-game playoff while the AL West winners with a worse record get more margin for error.

I'd prefer a 12 team playoff, with a best-of-three game opening round. I don't know what the point of adding Wild Card teams to the playoffs is if they only get one game to advance any further.

This is great for the Red Sox, though. Even when this team disappoints, they still win at least 88 games, and that will probably be good enough to get the 5th playoff spot.

#7 For Bruins

This was a potential trap game. The Bruins had just won a hard fought battle with the Devils. They knew they'd be facing a weaker opponent. Columbus, on the other hand, would be desperate and hungry.

And that's how things went in the game too. The Bruins didn't make many glaring mistakes, but they weren't playing with the same ferocity and intensity as they did against New Jersey. Understandably so. But as the 3rd period clock ticked away, the Bruins' effort level surged. They applied all the pressure in the 3rd and OT.

Tuukka Rask played great. He made some huge stops and kept the B's in the game when they weren't playing at their absolute best. He was brilliant in the shootout. The one goal he allowed was a point-blank downward deflection that was almost impossible to stop.

He didn't score a goal, not even in the shootout, but Tyler Seguin's confidence levels are unreal. He ran the overtime Power Play. He's a completely different player from last season. I've said it before, I'll say it now, and I'm sure I'll say it again: Last year Seguin had to adjust to the League, this year the League has to adjust to him.

The Bruins have won 7 straight and all 5 in their homestand. They've climbed from last in the Eastern Conference to 9th. They're only 5 points behind the Flyers atop the Conference, and 2 behind Buffalo in the Division.

They travel to Long Island on Saturday before starting an important stretch of games next week (Montreal, Buffalo, and Detroit).

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Bruins Vanquish Devils

It's fitting that the Bruins achieved win #6 of their streak against the Devils. 6 as in 666, as in the Devil (even though 666 actually refers to Nero Caesar, not the Devil. Yes, I am that much of a nerd that I know that). And unlike the other games, they didn't pour 6+ goals in order to win it. They grinded this win out, against a determined New Jersey team.

The Bruins got contributions from guys who aren't on the top two lines. Gregory Campbell showed up big time, with two goal-triggering passes. He's the reason why Chris Kelly and Shawn Thornton scored goals.

The Bruins earned this one. They started a bit slower than the Devils, who came out determined. They withstood the onslaught and kept themselves in the game. And in the 3rd period, they willed their way to win. Which was extra impressive because they've been cruising in the 3rd period lately. They reached down and found that little extra something and they've now won 6 straight.

Just a bit of a tangent here: How good is Zdeno Chara? He might be the most complete player in the NHL. Obviously he's a dominating defensive force. But he plays in every key situation. The Bruins tried (and succeeded with) that set-play off the faceoff with a winger fainting wide then cutting to the center of the ice. Who has been the defenseman who made the tape-to-tape pass before both goals? Chara.

He's +9 during this streak, +10 on the season, with a goal and 12 assists. There are a handful of defensemen who have more points than that, but none of them are anywhere near as defensively stifling as Chara.

Bruins host the Blue Jackets Thursday night. They're dead-last in the NHL with a 3-13-1 record and are 0-7 on the road. This is a great opportunity for win #7 so long as complacency doesn't set in.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

PapelGone

The Phillies have officially acquired Jonathan Papelbon after he passed his physical yesterday. The former Red Sox closer signed a deal worth $50 million over 4 years, or $12.5 per season. And in an offseason that Red Sox fans want to see their team dramatically improve, it looks like they've gotten significantly worse. At the moment, at least.

The Red Sox must fill this loss by acquiring someone else. Bard is simply not good enough, as demonstrated by his performance down the stretch. And Aceves is no guarantee to succeed in the role either. And why not keep him where he is right now?

Heath Bell is a candidate for the job. He's recorded 40+ saves in each of the last three seasons. However, he's 34 years old (Papelbon turns 31 next week), and has no post-season experience. He'll be coming from San Diego to Boston, which is a drastically different environment.

There's 36 year old Francisco Cordero, who has over 300 career Saves, but also has no playoff experience.

There's 31 year old Ryan Madson, who doesn't have much of a track record as a closer before last season.

There's Francisco Rodriguez, who turns 30 in January, has extensive playoff experience, but he hasn't had a 30+ save season since 2009.

So there are options out there, and none of the above closers would be that bad. But none are improvements over Papelbon.

I know $12.5 million is a lot for a relief pitcher, but how much do the Red Sox spend on designated hitters, and oft-injured right-fielders? How about extensions for inconsistent starting pitchers?

I guess my biggest problem is that Papelbon is one of the Red Sox players that was likable. He was actually trying, and seemed to hate losing. He wasn't an elite closer and he can be replaced, but it's just not a pleasant way to begin an offseason.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo