Another Year of disappointment

The year 2008 is rapidly coming to an end. In some aspects this year has been more than I could have asked for. My wife and I had our first child, Chandler, he is so much fun. I got a job offer which I will begin in about 5 months which adds to my joy. In the world of sports however, 2008 has brought nothing but heartbreak and disappointment. Let me recount the disappointments in chronological order.

April 19 - One of the best playoff games I have ever watched ended in a horribly disappointing fashion. The Suns were ahead for most of the first half of the first game of the series with the Spurs. They were looking good and it appeared like maybe this year they had the Spurs number. It was one last second shot after another that eventually led to the layup by Manu Ginobli that ended the game in the second overtime. Not to be forgotten was the 3-point shot heard round the world. Yes the only time I have ever seen Tim Duncan take and make a three pointer was that game. I doubt he will ever do it again. This game of course deflated any momentum the Suns might have had from the regular season and reintroduced the doubt of their ability to beat the Spurs. As we know, the Suns would go on to lose the series in five games on April 29.

October 4 - The heavily favored Cubs, who won 98 regular season games the best in the National League, loses the 3rd playoff game in a row and are swept by the Dodger, the National League team with the worst record in the playoffs. The pitching that was so highly tought of from the Cubs got beat around by the Dodger bats all series long. The worst part of the whole situation is that I was too disappointed to even watch the last game becasue I knew the Cubs had done it again, they found a way to blow their chance. While I will continue to be a Cubs fan I am tiring of their ability to self destruct. How can you pay a guy over a 100 million dollars and have then lay such an egg in the playoffs (Alfonso Soriano is who I am talking about). The good news is that the nucleus of the team is staying together and their is a chance from some real upgrade in pitching. All I can say is, there is always next year...

October 16 - The first real test for the Brigham Young football team is against a fast, defensive minded TCU. This game was going to prove that BYU belonged in the top 8 and that they were just as good as the other major BCS teams. So what do they do, they lay an egg. I was nervous coming into this game know that the BYU defense was not really as good as the number had led on and that they would have a struggle on their hands. My fears became a reality and what's worse is the offense refused to adapt and got out played. While this loss was not as surprising to me as some of the other disappointments it was the manner in which they lost that was the heartbreaker. My faith in the BYU football team of 2008 was destroyed and I forsaw a future of a playing a mid-level Pac-10 team in the Las Vegas bowl that we have won the last two years...oh well, there is always next year.

November 22 - The final regular season football game for BYU and they had a chance to play BCS spoiler. The team went to play Utah in Salt Lake City and not only had a chance to get a tie for the conference crown, but also to crush Utah's chance of being in a BCS bowl. The game started out bad for BYU as they were down 17 to 3 in the first half. They quickly erased that deficet only to find themselves down by 10 at half due to a horrible pass by Max Hall. Needless to say, the second half was not pretty and BYU went on to lose 24 to 48. They were their own worst enemy by giving away the ball 6 times, 1 by fumble and 5 by interceptions. While it is easy to put the blame on the quaterback, Max Hall, it should be placed on the shoulders of the coaching staff and their refusal to change their game plan. BYU was having enormous success running the football against Utah making their defense look like a terrible tackling team. But instead of running it more and making Utah stack the box, the coaches call more throwing plays and the defense gets to sit back and play centerfield picking off Hall. Yet another disappointment to add to the year that is 2008.

November 30 - The Phoenix Suns lose to the Net for the first time in 14 years. Sure it is just a regular season game. Sure the Suns have a lot of season left to go, but when you let a player score 47 on you and he isn't even a prolific scorer, you have a problem. It is one thing to let Dwanye Wade score 43 on you, but to follow that up by letting Devin Harris got for 47 is just pathetic. I believe that game is the beginning of the end for the Suns as we know them. I would not be surprised, nor would I be opposed to so major trades including big names. I lovd the system the Suns had, but in the first 18 games they have just looked bad. Even in their wins there does not appear to be a flow to the offense. It is time to do what I hate to do, rebuild. There is no way to Suns are going to beat the Lakers, Hornets, and probably not even the Rockets this year and they will most certainly have to play one of these teams in the playoffs. The bad part is that I don't have much confidence in Steve Kerr's ability to scout the talent necessary to change the the team. I am sure glad that we worked so hard on getting Goran Dragic here this year seeing how he appears to be unable to run the team. Maybe the rest of the season will prove me wrong, but if the Suns dont do something, they may be left with nothing by 2010.

Feel free to comment on any part of this post, sorry it is kind of long. Also if you have other disappointming moments feel free to add them in the comments.

The Joys and Pains of Fantasy Football

Well I am back after taking a long sabbatical from this blog, I thought I would get back into it. The football season is winding down and I thought I would offer my impressions of my first experience with Fantasy Football. While I was in San Antonio this last summer I was asked by Jeff if I wanted to be a part of his Fantasy Football league that he does with Cara's family and friends. Since I have never participated in any type of fantasy league, I thought would give it a chance. I did a crash course on how it works and took the limited knowledge I had of the football from the last season and started drafting players. While I am a big sports fan, I admit that football has not been my favorite over the last few years. Sure I have watched the Super Bowl games, but how can you not watch the grand daddy of all football games.

The draft experience was actually quite fun, even though I found myself scrambling on many occasions trying to find the next best alternative when my would-be selection was taken right before my turn. I know for the future to start planning my team more than the day before the draft in order to maximize my options. I found myself following the games much more intensely, just ask my wife how many times she heard me saying, "Throw the ball to Witten!" All in all, I think this year was a good rookie year and I hope to enjoy more years of fantasy football, assuming my wife doesn't banish me from it.

A few tips I have learned, if you are considering doing it next year do NOT stack your team with players from one specific team, if they have a bad week then you are toast. Be careful not to take a star receiver and running back from the same week, for the most part only one or the other will really bring in the numbers on any given week. Finally, make sure you study the teams of the players, not just the players. For example, a high profile receiver for the Vikings is Bernard Berrian, and he is great but due to the fact that the Vikings run the ball a whole lot, Berrian has not scored as many points as you would like. That is all for now, I will update this post after the season is complete.

Playoff Basketball

Well it is that time of the year again. What time might you ask, the time to be disappointed and to use the often cited phrase, "There is always next year." There are two times of the year when i find myself saying that phrase, NBA playoffs and MLB post season. Two of the most notorious teams at getting your hopes up, the Chicago Cubs and the Phoenix Suns, always seem to torture me. This year, the Suns where especially brutal to me. Not because they were ousted in the first round, but because they got the first round match up that they were looking for and still blew it. I know it sounds crazy to think that the Suns WANTED the Spurs in the first round, but hey nothing about them has made any sense anyways. Here are the reasons why the Suns wanted the Spurs:

(1) If they could beat the Spurs, then there was no team in there way with a physiological test in the way. The Spurs are the only team (with exception to Dallas) that have eliminated the Suns out of the playoffs in the last 4 years. Not only that, but pre-Steve Nash, it was the Spurs that knocked the suns out of the playoffs in the first round also. If they were able to get over the hump, they felt it would be the sign that they were destined to be the champs.

(2) The Spurs were the reason why the Suns got Shaq. Let there be no mistake or ambiguity as to why the trade for Marion took place, it for for defeating the Spurs, and it failed. By saying it failed, I am not saying Shaq didn't meet expectation, it is just that the desired result of the team was not produced. Did they wait too long to pull the trigger? I don't know, but one thing I do know, they traded away their future and any chance of longevity way before the Shaq deal. For an excellent article on this very subject, read this article (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080501). Also remember Shaq out played everyone's expectations this year, who is to ay he wont do the same next year? ( Hey remember what i said at the beginning "There's always next year!")

(3) The Spurs were one of the ONLY Western Conference teams that the Suns had any success against in the regular season. I know that means nothing when it comes to the post season, but I dont the Suns would have had ANY chance had they met the Hornets in the first round ( also a reason why I highly doubt the Suns wouild have gotten all the way anyways). This season, unlike most in the past had nothing really to do about playing better or worse teams in the post season, it was/is all about the match ups. Had Dallas beat the Hornets and the Suns beats the Spurs I wold have liked Phoenix's chance of going all the way to the finals, but you can't rig the playoffs (only the league has that ability).

While this series according to the end result didn't appear even close, those who watched all the games know how close it really was. Had it not been for Hack-A-Shaq (something that should be horribly illegal) the Suns may have escaped with a series win. Also a lack of identity and fourth quarter execution cost them big. On a side note, the thing that bugs me most about the league is their horribly inconsistent calls. Last year, in a non-existent altercation between Robert Horry and Steve Nash, two of the Suns players were suspended for a game, and yet this year, there have been MULTIPLE altercations where NO players have been suspended, where is the consistency. Even worse is the inconsistent fouls and free throw lane violations that are almost NEVER called that showed up the the Suns/Spurs series. It is no wonder Phoenix fans are so paranoid, they have legitimate claims. But enough of the demise of Phoenix. As for their future, they have one choice, if they want to win it all next year (or think to have a chance, they have to be willing to mortgage their future even more and get consistent three point shooters that are proven playoff guys. Sorry Barbosa, I like you a lot, but when it comes to the post season, you just don't cut it. Also, Amare is going to have to learn how to be multi-dimensional, none of this pick and roll only offense and you need to learn some moves on the defensive end. But only the future knows what is in store.

As for the rest of the playoffs, I am sensing a Boston Lakers show down, just what the league wants and doesn't deserve. I myself would be excited to watch a match up of Kobe against Allen and Pierce. I am predicting Boston in 6. As for now, the Suns can dream about next year and well for me, it is looking like this is "Next Year" for the Cubs...

A weekend of Football

So many things to blog about, so little time. The best place to start might be with football. Anyone will tell you how much I dislike the Patriots and that has never been more true than now. I will admit that they are by far the best team, but I would love nothing more than to see them lose. They are defiantly beatable (as has been apparent over the last few weeks) and I believe the Giants are the team with the best shot. Why the Giants might you ask? Well it is simple, match-up problems. The Giants have one of the fastest defensive teams and their front four were able to get good pressure on Brett Farve (something few other have done this year). The cornerbacks provide a good battle against the good receivers of the Patriots. Finally, I believe they have a good enough running game to control the ball on offense. Maybe the most important aspect of all is how successful Eli Manning has been over the last 4 games. The Superbowl winning team is not always the best team, but can be the hottest team. There is no team hotter than the Giants (they are coming off a better game especially Manning).
On a related note, what a NFC championship game! It wasn't that it was a close game, it was just an awesome game, back and forth leaving it all on the field kinda game. Brett Farve was not at his best, but the Packers defense kept them in the game. You know it is a strange game when the kicker misses two field goals of 40 yards and less, but then is able to make a 47 yard kick to give the Giants the game. Where are all the Manning haters now? Now, Manning is the best thing to happen to the Giants in years. I have never understood how one family can be criticized so much for a lack of success. First it was Peyton who couldn't "win the big one" (even though he was not even 30 and was growing each year) and then it was Eli who many wondered if he would ever pan out to be a good quarterback. I would argue that making it the Superbowl (in the face of great adversity) in your fourth year as a starter is pretty good. I would not call myself a Giants fan, but they certainly have a great story this year and one that would be a storybook ending if they can slay the the egotistical Patriots.

BCS? WHAT A JOKE!

Ah, tis the season to start bowl bashing! While it is true that the bowls are not complete, enough of them are to begin the thrashing. This year has proved to be especially great...oh wait I mean especially BAD! I believe this picture does the best justice to describe what we have seen this year. I must admit I love a good football game. Even if it is two teams I despise, if the game is exciting I am watching. I found myself tuning in this year with a bit of curiosity. Is Hawaii going to play like they belong, or are they going to prove why even an average team can go undefeated in college football. How good can Illinois be against a hot USC team? Will the special seasons of some of the schools (ASU, Boston College, or others) end in a thrilling fashion or will they fold under pressure. Not to mention some of the more interesting bowl games Florida vs. Michigan (two powerhouse teams), Oklahoma vs. West Virginia (two teams that were oh so close to the title game) and well my favorite BYU vs. UCLA (the Rematch, yes I am biased). What I quickly found was that nothing would prepare me for what would happen.

Can some one tell me what happened to Hawaii? All that talk about how awesome their offense was proved to be futile when matched up against a defensive juggernaut of Georgia. The Sugar bowl only affirmed my belief of how much Hawaii was overrated. The hardest games they played all season were all home games. While the offense did pretty good in these games, there defense did not, giving up 30, 27, and 28 in their last three home games. Does this sound like the kind of team that should be in a BCS game. You can argue that they went undefeated, fine they went undefeated, but I fully believe it is possible for an average team to go undefeated in college football. No I am not saying an average SEC or PAC-10 team could go undefeated, but I team from the WAC, or any other lower conference who only plays ONE national ranked (or even decently ranked) team and gets to play that game at home can go undefeated. That same team can get a BCS bid and get blown out of the water, just like was witnessed.

This was not the only team to get blown out on the big stage. Illinois had the chance to show everyone how "great" they were and failed miserably. I understand they were playing one of the hottest teams in college football, but that is what you wanted! There is absolutely no reason why one of the premiere bowl games should have a blowout final score. This game also shows how flawed Ohio State is. They lost to a team that got blown out and yet Ohio State is still getting a shot at the title game (or the so called title game).

Yes I could go on and on about the many blowouts (Texas manhandling ASU, West Virginia stomping OU, or Oregon destroying South Florida) but what would be the fun of that. There were two games that I did find intriguing and that lived up to bowl worthy. The first was Michigan vs. Florida. Both of these teams were relatively disappointing in the regular season, and yet they provided one of the best game (ironically it was not a BCS game). What a way for Llyod Carr to go out. While I do not call myself a fan of either team (and in fact I am anti-Florida), I could not stop from watching the back and forth action all the way to the end. If only the BCS could get match-ups like this in their bowls.

The last game I found interesting was the BYU vs. UCLA game. Yes i am biased since I am a BYU student, but come on, tell me you didn't love the blocked field goal to win the game. How could you write a better story book ending than that. Well my time is short for now, I will follow-up on this post after all the bowl games are done.