Another edition of the Weekend Soccer Preview! The only big leagues playing now are England, Scotland, and Spain, as most leagues are still on their winter break. This is the third round of the FA Cup, and the first round for all of the English league giants.
As always, home team listed first, all times Eastern.
Game of the Week (Rankings from Poll)
8:00 ET Sunday (English FA Cup)
(T4) Manchester United v Leeds United
This is the game of the week more for the intense historical rivalry between the two clubs than the match-up of the two teams skill-wise. Leeds United is a historically great club, having won the First Division three times and finishing in the top three a total of ten times. They have won the FA Cup once and reached the semifinals eight times, and have reached the semifinals of the European Cup/Champions League twice, most recently in 2001. In 1975 they reached the finals of the competition and lost 2-0 to Bayern Munich in France. However, their fortunes changed in 2001, when they took out large loans and planned to pay them off with Champions League success. However, they narrowly failed to qualify for the Champions League, which eventually resulted in a financial implosion and the plummet of the club down to League One, the third tier of English football. Currently, Leeds United sit at the top of League One with a massive 8 point lead over Charlton Athletic, and Leeds has even played one less match. The rivalry between the two clubs originates from the hostility between the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire that resulted from the War of the Roses in the 15th century. Obviously the rivalry has subsided in recent years due to the scarcity of meetings, as the last meeting was February 2004 in Premier League action. Still, this promises to be a fun match as United will be playing more of a youthful lineup and Leeds is a very strong lower division club.
Top of the Table Clashes
7:30 ET Sunday (Scottish Premier League)
Celtic v Rangers
This is the “Old Firm” rivalry, and it is one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. It goes far beyond just football, encompassing religion and politics, making for some often violent meetings between the two sides of supporters. Traditionally Rangers supporters are Protestant while Celtic supporters are Irish Catholic. Until Rangers signed former Celtic player Mo Johnston in 1989, it is believed that Rangers had an “unwritten policy” of not signing any player who was Catholic. Recently, however, both clubs have done a great job of distancing themselves form this sectarianism and have made great strides in stamping out all religious and political aspects of the rivalry. Still, as these are unquestionably the two biggest clubs in all of Scotland, the rivalry is as fierce as ever. Rangers currently sit 7 points ahead of second place Celtic but have also played one extra game. A win for Celtic here could essentially bring them within 1 point of Rangers in the league.
English FA Cup (Round 3)
Only matches involving Premier League teams will be listed.
10:00 ET Saturday
(T12) Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers v Lincoln City
Everton v Carlisle United
Fulham v Swindon Town
Middlesbrough v (17) Manchester City
Milton Keyes Dons v Burnley
Nottingham Forest v Birmingham
Portsmouth v Coventry City
Stoke City v York City
Sunderland v Barrow
(11) Tottenham v Peterborough
Wigan Athletic v Hull City
12:15 ET Saturday
Reading v Liverpool
8:00 ET Sunday
(T4) Manchester United v Leeds United
10:00 ET Sunday
(3) Chelsea v Watford
11:15 ET Sunday
West Ham United v (T4) Arsenal
13:15 ET Sunday
Tranmere Rovers v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Scottish Premier League
7:30 ET Sunday
Celtic v Rangers
Spain’s La Liga
12:00 ET Saturday
(16) Valencia v Espanyol
14:00 ET Saturday
(1) Barcelona v Villarreal
16:00 ET Saturday
Atletico Madrid v (9) Sevilla
11:00 ET Sunday
Real Zaragoza v Deportivo La Coruna
15:00 ET Sunday
Osasuna v (2) Real Madrid
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Texas Tech fires coach Mike Leach
Texas Tech has fired head coach Mike Leach ‘with cause’ over allegations that he mistreated wide receiver Adam James, son of ESPN analyst Craig James. The player alleges that Mike Leach twice confined him to a small dark room where he had to stand when the player was diagnosed with a concussion.
Obviously this is a serious allegation and is not the first instance of alleged mistreatment of college football players this year. Mark Mangino was recently fired by Kansas for the violent actions including physical and verbal abuse of his players. If the accusations of Adam James are accurate, the firing is deserved. However, it seems as if there is more to this story than meets the eye.
First, ESPN analyst Bruce Feldman is writing a book with Mike Leach and describes the relationship between Leach and the administration as “toxic.” He believes that Texas Tech had been growing tired of Leach and was really looking for a reason to fire him since the two sides butted heads over contract talks earlier in the year.
Second, the contract itself states that if Mike Leach were coaching on December 31, he would receive an $800,000 bonus from the school. This is certainly incentive for Texas Tech to get rid of him quickly so they can save themselves a good amount of money.
Third, there are e-mails that have been published (by any outlet except ESPN) that show that Adam James was “soft” and “somewhat” of a prima donna. Here is an e-mail from James’ position coach Lincoln Riley:
The full text of these telling e-mails can be found here: E-mails
Fourth, the areas in which James was confined to do not seem to be a "shed and electrical closet". One is more of a garage and one has been used to host media when they talk to players and coaches. Below is a video where you can judge for yourself the conditions in which Adam James was subjected to. It certainly seems as if James may have been exaggerating his punishment.
Video of the rooms Adam James was confined to
(Posted as a link because I can't figure out how to do it otherwise)
Again, these allegations (and I use this word so often because that is exactly what they are right now, nothing has been proven) are serious and are absolutely just cause for Leach’s firing if true. However, there is a distinct stench of fishiness surrounding this story, not to mention ESPN’s clear bias in reporting due to their relationship with the father of the accuser. Hopefully there will be a fair ending to this story not only privately for Mike Leach, but publicly for his image as well, so he can go on with his career as he is a great coach.
Obviously this is a serious allegation and is not the first instance of alleged mistreatment of college football players this year. Mark Mangino was recently fired by Kansas for the violent actions including physical and verbal abuse of his players. If the accusations of Adam James are accurate, the firing is deserved. However, it seems as if there is more to this story than meets the eye.
First, ESPN analyst Bruce Feldman is writing a book with Mike Leach and describes the relationship between Leach and the administration as “toxic.” He believes that Texas Tech had been growing tired of Leach and was really looking for a reason to fire him since the two sides butted heads over contract talks earlier in the year.
Second, the contract itself states that if Mike Leach were coaching on December 31, he would receive an $800,000 bonus from the school. This is certainly incentive for Texas Tech to get rid of him quickly so they can save themselves a good amount of money.
Third, there are e-mails that have been published (by any outlet except ESPN) that show that Adam James was “soft” and “somewhat” of a prima donna. Here is an e-mail from James’ position coach Lincoln Riley:
“He [James] complained to me that we were not doing our jobs as coaches and that his effort was just fine…It’s just another example of Adam thinking that he knows more about coaching than people who have been coaching their entire lives. I have no doubt that anger from this led to where we are today…and is his way of trying to ‘get back’ at us coaches.”Former Tech quarterback Graham Harrell said that “During the off-season, he [James] would be skipping lifts in the weight room or finding ways to cut corners…” Generally, the attitude towards James by former players and current coaches is that he is lazy and feels “entitled” by his status as son of former player and current ESPN analyst Craig James.
The full text of these telling e-mails can be found here: E-mails
Fourth, the areas in which James was confined to do not seem to be a "shed and electrical closet". One is more of a garage and one has been used to host media when they talk to players and coaches. Below is a video where you can judge for yourself the conditions in which Adam James was subjected to. It certainly seems as if James may have been exaggerating his punishment.
Video of the rooms Adam James was confined to
(Posted as a link because I can't figure out how to do it otherwise)
Again, these allegations (and I use this word so often because that is exactly what they are right now, nothing has been proven) are serious and are absolutely just cause for Leach’s firing if true. However, there is a distinct stench of fishiness surrounding this story, not to mention ESPN’s clear bias in reporting due to their relationship with the father of the accuser. Hopefully there will be a fair ending to this story not only privately for Mike Leach, but publicly for his image as well, so he can go on with his career as he is a great coach.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Reaction to Bears Win on MNF
A lot is going to be made out of the Bears victory tonight against the Minnesota Vikings, and I think this game did show a lot in all aspects of the Bears.
#1: Lovie Smith needs to go. I know the Bears just beat a very good Vikings team, but the defense that Lovie Smith has taken complete control of allowed 30 points in the second half and that is completely unacceptable. I've read some thoughts that Lovie should have used his timeouts once the Vikings got into the Red Zone on their last drive in regulation but I don't think that is a big deal. If you're hanging your hat on defense as a head coach and even calling the plays for the defense then there is no reason why your unit should be giving up 30 points in 30 minutes of football.
#2: Critics need to lay off of Jay Cutler. 30 points should have been plenty to earn a victory in regulation and yet Cutler had to be called upon to win the game. People are going to bitch about Cutler laughing on the sidelines after throwing the interception, but you know what, he obviously got over that throw and was ready to go back out there. A team full of 53 guys is bound to have some sort of camaraderie where jokes will be told and people will be laughing, it happens so there's no reason to get on Cutler for laughing. He's shown flashes of brilliance all season long and if he gets the protection he got tonight, he's going to be the quarterback most Bear fans thought they were getting when he was acquired.
#3: Chris Williams is the left tackle of the future. Williams was making his second career start at left tackle and his reward? Having to keep Jared Allen off of Jay Cutler. He did a tremendous job and really left a positive impact on the mind of many Bear fans heading into this offseason. If he keeps playing like this, the remodel that has to be done on the offensive line got a lot easier.
#4: Devin Aromashodu is something special. I'm not going to say that Aromashodu is a future #1 receiver but he can definitely be a reliable #2 in the future for this team. Cutler clearly loves throwing to him and trusts him more than the other receivers on this team. Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox behind DA gives the offense a lot of weapons and will hopefully allow a new coaching staff to move Hester back to Punt and Kickoff returns where he is truly the most dangerous.
This Bears win definitely had a lot of positives, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, we all saw where that led us this season. A lot of changes are still needed but there are definitely a few pieces in place.
#1: Lovie Smith needs to go. I know the Bears just beat a very good Vikings team, but the defense that Lovie Smith has taken complete control of allowed 30 points in the second half and that is completely unacceptable. I've read some thoughts that Lovie should have used his timeouts once the Vikings got into the Red Zone on their last drive in regulation but I don't think that is a big deal. If you're hanging your hat on defense as a head coach and even calling the plays for the defense then there is no reason why your unit should be giving up 30 points in 30 minutes of football.
#2: Critics need to lay off of Jay Cutler. 30 points should have been plenty to earn a victory in regulation and yet Cutler had to be called upon to win the game. People are going to bitch about Cutler laughing on the sidelines after throwing the interception, but you know what, he obviously got over that throw and was ready to go back out there. A team full of 53 guys is bound to have some sort of camaraderie where jokes will be told and people will be laughing, it happens so there's no reason to get on Cutler for laughing. He's shown flashes of brilliance all season long and if he gets the protection he got tonight, he's going to be the quarterback most Bear fans thought they were getting when he was acquired.
#3: Chris Williams is the left tackle of the future. Williams was making his second career start at left tackle and his reward? Having to keep Jared Allen off of Jay Cutler. He did a tremendous job and really left a positive impact on the mind of many Bear fans heading into this offseason. If he keeps playing like this, the remodel that has to be done on the offensive line got a lot easier.
#4: Devin Aromashodu is something special. I'm not going to say that Aromashodu is a future #1 receiver but he can definitely be a reliable #2 in the future for this team. Cutler clearly loves throwing to him and trusts him more than the other receivers on this team. Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox behind DA gives the offense a lot of weapons and will hopefully allow a new coaching staff to move Hester back to Punt and Kickoff returns where he is truly the most dangerous.
This Bears win definitely had a lot of positives, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, we all saw where that led us this season. A lot of changes are still needed but there are definitely a few pieces in place.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Big Ten Basketball Preview
Big Ten basketball season starts up this week and it looks to be another fun year. So far, however, the Big Ten has been slightly disappointing. Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois were all ranked pre-season but have fallen out of the polls quickly with 6-5, 9-3, and 8-4 records respectively. Purdue leads the pack with a #4 ranking in the AP poll. The other ranked teams are Michigan State at #11 and Ohio State at #15, while Wisconsin and Northwestern are just outside receiving votes (Update: Wisconsin and Northwestern are now in the rankings at #23 and #25 respectively). Here is a team-by-team breakdown of what to expect this season. Teams are listed in reverse order of expected finish:
Iowa
Record: 5-7
Good Wins: None
Bad Losses: Texas-San Antonio, Duquesne, Northern Iowa
The season started off terribly with back-to-back losses at home to Texas-San Antonio and Duquesne in a span of two days. There is simply not enough talent on the team at the moment and they have just lost Anthony Tucker, their second leading scorer, to his second public intoxication arrest in as many years. They have a legitimate shot at not winning a game all season, and things start off as hard as possible with a home match-up against Purdue on Tuesday.
Indiana
Record: 5-6
Good Wins: Pittsburgh…but that is a stretch.
Bad Losses: Boston University, Loyola-Maryland
Indiana has some good young talent but this is still a rebuilding year for the Hoosiers. They are led in scoring by freshmen Maurice Creek (17.6 pts, 4.0 reb per game) and Christian Watford (12.2 pts, 5.7 reb per game). Sophomore Verdell Jones III is right behind with 11.5 points per game. Expect Indiana to improve as Big Ten play progresses and the young players learn, but don’t expect them to be a factor in the Big Ten.
Penn State
Record: 8-4
Good Wins: at Virginia? Maybe.
Bad Losses: UNC-Wilmington, Tulane
The Talor Battle-led Nittany Lions had back-to-back losses to UNC-Wilmington and Tulane early in the year. They have played a fairly weak schedule and probably hoped to get out of it with two losses at most. Talor Battle is having a decent season, averaging 18.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. However, nobody else seems to want to step up and be his sidekick, as 6 players are averaging between 6.8 and 8.0 points per game. They had some decent pre-season expectations after winning the NIT last season, and they have a chance to fulfill those expectations with a strong Big Ten showing.
Michigan
Record: 6-5
Good Wins: None
Bad Losses: Boston College, Utah
Michigan is a team that like many Big Ten squads had high expectations coming into the season and have not lived up to them. They were even ranked #15 coming into the season but a mildly difficult schedule has exposed them as frauds. They are led by pre-season all-Big Ten guard Manny Harris and forward DeShawn Sims. Harris is averaging 20.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while Sims averages 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. However, these two are shooting a combined 29.3% from three-point range. There is virtually no supporting cast for the two stars, as the third highest scorer is Laval Lucas-Perry at 7.2 points per game. Michigan is being out-rebounded by 4 rebounds per game and as a team is shooting 29.0% from three point range and 42.2% overall. They will be in for a difficult season if the rest of the team does not step it up soon.
Minnesota
Record: 9-3
Good Wins: Butler
Bad Losses: Portland
Minnesota is a program with disciplinary problems as freshmen Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe are both suspended with a shoplifting charge and assault charge respectively. Royce White appears to have left the program but Tubby Smith claims he has not. Royce White was ranked as the #19 player in the nation coming out of high school and would be a key contributor if he were able to play for the Gophers. The Gophers have a balanced scoring attack, with five players averaging more than 8.4 points, led by Lawrence Westbrook who has 12.9 points per game and is shooting 40% from long distance. Junior guard Blake Hoffarber is shooting a fantastic 49.3% from three point land and three-quarters of his shots are taken from that range. Minnesota is still a solid team and had a solid early win against Butler in California, so if they can somehow sort out their problems, they will be a force in the Big Ten.
Illinois
Record: 8-4
Good Wins: at Clemson
Bad Losses: Utah, Bradley, Georgia
Illinois is a team that is somewhat difficult to figure out. They lost back-to-back games against Utah and Bradley and followed that up with a stunning comeback win at then 19th ranked Clemson. Currently they have lost two straight at Georgia and against Missouri and open up Big Ten play Wednesday against Northwestern. On January 2 they will host Gonzaga in a difficult tune up for the rest of the season. They are another team with a balanced scoring attack, with 5 players averaging more than 10.4 points per game. Junior guard Demetri McCamey leads the way with 14.1 points and 5.4 assists per game, while junior forward Mike Davis is right behind with 12.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Coach Bruce Weber has been hot on the recruiting trail lately and it is paying off with freshmen guards DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul getting significant minutes every game and both averaging more than 10 points per game. Illinois is a good team having a tough year, but they will improve as the inexperienced backcourt improves. They will be a significant force next year in the Big Ten.
#25 Northwestern
Record: 10-1
Good Wins: Notre Dame, North Carolina State
Bad Losses: None
When Northwestern lost senior forward Kevin Coble for the year, most people wrote Northwestern off. Instead they have gone on a 10-1 run to start the season and are barely outside of the AP top 25 rankings. Sophomore forward John Shurna has stepped up in Coble’s absence, averaging 15.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, making him one of the most valuable players in the Big Ten. Northwestern’s lone loss came against now-20th ranked Butler. Junior guard Michael Thompson leads the scoring with 16.7 points per game along with shooting 42.5% from three-point range. As a team they are shooting 36.5% on the season from long range and that will be a key to their continued success. Northwestern is still missing Coble on the boards as they are being out-rebounded this season, but the more they keep winning without him, the more confident they will be going into the heart of Big Ten season. Expect them to be in the running for an NCAA tournament spot at the end of the season.
#23 Wisconsin
Record: 10-2
Good Wins: Duke
Bad Losses: Wisconsin-Green Bay
The highlight of the season for Wisconsin has without a doubt been the massive win at home against then 6th-ranked Duke that won the Big Ten/ACC challenge for the Big Ten. Still, they are a mercurial team as proven by their overtime loss to Wisconsin-Green Bay just one week later. The Sagarin Ratings have Wisconsin as the 17th ranked team in the nation, while they are just outside the Top 25 in the AP Poll. The Badgers are led by junior forward Jon Leuer, who is averaging 17.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Senior guard Trevon Hughes is right behind with 16.4 points per game and he is shooting 41.1% from three-point range. Wisconsin is 8-0 this year and it looks like the Kohl Center will once again be a difficult place for opponents to play.
#15 Ohio State
Record: 10-2
Good Wins: Florida State, California
Bad Losses: None
The undisputed leader of Ohio State and the best all around player in the conference is junior forward Evan Turner. Unfortunately for Ohio State he has a back injury and has missed the last four games including a loss to Butler. He will be out for a couple more weeks, and may not be back in time for their first big test of the conference season, January 12th at Purdue. When healthy, Turner got two early season triple-doubles and was averaging 18.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, to go with 5.9 assists per game. In his absence, William Buford is averaging 15.5 points per game and David Lighty is averaging 19.5 points per game, an increase of a combined 12 points per game on their season averages before his injury. As long as Evan Turner is back in time for the second half of the season and the tournaments, Ohio State will be a team everyone will want to avoid come March.
#11 Michigan State
Record: 9-3
Good Wins: None
Bad Losses: Florida
Michigan State was the preseason #2 in the nation in the AP Poll and has not had the ideal start to the season they may have hoped for. The Spartans certainly gave themselves a difficult schedule with Florida, North Carolina and Texas, but they will have expected to win at least two of those coming into the season. Still, they are a popular pick to win the Big Ten and are led by junior point guard Kalin Lucas, who is averaging 15.7 points and 4.3 assists per game to go with a 40% clip from three-point range. After Lucas there is a great supporting cast of 4 players averaging 10.3-10.5 points and Delvon Roe just behind with 8.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. As a team, Michigan State is out-rebounding their opponents 41 to 31 per game, and is shooting over 50% as a team from the field. However, they have yet to prove themselves against a quality opponent and will have to wait until February for the highly anticipated match-ups against Purdue.
#4 Purdue
Record: 11-0
Good Wins: Wake Forest, Tennessee
Bad Losses: None
As a Purdue student, I of course have no choice but to put Purdue in the top spot in the conference, a spot which I think they completely deserve. They have navigated a fairly easy early season schedule, with good wins against Tennessee in the Virgin Islands, at home against Wake Forest, and at Alabama, a game in which they were down 16 at one point but came back on the heels of their incredible defense. Offensively, Purdue is led by juniors E’Twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel, and JaJuan Johnson, who combine for 45.2 points per game. Hummel and Johnson average 6.6 and 6.8 rebounds per game, are constant double-double threats and are the key components of Purdue’s somewhat shallow frontcourt. Freshman Sandi Marcius will (hopefully) be back soon from a foot injury, and his return would add much-needed frontcourt depth for the physical Big Ten season. The three point shooting for Purdue has been somewhat down this season, as they are shooting 30.8% as a team and Hummel is shooting just 28.6% from long distance. Still, they are a team that can get hot at any time and beat you from long range. The calling card of Purdue is still their defense, which is led by Defensive Player of the Year candidate Chris Kramer, who has 20 steals on the season including several key plays at the end of the Alabama game. The Boilermaker defense allows just 59.9 points per game and forces 20.9 turnovers per game. When Lewis Jackson and Sandi Marcius return from injuries, it will only improve the depth of this already deep Purdue team, which has a very good chance at making a Final Four run to Indianapolis this season. Purdue opens up with an easy test at Iowa on Tuesday, and on New Year's day #6 West Virginia comes to town for what will be a massive final non-conference game.
Iowa
Record: 5-7
Good Wins: None
Bad Losses: Texas-San Antonio, Duquesne, Northern Iowa
The season started off terribly with back-to-back losses at home to Texas-San Antonio and Duquesne in a span of two days. There is simply not enough talent on the team at the moment and they have just lost Anthony Tucker, their second leading scorer, to his second public intoxication arrest in as many years. They have a legitimate shot at not winning a game all season, and things start off as hard as possible with a home match-up against Purdue on Tuesday.
Indiana
Record: 5-6
Good Wins: Pittsburgh…but that is a stretch.
Bad Losses: Boston University, Loyola-Maryland
Indiana has some good young talent but this is still a rebuilding year for the Hoosiers. They are led in scoring by freshmen Maurice Creek (17.6 pts, 4.0 reb per game) and Christian Watford (12.2 pts, 5.7 reb per game). Sophomore Verdell Jones III is right behind with 11.5 points per game. Expect Indiana to improve as Big Ten play progresses and the young players learn, but don’t expect them to be a factor in the Big Ten.
Penn State
Record: 8-4
Good Wins: at Virginia? Maybe.
Bad Losses: UNC-Wilmington, Tulane
The Talor Battle-led Nittany Lions had back-to-back losses to UNC-Wilmington and Tulane early in the year. They have played a fairly weak schedule and probably hoped to get out of it with two losses at most. Talor Battle is having a decent season, averaging 18.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. However, nobody else seems to want to step up and be his sidekick, as 6 players are averaging between 6.8 and 8.0 points per game. They had some decent pre-season expectations after winning the NIT last season, and they have a chance to fulfill those expectations with a strong Big Ten showing.
Michigan
Record: 6-5
Good Wins: None
Bad Losses: Boston College, Utah
Michigan is a team that like many Big Ten squads had high expectations coming into the season and have not lived up to them. They were even ranked #15 coming into the season but a mildly difficult schedule has exposed them as frauds. They are led by pre-season all-Big Ten guard Manny Harris and forward DeShawn Sims. Harris is averaging 20.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while Sims averages 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. However, these two are shooting a combined 29.3% from three-point range. There is virtually no supporting cast for the two stars, as the third highest scorer is Laval Lucas-Perry at 7.2 points per game. Michigan is being out-rebounded by 4 rebounds per game and as a team is shooting 29.0% from three point range and 42.2% overall. They will be in for a difficult season if the rest of the team does not step it up soon.
Minnesota
Record: 9-3
Good Wins: Butler
Bad Losses: Portland
Minnesota is a program with disciplinary problems as freshmen Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe are both suspended with a shoplifting charge and assault charge respectively. Royce White appears to have left the program but Tubby Smith claims he has not. Royce White was ranked as the #19 player in the nation coming out of high school and would be a key contributor if he were able to play for the Gophers. The Gophers have a balanced scoring attack, with five players averaging more than 8.4 points, led by Lawrence Westbrook who has 12.9 points per game and is shooting 40% from long distance. Junior guard Blake Hoffarber is shooting a fantastic 49.3% from three point land and three-quarters of his shots are taken from that range. Minnesota is still a solid team and had a solid early win against Butler in California, so if they can somehow sort out their problems, they will be a force in the Big Ten.
Illinois
Record: 8-4
Good Wins: at Clemson
Bad Losses: Utah, Bradley, Georgia
Illinois is a team that is somewhat difficult to figure out. They lost back-to-back games against Utah and Bradley and followed that up with a stunning comeback win at then 19th ranked Clemson. Currently they have lost two straight at Georgia and against Missouri and open up Big Ten play Wednesday against Northwestern. On January 2 they will host Gonzaga in a difficult tune up for the rest of the season. They are another team with a balanced scoring attack, with 5 players averaging more than 10.4 points per game. Junior guard Demetri McCamey leads the way with 14.1 points and 5.4 assists per game, while junior forward Mike Davis is right behind with 12.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Coach Bruce Weber has been hot on the recruiting trail lately and it is paying off with freshmen guards DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul getting significant minutes every game and both averaging more than 10 points per game. Illinois is a good team having a tough year, but they will improve as the inexperienced backcourt improves. They will be a significant force next year in the Big Ten.
#25 Northwestern
Record: 10-1
Good Wins: Notre Dame, North Carolina State
Bad Losses: None
When Northwestern lost senior forward Kevin Coble for the year, most people wrote Northwestern off. Instead they have gone on a 10-1 run to start the season and are barely outside of the AP top 25 rankings. Sophomore forward John Shurna has stepped up in Coble’s absence, averaging 15.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, making him one of the most valuable players in the Big Ten. Northwestern’s lone loss came against now-20th ranked Butler. Junior guard Michael Thompson leads the scoring with 16.7 points per game along with shooting 42.5% from three-point range. As a team they are shooting 36.5% on the season from long range and that will be a key to their continued success. Northwestern is still missing Coble on the boards as they are being out-rebounded this season, but the more they keep winning without him, the more confident they will be going into the heart of Big Ten season. Expect them to be in the running for an NCAA tournament spot at the end of the season.
#23 Wisconsin
Record: 10-2
Good Wins: Duke
Bad Losses: Wisconsin-Green Bay
The highlight of the season for Wisconsin has without a doubt been the massive win at home against then 6th-ranked Duke that won the Big Ten/ACC challenge for the Big Ten. Still, they are a mercurial team as proven by their overtime loss to Wisconsin-Green Bay just one week later. The Sagarin Ratings have Wisconsin as the 17th ranked team in the nation, while they are just outside the Top 25 in the AP Poll. The Badgers are led by junior forward Jon Leuer, who is averaging 17.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Senior guard Trevon Hughes is right behind with 16.4 points per game and he is shooting 41.1% from three-point range. Wisconsin is 8-0 this year and it looks like the Kohl Center will once again be a difficult place for opponents to play.
#15 Ohio State
Record: 10-2
Good Wins: Florida State, California
Bad Losses: None
The undisputed leader of Ohio State and the best all around player in the conference is junior forward Evan Turner. Unfortunately for Ohio State he has a back injury and has missed the last four games including a loss to Butler. He will be out for a couple more weeks, and may not be back in time for their first big test of the conference season, January 12th at Purdue. When healthy, Turner got two early season triple-doubles and was averaging 18.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, to go with 5.9 assists per game. In his absence, William Buford is averaging 15.5 points per game and David Lighty is averaging 19.5 points per game, an increase of a combined 12 points per game on their season averages before his injury. As long as Evan Turner is back in time for the second half of the season and the tournaments, Ohio State will be a team everyone will want to avoid come March.
#11 Michigan State
Record: 9-3
Good Wins: None
Bad Losses: Florida
Michigan State was the preseason #2 in the nation in the AP Poll and has not had the ideal start to the season they may have hoped for. The Spartans certainly gave themselves a difficult schedule with Florida, North Carolina and Texas, but they will have expected to win at least two of those coming into the season. Still, they are a popular pick to win the Big Ten and are led by junior point guard Kalin Lucas, who is averaging 15.7 points and 4.3 assists per game to go with a 40% clip from three-point range. After Lucas there is a great supporting cast of 4 players averaging 10.3-10.5 points and Delvon Roe just behind with 8.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. As a team, Michigan State is out-rebounding their opponents 41 to 31 per game, and is shooting over 50% as a team from the field. However, they have yet to prove themselves against a quality opponent and will have to wait until February for the highly anticipated match-ups against Purdue.
#4 Purdue
Record: 11-0
Good Wins: Wake Forest, Tennessee
Bad Losses: None
As a Purdue student, I of course have no choice but to put Purdue in the top spot in the conference, a spot which I think they completely deserve. They have navigated a fairly easy early season schedule, with good wins against Tennessee in the Virgin Islands, at home against Wake Forest, and at Alabama, a game in which they were down 16 at one point but came back on the heels of their incredible defense. Offensively, Purdue is led by juniors E’Twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel, and JaJuan Johnson, who combine for 45.2 points per game. Hummel and Johnson average 6.6 and 6.8 rebounds per game, are constant double-double threats and are the key components of Purdue’s somewhat shallow frontcourt. Freshman Sandi Marcius will (hopefully) be back soon from a foot injury, and his return would add much-needed frontcourt depth for the physical Big Ten season. The three point shooting for Purdue has been somewhat down this season, as they are shooting 30.8% as a team and Hummel is shooting just 28.6% from long distance. Still, they are a team that can get hot at any time and beat you from long range. The calling card of Purdue is still their defense, which is led by Defensive Player of the Year candidate Chris Kramer, who has 20 steals on the season including several key plays at the end of the Alabama game. The Boilermaker defense allows just 59.9 points per game and forces 20.9 turnovers per game. When Lewis Jackson and Sandi Marcius return from injuries, it will only improve the depth of this already deep Purdue team, which has a very good chance at making a Final Four run to Indianapolis this season. Purdue opens up with an easy test at Iowa on Tuesday, and on New Year's day #6 West Virginia comes to town for what will be a massive final non-conference game.
Colts and 16-0
I usually hate writing about the things that everyone is talking about but I'm going to do it here anyway. Yesterday the Colts lost for the first time in 24 regular season games and they pulled their starters in the 3rd quarter of the game. I think Coach Caldwell made the wrong choice in pulling his starters, I understand you want to have a healthy team going into the playoffs but there are a number of reasons why Peyton Manning and Co. should have stayed in the game.
The first reason is probably the most obvious and has been turned into a beer commercial, as Coach Herm Edwards famously said, "you play to win the game!" Players are in the NFL because they want to compete and they want to win, coaches should coach that way also. Just because you've locked up a #1 seed and a first round bye doesn't mean you should just relax until the playoffs start up. You're hired to win games and you need to play the best players you're given to accomplish that.
The next reason is because the Colts locked up a first round bye, they will be given a week off to get healthy before they have to play again. If you're given that week off then there really is no reason to sit the players that are already healthy. If anything, it is more incentive to play your players so they stay sharp and ready to compete come playoff time. I've heard that Coach Caldwell is preparing to go full tempo in practice to get the team ready but it is extremely hard to simulate the actual game tempo in practice no matter how hard you have your team hitting. And really what is the difference between going full speed in practice as opposed to playing in a game? If you're hitting in practice there is just as much chance for injury as there would be in an actual game.
The last reason I want to touch on is the opinion of the players. Constantly throughout the game the cameras cut to the Colts starters looking completely deflated, knowing that their undefeated season is about to go away. Now I'm not saying to start a Brad Childress-Brett Favre drama story, but there has to be a way to go to your starters and see how they feel about having a perfect season. Based on the looks of some of the players, they looked like they wanted to be out there to keep their perfect record alive.
I actually wouldn't be surprised if the Colts failed to make it to the Super Bowl after this loss, the players look deflated and I don't think they'll be as sharp as necessary to make the Super Bowl. The bottom line is if you don't want to win the game then as Coach Edwards said, "get out."
The first reason is probably the most obvious and has been turned into a beer commercial, as Coach Herm Edwards famously said, "you play to win the game!" Players are in the NFL because they want to compete and they want to win, coaches should coach that way also. Just because you've locked up a #1 seed and a first round bye doesn't mean you should just relax until the playoffs start up. You're hired to win games and you need to play the best players you're given to accomplish that.
The next reason is because the Colts locked up a first round bye, they will be given a week off to get healthy before they have to play again. If you're given that week off then there really is no reason to sit the players that are already healthy. If anything, it is more incentive to play your players so they stay sharp and ready to compete come playoff time. I've heard that Coach Caldwell is preparing to go full tempo in practice to get the team ready but it is extremely hard to simulate the actual game tempo in practice no matter how hard you have your team hitting. And really what is the difference between going full speed in practice as opposed to playing in a game? If you're hitting in practice there is just as much chance for injury as there would be in an actual game.
The last reason I want to touch on is the opinion of the players. Constantly throughout the game the cameras cut to the Colts starters looking completely deflated, knowing that their undefeated season is about to go away. Now I'm not saying to start a Brad Childress-Brett Favre drama story, but there has to be a way to go to your starters and see how they feel about having a perfect season. Based on the looks of some of the players, they looked like they wanted to be out there to keep their perfect record alive.
I actually wouldn't be surprised if the Colts failed to make it to the Super Bowl after this loss, the players look deflated and I don't think they'll be as sharp as necessary to make the Super Bowl. The bottom line is if you don't want to win the game then as Coach Edwards said, "get out."
Sunday, December 27, 2009
English Premier League Preview
There really were not enough matches in Europe this weekend to do more rankings, so look here for a review of the Premier League matches of the weekend. Instead of rankings we have more predictions for English Premier League matches! The formula now includes adjustments for home and away and therefore should be more accurate than last time, when it still worked pretty well. Home team listed first.
Tottenham v West Ham
7:45 ET Monday
Most Likely Scores:
Tottenham 3-1 West Ham, 7.31% probability
Tottenham 4-1 West Ham, 7.18%
Tottenham 3-0 West Ham, 7.13%
Tottenham 4-0 West Ham, 7.00%
Tottenham Win: 86.53%
Draw: 8.06%
West Ham Win: 5.41%
Blackburn v Sunderland
10:00 ET Monday
Most Likely Scores:
Blackburn 1-1 Sunderland, 12.73%
Blackburn 0-1 Sunderland, 11.19%
Blackburn 1-0 Sunderland, 9.36%
Blackburn Win: 31.30%
Draw: 26.81%
Sunderland Win: 41.88%
Chelsea v Fulham
10:00 ET Monday
Most Likely Scores:
Chelsea 1-0 Fulham, 19.74%
Chelsea 2-0 Fulham, 17.40%
Chelsea 0-0 Fulham, 11.20%
Chelsea 3-0 Fulham, 10.23%
Chelsea Win: 70.36%
Draw: 21.34%
Fulham Win: 8.31%
Everton v Burnley
10:00 ET Monday
Most Likely Scores:
Everton 2-1 Burnley, 9.83%
Everton 1-1 Burnley, 9.01%
Everton 2-0 Burnley, 8.86%
Everton 1-0 Burnley, 8.12%
Everton Win: 61.75%
Draw: 19.89%
Burnley Win: 18.36%
Stoke City v Birmingham
10:00 ET Monday
Most Likely Scores:
Stoke City 0-0 Birmingham, 27.09%
Stoke City 1-0 Birmingham, 20.55%
Stoke City 0-1 Birmingham, 14.83%
Stoke City 1-1 Birmingham, 11.25%
Stoke City Win: 36.72%
Draw: 39.56% (First time I’ve ever seen a draw be most likely)
Birmingham Win: 23.71%
Wolverhampton v Manchester City
14:45 ET Monday
Most Likely Scores:
Wolverhampton 1-1 Manchester City, 12.24%
Wolverhampton 0-1 Manchester City, 11.54%
Wolverhampton 1-2 Manchester City, 9.26%
Wolverhampton 0-2 Manchester City, 8.73%
Wolverhampton Win: 26.57%
Draw: 25.74%
Manchester City Win: 47.69%
Aston Villa v Liverpool
14:45 ET Tuesday
Most Likely Scores:
Aston Villa 1-0 Liverpool 13.20%
Aston Villa 1-1 Liverpool, 12.16%
Aston Villa 2-0 Liverpool, 10.07%
Aston Villa 2-1 Liverpool, 9.28%
Aston Villa Win: 51.40%
Draw: 25.82%
Liverpool Win: 22.78%
Bolton Wanderers v Hull City
15:00 ET Tuesday
Most Likely Scores:
Bolton 2-1 Hull City, 9.66%
Bolton 2-0 Hull City, 9.01%
Bolton 1-1 Hull City, 8.21%
Bolton 1-0 Hull City, 7.66%
Bolton 3-1 Hull City, 7.58%
Bolton Win: 65.86%
Draw: 18.35%
Hull City: 15.79%
Portsmouth v Arsenal
14:45 ET Wednesday
Most Likely Scores:
Portsmouth 0-2 Arsenal, 10.53%
Portsmouth 1-2 Arsenal, 9.88%
Portsmouth 0-1 Arsenal, 9.77%
Portsmouth 1-1 Arsenal, 9.16%
Portsmouth Win: 15.26%
Draw: 19.51%
Arsenal Win: 65.23%
Manchester United v Wigan
15:00 ET Wednesday
Most Likely Scores:
Manchester United 3-0 Wigan, 12.32%
Manchester United 4-0 Wigan, 11.72%
Manchester United 2-0 Wigan, 9.72%
Manchester United 5-0 Wigan, 8.91%
Manchester United Win: 92.38%
Draw: 5.48%
Wigan Win: 2.14%
Tottenham v West Ham
7:45 ET Monday
Most Likely Scores:
Tottenham 3-1 West Ham, 7.31% probability
Tottenham 4-1 West Ham, 7.18%
Tottenham 3-0 West Ham, 7.13%
Tottenham 4-0 West Ham, 7.00%
Tottenham Win: 86.53%
Draw: 8.06%
West Ham Win: 5.41%
Blackburn v Sunderland
10:00 ET Monday
Most Likely Scores:
Blackburn 1-1 Sunderland, 12.73%
Blackburn 0-1 Sunderland, 11.19%
Blackburn 1-0 Sunderland, 9.36%
Blackburn Win: 31.30%
Draw: 26.81%
Sunderland Win: 41.88%
Chelsea v Fulham
10:00 ET Monday
Most Likely Scores:
Chelsea 1-0 Fulham, 19.74%
Chelsea 2-0 Fulham, 17.40%
Chelsea 0-0 Fulham, 11.20%
Chelsea 3-0 Fulham, 10.23%
Chelsea Win: 70.36%
Draw: 21.34%
Fulham Win: 8.31%
Everton v Burnley
10:00 ET Monday
Most Likely Scores:
Everton 2-1 Burnley, 9.83%
Everton 1-1 Burnley, 9.01%
Everton 2-0 Burnley, 8.86%
Everton 1-0 Burnley, 8.12%
Everton Win: 61.75%
Draw: 19.89%
Burnley Win: 18.36%
Stoke City v Birmingham
10:00 ET Monday
Most Likely Scores:
Stoke City 0-0 Birmingham, 27.09%
Stoke City 1-0 Birmingham, 20.55%
Stoke City 0-1 Birmingham, 14.83%
Stoke City 1-1 Birmingham, 11.25%
Stoke City Win: 36.72%
Draw: 39.56% (First time I’ve ever seen a draw be most likely)
Birmingham Win: 23.71%
Wolverhampton v Manchester City
14:45 ET Monday
Most Likely Scores:
Wolverhampton 1-1 Manchester City, 12.24%
Wolverhampton 0-1 Manchester City, 11.54%
Wolverhampton 1-2 Manchester City, 9.26%
Wolverhampton 0-2 Manchester City, 8.73%
Wolverhampton Win: 26.57%
Draw: 25.74%
Manchester City Win: 47.69%
Aston Villa v Liverpool
14:45 ET Tuesday
Most Likely Scores:
Aston Villa 1-0 Liverpool 13.20%
Aston Villa 1-1 Liverpool, 12.16%
Aston Villa 2-0 Liverpool, 10.07%
Aston Villa 2-1 Liverpool, 9.28%
Aston Villa Win: 51.40%
Draw: 25.82%
Liverpool Win: 22.78%
Bolton Wanderers v Hull City
15:00 ET Tuesday
Most Likely Scores:
Bolton 2-1 Hull City, 9.66%
Bolton 2-0 Hull City, 9.01%
Bolton 1-1 Hull City, 8.21%
Bolton 1-0 Hull City, 7.66%
Bolton 3-1 Hull City, 7.58%
Bolton Win: 65.86%
Draw: 18.35%
Hull City: 15.79%
Portsmouth v Arsenal
14:45 ET Wednesday
Most Likely Scores:
Portsmouth 0-2 Arsenal, 10.53%
Portsmouth 1-2 Arsenal, 9.88%
Portsmouth 0-1 Arsenal, 9.77%
Portsmouth 1-1 Arsenal, 9.16%
Portsmouth Win: 15.26%
Draw: 19.51%
Arsenal Win: 65.23%
Manchester United v Wigan
15:00 ET Wednesday
Most Likely Scores:
Manchester United 3-0 Wigan, 12.32%
Manchester United 4-0 Wigan, 11.72%
Manchester United 2-0 Wigan, 9.72%
Manchester United 5-0 Wigan, 8.91%
Manchester United Win: 92.38%
Draw: 5.48%
Wigan Win: 2.14%
English Premier League Roundup
It is an exciting time in the Premier League, with a full weekend of games to go with games from Monday to Wednesday. As promised, I will now review how the predictions made in this post actually turned out!
Birmingham 0-0 Chelsea
Visitors and league leaders Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw at Birmingham, a game in which they dominated play, with an advantage of 30 shots to 14 to go along with 63% possession.
Predicted score: Birmingham 0-1 Chelsea, 20.19%
Actual score: Birmingham 0-0 Chelsea had 12.54% probability, good for being the third most likely score after 0-1 and 0-2.
A draw had 23.87% chance of happening.
Fulham 0-0 Tottenham
Tottenham were outplayed in the London derby, and were saved by the play of Brazilian keeper Heurelho Gomes as Fulham failed to capitalize on numerous chances on goal.
Predicted score: Fulham 1-1 Tottenham, 12.08%
Actual score: Fulham 0-0 Tottenham had 6.88% probability and was the 7th most likely score.
A draw had 25.42% chance of happening.
West Ham 2-0 Portsmouth
West Ham had a huge win in the relegation battle on the back of a penalty by Alessandro Diamanti and a goal from Radoslav Kovac. The win pulled West Ham out of the relegation zone for now, as they sit in 16th on 18 points, 1 ahead of Bolton and Hull City.
Predicted score: West Ham 1-1 Portsmouth, 12.48%
Actual score: West Ham 2-0 Portsmouth had 7.04% probability and was the 7th most likely result.
There was a 40.56% chance of a West Ham win, the most likely outcome.
Burnley 1-1 Bolton Wanderers
Matthew Taylor scored for Bolton on a brilliant free kick in the 29th minute and David Nugent tied it up for the hosts in the 56th. Keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen saved the game for Bolton, as Burnley dominated with an 18-11 shot advantage and 62% possession.
Predicted score: Burnley 1-1 Bolton, 8.93%
Actual score: Burnley 1-1 Bolton, the most likely outcome.
A draw had a 21.90% chance of happening.
Manchester City 2-0 Stoke City
Martin Petrov and Carlos Tevez won it for Manchester City in manager Roberto Mancini’s debut after the controversial sacking of Mark Hughes. This solidifies Manchester City’s place in 6th and brings them within just 3 points of 4th place Aston Villa and a Champions League spot.
Predicted score: Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City, 13.02%
Actual score: Manchester City 2-0 Stoke City with 8.95% probability, good for being the 5th most likely outcome.
A Manchester City win had probability 45.91%, the most likely outcome.
Sunderland 1-1 Everton
A late goal by Marouane Fellaini for Everton cancelled out an early Darren Bent goal as Everton stole a draw at Sunderland. Both teams are a part of the logjam in the middle of the table, where 10th and 19th place are separated by a mere 5 points.
Predicted score: Sunderland 1-1 Everton, 10.24%
Actual score: Sunderland 1-1 Everton, the most likely outcome.
A draw had 22.38% chance of occurring.
Wigan 1-1 Blackburn
Benedict McCarthy scored for Blackburn in the 30th and Hugo Rodallega equalized in the 53rd as these mid to low-table dwellers played out to an uneventful draw.
Predicted score: Wigan 1-1 Blackburn, 11.86%
Actual score: Wigan 1-1 Blackburn, the most likely outcome.
A draw had 25.17% chance of occurring.
Liverpool 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Liverpool endured a nerve-wracking first hour and ended up winning on late goals by Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun. This was a necessary win for Liverpool and they now sit in 7th, 5 points out of a Champions League spot.
Predicted score: Liverpool 2-0 Wolverhampton, 12.02%
Actual score: Liverpool 2-0 Wolverhampton, the most likely outcome.
A Liverpool win had 69.62% chance of happening, the most likely outcome.
Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa
Cesc Fabregas came off the bench in the 57th minute and scored twice, with Abou Diaby adding a stoppage-time goal for the Arsenal win. The win was huge for Arsenal as it vaulted them temporarily into 2nd place, and Aston Villa still sit in 4th in the league.
Predicted score: Arsenal 1-1 Aston Villa, 12.72%
Actual score: Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa, 3.02%, the 12th most likely result in the game and least likely result of the weekend.
An Arsenal win had 38.99% chance of happening, the most likely outcome of the game.
Hull City 1-3 Manchester United
A rocky first half for United was saved by a Wayne Rooney goal in the 45th. Hull City tied it up on a Craig Fagan penalty in the 59th before an Andy Dawson own goal and Dimitar Berbatov goal (both assisted by Rooney) gave United the vital win. United has pulled within 2 points of Chelsea in the league.
Predicted score: Hull City 0-3 Manchester United, 11.70%
Actual score: Hull City 1-3 Manchester United had a 7.54% chance of happening, the 4th most likely result.
A Manchester United win had an incredible 86.04% chance of occurring, by far the most likely outcome.
The formula did not do a bad job at all of predicting outcomes. Four of the ten were dead-on, which is a great percentage, and all but one of the results were close to what was expected.
Birmingham 0-0 Chelsea
Visitors and league leaders Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw at Birmingham, a game in which they dominated play, with an advantage of 30 shots to 14 to go along with 63% possession.
Predicted score: Birmingham 0-1 Chelsea, 20.19%
Actual score: Birmingham 0-0 Chelsea had 12.54% probability, good for being the third most likely score after 0-1 and 0-2.
A draw had 23.87% chance of happening.
Fulham 0-0 Tottenham
Tottenham were outplayed in the London derby, and were saved by the play of Brazilian keeper Heurelho Gomes as Fulham failed to capitalize on numerous chances on goal.
Predicted score: Fulham 1-1 Tottenham, 12.08%
Actual score: Fulham 0-0 Tottenham had 6.88% probability and was the 7th most likely score.
A draw had 25.42% chance of happening.
West Ham 2-0 Portsmouth
West Ham had a huge win in the relegation battle on the back of a penalty by Alessandro Diamanti and a goal from Radoslav Kovac. The win pulled West Ham out of the relegation zone for now, as they sit in 16th on 18 points, 1 ahead of Bolton and Hull City.
Predicted score: West Ham 1-1 Portsmouth, 12.48%
Actual score: West Ham 2-0 Portsmouth had 7.04% probability and was the 7th most likely result.
There was a 40.56% chance of a West Ham win, the most likely outcome.
Burnley 1-1 Bolton Wanderers
Matthew Taylor scored for Bolton on a brilliant free kick in the 29th minute and David Nugent tied it up for the hosts in the 56th. Keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen saved the game for Bolton, as Burnley dominated with an 18-11 shot advantage and 62% possession.
Predicted score: Burnley 1-1 Bolton, 8.93%
Actual score: Burnley 1-1 Bolton, the most likely outcome.
A draw had a 21.90% chance of happening.
Manchester City 2-0 Stoke City
Martin Petrov and Carlos Tevez won it for Manchester City in manager Roberto Mancini’s debut after the controversial sacking of Mark Hughes. This solidifies Manchester City’s place in 6th and brings them within just 3 points of 4th place Aston Villa and a Champions League spot.
Predicted score: Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City, 13.02%
Actual score: Manchester City 2-0 Stoke City with 8.95% probability, good for being the 5th most likely outcome.
A Manchester City win had probability 45.91%, the most likely outcome.
Sunderland 1-1 Everton
A late goal by Marouane Fellaini for Everton cancelled out an early Darren Bent goal as Everton stole a draw at Sunderland. Both teams are a part of the logjam in the middle of the table, where 10th and 19th place are separated by a mere 5 points.
Predicted score: Sunderland 1-1 Everton, 10.24%
Actual score: Sunderland 1-1 Everton, the most likely outcome.
A draw had 22.38% chance of occurring.
Wigan 1-1 Blackburn
Benedict McCarthy scored for Blackburn in the 30th and Hugo Rodallega equalized in the 53rd as these mid to low-table dwellers played out to an uneventful draw.
Predicted score: Wigan 1-1 Blackburn, 11.86%
Actual score: Wigan 1-1 Blackburn, the most likely outcome.
A draw had 25.17% chance of occurring.
Liverpool 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Liverpool endured a nerve-wracking first hour and ended up winning on late goals by Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun. This was a necessary win for Liverpool and they now sit in 7th, 5 points out of a Champions League spot.
Predicted score: Liverpool 2-0 Wolverhampton, 12.02%
Actual score: Liverpool 2-0 Wolverhampton, the most likely outcome.
A Liverpool win had 69.62% chance of happening, the most likely outcome.
Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa
Cesc Fabregas came off the bench in the 57th minute and scored twice, with Abou Diaby adding a stoppage-time goal for the Arsenal win. The win was huge for Arsenal as it vaulted them temporarily into 2nd place, and Aston Villa still sit in 4th in the league.
Predicted score: Arsenal 1-1 Aston Villa, 12.72%
Actual score: Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa, 3.02%, the 12th most likely result in the game and least likely result of the weekend.
An Arsenal win had 38.99% chance of happening, the most likely outcome of the game.
Hull City 1-3 Manchester United
A rocky first half for United was saved by a Wayne Rooney goal in the 45th. Hull City tied it up on a Craig Fagan penalty in the 59th before an Andy Dawson own goal and Dimitar Berbatov goal (both assisted by Rooney) gave United the vital win. United has pulled within 2 points of Chelsea in the league.
Predicted score: Hull City 0-3 Manchester United, 11.70%
Actual score: Hull City 1-3 Manchester United had a 7.54% chance of happening, the 4th most likely result.
A Manchester United win had an incredible 86.04% chance of occurring, by far the most likely outcome.
Rooney celebrates his goal at the end of the first half
The formula did not do a bad job at all of predicting outcomes. Four of the ten were dead-on, which is a great percentage, and all but one of the results were close to what was expected.
Remaining College Bowl Picks
Well I decided since I have a little bit of time on my hands with break and because I did so well at picking games during the regular season (not really but let's just go with it), I'm going to challenge myself to pick against the spread for the remaining bowl games in college football. We'll start with the games this week and I'll come back next Sunday with picks for the remaining games.
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl: Clemson (-6.5) over Kentucky
Advocare V100 Independence Bowl: Texas A&M (+7) over Georgia: I really like Texas A&M to not only cover the spread but to also win this game. Jerrod Johnson is extremely accurate and even though the Aggies lost to Texas, they played them extremely tight and should use that momentum heading into the Independence Bowl.
Eaglebank Bowl: UCLA (-4) over Temple
Champs Sports Bowl: Wisconsin (+3.5) over Miami (FL)
Roady's Humanitarian Bowl: Idaho (+2) over Bowling Green
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl: Nebraska over Arizona (Pick 'em)
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Houston (-4.5) over Air Force
Brut Sun Bowl: Stanford (+9) over Oklahoma: Vegas has loved OU all season long with or without Sam Bradford and the line for the Sun Bowl is more of the same. Toby Gerhart has one foot out the door already and he'll need another strong performance to help his draft stock and I think he carries Stanford to a victory.
Texas Bowl: Missouri (-6.5) over Navy
Insight Bowl: Minnesota (-2.5) over Iowa State
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Tennessee (+6) over Virginia Tech
Outback Bowl: Northwestern (+7) over Auburn
Capital One Bowl: Penn State (-2.5) over LSU
Konica Minolta Gator Bowl: Florida State (+2.5) over West Virginia
Rose Bowl presented by Citi: Ohio State (+4) over Oregon: This is one of the more intriguing bowl games this season, Oregon's offense against Ohio State's defense is the matchup to watch. I really think Ohio State has the speed to stay with the Ducks and should be a very entertaining game.
Nokia Sugar Bowl: Cincinnati (+12.5) over Florida: This line might change before the game actually kicks off with the news that Urban Meyer is stepping down due to health reasons but as of right now it's hard to pick this game. Both teams now face a situation where their coach has left or will leave and have a lot to prove. I think Florida wins this game but I don't think they will cover the spread seeing how angry Cincinnati was that Brian Kelly left them before the bowl game to go to Notre Dame and will look to prove to the nation that they don't need Kelly to succeed.
International Bowl: South Florida (-7) over Northern Illinois
Papajohns.com Bowl: South Carolina (-4.5) over Connecticut
AT&T Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma State (+3) over Mississippi: This is a game neither school thought they'd be playing in back in the beginning of the season but both OSU and Ole Miss were inconsistent all season. I think Mississippi has been more inconsistent than Oklahoma State and that's why I like the Cowboys in this game.
Autozone Liberty Bowl: Arkansas (-7.5) over East Carolina
Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas Tech (-8) over Michigan State
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl: Clemson (-6.5) over Kentucky
Advocare V100 Independence Bowl: Texas A&M (+7) over Georgia: I really like Texas A&M to not only cover the spread but to also win this game. Jerrod Johnson is extremely accurate and even though the Aggies lost to Texas, they played them extremely tight and should use that momentum heading into the Independence Bowl.
Eaglebank Bowl: UCLA (-4) over Temple
Champs Sports Bowl: Wisconsin (+3.5) over Miami (FL)
Roady's Humanitarian Bowl: Idaho (+2) over Bowling Green
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl: Nebraska over Arizona (Pick 'em)
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Houston (-4.5) over Air Force
Brut Sun Bowl: Stanford (+9) over Oklahoma: Vegas has loved OU all season long with or without Sam Bradford and the line for the Sun Bowl is more of the same. Toby Gerhart has one foot out the door already and he'll need another strong performance to help his draft stock and I think he carries Stanford to a victory.
Texas Bowl: Missouri (-6.5) over Navy
Insight Bowl: Minnesota (-2.5) over Iowa State
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Tennessee (+6) over Virginia Tech
Outback Bowl: Northwestern (+7) over Auburn
Capital One Bowl: Penn State (-2.5) over LSU
Konica Minolta Gator Bowl: Florida State (+2.5) over West Virginia
Rose Bowl presented by Citi: Ohio State (+4) over Oregon: This is one of the more intriguing bowl games this season, Oregon's offense against Ohio State's defense is the matchup to watch. I really think Ohio State has the speed to stay with the Ducks and should be a very entertaining game.
Nokia Sugar Bowl: Cincinnati (+12.5) over Florida: This line might change before the game actually kicks off with the news that Urban Meyer is stepping down due to health reasons but as of right now it's hard to pick this game. Both teams now face a situation where their coach has left or will leave and have a lot to prove. I think Florida wins this game but I don't think they will cover the spread seeing how angry Cincinnati was that Brian Kelly left them before the bowl game to go to Notre Dame and will look to prove to the nation that they don't need Kelly to succeed.
International Bowl: South Florida (-7) over Northern Illinois
Papajohns.com Bowl: South Carolina (-4.5) over Connecticut
AT&T Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma State (+3) over Mississippi: This is a game neither school thought they'd be playing in back in the beginning of the season but both OSU and Ole Miss were inconsistent all season. I think Mississippi has been more inconsistent than Oklahoma State and that's why I like the Cowboys in this game.
Autozone Liberty Bowl: Arkansas (-7.5) over East Carolina
Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas Tech (-8) over Michigan State
Saturday, December 26, 2009
My Decade's Top Ten Sports Moments
The best part of sports in my opinion is that it is something where everyone has their own teams and their own sports that they enjoy following. Everyone has that one player they like that no one else can stand or that team that virtually no one likes or talks about yet loved by a group of people. This is what makes sports great because that alone generates so much discussion and banter that individual sports have their own television networks to talk about their sport 24/7/365. With that in mind here are my top ten sports moments from the past decade:
10. 2009 Confederations Cup: This makes my list because of the effect it had on the United States as a country. The U.S. team's performance brought what I think is an increased interest in Soccer to Americans. If soccer takes off in America, I like to think that it will be because of the Confederations Cup this past summer.
9. Nadal V. Federer: This Wimbledon Men's Final was spectacular. I'm not someone who enjoys tennis, but this was a match I didn't want to end. The longest match in Wimbledon history was also arguably the best.
8. Tiger Woods' 14th Major at U.S. Open: This could have been the defining moment for Tiger Woods until this whole scandal broke, but this will certainly be his defining moment in terms of what he's done on the golf course. Watching Tiger compete on essentially one leg and still have the ability to win a Major Championship just furthered the argument of him being the greatest golfer ever and one of the best athletes ever. Here's hoping he takes care of his family business and comes back to golf course more determined and focus.
7. Syracuse - UCONN 6 OTs: There's nothing much more exciting than college basketball in March, but when you throw 6 overtimes into the mix, there is just that can describe that game with. This game had everything, 100+ points in overtime alone, six double doubles, and eight players fouling out. The only thing this game lacked was a little Gus Johnson.
6. 2001 World Series: I'm going to remember this World Series for more than just a series of baseball games, it really signified America starting to get over the tragedy of September 11th. It was fitting having the Yankees playing in the World Series that year. But beyond what it meant for Americans, it was just a great series that the Diamondbacks were able to win behind the arms of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.
5. 2008 Summer Olympics: The Olympics are usually a great sporting event because it brings countries together and stands for everything sports is meant to be. 2008 happened to be even more memorable for the Olympics, you had Usain Bolt running around like he had a jet pack on his back and you had Michael Phelps winning 8 Gold Medals and having Americans come together amidst disagreements.
4. Boise State - Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl: This was one of the best bowl games to ever be played. The little school that could in Boise State pulled out all the tricks in the bag to beat the Sooners. The Hook and Ladder and Statue of Liberty were plays that were only seen in the backyard, that was until the Broncos whipped them out in the biggest game of their school's existence. This game proved to be bitter sweet because now we have Boise State and other smaller schools believing they deserve to play with the power conferences every year.
3. Blackhawks - Canucks Game 6: Last year's NHL playoffs officially brought hockey back to Chicago when the Blackhawks made it to the Western Conference Finals. They would have never made it that far if it wasn't for their effort in the clinching game against the Vancouver Canucks. The final period alone had enough scoring for the entire game, 6 goals and Patrick Kane registered his first hat trick. All of this brought Hockey to the forefront of Chicago sports.
2. 2004 ALCS: When the playoffs come, we are constantly bombarded with statistics like no team has ever come back down three games to zero. Well that stat was officially thrown out when the 2004 Boston Red Sox defeated the odds and came back to beat the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS. That alone was great to see but the games within the series provided a lot of entertainment, Schilling's bloody sock, Big Papi's walkoffs, and Game 7 alone were all great moments within this series.
1. 2005 White Sox: Getting back to what I wrote in the beginning, the White Sox are my favorite team from my favorite sport so being able to watch the 2005 season is the greatest moment of the decade for me and will likely be my favorite moment for my entire life. That team played baseball the way it was supposed to be played, pitching, defense, and timely hitting. The team was in first place from Opening Day until October 26, 2005 (the last game of the World Series). What they did in the playoffs was nothing short of remarkable, 11-1 with 4 straight complete games from Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia, and Jose Contreras highlight the playoffs for the greatest sports moment of my decade.
Those are my top ten moments from the 2000s, here's hoping that we experience similar moments in the next decade.
10. 2009 Confederations Cup: This makes my list because of the effect it had on the United States as a country. The U.S. team's performance brought what I think is an increased interest in Soccer to Americans. If soccer takes off in America, I like to think that it will be because of the Confederations Cup this past summer.
9. Nadal V. Federer: This Wimbledon Men's Final was spectacular. I'm not someone who enjoys tennis, but this was a match I didn't want to end. The longest match in Wimbledon history was also arguably the best.
8. Tiger Woods' 14th Major at U.S. Open: This could have been the defining moment for Tiger Woods until this whole scandal broke, but this will certainly be his defining moment in terms of what he's done on the golf course. Watching Tiger compete on essentially one leg and still have the ability to win a Major Championship just furthered the argument of him being the greatest golfer ever and one of the best athletes ever. Here's hoping he takes care of his family business and comes back to golf course more determined and focus.
7. Syracuse - UCONN 6 OTs: There's nothing much more exciting than college basketball in March, but when you throw 6 overtimes into the mix, there is just that can describe that game with. This game had everything, 100+ points in overtime alone, six double doubles, and eight players fouling out. The only thing this game lacked was a little Gus Johnson.
6. 2001 World Series: I'm going to remember this World Series for more than just a series of baseball games, it really signified America starting to get over the tragedy of September 11th. It was fitting having the Yankees playing in the World Series that year. But beyond what it meant for Americans, it was just a great series that the Diamondbacks were able to win behind the arms of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.
5. 2008 Summer Olympics: The Olympics are usually a great sporting event because it brings countries together and stands for everything sports is meant to be. 2008 happened to be even more memorable for the Olympics, you had Usain Bolt running around like he had a jet pack on his back and you had Michael Phelps winning 8 Gold Medals and having Americans come together amidst disagreements.
4. Boise State - Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl: This was one of the best bowl games to ever be played. The little school that could in Boise State pulled out all the tricks in the bag to beat the Sooners. The Hook and Ladder and Statue of Liberty were plays that were only seen in the backyard, that was until the Broncos whipped them out in the biggest game of their school's existence. This game proved to be bitter sweet because now we have Boise State and other smaller schools believing they deserve to play with the power conferences every year.
3. Blackhawks - Canucks Game 6: Last year's NHL playoffs officially brought hockey back to Chicago when the Blackhawks made it to the Western Conference Finals. They would have never made it that far if it wasn't for their effort in the clinching game against the Vancouver Canucks. The final period alone had enough scoring for the entire game, 6 goals and Patrick Kane registered his first hat trick. All of this brought Hockey to the forefront of Chicago sports.
2. 2004 ALCS: When the playoffs come, we are constantly bombarded with statistics like no team has ever come back down three games to zero. Well that stat was officially thrown out when the 2004 Boston Red Sox defeated the odds and came back to beat the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS. That alone was great to see but the games within the series provided a lot of entertainment, Schilling's bloody sock, Big Papi's walkoffs, and Game 7 alone were all great moments within this series.
1. 2005 White Sox: Getting back to what I wrote in the beginning, the White Sox are my favorite team from my favorite sport so being able to watch the 2005 season is the greatest moment of the decade for me and will likely be my favorite moment for my entire life. That team played baseball the way it was supposed to be played, pitching, defense, and timely hitting. The team was in first place from Opening Day until October 26, 2005 (the last game of the World Series). What they did in the playoffs was nothing short of remarkable, 11-1 with 4 straight complete games from Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia, and Jose Contreras highlight the playoffs for the greatest sports moment of my decade.
Those are my top ten moments from the 2000s, here's hoping that we experience similar moments in the next decade.
Friday, December 25, 2009
English Premier League Soccer Predictions
For Christmas I got a received book called Mathletics by Wayne Winston. Essentially, the book contains mathematics behind the major sports of baseball, football, and basketball, along with an extensive section on gambling in sports and other minor sports. Mainly the book focuses on evaluating teams and players, along with predicting future results based on past results. There is a section on soccer ranking and prediction and as it is Christmas, I do not have too much time to expand on this. However, I want to use the methods outlined in the book to predict scores for this weekend's English Premier League matches. I will give the most likely scores and the probabilities of a win for either team and draw in each match. Note that the method does not factor in home field advantage, something I will attempt to take care of later. For now, empirical adjustments will have to be made to determine most likely score. At least all scores with probability greater than 10% will be given.
Birmingham City v Chelsea
7:45 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
Birmingham 0-1 Chelsea, 20.19% probability
Birmingham 0-2 Chelsea, 16.25%
Birmingham 0-0 Chelsea, 12.54%
Birmingham Win: 10.35%
Draw: 23.87%
Chelsea Win: 65.78%
Fulham v Tottenham
8:00 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
Fulham 1-1 Tottenham, 12.08%
Fulham 0-1 Tottenham, 10.50%
Fulham Win: 28.67%
Draw: 25.42%
Tottenham Win: 45.90%
West Ham v Portsmouth
8:00 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
West Ham 1-1 Portsmouth, 12.48%
West Ham 1-0 Portsmouth, 10.19%
West Ham Win: 40.56%
Draw: 26.25%
Portsmouth Win: 33.19%
Burnley v Bolton
9:00 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores (None over 10%):
Burnley 1-1 Bolton, 8.93%
Burnley 1-2 Bolton, 8.47%
Burnley 2-1 Bolton, 7.47%
Burnley 2-2 Bolton, 7.09%
Burnley Win: 34.51%
Draw: 21.90%
Bolton Win: 43.59%
Manchester City v Stoke City
10:00 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City, 13.02%
Manchester City 1-1 Stoke City, 12.78%
Manchester City Win: 45.91%
Draw: 27.27%
Stoke City: 26.81%
Sunderland v Everton
10:00 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
Sunderland 1-1 Everton, 10.25%
Sunderland 2-1 Everton, 9.71%
Sunderland 1-0 Everton, 8.37%
Sunderland 2-0 Everton, 7.93%
Sunderland Win: 53.07%
Draw: 22.38%
Everton Win: 24.54%
Wigan v Blackburn
10:00 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
Wigan 1-1 Blackburn, 11.86%
Wigan 0-1 Blackburn, 8.76%
Wigan 1-2 Blackburn, 8.65%
Wigan Win: 35.04%
Draw: 25.17%
Blackburn Win: 39.79%
Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers
12:30 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
Liverpool 2-0 Wolverhampton, 12.02%
Liverpool 1-0 Wolverhampton, 10.85%
Liverpool 2-1 Wolverhampton, 9.62%
Liverpool Win: 69.62%
Draw: 18.28%
Wolverhampton Win: 12.10%
Arsenal v Aston Villa
8:30 ET Sunday
Most Likely Scores:
Arsenal 1-1 Aston Villa, 12.72%
Arsenal 1-0 Aston Villa, 10.45%
Arsenal 0-1 Aston Villa, 9.66%
Arsenal Win: 38.99%
Draw: 26.76%
Aston Villa Win: 34.25%
Hull City v Manchester United
11:00 ET Sunday
Most Likely Scores:
Hull City 0-3 Manchester United, 11.70%
Hull City 0-2 Manchester United, 11.02%
Hull City 0-4 Manchester United, 9.32%
Hull City Win: 4.45%
Draw: 9.51%
Manchester United: 86.04% (!!!)
In order to keep myself honest, on Sunday or Monday I will recap the scores in the Premier League this weekend and we'll see how the formula did!
Merry Christmas to everybody!
Birmingham City v Chelsea
7:45 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
Birmingham 0-1 Chelsea, 20.19% probability
Birmingham 0-2 Chelsea, 16.25%
Birmingham 0-0 Chelsea, 12.54%
Birmingham Win: 10.35%
Draw: 23.87%
Chelsea Win: 65.78%
Fulham v Tottenham
8:00 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
Fulham 1-1 Tottenham, 12.08%
Fulham 0-1 Tottenham, 10.50%
Fulham Win: 28.67%
Draw: 25.42%
Tottenham Win: 45.90%
West Ham v Portsmouth
8:00 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
West Ham 1-1 Portsmouth, 12.48%
West Ham 1-0 Portsmouth, 10.19%
West Ham Win: 40.56%
Draw: 26.25%
Portsmouth Win: 33.19%
Burnley v Bolton
9:00 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores (None over 10%):
Burnley 1-1 Bolton, 8.93%
Burnley 1-2 Bolton, 8.47%
Burnley 2-1 Bolton, 7.47%
Burnley 2-2 Bolton, 7.09%
Burnley Win: 34.51%
Draw: 21.90%
Bolton Win: 43.59%
Manchester City v Stoke City
10:00 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City, 13.02%
Manchester City 1-1 Stoke City, 12.78%
Manchester City Win: 45.91%
Draw: 27.27%
Stoke City: 26.81%
Sunderland v Everton
10:00 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
Sunderland 1-1 Everton, 10.25%
Sunderland 2-1 Everton, 9.71%
Sunderland 1-0 Everton, 8.37%
Sunderland 2-0 Everton, 7.93%
Sunderland Win: 53.07%
Draw: 22.38%
Everton Win: 24.54%
Wigan v Blackburn
10:00 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
Wigan 1-1 Blackburn, 11.86%
Wigan 0-1 Blackburn, 8.76%
Wigan 1-2 Blackburn, 8.65%
Wigan Win: 35.04%
Draw: 25.17%
Blackburn Win: 39.79%
Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers
12:30 ET Saturday
Most Likely Scores:
Liverpool 2-0 Wolverhampton, 12.02%
Liverpool 1-0 Wolverhampton, 10.85%
Liverpool 2-1 Wolverhampton, 9.62%
Liverpool Win: 69.62%
Draw: 18.28%
Wolverhampton Win: 12.10%
Arsenal v Aston Villa
8:30 ET Sunday
Most Likely Scores:
Arsenal 1-1 Aston Villa, 12.72%
Arsenal 1-0 Aston Villa, 10.45%
Arsenal 0-1 Aston Villa, 9.66%
Arsenal Win: 38.99%
Draw: 26.76%
Aston Villa Win: 34.25%
Hull City v Manchester United
11:00 ET Sunday
Most Likely Scores:
Hull City 0-3 Manchester United, 11.70%
Hull City 0-2 Manchester United, 11.02%
Hull City 0-4 Manchester United, 9.32%
Hull City Win: 4.45%
Draw: 9.51%
Manchester United: 86.04% (!!!)
In order to keep myself honest, on Sunday or Monday I will recap the scores in the Premier League this weekend and we'll see how the formula did!
Merry Christmas to everybody!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Weekend Soccer Preview
Another edition of the Weekend Soccer Preview! Almost all leagues are off for their Christmas break, with just Great Britain and Belgium still in action for the weekend and following week. Most importantly, a MERRY CHRISTMAS to everybody!!!!
As always, home team listed first, all times Eastern.
Game of the Week (Rankings from Poll)
8:30 ET Sunday
(T4) Arsenal v (T12) Aston Villa
Aston Villa has already scored victories over three of the traditional “Big Four” with wins at Liverpool and Manchester United and a win at home against Chelsea on the season. A win here at the Emirates would give them the full set and would vault them above Arsenal in the standings to third place. Striker Emile Heskey is expected to be fit for the match but it is unknown how long he will play if he is, with an important match against Liverpool two days later. Arsenal is only two points back of Manchester United with a game in hand and a win here would heap even more pressure on Sir Alex’s men. Andrei Arshavin has stated the obvious, revealing that playing in the Premier League is not easy: “I expected before I moved to England, if you are a good player if you play for a big team it is easier…But even if you play against Burnley or Wolverhampton, it is not easy – you don’t have time to turn or do any dribbling, if you get two touches you are lucky.” Welcome to England buddy. This is a vital game for both teams and will be a factor in deciding who gets the lucrative Champions League spots next season.
Prediction: Aston Villa 2, Arsenal 1
Top of the Table Clashes
Northern Irish Premier League
10:00 ET Saturday
Crusaders v Cliftonville
Glentoran v Linfield
14:45 ET Tuesday
Linfield v Crusaders
Currently Crusaders are at the top of the table with 40 points, while Glentoran is in second with 39, Linfield is in third with 38 and a game in hand, with Cliftonville in fourth with two games in hand. As such, this is a massive set of matches for the IFA Premiership.
English Premier League
7:45 ET Saturday
Birmingham City v (3) Chelsea
8:00 ET Saturday
Fulham v (11) Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United v Portsmouth
9:00 ET Saturday
Burnley v Bolton Wanderers
10:00 ET Saturday
(17) Manchester City v Stoke City
Sunderland v Everton
Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers
12:30 ET Saturday
Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers
8:30 ET Sunday
(T4) Arsenal v (T12) Aston Villa
11:00 ET Sunday
Hull City v (T4) Manchester United
7:45 ET Monday
(11) Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United
10:00 ET Monday
Blackburn Rovers v Sunderland
(3) Chelsea v Fulham
Everton v Burnley
Stoke City v Birmingham
14:45 ET Monday
Wolverhampton Wanderers v (17) Manchester City
14:45 ET Tuesday
(T12) Aston Villa v Liverpool
15:00 ET Tuesday
Bolton Wanderers v Hull City
14:45 ET Wednesday
Portsmouth v (T4) Arsenal
15:00 ET Wednesday
(T4) Manchester United v Wigan Athletic
Scottish Premier League
10:00 ET Saturday
Celtic v Hamilton Academical
Dundee United v Kilmarnock
Falkirk v Heart of Midlothian
Motherwell v St. Johnstone
St. Mirren v Aberdeen
7:00 ET Sunday
Hibernian v Rangers
14:45 ET Tuesday
Aberdeen v Falkirk
14:30 ET Wednesday
Kilmarnock v Celtic
14:45 ET Wednesday
Hamilton Academical v St. Mirren
Heart of Midlothian v Motherwell
Rangers v Dundee United
St. Johnstone v Hibernian
Belgian Juliper League
8:30 ET Sunday
KAA Gent v Anderlecht
14:30 ET Wednesday
Anderlecht v Zulte-Waregem
Roeselare v KAA Gent
Northern Irish Premiership
10:00 ET Saturday
Crusaders v Cliftonville
Glentoran v Linfield
14:45 ET Tuesday
Linfield v Crusaders
As always, home team listed first, all times Eastern.
Game of the Week (Rankings from Poll)
8:30 ET Sunday
(T4) Arsenal v (T12) Aston Villa
Aston Villa has already scored victories over three of the traditional “Big Four” with wins at Liverpool and Manchester United and a win at home against Chelsea on the season. A win here at the Emirates would give them the full set and would vault them above Arsenal in the standings to third place. Striker Emile Heskey is expected to be fit for the match but it is unknown how long he will play if he is, with an important match against Liverpool two days later. Arsenal is only two points back of Manchester United with a game in hand and a win here would heap even more pressure on Sir Alex’s men. Andrei Arshavin has stated the obvious, revealing that playing in the Premier League is not easy: “I expected before I moved to England, if you are a good player if you play for a big team it is easier…But even if you play against Burnley or Wolverhampton, it is not easy – you don’t have time to turn or do any dribbling, if you get two touches you are lucky.” Welcome to England buddy. This is a vital game for both teams and will be a factor in deciding who gets the lucrative Champions League spots next season.
Prediction: Aston Villa 2, Arsenal 1
Top of the Table Clashes
Northern Irish Premier League
10:00 ET Saturday
Crusaders v Cliftonville
Glentoran v Linfield
14:45 ET Tuesday
Linfield v Crusaders
Currently Crusaders are at the top of the table with 40 points, while Glentoran is in second with 39, Linfield is in third with 38 and a game in hand, with Cliftonville in fourth with two games in hand. As such, this is a massive set of matches for the IFA Premiership.
English Premier League
7:45 ET Saturday
Birmingham City v (3) Chelsea
8:00 ET Saturday
Fulham v (11) Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United v Portsmouth
9:00 ET Saturday
Burnley v Bolton Wanderers
10:00 ET Saturday
(17) Manchester City v Stoke City
Sunderland v Everton
Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers
12:30 ET Saturday
Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers
8:30 ET Sunday
(T4) Arsenal v (T12) Aston Villa
11:00 ET Sunday
Hull City v (T4) Manchester United
7:45 ET Monday
(11) Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United
10:00 ET Monday
Blackburn Rovers v Sunderland
(3) Chelsea v Fulham
Everton v Burnley
Stoke City v Birmingham
14:45 ET Monday
Wolverhampton Wanderers v (17) Manchester City
14:45 ET Tuesday
(T12) Aston Villa v Liverpool
15:00 ET Tuesday
Bolton Wanderers v Hull City
14:45 ET Wednesday
Portsmouth v (T4) Arsenal
15:00 ET Wednesday
(T4) Manchester United v Wigan Athletic
Scottish Premier League
10:00 ET Saturday
Celtic v Hamilton Academical
Dundee United v Kilmarnock
Falkirk v Heart of Midlothian
Motherwell v St. Johnstone
St. Mirren v Aberdeen
7:00 ET Sunday
Hibernian v Rangers
14:45 ET Tuesday
Aberdeen v Falkirk
14:30 ET Wednesday
Kilmarnock v Celtic
14:45 ET Wednesday
Hamilton Academical v St. Mirren
Heart of Midlothian v Motherwell
Rangers v Dundee United
St. Johnstone v Hibernian
Belgian Juliper League
8:30 ET Sunday
KAA Gent v Anderlecht
14:30 ET Wednesday
Anderlecht v Zulte-Waregem
Roeselare v KAA Gent
Northern Irish Premiership
10:00 ET Saturday
Crusaders v Cliftonville
Glentoran v Linfield
14:45 ET Tuesday
Linfield v Crusaders
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Is Firing Vinny Del Negro and Lovie Smith Really the Answer?
With the Blackhawks being the only team in Chicago with a realistic chance of winning a championship this year, a lot of frustration has been directed at the jobs of Vinny Del Negro of the Bulls and Lovie Smith of the Bears. They do deserve most of the criticism that is being thrown at them, both with somewhat talented teams that so far have underachieved to this point. But Chicago is a city that likes to blame the coach first instead of taking a deeper look into the problem and discover who is more deserving of the blame. Well let's take a look at that now for both the Bulls and the Bears:
Bear fans have had a lot of time this season to figure out who to blame for this dismal season, and for the most part it is being shared equally amongst the coaches and Jerry Angelo, the General Manager. Some fans will point to Jay Cutler being a source of the problem but I'm sorry, you don't go from being a quarterback throwing for 4,000 yards to a guy leading the league in interceptions unless there is a significant problem with the coaching staff. That being said, Cutler also doesn't have the time nor the weapons necessary to make plays and that falls on the general manager. In this instance you can't fire one without firing the other, both Smith and Angelo have failed to get this team back to the Super Bowl and have fallen so far from that level that change is definitely needed. The need for change is even greater with coaches like, Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan out there who are proven winners and can get this historic franchise back on its feet. If ownership wants to go cheap and hire another promising assistant then at least make sure you bring in an offensive coordinator like Charlie Weis who can help develop Jay Cutler and build a dynamic offense that many Bear fans imagined with the acquisition of Cutler.
As for the Bulls, it is easy to blame Del Negro for the poor job the Bulls have done to this point of the season, especially after that thrilling playoff series with the Boston Celtics last season. With that in mind, Bulls fans should realize that Del Negro has been playing a very short bench with injuries to Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Hinrich who has recently returned. A lot of fans are worried that if the team continues to struggle then none of the big free agents of next year's class will want to come to Chicago. The truth is, if one of those big name players like LeBron or Wade want to come to Chicago, you can guarantee that the front office won't let the coaching situation be the reason they don't come to play for the Bulls. Bulls fans need to give Del Negro more of an opportunity to prove himself as a coach with a healthy team. It's amazing what one or two superstar players can do for a coach's job security, look at Doc Rivers in Boston before they got Garnett and Allen, do you think all of sudden he became this great coach? Not a chance, he got incredible talent to work with and it made his job much easier. Del Negro has a team that is still relatively young and inexperienced without much size, many coaches would struggle in that scenario and add in the number of injuries this team has faced, not many coaches would survive. But give Del Negro a shot, his teams have shown flashes stemming from last year's playoff series to different points this season.
Both teams are in similar circumstances but both should be handled differently. It's frustrating for both teams, but a lot can change in a couple years if things are handled correctly. Just look at the Blackhawks, the reason for hope in Chicago sports.
Bear fans have had a lot of time this season to figure out who to blame for this dismal season, and for the most part it is being shared equally amongst the coaches and Jerry Angelo, the General Manager. Some fans will point to Jay Cutler being a source of the problem but I'm sorry, you don't go from being a quarterback throwing for 4,000 yards to a guy leading the league in interceptions unless there is a significant problem with the coaching staff. That being said, Cutler also doesn't have the time nor the weapons necessary to make plays and that falls on the general manager. In this instance you can't fire one without firing the other, both Smith and Angelo have failed to get this team back to the Super Bowl and have fallen so far from that level that change is definitely needed. The need for change is even greater with coaches like, Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan out there who are proven winners and can get this historic franchise back on its feet. If ownership wants to go cheap and hire another promising assistant then at least make sure you bring in an offensive coordinator like Charlie Weis who can help develop Jay Cutler and build a dynamic offense that many Bear fans imagined with the acquisition of Cutler.
As for the Bulls, it is easy to blame Del Negro for the poor job the Bulls have done to this point of the season, especially after that thrilling playoff series with the Boston Celtics last season. With that in mind, Bulls fans should realize that Del Negro has been playing a very short bench with injuries to Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Hinrich who has recently returned. A lot of fans are worried that if the team continues to struggle then none of the big free agents of next year's class will want to come to Chicago. The truth is, if one of those big name players like LeBron or Wade want to come to Chicago, you can guarantee that the front office won't let the coaching situation be the reason they don't come to play for the Bulls. Bulls fans need to give Del Negro more of an opportunity to prove himself as a coach with a healthy team. It's amazing what one or two superstar players can do for a coach's job security, look at Doc Rivers in Boston before they got Garnett and Allen, do you think all of sudden he became this great coach? Not a chance, he got incredible talent to work with and it made his job much easier. Del Negro has a team that is still relatively young and inexperienced without much size, many coaches would struggle in that scenario and add in the number of injuries this team has faced, not many coaches would survive. But give Del Negro a shot, his teams have shown flashes stemming from last year's playoff series to different points this season.
Both teams are in similar circumstances but both should be handled differently. It's frustrating for both teams, but a lot can change in a couple years if things are handled correctly. Just look at the Blackhawks, the reason for hope in Chicago sports.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Top Ten Athletes from the 2000s in Chicago Sports
It's not hard to argue that Chicago is full of the most die hard sports fans in America. Wherever you go, you can count on some sort of conversation about the latest news a Chicago sports team is making. The stress and expectations can drive some athletes out of the city (Milton Bradley), but it can also lead to other sport figures to be celebrated long after they retire (Coach Ditka (Why are we so blessed?)). With the first decade of the 2000s coming to a close in a mere 10 days, I thought it was time to take a look at the next crop of athletes who might be as celebrated as Da Coach is when they retire.
10. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews: When I told Tom that I was thinking about making this list and decided that Kane and Toews have tied for the 10th spot, he said I had to choose one of them. The thing is that as long as Kane and Toews are playing in Chicago together, they will be mentioned together for the rest of their careers. They have both been dynamic players and have played an equally major role in bringing the sport of hockey back into the forefront of Chicago. Kane is a superstar in the making while Toews is developing into a true leader and everything you want in a Captain of your hockey team to be. They are only at #10 because of their short amount of time playing in Chicago.
9. Devin Hester: Remember the days when Hester would be waiting for a kick or a punt and everyone would stop what they were doing? Well that threat and ability that Hester once showed is the reason he is at #9. With 11 returns for TDs, he is only two away from tying the all-time record, and maybe, just maybe, he can reach that record if a certain coach puts him back where he belongs, returning kicks.
8. Sammy Sosa: Sosa finished playing in Chicago in 2004, so he was only in Chicago for a portion of the past decade but he was a huge force while in the Cubs lineup. Besides being an absolute monster with the bat, he provided many interesting moments from his corked bat, to injuring himself while sneezing. Sosa played a major role on the Cubs team that almost reached the World Series in 2003.
7. Frank Thomas: The Big Hurt saw a decline in his numbers as his time on the South Side ran up. But that doesn't discount what he did in 2000 when he hit 43 home runs and drove in 143 runs while finishing second in MVP voting, (he should be given the award after Jason Giambi admitted to steroid use, but that is another rant for another day). He played a major role in the 2000 division title for the Sox, and contributed slightly in 2005 with a surge of power during the Summer before being shut down due to injury.
6. Jermaine Dye: World Series MVP for a Chicago baseball team, that alone should warrant a spot in the top ten. However, Dye was also mightily productive throughout his entire time with the White Sox. He averaged 33 home runs and 92 RBI in his five seasons and was a leader on the field and off. He left all he had on the field day in and day out, and always wanted to be out there whether or not he was hurt.
5. Paul Konerko: He has simply been a staple in the White Sox lineup this entire decade. Besides being named the captain of the team, he is in the top five of many of the all-time offensive categories for the White Sox. Konerko's defense is extremely underrated and is a player that could have his jersey retired with the other White Sox greats.
4. Carlos Zambrano: When he's not arguing with umpires or bashing gatorade dispensers, Zambrano has been quite productive with the Cubs. He has a no-hitter to his credit, as well as 10 home runs for a pitcher. His antics shy away from his productivity, and while he's never won more than 14 games in a season, the talent is obviously there and will continue to be there for the Cubs.
3. Aramis Ramirez: He could be a major reason that Jim Hendry still has a job with the Cubs. The acquisition of Ramirez from the Pirates has been nothing short of huge for the Cubs. Ramirez has seemingly gotten better as his time here has grown, and he's become a major force that opposing pitchers have to account for when they take the mound against the North Siders.
2. Brian Urlacher: Urlacher has caught some criticism recently for perhaps being a little overrated. That being said, he has been a remarkable linebacker for the Bears for his entire tenure. The play of the defense really decreases when Urlacher is not on the field. Pro Bowls, Defensive Player of the Years aren't accolades that overrated players get repeatedly. Urlacher has been a great player while in Chicago, he just needs to stay healthy and he will continue to contribute.
1. Mark Buehrle: It really is hard to argue against Buehrle being in this spot. He has the individual accolades, (No-hitter, Perfect Game, Gold Glove) and he also has the greatest accolade one can get from being on a team, (a World Championship). Buehrle has been the ultimate team player in more than just what is seen on the field, and when the time comes for him to retire, I can guarantee one thing, he will not be paying for drinks as long as he is in Chicago.
10. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews: When I told Tom that I was thinking about making this list and decided that Kane and Toews have tied for the 10th spot, he said I had to choose one of them. The thing is that as long as Kane and Toews are playing in Chicago together, they will be mentioned together for the rest of their careers. They have both been dynamic players and have played an equally major role in bringing the sport of hockey back into the forefront of Chicago. Kane is a superstar in the making while Toews is developing into a true leader and everything you want in a Captain of your hockey team to be. They are only at #10 because of their short amount of time playing in Chicago.
9. Devin Hester: Remember the days when Hester would be waiting for a kick or a punt and everyone would stop what they were doing? Well that threat and ability that Hester once showed is the reason he is at #9. With 11 returns for TDs, he is only two away from tying the all-time record, and maybe, just maybe, he can reach that record if a certain coach puts him back where he belongs, returning kicks.
8. Sammy Sosa: Sosa finished playing in Chicago in 2004, so he was only in Chicago for a portion of the past decade but he was a huge force while in the Cubs lineup. Besides being an absolute monster with the bat, he provided many interesting moments from his corked bat, to injuring himself while sneezing. Sosa played a major role on the Cubs team that almost reached the World Series in 2003.
7. Frank Thomas: The Big Hurt saw a decline in his numbers as his time on the South Side ran up. But that doesn't discount what he did in 2000 when he hit 43 home runs and drove in 143 runs while finishing second in MVP voting, (he should be given the award after Jason Giambi admitted to steroid use, but that is another rant for another day). He played a major role in the 2000 division title for the Sox, and contributed slightly in 2005 with a surge of power during the Summer before being shut down due to injury.
6. Jermaine Dye: World Series MVP for a Chicago baseball team, that alone should warrant a spot in the top ten. However, Dye was also mightily productive throughout his entire time with the White Sox. He averaged 33 home runs and 92 RBI in his five seasons and was a leader on the field and off. He left all he had on the field day in and day out, and always wanted to be out there whether or not he was hurt.
5. Paul Konerko: He has simply been a staple in the White Sox lineup this entire decade. Besides being named the captain of the team, he is in the top five of many of the all-time offensive categories for the White Sox. Konerko's defense is extremely underrated and is a player that could have his jersey retired with the other White Sox greats.
4. Carlos Zambrano: When he's not arguing with umpires or bashing gatorade dispensers, Zambrano has been quite productive with the Cubs. He has a no-hitter to his credit, as well as 10 home runs for a pitcher. His antics shy away from his productivity, and while he's never won more than 14 games in a season, the talent is obviously there and will continue to be there for the Cubs.
3. Aramis Ramirez: He could be a major reason that Jim Hendry still has a job with the Cubs. The acquisition of Ramirez from the Pirates has been nothing short of huge for the Cubs. Ramirez has seemingly gotten better as his time here has grown, and he's become a major force that opposing pitchers have to account for when they take the mound against the North Siders.
2. Brian Urlacher: Urlacher has caught some criticism recently for perhaps being a little overrated. That being said, he has been a remarkable linebacker for the Bears for his entire tenure. The play of the defense really decreases when Urlacher is not on the field. Pro Bowls, Defensive Player of the Years aren't accolades that overrated players get repeatedly. Urlacher has been a great player while in Chicago, he just needs to stay healthy and he will continue to contribute.
1. Mark Buehrle: It really is hard to argue against Buehrle being in this spot. He has the individual accolades, (No-hitter, Perfect Game, Gold Glove) and he also has the greatest accolade one can get from being on a team, (a World Championship). Buehrle has been the ultimate team player in more than just what is seen on the field, and when the time comes for him to retire, I can guarantee one thing, he will not be paying for drinks as long as he is in Chicago.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
A Comprehensive Weekly Look at the Top Teams in European Football
A very good holiday evening to you all. This past week featured a number of upsets, romps, massacres, rampages, embarrassing draws, and the occasional 8-man side. Undoubtedly the most shocking match of the week was Fulham’s 3-0 destruction of top-5 ranked Manchester United yesterday. United played the worst I’ve seen them play ever I think. Granted, I haven’t been watching United for that long, but I’ve never seen their inefficiencies and weaknesses so perfectly exploited. Fulham’s manager, Roy Hodgson, put the match quite well, when he essentially said that it would be accurate to say that Fulham beat a weakened United side, but that it is still a very impressive win, and that you can’t really improve much over a 3-0 win. Another shocking defeat this week occurred this morning in Catania, Italy. Juventus, who has risen as high as 6 on our rankings, lost 2-1 to a Calcio Catania club who, going into that match, had 1 win, 6 draws, and 9 losses this season in Serie A. The loss is doubly concerning for Juve, as it is their third loss in four matches, one of which led to their exit from the Champions’ League. A match between 2 of our unranked teams was quite intriguing yesterday, as Portsmouth put added pressure on under-fire Liverpool skipper Rafael Benitez with their 2-0 win. The win was Portsmouth’s 4th in 18 matches this season, and Liverpool’s 7th loss in as many fixtures. This defeat was especially brutal for Liverpool, as most of the clubs above them on the table won over the weekend, including solid wins by Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Manchester City, etc. City’s victory, however, was not enough to save the job of Mark Hughes, as he was sacked shortly after their 4-3 thriller over Sunderland Saturday morning. Barcelona did not have any league matches this week, as they were busy winning their unprecedented sixth piece of silverware this season, the FIFA Club World Cup, in the UAE. Barca’s 2-1 win over Estudiantes in the final was far from convincing, but it was enough to win them the prestigious tournament. Arguably the most entertaining match of the Club World Cup was Pohang Steelers of South Korea vs. Estudiantes de la Plata. During this match, Pohang Steelers had three players sent off. This included their keeper, which led to their starting midfielder Denilson stepping in between the posts for the matches’ remaining 15 or so minutes. Pohang lost 2-1, but will forever be remembered as the club to get 3 freaking red cards on worldwide television. Real Madrid continues to roll, with a 6-0 win over Real Zaragoza. Bayern Munich keeps on winning, and will soon be ranked in my rankings I’m sure. Other than that, to anyone reading this, have a good holiday, and keep on watching that football!
Biggest Riser: Aston Villa, who jumped from 19th to a tie for 12th with wins over Stoke City and Sunderland this week for four straight wins and 4th place in the Premiership.
Biggest Faller: Ajax Amsterdam, who lost at home 3-1 to Belgian side Anderlecht midweek before getting a match postponed due to snow and freezing temperatures on the weekend.
Rank Team (Nationality) Points
1. Barcelona (Esp) 50
2. Real Madrid (Esp) 48
3. Chelsea (Eng) 46
T4. Arsenal (Eng) 42
T4. Manchester United (Eng) 42
Tom: Manchester United is going through a real defensive crisis at the moment. First-team defenders Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans, John O’Shea, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, and Wes Brown are all sidelined by injuries. Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to compose a back line of Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, and Richie De Laet in the miserable 3-0 loss at Fulham on Saturday as United stumbled to their second loss in three Premier League fixtures. Still, United remain only 4 points back of leaders Chelsea by virtue of Chelsea only grabbing 5 points from their 4 matches since the start of December. Arsenal is keeping up the pressure from behind as they sit two points back of United on one less game played. The poor play does not end with the makeshift back line. The entire team struggled immensely today, and star striker Wayne Rooney is in terrible form and has scored only one non-penalty since November 28 in all competitions. Thankfully for United, the next five Premiership games are Hull City twice, Wigan Athletic, Birmingham, and Burnley, so the back line has a bit more time to get back to full strength and the rest of the team has a chance to recover form before the big teams show up.
6. Inter Milan (Ita) 41
7. AC Milan (Ita) 37
8. Bordeaux (Fra) 36
9. Sevilla (Esp) 33
10. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 31
11. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) 30
T12. Aston Villa (Eng) 25
T12. Juventus (Ita) 25
The Sick, Old Lady? Juventus, affectionately known in Italy as “The Old Lady”, has been on a run of devastating form the past few weeks. Several weeks ago they lost 2-0 to Cagliari, and it appeared to be a disappointing, but manageable defeat. The next week they went out and looked absolutely brilliant against a previously unbeatable (at least in Serie A) Inter side, and Juve were able to walk away with a 2-1 win. After that match, they appeared to be among the elite in Europe, sitting in second in Serie A and having beaten one of Europe’s undisputed top teams, Inter. Their next match was a Champions’ League matchup with Bayern Munich. Bayern had previously been floundering in the Bundesliga, but had been looking a bit better in the weeks leading up to the match. The match was more or less for all the marbles, with the winner moving on to the CL knockouts and the loser going to the Europa league. Bayern crushed them, 4-1, and Juve were back to their form against Cagliari. After the loss to Bayern, Juve looked awful in a 3-1 loss at Bari in Serie A play, and lost to bottom dwellers Catania this weekend, 2-1. It appears that the most likely cause of Juve’s dip in form is the dip in the form of Diego, their recently signed Brazilian midfield maestro. If his play continues to be sub-par, Juve may as well kiss goodbye any possibility of winning the Scudetto.
T14. Schalke 04 (Ger) 23
T14. Twente Enschede (Ned) 23
16.Valencia (Esp) 21
17. Manchester City (Eng) 16
18. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) 15
19. Werder Bremen (Ger) 14
20. FK Rubin Kazan (Rus) 11
21. Ajax Amsterdam (Ned) 10
22. Fiorentina (Ita) 8
23. Benfica (Por) 7
T24. Bayern Munich (Ger) 5
Bayern Munich is on a red-hot run in the Bundesliga, having not lost a match since late September. They have won their last four to rocket up to third in the league, only two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen. To go along with the great league form, they won two clutch matches against Maccabi Haifa and Juventus to secure advancement to the knockout rounds of the Champions League. This past weekend saw them beat bottom-feeders Hertha Berlin 5-2, for their second 5 goal game in a row and third on the season.
T24. Braga (Por) 5
Also Receiving Votes: Lyon (Fra) 3, Genoa (Ita) 2, Napoli (Ita) 1
Here is how the voters voted:
Next 5 in for Tom in Alphabetical Order: Dynamo Kiev (Ukr), Fenerbahce (Tur), Fiorentina (Ita), Hamburg SV (Ger), Marseille (Fra)
Next 5 in for Blaine in Reverse Alphabetical Order: Parma (Ita), Marseille (Fra), Lyon (Fra), Bayern Munich (Ger), AS Roma (Ita)
Champions League and Europa League knockout stages
The draws for the Round of 16 and Round of 32 of the Champions League and Europa League were held this past Friday. Matches will be played beginning in February. Here are the match-ups for the Champions League (Team listed first plays first leg at home):
Stuttgart v (1) Barcelona
Olympiakos v (8) Bordeaux
(6) Inter Milan v (3) Chelsea
(T24) Bayern Munich v (22) Fiorentina
CSKA Moscow v (9) Sevilla
Lyon v (2) Real Madrid
FC Porto v (T4) Arsenal
(7) AC Milan v (T4) Manchester United
And the Europa League match-ups (Team listed first plays first leg at home):
(20) FK Rubin Kazan v Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Athletic Bilbao v Anderlecht
Copenhagen v Marseille
Panathinaikos v AS Roma
Atletico Madrid v Galatasaray
(21) Ajax Amsterdam v (T12) Juventus
Club Brugge v (16) Valencia
Fulham v Shakhtar Donetsk
Liverpool v Unirea Urziceni
Hamburg SV v (18) PSV Eindhoven
Villarreal v Wolfsburg
Standard Liege v SV Salzburg
Twente Enschede v (19) Werder Bremen
Lille v Fenerbahce
Everton v Sporting Lisbon
Hertha Berlin v (23) Benfica
Biggest Riser: Aston Villa, who jumped from 19th to a tie for 12th with wins over Stoke City and Sunderland this week for four straight wins and 4th place in the Premiership.
Biggest Faller: Ajax Amsterdam, who lost at home 3-1 to Belgian side Anderlecht midweek before getting a match postponed due to snow and freezing temperatures on the weekend.
Rank Team (Nationality) Points
1. Barcelona (Esp) 50
2. Real Madrid (Esp) 48
3. Chelsea (Eng) 46
T4. Arsenal (Eng) 42
T4. Manchester United (Eng) 42
Tom: Manchester United is going through a real defensive crisis at the moment. First-team defenders Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans, John O’Shea, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, and Wes Brown are all sidelined by injuries. Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to compose a back line of Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, and Richie De Laet in the miserable 3-0 loss at Fulham on Saturday as United stumbled to their second loss in three Premier League fixtures. Still, United remain only 4 points back of leaders Chelsea by virtue of Chelsea only grabbing 5 points from their 4 matches since the start of December. Arsenal is keeping up the pressure from behind as they sit two points back of United on one less game played. The poor play does not end with the makeshift back line. The entire team struggled immensely today, and star striker Wayne Rooney is in terrible form and has scored only one non-penalty since November 28 in all competitions. Thankfully for United, the next five Premiership games are Hull City twice, Wigan Athletic, Birmingham, and Burnley, so the back line has a bit more time to get back to full strength and the rest of the team has a chance to recover form before the big teams show up.
6. Inter Milan (Ita) 41
7. AC Milan (Ita) 37
8. Bordeaux (Fra) 36
9. Sevilla (Esp) 33
10. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 31
11. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) 30
T12. Aston Villa (Eng) 25
T12. Juventus (Ita) 25
The Sick, Old Lady? Juventus, affectionately known in Italy as “The Old Lady”, has been on a run of devastating form the past few weeks. Several weeks ago they lost 2-0 to Cagliari, and it appeared to be a disappointing, but manageable defeat. The next week they went out and looked absolutely brilliant against a previously unbeatable (at least in Serie A) Inter side, and Juve were able to walk away with a 2-1 win. After that match, they appeared to be among the elite in Europe, sitting in second in Serie A and having beaten one of Europe’s undisputed top teams, Inter. Their next match was a Champions’ League matchup with Bayern Munich. Bayern had previously been floundering in the Bundesliga, but had been looking a bit better in the weeks leading up to the match. The match was more or less for all the marbles, with the winner moving on to the CL knockouts and the loser going to the Europa league. Bayern crushed them, 4-1, and Juve were back to their form against Cagliari. After the loss to Bayern, Juve looked awful in a 3-1 loss at Bari in Serie A play, and lost to bottom dwellers Catania this weekend, 2-1. It appears that the most likely cause of Juve’s dip in form is the dip in the form of Diego, their recently signed Brazilian midfield maestro. If his play continues to be sub-par, Juve may as well kiss goodbye any possibility of winning the Scudetto.
T14. Schalke 04 (Ger) 23
T14. Twente Enschede (Ned) 23
16.Valencia (Esp) 21
17. Manchester City (Eng) 16
18. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) 15
19. Werder Bremen (Ger) 14
20. FK Rubin Kazan (Rus) 11
21. Ajax Amsterdam (Ned) 10
22. Fiorentina (Ita) 8
23. Benfica (Por) 7
T24. Bayern Munich (Ger) 5
Bayern Munich is on a red-hot run in the Bundesliga, having not lost a match since late September. They have won their last four to rocket up to third in the league, only two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen. To go along with the great league form, they won two clutch matches against Maccabi Haifa and Juventus to secure advancement to the knockout rounds of the Champions League. This past weekend saw them beat bottom-feeders Hertha Berlin 5-2, for their second 5 goal game in a row and third on the season.
T24. Braga (Por) 5
Also Receiving Votes: Lyon (Fra) 3, Genoa (Ita) 2, Napoli (Ita) 1
Here is how the voters voted:
| Rank | Tom | Blaine |
| 1 | Barcelona | Barcelona |
| 2 | Real Madrid | Real Madrid |
| 3 | Chelsea | Chelsea |
| 4 | Arsenal | Inter Milan |
| 5 | Manchester United | Manchester United |
| 6 | Bordeaux | Arsenal |
| 7 | Inter Milan | AC Milan |
| 8 | AC Milan | Sevilla |
| 9 | Bayer Leverkusen | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 10 | Schalke 04 | Bordeaux |
| 11 | Sevilla | Twente Enschede |
| 12 | Aston Villa | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 13 | Tottenham Hotspur | Juventus |
| 14 | Juventus | Manchester City |
| 15 | Valencia | Aston Villa |
| 16 | Werder Bremen | Valencia |
| 17 | PSV Eindhoven | Ajax Amsterdam |
| 18 | Twente Enschede | Fiorentina |
| 19 | Benfica | Schalke 04 |
| 20 | FK Rubin Kazan | PSV Eindhoven |
| 21 | Bayern Munich | FK Rubin Kazan |
| 22 | Manchester City | Schalke 04 |
| 23 | Lyon | Braga |
| 24 | Braga | Genoa |
| 25 | Ajax Amsterdam | Napoli |
Next 5 in for Tom in Alphabetical Order: Dynamo Kiev (Ukr), Fenerbahce (Tur), Fiorentina (Ita), Hamburg SV (Ger), Marseille (Fra)
Next 5 in for Blaine in Reverse Alphabetical Order: Parma (Ita), Marseille (Fra), Lyon (Fra), Bayern Munich (Ger), AS Roma (Ita)
Champions League and Europa League knockout stages
The draws for the Round of 16 and Round of 32 of the Champions League and Europa League were held this past Friday. Matches will be played beginning in February. Here are the match-ups for the Champions League (Team listed first plays first leg at home):
Stuttgart v (1) Barcelona
Olympiakos v (8) Bordeaux
(6) Inter Milan v (3) Chelsea
(T24) Bayern Munich v (22) Fiorentina
CSKA Moscow v (9) Sevilla
Lyon v (2) Real Madrid
FC Porto v (T4) Arsenal
(7) AC Milan v (T4) Manchester United
And the Europa League match-ups (Team listed first plays first leg at home):
(20) FK Rubin Kazan v Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Athletic Bilbao v Anderlecht
Copenhagen v Marseille
Panathinaikos v AS Roma
Atletico Madrid v Galatasaray
(21) Ajax Amsterdam v (T12) Juventus
Club Brugge v (16) Valencia
Fulham v Shakhtar Donetsk
Liverpool v Unirea Urziceni
Hamburg SV v (18) PSV Eindhoven
Villarreal v Wolfsburg
Standard Liege v SV Salzburg
Twente Enschede v (19) Werder Bremen
Lille v Fenerbahce
Everton v Sporting Lisbon
Hertha Berlin v (23) Benfica
Friday, December 18, 2009
Carlos Silva for Milton Bradley. No joke.
The Cubs have just completed what should be the worst trade of the MLB off-season. Milton Bradley has been dealt to the Mariners for Carlos Silva and $9 million cash. The cash will help offset the $3 million difference in salaries while making Silva's salary only slightly less obscene. The "experts" are saying this is the perfect deal for both sides, as both players have large contracts and both teams were looking to unload the players. The one minor detail they're missing is that one player is good, and the other player is bad.
I understand that Milton Bradley had to get out of town. Lou Piniella openly admitted that the Cubs would do everything they could to get Bradley out of town. Ryan Theriot just spoke on ESPN1000 about how it will be a lot nicer to go about the daily grind of baseball without having to worry about Milton Bradley. The fact remains that Bradley was a decent baseball player. He had the second-highest OPS of any Cub with 400 plate appearances in 2009, a solid .775 clip. The problem is that Bradley's trade value was shot. The whole world knew that the Cubs had to get rid of him by any means possible and the Mariners were the only team desperate enough to take on that entire salary. Blame for Bradley's plummeting value has to be spread around the entire city of Chicago. Blame Jim Hendry for taking Bradley in the first place. Blame the fans and the media for not being a little nicer to Milton Bradley, for never giving him a chance to succeed and tearing him down when the littlest thing went wrong. Blame Milton Bradley himself for not being a little nicer to the fans and the media when that happened.
That said, I'd rather have Milton Bradley, his teammates, the fans, and the media tough it out one more year than still have to pay $16 million over two years for the worst player in baseball, Carlos Silva. Here are the unbelievable pitching lines that Carlos Silva has put up the past four years:
To summarize, that is a line of 29 W, 47 L, 5.60 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 11.6 H/9, and 3.8 K/9 from 2006-2009. Of all the pitchers who have thrown 500 IP the past four years, Silva has the worst ERA, the worst H/9, the worst K/9, the worst BA against, the worst SLG against, the highest percentage of starts lost at 47.95%, AND the worst average game score. And that all includes a 2007 season in which he wasn't terrible!
If this is the best Jim Hendry could do, he was either not trying hard enough or should have just given up and kept Milton. If Silva puts up 2007 numbers and the Cubs manage to do something productive with the money they are saving, this could turn out to be a not terrible deal. Don't hold your breath.
Interesting Baseball Fact of the Day: Carlos Silva is not very good at baseball.
I understand that Milton Bradley had to get out of town. Lou Piniella openly admitted that the Cubs would do everything they could to get Bradley out of town. Ryan Theriot just spoke on ESPN1000 about how it will be a lot nicer to go about the daily grind of baseball without having to worry about Milton Bradley. The fact remains that Bradley was a decent baseball player. He had the second-highest OPS of any Cub with 400 plate appearances in 2009, a solid .775 clip. The problem is that Bradley's trade value was shot. The whole world knew that the Cubs had to get rid of him by any means possible and the Mariners were the only team desperate enough to take on that entire salary. Blame for Bradley's plummeting value has to be spread around the entire city of Chicago. Blame Jim Hendry for taking Bradley in the first place. Blame the fans and the media for not being a little nicer to Milton Bradley, for never giving him a chance to succeed and tearing him down when the littlest thing went wrong. Blame Milton Bradley himself for not being a little nicer to the fans and the media when that happened.
That said, I'd rather have Milton Bradley, his teammates, the fans, and the media tough it out one more year than still have to pay $16 million over two years for the worst player in baseball, Carlos Silva. Here are the unbelievable pitching lines that Carlos Silva has put up the past four years:
| Year | Team | W | L | ERA | G | IP | H | HR | BB | SO | WHIP |
| 2006 | MIN | 11 | 15 | 5.94 | 36 | 180.1 | 246 | 38 | 32 | 70 | 1.54 |
| 2007 | MIN | 13 | 14 | 4.19 | 33 | 202.0 | 229 | 20 | 36 | 89 | 1.31 |
| 2008 | SEA | 4 | 15 | 6.46 | 28 | 153.1 | 213 | 20 | 32 | 69 | 1.60 |
| 2009 | SEA | 1 | 3 | 8.60 | 8 | 30.1 | 41 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 1.71 |
To summarize, that is a line of 29 W, 47 L, 5.60 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 11.6 H/9, and 3.8 K/9 from 2006-2009. Of all the pitchers who have thrown 500 IP the past four years, Silva has the worst ERA, the worst H/9, the worst K/9, the worst BA against, the worst SLG against, the highest percentage of starts lost at 47.95%, AND the worst average game score. And that all includes a 2007 season in which he wasn't terrible!
If this is the best Jim Hendry could do, he was either not trying hard enough or should have just given up and kept Milton. If Silva puts up 2007 numbers and the Cubs manage to do something productive with the money they are saving, this could turn out to be a not terrible deal. Don't hold your breath.
Interesting Baseball Fact of the Day: Carlos Silva is not very good at baseball.
Weekend Soccer Preview
Another edition of the Weekend Soccer Preview! As always, home team listed first, all times Eastern.
Game of the Week (Rankings from Poll)
11:00 ET Saturday
Estudiantes La Plata v (1) Barcelona – FSC
By definition, this is the game of the year for Club Football, as it is the FIFA Club World Cup Final. Barcelona come in as obvious favorites and will be looking to claim their sixth piece of silverware on the season. This will be their 64th competitive match of the year and they have won 44 while losing only 5. Thus far they have won La Liga, the UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey, and the European and Spanish Super Cups in 2009. Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is taking their opponents from Argentina seriously, “I’d not seen them play before and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. You can sense their character, and there’s more to them than running, aggression, and tackling.” Barcelona will be without playmaker Andres Iniesta, who is sidelined with a ‘muscle injury.’ Estudiantes La Plata qualified for the Club World Cup by virtue of winning the 2009 Copa Libertadores, the premier club competition in South America. The squad is composed of a couple recognizable names, such as Argentinian internationals Mauro Boselli, Juan Sebastian Veron, and Marcos Angeleri. Okay so maybe not recognizable names, but respectable players nonetheless. I even own a Veron Inter Milan jersey so that has to count for something. Estudiantes sits in 8th in the 20-team Argentinian Premier Division after half of the season.
My Prediction: Barcelona 3, Estudiantes La Plata 1
Other Matches Between Ranked Teams
14:45 ET Saturday
(22) Fiorentina v (7) AC Milan – FSC
AC Milan sits in 2nd place in the table, 7 positions and 7 points ahead of 9th place Fiorentina. AC Milan won 5 consecutive matches in Serie A before stumbling to a 2-0 loss against Palermo at home last weekend. Interestingly, they have drawn their last three games in the Champions League 1-1. Fiorentina has struggled as of late in league play, losing three of their last four matches. However, they have had great European form, winning their last four matches en route to winning a strong group. Fiorentina will be without defender Alessandro Gamberini and midfielders Cristiano Zanetti and Marco Marchionni, while AC Milan is without defenders Thiago Silva, Massimo Oddo, Daniele Bonera and Oguchi Onyewu. AC Milan will look to keep the pressure on Inter Milan with a soldi win in Florence this weekend.
My Prediction: AC Milan 2, Fiorentina 0
Top of the Table Clashes
14:30 ET Sunday (Belgian Jupiler League)
Anderlecht v Club Brugge
Anderlecht currently sit on top of the table in Belgium with 44 points on a 14-2-2 record. Club Brugge is 7 points back in second, and this is Brugge’s chance to keep Anderlecht from running away with the league. Anderlecht also won an impressive group including Dutch power Ajax. This week saw an impressive 3-1 win for Anderlecht in Amsterdam that won them the group.
My Prediction: Anderlecht 2, Club Brugge 1. Put their name on the trophy.
FIFA Club World Cup
8:00 ET Saturday
Pohang Steelers v Atlante – FSC
This is the third-place match-up in the FIFA Club World Cup. So by definition, the winner is crowned as the third-best team in the world, a title which would be hotly contested by just about every team that qualified for European competition this season. Still it is a match that will surely be important to both teams given how difficult it is to get on this kind of worldwide stage from their respective leagues. Pohang Steelers is a South Korean club that qualified for the Club World Cup by virtue of winning the 2009 AFC Champions League. Their last K-League title came back in 2007, and this season they finished 2nd behind Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Their leading goalscorer is Brazilian star Denilson, who has scored 20 goals in 43 total appearances for Pohang Steelers this season. The scoring is also supplemented by Macedonian international Stevica Ristic and Koreans Noh Byung-Joon and Yoo Chang Hyun. On their road to the third-place game, Pohang defeated TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and lost to Estudiantes La Plata in a match in which they got three reds and Denilson ended the game in goal. Atlante is a Mexican side that qualified by winning the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League. They finished 9th in the 18-team Apertura 2009 in Mexico. I tried finding some statistics on their Spanish-language site, but the entire thing appears to be under maintenance. What I can say for certain is that Argentinian keeper Federico Vilar is their captain, and they boast Argentinian national team forward Santiago Solari, who appears to have scored 3 goals in 15 games for Atlante.
My Prediction: Atlante 4, Pohang Steelers 2
11:00 ET Saturday
Estudiantes La Plata v (1) Barcelona – FSC
English Premier League
7:45 ET Saturday
Portsmouth v Liverpool – ESPN2
10:00 ET Saturday
(19) Aston Villa v Stoke City
Blackburn Rovers v (13) Tottenham Hotspur
Fulham v (T3) Manchester United
(T16) Manchester City v Sunderland – FSC (Supposedly)
12:30 ET Saturday
(6) Arsenal v Hull City – FSC (Also, Supposedly)
The FSC online schedules are not quite functional, and livesoccertv.com claims that FSC will be showing multiple live games at once, the Premier League matches and the Club World Cup Final. Kudos to them if they can pull it off.
8:30 ET Sunday
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Burnley
10:00 ET Sunday
Everton v Birmingham
11:00 ET Sunday
West Ham United v (2) Chelsea
15:00 ET Monday
Wigan Athletic v Bolton Wanderers – ESPN2
Scottish Premier League
7:30 ET Sunday
Heart of Midlothian v Celtic
Spain’s La Liga
14:00 ET Saturday
(T8) Sevilla FC v Getafe – GolTV
16:00 ET Saturday
(T3) Real Madrid v Real Zaragoza – GolTV
13:00 ET Sunday
Tenerife v Atletico Madrid – GolTV
15:00 ET Sunday
Deportivo La Coruna v (14) Valencia
Italy’s Serie A
14:45 ET Saturday
(22) Fiorentina v (7) AC Milan – FSC
9:00 ET Sunday
AS Roma v Parma – FSC
Genoa v Bari
(T8) Juventus v Catania
Livorno v Sampdoria
14:45 ET Sunday
(5) Inter Milan v Lazio – FSC
German Bundesliga
14:30 ET Friday
(T16) Schalke 04 v Mainz – GolTV
9:30 ET Saturday
(11) Bayer Leverkusen v Borussia Monchengladbach
Bayern Munich v Hertha Berlin
Eintracht Frankfurt v VfL Wolfsburg
12:30 ET Saturday
VfB Stuttgart v TSG Hoffenheim
9:30 ET Sunday
Hamburg SV v (15) Werder Bremen – GolTV
French Ligue 1
13:00 ET Saturday
(T8) Bordeaux v Lorient
15:00 ET Saturday
St. Etienne v Marseille
11:00 ET Sunday
AJ Auxerre v Toulouse
15:00 ET Sunday
AS Monaco v Lyon
Dutch Eredivisie
12:45 ET Saturday
AZ Alkmaar v ADO Den Haag
13:45 ET Saturday
Feyenoord Rotterdam v Willem II Tilburg
8:30 ET Sunday
FC Utrecht v (12) Twente Enschede
NAC Breda v (T16) Ajax Amsterdam
10:30 ET Sunday
Roda JC Kerkrade v (T20) PSV Eindhoven
Portuguese Liga
15:15 ET Friday
Pacos de Ferreira v (T23) Braga
16:15 ET Saturday
Naval 1 Maio v Sporting Lisbon
15:15 ET Sunday
(25) Benfica v FC Porto
Turkish Super League
13:00 ET Friday
Besiktas v Bursaspor
6:30 ET Saturday
ESkisehirspor K v Diyarbakirspor
13:00 ET Saturday
Galatasaray v Genclerbirligi
13:00 ET Sunday
Trabzonspor v Fenerbahce
Greek Super League
12:00 ET Saturday
Panathinaikos v Giannina
12:00 ET Sunday
Aris Salonika v Olympiakos
Belgian Jupiler League
12:00 ET Sunday
Royal Charleroi SC v Standard Liege
14:30 ET Sunday
Anderlecht v Club Brugge
Game of the Week (Rankings from Poll)
11:00 ET Saturday
Estudiantes La Plata v (1) Barcelona – FSC
By definition, this is the game of the year for Club Football, as it is the FIFA Club World Cup Final. Barcelona come in as obvious favorites and will be looking to claim their sixth piece of silverware on the season. This will be their 64th competitive match of the year and they have won 44 while losing only 5. Thus far they have won La Liga, the UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey, and the European and Spanish Super Cups in 2009. Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is taking their opponents from Argentina seriously, “I’d not seen them play before and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. You can sense their character, and there’s more to them than running, aggression, and tackling.” Barcelona will be without playmaker Andres Iniesta, who is sidelined with a ‘muscle injury.’ Estudiantes La Plata qualified for the Club World Cup by virtue of winning the 2009 Copa Libertadores, the premier club competition in South America. The squad is composed of a couple recognizable names, such as Argentinian internationals Mauro Boselli, Juan Sebastian Veron, and Marcos Angeleri. Okay so maybe not recognizable names, but respectable players nonetheless. I even own a Veron Inter Milan jersey so that has to count for something. Estudiantes sits in 8th in the 20-team Argentinian Premier Division after half of the season.
My Prediction: Barcelona 3, Estudiantes La Plata 1
Other Matches Between Ranked Teams
14:45 ET Saturday
(22) Fiorentina v (7) AC Milan – FSC
AC Milan sits in 2nd place in the table, 7 positions and 7 points ahead of 9th place Fiorentina. AC Milan won 5 consecutive matches in Serie A before stumbling to a 2-0 loss against Palermo at home last weekend. Interestingly, they have drawn their last three games in the Champions League 1-1. Fiorentina has struggled as of late in league play, losing three of their last four matches. However, they have had great European form, winning their last four matches en route to winning a strong group. Fiorentina will be without defender Alessandro Gamberini and midfielders Cristiano Zanetti and Marco Marchionni, while AC Milan is without defenders Thiago Silva, Massimo Oddo, Daniele Bonera and Oguchi Onyewu. AC Milan will look to keep the pressure on Inter Milan with a soldi win in Florence this weekend.
My Prediction: AC Milan 2, Fiorentina 0
Top of the Table Clashes
14:30 ET Sunday (Belgian Jupiler League)
Anderlecht v Club Brugge
Anderlecht currently sit on top of the table in Belgium with 44 points on a 14-2-2 record. Club Brugge is 7 points back in second, and this is Brugge’s chance to keep Anderlecht from running away with the league. Anderlecht also won an impressive group including Dutch power Ajax. This week saw an impressive 3-1 win for Anderlecht in Amsterdam that won them the group.
My Prediction: Anderlecht 2, Club Brugge 1. Put their name on the trophy.
FIFA Club World Cup
8:00 ET Saturday
Pohang Steelers v Atlante – FSC
This is the third-place match-up in the FIFA Club World Cup. So by definition, the winner is crowned as the third-best team in the world, a title which would be hotly contested by just about every team that qualified for European competition this season. Still it is a match that will surely be important to both teams given how difficult it is to get on this kind of worldwide stage from their respective leagues. Pohang Steelers is a South Korean club that qualified for the Club World Cup by virtue of winning the 2009 AFC Champions League. Their last K-League title came back in 2007, and this season they finished 2nd behind Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Their leading goalscorer is Brazilian star Denilson, who has scored 20 goals in 43 total appearances for Pohang Steelers this season. The scoring is also supplemented by Macedonian international Stevica Ristic and Koreans Noh Byung-Joon and Yoo Chang Hyun. On their road to the third-place game, Pohang defeated TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and lost to Estudiantes La Plata in a match in which they got three reds and Denilson ended the game in goal. Atlante is a Mexican side that qualified by winning the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League. They finished 9th in the 18-team Apertura 2009 in Mexico. I tried finding some statistics on their Spanish-language site, but the entire thing appears to be under maintenance. What I can say for certain is that Argentinian keeper Federico Vilar is their captain, and they boast Argentinian national team forward Santiago Solari, who appears to have scored 3 goals in 15 games for Atlante.
My Prediction: Atlante 4, Pohang Steelers 2
11:00 ET Saturday
Estudiantes La Plata v (1) Barcelona – FSC
English Premier League
7:45 ET Saturday
Portsmouth v Liverpool – ESPN2
10:00 ET Saturday
(19) Aston Villa v Stoke City
Blackburn Rovers v (13) Tottenham Hotspur
Fulham v (T3) Manchester United
(T16) Manchester City v Sunderland – FSC (Supposedly)
12:30 ET Saturday
(6) Arsenal v Hull City – FSC (Also, Supposedly)
The FSC online schedules are not quite functional, and livesoccertv.com claims that FSC will be showing multiple live games at once, the Premier League matches and the Club World Cup Final. Kudos to them if they can pull it off.
8:30 ET Sunday
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Burnley
10:00 ET Sunday
Everton v Birmingham
11:00 ET Sunday
West Ham United v (2) Chelsea
15:00 ET Monday
Wigan Athletic v Bolton Wanderers – ESPN2
Scottish Premier League
7:30 ET Sunday
Heart of Midlothian v Celtic
Spain’s La Liga
14:00 ET Saturday
(T8) Sevilla FC v Getafe – GolTV
16:00 ET Saturday
(T3) Real Madrid v Real Zaragoza – GolTV
13:00 ET Sunday
Tenerife v Atletico Madrid – GolTV
15:00 ET Sunday
Deportivo La Coruna v (14) Valencia
Italy’s Serie A
14:45 ET Saturday
(22) Fiorentina v (7) AC Milan – FSC
9:00 ET Sunday
AS Roma v Parma – FSC
Genoa v Bari
(T8) Juventus v Catania
Livorno v Sampdoria
14:45 ET Sunday
(5) Inter Milan v Lazio – FSC
German Bundesliga
14:30 ET Friday
(T16) Schalke 04 v Mainz – GolTV
9:30 ET Saturday
(11) Bayer Leverkusen v Borussia Monchengladbach
Bayern Munich v Hertha Berlin
Eintracht Frankfurt v VfL Wolfsburg
12:30 ET Saturday
VfB Stuttgart v TSG Hoffenheim
9:30 ET Sunday
Hamburg SV v (15) Werder Bremen – GolTV
French Ligue 1
13:00 ET Saturday
(T8) Bordeaux v Lorient
15:00 ET Saturday
St. Etienne v Marseille
11:00 ET Sunday
AJ Auxerre v Toulouse
15:00 ET Sunday
AS Monaco v Lyon
Dutch Eredivisie
12:45 ET Saturday
AZ Alkmaar v ADO Den Haag
13:45 ET Saturday
Feyenoord Rotterdam v Willem II Tilburg
8:30 ET Sunday
FC Utrecht v (12) Twente Enschede
NAC Breda v (T16) Ajax Amsterdam
10:30 ET Sunday
Roda JC Kerkrade v (T20) PSV Eindhoven
Portuguese Liga
15:15 ET Friday
Pacos de Ferreira v (T23) Braga
16:15 ET Saturday
Naval 1 Maio v Sporting Lisbon
15:15 ET Sunday
(25) Benfica v FC Porto
Turkish Super League
13:00 ET Friday
Besiktas v Bursaspor
6:30 ET Saturday
ESkisehirspor K v Diyarbakirspor
13:00 ET Saturday
Galatasaray v Genclerbirligi
13:00 ET Sunday
Trabzonspor v Fenerbahce
Greek Super League
12:00 ET Saturday
Panathinaikos v Giannina
12:00 ET Sunday
Aris Salonika v Olympiakos
Belgian Jupiler League
12:00 ET Sunday
Royal Charleroi SC v Standard Liege
14:30 ET Sunday
Anderlecht v Club Brugge
Monday, December 14, 2009
A little bit of Hockey Love
Well I received the suggestion that we need to talk about hockey more here at Shootouts to Sacrifices so I'm going to take the opportunity to talk about a sport that is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I try to watch games as much as possible but being in Iowa makes it difficult to do so but I'm going to talk about a few guys (players and a coach), who have caught my eye as I'm getting better acquainted with this sport.
Drew Doughty, D, Los Angeles Kings: I was able to watch a Kings-Blackhawks game recently and I came away really impressed with the way Doughty played. Again I don't know much about hockey right now, but seeing him fly all around the ice, setting up goals and blocking shots, I was real impressed. He's part of a young core in Los Angeles who are starting to play extremely well.
Ryan Miller, G, Buffalo Sabres: The Hawks didn't face Miller when they were in Buffalo last weekend, but I have seen a few highlights from Miller this year and I've been extremely impressed. His 93% save percentage and 1.83 Goals Against Average are tops in the league but it's even more impressive to see him on tape.
Joel Quenneville, Head Coach, Chicago Blackhawks: I credit the Hawks for getting me interested in hockey, they play an exciting style and have the ability to draw in casual fans. Most people will credit Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane with the turnaround, but without Coach Q, I don't think the Hawks would be where they are at. He likes to tinker with his lines and he seems to change things up as soon as the opponents start to catch on. After the 7-2 win against San Jose, Quenneville noticed that teams started playing considerably more conservative and changed up the lines to try to get better matchups that would allow the Hawks to score more. The result? A 4-0 win last night against Tampa Bay.
Well there's a little hockey love for the blog, it's not the best and certainly not the most informative but hopefully there will be an improvement.
Drew Doughty, D, Los Angeles Kings: I was able to watch a Kings-Blackhawks game recently and I came away really impressed with the way Doughty played. Again I don't know much about hockey right now, but seeing him fly all around the ice, setting up goals and blocking shots, I was real impressed. He's part of a young core in Los Angeles who are starting to play extremely well.
Ryan Miller, G, Buffalo Sabres: The Hawks didn't face Miller when they were in Buffalo last weekend, but I have seen a few highlights from Miller this year and I've been extremely impressed. His 93% save percentage and 1.83 Goals Against Average are tops in the league but it's even more impressive to see him on tape.
Joel Quenneville, Head Coach, Chicago Blackhawks: I credit the Hawks for getting me interested in hockey, they play an exciting style and have the ability to draw in casual fans. Most people will credit Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane with the turnaround, but without Coach Q, I don't think the Hawks would be where they are at. He likes to tinker with his lines and he seems to change things up as soon as the opponents start to catch on. After the 7-2 win against San Jose, Quenneville noticed that teams started playing considerably more conservative and changed up the lines to try to get better matchups that would allow the Hawks to score more. The result? A 4-0 win last night against Tampa Bay.
Well there's a little hockey love for the blog, it's not the best and certainly not the most informative but hopefully there will be an improvement.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
A Comprehensive Weekly Look at the Top Teams in European Football
Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another exciting issue of the Weekly European Football Top 25. This was arguably the most difficult week of the rankings up to this point, as everybody and their mother lost to terrible teams. Tottenham Hotspur managed to lose 1-0 to Premiership bottom-dwellers Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester United somehow lost 1-0 to Aston Villa, Juventus lost midweek to Bayern Munich then to add insult to injury, lost again Saturday to Bari. Additionally, AC Milan lost, Inter drew unimpressively, Chelsea drew, and Valencia lost. Needless to say this caused some level of chaos in our rankings, although to some extent all the losses weren’t too chaotic, as we really didn’t need to make too many changes because no one was able to move up, as everyone lost.
Midweek we had a relatively boring round of Champions’ League matches. Most of the groups were more or less decided going into the round, so many top clubs played their reserve squads, including an interesting 1-8-1 formation by Manchester United against Wolfsburg. However, one of the more intriguing matches of the CL midweek was Bayern Munich vs. Juventus, with the winner advancing to the CL round of 16. After an early David Trezeguet goal for Juventus, Bayern rattled off 4 unanswered goals, including a penalty kick by their keeper, Jorg Butt, owner of one of the greatest names in football. Consequently, Juventus will be going home and Bayern advancing into the knockout stages.
The weekend matches were highlighted by two enormous premier league upsets. Both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur lost very similar matches, with their vastly inferior opponents going up 1-0 early then switching to an 8-1-1 formation in a desperate (and successful) attempt to protect their lead. After Chelsea’s 3-3 draw with Everton at the Bridge, it appeared to be an ideal spot for United to catch up to Chelsea, as a win would have tied things up at the top of the table. However, United came out flat against Aston Villa and lost 1-0, leaving them 3 back of Chelsea.
Sunday morning Liverpool went up 1-0 quickly on Arsenal, but the gunners fought back to win 2-1 at Anfield to put even more pressure on Liverpool skipper Rafael Benitez, who is certainly starting to feel the heat as his club’s form continues to slide. They’ve now fallen to 7th in the Premiership, and are eliminated from the Champions’ League.
In La Liga, our top teams fared pretty well, with wins by Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Sevilla.
Our Serie A teams were crushed, with AC Milan losing, Juventus losing (twice this week), Inter drawing unimpressively, Fiorentina losing, and Genoa losing. After such a topsy turvy week in Serie A, however, one thing does still remain clear, and that is that Inter is the class of the league, as they retain a significant lead over AC Milan, Juventus, and the rest of Serie A.
Keep an eye on our Dutch representatives in the rankings, as FC Twente and Ajax Amsterdam continue to look very impressive in both the Eredivisie and in European play.
That’s about all for this week, I’m being forced to wake up in about 7 hours to go to jury duty so I’m not going to write any more, plus this is getting rather long anyway. Continued thanks to those who are reading this blog, your support does mean quite a bit to us all here.
Now here are the rankings:
1. Barcelona (Esp) 50
2. Chelsea (Eng) 48
T3. Manchester United (Eng) 45
T3. Real Madrid (Esp) 45
5. Inter Milan (Ita) 40
6. Arsenal (Eng) 39- Just a brief bit on Arsenal: It appears that Andrei Arshavin is more than willing to fill the void left by Robin van Persie's 4-6 month injury, as he scored a magnificant go-ahead (and eventually decisive) goal vs. Liverpool today at Anfield. Leave it to Arsene Wenger to lose one of the top players in the world and continue to win, Arsenal should continue to be very fun to watch this season.
7. AC Milan (Ita) 38
T8. Sevilla (Esp) 34
T8. Juventus (Ita) 34- "The Old Lady", as they're lovingly known throughout Italy, has hit a patch of miserable form as of late. After losing 2-0 last week to Cagliari in Serie A action, Juventus were visited by Bayern in a crucial Champions' League match this past week. The winner of the match moved on to the knockout stages of the CL, and Bayern fell down 1-0 before scoring 4 goals and in the process embarrassing Juve 4-1. As though that weren't bad enough, Juve dropped an easy 3 points this weekend with a 3-1 loss to Bari, to put their hopes for the Scudetto on life support, as they are now 6 points behind Inter Milan and 1 behind AC Milan. They are coming onto a difficult stretch of matches, with fixtures at Parma, then at home vs. AC Milan and AS Roma. These matches will be without their starting keeper, and the undisputed greatest keeper on the planet Gianluigi Buffon, who underwent surgery after the Champions' League exit, and will be out for about 6 weeks. Juve needs to go on a brilliant run to have a legitimate shot at challenging Inter, and at this point it doesn't appear that they're able to do that.
T8. Bordeaux (Fra) 34
11. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 29
12. FC Twente (Ned) 27
13. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) 23
14. Valencia (Esp) 21
15. Werder Bremen (Ger) 19
T16. Manchester City (Eng) 18
T16. Ajax Amsterdam (Ned) 18
T16. Schalke 04 (Ger) 18
19. Aston Villa (Eng) 16- Prior to this week, Villa had been chugging right along on their Premiership campaign, sitting in 5th place in the Premier League and playing some pretty good football. This weekend, however, Villa scored an absolutely huge win at Old Trafford over Manchester United, 1-0. They were successfully able to stymie United's attack, which had been relatively well rested prior to the match given the garbage squad they'd played in Wolfsburg midweek. Villa are being led by Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young, but are also getting solid contributions from most of their squad. Villa is coming up on a relatively tough stretch, with matches at Sunderland and Arsenal, as well as a home match vs. Liverpool, who, despite their awful form, are always a threat given their level of talent. If Villa can walk away with 9-10 points from their next 4 matches, they may be able to hang around the top of the table for the rest of the season and bring Champions' League football back to Villa Park.
T20. FK Rubin Kazan (Rus) 15
T20. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) 15
22. Fiorentina (Ita) 8
T23. Braga (Por) 4
T23. Dynamo Kiev (Ukr) 4
25. Benfica (Por) 3
Others receiving votes: Genoa (Ita) 2, Lyon (Fra) 2, Parma (Ita) 1
Here is how the voters voted:
Next Five in for Tom, ranked by population of the country's capital city: Hamburg, Bayern Munich, Fiorentina, Red Bull Salzburg, FC Porto
Next Five in for Blaine, ranked by their country's 2010 World Cup chances: Napoli, Bayern Munich, Lyon, CSKA Moscow, Galatasaray
Midweek we had a relatively boring round of Champions’ League matches. Most of the groups were more or less decided going into the round, so many top clubs played their reserve squads, including an interesting 1-8-1 formation by Manchester United against Wolfsburg. However, one of the more intriguing matches of the CL midweek was Bayern Munich vs. Juventus, with the winner advancing to the CL round of 16. After an early David Trezeguet goal for Juventus, Bayern rattled off 4 unanswered goals, including a penalty kick by their keeper, Jorg Butt, owner of one of the greatest names in football. Consequently, Juventus will be going home and Bayern advancing into the knockout stages.
The weekend matches were highlighted by two enormous premier league upsets. Both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur lost very similar matches, with their vastly inferior opponents going up 1-0 early then switching to an 8-1-1 formation in a desperate (and successful) attempt to protect their lead. After Chelsea’s 3-3 draw with Everton at the Bridge, it appeared to be an ideal spot for United to catch up to Chelsea, as a win would have tied things up at the top of the table. However, United came out flat against Aston Villa and lost 1-0, leaving them 3 back of Chelsea.
Sunday morning Liverpool went up 1-0 quickly on Arsenal, but the gunners fought back to win 2-1 at Anfield to put even more pressure on Liverpool skipper Rafael Benitez, who is certainly starting to feel the heat as his club’s form continues to slide. They’ve now fallen to 7th in the Premiership, and are eliminated from the Champions’ League.
In La Liga, our top teams fared pretty well, with wins by Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Sevilla.
Our Serie A teams were crushed, with AC Milan losing, Juventus losing (twice this week), Inter drawing unimpressively, Fiorentina losing, and Genoa losing. After such a topsy turvy week in Serie A, however, one thing does still remain clear, and that is that Inter is the class of the league, as they retain a significant lead over AC Milan, Juventus, and the rest of Serie A.
Keep an eye on our Dutch representatives in the rankings, as FC Twente and Ajax Amsterdam continue to look very impressive in both the Eredivisie and in European play.
That’s about all for this week, I’m being forced to wake up in about 7 hours to go to jury duty so I’m not going to write any more, plus this is getting rather long anyway. Continued thanks to those who are reading this blog, your support does mean quite a bit to us all here.
Now here are the rankings:
1. Barcelona (Esp) 50
2. Chelsea (Eng) 48
T3. Manchester United (Eng) 45
T3. Real Madrid (Esp) 45
5. Inter Milan (Ita) 40
6. Arsenal (Eng) 39- Just a brief bit on Arsenal: It appears that Andrei Arshavin is more than willing to fill the void left by Robin van Persie's 4-6 month injury, as he scored a magnificant go-ahead (and eventually decisive) goal vs. Liverpool today at Anfield. Leave it to Arsene Wenger to lose one of the top players in the world and continue to win, Arsenal should continue to be very fun to watch this season.
7. AC Milan (Ita) 38
T8. Sevilla (Esp) 34
T8. Juventus (Ita) 34- "The Old Lady", as they're lovingly known throughout Italy, has hit a patch of miserable form as of late. After losing 2-0 last week to Cagliari in Serie A action, Juventus were visited by Bayern in a crucial Champions' League match this past week. The winner of the match moved on to the knockout stages of the CL, and Bayern fell down 1-0 before scoring 4 goals and in the process embarrassing Juve 4-1. As though that weren't bad enough, Juve dropped an easy 3 points this weekend with a 3-1 loss to Bari, to put their hopes for the Scudetto on life support, as they are now 6 points behind Inter Milan and 1 behind AC Milan. They are coming onto a difficult stretch of matches, with fixtures at Parma, then at home vs. AC Milan and AS Roma. These matches will be without their starting keeper, and the undisputed greatest keeper on the planet Gianluigi Buffon, who underwent surgery after the Champions' League exit, and will be out for about 6 weeks. Juve needs to go on a brilliant run to have a legitimate shot at challenging Inter, and at this point it doesn't appear that they're able to do that.
T8. Bordeaux (Fra) 34
11. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 29
12. FC Twente (Ned) 27
13. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) 23
14. Valencia (Esp) 21
15. Werder Bremen (Ger) 19
T16. Manchester City (Eng) 18
T16. Ajax Amsterdam (Ned) 18
T16. Schalke 04 (Ger) 18
19. Aston Villa (Eng) 16- Prior to this week, Villa had been chugging right along on their Premiership campaign, sitting in 5th place in the Premier League and playing some pretty good football. This weekend, however, Villa scored an absolutely huge win at Old Trafford over Manchester United, 1-0. They were successfully able to stymie United's attack, which had been relatively well rested prior to the match given the garbage squad they'd played in Wolfsburg midweek. Villa are being led by Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young, but are also getting solid contributions from most of their squad. Villa is coming up on a relatively tough stretch, with matches at Sunderland and Arsenal, as well as a home match vs. Liverpool, who, despite their awful form, are always a threat given their level of talent. If Villa can walk away with 9-10 points from their next 4 matches, they may be able to hang around the top of the table for the rest of the season and bring Champions' League football back to Villa Park.
T20. FK Rubin Kazan (Rus) 15
T20. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) 15
22. Fiorentina (Ita) 8
T23. Braga (Por) 4
T23. Dynamo Kiev (Ukr) 4
25. Benfica (Por) 3
Others receiving votes: Genoa (Ita) 2, Lyon (Fra) 2, Parma (Ita) 1
Here is how the voters voted:
| Rank | Tom | Blaine |
| 1 | Barcelona | Barcelona |
| 2 | Chelsea | Chelsea |
| 3 | Real Madrid | Manchester United |
| 4 | Manchester United | Real Madrid |
| 5 | Arsenal | Inter Milan |
| 6 | Bordeaux | AC Milan |
| 7 | Inter Milan | Sevilla |
| 8 | AC Milan | Arsenal |
| 9 | Juventus | Juventus |
| 10 | Bayer Leverkusen | FC Twente |
| 11 | Sevilla | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 12 | Schalke 04 | Bordeaux |
| 13 | Werder Bremen | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 14 | Valencia | Manchester City |
| 15 | FC Twente | Ajax Amsterdam |
| 16 | PSV Eindhoven | FK Rubin Kazan |
| 17 | Aston Villa | Valencia |
| 18 | Tottenham Hotspur | Fiorentina |
| 19 | Ajax Amsterdam | Aston Villa |
| 20 | Manchester City | Werder Breen |
| 21 | FK Rubin Kazan | PSV Eindhoven |
| 22 | Dynamo Kiev | Schalke 04 |
| 23 | Benfica | Braga |
| 24 | Lyon | Genoa |
| 25 | Braga | Parma |
Next Five in for Tom, ranked by population of the country's capital city: Hamburg, Bayern Munich, Fiorentina, Red Bull Salzburg, FC Porto
Next Five in for Blaine, ranked by their country's 2010 World Cup chances: Napoli, Bayern Munich, Lyon, CSKA Moscow, Galatasaray
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Potential 12th Members for the Big Ten
On Friday, Wisconsin Athletic Director, Barry Alvarez stated that the Big Ten will begin a more serious search for a 12th member so the conference can break into divisions and host a conference championship game similar to the SEC, Big 12, and ACC (Link). I for one can't wait for this to happen and don't really understand why this hasn't happened sooner other than Jim Delaney and the rest of the Conference is greedy and enjoy the money they get from having 2 teams into the BCS Bowls almost yearly. Let's take a look at the possible candidates who most Big Ten fans want, what is most logical and what would be a desperate move.
Let's start with the most ideal situation for most Big Ten fans and that would be Notre Dame joining the Big Ten. It benefits Notre Dame not so much from an athletic standpoint but more from an academic standpoint. As long as Notre Dame is receiving the BCS money and exemption, they have no reason to join the Big Ten for Football and other sports. They reportedly receive less money from NBC than Big Ten schools reportedly receive from the Big Ten Network, so the whole NBC contract argument isn't really worth much. This whole move is unlikely unless the Irish are for some reason held out of the BCS unless they join a conference.
Moving on to the more logical schools that fit both academically and athletically we have, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Rutgers. All four of those schools have a fit academically which the Big Ten presidents will look for, and are all good enough in football and other sports to compete in the Big Ten. What else they bring to the table is expansion for the Big Ten Network which in turn would bring in more revenue, especially if the school is Rutgers or Syracuse with the New York market.
Now on to the desperate move that no one is talking about because it is hardly a fit at all. That would be Memphis and the only reason I am including them in this is because they have recently hired a company to find them a new conference to join. If the Big Ten wanted to take the greedy route and just add a team for the Conference Championship game and sponsorship money, then Memphis is the best choice. They don't fit academically nor would they compete well in football.
Overall, this is a move that needs to be made but making the right choice is one that is going to be very difficult and a very long time to figure out. The likely choice is Rutgers or Syracuse, and if they don't get either of those schools I don't see expansion happening until Notre Dame is told to find a conference and comes knocking on the Big Ten's door.
Let's start with the most ideal situation for most Big Ten fans and that would be Notre Dame joining the Big Ten. It benefits Notre Dame not so much from an athletic standpoint but more from an academic standpoint. As long as Notre Dame is receiving the BCS money and exemption, they have no reason to join the Big Ten for Football and other sports. They reportedly receive less money from NBC than Big Ten schools reportedly receive from the Big Ten Network, so the whole NBC contract argument isn't really worth much. This whole move is unlikely unless the Irish are for some reason held out of the BCS unless they join a conference.
Moving on to the more logical schools that fit both academically and athletically we have, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Rutgers. All four of those schools have a fit academically which the Big Ten presidents will look for, and are all good enough in football and other sports to compete in the Big Ten. What else they bring to the table is expansion for the Big Ten Network which in turn would bring in more revenue, especially if the school is Rutgers or Syracuse with the New York market.
Now on to the desperate move that no one is talking about because it is hardly a fit at all. That would be Memphis and the only reason I am including them in this is because they have recently hired a company to find them a new conference to join. If the Big Ten wanted to take the greedy route and just add a team for the Conference Championship game and sponsorship money, then Memphis is the best choice. They don't fit academically nor would they compete well in football.
Overall, this is a move that needs to be made but making the right choice is one that is going to be very difficult and a very long time to figure out. The likely choice is Rutgers or Syracuse, and if they don't get either of those schools I don't see expansion happening until Notre Dame is told to find a conference and comes knocking on the Big Ten's door.
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