FanSided Network

Yankees Minor League Report: May 16, 2012

Yanks Go Yard — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:36:00 +0000

Each Wednesday, we'll provide a predominately notebook style review of what's happening in the Yankees minor league system. [caption id="attachment_5854" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Dellin Betances is working on his consistency in Triple-A. The Yanks could need him at some point this season if the injuries continue to mount. (Image: Michael L. Stein-US PRESSWIRE)"][/caption]

International League North (AAA) – Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (19-19), 4^th Place, 6 GB

29-year old journeyman first baseman Steve Pearce leads the team with 7 home runs and a 1.027 OPS.
Eduardo Nunez who was recently demoted from the Yanks is 3-for-13 in three games.
D.J. Mitchell has been the pitching star for the team so far; 36 IP, 3-1, 2.75 ERA, 33K, 0.97 WHIP.
Dellin Betances turned in a fabulous eight-inning effort last night striking out a season high 7.
Brett Gardner is on a rehab assignment with the team and tripled in his first appearance.

Eastern League Eastern (AA) – Trenton Thunder, (19-16), 2^nd place, 2.5 GB

Second baseman Ronnier Mustelier is pacing Thunder hitters with a .353 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBIs and a 1.010 OPS.
22-year old Brett Marshall leads the rotation with 4 wins and has a 3.27 ERA and 1.16 WHIP.
The team is a season best three games over .500.

Florida State League (Advanced A) – Tampa Yankees (16-23), 4^th place, 9 GB

OF Rob Segedin leads the team with 12 doubles, 5 HR and 21 RBIs.
Righty Michael O'Brien is 4-1 with a 2.92 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.
Former Yankee and now manager of the Tampa Yankees Luis Sojo was tossed from last night's game after arguing a call at first base.

South Atlantic League Southern (A) – Charleston RiverDogs (25-12), 1^st place

Tyler Austin is raking at Charleston. He owns a .288 AVG, with 11 doubles, 12 HR, 33 RBIs and a 1.028 OPS.
Caleb Cotham has three wins and leads the rotation with a 2.31 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.
Catching prospect Gary Sanchez is hitting .333 with 12 doubles, 2 HR and 16 RBI.
Dante Bichette Jr. is having a rough start; .234, 0 HRs, 12 RBIs and a .610 OPS.

In the coming weeks we'll look at some of the top prospects in depth and we'll supply coverage of the MLB First-year Player Draft set for June 4-6, 2012. In the meantime, check out Seedlings to Stars coverage of Yankees prospects here. You can 'Like' Yanks Go Yard on Facebook here. You can follow Yanks Go Yard on Twitter at @YanksGoYardFS and you can follow Chris Carelli on Twitter at @Chris_Carelli.

Is Tonight Critical for Leake?

Blog Red Machine — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:23:34 +0000

I’m going out on a limb here. I will say the vast majority of Reds fans have had their fill of Mike Leake’s struggles in 2012. That’s not a stretch, I know, but for Leake to rediscover his 2011 form is vital to the Reds to achieve the many goals set forth for this season...and going forward. [caption id="attachment_8429" align="alignright" width="236" caption="(David Banks-US PRESSWIRE)"][/caption] You don’t have to go too far into Leake’s 2012 stats to determine the issues. His strikeouts are down and his walks are up. His current SO/BB ratio of 1.45 is less than half of his 2011 ratio of 3.11. His SO/9 of 4.5 is down from 6.3 of 2011. The BB/9 of 3.1 is up from his 2011 number of 2.0. We know Leake is far from your prototypical strikeout pitcher, but that stresses the limiting of the free passes. But this isn’t the biggest discrepancy. That comes in hits allowed. At the end of last season, Leake posted a respectable H/9 of 8.5. So far in 2012, that has risen to 11.4, an increase of 34%. We know Leake is prone to surrendering a home run or two. He was second on the staff last season and his HR/9 for 2011 was 1.2. This year that currently sits at 1.7. More free passes, more hits, a higher rate of home runs allowed can only transfer into more losses. Heading into Atlanta, we know the upcoming portion of the schedule would be brutal. Not only because of the records of the teams the Reds will face for the remainder of this week into next, it’s due to a couple of factors. The next off day is not until the 31st of May. Skipping Leake any turns during this stretch will only increase the load on the other four pitchers. In turn, the rest periods for those other four starters will be lessened. Maybe there’s a possibility all four could handle the short rest, but there are still four months and a couple of weeks to go in the season. I hear you. You can’t win a division in the early stages of a season, but you could lose it if you get too far behind in the standings. The bonus is that the Reds are not at that point as of now. You could say there is a little time to attempt to correct whatever ails Leake. But how much time? Good question. There’s no defined answer for that question, but I'll guess it's not an extended length of time. Another factor could be this. There isn’t exactly any pitcher in Louisville that’s been lighting up the International League. Here's all the pitchers that have a start in Louisville this season.

Player	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	SO/BB	H/9
Jeff Francis	2	4	4.17	8	8	49.2	57	24	23	6	12	47	1.39	3.92	10.33
Sean Gallagher	2	3	6.08	8	8	40.0	40	27	27	6	21	29	1.53	1.38	9.00
Chad Reineke	1	2	3.96	7	7	38.2	50	20	17	1	13	24	1.63	1.85	11.64
Brett Tomko	0	4	3.55	7	7	38.0	39	15	15	2	18	32	1.50	1.78	9.24
Ron Mahay	1	0	4.50	14	1	18.0	21	10	9	0	10	16	1.72	1.60	10.50
Andrew Brackman	1	3	9.87	5	5	17.1	18	19	19	3	16	13	1.96	0.81	9.35
Pedro Villarreal	1	0	3.65	2	2	12.1	15	8	5	0	0	9	1.22	----	10.95
Luis Atilano	0	1	15.43	1	1	2.1	5	4	4	0	2	0	3.00	0.00	19.31
Wirfin Obispo	0	0	4.50	1	1	2.0	3	1	1	0	1	1	2.00	1.00	13.50
TOTALS	8	17	4.95	53	40	218.1	248	128	120	18	93	171	1.56	1.84	10.22

Nothing overly impressive, but... I will grant you that the above ERAs look more attractive than the 7.11 attached to Leake. So do a few of the WHIP numbers. Same for the H/9. On the average, the Bats staff isn’t getting too far into games either. Only one starter with five or more starts is averaging over six innings per start: Jeff Francis. Francis had himself a good spring. He arrived in Goodyear as a non-roster invitee and stuck around until the end of spring. He knew he was headed for Louisville prior to camp breaking. He knew his role. If the front office were to fashion any type of “swap” of Leake for a Louisville starter, it would have to be Francis. That would necessitate an adjustment to the 40-man. But would sending Leake to Louisville to receive more teachings from Ted Power be of benefit to him? Most likely. After Leake’s demotion last season, he provided the Reds great cause for optimism heading into 2012. After that brief stint, Leake returned and went 9-7, but the Reds were 12-8 in those games. The ERA was 3.36, his WHIP was 1.12 and the SO/BB ratio was 3.44. Those same numbers in nine games (including a trio of relief appearances) prior to seeing the Bats clubhouse were: 5.70, 1.38 and 2.46. He learned something. He either learned some things from Power or that he didn’t care for life in the minors. Or both. I have previously pointed out that Leake’s 2012 has started in a complete reverse to his 2010 and 2011 seasons. So I will now refer to the title of this. Is tonight critical for Leake? Critical may not be the appropriate word to use here. I would say on a scale of 1 to 10 with ten being that critical point, tonight's outing could rate as high as an 8, but I would also have it no lower than a 7. Therefore, my deductive math skills put it at a 7.5. Not quite critical, but definitely serious. ------------------------------ Like what you're reading? Stay up-to-date on all things Reds by following Blog Red Machine on Twitter (@blogredmachine). Also, please take a minute and "Like" our page on Facebook!

Gronk Listed in "Top Ten" NFL Players Under 25

Musket Fire — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:22:02 +0000

[caption id="attachment_7144" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="January 14, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) warms up on the field before the 2011 AFC divisional playoff game against the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-US PRESSWIRE"][/caption] Gronk good. Gronk VERY good. We all knew it already, but the New England Patriots Rob Gronkowski has made his mark on the rest of the NFL. In a piece on NFL.com, Daniel Jeremiah places Gronk as one of the Top 10 young players in the game today. Others include the likes of Cam Newton, Von Miller and Matt Stafford. During a year when most young players tend to falter, Gronkowski took his sophomore season to epic new heights. As one of Tom Brady's favorite red zone targets, Gronk set NFL records for touchdowns, touchdown receptions and receiving yards by a Tight End. Daniel Jeremiah had this to say:

The word "Beast" is grossly overused in today's sports vernacular. However, in Gronk's case, there is no better term to describe him. In just his second season, he established himself as the best tight end in the NFL. He hauled in 90 balls for 1,327 yards and 17 TDs (a record for tight ends). He had multiple TDs in seven different regular season games. He has ideal size, speed and hands. His ability to use his frame to wall-off defenders on third down is a huge luxury for Tom Brady. I'd also rank him as the second best red-zone target in the NFL behind only Detroit's Calvin Johnson.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the GRONKSPIKE!

Cincinnati Bengals' All-Time Top 5: Linebackers

Stripe Hype — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:20:52 +0000

Over the next few weeks, we're beginning a series in which we rank the 5 greatest Bengals at every position. Today we're breaking down the Bengals' All-Time Top 5 linebackers:

5.) (Tie) Brian Simmons & Takeo Spikes

It's only fitting that after coming into the league together, in the 1998 NFL Draft, that they tie for number five on my all-time LB's list. Each one brought something different to the team.

Simmons was known as the "silent assassin". He led by example on the field. The Bengals liked his intelligence so much that he still called the Defense once they moved to the 4-3 scheme and he slid to the outside. In 2001, they faced the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens for their second game. Right before the halftime, the Ravens were driving downfield. They were on the goaline. They went for it and threw into the endzone. Simmons' made one of his greatest plays in his Cincinnati career by picking off the pass, which lead to Cincinnati's 21-10 win. In 2003, the Bengals were again down 0-7 against the Ravens. With the Ravens, yet again, closing in on a score, Simmons sacked rookie quarterback Kyle Boller, forcing a fumble. This led to Jon Kitna's 45-yard touchdown pass on third down. The Bengals won 34-26. A week later, the Bengals were protecting a 27-24 lead against the Seattle Seahawks in the last six minutes. Simmons deflected a Matt Hasselbeck pass at the Cincinnati 34, then deflected another at the 24, which was intercepted by cornerback Jeff Burris to win the game. In 2004, the home season opener, the Bengals were trailing the Miami Dolphins 0-3 at halftime. Three minutes into the second half, Simmons intercepted an A.J. Feeley pass and took it 50 yards for the Bengals only score of the game. It allowed Carson Palmer to get rolling and drive downfield to set up Shayne Graham's game-winning field goal.

In Spikes rookie season he started every preseason game and every regular season game. He was the first rookie to lead the Bengals in tackles since James Francis led them in 1990. He also led the team in total snaps played on offense and defense, which added up to 997. In 1999 he was the team captain, playing in all his games as a Right Inside Linebacker and a Right Linebacker. He forced four fumbles and recovered four, leading the team in that as well. In 2000, Spikes played every game as a Right Outside Linebacker and recorded 128 tackles. He passed the 100 tackle mark for the third straight time and led the team in tackles and fumble recoveries. In 2001, Spikes again started at ROLB for all of the 15 games he played that season. He once again led the team in solo and total tackles in the 2001 campaign. Spikes might have blown away the stats had tragedy not stricken his family that year. Spikes missed 5th game of the year do the passing of his father. In 2002, Spikes was in his final season with the Bengals. He played all 16 games that season. In his tenure with the Bengals, he played 79 of a possible 80 games. He led the team in solo and total tackles once again and scored his second defensive TD by way of fumble recovery.

4.) James Francis

James Francis is one of my all-time favorite Bengals. He was the leader and staple of a Bengals Defense that played in the worst decade in franchise history, the 1990's. He seems to have been forgotten by today's fan base. He compiled 508 Total Tackles, 33 Sacks, 11 Interceptions, 3 Defensive Touchdowns, and 1 Safety as a Bengal. Unfortunately there isn't much that can be said about Francis thanks to being on so many bad teams. He was overlooked year in and year out when it came to the Pro Bowl even though his numbers mirrored some of the greats during his 9 year Bengals career (Junior Seau 761 Total Tackles, 37.5 sacks, and 10 interceptions / Derrick Thomas 473 Total Tackles, 109.5 Sacks, 4 Defensive Touchdowns, and 1 Safety / Kevin Greene 457 Total Tackles, 101.5 Sacks, 3 Interceptions, 2 Defensive Touchdowns, and 2 Safeties). I look at these stats and think how much better Francis could have been had he been on better teams. The only stat that hurts Francis is the sack. He played in an era when the LB was the sack artist. Today his stats would hold up better.

3.) Reggie Williams

Williams was drafted in the third round of the 1976 NFL Draft. He played fourteen seasons, (including two Super Bowls, XVI (1982) and XXIII (1989)) for the Bengals. During his career Williams amassed 62.5 sacks, which is the second most in Bengals history, as well as 16 interceptions and 23 fumble recoveries. Williams has received numerous honors, including selection to the NFL All-Rookie Team (1976), the Byron “Whizzer” White Award for Humanitarian Service (1985), the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (1986), and Sports Illustrated’s Co-Sportsman of the Year (1987). He is still one of the most recognized figure heads in the Cincinnati area. He is one of a few to give as much off the field as he did on it.

2.) Jim LeClair

One of the most intriguing characters in Bengals history. He became famous for wrestling a bear at the Cincinnati Convention Center as promotional stunt for the Army reserve during his two weeks of annual training. LeClair fought the Bear to a draw. He made the Pro Bowl in 1976. He played in era in which several of todays top stats were not tracked. He is only credited with 3.5 Sacks, 10 Interceptions, 10 Fumble Recoveries, and 1 Defensive Touchdown. He was definitely a man who played the game as big as he could. If you're a true Bengals fan, then you know exatcly why he makes this list. It simply goes without saying.

1.) Bill Bergey

Bergey was an AFL All-Star in his first year. He started all 5 years for the Bengals. After Bergey signed a "futures contract" with the World Football League, Bengals coach Paul Brown traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for two first-round draft picks and one second-round draft pick. Bergey went on to play a key role in the Eagles' subsequent rise, culminating in a trip to Super Bowl XV. Bergey was one of the toughest to ever play the game. Had he not gotten under the skin of Paul Brown, with the WFL contract, he would have been a sure fire Bengals Hall of Famer. Bergey was another victim to the era he played in. Several stats were not tracked. Bergey is only credited with 9 Interceptions and 6 Fumble Recoveries in his entire Bengals career.

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Who is the Orioles Best Replacement for Nolan Reimold?

Birds Watcher — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:20:49 +0000

Ever since Nolan Reimold was placed on the DL before the Boston series, the Orioles have struggled to find production in left field. Unfortunately, the injury is not healing as fast as originally predicted. Reimold received a shot and the O’s medical team is considering giving him another one. Since the injury, Buck Showalter has not been shy putting guys out in left. He has used Endy Chavez, Ryan Flaherty, Wilson Betemit, and Xavier Avery. The recently promoted Bill Hall can also play some outfield. To this point, no one has really stood out from the rest of the group. Flaherty has shown a steady swing at the plate, but is still very young in the Major Leagues and is figuring it out. I see him as a solid replacement in the outfield but not an everyday starter. Betemit is obviously an infielder first, but can also play the outfield sparingly. Chavez, who was recently put on the DL, has really struggled at the plate. He is hitting just .133 on the season with one RBI. Chavez has not been able to put down the sac bunt and needs to return to his old .300 average form once he returns to be productive. The guy who I see as the best overall replacement is Xavier Avery. Avery, a former 2^nd round pick of the O’s, has really blossomed into a nice looking prospect. The O’s drafted and signed Avery out of high school where he declined a scholarship from the University of Georgia to go pro. [caption id="attachment_5009" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Photo: Patrick Semansky / AP"][/caption] Avery has progressed quite nicely through the minor leagues, hitting with a steady average in each level. Avery started slow with Norfolk but got hot before his promotion. He brings tremendous speed to the field. When he was drafted, it was obvious he needed to put on some weight, and he has nicely. Throughout his first few games Avery has demonstrated a nice approach at the plate. He ripped a double and a triple against Ivan Nova and had a great sac bunt that turned into a base hit against CC Sabathia. The Orioles have been without a prototypical leadoff hitter all season long and Avery can provide them with that. He is a player who can get on base and steal bases. Avery is a center fielder but looked very comfortable in left in his first few outings. He has shown poise and a knack for making plays. From this point forward expect to be seeing Xavier Avery’s name on the lineup card. Follow on Twitter: @BK_Havinitmyway

WBN 4PM Headlines: Explaining the Blood Red Water Flowing at Triangle Park

Wildcat Blue Nation — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:07:48 +0000

The water fountains outside of Rupp Arena are sprouting blood red water. They were supposed to be dyed pink for Breast Cancer Awareness for the Pretty in Pink show at Triangle Park, but the dye got messed up and now it is red. Despite the Cats' terrible loss last night to Murray State, the #4 baseball team still controls its own destiny in the SEC. If they sweep this weekend's series against Mississippi State, who is coached by former UK head man John Cohen, they'll win the SEC regular-season championship, and likely secure a #1 seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Kentucky softball Wildcats will meet Michigan in the Louisville Regional on Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. It will be the fourth consecutive season the Kentucky softball team has been selected as an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. Good luck to Rachael Lawson and her lady Bat Cats. Here's the weekend schedule if they are able to advance: Friday, May 18 Game 1 - Kentucky vs. Michigan - 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3) Game 2 - Valparaiso vs. Louisville - 7:00 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3) Saturday, May 19 Game 3 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 - 1:00 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3) Game 4 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 - 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3) Game 5 - Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 - 6:00 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3) Sunday, May 20 Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 - 1 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3) Game 7 - (If necessary) - 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3) 5* forward Jabari Parker, the #1 prospect in the the 2013 class, is being proclaimed as next big thing, even being called by some the greatest high school prospect since LeBron James. He was the 2012 Gatorade national player of the year, and is a top target for John Caliapri in the 2013 recruiting class. Now he's on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Hopefully Cal can reel him in.

Kansas State Coach Bruce Weber Finishes Filling Out Coaching Staff

Jug of Snyder — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:48:10 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1464" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bruce Weber yells at guard Chester Frazier (3). Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE"][/caption] Chester Frazier, who was a standout player for Weber at Illinois, will fill the final spot on Weber's coaching staff. He was chosen over KSU alum Anthony Beane, who is currently an assistant coach with Illinois State. Beane had long been considered one of the top candidates for the job, but Frazier was chosen based upon his east coast recruiting ties, as well as his familiarity with Weber's system Frazier, 26, previously served as graduate assistant and video coordinator under Weber at Illinois, before heading overseas to play for Wurzburg's S.Oliver Baskets. Once that team's season ends, Frazier will officially accept the position and relocate to Manhattan.

Washington State - BYU Moved to Thursday, Aug. 30 on ESPN

Saturday Blitz — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:20:17 +0000

Washington State's athletic website wsucougars.com announced that the Cougars' 2012 opener at Brigham Young has been moved to Thursday, Aug. 30. ESPN will broadcast Mike Leach's WSU debut, with kickoff slated for 7:15 PT. Leach returns to BYU, his alma mater and home to the football program that shaped his offensive philosophy. Leach gained notoriety guiding Texas Tech through a successful in the 2000s, employing a high octane, passing-oriented offense inspired by LaVell Edwards and Norm Chow. His first WSU team promises to be similarly based, with wide receiver Marquess Wilson and quarterback Jeff Tuel in the fold. BYU is coming off a 10-win debut as an independent. A little piece of irony in the game's Thursday night move is that Leach was dismissed from his post at Texas Tech following a clash with former ESPN analyst Craig James. James was noteworthy as color analyst for ESPN's Thursday night broadcasts. James left the Worldwide Leader after the 2011 football season to pursue a seemingly ill-fated Senate run. ESPN announced in February it would not retain James.

Tampa Bay is the Most Economically Distressed City in the US

The Pewter Plank — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:16:48 +0000

The national perception of the Tampa sports fan is not kind. And the first place the criticism goes is the empty stadiums. Forget that the Trop is a poorly located dump, or that the Bucs and Lightning both boasted robust attendance numbers within the past decade. No the perception of the Tampa sports fan is that they are a privileged bunch of beach-dwellers who don't deserve their professional sports teams. [caption id="attachment_8006" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Empty seats are a recent phenomenon at Raymond James. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE"][/caption] Aside from being unfair, that's completely unfounded.

No other major metropolitan area is as stressed out as Tampa Bay when it comes to the combined factors of a rough job market, tight credit, household budget constraints, lower net worth and, most significantly, a lousy housing market. That's according to the quarterly Consumer Distress Index released Wednesday by the nonprofit credit counseling agency CredAbility. Out of the top 25 metros, Tampa Bay was not only most financially distressed, but it also was the only major metro in the bottom-rung category of "Emergency Crisis." Detroit, the second-most-distressed city, just barely landed one category higher: "Distressed Unstable."

That's an unfortunate distinction to hold, but it also helps to shed some light on some of the poor attendance numbers that the Tampa Bay area is faulted for. It's very easy to see empty seats at a game in Tampa and criticize the fans. After all, most non-Floridians image of Florida is pretty much South Beach. Case in point, my college roommate got off the plane from Boston having never actually visited Florida State in Tallahassee, but expecting a dorm with a beach view. With that perception of Florida come some implications. And it's understandable. If you conceive of Florida as I mentioned before, and then you come vacation here and see that side of things but also the considerable expense, it's easy to assume you must be doing well financially to live there. It's a rich, tropical paradise where everyone lives on the beach and money grows on the freaking trees. Ergo, there's no excuse not to attend sporting events, especially for good teams. I understand how people arrive at the opinion. The problem is, it's just wrong. Yes, there are rich people in Tampa, just like there are in Cleveland and Detroit, but the entire bay area has also been nailed by the economic woes that have swept across the country since 2007. For the sake of the aforementioned study, the Tampa Bay area, Clearwater, St. Pete and Tampa were considered the city of Tampa Bay. The Bay area is the only "city" in the country currently classified as being in an Emergency Crisis. Now let's consider some other things that get overlooked in faulting sports fans in the Bay Area. Aside from lacking disposable income, attending a sporting event in the Bay Area is a little different than in other metropolitan areas. [caption id="attachment_8008" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="As the economy went down, so did the ticket sales..."][/caption] The Bay Area is extremely spread out, there is no densely populated epicenter, very few high-rises, there are just miles and miles of urban sprawl. Miles and miles divided by water and with no public transit. I grew up in the Bay Area, but was still a full hour from Raymond James and 45 minutes from the Trop. I don't really know what hockey is, but I know the Ice Palace wasn't close either. Whereas, you can hop on the Subway anywhere in New York and end up at Citi Park or Yankee Stadium for the price of one subway fare, In the Bay area it's an ordeal. You have to pack up the car, probably fill it with gas, go and pay for parking and then in addition to the added cost, you have to absorb the regular cost of the sporting event (tickets, concessions, etc...) and then fight traffic and drive however long back home. No where is that more of an issue than Tropicana Field. But here's the rub, when things are good financially in Tampa the people do come... The Trop being an exception, because it's a soulless dump of a dome in a down-trodden part of St. Pete that is central to no one, the Bucs and Lightning both used to enjoy great attendance. There was a time when I was in high school where you could be on the waiting list for Bucs season tickets for a decade and never get a shot at them. Bucs games were THE ticket in Tampa on Sundays. Attendance didn't become an issue at Raymond James until the economy fell... The Lightning have lead the NHL in attendance in the past. It's time for people to start calling the national pundits on their BS. Tampa is a city in crisis, but make no beefs about it, they love their sports teams. When the money is there, so too are the fans. But money doesn't grow on trees.

NBA Playoffs 2012: Spurs Show No Rust, Defeat Clippers In Game 1 Rout

Sir Charles In Charge — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:13:57 +0000

After sweeping the Utah Jazz in the first round and spending 8 days waiting for their second round opponent, the San Antonio Spurs finally returned home to the AT&T Center and showed the rest of the NBA that they are a force to be reckoned with in this years playoffs. Tim Duncan scored 26 points and added 10 rebounds to lead the Spurs to a 108-92 game 1 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in this Western Conference semi-final matchup. This was the Spurs 15th consecutive victory dating back to the regular season. It's the longest winning streak sustained into the playoffs by a team since the Spurs did it back in 2004 with 17 wins going into the second round. DOUBTERS BE DAMNED After last years first round thrashing by the Memphis Grizzlies, it was getting harder to believe in the San Antonio Spurs as a legitimate threat to the NBA championship anymore. They were old and their time had come and gone. I guess no one told the San Antonio Spurs that. During this 15 game winning streak, the Spurs have won by a margin of 17 points a game. Not only have they maintained their effectiveness on the defensive end, but they've become one of the most potent offensive teams in the entire league. Tim Duncan turned back the clock against the Clippers last night and had one of his better stat lines in recent memory (26 points, 12 for 20 shooting, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 1 turnover). That was his 44th career 25-10-2 playoff game. Only Shaquille O-Neal(57) and Hakeem "The Dream (49) have had more. He was aggressive in the paint when matched up with Blake Griffin and also showed his ability to nail the long-range jumper with several shots made from 15 feet away. The Spurs also got solid production from a couple of young starters who are starting to stand out more and more as these playoffs progress. Third-year player Danny Green finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks while rookie starter Kawhi Leonard chipped in 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Both players each added 3 three-pointers to top it off. The contributions from Green and Leonard covered up what was a bad day at the office for MVP candidate Tony Parker. Parker finished with just 7 points on 1 for 9 shooting, but he did dish out 11 asssists to save his evening. Parker was kept in check throughout the night by Clippers point guard Chris Paul, but thankfully the collective performances of his teammates helped salvage this game 1 victory. The Spurs look like a scary basketball team right now. Not only are they winning, but they're winning convincingly. Obviously, all of this can change if they lose in game 2, but as for now, the Spurs should not be slept on. Numbers and victories don't lie. CLIPPERS GASSED The Clippers looked like a team that just went 7 games in the first round. Young legs or not, they are a team who is clearly tired and fatigued after their way with the Grizzlies. Chris Paul never got his offensive rhythm going in this one. He finished with 6 points on 3 for 13 shooting, but he did have 10 assists and 5 steals. Those numbers are nice, but Paul needs to be the scorer that he was in the Memphis series for this team to win this series. Luckily for Paul, his matchup Tony Parker didn't have the best of nights either, but thats still no excuse. For the minutes he played (28), Blake Griffin had himself a solid ballgame with 15 points and 9 rebounds. His knee may not be 100%, but it's certainly gotten better to the point where he can run the court efficiently and make plays like this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjLAGQnS9E4 Los Angeles also got incredible production from backup guard Eric Bledsoe off the bench as Eric finished with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. The problem with the Clippers is that instead of trying to stop the Spurs on defense, they just tried to keep pace with them on the scoring end. San Antonio shot nearly 50% from the field, hit 13 three-pointers and hit 8 more free throws than Los Angeles. That's not how you beat the Spurs. They were the #2 scoring team in the regular season with 103.7 points a game. The Clippers need to get their legs back underneath them because the Spurs are rested and will run away with this series unless they learn to stop the Spurs offensive attack. QUOTES OF THE GAME ''I felt I got all the shots that I wanted. I just didn't make them. That's the most frustrating part. Getting to where I wanted to and not seeing them go down. Can't do that in the playoffs.'' - Clippers guard Chris Paul ''It's hard to tell if they were tired or not. If we were rusty or not. The game just developed that way it did.'' - Spurs guard Manu Ginobili TWEET OF THE GAME

Tim Duncan is going to teach Blake Griffin how to play PF this entire series. — Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) May 16, 2012

FINAL THOUGHTS - I wish the San Antonio fans would wear similar shirts as they do in most arenas during the playoffs (ex. Oklahoma City and Miami). It would be cool to see the audience dressed in a see of black and white. - Not to take anything away from his performance, but Manu Ginobili finally had a solid game during these playoffs. He scored 22 points in 28 minutes off the bench. He didn't have the best of series against the Utah Jazz, so hopefully this is a sign that Manu is finally finding his game again. NEXT GAME Game 2: Thursday, May 17, Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs, 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN Christopher Walder is a sports blogger and lead editor for Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter @WalderSports

Looking Back At Victor Zambrano

Rays Colored Glasses — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:09:28 +0000

Victor Zambrano, was a very average major league pitcher. However, he was thought to be a lot worse.

He was signed by the Rays as a minor league free agent in 1996, approximately a month after being released by the New York Yankees. He was converted from shortstop to a pitcher by the Rays due to his strong arm. Pitching primarily as a reliever, he moved up through the system fairly quickly, reaching AAA by 2000. Zambrano had a good arm, striking out roughly a batter per inning, but he also had control issues, as he would walk more than 4 batters per inning. He also allowed over a hit per inning, showing that his lower ERA totals were probably unsustainable.

Regardless, the Rays were in love with his stuff, particularly his great changeup. He appeared to have put everything together in 2001 as the closer for Durham, putting together a 1-2 record with a 2.08 ERA in 29 games. Most importantly, he only gave up 26 hits and 12 walks in 30.1 innings while striking out 29 batters. Promoted to the Rays, he made his debut on June 21. In his rookie season, he appeared in 36 games, putting together a 6-2 record with a 3.16 ERA. Over his 51.1 innings, he only permited 38 hits and walked only 18, while striking out 58 batters.

That would be the pinnacle for Zambrano. He pitched well in AAA to start the 2002 season, finally reaching the majors for good. He split his time between starting and relieving, appearing in 42 games with 11 starts. The control issues began to crop up again, as in his 114 innings pitched, he walked 68 batters and gave up 120 hits. Most alarming, however, was his decreasing strikeout rate, as he only struck out 73 batters. He managed to finish with an 8-8 record, despite a 5.53 ERA.

2003 found Zambrano primarily as a starter, and his control continued to worsen. He ended the year with a 12-10 record, and lowered his ERA to 4.21. However, the positives ended there, as he ended up with a pitching Triple Crown that few would covet, leading the American League in walks (106), wild pitches (15), and hit batters (20). He did give up less than a hit per inning, and struck out 132 batters, helping to minimize the damage.

The 2004 season was much of the same. By July 30, he had a 9-7 record, with an almost exactly league average ERA of 4.43. He was also leading the league in walks, hit batsmen, and wild pitches again, when he was sent to the Mets for top pitching prospect Scott Kazmir. Zambrano actually pitched well for the Mets in the three games he played, going 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA, before missing the last two months of the season with an elbow injury.

In 2005, Zambrano continued his tightrope act, to the tune of a 7-12 record and a 4.17 ERA. His control improved, but his strikeout rate declined as a result of the injury the previous year. In 2006, Zambrano sprinted off the mound just 1.1 innings into his fifth start of the year, holding his elbow. Diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon, it was also discovered that he had a torn elbow ligament as well during the surgery. He underwent Tommy John surgery, effectively ending his major league career.

Zambrano bounced around the minors and the Mexican league afterward, making his final major league appearances in the 2007 season for the Blue Jays and the Orioles. Even if the trade did not work out as anticipated for the Mets, was the trade really as much of a success for the Rays as people thought? Kazmir was a top prospect with a live arm, leading the American League in strikeouts in 2007 and making two All-Star teams (2006 and 2008). However, he had control problems of his own, and has completely flamed out by age 27. The Mets felt that Zambrano was not as bad a pitcher as people felt, and that Kazmir was overrated. In the end, the Mets may have been correct.

Victor Zambrano provided the Rays with their second true ace starter, after Rolando Arroyo in 1998. While he was never great, he also was not as bad as people remember him to be. He was simply a serviceable back of the rotation pitcher, who the Rays managed to flip at the peak of his value.

Darrelle Revis on the Passion of the Tebow

The Jet Press — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:02:30 +0000

[caption id="attachment_7355" align="alignright" width="199" caption="December 4, 2011; Landover, MD, USA; New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) stands on the field during warm-ups prior to the Jets game against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. The Jets won 34-19. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE"][/caption] I feel obligated to report this for the Tebow fans out there, as it was a story from the Jets open locker room today. Darrelle Revis spoke about Tim Tebow, and his passion, and Jenny Vrentas posted about what he had to say:

Clipped from: www.nj.com (share this clip)

I absolutely have nothing to say on this, as you all know how I feel on this guy. Let's see him do it on the field, that is all I have to say.

Brett Lawrie vs. Bill Miller

Jays Journal — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:01:35 +0000

As you have surely heard by now, last night's game against the Rays took an unexpected turn in the bottom of the ninth inning, when both Brett Lawrie and John Farrell were ejected after arguing home plate umpire Bill Miller's third strike call. While Lawrie certainly lost his cool and failed to control his emotions, it's hard to fault him for getting frustrated. By drawing a one-out walk, he would have represented the tying run and been in a position to steal his way into scoring position in a close game against a division rival. Add in that the Rays scored four unanswered runs to erase a rare 3-0 Jays lead on David Price, and it's easy to see why Lawrie was so amped up in what was a winnable game. Miller's calls, however, certainly didn't help matters, and after repeatedly watching Lawrie's at-bat, it appeared to be the fourth pitch that actually started everything. Catching Rays closer Fernando Rodney was former Jays catcher Jose Molina, one of the best pitch framers in the league. In the first pitch of the at-bat, Molina set up outside and tried to briefly frame Rodney's 82 mph changeup, but it was called a ball by Miller. Then, after a wild throw outside and a foul ball made the count 2-1, the next pitch was critical. Rodney fired a 95 mph fastball that caught the outside corner of the plate, but it was low. Molina managed to stick his glove, though, and bring the pitch, pictured below, up to Lawrie's knees, and the offering could very well have been called a strike. Instead, Miller called it ball three, and while this is pure speculation on my part, he could have recognized that he missed the call on that pitch and decided to make up for it on the next one, providing it was anywhere near the strike zone. As you can see in these two pictures, though, the pitch was well outside the zone and even made its way over the left batter's box, so it's no surprise that Lawrie proceeded to walk down to first base and assume that he had just drawn a walk -- something that umpires can't stand. Stopping dead in his tracks after hearing the strike call, Lawrie walked back to the plate, and although neither Lawrie or Miller said anything to each other, Lawrie stared him down before resuming the at-bat, which Miller probably wasn't impressed with. But as Sportsnet's Mike Wilner pointed out after the game, Miller let his emotions get in the way of making the right call on the final pitch of the at-bat. "It’s an umpire’s job to call balls and strikes, safe and out and to maintain control of the game. It’s not an umpire’s job to insinuate himself into said game by enacting personal vendettas when he feels slighted, and that’s what Miller did," Wilner wrote. The image below -- where the ball is above the logo on Lawrie's jersey and almost eye level with Molina -- says it all: In addition to blowing such an obvious call, I was somewhat surprised at how fast Miller threw Lawrie out of the game. It took just a couple of words after turning around for Lawrie to get tossed, which only set him off even further, leading him to throw his helmet on the ground and unintentionally hit Miller with it. In what was a necessary move, Farrell ran out to restrain his third baseman and give Miller a piece of his own mind before getting tossed himself, a display that I thought was important on Farrell's part and, at the very least, should bring him closer to his players in the clubhouse. While it's easy to understand why Lawrie reacted to Miller's calls, how he reacted after the fact was unacceptable and is almost guaranteed to result in a suspension. My first thought was that he'd receive five games, but considering Roberto Alomar received five games for his incident in 1996 and Yadier Molina received five games for physically brushing home plate umpire Rob Drake last season, Brett Lawrie could receive less, but seven to ten games could also be a possibility. - JM Like what you read and want to stay informed on all updates here at Jays Journal? Follow us on Twitter (@JaysJournal), “Like” our Facebook page, or grab our RSS feed!

How the USFL Could Affect the Dallas Cowboys

The Landry Hat — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:00:41 +0000

The United States Football League is back in the spring of 2013, according to reports from ESPN.com; being a part of the semiprofessional football world I already know how it will affect the players playing either without pay or very little pay looking for an opportunity to showcase their skills. Many of these young men attempt to play Canadian Football (CFL) and Arena Football (AFL) and now have another opportunity to showcase their skills and increase their pocket books. Some of the many players playing in [caption id="attachment_15791" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Graphic credit: http://stevejonesshow.com/new-usfl-is-back/"][/caption] various semiprofessional or amateur football leagues have the talent to play professional football, but for reasons that are all different, they don’t make it to the next level some of them not even making it to the collegiate level. How does it affect the Dallas Cowboys? The best comparison I can give goes back to my time as a General Manager for a team last football season called the Golden Crescent Raiders, a team co-owned by former NFL great Priest Holmes. In my hometown, we had 2 semiprofessional football teams, the Victoria Texans and the Raiders. In a town of 70,000 plus it would seem that the talent pool would not be a problem. In fact, it was. How will it affect the Cowboys? It could mean a saturation of talent, as it did for my town’s situation. The solution in my town was to combine the two teams, as one team didn’t make the playoffs while the other team limped in and out of the playoffs very quickly. Now I’m not saying that every player will hop to the USFL but the fact of the matter is that there will be less out there to look at as some players will find a home on a USFL team that may as well be playing for the Cowboys. Will some players that are currently playing play for the USFL, which plans on playing during the spring? I am sure that there are clauses in their NFL contracts that prohibit them from jumping around from league to league. I see it all the time in my semi pro experience as some players may jump to a league that his still playing football as soon as their league is done playing. In the very early days of the NFL, players would play several games in several days as I learned in watching the video, “75 Seasons of the NFL.” The player they interviewed exclaimed that he played 3 games in 4 days. Free agency will be a bit more interesting as the players can use the USFL as leverage for more money and better incentives as well as getting long term commitments. Think about it for a moment, the USFL is going to be desperate to prove itself, and will be hard pressed to make big deals with very talented NFL players. The creme of the crop of the NFL Free Agent class will now have the tools demand more for their careers and pocketbooks. The Cowboys will be competing not only the other 31 teams, but however many the new USFL can come up with as well. One aspect I know that it will not affect the Cowboys is the fan base. It doesn’t matter where you put a football team in the state of Texas, there will always be Cowboy fans in full force. Even if the USFL decides one season to try to play against the NFL, which was part of the downfall of the original USFL of the early 80’s, the dedication Dallas Cowboy fans exhibit is pretty hard to beat. I wrote last week about the Cowboys looking for a diamond in the rough and finding one in Bill Bates. Bates was actually selected by a team in the USFL draft but he chose to play for his favorite NFL team, the Cowboys. Imagine for a minute, if Bates had decided to follow through and play for USFL. For one thing, there wouldn’t have been an article about who would be the next Bill Bates plus I don’t think that the NFL would have changed its Special teams units the way they did when Bates played. One other thing to think about, if the USFL were to become successful, the Cowboys selection process in drafting players would have to change and it would be a “rat race” as it was back in the days of the NFL and the American Football League (the original AFL). Getting top players to play would be a little more difficult because Dallas would be competing, upping the ante on making sure the players they would want would not turn face and play for the rival league. The USFL would have to prove itself in many ways before they would be taken seriously; they have taken one step by having Hall of Famer, former Oakland Raider Fred Biletnikoff as advisor. Just because you have a former NFL player apart of an organization doesn’t make it an instant success, unfortunately those Golden Crescent Raiders no longer exist but that doesn’t mean the USFL will not make a good attempt to keep up with the Joneses.

Brew Crew Online: Episode Five

Reviewing the Brew — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:57:21 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5146" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Brewers' season will turn around, guaranteed or your money back! Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE"][/caption] We bring you yet again our weekly podcast at Reviewing the Brew, Brew Crew Online. As always, Colin and I discuss everything and all things Brewers with a touch of our opinions on other MLB issues. This week's discussion deals with the following: -Our picks of the week (Brewers' player, pitcher and hitter) -The two game series against the Astros -Norichika Aoki and Travis Ishikawa -Small market teams losing good players -Inter league play this weekend -The Minnesota Twins -Zack Greinke (again) Until next week, thanks again for listening!

Brock Osweiler Happily A Clip Board Holder For Now

Predominantly Orange — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:43:39 +0000

[caption id="attachment_11965" align="alignright" width="184" caption="Brock Osweiler during mini camp at Broncos headquarters. (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)"][/caption] Tuesday afternoon John Elway said that Brock Osweiler was the Denver Broncos quarterback of the future. "We are set for the future, and he's our guy for the future," Elway said. "Sometimes you have to sacrifice the short term for the long term to draft a guy that you believe can be that next guy for you, and that's Brock Osweiler." In some people's opinions, Osweiler was selected too early for a quarterback his size. He was taken in the second round (57th overall). "There haven't been many quarterbacks that are 6'7", 240+ pounds that have the athleticism that I do," Osweiler said. "The way I looked at it is if I continued to progress as a quarterback, get better in my time as a college football player, then hopefully I would have a chance to play in the NFL one day." His chance has come and now he has the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. "It's a dream come true as a young quarterback to be in the situation that I'm fortunate enough to be in today," Osweiler said of playing behind Peyton Manning and playing for John Elway. Osweiler certainly isn't the first quarterback to come to Denver with a different type of throwing motion. The Broncos just traded Tim Tebow away after determining that he wasn't going to be quarterback for the future. Aside from having the Broncos in common, though, Osweiler and Tebow have a coach in common. Both worked with quarterback coach Noel Mazzone in the offseason. For Osweiler , Mazzone's main goal was to get the young quarterback to raise his elbow. In college, Osweiler's elbow would drop below his shoulder which limits velocity, accuracy, and consistency. John Fox said he was impressed with the changes that Osweiler made in the offseason when rookie mini camp wrapped up. As for Osweiler, he's just happy that life has settled a little after the draft. "It's been nice knowing where you're finally going," Osweiler said. "You're sitting on pins and needles for three months." Now Osweiler will be sitting on leather chairs as he embarks on endless hours of film study with Manning. It's a nice trade off. Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook and on Twitter.

Giants to Receive Rings Tonight

GMEN HQ — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:31:14 +0000

The Super Bowl Champion New York Football Giants will receive their Championship rings at Tiffany's in New York City on May 16th In was is sure to be a fantastic evening the Giants will get their rings. Unlike other sports where they wait to the next season, and hand them out in the opener, the NFL allows teams to make their own plans on how to distribute the rings. Of course the Giants have the advantage of having the jeweler that makes the Super Bowl trophy for the league in their city, and therefore can have the ring ceremony in the same place. We have heard some stories about the ring, it will have some blue in it, and of course have replicas of the now four Super Bowl trophies the team retains.

Sponsor Don't Care If We See Good Racing

Stock Car Spin — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:20:09 +0000

If you have been following my blogs, you know by now that I am an older race fan who is somewhat opinionated about the product we see on the race track, in particular, the lack of good racing in the Sprint Cup Series. I continue to beleive the blame for the sports decline in fan interest, is perched on the shoulders of the sponsors, with some blame burdened by Nascar. An article in this month's edition of ESPN The Magazine(The Money Edition) caught my attention. In response to the question that "Dale Jr. and Danica Patrick haven't won a major race in four years", Go Daddy founder and Executive Chairman, Bob Parsons, Danica's sponsor since 2006, was quoted as saying, "Of course I want to win races, but we're winning either way". The 37 minutes and 26 seconds of exposure Patrick got at the Daytona 500 in February would have cost $11.8 Million Dollars. Since Go Daddy signed Danica Patrick, they have had an increase of market share from 25% to 54%. This kind of relationship doesn't sound to me like something that will produce good racing. When the people who pony up the dollars to sponsor a car don't care if they win, as long as their logo is going around the track, and being televised, can't be good for fans. With that type of an attitude, they get more TV time if their car wrecks, especially late in a race when everyone is watching. The portion of blame I put on Nascar, has mainly to do with the rules package. The car owners are put in a position that require them to deal with these types of sponsors in order to remain competitive on a week to week basis. The small race teams who don't have big dollar sponsors on their hoods struggle with even small rules changes. Let's not forget that when Nascar mandates a change to improve fan interest, these teams have to comply without having that money tree in the back yard to harvest. An article by USA Today from July of 2010, points out that attendance and the quality of racing has been a problem for some time. After the success Nascar enjoyed up until the start of the new millenia , has been in a downward spiral since 2003. With almost 4.5 million fans attending races in 2003, that number dropped over a million fans by 2010 to just over 3.5 million. One factor stated by Fox Sports chairman David Hill, was that young males (age 18-34 Yrs. Old) were leaving the sport, where declines in that ratings were in the neighborhood of 29%. The economy didn't start a real decline until after 2007, so it probably isn't the total reason for decline. This particular demographic is telling me that they are leaving because the excitement is gone and the playoff system changes so often that it's tough to keep up with how one needs to compete in order to make the playoffs. As a side bar to this article, Humpy Wheeler was interviewed and indicated that multiple sponsor packages on top cars was making it difficult for a fan to find his favorite driver as races begin, sometime not being sure of where his car is on the track until late in races. He's in favor of each car following a year long paint scheme, with sponsor graphics being added to this fixed theme. He is concerned that fans are losing interest because they can't find their drivers. I feel like the boom Nascar experienced in the late 1990's was a fad. It became cool to be a Nascar Fan. Like all fads, this one too is losing interest. The wanna be motor-heads have went back to baseball, hockey and which ever sport the were big on, and decided racing really wasn't their thing. Nascar didn't help in the effort to keep them here. The big reason we watch football, is the "on the field action". If it weren't exciting, we wouldn't watch football. The NFL, has to change the rules occasionally to help with asset management and the safety of the players, but they haven't hurt the action so much as to make it un-watchable. Maybe what we race fans need is for the sport to hit bottom and purge it of the sponsors who don't care if their drivers win or not, because they don't care. Then we can get back to the business of sponsors who DO CARE. Articles Referenced were from ESPN The Magazine and USA Today's website. Follow Me on Twitter @Spin_47

Casey, Klug and Martin, the best group of young DTs

Titan Sized — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:15:29 +0000

[caption id="attachment_9977" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="September 1, 2011; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Karl Klug (97) is congratulated by teammates following a safety against the New Orleans Saints in the first quarter during a preseason game at the Louisiana Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-US PRESSWIRE"][/caption] It’s time for old fashion football. When you face MJD and Arian Foster twice a year you have to be able to stop the run or you simply have no chance to win that football game. 604 pounds combined between Martin and Casey won’t be easy to move around for opposing offensive lines, especially when you talk about smart guys who are still under 24 years old. Martin is a high motor kind of player who never quits a play. He will win a lot of 1-on-1 match-ups and was a really productive player. He is a great addition to an already young defensive line and will compliment what Casey and Karl Klug did last year. He may be the safest pick on this year’s draft. We all know what Casey is capable of doing. He was all over the field making tackles in the backfield and showed great instincts to read and react. The surprising thing is that he did all of that with no offseason last year. Karl Klug is more of a situational pass rush player. He will see a lot of playing time and will be right behind Martin and Casey for second and third and long. He is also capable of stopping the run because of his athleticism even though he is a little undersized for a DT in the NFL. Martin, Casey and Klug will definitely be a combo hard to defend for opposing teams and this will definitely help defensive ends to have more 1-on-1 match-ups in the edge. I don’t understand when people say that we haven’t improved our pass rush. Just imagine this: Martin and Casey pushing with 604 pounds of strength in the interior line, Wimbley rushing off the edge with great athleticism and behind him, Ayers or rookie Zack Brown rushing the passer showing crazy speed. If that’s not enough, you can add Karl Klug, Derrick Morgan and Collin McCarthy to the mix of players capable of rushing the passer. My sense is that we will see a more aggressive scheme from Gray. The Titans just brought a “pass rush specialist” to improve players’ technique. I’m expecting big numbers from this unit. Titans did upgrade their pass rush, just wait and see. On the other hand, it can’t get worse than last year right? Feel free to leave comments on here or hit us up on our Facebook page or Twitter! You can also find me on Twitter @ags_09

Jonathan Massaquoi: Atlanta Falcons 5th Round Steal?

Blogging Dirty — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:08:52 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5397" align="aligncenter" width="650" caption="May 12, 2012; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi goes through a drill during Falcons rookie camp at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE"][/caption] In looking around the internet for reports on new NFL rookies, I stumbled upon this article from Yahoo! which spoke specifically to 5th round picks. The article talks about 5th round draft picks who were terrific values-- players who when graded on skill set had the possibility of being drafted higher, but fell to later rounds. Only five players were in the piece, and one of them was the Falcons' Jonathan Massaquoi. The Yahoo reporter spoke very highly of Massaquoi. As a matter of fact, back in February there was another Yahoo piece ranking Massaquoi as the 50th best prospect for the 2012 NFL Draft. Granted, this guy is not a professional scout and is not currently in the front office of an NFL franchise, so there is a reason Massaquoi was drafted in the 5th rather than the 2nd round. However the point must be acknowledged that the Falcons drafted a Defensive end who has the size to potentially play Outside Linebacker in a 3-4 front, and to play at a high level. While he may have a great burst off the line, tremendous agility, a good bull-rush for his size, and a tremendous motor, Massaquoi is not without his flaws. He is raw, and since he had success against less than elite competition hasn't had to develop a very big pass-rushing repertoire of moves which is something that is absolutely necessary from a pass rushing specialist in the NFL today. The good news is that there are multiple sources who feel that the Falcons got a tremendous value pick in the 5th round, and have a player who could develop into a stater at DE in the future. While he will only be a situational pass rusher or a DE in a rotation with John Abraham, Ray Edwards and Kroy Biermann, it is positive that there is so much potential and upside to Massaquoi. All that is needed is for him to be developed properly, something the Falcons have already begun to work on.