The NFL regular season is now over, setting up one of the more interesting playoff years in recent memory. With no clear-cut favourite in either conference, this weekend's wild-card (or, if you prefer, "wild card") matchups could produce one or both of this year's Super Bowl finalists.
Last year, the #5 seed Giants won 3 straight road games to reach the Super Bowl; the #6 Steelers did the same thing the year before. Will history repeat itself this year?
AFC
(5) Indianapolis @ (4) San Diego: The Colts have the best chance to follow in the Giants' and Steelers' footsteps and reach the Super Bowl. They've won 9 straight and have the likely league MVP behind centre. The Chargers have won 4 straight, but not against any team as good as the Colts. Colts 41, Chargers 31.
(6) Baltimore @ (3) Miami: The battle of "really, they're in the playoffs?" A lot of people seem to think Miami will simply be happy to be in the post-season and not put up much of a fight against the Ravens, but I disagree. Miami has all the pieces in place to pull off a win here, even if Baltimore did win in Miami this year. Dolphins 17, Ravens 13.
NFC
(5) Atlanta @ (4) Arizona: When it's your first home playoff game in your current state, and you moved there in the 70's, you know it's a big moment. Atlanta may be the more talented team (really, Atlanta? Did I just write that?), but Arizona will be pumped to be at home, where they were dominant this year, and Atlanta has a young team that may falter in the playoffs. It'll be close. Cardinals 31, Falcons 27.
(6) Philadelphia @ (3) Minnesota: Honestly, I can't trust Philadelphia. One week they dominate Dallas, another week they tie Cincinnati. But against Minnesota, they should be able to pull it out. Eagles 23, Vikings 17.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
So, We Meet Again...
Okay, it's obviously been a long time since I've posted anything on here, but with full time school and a full time internship (at TSN, no less), it's been hard to find the time to post my thoughts on the world of sports.
So, without further adieu...
- CC Sabathia signed with the Evil Empire today, 7 years @ over 160 mill. Not bad work in today's tough economic times if you can get it. Makes you wonder where that Sabathia to the Dodgers talk on Sunday came from. After weeks of speculation about CC's love of batting and wish to play in Southern California, it turns out in the end that money speaks louder than anything else. Or maybe it's just because pinstripes are slimming.
- With Sabathia and K-Rod (to the Mets) off the MLB free agent list, A.J. Burnett is likely the next big fish to find a new pond. Reports today put the Yanks and Braves 1-2 in the sweepstakes for the overrated right-hander, and it's anyone's guess where Burnett will end up. I'd love to see him join New York, just so long-suffering Blue Jays fans can watch him crash and burn in the Big Apple.
- Speaking of the Jays, a heartfelt goodbye to Ted Rogers. I worked for his company for 6 years, and while I never met the man, the one time he spoke to a group of us on a conference call really picked up the troops. He will be missed.
- While I was writing that, Nicklas Lidstrom won the Wings-Flames game for his team in overtime. And I cheered - not for the Wings win or the Flames loss, but for Lidstrom's game-winning goal for my fantasy hockey team. Sports have a much different meaning now with the advent of fantasy games.
- Was Bills in Toronto a flop? No, no, a thousand times no. Just because the game was garbage doesn't mean the experiment failed. The stadium was full (mostly) and we were able to showcase our city to the United States for something beside hockey. If the Bills hadn't put up a horrendous effort (7 days after another horrendous effort), we'd be praising how strong the experiment was. And to those who a) wanted the dome roof open or b) complained that the closed roof favoured the visiting Dolphins...grow up. Sunday was the coldest days of the year so far, and I doubt 50,000 people would have preferred sitting outside in that just to give their adopted home team a perceived advantage.
- Michael Phelps won the SI Sportsman of the Year. Chantal Petitclerc won the Toronto Star's Lou Marsh Award. It's almost like in Olympic years, no other sports matter.
- Does golf season ever end?
- This year's Winter Classic between Detroit and Chicago from Wrigley Field will get better ratings than last year's game by a mile... and will pass whichever college football game it is up against that afternoon. Mark my words. And if they put it in a Canadian city next year, the ratings will collapse. But put it in Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park...watch out.
- Why is no one talking about the Carolina Panthers for the Super Bowl this year?
- Why is everyone still talking about the New York Jets for the Super Bowl this year?
- There's lots of talk about salaries being cut because of the economic problems, but why is no one talking contraction in leagues? Both the NHL and the NBA have franchises which don't draw nearly enough people to sustain themselves now, and contraction will improve their talent pools immensely. And for the record, those franchises are Nashville, Florida, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Phoenix and the Islanders for the NHL and Memphis, New Orleans, Charlotte, and Atlanta for the NBA.
- I'm the first one on board for the "let's get rid of Sean Avery from the NHL" train, but... If there's a belief that Avery needs "psychological help", then why hasn't it happened yet? There seems to be such a stigma in professional sports regarding mental illness, and to me, the perception is along the lines of homosexuality: the law of averages say it's there, but no one talks about it. If Avery does have some sort of mental illness, and he wishes to treat it, then we all need to back off. And maybe, in the long run, something like this will open the door for players to openly admit that they have issues with mental illness.
So, without further adieu...
- CC Sabathia signed with the Evil Empire today, 7 years @ over 160 mill. Not bad work in today's tough economic times if you can get it. Makes you wonder where that Sabathia to the Dodgers talk on Sunday came from. After weeks of speculation about CC's love of batting and wish to play in Southern California, it turns out in the end that money speaks louder than anything else. Or maybe it's just because pinstripes are slimming.
- With Sabathia and K-Rod (to the Mets) off the MLB free agent list, A.J. Burnett is likely the next big fish to find a new pond. Reports today put the Yanks and Braves 1-2 in the sweepstakes for the overrated right-hander, and it's anyone's guess where Burnett will end up. I'd love to see him join New York, just so long-suffering Blue Jays fans can watch him crash and burn in the Big Apple.
- Speaking of the Jays, a heartfelt goodbye to Ted Rogers. I worked for his company for 6 years, and while I never met the man, the one time he spoke to a group of us on a conference call really picked up the troops. He will be missed.
- While I was writing that, Nicklas Lidstrom won the Wings-Flames game for his team in overtime. And I cheered - not for the Wings win or the Flames loss, but for Lidstrom's game-winning goal for my fantasy hockey team. Sports have a much different meaning now with the advent of fantasy games.
- Was Bills in Toronto a flop? No, no, a thousand times no. Just because the game was garbage doesn't mean the experiment failed. The stadium was full (mostly) and we were able to showcase our city to the United States for something beside hockey. If the Bills hadn't put up a horrendous effort (7 days after another horrendous effort), we'd be praising how strong the experiment was. And to those who a) wanted the dome roof open or b) complained that the closed roof favoured the visiting Dolphins...grow up. Sunday was the coldest days of the year so far, and I doubt 50,000 people would have preferred sitting outside in that just to give their adopted home team a perceived advantage.
- Michael Phelps won the SI Sportsman of the Year. Chantal Petitclerc won the Toronto Star's Lou Marsh Award. It's almost like in Olympic years, no other sports matter.
- Does golf season ever end?
- This year's Winter Classic between Detroit and Chicago from Wrigley Field will get better ratings than last year's game by a mile... and will pass whichever college football game it is up against that afternoon. Mark my words. And if they put it in a Canadian city next year, the ratings will collapse. But put it in Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park...watch out.
- Why is no one talking about the Carolina Panthers for the Super Bowl this year?
- Why is everyone still talking about the New York Jets for the Super Bowl this year?
- There's lots of talk about salaries being cut because of the economic problems, but why is no one talking contraction in leagues? Both the NHL and the NBA have franchises which don't draw nearly enough people to sustain themselves now, and contraction will improve their talent pools immensely. And for the record, those franchises are Nashville, Florida, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Phoenix and the Islanders for the NHL and Memphis, New Orleans, Charlotte, and Atlanta for the NBA.
- I'm the first one on board for the "let's get rid of Sean Avery from the NHL" train, but... If there's a belief that Avery needs "psychological help", then why hasn't it happened yet? There seems to be such a stigma in professional sports regarding mental illness, and to me, the perception is along the lines of homosexuality: the law of averages say it's there, but no one talks about it. If Avery does have some sort of mental illness, and he wishes to treat it, then we all need to back off. And maybe, in the long run, something like this will open the door for players to openly admit that they have issues with mental illness.
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