Mile High Massacre..Week 1

Hey...That guy is open again....

Last night kicked off the NFL season as the defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens TRAVELED to the mile high City to face the Denver Broncos in a Divisional round rematch from last year.  A place that (as NBC rammed down our throats in case anyone forgot) the Mile High Miracle.  It truly was one of the greatest playoff games I have ever seen, and this was surely going to be a great re-match.........right?

WRONG.....

Last year this game gave us the Mile High Miracle and this year it gave us the Mile High Massacre.  Here are the top 5 things I took from the game....

1. Peyton Manning is the best QB I have ever seen:  Bar none, including his own team president.  No QB is more guaranteed to produce with time to prepare than Peyton Manning.  Last night he put on a surgical clinic, and made adjustments throughout the entire game.  The Ravens took away, Thomas, Decker and Welker early.....He found Julius FREAKING Thomas...The 45th string TE on the roster.   Passes and fades were laid exactly where only his WR could get the ball....oh and tying an NFL record with 7 TD passes is pretty impressive no matter who you are (The last guy to do it is probably more remembered for this good time than the 7 TD's he threw in 1969)

HOT POTATO!!

2. The Baltimore Ravens need to find someone who can catch the ball...soon: Joe Flacco was 34-62 and his "Receivers"(I use that term loosely) had at least 12 drops...Most of which seemed to come on 3rd down.  Joe was not great but he was way better than what his receiving corp showed.  Dallas Clark had 2 KEY drops including a TD to end the half, Ed "Dropsy" Dickson had 4 drops (oh he cant really block either), and Brandon Stokely is old enough that he stopped running for a long pass from Flacco when he realized he was tired and just didnt have that next gear.  Other than Jacoby Jones early on, no one else decided they wanted to get in a rhythm with their QB.

3. Denver's Defense may be better than we all thought:  They are young, fast and athletic, and, oh by the way, were missing their 2 best defensive players....Without Champ Bailey and Von Miller the Broncos D was able to get pressure and able to lock down Torrey Smith.  Sean Phillips was an animal last night.  Peyton and a Defense...uh oh....

4. Baltimore isn't missing the physical presence of Ray Lewis or Ed Reed, but something still seemed weird not seeing them there:  Listen, I am the first to say how big a Ray Lewis Fan I am, but last year he was a physical liability on passing downs.  When new ILB Bynes and Smith were in coverage last night they were able to keep up and stay in coverage, only missing when they had communication breakdowns.  Mike Huff, who was to replace Reed, was actually more disciplined and stayed in his coverage.  The problem, however is that he was BAD at coverage and even WORSE at tackling, things he will get better at.  But even with Suggs and Ngata still there you couldn't help but watch and ask...Where is the swagger?  Where is the ferocious intimidation?  The Answer is.....it retired....

5. NBC was still in preseason mode:  From Bob Costas calling Dennis Pittas, "Dan", and Al Michales taking almost the entire first half to realize Manning was wearing a Glove, The crew wasn't ready for the opener or the weather delay.  Then came the coup de graus.........Al Michaels mentioned how the Ravens had to open on the road (something only one other Super Bowl Champ has had to do) because the ORIOLES refused to work with them.  For the last time folks....even if the Orioles wanted to juggle their Playoff stretch schedule, mess with their pitching rotation during a pennant race(which they are very much a part of) and change the game to help their Russell street brothers...they need permission from MLB and the Players Union......Guess who nixed the whole thing?.....YES..Bud Selig and the players union.  This was not the Orioles fault.

"Goldy, but the Orioles and Angelos told Steve Bisciotti NO when he asked them.."
Ok crazy Baltimore fan (yes I am one too) riddle me this......

You own a competitive professional sports franchise.  Your team is expected to compete for the post season again.  Are you going to change the way your key starters play, move a crucial HOME game to another location? Oh wait, and the game in question is in the literal HOME STRETCH of your regular season when all post season berths are decided! The answer is NO over and over and over again......

What did you think of last nights game?

Goldy!

My favorite time of year calls for a RETURN!

Well hello there sports fans....welcome back to Goldy's.  It has been a while since I last gave you sports fodder to discuss, and now I have decided to re-open the doors and make a good run at making this place bigger and more interactive than before! 

With a new re-dedication to talking sports and covering all those important topics (well what we sports junkies consider important) its time to come back during what is always my FAVORITE time of year!  Second only to Opening day of baseball season, this point in the year is great because there is nothing like September baseball and the beginning of the NFL season!!

First September baseball.....I mean come on...if you enjoy baseball even just a little bit this is the month that is the most exciting.  I know...I know..October is what gets the hype machine going, but the fuel for that machine is SEPTEMBER!  Just think back to 2011....there may not have been a better last week in any sport EVER than the last week of the season that September....Epic Collapses (Red Sox fans are still crying in their Fried Chicken and smashing Robert Andino Bobble heads), tremendous comebacks...Late inning magic (Orioles magic to be exact....well Evan Longoria may have had his moment too).  Think back to 2007 and the FREAKIN Colorado Rockies.   Completely out of it at the beginning of August and get close by September to then rattle off 14 wins in their last 15 games to not only get to the playoffs but then advance to the World Series (Seattle is still waiting to get that far)...Here is a few other..maybe a little more historical, September baseball moments...

1) 1961---Roger Maris Ties, and passes a guy, named Babe Ruth for most Home runs in a season by hitting number 61.
2) 1995---Baseball Crowns a New Iron Man as Cal Ripken passes Lou Gehrig for most consecutive games played at 2131.
3) 2001---When baseball finally returns to New York after the horrific 9/11 attacks, Mike Piazza (should be in HOF) came to bat in the bottom of the 8th with the Mets down 2-1 and hit what may be the loudest cheered HR in history!
4) 2011--- Mariano Rivera passes Trevor Hoffman for most career saves....and still ONLY THROWS ONE PITCH!!

Those are just some historical facts....I didnt even cover the 1982 AL race between Milwaukee's Harvey's Wall bangers and the Earl's Baltimore Orioles.....the race in 78 between the Yanks an Red Sox ending in Bucky Dents blast...This year wont be any different, as only 2 division races are locked up and everything else is up for grabs.  Here is how I see it playing out:

American League:
East--Boston
Central--Tigers
West---Oakland
Wildcard 1---Texas
Wildcard 2---TB
ALCS---Detroit Vs Boston

National League:
East---Atlanta
Central---Pittsburgh
West---Dodgers
Wild Card 1---St. Louis
Wild Card 2--- Cincinnati
NLCS---Dodgers Vs Braves

World Series:
Dodgers Vs Tigers------Tigers in 5

Now on to Football....The NFL has had a rocky off season but that may have honestly just added to the lore and raised the excitement level to a new level.  The Baltimore Ravens attempt to become the first team since the '04 Spytriots....I mean Patriots to win back to back Super bowls...

Everyone knows I love the city of Baltimore and all teams that reside...but there will be no repeat...Not this year.  What I love ost about the start is the preseason picks by the "experts"...there isnt a bigger bunch of guessers out there, well other than weather men.  This is pointless to do, because the decision making is done based on whats on paper only (lets face it preseason proves nothing either) and as we all know games are not played on paper but played inside of Televisions (credit:Kenny Mayne)....So I figure why not join in on the fun and make some senseless picks that have as much a chance to be right as experts like Clayton, Schefter and Mortenson....

AFC:
East---Patriots by default---They are a pro team in a division with college Division 2 teams
North---Ravens--Why the hell not?
South---Colts--Andrew Luck is the best QB in this division
West---Denver--Really?
Wildcards---Bengals and Chiefs
AFC Championship---Broncos/Ravens---Broncos win

NFC:
East---Cowboys--Laugh now...but watch
North---Lions--Why Not
South---Saints--Sean Payton equals Wins
West---SF--Just too good
Wildcards---Seahawks/Redskins
NFC Championship---Saints/SF---Saints Win

BRONCOS win the Super Bowl...Peyton Manning retires


Alright now its your turn.....Give me your baseball and NFL picks....tell me what you think of my insanity....and most of all Lets Drink up and TALK SOME SPORTS!!!

GOLDY!

What SHOULD be a HOF owner passes at 87....

The NFL lost a true pioneer today as Art Modell, former owner of the Cleveland Browns and minority owner of the Baltimore Ravens, passed this morning at 4am of natural causes.  Art's memory will be a looked at differently by 2 cities, which is unfortunate in my opinion because one of those cities is the sole reason one of the MAIN influencers behind making the NFL what it is today is not in the HOF...

In Cleveland Art Modell is still public enemy #1 because he took the team he owned, and the city loved enough to not give them a new stadium, and  moved them from the shores of Lake Erie to the Harbor in Baltimore.  Art Modell did what was best for his family business, and what other owners had done in the past.  He took a team from a city not willing to provide the necessary upgrades and financial support and moved it to another city that was willing to help a man in financial hardship. The Cleveland Browns were ripped from their die hard fans because of a mutual business decision by Modell AND the city of Cleveland, yet somehow Modell is the only one to take blame here.  Modell mentioned time and time again to the city leaders he was going to need financial help to get a new stadium and drive more revenue, but the city ignored it.  So Modell wasnt bluffing...he was gonna leave.  May I also mention that the deal to move to Baltimore was done on a private jet owned by the man who brokered the deal.....Al Lerner.  Yes Cleveland, the same man you praise for bringing football back (the NFL had already assured Cleveland a team with its next expansion when Modell announced he was moving but I am sure that is forgotten in Cleveland to) is the same man that helped it leave...And so Modell brought football back to Baltimore....

Art Modell took the Browns after the 1995 season and moved them to Baltimore to become the Ravens.  He left the Browns name, legacy and  story to the city of Cleveland as a good faith gesture because he knew how important it was to the city.  (something not afforded the city of Baltimore 15 years earlier when Bob Irsay took the Colts and everything with him to Indianapolis, so think about that the next time Browns fans when you hear about a record you got to keep and team name and colors you still keep) In 2000 he won a Super Bowl as Majority owner and struck a deal with local business man Steve Bisciotti to eventually take over as majority owner.  In 2001 Modell was eligible for the NFL Hall Of Fame and was a finalist.  He has never received enough voted to be enshrined due to a ridiculous, subjective and opinionated voting system.

Hall of Fame voting is and should be based simply on merit of the honor.  The NFL Hall of Fame limits the number of members enshrined each year and each player is measured by a 39 member selection committee.  Candidates must then reach 80% of the vote to get in.  Real quickly here is Art Modell's resume:

1. Owned the Cleveland Browns from 1961-1995
2. Negotiated the first LUCRATIVE contracts between the NFL and the TV networks
3. Was NFL league President from 1967-1969
4. Chaired Negotiations in the very FIRST collective bargaining agreement with players in 1968
5. Was THE driving force behind the 1970 contract between the NFL and ABC to start up a little program called Monday Night Football

The NFL as we know it today owes itself to Art Modell and just a very select few other men, yet he isn't in the Hall of Fame because of the way finalists are presented!  Not because he isn't worthy but because of ONE MAN! 

The HOF finalists are reviewed by the committee with a very strange and subjective process.  The player is presented to the committee by the member of that same committee from the city they represent.  Modell was represented by Cleveland Plain Dealer writer Tony Grossi in 2001.  As the story goes, Grossi got up in front of the committee to present and began  not to speak about the above mentioned merits but how awful a person Modell was for taking the Browns from Cleveland (mind you not the first owner to move a team for financial hardship by a long shot) and the pain and misery it caused the city.  Rumor is the Grossi even shed a tear.....that's fine as a fan, as a spectator...but in a process such as this it is completely out of place and unprofessional especially 5 years after the event occurred and you had a team back.  It was unprofessional and just simply unfair because that speech and every year since has kept an unbelievably deserving man out of the HOF because of a broken process. 

Art Modell should have gotten to see his bust in Canton....now that is lost forever.  Cleveland you and Tony Grossi can stay angry if you want, but he did what any business man and NFL Owner would have done.  IT has been 15 years....Pay your respects.....Appreciate what you had and then got returned to you out of good faith by a man who built what you love so dearly. 

Rest in Peace Art...I bet your a HOF next year....


GOLDY