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!

Baltimore update....

So it has been a while since the bar last opened for discussion, and hopefully we won't need to be gone this long again.  I am working on adding a new audio portion to the blog and possible video blogs as well.  For right now though lets dive in to the recent Baltimore sports news that has been out and open the discussion on your thoughts...

HERE WE GO....

Ray Rice's Agent says he deserves Adrian Peterson $$$$$$$...

Lets get ahold of some reality here folks because Ray Rice doesn't deserve AP money or even Chris Johnson money.  Hell Chris Johnson doesn't even deserve Chris Johnson money.  He got that contract because the Titans couldnt afford to lose Jeff Fisher, Vince Young AND CJ at one time so they over paid..BIG TIME.  The fact is that the NFL running back is COMPLETELY replaceable in today's NFL.  Just look at the draft as there is rarely a RB taken in the 1st round these days (Rice taken 2nd rd, Arian Foster undrafted, leGarrette Blunt taken 7th rd) and when was the last time a team with a feature back or super RB won a Super Bowl? (Sorry Giant fans your guys are not top backs)

Ray Rice's agent better be looking at the new Arian Foster deal and hoping that is what the Ravens offer instead of his client playing on a one year franchise tag.  The Arian Foster deal shows exactly my point to the value of today's RB and is the exact right contract for Foster and Rice.  His deal is a 5yr $43.5 million contract with $20.75 guaranteed.  I hear you die hards though.."Ray Rice is a way better back and means more to his offense than Foster"..is he really?  Look at this..

Career.                                                                  2011 regular season

Foster--25 yrs old entering 4th yr.                        1224 yds 10 TD's 53 rec 617 yds 2 TD's
3097 yds 29 td's

Rice--25 yrs old entering 5th year.                        1364 yds 12 TD's 76 rec 704 yes 0 TD's
4377 yds 24 td's

Fact is they are the same player. Ray's agent needs to understand that $21 mill guaranteed on a 5 yr deal is better than $7.5 mill guaranteed on a one year franchise tag where his client could blow out his knee and never play again....Trust me OZZIE knows this...

DO YOU THINK HE DESERVES MORE?

Spring training is here and the O's are on the field!!!

This is one of my favorite times of year as Spring has HOPE springing eternal for all MLB fans and their teams.  The Orioles new dynamic duo of Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter have put together quite the spring training squad.  As I have stated before they are clearly looking to improve on depth,especially in the pitching department.  The Orioles have 12 pitchers competing for the starting rotation with probably only 1 spot close to set with Tommy Hunter.  On top of that is the fact that 7 of those 12, and at least another 10-12, are competing for bullpen spots.  So here are 5 questions for the O's and my response to them. 
1.  What will this starting rotation look like?
Well I honestly believe the Orioles are headed in the right direction with what has been rumored to be planned.  The Orioles are going to send the young guns back to AAA and make them force Buck and Dan to bring them up because they are pounding on the proverbial door.  They have brought in enough MLB experience and depth to do that. So here is my guess at the starting rotation day 1.  Hunter, Chen, Arrieta, Evaland, Hammel.  This makes Matusz, Tillman, Britton and Bergesen prove they are ready. (Side note: Britton is going to start season on the DL if I had to guess right now) 
2. Will Brian Roberts be back and if not who bats lead off?
I think that unfortunately the most we get from B-Rob is what we got last year..20-30 games Max.  He apparently has made it through workouts so far with no problems, but we have heard this story before.  I feel for b-rob as this has to be just so hard on him and his psyche.  With that said though there needs to be a plan going forward.  I have said before that I think, at this stage in his career, Nick Markakis would be a good value at lead off.  He is fast enough to steal 15-20 bases, he hits 40-50 doubles, bats close to .300, strikes out very little, hits 15-18 hrs and gets on base.  Add 20 steals to that and I just described Brian Roberts.  I have also heard that you could see Reimold in that spot.  He gets on base like crazy, is the second fastest guy on the team, and can hit 20 hrs....take away a walk or 7 and add in some K's and I just described Brady Anderson, and last I checked he was a pretty good lead off hitter on a pretty good team once.
3. Who is the closer?
Barring injury its Jim Johnson.  There is no question to that I think.  If he gets hurt you can use Lindstrom.  Kevin Gregg won't close in Baltimore again ...
4. Whose on first?
I think Chris Davis starts there but he better watch out for Wilson Betemit if he hits, or Nick Johnson if he is health....sorry I couldn't even get that one out.  Understand though if you can get 100 games from Nick Johnson your lineup is WAAAAY better off.  Chris Davis is on his last stand I think.  If he can cut out the strikeouts and have better AB'S we may have the middle of the order guy we have been clammering for. (30-35 HR'S not out of the question for him)
5. Will they get back to. 500?
Plain and simple...NO.  It is not possible for them to do it with how good the rest of the division has gotten over the offseason.  Now don't misconstrue what I am saying here.  This team WILL be way more competitive this year and will play very good baseball (see Showalters year 1 vs year 2 stats).  They will be a team NO ONE wants to face, and will be another pain for some playoff teams in September and October, but as long as the unbalanced schedule exists(this is the last year thank god) they just don't have a shot at getting back to. .500.  I would also say that no team in the AL East will get to 100 wins this year because they will be too busy beating the crap out of each other.  NO OTHER DIVISION IS CLOSE TO THE AL EAST!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS?  LETS HEAR YPUR THOUGHTS.

GOLDY

Super Bowl Edition

Well,  here we are 2 days away from the biggest game of the year.  Super Bowl 46..That's right GOLDY Don't do Roman Numerals!  This game has 3 story lines going in to it and ALL are very interesting.

FIRST--Rematch of Super Bowl 42 is very interesting and both teams are headed in to the game in very different situations than they did 5 years ago...The Giants are the hottest team coming in and the Patriots LOOK like the underdog....Let me Emphasize LOOK like the underdog. Last time Bill Bellichek and Tammy Brady were dared to throw the ball deep by the G-men D and the Patriots over confidence ultimately led to their missed perfect season.  This time The Giants seem UNBELIEVABLY confident that they are that much better this time.  Will the Master Game Planner Billy B dare the G-men to come after Tammy with that nasty front 4 "NASCAR" Package?

SECOND---Will Gronk's (Seriously this might be the dumbest nickname in sports next to ManRam) ankle be healed in time for him to be effective enough to not only run his routes but also be able to chip the ends of the Giants?  Last year we were worried if Tom Coughlins face would ever heal after the CHAPPING of a lifetime in GB, and yes...the jury is still out on it, but lets go with yeah it healed.  Gronkowski's (yep couldn't do the nickname again) injury is a high ankle sprain and those don't heal quick.  Yes he will be able to move straight ahead, but he wont be able to cut.  That's okay because it isn't his game, that is Aaron Hernandez job.  The biggest effect it may have is in his blocking and chipping of those pas rushers.

Finally THIRD---Peyton Manning is cleared to play, or is he, and where..............WAIT WHAT?

Peyton isnt even playing in the Super Bowl and his story is overshadowing the entire game.  He wont be a Colt...He will be a Colt...He is going to retire...he is cleared to play...Who knows?  All of this is more fascinating than the big game and I am going to tell you why.....

Peyton is the BEST QB of our time and we all need to know what is happening with him.  I know you are going to ask, " If Eli is paying for another ring and Tom Brady is playing in his 5th Super Bowl how can you say Peyton is the best?"  Let me point out to you that Peyton played in 2 Super Bowls and he is 1-1.  (Eli Down)  Tom Brady is very very good and I have mentioned my respect for his ability, but when he went down week 1 in 2008, Matt Cassell was able to lead the team to an 11-5 record teh same way Matt Flynn was able to put up Aaron Rodgers like numbers in week 17.  The system.  The system allows them to be as good as they are, and no I am not saying Rodgers and Brady are that replaceable but part of their success is based on the system they play in.  Peyton was lost and the Colts were AWFUL!!  (Brady down).  I know we can give all the hypotheticals in the world, but I promise that if you give Peyton the defenses Brady had instead of his messes, He has more than 3 Super Bowls....

Prediction Time---I believe that the Giants D is too over confident.  I believe that they wont get to Brady as much as they think (That Pats o-line is pretty darn good)...I believe that the "System" Brady runs is too quick to get sacked that much and that Giant Secondary is average at best.....I also believe teh Patriots real Defense shows up and there is just no way to cover Nicks, Manningham, Cruz, Boss and stop Bradshaw and Jacobs from running....

Giants---23
Patriots---21

What do you think?  Who is gonna win?  Am I wrong about Peyton?  Why?

GOLDY

NFL PLAYOFFS..NFC CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION

This morning I am going to cover the New York Football Giants and this evening the 49ers.  I will make my pick with the 49ers analysis tonight.  Here we go.....

NEW YORK GIANTS

This team has really played some of the best football in the NFL the last 4 weeks.  With 2 weeks left they were 7-7 and no one knew which Giants team would ever show up.  Then sexy Rexy opened his big mouth and Tom Coughlins team has gone on an amazing run, starting with the Jets and now leading them into the NFC championship game.  This wasn't a cake walk either for them as they had to defeat the Cowboys on the last day to win the division and get in to the playoffs, and then went on to beat up the Falcons (showing once again that Matty Ice left all his big game wins at BC).  Last week may have been the game thought that was most impressive as they went in to Green Bay ( with Tom Coughlins fact lubed up with high doses of vaseline this time) and rolled the defending Super Bowl Champ Green Bay Packers, who oh by the way were 15-1!!  They simply out played the defending champs especially on OFFENSE!!!

I know that the big story for the G-men has been the play of their defense, and especially that pass rush (Jason Pierre-Paul may get defensive player of the year), but Eli Manning has become an elite QB this year with the way he has led the Giants offense.  With the emergence of Victor Cruz as a deadly receiving threat, and Hakeem Nicks playing out of his mind Eli has been simply outstanding all season.  He has cut down on the turnovers in a big way and has that offense clicking on all cylinders.  Now before anyone goes off an says he benefits from that 2 headed monster of a running attack, you better check yo self fool!!  (Sorry I get gangsta sometimes)  That vaunted running attack was TERRIBLE during the regular season.  They barely avg 3.4 yes per carry and were almost non existent all together in all 7 Giant losses.  I do believe that their playoff success running the ball has been set up by the way Eli and those receivers have been playing. 

Now they have to go to San Francisco and try to carve their way back to the Super Bowl against the "feel good team of the year"in the 49ers.  These 2 teams met in the regular season with the Niners coming out on top 27-20.  The thing to remember is that that game should have been tied when Eli layed out a beautiful pass to Mario Manningham, who got behind the defense, and he simply didn't catch the ball.  Victor Cruz and that running game hadnt emerged as weapons yet either that week.  None the less the 49ers still held on to win.  With that said let me point something out AGAIN...

Giants last Super Bowl year
Regular season---NE 38 NYG 35
SUPER BOWL---NE 14 NYG 17

THIS YEAR
Regular season GB 38 NYG 35
Playoffs--GB 20 NYG 37

Regular season 49ers 27 NYG 20
Playoffs?????

Tom Coughlin gets his team ready to play, and makes adjustments, better than almost any coach in the NFL.(whether Giany fans admit it or not..how bad did they want him fired by week 6)  Can he pull it off one more time to get to his second Super Bowl ( as many as the immortsl Bill Parcells went to in NY)?  Is Eli ready to cement his place as the only Manning brother with 2 Super Bowl rings?  The biggest question of all is..can this Giants team play as consistently as they have the last 4 weeks when they have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the NFC all year?  We will see Sunday at 630 pm..1230 hawaiin...

One more thing to think about.  We have seen something very VERY similar to this Giants run before...a team that squeaks in to the playoffs on the last day of the season... whose QB is playing lights out...whose running game has become a huge weapon in the playoffs...whose defense has been phenomenal...whose regular season record was 9-7.....

Yep, you guessed it, Last years GREEN BAY PACKERS......

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE GIANTS CHANCES ARE?  WHAT DO YOR FRIENDS THINK?