A lawyer in his spare time, Seth Frankel is a University of Michigan
graduate and hopelessly obsessed Mets fan, who is a newcomer to Sports
Grumblings. He's been hooked on fantasy sports since junior high
school, and before that, Strat-O-Matic baseball.
When faced with a tough defense, Matt Cassell showed that he's no Tom Brady.
What follows is a collection of thoughts running through my mind as Bernard Berrian takes it 99 yards to the house and single-handedly gives me a fighting chance at making the fantasy football playoffs when my team had been left for dead at the side of the road.
The ridiculousness that is the BCS has reared its' ugly head again. With a fairly convincing win over Oklahoma State, the Oklahoma Sooners have now vaulted themselves into the Big 12 championship game (as well as the driver's seat for the Mythical National Championship game) thanks to the tiebreaker rules that disregard Texas' head to head victory over the Sooners, and instead awards the division to the team that is ranked higher in the BCS. Now, I know that Texas lost to Texas Tech while Oklahoma beat Texas Tech, but it is beyond the height of stupidity that Texas will be deprived of a shot at the MNC in favor of a team that they have already beaten. Just give me a playoff already! Don't get me wrong – there are still a host of issues associated with a playoff (for example, should Boise State be bounced at the expense of a mediocre Big East/ACC champion?), but it is by far the best chance of crowning the closest thing to a true champion.
The baseball hot stove has been relatively cool since the initial trading frenzy involving Matt Holiday, Coco Crisp, and Mike Jacobs. It seems that nobody is quite ready to set the market, whether it is C.C. Sabathia, Francisco Rodriguez, or even one of the somewhat lower profile free agents, such as Derek Lowe,A.J. Burnett, or Brian Fuentes. The winter meetings start on Sunday the 7th however, and this is generally the time when things start picking up. I'm expecting my Mets to make a big splash at those meetings, especially since they just sent out season ticket renewals and know how bad a taste they've left in people's mouths the last two seasons.
Turning to the NFL, the playoff race is getting extremely tight, and shockingly, my favorite team, the Miami Dolphins, have managed to work themselves right into the mix with another win today, this time a squeaker over the abysmal St. Louis Rams. They will duke it out with the Patriots, Bills, Ravens, and Colts for two remaining playoff spots (with the Jets and Steelers currently in first place in their respective divisions). The Dolphins have an excellent shot, particularly with the Niners and Chiefs remaining on the schedule, which is a prospect I never would have imagined three months ago.
In other NFL news, after two outstanding performances by Matt Cassel, we faced the expected and annoying question of “would the Patriots be better off with Cassel instead of Tom Brady?” Naturally, that question was asked despite the fact that Cassel threw for 400 yards against two of the worst pass defenses in the league (the Jets ranked 30th and the Dolphins ranked 26th). This week, Cassel was forced to play against the big boys, as he took on the top ranked Steelers defense and was harassed into four turnovers (two interceptions and two fumbles). While Cassel still may end up a fine starting quarterback in the NFL, can we cease with the Brady comparisons for now?
Brief interlude from the sports world to give a movie recommendation: Slumdog Millionaire. It's apparently in limited release, so it may not be playing in your area, but I highly recommend it. It's directed by Danny Boyle, whom you may know from the movie Trainspotting. It's the touching story of a poor Indian man who competes on their version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” while seeking out the love of his life, and defending himself against accusations of cheating on the show. If it's playing in your area, I strongly recommend you run out to see it.
And finally, this week is the Big Ten-ACC Basketball Challenge. Michigan has fallen on hard times in recent years, but with John Beilein in the fold now, things are starting to look up. It's a big week for the Wolverines program, as they will take Maryland on Wednesday in the Challenge, followed by a rematch against Duke (who beat them by 15 two weeks ago) on Saturday. Even a split would be a tremendous leap for a program that has not been relevant in years. I think Michigan gets that split with a win Wednesday over Maryland, although I don't think the guns are yet in place to take on big bad Duke.
That will do it for me this week. See you next time.
A lawyer in his spare time, Seth Frankel is a University of Michigan
graduate and hopelessly obsessed Mets fan, who is a newcomer to Sports
Grumblings. He's been hooked on fantasy sports since junior high
school, and before that, Strat-O-Matic baseball. 