NFL Draft Thoughts

NFL Draft Winners:

Chiefs - Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, Brandon Flowers, Jamaal Charles. All steals. All Chiefs. End o' story, as White Goodman might say.

Cardinals - Quietly put together a solid draft. Snagged Dominique Rodgers (I refuse to use the addendum, the triple-named NFL players are getting ridiculous) a few picks after he was projected to go, added a couple of more guys who had been mentioned in the first round of mock drafts in Calais Campbell and Early Doucet, and bolstered their team.

Ravens - Joe Flacco, who in my opinion will be the best QB of the 08 class, Ray Rice (Ball State fans know all about him), and Tom Zbikowski - admittedly a biased pick because I'm an ND fan. Still, three pretty nice picks.

Bears - Although they didn't take a QB, which they should've done, they get one of the best linemen in Chris Williams, add a couple of decent MSU guys in Kellen Davis and Ervin Baldwin, and made a good pick with their final selection in Marcus Monk.

Giants - Got maybe the steal of the draft by landing a very good safety in Kenny Phillips at 31, then selected Mario Manningham, who would've gone higher without questions about his extracurricular activities. Andre Woodson had no business being available in round 6. Three great picks.

Losers:

Titans - Oh, boy. You desperately need a receiver to give Vince a target, already have LenDale White and Chris Henry at RB, so your first pick is...Chris Johnson. A guy who was a 1st round pick on...well...probably one board. The Titans'. Tennessee might as well run the option at this point.

Falcons - Any system that can result in Brady Quinn being passed over by everybody and their brother while Matt Ryan becoming completely irresistible despite one decent - not great, decent - college season is not a system I want to be a part of. I personally think Ryan will not be a very good pro. Trading back into the 1st round for Sam Baker, who likely would've been available for the Falcons' next pick, was also a little suspect.

Panthers - Carolina and Chicago's front offices, I am convinced, are purposely trying to prove you can win without a QB. That is the only explanation for why neither team took a QB. However, unlike Chicago, Carolina did not make a plethora of smart picks besides that, besides the Dan Connor pick in round 3. They took Jonathan Stewart over the superior Rashard Mendenhall at 13th, then traded their '09 1st rounder for a tackle, Jeff Otah, who I had honestly never heard of when I woke up that morning. The combination of no QB and the loss of their '09 1st rounder (probably a decently high pick since no one really believes Carolina's playoff-bound this year) puts them in this category.

10 Reasons to Not Get Discouraged About 2007-08 Ball State Men’s Basketball

We all know the Ball State men’s basketball team was historically bad this year and that, barring an unfortunate mutation, its wins can be counted on two hands. But who likes a sour grape? As we take a final look at Cardinal basketball, let’s focus on some positives from the 2007-08 season.

10. The Cardinals finished the season on a bit of an upswing, relatively speaking. After earning just three wins in its first 22 games, Ball State proceeded to win three of its final eight, effectively doubling its win total. Ball State also went 3-3 in its last six MAC games to salvage a 5-11 conference record to go with its 6-24 overall mark.

9. Students didn’t walk away from home games empty-handed. In addition to gaining free admittance with a school ID, Ball State students received free t-shirts just for showing up to home games and filling the Nest. Anything that can stretch out laundry one more day is well worth the trip to Worthen Arena.

8. Six wins is not, in fact, the smallest win total in school history. The Cardinals went 5-17 under coach Jim Hinga in the 1959-60 season. The 1970-71 Cardinal club also won six games, amassing a 6-20 record under coach Bud Getchell.

7. A pair of freshman stepped into starting roles this year and delivered. Melvin Goins started 26 of Ball State’s 30 games on his way to being named to the MAC All-Freshman Team. Goins finished the season third on the team in points per game (8.0), first in assists per game (2.3), and first in steals (52). Malik Perry started all 30 games for the Cardinals and contributed 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. His low-post presence proved vital to an otherwise-undersized club.

6. A dismal record in a BSU head coach’s first season is not necessarily a sign of things to come. Steve Yoder took over the team in 1977 and coached the Cardinals to a 10-15 record. Just three years later, Yoder’s team won the 1981 MAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA. His Cardinals would go on to lose 93-90 to Boston College in the first round.

5. The Cardinals will have one of the top players in the MAC returning next year. Junior Anthony Newell led the team with 16.9 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game, and 10 blocks. Despite missing nine games due to injury, Newell was named to the All-MAC Honorable Mention squad. His points (16.8) and rebounds (8.1) per game in conference play ranked second and third in the league, respectively. If Ball State hopes to experience success next year, it will start with Newell.

4. The current Cardinal coaching staff is not in the process of being reprimanded for multiple NCAA rules violations, as last year’s staff infamously was. The charges against former coach Ronny Thompson, combined with his own claims that racially-offensive notes had been slipped under his office door, helped plunge the men’s basketball program to an all-time low. This year’s record on the court was worse, but least there was no record in the court.

3. Ball State played five NCAA tournament teams in Georgetown (#2 seed), Purdue (#6), Butler (#7), Kent State (#9), and Saint Joseph’s (#11). Although the Cardinals lost all five games, they fell to Big East regular-season champion Georgetown by just nine points and to MAC champion Kent State by just three in overtime. They also hosted the games against the Hoyas and the Bulldogs, both of which were nationally ranked for a majority of the season.

2. Peyton Stovall. A model of dependency, class, and humility throughout his five years in cardinal and white, Stovall oozes sportsmanship, and he’s got the resume to prove it. He was one of five national finalists for the 2008 Coach John Wooden Citizenship Cup and one of ten finalists for the Lowe’s Senior Class Award. In his Cardinal career, Stovall started more than 100 games, ranks second in school history in minutes played, and ranks tenth in school history in points. Ball State will miss much more than his 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, and the program is lucky to have graduated such a model student-athlete.

1. Despite their continuing post-season woes, the Cardinals, like this blog, prefer to be optimistic. Who really cares about the Big Dance, anyway? The Cardinals certainly don’t want to go dancing. It’s not worth the risk of Anthony Newell reinjuring his left foot while attempting the cha-cha.

Championship Games Begin

Let the madness of March begin. The tournament field is now starting to take shape. The first team to clinch a spot in the tourney is the Cornell Big Red of the Ivy League. Every year the Ivy League gets a team into the NCAA tournament before any other conference because the league does not have a post season tournament. The league’s automatic bid goes to the regular season champion. This year it is Cornell, who ran the table in the regular season league play.

The Big Red finished 14-0 after defeating Princeton in the last game of the regular season71-64. Cornell finishes off the regular season 22-5. The only 5 losses for Cornell came to Duke, Syracuse, Bucknell, Colgate, and Ohio. With the exception of Colgate those are decent losses. The only home loss for the Big Red this season was to Colgate 76-73. Oddly enough the only home loss for Cornell was to the Colgate Raiders. Cornell has not lost a game since January 6^th at Cameron Indoor Stadium. On the flip side Cornell has not beaten any quality opponent. The four best teams Cornell played were Duke, Syracuse, Bucknell, and Ohio; they lost to all four of them for four of their five losses.

There will be three more teams to join Cornell today, so the Big Red will have their days of being the only team locked into this year’s tournament come to an end. Cornell has been locked into that spot since leap day, February 29^th. It was on that day that the Big Red took down the Dartmouth Big Green in a 75-59 rout. The championship games that are today are the Big South, Ohio Valley, and Atlantic Sun conference championship games.

The first championship game of the day is the rematch between the Winthrop Eagles and the North Carolina-Asheville Bulldogs. During the regular season UNC-Asheville took both match ups by a score of 71-56 at home in Asheville, North Carolina. Then the Bulldogs traveled to the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, South Carolina for the second game in this series and again came away with a lopsided victory with a 63-50 win. That loss was only the third home loss of the season for Winthrop. Both teams finished the regular season with a conference record of 10-4, but because of the season sweep by the Bulldogs they received the 1 seed in the conference tournament. The third game of the season between the two teams did not end the same way as the first two did. The Eagles avenged their two losses by going into Asheville and coming away with a 66-48 smack down of the Bulldogs. Winthrop gets the automatic bid to the tournament and has now made 4 consecutive NCAA tournaments.

The second ticket that is punched today came from the Ohio Valley conference. The game was between the #1 seed Austin Peay Governors and the #6 seed Tennessee State Tigers. The two teams split the season series but the Tigers outscored the Governors in the two games they played. Each team won at home but Austin Peay only managed a 79-78 nail biter on their home court. Austin Peay got the perks of being the number one seed by hosting their games in the Ohio Valley tournament. This time the Governors managed a much more comfortable game this time routing the Tigers by a score of 82-64. The Governors put their 14-4 regular season conference record on the line in the conference championship game in Nashville, Tennessee. This entire season was spent preparing for this game because last year Austin Peay lost in the OVC finals to Eastern Kentucky on a last second shot. The seniors that are on this year’s team were the juniors on that team that watched a lead in the last minute of the game slip away when they lost 63-61 in a thriller. This time the Governors put their opponent away to secure their 6^th tournament appearance and their first since 2003. Tennessee State was excited just to get to the finals. The Tigers beat the #2 and #3 seeds to get to this point. The last time the Tigers were in the OVC finals was 1998 and haven’t won the conference tournament since 1994.

The last team of the day to get sent to the big dance is the winner of the Atlantic Sun conference championship game. This was a match up of the Belmont Bruins and the Jacksonville Dolphins. The two best teams in the regular season will be deciding who goes to the NCAA tournament, go figure. The only meeting this season was a win by Belmont. Up 45-23 at the half the Bruins held on to earn another win, this one by a score of 79-61. The Bruins scorched the nets in their win. Belmont finished shooting 45 percent from 3 point range. Early on the Bruins were blazing the nets from everywhere on the floor but as the game came to a close the percentage took a nose dive from nearly 60 percent on field goals and 48 percent from three point range. Even so the Bruins will be in the NCAA tournament along with probably four other Tennessee teams. Austin Peay and Belmont are already in the big dance and another Nashville team (Vanderbilt) will likely join these two in the tournament. Just think, the state of Tennessee has three teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation and will more than likely have five teams in the NCAA tournament. Those teams should be Memphis, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Austin Peay and Belmont.

So far four tickets have been punched with 27 more automatic bids to follow in the coming week. Then on March 16^th the rest of the field of 65 will be finalized. It is just getting started.

The Time is Now

Junior guard Porchia Green has been a big reason for the Cardinals' success this year (BSU Photo Services).

A year removed from being touted as the hottest team on campus, the Ball State women’s basketball team is once again showing signs of life.

The Lady Cards have rattled off four consecutive wins to even their record at 14-14 entering Wednesday’s home finale against Northern Illinois. Their 10-5 record in Mid-American Conference play is enough to put Ball State into a tie with Eastern Michigan for first place atop the MAC West Division. And with the Cardinals owning every conceivable tiebreaker over the Eagles, it’s win and…win (the division title).

While six players average at least eight points per game for the Cardinals, junior guard Porchia Green has almost singlehandedly kept the program on life support. Green’s constant presence on both ends of the court has helped offset the team’s lack of consistency. She currently leads the Cardinals in points (12.8 per game), rebounds (7.1 per game), assists (127), and steals (43).

Ball State also got a shot in the arm from sophomore guard Audrey McDonald on Saturday in its game against Western Michigan. Or, to put it literally, the team got nine shots from the arm of McDonald. Her nine three-pointers in a single game set a school record and tied a MAC record. McDonald now has 74 treys on the season, just four shy of the school single season mark. It seems as if these girls understand when to step it up.

Yet there still remains a significant gap between the Lady Cards and the hottest team on campus. That title now belongs to the men’s volleyball team, and rightfully so. Victories over their last five ranked opponents, including a sweep of 19-time NCAA Champion UCLA this past weekend, have earned the Cardinals a national ranking of #9. They sit atop the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association standings with a 5-1 conference record. We have a serious title contender here in Muncie! Can you dig it? Ian Peckler certainly can.

However, the Lady Cards are starting to look like the 24-7 team that qualified for the WNIT a year ago. They endured a subpar non-conference run to open the season, and with it, a great deal of disappointment in a team that – theoretically – had everything going for it. But after all the talk about a substandard season, the Cardinals are right where everyone expected them to be: in position to vie for the MAC West title. And in a sport where greatness is often defined by championships and entire seasons by postseason play, the Cardinals may still have their best basketball ahead of them.

That likely comes as good news to coach Lisa McDonald, who will direct the team into the MAC Tournament next week. Before that, however, the Cardinals will take the floor at Worthen Arena for the last time this season on Wednesday night. Come and salute the club’s two super seniors, Julie DeMuth and Lisa Rusche. The low-post powers have averaged a combined 22 points and 12 rebounds per game this year.

For Ball State women’s basketball, the time to believe is now. Players, coaches, and fans all know that anything can happen come tournament time. It’s March, and with the possible exception of hayfever, March Madness is what’s in the air.

National League Predictions....

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National League East

1.) New York - How can you NOT pick them to win the division? A historic collapse is the only thing that kept them out last season, and they improved their team. Having some guy named Santana essential take the place of Glavine is huge, both physically and mentally. Ryan Church is a nice add in RF. Hernandez and Martinez are health concerns, but Heilman can always be plugged into the rotation. Delgado should have somewhat of a rebound year. The closer spot, for me, really separates the Mets from the other two competitors in the East. It should be a fun pennant race.

2.) Atlanta - I’m going out on a limb here. Diaz had a monster season under the radar last year, and the team moved Renteria for Escobar, which lets you know what they think of their young shortstop. The rotation has question marks, mainly with Hampton, but I like it a little better than Philadelphia’s. A healthy Mike Gonzalez in the ‘pen will be nice. This team hung in the race last year, so don’t be surprised if they challenge for first this year. Jones needs to remain healthy for that to happen though.

3.) Philadelphia - I like the Phillies overall, but it’s a tough division. They have the three best hitters on any one team in baseball in Rollins, Utley, and Howard. Victorino is solid, but I have concerns about the rest of the lineup. Hamels is a stud, but you can’t be sure what you’ll get from the rest of the rotation. Even Lidge is somewhat of a question mark. Can Romero continue his midseason resurrection last year, and can Gordon stay healthy? He says he hasn’t felt this good since ’04. This team could very well win the division, but it won’t be given to them like last year.

4.) Washington - This is rather easy. They don’t belong with the big three, even with three Boones, but they are clearly better than Florida. They have several guys with questionable character on the team, but they do have talent. I doubt Young will have as good as season as last year, but the team has Johnson back this year, so they are strong at first base. It would be great to see Patterson stay healthy all season.

5.) Florida - No Cabrera and no D-Train? This really is Ramirez’s team. Hanley is an MVP-type player but has no one else in the lineup to protect him. Ugla must rebound from a less than stellar sophomore season. Maybin struggled last year during hiscall up but will have more of a chance to prove himself this year. Miller will show flashes of brilliance last year, but the team needs Sanchez to be healthy and shore up the rotation. Once again this team is rebuilding, but it might not be long before they’re good again.

National League Central

1.) Chicago - The only team with a descent starting rotation in the Central shouldn’t have too much of a problem in the league’s weakest (by far) division. A full year of Soto will be a plus. The bullpen is this team’s real strength. With Marmol, Wood, and Howry teams will have a tough go of it. It will be interesting to see how good Fukudome is and if he can stay healthy. I love Jon Lieber. I still think he has enough leftin the tank.

2.) Houston - This is the hardest league to predict, but I kinda like the lineup put together in Houston. Depends how Tejada does, but this could be a potent offense. Pitching is going to be weak, but they have a good closer in Valverde. This team made a lot of moves this offseason, but it won’t be good enough to even sniff the playoffs, but it just might squeeze out second in the division.

3.) Cincinnati - I picked this team second in the division last year, but I still think it can be a solid club. It has several young guys such as Bruce and Votto who will need to produce, but don’t underestimate the importance of Cordero in this weak division. Bailey will need to show dramatic improvement. The team loves Volquez, but was he worth Hamilton? The Reds could be the second best team in the division.

4.) Milwaukee - I love this lineup, except for Kendall, but the pitching will cause this to be a very disappointing year in Wisconsin. This team somehow managed to get worse during the offseason after a very solid ’07. They lost Cordero, Jenkins, and Linebrink and brought in the likes of Gagne, Kendall, and Mota. Plus, Cameron will have to sit out the first 25 games of the season. I think the Brew Crew will have an awful bullpen, and the starters aren’t strong enough to ease the load. They can’t afford for Sheets to get hurt again.

5.) St. Louis - Talk about a team in regress. There is little offense here aside from Pujols and Duncan and whatever Glaus can muster up. The Cardinals rotation is absolutely horrible. Reyes went 2-14 last year and Clement, who didn’t even pitch last season, isn’t expected to be ready for Opening Day. I’m really tempted to put them last, because I think the Pirates have a stronger rotation. It’s going to be a long summer in a city that loves its baseball.

6.) Pittsburgh - The team that finished last, last year, did absolutely nothing this offseason to get better. I think it has better starting pitching than several teams in the division but absolutely no offense. This whole division is a joke, but the Pirates may be the worst of the bunch. Wouldn’t surprise me if they climbed to fourth, but without any improvement, they have to be slated for sixth. Bay should have a rebound year, but, other than Sanchez, has no help.

National League West

1.) Arizona - By far the best division in baseball, I like the Diamondbacks again. I understand the offense was weak last year, but look at the roster. The only established players were Byrnes and Hudson, who both hit well. The rest are all young guys who gained valuable experience during last year’s playoff run. But even if guys like Drew, Upton, and Young don’t produce, the reason this team win’s the division is the stellar rotation. No team in the majors can compete with this rotation 1-5. Lyon will have to produce in the new closer role.

2.) Colorado - Last season’s N.L. champs are back again. The way this team gelled at

the end of the year is the reason they get placed so high in a tough division. The Rockies have the best lineup in the West, and they are a gritty team personified by Tulowitzki. Their young pitchers need to continue to mature, but like the D-Backs, they got invaluable playoff experience last season. It’s a good thing Torrealba came back.

3.) Los Angeles – Tough to pick them over the Padres, but I like the lineup better. Jones obviously has to hit better than last season, but Loney and Kemp could have bust-out years. The rotation will determine where this team places. If Schmidt is healthy and Kuroda is as-advertised this team can compete for first, or they could finish fourth. Lowe needs to stay consistent. Martin is the heart and soul of this squad.

4.) San Diego - The outfield is in decline, and no one on this roster really scares me. They all CAN hit, which says something, but there just isn’t enough pop. The rotation has lots of question marks like L.A. You know what to expect from Peavy and Young, but 3-5 could be All-Stars or could struggle to get through five innings. Neither would surprise me. How much does Hoffman have left? Missing the playoffs absolutely crushed him. Prior, Wolf, and Maddux have to produce.

5.) San Francisco - Clearly the worst team in a stacked division, there will be no more Barry Bonds drama this year….I think. There is precious little offense available and little power. The Giants do have some excellent young pitchers in Cain, Lowry, and Lincecum. If Zito can pitch consistently well, this can be a team to be reckoned with. But the pitching is going to have to be better than it will be to compensate for a weak offense.

Playoffs

I think there are eight teams with a legitimate shot at making the postseason: New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles, and San Diego. But the wild card goes to the defending champs, the Rockies.

NLDS

New York (1) OVER Colorado (4) - I think the Mets are just slightly better than Colorado in every area. The Rockies do have the charm of last season, but the Mets should be the better team. Having someone like Santana in the playoffs is huge. Just ask the teams that had to face Josh Beckett.

Arizona (2) OVER Chicago (3) - This will be close, but Arizona already showed that they can beat the Cubs last season. The young hitters must develop as planned to reach this point, but I think they will. The Diamondbacks have a fierce some rotation. Plus, Arizona should be ready for the playoffs after fighting for their division, but Chicago will have waltzed to theirs.

NLCS

Arizona (2) OVER New York (1) – I have to shake things up. At this point in the season, I expect Arizona’s young hitters to be in a groove, but the real reason they win is because of this: Webb, Haren, and Johnson. In the playoffs, with those three healthy, they should be unbeatable…….in the National League.

National League Champ: Arizona Diamondbacks


World Series Matchup: Detroit Tigers OVER Arizona Diamondbacks - No one should EVER pick an NL team over an AL team.

WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS: Detroit Tigers