Category Archives: sports

ND vs. BYU: More records than rushing yards

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The talk all week was how quickly ND would surpass the paltry 11 yd rushing we posted last year against BYU. Everyone expected it would happen in the first quarter, probably on the first drive. Many even speculated that the first rushing attempt of the day would do the trick. Certainly nobody expected ND to have -1 yd on the ground in the first quarter, and -6 yd at the end of the first half. Of course, in the meantime Quinn and co. were shredding the BYU secondary to set all sorts of records.

The Good:

  • Quinn is playing himself into a December trip to New York: 32/41, 467 yd, 6 TD.
  • Stovall/Samardzija: 24 rec for 359 yd, 6 TD.
  • Picking on smaller, outmatched BYU corners led to a couple of PI flags.

    • The Bad:

  • Tackling was hideous at times.
  • 3 fumbles (2 lost).

    • The Ugly:

  • BYU receivers trying to catch the ball.

    • The team and crowd did seem to come out flat this week, and after getting a nice lead at 28-10, ND let BYU get back within 5. However, as good teams do, we put the petal to the metal again against an inferior team and won going away. One of the best things about this team is that they do not play down to the competition. In the O’Davieham years, every game was a nailbiter. This team just takes care of business.

    ND vs. USC: One Play Away

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    I hadn’t been this excited about a football game that I wasn’t attending since the ’93 Florida State game. My feelings before the game were that we had a chance to win if we didn’t turn the ball over and contained Bush somewhat. We did neither of these things and still had a chance to win it.

    The Good:

  • Quinn: 19/35, 264 yd, 2 TD (1 pass, 1 run), 1 INT and led the last scoring drive.
  • Samardzija: 6 rec for 99 yd, TD.
  • Picking on smaller, outmatched USC corners led to a couple of PI flags.
  • Defense shut down White, and picked off Leinart twice.
  • Special teams: Coverage teams contained Bush, and the punt return for TD by Zbikowski.

    • The Bad:

  • Giving up the big play: Bush runs of 35 (TD), 45 (TD), and 22 yd; Smith, Jarrett, and Byrd had catches of 40+ yd.
  • Fasano’s fumble.
  • Quinn overthrowing Scwapp on 3rd and 8 from the USC 17.
  • The subsequent missed FG.

    • The Ugly:

  • The officiating at the end of the game seemed to be a circus.

    • There are no moral victories, but a fan has to be happy with how our team played. There’s a reason USC has won 28 (and counting) in a row, and to take them within one play (take your pick of three) tells us something about how far we’ve come. To paraphrase the message saved on our answering machine for the past 10 months, the chickens are home, and boy are they roosting.

    In other news, there’s a reason his name is Ayoob and not Booya.

    ND at Purdue: Pur-won’t, Pur-can’t, Pur-didn’t

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    I wonder if the term “returning starter” is overrated. This is usually assumed to be a positive; experience is better than lack thereof. However, ND’s defense has less than half of its starters from last year. Purdue has all 11 of its starters back from last year. ND is allowing 10 fewer points per game than Purdue this year. Granted, there have been other changes (i.e. coaches), but let’s remember that just because they’re returning doesn’t mean they’re good. To this end, the Quinn/Samardzija show torched that returning defense yesterday to the tune of 49-28.

    The Good:

  • Quinn (29/36, 440 yd, 3 TD, 1 INT) is the distributor: Stovall (8 rec for 134 yd) Samardzija (7 rec for 153 yd, 2 TD, and this), Shelton (7 rec for 68 yd).
  • Powers-Neal (2 TD) channels Zack Crockett.
  • Getting reserves in the game.
  • Defensive shutdown in the first half.

    • The Bad:

  • Defense, second half edition.

    • The Ugly:

  • Purdue’s sorry excuse for tradition.

    • There are probably complaints about the defense softening up in the second half, but down by 28, of course they would start passing more. I’m not sure why that wasn’t the plan from the start.

    In other news, Marshawn Lynch returned as Cal rolls into the top 10 on the heels of a drubbing of Arizona, and USC looks mortal against Arizona State.

    ND at Washington: Thank God That’s Over With

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    ND is a pretty good team. Washington is a pretty bad team. These are the type of games that we have little to gain and a lot to lose. But if we would have lost this one, I might have lost my mind. The amount of “Ty was wronged” propaganda would have done me serious mental harm. But as Nessler said at the end of the telecast, this game is no longer the “Ty Bowl,” but reverts to the “Washington game” on the schedule.

    The Good:

  • Walker’s fourth consecutive 100 yd game.
  • The Quinn (25/37, 327 yd, 1 TD, 0 INT) to Samardzija (8 rec for 164 yd, TD) and Fasano (6 rec for 66 yd) show continues.
  • Won the turnover battle.
  • Getting Thomas and Wolke in the game.
  • Penalties were much more managable.

    • The Bad:

  • DBs got beat on some deep passes. This will haunt when USC comes to town.
  • Field goal and extra point snafus.

    • The Ugly:

  • The media blitz on ND over the Willingham firing.

    • With losses by Michigan, Louisville, Georgia Tech, and Purdue, ND should be approaching the top 10 again.

    In other news, Cal can run the football, and those four great Big Ten teams (OSU, UM, Purdue, Iowa) have 6 losses this season.

    ND vs. Michigan St.: We really can’t beat these guys at home, eh?

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    I kept telling people that I thought we’d be in some shootouts this year. It wasn’t until the third game that it materialized, but once it did, we saw a doozy.

    The Good:

  • Stovall finally stepped up: 8 rec for 176 yd and a TD .
  • Confirming what we already suspected: Fasano (7 rec for 93 yd) and Samardzija (6 rec for 93 yd, 3 TD) are good.
  • Quinn was a monster in the second half.
  • Won the turnover battle.
  • Defensive stops in the fourth quarter.

    • The Bad:

  • 38 points allowed.
  • Fumbling on the goal line.

    • The Ugly:

  • 12 penalties for 96 yd
  • Losing to the Spartans five consecutive games at Notre Dame Stadium.

    • There were two coaching decisions that I questioned after the game. With 7:03 left in the 4th, down by a touchdown, ND went for it on fourth and inches at the 21. They didn’t get it. If they kick the field goal, then they’re only down by 4. Whether they kick the FG or get the first down, they need at least one more defensive stop in the game and score to win the game. But if they don’t get the first down, then they still need two scores to win, which means two defensive stops as well. Obviously scoring the TD is a priority to tie the game, but the way we were playing at that point, I think it would have been reasonable to take the points and go from there. It’s a tough call.

    Secondly, I didn’t like the play calling in overtime. They basically took three shots into the end zone and kicked a field goal. Andy argues that this was what was working at the time, and I agree, so I can’t be too upset about it. Also, our defense had stopped them for the previous five drives. I feel like maybe they should have made some attempt to get the first down.

    ND at Michigan: Save your comparisons, please

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    All people could talk about after ND’s 17-10 victory was Knute Rockne and Ty Willingham (2002 version). Maybe we could talk about how the Irish have gone from receiving 13 votes to a top 10 ranking instead. Maybe we should talk about next week’s contest against Michigan State. Thankfully, that’s Charlie’s opinion. I’m thrilled that we beat Michigan, I-stuck-my-hand-in-a-ceiling-fan-and-didn’t-notice thrilled. But I don’t want one win or one good season. I want a program.

    The Good:

  • The opening drive was a masterpiece.
  • DL getting their hands in passing lanes.
  • The secondary must have been doing something right back there.
  • Takeaways in the red zone.
  • Special teams contained Breaston, and Fitzpatrick squeezed that FG through the uprights.

    • The Bad:

  • After early success, the offense essentially disappeared.
  • Fumbles.

    • The Ugly:

  • Michigan student section throwing trash onto their own field. Oh yeah, and onto the visiting recruits. Nice!
  • I neglected to mention how hideous “The Shirt” is this year. I mean, they’ve been bad before, but this is ridiculous. I can tolerate the yellow, but can’t we just have a block ND or leprechaun on the front?

    • In other news, it was a battle of good coaching vs. poor coaching in Seattle. Cal’s QB Joe Ayoob rebounded from an 0/10 performance last week to hang 4 TD’s on Washington. With the amount of talent that graduated from Cal last year (Rodgers, Arrington, MacArthur, Lyman), this season will tell us if Tedford really is devine.

    ND at Pitt: It’s only one game

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    It’s only one game, but we got the win against a pretty decent team on the road and looked good doing it. I was predicting a final score of 35-28, which wasn’t too far off the mark. Obviously next week’s contest at Michigan will be a tougher test for Charlie and co.

    The Good:

  • Quinn – 18/27 for 227 yd, 2 TD / 1 INT, 0 sacks; Walker 20 rush for 100 yd, 3 rec for 57 yd, 2 TD; Fassano – 4 rec for 57 yd
  • Samardzija’s diving TD catch was a beauty.
  • The O-line controlled the line, setting the table for the rest of the offense.
  • Solid running by Powers-Neal and Thomas and getting Wolke in the game. We are thin, and keeping Quinn and Walker healthy is a priority.
  • D-line shut down their running game and got after Palko (5 sacks).

    • The Bad:

  • Quinn’s INT was pretty ugly.
  • DB’s got torched on Pitt’s first TD, and again late in the game but the receiver couldn’t haul it in.

    • The Ugly:

  • Penalties. Lots of them. 10 for 94 yd to be exact. Illegal substitutions were supposed to follow Ty to Washington.
  • Quinn still spends time outs like a sorority girl with daddy’s credit card.
  • The bar hosting the game watch doesn’t know how to work its high-definition TV.

    • It’s only one game, but in the Andy Malec philosophy of football, the first game sets the tone for the season.

    In other news, Cal steamrolled Sacto St., but lost their QB to a broken leg. Ouch.

    Does anyone miss Eric Byrnes?

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    Looking at the standings today, does anybody miss Eric Byrnes? What about Mark Mulder? Tim Hudson?

    The 2005 Athletics have been three different teams (see THT‘s graphical standings). It was tough to predict how the A’s would do this season. Only one game away from the playoffs last year, GM Billy Beane traded away the two best pitchers in Oakland’s history (by winning percentage). I wasn’t too sad to see Mulder go, after watching his decay in the second half last year, but Hudson was my favorite player on the team, and thought he should be the guy to build a pitching staff around (certainly not Zito). However, I went into the season with a cautious optimism and a real interest in watching a team with a pitching staff under 27.

    After one month, the A’s managed to hold a .500 record (12-12), but it felt like the team was walking a tightrope. Well, the rope broke in May. Injuries (Crosby, Harden, Dotel, Durazo, Swisher, Calero) mounted and losses followed. I gave up on this team. After the 7-5 loss to Boston on May 17, I took my frustrations out on Zito, “Barry Zito cannot be considered the ace of this staff. When the bullpen is worn out, the ace goes more than 5 innings. The ace doesn’t walk 7 guys and get pulled early. When an offense is struggling and manages to put up some runs, the ace takes over the game. Barry Zito is no ace.” After getting swept at Tampa Bay May 24-26, I said, “Who is this team going to beat? They do nothing right. Starting pitching, relief pitching, hitting, fielding, they’re not good at anything.” At the end of May, Ken Macha started talking about getting back to .500 by the All-Star break. I thought it was more likely that Ken Macha would be fired.

    However, since that time, the Athletics have done almost nothing wrong. Injuries healed. The offense, most notably Eric Chavez, turned around. The starting pitching kept their pitch counts down, and under less stress, the bullpen became a strength also.

    As usual, Beane has improved the roster mid-season. Injured reliever Chad Bradford was sent to the Red Sox for OF Jay Payton. The glut of outfielders was relieved by shipping fan-favorite Eric Byrnes (and minor leaguers) to Colorado for RPs Jay Witasick and Joe Kennedy. While not as flashy as deals in previous years (e.g. for Dotel, Durham, or Dye), these moves have worked beautifully. Witasick and Kennedy have dramatically deepened the bullpen, while Payton has been both an offensive spark and defensive insurance policy for CF Mark Kotsay, who’s missed time with back problems and the birth of his second child.

    Of course in May, when the A’s seemed to always be on a 7-game losing streak, the trades of Hudson and Mulder looked foolish, but what about now? Haren has arguably out-pitched Mulder, especially recently, and Beane was able to also get the key RP Calero and hot prospect Daric Barton. The Hudson trade is not as rosy for sure, with none of the three players acquired on the major league roster. However, Thomas and Cruz have straightened themselves out at AAA Sacramento, and Meyer is now healthy. On the other side, Hudson has not been the dominating pitcher we knew in Oakland, still hampered by the oblique problems he battled here. So while it would be nice to have Hudson in the rotation instead of Saarloos, Beane may have cut bait at the right time and saved a huge chunk of change at the same time.

    Looking at how well the A’s have played for the last 2+ months, now with the second best record in the AL, this team is Beane’s greatest accomplishment. For years, praise for Beane was always tempered by the presence of the “Big Three.” This year, Beane has completely reconstructed the pitching staff, coped with season ending injuries to Dotel and Durazo, and put together a team that’s poised to succeed for the next several years.

    This week the A’s will be hosting the Angels to decide the leadership in the AL West. And I dont think anyone will be missing Eric Byrnes.

    Why couldn’t I be a major league pitcher?

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    Four reasons I’d make a great pitcher:

    • I’m a gazelle off the mound.
    • I like to show off my socks.
    • I have no problem pitching inside.
    • My fastball has good sinking action.

    Four reasons I’d never make it as a pitcher:

    • I’m too expensive.
    • I have a propensity for fluke injuries, especially cutting my fingers/hands while washing dishes.
    • I don’t get along well with the media.
    • My fastball tops out at 70 mph.

    Malerich Family Invades the Stadium

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    It’s been 21 years since I’ve seen a game at Yankee Stadium. The last time was in 1984 when the Tigers visited the Yanks during their last championship season. It was glove day, and I’m sure if I look around the house long enough, I’ll find the small, plastic-leather glove with the New York Bus Service logo in the pocket that I received that day. I remember that for some reason (traffic or parking) dad and I didn’t get there until the fourth inning, and that the Tigers had the lead at that point. I don’t remember too much else about the game, but checking the archives at Retrosheet, June 27 seems like the most likely date, as the Tigers had a 3-1 lead in the 4th, but lost 5-4, as New York scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th and held on for the win. I’m surprised that it was a night game, but school would have been out by then, so it seems possible at least.

    A trip east to give a talk, plus a road trip by the Mets, and the Oakland Athletics only visit to New York this season precipitates this unexpected return of the Maleriches to the Bronx. The A’s took the first game of the series 6-3 in 10 innings, as the Yankees $300 million infield crumbled in the extra frame. In game two, the A’s were stifled by Mike Mussina, who tossed a complete game shutout. Joe Blanton started for the Athletics, and after surrendering a few early runs, settled down, providing another positive sign in the young pitchers development. Unfortunately, he was again on the short side of the ledger.

    The series finale featured Oakland ace Rich Harden against the downward spiraling Kevin Brown for the Yankees, a seemingly solid matchup for the green and gold. Dad feared that our lives might be in danger sitting in the enemy’s bleacher section, so I let my green #40 jersey and screwball hat do the talking for me.

    Let me say one thing about Yankee Stadium before I talk about the game. There was more trash on the field there than any other baseball field I’ve ever been. Maybe it was just the effect of the windy day, but there must have been fifty plastic bags on the field throughout the game. Oh, one more thing. I’m sure not all Yankee fans are so ignorant, but the ones surrounding us in the bleachers were pretty bad. Example quotes, “Durazo? He’s Venezuelan,” or worse, “Mariano [Rivera] is white, idiot!”

    While I had high hopes that the A’s would take this game and, hence, the series, but it turned out to be a typical performance. Harden worked in and out of trouble in the first three innings. On offense, Oakland loaded the bases in the 2nd with no outs and agonizingly failed to score. They filled the bases in the 4th also, but again couldn’t capitalize. Further chances never materialized. Harden finally cracked in the bottom half of the 4th, allowing a lead off homer to ARod. New York eventually added 5 more runs, but with the state of the A’s offense, a one-run lead plays as if its 10.

    Our team may have been defeated, but the Malerich family went into the devil’s lair, faced his minions, and escaped unscathed. We’ll see how things turn out when Yankees visit the East Bay this weekend (Mussina vs. Blanton).