Happy Friday. Well one more day to the showdown in Lincoln. I meant to get on here last Sunday and post my thoughts on the Wake Forest game. Heck, I even thought about doing it Saturday right after the game, but the heartburn I was experiencing was a little overbearing. I'm still not exactly sure what to think about the Wake game and maybe we really won't until a few weeks pass. Maybe this is why the rational people in college football think we shouldn't have polls until .................. we ACTUALLY see these team play a few games. I know, I know, but what would we debate and how would we measure these teams.
I would like to think that all-in-all, the Wake Forest game may have provided a reality check at just the right time. Let's pretend we walked into that game and destroyed them 35-10. Now think about how much different the predictions by fans and "experts" would be this week. Don't you think the players would have had a little different attitude headed into this week? The talk last week before the game was not losing focus on Wake as it was a trap game. The good news this week is we won't have any players looking forward to the that big Ball State game.
Now then, for the USC game. Head versus heart. The head has the ideas of what USC is suppose to be. The "experts" say this is the best defensive in college football history with up to seven potential first day draft picks. After one game, v/s Idaho, I would say the jury is still out on that one (seriously, are you kidding me?). I think that this game is going to come down to how well Nebraska can run the football, specifically between the tackles. USC has some injuries but they also have depth. How good is that stable of running backs they have? They are young at the wide receiver and I personally think Booty is over hyped. The focus has been on USC defense v/s Nebraska offense. What about NU's defense v/s USC's offense? If Nebraska can grab an early lead the crowd will be able to sustain the early energy and help carry this team. If it is the opposite, the home field advantage may go away quickly and it could get ugly. As is in every game, turnovers will be key. The heart would like to believe that this game will go down in the great storybook of Nebraska football. The spread is around ten in favor of USC. Collectively, the "experts" are in favor of USC. The head says USC 31 -24; the heart says NU 24-17.
The regular season for baseball will be wrapping up soon. My Cardinals have hit the skids, losing seven in a row. The pitching has been the catalyst. Not making the postseason will be disappointing, but the Cardinals have still amazed me this year. Chris Carpenter, Yadier Molina, Adam Kennedy, David Eckstein, Scott Rolen, Chris Duncan, Jimmy Edmonds and Juan Encarnacion; a list of the Cardinals opening day line up right? Yes and no, these players along with Scott Spezio, Mark Mulder, Braden Looper, Preston Wilson, Josh Kinney, Tyler Johnson, Todd Wellemeyer and Mike Maroth are players that have spent time on the sidelines this year. Sixteen players that have missed significant time on a typical 25 man roster and the team is still near .500. The Cardinals have multiple decisions to make this offseason, starting in the front office w/ Walt Jocketty who is the GM. LaRussa is also in the final year of his contract. The Cardinals brass would be complete idiots to not retain this group. The Cardinal fans will be a little ticked at the fall off this year. I liken it more to injuries, parity, and a few poor decisions on pitching that were made in the offseason. The Cardinals fans are a lot like Husker fans and when things don't go right they are going to be looking for someone to blame, so there will be a call for LaRussa to exit stag left. I think LaRussa wants to continued to manage and hopefully St. Louis is the place for him. If he or the Cardinals decide this is no longer a fit, I would think Jose Oquendo would get a hard look at his first managerial opportunity. He is an excellent coach and relates extremely well to the players. I personally think LaRussa will be back because ironically Dave Duncan is signed through 2008 and he has been w/ LaRussa forever. The Cardinals will continue to want to be thrifty in their dealings, which it would appear in a market thin of free agent pitching, might be very difficult. They currently have two starters they could feel good about penciling in next year (Wainright & Looper). The problems from there are great. Looper is at best a number three, Mulder has not looked good in his first two outing's of the year but should be better next year. After that is Kip Wells (free agent), Joel Pinerio & Anthony Reyes; YUCK! Carpenter will be lucky to be back by August, so pitching will need to be a priority. Do not be surprised if the Cardinals try to get better at this department by dealing a position player or two over the offseason. The minor league prospects are still, at best, a year away. All this offseason talk before October 1st, I guess I finally know what it feels like to be a Cubs fan. Wow, how can you do that year after year after year after 98 years?
Enjoy the USC/NU game. I will be back next week w/ a review of the game and a look at the Royals season and what lies ahead for them in 2008.
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