Sports Notes...
-Team USA has to win one game to get to the semis and who do they turn to? Roger Clemens. They deserved to lose. (I know, he pitched a good game and all, but still...)
-Well, Belmont hung in there for a good ten minutes, which is all we could really hope for. I'm just hoping that when people not from Nashville ask from where I graduated, they have at least heard of Belmont.
-Speaking of Belmont, wouldn't it be fun if they/we were still the Rebels instead of the Bruins. Coming to think of it, they changed their nickname when they joined Div. 1, leaving the NAIA. I think that must have something to do with it.
-In case anyone's wondering, Belmont chose the Bruins largely because one was once housed by the owner of Belmont Mansion. So now you know.
-I'm hoping the Titans take Cutler, no doubt about it. We need a QB as Volek is not the answer. I don't like Young, and I don't think Lienert will be available. Without Cutler, Vandy wins one game last year instead of five. He should be a good pro.
-I think the NCAA tournament is something of a farce, where the best teams can have a bad night and be eliminated. The better basketball shouldn't be determined by only one game (which is the primary reason that I'm not watching the WBC). I still watch some because it's quite an accomplishment to win the tourney, but it shouldn't be the final verdict on who is the best team. I wish we had a better system. I haven't thought one up, though.
-That said, I love running the tournament pool. Only eight people this year, but I'm still enjoying it. Let me see, how many people chose Utah State? Time to mark them all off...
posted by Mike @ 3/16/2006 11:47:00 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
While it's still probably not a perfect system, the WBC does not go "one and done," a la the NCAA tourney. The USA proved not to be one of the better teams by losing to Korea and Mexico in this round (and although that doesn't count towards this round, they also lost to freaking Canada in the first round)--this wasn't just one bad day. And they went with Roger Clemens because they had to.
I'm not saying that I think he's the greastest thing since bread, but what exactly makes you think Cutler is a better choice than Young.
I think I am going to have to go with Jonathan on the Vince Young thing. Cutler proved time and again that under pressure, he could march Vandy down the field but in my opinion, Young seems to be able to make the plays without the pressure. I guess it is all about how you look at it though.
I've seen Young on TV. I've heard him talk. I think Young is, umm, somewhat challenged upstairs. Like, I'm not sure I'd want him driving my car challenged, much less my football team.
I know about Clemens, I just don't like him. And a baseball game is such random chance that the best teams over a 162 game season only win around 100 games, or around 61%, which is not much better than chance. You need a significant sample size for the difference to come out. It's what you learn in Stats class.
The US wasn't the best team this week, but that's not nearly enough time to tell for the longer term. And I'm not saying that because I think they were the better team, or that I wanted them to win. In fact, I was hoping they would lose so that they other countries, who actually seem to care, would be excited.
If you're going by the standarized test Young bombed, Marino got a 9 on it. As far as not having it all upstairs, the important thing is he knows football, and how to play it. Peyton Manning is not going to be President of the United States or a Nobel Peace Prize Winner, but the man can play football, and I have a feeling Young can find success as well.
Cutler should also be a good QB in the NFL; he's got the size, speed, and he passes above average. Who the hell knows who will be better, but grade point average never has really tainted or raised my opinion of a football player. Ryan Leaf graduated magna cum laude; what does that tell you?
Speaking of not talking well in an interview, has anyone heard David Givens being interviewed? "You know, um..." is seriously this dudes catchphrase.
Aww Mike, come on, he does have enough brains to play football. Anyway, those silly tests (like Wunderlick) are all the others I have been discussing in my grad school classes. Testing can be a good indication as to how well a fit a person will be in a job or if they have grasped the skills that have been taught. But here is the big but, what about those who do not test well?
On another note, Sports Center showed Cutler's workout yesterday at Vandy. He had a good workout and completed 44 passes out of 45. This should bring him up in the draft but I am still trying to figure out that, guess I will be studying that process in the next few weeks.
I saw him on Leno the night after he won the championship. This was well before the 19 he scored. I would not let him drive my car. I'm not kidding.
And I saw plenty of Cutler this year, having watched the majority of Vandy's games. Not only do I think he's a winner, I also think that he learns over time. That's the key. He will be able to pick up the NFL game much faster than Young.
Post a Comment
<< Home