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Written by Mike Shockman
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Sunday, 09 May 2010 10:57 |
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As the Twins have opened the inaugural season at the new Target Field in Minneapolis (to great success, so far), the team has responded well to the new park, the fans, the new members of the team, and have embraced playing outdoor baseball once again in the Twin Cities. And let me say, it's been a long time coming.
The Twins, as far back as I can remember, have always been a team that starts slow, sticking around in the division until it's almost too late, then finishing strong to win the division. That was the case in the magical season of 2006, when they went into the All-Star break floundering, then finished with an amazing turnaround, winning with .700 baseball the 2nd half of the season. This year, however, has seen an amazingly strong start, with the Twins, after a doubleheader split with the Orioles, at 20-11, leading the Tigers by 4-1/2 games in the American League Central, and with the third-best record in the major leagues, behind the Tampa Bays Rays and the Yankees, both in the American League East. The reasons are many, including plenty of run scoring, more power than expected, and the return of Francisco Liriano to something akin to his 2006 form. Also, the pleasant surprise of Jon Rauch, filling in as closer very nicely for the injured Joe Nathan. Rauch has 8 saves already, with a 2.25 ERA in 11 appearances.
In addition to all the offense, the Twins, per their blueprint throughout the organization, have stressed the importance of fundamentals, which has resulted in nearly mistake-free baseball so far. The Starting pitching has been holding up relatively well, but little nagging injuries have cropped up. As long as the Twins stay relatively healthy, the sky is the limit for this team. The only team with a chance to contend with them in the division is the Tigers. Where the team is at when the All-Star break rolls around will go a long way to deciding where they'll finish come post-season time. I see the Twins running away with the division by the end of August. We'll see - it's a LONG season, a season to which I'm very much looking forward.
Too bad Herb Carneal didn't live long enough to see the completion of Target Field. I have a sneaking suspiscion, however, that 'ol Herb is looking down and smiling on this team. |
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Familiar faces abound in Wild Card Weekend... |
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Written by Mike Shockman
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Friday, 08 January 2010 12:48 |
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It should be an interesting first weekend for the 2009 NFL Playoffs. Of the four games being played this weekend, three of them feature teams that played each other in Week 17 of the NFL season. I have been a fan for over 30 years, and I can never remember anything like that happening. Sheer coincidence, for sure, but it makes for some interesting matchups, nonetheless.
NFC:
Green Bay at Arizona - right now the Packers are probably the hottest team in the NFC. After all, they ended the season on a 7-1 roll after starting out 4-4. Arizona, after beating up on the Vikings, has been on somewhat of a slide, and injuries are piling up for them. Anquan Boldin, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Antrel Rolle and Calais Campbell are all hurt. This game is in Arizona, however, and when the Cardinals are playing at home anything can happen. They are 4-4 at home, but 6-2 on the road. In the Week 17 contest, Green Bay won 33-7, with the Cardinals resting a majority of their starters. However, the Packers are the better team, even though the Cardinals (4) are seeded higher than the Packers (5). Their offense is playing much better, and the defense seems to have bought into Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers' 3-4 scheme.
Prediction: Packers 34, Cardinals 24
Philadelphia at Dallas - here is a matchup that should make for an exciting game. Arguably, the Cowboys have the hottest QB in the league in Tony Romo - when was the last time a QB threw for 300 yds. twice in one season against the Eagles? The Eagles have some problems on defense, and Brian Westbrook just returned from injury, so Donovan McNabb is going to have to do a big share of the work. However, he has DeSean Jackson to throw to, so things aren't ALL bad. In the Week 17 game, at Dallas (which the Cowboys won 17-0), both teams were playing for the division title, and the Eagles had a shot at the No. 2 seed. So what happened? Philly came out and laid a complete egg. The Cowboys offense is 2nd in the league in total yards per game (399.4), and the Eagles' defense is 12th in total yds. given up (321.12) and 19th in total pts. per game given up (21.1). I see this as a high-scoring game. Both QBs are going to give it all they got, and the Cowboys win in a shootout
Prediction: Cowboys 38, Eagles 32
AFC:
New York Jets at Cincinnati - this game is a tough one to predict - the Jets are a hot team (winning 5 out of their last 6 games), and the Bengals have gone flat since midseason. What was working before for the Bengals (run, run and run some more) has stopped working, and they've had to rely more and more on their practically non-existent passing game. Since beating Detroit on Dec. 6th, Cincinnati has gone 1-3, beating only the weak Kansas City Chiefs, and then only 17-10. They have 8 players on injured reserve, and playing on the memory of Chris Henry can only take them so far. The Jets are a run-first team (No. 1 in the league in rushing yds. per game at 172.3), and their defense is solid if not spectacular (No. 1 in three categories: total yds. per game at 252.3, total passing yds. per game at 153.7 and total pts. per game at 14.8). In the Week 17 game, Cincinnati rested most of their starters in a game the Jets HAD to win (and did 37-0) to make the playoffs. I see the Jets continuing their winning ways, IN SPITE of rookie QB Mark "The Sanchize" Sanchez.
Prediction: Jets 24, Bengals 17
Baltimore at New England - this game is the most interesting of all. The Patriots just lost their inspirational leader (WR Wes Welker) for the rest of the season, and are going to have to lean on Randy Moss even more to carry the receiving load. As any Vikings fan will tell you, if Moss isn't involved in the offense, he tends to become disinterested. So, that bodes well for the Patriots. Their running game is becoming a who's who of the geriatric scene, with Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk both 33 and Sammy Morris 32. Ageless LB Junior Seau is still playing at 40, too. The Ravens are a young team, and have had a ton of injuries over the past month. RB Ray Rice and RB Willis McGahee are the best 1-2 touchdown-machine tandem in the league (14 for McGahee, 8 for Rice - I had Rice on two of my Fantasy Football teams), and 2nd-year QB Joe Flacco is one year wiser and one year better. Of course, the Patriots have Tom Brady, and they're at home. This one will be a well-fought close game. In a slight upset, the Ravens move on, the Patriots stay home.
Prediction: Ravens 31, Patriots 23 |
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Last Updated on Friday, 08 January 2010 04:11 |
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Written by Mike Shockman
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Tuesday, 15 December 2009 19:41 |
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After watching the Vikings lay an egg at Arizona a couple weeks ago, I began to seriously doubt that the Vikings were as good a team as they seemed. It wasn't so much that they'd lost, but the WAY they lost. The Cardinals outplayed them in just about every facet of the game. The team looked sluggish, uninterested and totally flat. So, as a result, I wanted to see how the team would react last Sunday against the Bengals before proclaiming them 2nd-seed material.
Suffice it to say, they convinced me.
The Vikings pretty much dominated the whole game, especially on defense. The Vikings' defense held QB Carson Palmer to 94 yards passing, and RB Cedric Benson to 96 yards rushing. Having Antoine Winfield back in the secondary, even with the loss of E.J. Henderson for the season the week before, was a HUGE boost to the team. He played with abandon, like he hadn't been gone for the last six weeks. He made the whole defense better, a big shot in the arm for a team that had looked stale the previous week.
On offense, RB Adrian Peterson seemed to run with a purpose again, something that seemed to be missing from him the past several games. He ran hard, strong, and there seemed to be an extra bounce in his step, especially on a couple of runs to the left, in one case when he literally OUTRAN two defenders to the corner and sprinted down the sideline.
With WR Percy Harvin out because of migraines, QB Brett Favre didn't have quite as many weapons at his disposal, Instead of carrying the load offensively, like he had done lately (not by design I think, but by opportunity, with teams preparing to stop Adrian Peterson at all costs), Favre merely "managed" the offense, which is the reason most people believe he was brought in for in the first place.
Now the Vikings go on the road for two games, playing at Carolina and at Chicago, before finishing the season with a home game against the New York Giants. As of Sunday, after winning the Cincinnati game, the team clinched a playoff birth, and with a win next Sunday against the Panthers (or a Packer loss at Pittsburgh), the Vikings can claim their second-consecutive NFC North crown. Their ultimate short-term goal should be to secure the 2nd seed in the playoffs, something that's definitely within their grasp. One or two more wins on the season should do it. So that means playing well on the road the next couple of weeks.
This team is well-rounded, balanced and they play LIKE A TEAM. There don't seem to be any egos, and there are most certainly NO SCHIZMS in the locker room. This is a team that most times plays with a purpose, and having Brett Favre healthy this late into the season can only help their chances. I look for them to win out, go 14-2 and head into the playoffs with some serious momentum. Just what they need to make a run to the - dare I say it? - Super Bowl.
Bring on the Panthers! |
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Written by Mike Shockman
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Monday, 07 December 2009 11:53 |
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Going into Sunday night's game against the Cardinals, the Vikings were pretty healthy. The only major injury issue they've had to deal with has been Antoine Winfield's foot injury. Brett Favre has had his bumps and bruises, but nothing serious. Other players have had issues as well, but nothing really serious. So who knew the Vikings were going to take their lumps against the Cardinals, and lose an extremely valuable member of the defense in the process?
Vikings' linebacker E.J. Henderson was lost for the season for the 2nd year in a row, this time to a broken left leg after trying to tackle Cardinals' running back Tim Hightower in the fourth quarter of the Vikings' 30-17 loss in Arizona. Last year, Henderson was lost in the Tennessee game to a toe injury.
The Cardinals' defense pretty much dominated the previously-high-powered Viking offense for most of the night. Except for an early TD pass to TE Visanthe Shiancoe, and a late TD pass to WR Percy Harvin, the Cardinals harassed QB Brett Favre enough to make him throw two interceptions, his first since a mistake-free November, and he was sacked three times. He now has 26 TD passes and five interceptions, still an awfully good ratio. Kurt Warner, the other "old man" on the field, fared much better, going 22-32 for 285 yds, 3 TDs and no INTs. Arizona's receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald Jr. were pretty much open all night, and the Vikings' defense never seemed to adjust in the second half. Tackling was a problem too, as the Vikings let players get way too many yards after the catch.
RB Adrian Peterson had one of his worst games as a pro, netting only 19 yards on 13 carries (one of them being an eleven-yard run). He was essentially shut down the whole game.
The Vikings have two of their prime defensive players out. Winfield is still not playing with what has been called a "foot injury", and now Henderson goes down. The Cincinnati Bengals come to town next, no easy task. The Bengals are 9-3 and leading the AFC North by 2-1/2 games over the Baltimore Ravens (depending on whether the Ravens win in Green Bay tonight, it could be 2 or three). They have a punishing ground game with Cedric Benson, and QB Carson Palmer is injury-free and playing like he did in 2007. However, the Bengals have become a run-first team, and that could be to the Vikings' advantage, knowing how well they play the run. The Bengals might come out and try to prove they can run the ball.
The Vikings' task will be to try to shore up the big hole created by the loss of Henderson, as if their defense wasn't already hurting with the absence of Winfield. It looks as though Jasper Brinkley will get the nod to fill in Henderson's spot, unless they pick someone up, which is probably unlikely.
At 10-2, the Vikings still hold at least a 2-game lead over Green Bay in the division (the Packers are 7-4 going into tonight's game with Baltimore), and it could be three before the night is over. With the Saints' overtime win in Washington yesterday, the Vikings are solidly entrenched in the number 2 seed in the NFC. Things could definitely change over the next few weeks, especially with the changes in the Vikings' defense taking place right now. The Bengals will be a big test of the team's fortitude, cohesiveness and will to win.
Let's hope they right the ship in time.
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Last Updated on Saturday, 12 December 2009 00:23 |
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