In Other News...
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Aren't you tired of hearing the same ol' stories over and over again? In every paper, in every sports news channel, in every sports website, it talks only about the top stories. It just seems like you only need to see one of these shows/site/paper to get the "important" news. So in the wake of Joe Torre, Marion Jones, and Michael Vick news, I have decided to create a new column of sports news you probably either haven't heard or don't think about... or possibly both. So here, ladies and gentlemen, is the first edition of "In Other News...". Hope you enjoy!
1. The Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals are in first place in the Wild Wild West divisions.
Wait, the Raiders? The team that went 2-14 a year ago? The team that drafted JaMarcus Russell and took them until after the first game of the year to sign him? And the team that got Daunte Culpepper as their QB and we all thought there would be no way he can even bring them to life. Well guess what, they're in first. Sure, they're only 2-2, just matching their season total from a year ago. And granted, their wins came by Miami and Cleveland. But still, in a division with the Broncos, Chiefs, and Chargers, would you ever think of them as first place? NEVER!! Then again, they are the reason why the Raiders are in first place. All three of those teams have 2-3 records, while the Raiders have a 2-2 record. And it will be an understatement to say those three teams are underperforming to their season expectations. But back to the Raiders in general, especially Culpepper. He's led them to 2-0 since taking over as the starter. He has 193 passing yards, 2 TDs, NO interceptions, and a 100.3 QB rating (that's better than Manning........well, Eli Manning). Now I know it's only week 6, but did you expect them to even be in first place or to have a .500 year so far?
The Arizona Cardinals have been a nice surprise too. Of course, they should thank Kurt Warner for that. No offense to Leinart, but I think Warner led them more to wins than Leinart did in that 2-QB thing. With him out for the rest of the year, Warner can now hold on and be the true captain of the ship. Though, he probably will go back to his recent Warner attributes. But still, the Cardinals are a better team. They have a better O-line which means better running for Edgerrin James. And it shows, he has 442 rushing yards, 4th in the NFL. And the O-line has given up only 5 sacks so far this year. The defense has also been pretty good, giving up 22.2 pts/game and 318.8 yds/game. 20th and 14th respectively. The Cardinals are still the team to watch in that Wild Wild NFC West. The can easily make it to the playoffs with some actual good luck they never have.
2. USC is ranked 10th in the AP poll and 7th in Harris and USA Today despite losing to unranked Stanford at home.
How strange. It just seems the pollsters have a love affair for the Trojans. When then #5 Michigan lost to Appalachian State, they became unranked. Despite losing by only 2 points. However for USC, they were ranked #2 going into the game. They lost by 1 point at home, and they became just the #10 team. I believe USC is highly overrated. If you were 40+ point favorites, at home, and you lose, you should be going way down in the rankings, not just 7, or even 10.. If #1 LSU lost, where would they be ranked? #22? Maybe #15 if they're generous. But since the pollsters just absolutely love USC, they want them in the BCS any way they can. I guess it's good for ratings if you wanna put it that way. Still, USC being ranked higher than some of the undefeated teams is absolutely ridiculous. They lost to an unranked team, and you're going to put them in the top 10? You kidding me? Arizona State is 6-0 and ranked like 14th in their polls. Talk about bias!!
3. Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies play game 1 tomorrow on TBS.
Yeah, ESPN hasn't really previewed this series much. They're still focused on the Yankees like a metal stuck to a magnet. They're talking about the Red Sox and Indians more than these two teams. They're division rivals, they don't really like each other. They match up against each other very well. They might not be really really great, but they have about the same amount of talent to make this a great series. They instead talk about the Sox and what a surprise it is that Schilling is pitching game 2 and how great Fausto Carmona and Josh Beckett pitched in their respective first round games. I can see it now! Tomorrow ESPN will be previewing the Red Sox/Indians game and will have more coverage there than they will recap Game 1 of the D'backs/Rockies. But anyways, it will be a great series. So if you don't have cable, go over to a friend's house and watch it. Believe me, it will be good.
And here's some coverage I'll put in one day later instead of just bitching. Tonight it's Francis vs. Webb. Both these guys are young outstanding pitchers. Webb won the Cy Young last year and though he isn't up to the pitching he did that year, he is still a great pitcher. Francis was on my fantasy team (ok, a little bias). He did pitch some great games for my team and I expect some good things here too. The Rockies also have great hitting, giving them that advantage. But the D'backs somehow always pull off the win. Plus, they win the close ones despite being blown-out at least once a month. Which is why they have given up more runs this year than scored. I believe the X-factor will be Garrett Atkins for the Rockies and Stephen Drew for the Diamondbacks. Their play in my mind will be a huge factor in the outcome of the series. I believe the one who plays better will have their team win it.
Well hope you liked this new section. I'll be trying to make at least one every week. Feedback is appreciated.
