MLB Realignment Solution

For a few weeks, Major League Baseball has been discussing the idea of a “floating realignment.”  This “floating realignment” would in effect give talented teams in difficult divisions an advantage towards making the playoffs.

The key example cited was moving the Tampa Bay Rays to the American League Central and having the Kansas City Royals replace them in the American League East.  This change would happen primarily so that the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees would all make the playoffs in the same season.

This “floating realignment” is a mockery and is disrespectful to the concept of honest competition.  Moving a talented team to improve their success rate goes against everything we are taught as youths.  It supports the idea of taking the easy way out and relying on others to fix your problems rather than working hard.

I propose a more balanced and just solution.  Instead of assisting certain teams in their playoff runs and trying to set up success, MLB needs to take this opportunity to rejuvenate the sport.

Baseball has had trouble with fan numbers decreasing since the “Steroid Era.”  Casual fans have dropped the sport and moved their fandom to more exciting sports on the rise, such as Major League Soccer and the action sports performed in the X-Games.

With a possible owner lockout looming over the National Football League, now is the time for MLB to recapture fan interest and take a step closer to becoming the national pastime once again.

But the question then arises, what would bring back the casual fans?  Look at what excites the typical casual fans in your local area.  You are likely to see two key factors:  rivalry games and home runs.  Instead of realigning for the success of certain teams, MLB should realign to revitalize rivalries.

This idea of casual fan interest is what drew me to this realignment.  Doing this would put every local rivalry in the same division, therefore providing the fans with more, and more meaningful rivalries.

Also, this realignment would give the classic baseball fans such as me new, energetic rivalries for our respective teams.  Teams would get to play opponents they would not usually see on the diamond.  This would appeal to everyone, from casual fans to die hard fans to the men on the field.

In addition to the classic and new rivalries, this realignment would balance out the American League and National League.  And because of that, their rules would have to match, meaning the National League would have to implement to designated hitter rule.  This would make inter-league play more straightforward and fair.  Not to mention this would help with fans because, simply put, chicks dig the long ball.

The divisional realignment goes as follows:

American League:

East – Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals

Central – Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays

West – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners

National League:

East – Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays

Central – Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals

West – Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers

This alignment maintains the two rivalries in baseball that I feel should go untouched, Yankees-Red Sox and Cubs-Cardinals.  It also gives more meaning to the local rivalries including the Subway Series, the Bay Series and many others in-state matchups.

I strongly urge MLB to take a look at this and give it strong consideration.  This would keep the die hard fans and regain a firm grasp on the casual fans.  Baseball would be able to return to the glorious days of exciting play that we, the fans have all come to miss.

McNabb to Raiders Right for Everyone

Donovan McNabb brought football back to Philadelphia.  He made the Eagles relevent once again by leading them to several NFC championship games and even to the Super Bowl.

Since those glory days, much of the talk has been about whether McNabb would be retained in Philadelphia.  After numerous injuries, the time seem to have come for the Eagles to finally part ways with their franchise quarterback.

Ending the season with three capable starting quarterbacks on the roster, it was apparent that the Eagles would have to do something.  Initially, the team said that they would enter the season with McNabb, Michael Vick, and Kevin Kolb as their three quarterbacks.

No longer than one month ago, the Eagles softened their stance, saying that they would entertain offers for their quarterbacks, but Kolb, the heir apparant to McNabb, was virtually untouchable.

Kolb, in his third season out of the University of Houston, was being groomed to be McNabb’s long term replacement, and showed his capabilities when he started in place of McNabb after suffering a broken rib in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers.

The once troubled Michael Vick said in the offseason that he would like to start somewhere, but Eagles’ management has shown no interest in moving the mobile quarterback.

McNabb, whose skills are noticeably declining, seems likely to be heading to the Oakland Raiders, whose issues at quarterback have been well documented.  Oakland is reportedly offering their 39th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.  The Eagles said that they had to get a top 42 pick to entertain pulling the trigger on a McNabb deal.

The Raiders have not had a reliable starting quarterback since the days of Rich Gannon.  Al Davis’ team has gone through names such as Daunte Culpepper, Rick Mirer, Andrew Walter, and Kerry Collins.  Also much has been made about the drafting of LSU QB JaMarcus Russell, who might be better served as starting at defensive tackle than quarterback.

Despite the declining skills, McNabb would come in immediately and fill a hole for the Raiders.  He would not be a miracle worker for the once proud organization, but would drastically improve the position and the slim chances of the Raiders ever turning it around.

McNabb says he would like to go to the Minnesota Vikings, but they have another quarterback, and who knows when he will make his decision.  It will be way too late for the Eagles, who owe McNabb a large roster bonus if he is on the roster in April.

McNabb is also in the final year of his contract, and Oakland might be the only team that would be willing to fork over more money than he deserves for an aging quarterback.

In Philadelphia, Kolb would allow the Eagles to continue to grow, perhaps allowing the team to reach the next level, specifically in areas where McNabb might be holding them back.

If McNabb goes to Oakland, he would have an opportunity to make himself a hall of fame quarterback, helping to turn around the laughing stock of the NFL.

And if Al Davis pulls the trigger on one of the smartest moves for the organization, maybe Oakland fans will have something to look forward to, besides the day that the aged-owner sells the football team.

2010 NFL Mock Draft Update

This mock is two rounds and is posted in the images.
In the images you’ll see the team, player, position, school and team needs.  I base the team needs on my rankings from the end of the season.

If the position under team needs is in GRAY it means that position was addressed in the DRAFT.  If it is in BLUE, that means it was addressed in FREE AGENCY.  If it is in PURPLE, that means it was addressed in free agency but still drafted, being taken care of in BOTH.

Click on the images for a larger view.

MLB Preview = WUSC Spring Fundraiser 3/19

Starting Friday, WUSC is having the Spring 2010 fundraiser.  DJs are going to be creating mix tapes with all the music they would want to listen to on a road trip.

Sticking with the mix tape theme, we at Section 26 decided to put a twist on it, saying that our idea of a fun road trip is talking about baseball for two hours.

Therefore, on Saturday March 19th, from 8-10 am, we will be doing our 2010 Major League Baseball preview.  In the two hours, we will go through all 30 teams and six divisions, giving you the knowledge you need to know for the upcoming season.

What we hope you can do is donate to WUSC’s fundraiser, either by logging onto wusc.sc.edu, or clicking this link, to listen and donate.  Or give the station a call at (803) 576-WUSC (thats 576-9872).

All the donations will help to make WUSC bigger and better than ever.

Boise State 2010 Schedule: Tough Enough?

As all college football fans will tell you, the Boise State Broncos have been evolving into a powerhouse over the past few seasons.

Boise State had burst onto the scene with their win for the ages over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.  They finished their 2006 regular season with an undefeated 12-0 record.

Since the 2006 season, Boise State has a record of 49 wins and only four losses, with only one of those losses coming to a conference opponent (Hawaii, 2007).  Their bowl record over these four seasons is 2-2, with wins over Oklahoma and Texas Christian and losses to East Carolina and Texas Christian.

While some fans say the record speaks for itself, many other fans, including myself have a problem with their overall strength of schedule.  In the past four seasons, the Broncos have scheduled four BCS conference opponents (Oregon State in 2006, Washington in 2007, Oregon in 2008 and 2009).

Of their 47 regular season wins over the past four seasons, 43 of them came over opponents in non-BCS conference, including 35 wins over conference opponents.  Also, four of those wins were over FBS teams.  Is this schedule strong enough to warrant a berth to a BCS game?

It seems like Boise State has heard the ridicule and is taking an extra step to ensure the fans will get what they want.

To open the 2010 season, Boise State will travel FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland to face perennial ACC powerhouse Virginia Tech.  This contest with a national power on a neutral site clearly upgrades their schedule significantly.

Boise State will host Pac-10 contender Oregon State on September 25^th.  This marks the first year of Boise State’s recent dominance in which they have scheduled two BCS opponents in the same season.

The other two non-conference opponents the Broncos have scheduled are a home game against Toledo and a game at Wyoming.  While the game with Toledo is not a “schedule-changer,” Wyoming is a much improved football and will pose a challenge for Boise State.

The conference home schedule for the Broncos will have them hosting Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, Hawaii and Utah State.  While Fresno State has improved under Pat Hill, their best player, running back Ryan Mathews has moved on to the NFL.  Louisiana Tech, who just lost former head coach Derek Dooley, and Utah State should serve as pushovers for Boise State.  Hawaii is always a coin toss.  Their system could give them a big win, or their lack of defense could cost them the game.  Bottom line, Boise State should win these four games.

The conference road schedule is a little more daunting however.   The Broncos have to travel to San Jose State, New Mexico State, rival Idaho and top 25-caliber Nevada.  Boise State and Idaho have a heated rivalry and Idaho is a much improved team.  Nevada finished last season as the only team in Division-IA football history to have three players with over 1000 rushing yards in a season.  Two of those players, quarterback Colin Kaepernick and running back Vai Taua will be returning for their senior seasons.

Boise State has improved their schedule dramatically by adding Oregon State at home and Virginia Tech, who they will play at a neutral site in Landover, Maryland.  Also, the improvement of other WAC teams, Nevada, Idaho and Fresno State will help there strength of schedule.

While this schedule is still not as tough as those played by BCS conference teams, it is a gigantic step in the right direction.  I would still like to see a third BCS team, but we cannot ask for too much.  Also note, Boise State played in thirteen games last season and could still add one more to this schedule.

But is this still tough enough?  Is this schedule worth a BCS Game?  I would say yes, but barely.  I would still like to see a third BCS team, but we cannot ask for too much.  Finishing this season undefeated would be much more impressive than past years and would warrant another Fiesta Bowl.

Is it National Championship worthy?  To this, I say no.  Boise State is clearly head and shoulders above every other team in their conference, and playing only two BCS conference teams, while BCS teams play at lease seven others each season, is not enough.  An easier path should never be rewarded the same as the more difficult path.

Of course this discussion always leads to the question I ask every time Boise State’s schedule is brought up… When will the Pac-10 just invite them to join?  That would solve all of these problems.

Carolina Panthers 2010 Offseason Analysis

Now that the first weekend of the 2010 NFL free agency is over, we can look and assess the next step for teams to make.

There is no question that one of the most news-worthy teams from the first weekend was the Carolina Panthers.  The only problem for fan is that they have not been in the news for the reasons they were hoping for.

The first big step the Panthers made was deciding not to apply their franchise tag to defensive end Julius Peppers for the second consecutive year.  Peppers then signed a 6-year deal worth $91.5 million, $42 million of which is guaranteed, with the Chicago Bears.

Following the loss of the elite defensive end was the releasing of quarterback Jake Delhomme.  This move surprised many people, including Delhomme himself.  The Panthers decision to apply the highest possible tender to restricted free agent quarterback Matt Moore, valuing him at first and a third round picks solidifies the fact that Moore will be the leader of the offense for the “Cardiac Cats” in 2010.

Even more baffling were the releases of veteran defenders from 2009.  Defensive tackle Ma’ake Kemoeatu was looking forward to his return to Carolina after rupturing his Achilles tendon in training camp.  Instead, he was released, along with fellow defensive tackle and 2009 starter Damione Lewis.

These moves leave the Panthers with no returner from the original starting defensive line from last season.  The fourth player being defensive end Taylor Brayton, who is an unrestricted free agent for 2010 and is still available.

The Panthers also cut veteran linebackers Na’il Diggs and Landon Johnson.  Diggs and Johnson combined for 59 tackles in 2009.  This leaves notable depth issues at linebacker, as well as the starting position needing to be filled.

So far in the offseason, Carolina has signed one player, defensive tackle Ed Johnson.

Where do the Panthers go from here?  There are notable voids to be filled.  Even with the high tenders placed on quarterback Matt Moore and linebacker Thomas Davis, both positions still need depth.  And with the releasing of Lewis and Kemoeatu, defensive tackle becomes an even bigger need.

At quarterback, I expect to see the Panthers look for a future quarterback in the draft.  Look for a third or fourth round pick to be used.  The biggest and most likely name to watch for is Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour.  In addition to a rookie, look for a veteran signing, perhaps Brodie Croyle or Josh McCown, who was with the Panthers in 2009.

Wide receiver is still a glaring need for the Panthers, as their passing offense is lifeless and monotonous.   Steve Smith is still worth a few good plays, but without a weapon on the opposite side of Smith, opposing defenses can hone in on Smith, rendering him useless to Moore.  Look for a second round pick to be used on a playmaker.  Mardy Gilyard from Cincinnati and Brandon LaFell from LSU would be nice fits.

The defensive line issues will likely be solved in free agency.  However, the only defensive end in free agency this season that would have made a difference was Aaron Kampman, but he recently signed with Jacksonville.  There are reports that the Panthers have interest in former New York Jets’ defensive end Marques Douglas.  I also expect a run after defensive end Raheem Brock, who was coached by current defensive coordinator Ron Meeks in Indianapolis.  If both are signed, Douglas may slide inside to defensive tackle to bring more athleticism to the position.

The linebacker position should not be as interesting to outsiders.  Panthers’ fans however should look for James Anderson and Dan Connor to battle for the starting roll opposite Thomas Davis.  I do fully believe a draft pick will be use for depth.  Florida State’s Dakoda Watson or South Carolina’s Eric Norwood would fit the system very well and have the athletic ability to succeed quickly.

Other positions need depth, such as offensive guard and middle linebacker, if Dan Connor slides to outside linebacker permanently.

However, I feel strongly that if these moves are made by the Panthers successfully, they can salvage an offseason that was otherwise depressing for fans.

Stay tuned to Section 26 Sports for more Panthers updates as the happen.

Jake Delhomme: The Best Quarterback No One Remembers

Earlier today, the Carolina Panthers parted ways with their franchise quarterback Jake Delhomme after seven years.

Most people remember and will remember Delhomme’s struggles that began last year in the NFC Divisional Round Game against the Arizona Cardinals, where he turned the ball over five times.

Most people will also remember the struggles endured by Delhomme this year, opening the season with another six turnovers against Philadelphia.  Delhomme struggled until he broke a pinky that ended his season.  Some would say that Delhomme never truly recovered from the playoff game against the Cardinals.

But the way this radio host will remember Jake Delhomme is the magical ride he gave the Carolina Panthers just seven years ago.

Choosing to go to Carolina over Dallas in the 2003 offseason, Delhomme replaced incumbent Rodney Peete in the second half of the season opening game against Jacksonville.  Delhomme led the team to a comeback win, on a touchdown pass to wide receiver Ricky Proehl in the final minute of the game.

From then on, Delhomme was the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.  He beat the mighty, undefeated Indianapolis Colts in overtime.  He lead the team to its first Super Bowl, which the Panthers lost to the Patriots on a last second field goal by Adam Vinatieri.

Delhomme, with his Louisiana accent, became the face of the franchise, and for the first time, gave the young team a winning attitude.  The team became known as the ‘Cardiac Cats’ for Delhomme’s ability to lead late game comebacks.

Someone would also know that Delhomme was well-respected.  He got the nickname Jake “Daylight come and you got to” Delhomme from ESPN’s Chris Berman.

Delhomme would go on to become one of the top rated quarterbacks in the NFL during his tenure with the Panthers.  Despite not being the poster-boy that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were, Delhomme won just as many games as they did and had comparable statistics.

However injuries were what Delhomme became known for in his final years in Carolina.  He became the first known quarterback to successfully return from elbow ligament replacement (“Tommy John”) surgery.  He also led the Panthers to a second NFC championship game, and created a star in receiver Steve Smith.

But in the end, it was money that broke up one of the most successful team-quarterback marriages in NFL history.  Delhomme signed a lucrative deal in which he was owed $12.5 million dollars.  That was just too much for a team trying to rebuild.

So Delhomme, head coach John Fox, and general manager Marty Hurney all took turns choking up at the microphone today.  Delhomme, sobbing throughout, said he had no hard feelings for the organization and understand the move they had to make.

Nevertheless, it is a sad day for the Panthers and their fans.  The quarterback which created a perennial Super Bowl contender out of the team has just been kicked to the curb and the memories of Super Bowl XXXLIII in Houston seem so long ago.

Thanks for the memories Jake.  But sometimes, daylight comes and you’ve got to go home.

Spring Break Schedule

With the University of South Carolina on Spring Break for the next week, Section 26 Sports will go on our own spring break.  We will not be airing on Saturday from 8-10 AM for the next two Saturdays (3/6 and 3/13).

Instead, we will have two 3-hour shows on Tuesday and Thursday from 3-6 pm.  That is March 9th and March 11th from 3-6 pm on 90.5 WUSC FM in Columbia.  You of course can always listen anywhere in the world by going to WUSC’s website (Click Here).

On tap for the shows this week will be previewing and reviewing the early signings in the NFL offseason, looking back to the NFL Scouting Combine as yesterday’s college stars become the next NFL stars, and who knows we might start looking at the Atlanta Braves upcoming season.

So on Tuesday as you head down to South Carolina’s baseball game against Valparaiso, make sure you tune in for everything happening in sports, and the regular segments of NASCAR in a Nutshell and Hand Slap/Face Slap.

We will return to our normal time on Saturday mornings from 8-10 AM on March 20th.

And while you’re at it, check out our fan page on Facebook, and become a fan of the show while you’re there and write something on our wall.

NFL Prospect Post-Combine Rankings: Defense

The defensive rankings had a few more changes than the offensive, but still not many.  The most notable changes are at cornerback.

Joe Haden of Florida hurt himself in the combine with a 40-yard dash time of 4.57 seconds.  However, I ultimately went back to his game footage and still think highly of me.  A 40-yard dash time at the Combine does not determine a player’s future, and while this was unfortunate for him, his day as a whole was not bad enough to hurt him too badly.

With all of that being said, Joe Haden did drop to #2 on the cornerback rankings because of Rutgers’ Devin McCourty.  McCourty ran a 4.34 second 40-yard dash and posted a respectable 16 reps on the bench press.

The other defensive winners of the NFL Combine include former TCU linebacker Daryl Washington, former South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood and Florida State’s Dakoda Walker.  Washington and Norwood impressed in position drills, making them seem smooth and effortless.  Walker showed his unmatched athletic ability with a 4.50 second 40-yard dash, a 40 inch vertical jump and a broad jump of over eleven feet.

Note, the asterisk (*) denotes and defensive end or outside linebacker that would fit best as a rush linebacker in a 3-4.

Defensive End

1. Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech
2. Jason Pierre-Paul, South Florida
3. Carlos Dunlap, Florida
4. Brandon Graham*, Michigan
5. Everson Griffen, USC

Defensive Tackle

1. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
2. Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma
3. Brian Price, UCLA
4. Dan Williams, Tennessee
5. Jared Odrick, Penn State

Inside Linebacker

1. Rolando McClain, Alabama
2. Daryl Washington, TCU
3. Brandon Spikes, Florida
4. Jamar Chaney, Mississippi State
5. Micah Johnson, Kentucky

Outside Linebacker

1. Sergio Kindle*, Texas
2. Jerry Hughes*, TCU
3. Novorro Bowman, Penn State
4. Eric Norwood, South Carolina
5. Dakoda Walker, Florida State

Cornerback

1. Devin McCourty, Rutgers
2. Joe Haden, Florida
3. Kyle Wilson, Boise State
4. Kareem Jackson, Alabama
5. Brandon Ghee, Wake Forest

Safety

1. Eric Berry, Tennessee
2. Earl Thomas, Texas
3. Taylor Mays, USC
4. Nate Allen, South Florida
5. Myron Rolle, Florida State

Eric Norwood was originally not in my top five at outside linebacker, but his performance in the Combine proved he can thrive in both 3-4 and 4-3 defensive schemes.

Taylor Mays, while having a “freakish” Combine, still has trouble in coverage, as shown in the Senior Bowl.  Fellow safety Myron Rolle however showed that he is still prepared for the NFL after his trip to Oxford.

Even though some players fizzled out while others shined through, no ranking is final until each player has his pro day.  And no matter the showings this week or in pro days, we are sure to see an interesting NFL Draft.

Preview: South Carolina Senior Night

As the senior men’s basketball players from South Carolina make their final appearance at the Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday night, head coach Darrin Horn needs to let the seniors start the game.

The graduating class this year includes Robert Wilder, Evka Baniulis, Devan Downey, Brandis Raley-Ross, and the injured Dominique Archie.

If the Gamecocks were playing for something such as tournament seeding or an SEC title, I would feel different.  But they are not.  Only pride is what the Gamecocks are playing for on Wednesday night against Alabama.

Therefore, Horn should start his four active seniors, and yes, that includes senior guard Robert Wilder.

Wilder, a former walk-on from Chapin, South Carolina is a fan favorite.  He routinely gets the loudest reception when he enters the game, next to Devan Downey.  Wilder has played in 12 games, averaging 4.7 minutes in those games.

Wilder often draws the chant, “Rob, Rob, Rob…” with the hope that the sparingly played guard takes a shot.  He is 1 for 3 shooting the ball this year.

Evka Baniulis on the other hand, has gotten a little more playing time than Wilder.  However, his play over the past four years has been consistently inconsistent.

Known for his 3-point shot, the 6-9  forward from Lithuania has struggled from behind the arc all season.  In 27 games this season, Baniulis is average 27.5% shooting from 3-point range.  That is well below his career average.

Baniulis has often had his play scrutinized by fans and coaches alike.  He did not play in Saturday’s game against Mississippi State.  Horn said that Baniulis did not do all the things that some of his freshmen could.

The two more well known seniors on this roster are Downey and Raley-Ross.  The two guards have provided the most leadership and production on a team that has struggled since the knee injury to Archie and the dismissal of Mike Holmes.

Downey transferred from Cincinnati after the school let now-Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy walk after taking over for a fired Bob Huggins.  In the move to South Carolina, the Chester-native returned closer to home.

Downey proceeded to become one of the most prolific players in Gamecocks’ basketball history.  He arguably has the most heart of any player in college basketball.

Downey was on many national and conference awards watch list entering the season, including a finalist for the Bob Couzy Award.  An ankle injury has slowed the 5-9 point guard from the way he played earlier in the year, when it looked like he was a front-runner for SEC player of the year.

To summarize Downey’s career at South Carolina, let’s just say that the university’s 5-year wait rule to retire a players number should be lifted in this case.  No one in the men’s basketball program should ever wear Downey’s #2 again.

Brandis Raley-Ross has always been a player that you just waited for to break out.  In his four years at South Carolina, the 6-3 guard had the soft touch and 3-point shooting ability, but he could not do it on a consistent basis.

Raley-Ross has started every game this season beside Downey, but it has not been until late where he is able to perform as a scoring compliment to the star guard.  Raley-Ross has always played second-string to the star of Downey, but has always been a vocal leader for this team.  (For a previous story on Raley-Ross, click here)

The final senior is forward Dominique Archie.  The hope is that the 6-9 senior will get a medical redshirt after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Charleston Classic against Miami (FL).

Archie may be the player that has the most upside at the next level.  Archie can play down in the post and also step outside to knock down a three pointer.

Archie’s biggest problem always seemed to be that he does not always realize how good he could be.  He is a great player and if he gets the opportunity to be the star next season, Archie could have the break-out season that everyone has been waiting on.

In less than 72 hours, these seniors will take the court for the final time.  Letting all of them play the first four minutes before the first media timeout is not going to lose you the game.  While two of the seniors have not been major contributors this season, they have been fan favorites over the course of their careers.

It has been said, Rob Wilder should start his final home game at Carolina.  Who knows, maybe he’ll finally breakout and show that he should have always been in the starting lineup.