The NFL regular season is 16 games in length. For the NBA and the NHL, each team will play 82 games. Even the MLS season stops after 30 games. Will someone please explain to me, then, why Major League Baseball feels the need to play 162 games in a single season?! I am not saying I disagree with the length of the baseball season, but I do want to understand it.
Teams in Major League Baseball play ten times as many games as the NFL, and twice as many as in hockey or basketball. They will literally play the length of an entire NBA season, then take three days off for their All-Star “Break” only to start the entire process all over again.
In some instances, such as when you consider the American League Central Division of 2009, a schedule of that length makes perfect sense. At the close of the season’s first half, the Detroit Tigers led the division by 3.5 games over the Chicago White Sox. The Minnesota Twins were actually in third place in the division, trailing Detroit by four full games. After the second half of the season, however, things looked a little different. The White Sox had fallen completely out of contention, and the Tigers made a historic collapse allowing the Twins to climb from third in the division all the way up to claim the division crown. In fact, 162 games was not even enough to settle the AL Central, as it actually took a 163rd game – and even THAT game went into extra innings – before the champion was crowned!
Had the season ended just ONE game sooner, it would have been the Tigers who faced the New York Yankees in the ALDS instead of the Twins.
On the other hand, was it REALLY necessary to play 162 games in order to prove that the best teams in baseball this year were the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Boston Red Sox? Were 162 games required to show that the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles were the worst teams in baseball, or that the Cleveland Indians had NO shot of competing for the postseason?
Of the 30 teams in the Major League, 16 trailed their division leader by AT LEAST ten games (that is more than half of the league) at the close of the season. Twelve of those teams trailed by more than 16 games (the full length of the NFL season), ten of whom actually trailed by at least 20 games (that is a full one-third of the league)!
The purpose of MLB’s regular season is to determine which teams should go on to the playoffs. For some teams, that determination is made a long time before game 162 is played. For others, though, every inning of every game counts, with each being a potential difference-maker in deciding playoff fate.
Fortunately, we have the expertise of the writers at TSD to call upon these tough times. Maybe they can help shed some light on the situation…
Is a 162-game season appropriate for Major League Baseball, or is the season too long?
Sports Geek will argue that the season is the appropriate length and Loyal Homer will take the position that the season is too long.
I just hope it does not take 162 debates to determine a winner!
The number 162 is a big number. It is easy to say that 162 games in a single season is way too long for any major sport’s season. That number… it just SEEMS too big. Factor in some off days, rain outs, tie breaking extra games – and do not forget the playoffs – and their sure is a lot of baseball during the year!
But, unsurprisingly, there are some basic rules governing the construction of a baseball season. Baseball’s professional league cannot have a regular season last more than 183 days… or be fewer than 178 days. As baseball’s season length expanded – from 154 games a season to 162 in 1961 in the American League, and from 154 games a season to 162 in 1962 in the National League – the number of double headers shrunk. Because of those simultaneous changes, the number of days needed to play those games also increased more than expected. Hooray for more baseball!
The sports fans/critics that want a shorter baseball season must a) have plans during the summer, b) not appreciate history, and c) be infatuated with football training camp. What else is there to do during the summer? Baseball has been a national cultural phenomenon since the late 19th Century. Part of the attraction is a lack of distractions and competition in the sports world – especially as media coverage has expanded. Baseball has summer to itself. And, when it shares the sports spotlight, it is well worth watching. In the Spring the excitement of a new season and the possibility of success are compelling while in the Fall the lure of the playoffs grabs fan attention. The length of the season capitalizes on each of those audience segments.
History is another primary factor baseball’s season cannot be shortened. The ability to compare one player’s season from 2009 to a player’s season from 1909 separates baseball from every other sport. Now, it is fair to question the ability to compare seasons statistically since 154 games were on the schedule from 1904 to 1961. The eight extra games modern day players have to compile statistics is not fair to the historical players, right? It is a fair question. But, consider the size of ballparks historical players competed in during their respective eras. Many massive ballparks in the early 1900s did not have a home run fence. That means hitting a home run required, you know, RUNNING. It was a different era, but the basics of the game were the same, and the statistics largely stack up nicely, era over era.
The statistics from the historical era are still good for gauging modern performance for a number of reasons. The most important reason is the evolution of a player’s playing time. In the historical era a position player would often start all 154 regular season games. In the modern era a position player will start between 153 and 157 games per season. That is comparable, and a main contributing factor to why baseball players from separate eras are compared to one another, and a reason why the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame has more integrity than any of its contemporaries.
Aside from all of these emotive and historical elements to baseball, there are plenty of business reasons to sustain a lengthy 162 game season. Using a simple business model of $25 per seat in a 40,000 seat stadium, a team can count on roughly $1,000,000.00 per home game in revenue (provided all tickets are sold). That is a million bucks for every home game. Even a simple expansion of eight extra games a season – four home games – adds four million dollars in revenue. Baseball franchises use this type of model to forecast gate receipts and other aspects to the business of baseball… you know, the stuff like player salaries, coaching searches, player insurance, etc. As salaries, talent searches, and insurance costs have increased – to name just a few of the escalating costs baseball organizations face – that “extra” four million dollars is now an essential and reliant part of the business plan. And, obviously the $25 ticket price is conservative, but the conservatism proves the point. The yearlong ability to sell tickets makes a substantial difference in the business success of a modern baseball franchise.
Also, baseball is a game of failure. Because of that fact, it takes a long time to build up baseball statistics that achieve statistical significance. Success is defined by failure seven out of every ten attempts (you know, a .300 batting average). It takes a lot of at bats to determine if a player is consistently good or just hot for a time. Plus, starting pitchers only get to pitch once every five games. A closer gets an average of 25 chances over the course of the season. A long season is necessary to get the kind of measurable results organizations need to make personnel decisions and understand how much talent it has.
Just because baseball is a long season where patience and stamina are crucial does not mean the season should be shorter. It is designed that way for a reason. It is more exciting to have a close finish at the end of a long race. All of the buildup makes for a better payoff.
For baseball to remain a sustainable business in tough economic times, the season must remain as long as it currently is. And, business aside, for baseball to continue to its historical and cultural relevance the season must remain as long as it currently is.
The real problem facing baseball organizations is how to acquire new fans. Retaining fans is an easier marketing problem to solve, especially when considering the myriad new mediums fans can consume baseball’s content through. New fan acquisition must be a preeminent focus for baseball, and the sports and its franchises need the sustainable revenue from a long season to continue the sport’s growth.
As I was watching two dramatic playoff games yesterday, I was reminded once again how much I love baseball. What baseball fan would not love watching the Los Angeles Angels win and the Philadelphia Phillies win with walk off hits? Well… if you are a New York Yankees fan or a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, I guess you have not enjoyed them at all! Anyway, yesterday was postseason baseball at its best. I was talking to a casual baseball fan at work one day last week and we were having a “water-cooler” talk about the playoffs. He said, “You know, I like baseball, but that regular season is just so long!” Now, as I stated, I love baseball, but after looking at the length of baseball’s season from all angles I have to agree, the season really is too long!
Bleacher Fan stated in the intro that many of the teams this year had essentially clinched playoffs berths early, and that realistically many teams had been eliminated from playoff contention early. Those are valid reasons for trimming baseball’s season to a degree. But, that is not my focus.
I am focusing on the fact that the longer the season drags on, the more opportunities there are for other sporting events to distract the viewer and/or fan from baseball.
For example, this past Sunday night, a regular season NFL game between the Chicago Bears and the Atlanta Falcons – in Week six, I might add – received a higher television rating than Game four of the National League Championship Series between two big market teams. A closer look at the numbers shows that the NFL game amazingly drew higher in Los Angeles, despite the fact that the Dodgers were in the game and that the Bears and Falcons have no specific ties to the Los Angeles area. Have people in LA, not to mention the entire country, lost interest in baseball in mid-October? If the regular season had not dragged on for so long, perhaps there would be fewer of these postseason matchups going up against regular season football for several weeks.
It has been documented that if the World Series goes the full seven games, then Game seven would not take place until November 5th. It should also be noted that eight weeks of the NFL season (almost half) would already be in the books. This is a full seven months after the MLB regular season began on Sunday, April 5th in Philadelphia. Seven entire months of meaningful baseball! This does not even count spring training! The regular season alone ended on October 4th (October 6th if you count Game 163 between the Tigers and Twins). That is six months of regular season play. That sure seems a little long and drawn out to you, especially when compared to other leagues.
It should also be noted that the NBA starts its regular season a week from today on October 27th. This means that the World Series, the NHL regular season, the start of the NBA regular season, and the NFL regular season will be going on at the same time. Obviously, there is split attention for all three of those. And, unless your team is in the World Series, I am not convinced the general sports fan is going to be focused on the World Series.
If the regular season was trimmed, there would be no interference from the NBA and significantly less interference from the NFL. There would be more eyeballs on Major League Baseball, and I guarantee you that is what Bud Selig wants. The game of baseball needs it!
In 2007, the New Orleans Hornets surprised everyone. Thanks in large part to point guard Chris Paul’s impressive break-out season, the Hornets were able to improve upon a dreadful 2006 season (where the team won only 39 games) and finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference, only one game behind the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. For his part, Paul led the league in steals and assists on the year, and finished second in voting for the league’s MVP award, ahead of the Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett (who went on to lead his team to the NBA Championship) and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (the NBA’s scoring champion). During the playoffs, however, the Hornets ran into the defending champions – a much more experienced San Antonio Spurs – losing in seven games during the Western Conference Semi-Final round.
Following that excitement the 2008 season proved to be a letdown for the Hornets. Despite another very impressive year behind Paul, who once again led the league in steals and assists, the Hornets finished the season 16 games behind the Conference leading Lakers. The Hornets record was just good enough to claim the seventh seed in the postseason, but their playoff time was short-lived as they lost in five games to the Denver Nuggets during the first round.
A big reason for the struggles of the Hornets last season was the absence of center Tyson Chandler. Chandler, who finished third in the league in rebounds during the Hornets’ impressive 2007 season, missed nearly half of 2008 with an ankle injury. Without Chandler at center, the Hornets were unable to account for the lack of defense at the center position with backup Hilton Armstrong. Shooting guard Morris Peterson was another disappointment for the Hornets last season. Peterson, who averaged as many as 16.8 points per game when he played with Toronto, managed only 4.4 points per game in 2008 for New Orleans after being relegated to a bench role.
Fortunately, things are looking up for the Hornets as we approach the 2009 season. In the offseason, the Hornets most impressive move was to trade Tyson Chandler away in return for center Emeka Okafor, a much more versatile player who will bring better scoring and rebounding to the Hornets than Chandler. Behind Okafor, Paul, and forward David West – who is no stranger to scoring himself after averaging more than 20 points per game over the past two seasons – New Orleans should be greatly improved from its 2008 season, where the team finished with as the 26th worst scoring team in the league.
Another key offseason move for New Orleans was trading shooting guard Rasual Butler. The deal, which was intended to free up salary-cap space for the Hornets, creates an opportunity for Morris Peterson to return to the starting lineup. Peterson, who has excellent catch-and-shoot ability, and can hit three-pointers with some success, should get more looks this season with the attention demanded by Okafor, West, and Paul. If Peterson can make the most of this opportunity and return to the level of performance that he played with in Toronto, he will add a very dangerous fourth scoring element to the offense.
As for the Hornets’ fifth starter, forward Peja Stojakovic, age is becoming a factor (although Stojakovic remains one of the most accurate shooters in the league). With the supporting cast of Paul, Peterson, Okafor, and West, the Hornets should be able to minimize Stojakovic’s decline in athleticism, enabling the team to capitalize on the accuracy that he still possesses.
In a season where most of the talk in the West will center on the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers, the Hornets are positioned to make a deep run into the playoffs this year. Having upgraded on both sides of the ball, I would not be surprised at all to see New Orleans catch many teams by surprise in the upcoming season. Of course, I would say that about any team that boasted the league’s top point guard, one of the top-five centers in the league, and the shooting potential of David West, Peja Stojakovic, and Morris Peterson!
The city of Philadelphia, for all of its Santa-booing tendencies, is now a great place to be a sports fan. The Philadelphia Flyers have a winning record on the young hockey season, the Philadelphia Eagles – despite a loss to the Oakland Raiders yesterday – are second in the NFC East division, the Philadelphia Phillies are well on the way to another World Series appearance and a chance to repeat as MLB champions, and now the Philadelphia 76ers seem to be rounding into shape for the 2009-2010 NBA season. Philly fans have many reasons to be excited about this group of 76ers, the 2009-2010 biggest NBA sleeper.
One reason the 76ers are a sleeper this season is because the team has made dramatic improvements in its ability to spread the floor. In 2008, shooting guard Andre Iguodala was the unquestioned focus of the team’s offense – and every opponent’s defense. Even while attracting a tremendous amount of extra attention Iguodala still averaged over 18 points per game last season. Beyond his points per game, over five assists per game and nearly two steals a game last season, Iguodala proved he is a closer. In the playoffs, he was lights out despite the extra defensive pressure he faced, hitting several clutch shots including a couple of game winners. While he has been great and will continue to improve, the 76ers have signed a very important free agent that will help the team spread the floor and create slashing lanes for Iguodala – outside shooting sniper Jason Kapono. The three-time three point shooting champion will solidify the three position and force defenses to expand out to the perimeter. That wide open floor will create additional offensive opportunities for a resurgent Elton Brand. Brand, despite some shoulder injuries and a general inability to stay on the court, has been excellent in the preseason. A featured offensive player capability of putting up 20+ points per game in the past, Brand plus Kapono plus Iguodala is a combination sure to create extremely difficult match ups for opposing defenses.
With the offense better equipped to create mismatches, the same is true of the defense. New point guard, and former high school to professional player, Louis Williams, is rounding into a fine player. Williams’ growth, and a new five year contract, created no mandate for resigning Andre Miller and boosted the athleticism at the point position. Williams is a solid but still learning decision maker who has enough weapons around him on offense and also presents matchup problems at the point position with his height and length. The interior defense is good with center Samuel Dalembert. Dalembert blocked an impressive 146 shots last season. Combo guard Thaddeus Gibson is another athletic defender who can quickly turn defense to offense and score easily off of turnovers.
Louis Williams is also a scoring point guard with more athleticism – and probably more clutch free throw shooting – than Andre Miller gave to the 76ers the past several seasons. Miller fell apart at the line in the playoffs last season missing five clutch free throws at critical moments of playoff games. Williams has the opportunity to right that wrong with his nearly 80 percent free throw percentage.
Scoring has never been an issue for the 76ers, with or without a healthy Elton Brand. Add Brand into the mix, and the team’s depth is improved significantly. The 76ers also have a player who can close games reliably in Andre Iguodala. The pieces appear to be in place. As the youth gains experience, the 76ers will become increasingly tough in a rapidly improving Eastern Conference.
Read the arguments by Sports Geek and Bleacher Fan on who they believe is a the NBA’s 2009-2010 sleeper team.
Hope all is well in your neck of the woods! The weekend concluded yesterday with several good football games and a blowout NLCS game. We have a good Monday night game tonight, also. But, as you can tell from our NBA debate last week, we are starting to look at the upcoming 2009 NBA season. It is pretty obvious that the same top teams from last year are right back in the hunt. That list includes the Los Angeles Lakers, the Orlando Magic, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Denver Nuggets, and the Boston Celtics. What The Sports Debates is going to focus on today is three sleepers. These are teams that may be off the national radar as far as championship contention is concerned. I will be going with the Atlanta Hawks. Bleacher Fan feels the New Orleans Hornets are a possible sleeper, and Sports Geek believes that the Philadelphia 76ers have a shot to make a run.
The Atlanta Hawks quietly have a chance to make a move this year. Two years ago, the Hawks burst onto the scene when they lost in the first round to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in a seven game series. Last season, the team advanced out of the first round by defeating the Miami Heat before being overmatched against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This season I think they have a chance to take the next step.
The Hawks return practically the same team from last season, with the exception of a couple of key additions. Those additions in a moment.
First, it is important to keep an eye on is the play of All-Star combo forward Joe Johnson. Johnson is well respected league wide but some Hawks fans expect more of him and believe he has not taken that next step. It also should be noted that it is a contract year for Johnson. He turned down a four-year, $60 million extension over the summer and said he plans to test the free agent market after that season. It will be interesting to see if that impacts his play for better or worse this year.
As I was saying, the Hawks made three moves to bolster the team. They made a trade with the Golden State Warriors for guard Jamal Crawford. Crawford is a solid shooter and fits in nicely with this team. There was some talk of having him start at point guard, but that went out the window when the Hawks resigned Mike Bibby to a bargain contract (I believe) of $18 million over three years. Crawford is expected to be a solid contributor off the bench, but eventually I think his role will expand.
In the 2009 draft the Hawks selected point guard Jeff Teague out of Wake Forest, who is familiar to those in Atlanta since he played in the ACC. Teague will back up Bibby. The Hawks believe that Teague will be a solid player in his rookie season and that he will be an upgrade over Acie Law, who was traded to Golden State in the Crawford trade. At times last season the Hawks sorely needed a capable backup point guard.
Quietly, the Hawks signed veteran Joe Smith to provide a big body in the front court. Smith will provide quality backup minutes and provide another big body to help the Hawks because, let’s face it, the Hawks are thin up front. With the Hawks facing Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal four times each in the regular season, size could be a problem. Smith will at least provide six fouls each game, since it is well documented that the two Superman’s real kryptonite is the foul line.
Add those pieces to an established lineup that includes Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Al Horford, and you have the makeup of a sleeper team. But I will warn you… do not sleep on them! The Hawks could easily fly in from the background!
In honor of this most excellent occasion designed to recognize the efforts of bosses, managers, supervisors, and leaders everywhere, I want to remind everyone out there that top performers are not the only ones worth watching. Although the reasons may not always be positive, the underperformers require focus as well. There is a matchup this weekend in the NFL that will likely not make any headlines, but it is worth watching nonetheless. That matchup will take place at FedEx Field in Washington, where the Redskins will play host to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Why is this game worth watching? There is a good chance this game may end up deciding the first pick of the 2010 NFL draft (although the St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders may have something to say about that. Editor’s Note: Uh, how about those Brownies, Bleacher FaN??).
Before I get into the matchup, though, the boss in me wants to give some long-overdue recognition to the Washington Redskins, who may be the most charitable team in the NFL!
If the NFL were a major city, then FedEx Field would be its soup kitchen. The Redskins just HATE to see a fellow NFL team suffer. They graciously open their doors to all the struggling, down-on-their-luck, win-starved teams of the league, offering a brief period of respite along with the opportunity to feel like a REAL football team again, even if only for just one day!
Consider some of their charitable deeds of the past few seasons.
During the 2008 season – the ‘Skins welcomed the St. Louis Rams, a team that at the time was 0-4 – and gave the Rams their first win of the season. Later that season the ‘Skins played the 1-11-1 Cincinnati Bengals and allowed the Bengals to enjoy only the second win of the season.
The Redskins 2008 season was not a cheap attempt at a good tax deduction, though, for the charity of the Redskins knows no bounds. In 2009, the Redskins have continued their charitable ways, allowing the Detroit Lions a win, the first since 2007 (ending a 19-game losing streak). The Redskins followed that gift up by allowing the Carolina Panthers to realize the first win of the season last Sunday. That does not include additional noble efforts against Tampa Bay and St. Louis, BARELY escaping those two games with wins by beating St. Louis by a score of 9-7 and Tampa Bay by a score of 16-13 (sometimes, there is just no helping a team that refuses to acknowledge they need the help).
Well, it seems that the word is out, now, and the underprivileged teams from around the league are lining up outside of Washington with their open arms, hoping for a brief opportunity to accept a helping hand so graciously offered by the Redskins. Did you know that every opponent that has faced the Redskins this season was winless going into the matchup?! That means this Sunday the Redskins will play their SIXTH CONSECUTIVE WINLESS TEAM (technically, the New York Giants were winless when the two played as it was the first week and the Giants were 0-0) of the season, which makes the 2-3 record EXTREMELY disappointing! Next in line are the 0-5 Chiefs, a team that has played more competitive football this season than the winless record indicates.
The Chiefs are coming off of a VERY competitive game against the Dallas Cowboys, a team that needed overtime to pull out a victory at Arrowhead Stadium last weekend. For the Chiefs, Washington may be their best hope to follow in the footsteps of the 2008 Rams and the 2009 Lions and Panthers, earning the first win of the season against those kind-hearted Redskins.
Let me be the first to stand up and applaud the Washington Redskins for realizing that there are more important things in life than winning a game, and one of those things is to help out a struggling neighbor in need!
It is looking like another terrific weekend of football for football fans. For me it is the perfect weekend because in addition to great pigskin action, I am actually going to be seeing some temperatures in the 40’s!!! Finally!!!! Yes, I know, many of you have already experienced that this Fall, but I have not! Nonetheless, I am certainly going to be spending some time in my recliner with the remote getting a serious workout. There are some big time matchups in college football as well as in the NFL. But no game looms larger than the battle at the Superdome in New Orleans as the undefeated New York Giants journey down to the Bayou to take on the undefeated New Orleans Saints.
The Giants and Saints both entered the season with questions marks on different sides of the ball.
The Giants, who struggled the latter part of last season without wide receiver Plaxico Burress, were looking for someone to step up at the receiver position. They had their eye on youngsters like Steve Smith (not the Steve Smith you are thinking about) and former Michigan Wolverine Mario Manningham.
Meanwhile, the Saints admittedly had a terrible defense last year. It quite possibly kept the team out of the playoffs since quarterback Drew Brees came just 15 yards short of breaking the NFL record for most passing yards in a season. Needless to say, the offense was in place. To head coach Sean Payton’s credit, he made a heavy push for well-respected defensive guru Gregg Williams. In fact, he gave up part of his salary to help close the deal.
I am not sure anyone expected the young Steve Smith to outplay the Pro Bowler Steve Smith (Carolina Panthers), but that is exactly what has happened, folks! Smith comes into this week’s game with 37 catches for 481 yards and four touchdowns. He has quickly become Eli Manning’s favorite target. Please raise your hand if you saw this coming so quickly… … … yeah, I do not see any hands!
The Saints offense started the season on fire, and while they have cooled down the past couple of games they are still ranked third in the league and have helped give the Saints well-earned league-wide buzz. But , it is the defense that has surpassed expectations creating 13 turnovers, including 10 interceptions. The Saints are only giving up 16.5 points per game, which is good enough for seventh in the league.
Add in the fact that the winner of this game gets a leg up on the other in terms of future playoff seeding and this game takes on added meaning. The Saints certainly do not want to be playing at the Meadowlands in January if at all possible!
One other interesting note about this game… it is Eli Manning’s first time playing at the Superdome. Remember that Eli’s father Archie is a beloved figure in the New Orleans area. I highly doubt that will stop the Saints fans from heckling Manning. What do you think?
This should be an excellent game – one that I hope you are able to watch!
How can two college football teams at complete opposite ends of the AP top 25 poll both be overrated?
The sixth ranked team in the country, the Southern Cal Trojans, visits the 25th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish this Saturday. Both teams are 4-1 on a season just beginning to hit middle age, and both teams are desperate for a win.
Southern Cal’s schedule to this point is somewhat questionable. After giving up 15 points to Ohio State and 16 points to Washington in consecutive weeks, the defense has allowed only 12 combined points in the other three games. On the surface that stat is likely impressive. However the competition, San Jose State, Washington State, and California (talk about overrated…), have proven to not be strong teams. Ohio State, despite scoring 15 points, appears to have a very poor offense. Therefore the usually tough USC defense has yet to be truly tested this season, and Notre Dame is the perfect offense to do just that.
After a shootout loss to Michigan in the second week of the season, Notre Dame has put up a scoring clinic, despite the loss of one of its most reliable pass receivers, Michael Floyd. In Floyd’s place receiver Golden Tate has stepped up as one of the elite receivers in all of college football and a favorite target of suddenly Heisman worthy quarterback Jimmy Clausen. Clausen leads an aerial attack from Notre Dame that has performed well to this point in the season. Clausen has thrown for an impressive 12 touchdowns already and averages over 308 yards of passing per game. Irish head coach Charlie Weiss appears to finally have the type of quarterback his systems requires after two long years of waiting and watching a young quarterback make all the mistakes necessary to learn. The Irish have balance on offense with an average of nearly 150 yards gained on the ground per game in the 2009 season, led by running back Armando Allen who runs for over 91 yards per game. Notre Dame likely has the most balanced and formidable offensive attack that Southern Cal has seen all season.
On offense for the Trojans, young quarterback Matt Barkley is back under center, and he will be facing a variety of confusing coverage and blitzes from Irish defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta. Barkley did not looked very rattled against the toughest defense he faced to this point in his college career, Ohio State. However, Ohio State plays a different style of defense that is much more reliant upon zone coverage and pressure from the front four on the defensive line. Tenuta loves to blitz, and he will call blitzes from the defensive backfield with the safeties, the cornerbacks, and the linebackers… and any mixture of blitzes featuring those positions. Tenuta believes in disruption and confusion, and has mastered both as a successful defensive coordinator in college football for over a decade.
The mainstream sports media seems to believe this game is between Irish starting quarterback Jimmy Clausen and the entire Trojan team. It is true that the Clausen and his burgeoning Heisman candidacy is a legitimate featured story in this game. However, he is not the biggest story. The biggest story is that Notre Dame has a very good opportunity to win this game. There is no question that a shoot out type of game gives the Irish an edge, as the Trojans offense with youthful leadership has yet to develop into the customarily potent brand of defense fans have come to expect.
Ohio State failed where Notre Dame can succeed against the Trojans – offense. Southern Cal has a tough matchup in this game and will need a strong game plan and perfect execution. They will not get any luck. That, we know, belongs to the Irish.
Can Clausen vault himself into the lead of the Heisman race? Can Southern Cal prove they are a top five team and not overrated? Can Notre Dame exercise the demons and prove their value on a national scale? For these and many reasons, USC-Notre Dame is the best game of THIS weekend.
Brendan Behan once said, “There is no such thing as bad publicity unless it is your own obituary.” Rush Limbaugh recently tried to test that theory by bringing his reputation for controversy and divisiveness into the forefront of NFL conversation.
Limbaugh’s undeniable ability to be an influential public figure (for better or for worse) would undoubtedly attract attention to the NFL. The inherent danger of that attention, though, is the potentially negative context surrounding it. For the NFL, the question really comes down to whether or not the risk of negative press is worth the potential reward of the publicity associated with Limbaugh.
In fairness to Limbaugh, professional sports organizations already have had their fair share of controversy. In baseball, former Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott had a reputation for making very controversial comments in the public, and (as pointed out by Sports Geek), Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has a reputation for bad press in the NBA. Would it be wise, though, for the NFL to WILLINGLY open themselves up to the possibility of scandal at the hands of Limbaugh?
In addressing that question, Sports Geek and Loyal Homer voiced their arguments, but it was Sports Geek who came out on top and won the debate.
The NFL executives, players, and owners made their opinions known, with many referring to Limbaugh as “Persona non Grata.” As pointed out by Sports Geek, that is a very strong message about the impact that Limbaugh would have on the league. Contrary to Loyal Homer’s argument, Limbaugh was in fact seeking controlling interest in the Rams. The bridges burned by Limbaugh over his career would most definitely create obstacles that would interfere with his ability to effectively lead one of the league’s franchises.
How does Limbaugh expect to effectively lead an NFL organization when so many influential people in the league – both on and off the field – seem unwilling to work with him? If players are rejecting the notion of playing under him, and owners are unwilling to support his bid for ownership, why should Limbaugh expect any less resistance once a team officially became his?
I completely agree with Loyal Homer’s assessment that the St. Louis Rams need a spark of some kind to re-ignite the winning ways that have long since left the Gateway City. Limbaugh is not the answer, though. While his political opinions and commentary may not directly impact the inner-workings of an NFL franchise, the public backlash and scrutiny from those comments could indirectly impact the organization. It is foolish to assume that public opinion for Limbaugh as a person would not spill over into the opinions of the franchise he would run. Look at Michael Vick’s situation. His history of dog-fighting has no impact at all on his ability to throw a football. However, the public perception of Vick in light of the dog-fighting scandal has changed. In the public eye, there would be no distinction between Rush Limbaugh the political commentator and Rush Limbaugh the NFL owner.
My message to Rush Limbaugh is – Do not quit your day job.
And we're back... Should college coaches look into criminal and juvenile records when recruiting? The verdict says YES! http://bit.ly/dZ5LF310 months ago
Posted by Bleacher Fan 
