Syracuse at (#20) West Virginia: Keys to the Game

Submitted by: Ace 10/21/10

After a disappointing 45 to 14 loss at home against Pittsburgh, the (4-2) Orange are looking to make a better stand in Morgantown. The betting line has West Virginia favored by 14, but Syracuse could have a chance at an upset if they keep things simple. Here are my keys to the game: 

1. Run the Football: Delone Carter and Antwon Bailey have to have a big days if Syracuse wants any chance at keeping this one close. You cannot expect Nassib to set back and throw it 46 times like last week. Stick with the run and control the clock. 

2. No Mistakes: West Virginia's defense ranks 5th in the nation only allowing an average of 245.8 total yards per game. Syracuse's offense will struggle to put points on the board. One turnover or one boneheaded penalty could be the difference. Play smart and win the turnover battle.  

3. Special Teams: Syracuse cannot give up a big special teams play. Special teams is commonly overlooked, but it has killed them over the last few weeks. Last week Syracuse was forced to start almost every drive deep in their own territory. Help the offense put points up by giving them good field position. 


Syracuse faces (#20) West Virginia Saturday at Noon and for the first time this season they will be playing in front of a national TV audience on ESPN 2.

American League Cy Young Award Winner

Submitted by:  Dan

The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made.  LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason.  All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew.  Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks.  We will continue in the American League.

The Cy Young voting, like the MVP voting can be difficult to assess.  Cy Young is most well-known for winning 525 games in his amazing career.  The wins are a record, and no other pitcher has ever reached the 500-win plateau.  Some voters believe that the Cy Young Award should go to the pitcher with the most wins in the league.  However, voters are instructed to vote for the best pitcher in the league.  This isn't always the pitcher with the most wins, although some voters will refuse to vote against the winningest pitcher.  In my opinion, that should not be the case.  Any person who saw Phil Hughes pitch Game 2 of the ALCS know that his 18 wins are not indicative of his ability.

The only real way to discover the best pitcher in the league is to the real out the ones who aren't the best.  This pitcher could be a horse in his rotation, a strikeout artist, or a winner.  In the end though, only the best pitchers will be at the top.

Here are the pitchers who came on my radar for the CY Young Award:

27:  James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays:  Shields fanned 187 batters this season but he had a losing record on a winning team and a terrible ERA.
26:  John Lackey, Boston Red Sox:  Lackey pitched 215 innings for Boston and had a decent record but his ERA ruled him out.

25:  Mark Buerhle, Chicago White Sox:  Buerhle pitched 210.1 innings and had a respectable record but his ERA is too high.

24:  Brett Cecil, Toronto Blue Jays:  Cecil had a good record but his ERA takes him out of contention.

23:  Phil Hughes, New York Yankees:  Hughes won 18 games but he had the best run support in the league and his ERA reflects that.  On any other team Hughes wouldn't even be in this conversation.

22:  Zach Greinke, Kansas City Royals:  Greinke pitched 220 innings but his ERA is too high and his record terrible.

21:  Ervin Santana, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:  Santana won 17 games and pitched 222.2 innings with a 3.92 ERA.  Unfortunately, that won't cut it this year in the AL.

20:  Matt Garza, Tampa Bay Rays:  Garza won 15 games and had a 3.91 ERA.  Solid, but not good enough.

19:  Jeremy Guthrie, Baltimore Orioles:  Guthrie pitched 209.1 innings and had a 3.83 ERA but his record takes him out of the discussion.

18:  Fausto Carmona, Cleveland Indians:  Carmona pitched 210.1 innings and had a 3.77 ERA but posted a losing record.

17:  Carl Pavano, Minnesota Twins:  Pavano won 17 games and pitched 221 innings with a 3.75 ERA.  That's good, but not Cy Young material.

16:  Ricky Romero, Toronto Blue Jays:  Romero posted a decent record and pitched 210 innings with a 3.73 ERA, but he just wasn't good enough.

15:  Colby Lewis, Texas Rangers:  Lewis pitched 201 innings ans fanned 196 batters with a 3.72 ERA but he had a losing record on a winning team.

14:  John Danks, Chicago White Sox:  Danks had a good record and pitched 213 innings with a 3.72 ERA, but that's just not good enough in the AL this year.

13:  Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins:  Liriano fanned 201 batters with a 3.62 ERA but his record was only so-so and he didn't get to 200 innings pitched.

12:  Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers:  Scherzer fanned 184 batters with a 3.50 ERA but his record was only so-so and he failed to reach 200 innings.

11:  Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers:  Verlander had 18 wins, pitched 224.1 innings and fanned 219 batters with a 3.37 ERA.  Good, but not good enough.

10:  C. J. Wilson, Texas Rangers:  Wilson had 15 wins and pitched 204 innings with a 3.35 ERA.  He's in the top ten, but he's clearly not the winner.

9:  Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox:  Lester won 19 games, pitched 208 innings and fanned 225 batters with a 3.25 ERA.  Good, but there were better pitchers than him this season.

8:  Gio Gonzalez, Oakland Athletics:  Gonzalez won 15 games and pitched 200.2 innings with a 3.23 ERA.  He was one reason Oakland's turnaround this year, but he isn't Cy Young material yet.

7:  Cliff Lee, Texas Rangers:  Lee pitched 212.1 innings with a 3.18 ERA but his record was only so-so.  He probably would have had a lot more consideration had he not pitched for the Seattle Mariners for four months this season.

6:  C. C. Sabathia, New York Yankees:  Sabathia had a league-leading 21 wins with 237.2 innings pitched and a 3.18 ERA.  The wins are watered down, as he gets the second-best run support in the AL (behind his teammate Phil Hughes) and they only account for about 20% of his team's victories.  Without the run support he wouldn't have pitched as many innings either.  Take that away and you don't have much left.

5:  Jerad Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:  Weaver pitched 224.1 innings and fanned 233 batters with a 3.01 ERA but his record was only so-so due to a lack of run support.

4:  Trevor Cahill, Oakland Athletics:  Cahill won 18 games with a 2.97 ERA but failed to reach 200 innings.

3:  David Price, Tampa Bay Rays:  Price won 19 games and pitched 208.2 innings with a 2.72 ERA but there are better candidates out there than him.

2:  Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox:  Buchholz won 17 games with a 2.33 ERA but he failed to reach 200 innings pitched.

And the 2010 American League Cy Young Award Winner is:

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners:  Hernandez only posted a so-so record, but he received horrible run support on a terrible team and still managed to post a winning record, which is essentially a miracle.  He also led the AL in ERA (2.27), games started (34), innings pitched (249.2), and was second in strikeouts with 232.  

NFL Week 6: What We’ve Learned

Submitted By: Ace
10/18/10

1. Parity in 2010: On any given week almost any team in the NFL can beat any opponent. The field is closer than it’s ever been in recent years, making it impossible to consistently pick winners (Vegas has got to be loving it). This past week we saw St. Louis upset San Diego and Seattle took down Chicago. Eight of Sunday’s thirteen games were decided by less than a touchdown. Every division is still up for grabs with at least three contenders in each. We may see a division winner with a losing record (hint NFC West). We may see only a few playoff teams break the 10 win mark. Get use to it, it’s going to be one hell of a season.

2. Concussions on the Rise: This week we saw another batch of violent collisions that resulted in concussions. Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson, Atlanta’s Dunta Robinson, Cleveland’s Mohammed Massaquoi and Josh Cribbs, Detroit’s Zack Follett, and Baltimore’s Todd Heap all had to leave their games. Dunta Robinson’s helmet to helmet hit on DeSean Jack, Brandon Meriweather’s on Todd Heap, and James Harrison’s on both Massaquoi and Cribbs should have resulted in immediate ejections from the game. I know violence is part of the sport but the NFL needs to step in sooner rather than later before someone gets maimed on national TV.

3. More Injuries: This week we saw another swarm of injuries that makes any fantasy owner’s stomach turn. Antonio Gates, DeSean Jackson, Todd Heap, Joseph Addai, Malcom Floyd, and Shaun Hill just to name a few. Why are so many big names going down this season? I really don’t know, it could be poor conditioning or just bad luck, but it makes me wonder how teams will ever be able to survive an 18 game schedule. Star power and fantasy players are driving the league's popularity past casual fans and gamblers. If an 18 game schedule becomes a reality this patter will likely increase. Star loses will result in frustrated fans and lower ratings.

4. You are Done: The following teams can pack it in, your season is officially over. Buffalo (0-5), Carolina (0-5), Cleveland (1-5), Detroit (1-5), and yes Dallas (1-4). Better luck next year.

5. My Power Rankings (Top 10): 1. Jets 2. Steelers 3. Ravens 4. Colts 5. Falcons 6. Packers 7. Patriots 8. Giants 9. Eagles 10. Chiefs

American League Hank Award Winner

Submitted by:  Dan

The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made.  LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason.  All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew.  Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks.  We will continue in the American League.

There has been controversy in the past regarding the Most Valuable Player vote.  Namely the selection of IF Alex Rodriguez with the 2003 Texas Rangers.  But the selection of A-Rod raised an interesting question.  What was the MVP Award for?  For the most valuable player?  This would be the player who most single-handedly helped his team win.  Or for the most talented player?  A-Rod's selection with the '03 Rangers is an example of the latter.  Were the Rangers better off with A-Rod in 2003?  Maybe, I mean he must have helped them win at least a few games.  Right?  Hard to tell.  A better question might be would the Rangers have been any worse without A-Rod in 2003?  The answer:  Probably not. 

There's not much of a point in honoring the best player in the league with an MVP Award.  To begin, the best player isn't always the most valuable.  And secondly, we have an award that honors the league's best player.  I feel that ana ward honoring the best player in the league should be called the Willie Mays Award, who I consider to be the game's greatest player of all-time.  But at the inception of the award MLB was infatuated with home runs, and the award was named the Hank Aaron Award (Aaron also ranks in my top five all-time best players).

Without further adieu, this season's American League Hank Aaron Award winner is:

1B Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers.  It's hard to argue against Cabrera.  He's a slugger, but he turned in a .328 batting average in 180 hits, both impressive numbers for a power hitter.  He also scored 111 runs and had 128 runs batted in, leading the league.  He didn't disappoint in the power categories either, hitting 38 home runs to go along with 45 doubles.  Props to 1B Mark Teixera of the New York Yankees. 

Giants 4, Phillies 3

FOX has been fighting with Cablevision over sporting rights recently, and there was some specualtion that they would lose TV coverage of MLB postseason games.  The was speculation that people would turn to MLB.com or ESPN Radio to catch the NLCS and World Series.  There was speculation that FOX's ratings would be terrible.  Luckily for them, they couldn't have asked for a better Game 1 matchup in Philadelphia last night, pitting RHP Tim Lincecum against RHP Roy Halladay.

Both pitchers cruised through the first two innings.  But the Giants got to Halladay in the third.  Or, more like RF Cody Ross got to Halladay in the third.  Ross had spent his entire carrer with Florida Marlins before the Giants claimed him off waivers in August.  Not getting much publicity in Miami, Ross had been a valued, underrated player for the Marlins.  Now he's getting a chance to shine on a national stage.  In the top of the third inning, Ross took Halladay deep for a long home run to left field at Citizens Bank Park.  Expect the Giants to take advantage of the homer-friendly ballpark this postseason.  San Francisco has never been a great home run city, and AT&T Ballpark is no exception.  Power hitters like Ross will probably revel playing in the tiny stadium.

The lead was short-lived for the Giants, though.  In the bottom of the third, C Carlos Ruiz answered for the Phillies, hitting a lazy fly ball to right field which somehow managed to clear the fences.  Ruiz's homer tied the game at one.

Unfortunately for Halladay and the Phillies, Ross was due up again in the fifth.  He responded with another homer to left.  This one, too, was a no-doubter to give the Giants the lead once again.  The Giants padded the lead in the sixth when C Buster Posey scored on a double by LF Pat Burrell.  San Francisco pinch-ran for Burrell with the speedy Nate Schierholtz.  This proved to be a smart move as the speedster scored on a single by SS Juan Uribe.

A three-run cushion isn't much in Philadelphia, and the Phillies proved that again in the bottom of the sixth.  2B Chase Utley singled to lead off the inning.  Two batters later, RF Jayson Werth hit an inside-out fly ball to right-center field.  Once again, this lazy fly ball improbably turned into a home run to narrow the margin to 4-3.  But Lincecum stopped the bleeding there.

LHP Javier Lopez relieved Lincecum in the eighth and retired the only two batters he faced, earning a hold.  RHP Brian Wilson entered the game and recorded a four-out save to preserve the 4-3 victory.  Lincecum was solid as usual, giving up three runs in seven innings.  Halladay, though, may have to reevaluate his game plan against the Giants.  He was roughed up for four runs in seven innings.

Game two will be played tonite at 8:00 PM, following the NFL on FOX.

Rangers 7, Yankees 2

The Yankees took Game 1 of the American League Championship Series from the Rangers in front of their home crowd in Arlington.  Texas had a four-run lead when LHP C. J. Wilson left in the top of the eighth.  But the Yankees then rallied to score five runs and take the lead in the midst of a Texas bullpen meltdown.  Texas looked to break even before heading back to New York on Monday.

Starting the day for Texas was RHP Colby Lewis, a diamond in the rough plucked out of Japan.  Lewis pitched a scoreless first and hoped to get something from his team that he lacked during the regular season, run support.  It wasn't conventional, but he got it.  With runners on first and third and RF Nelson Cruz at the plate with two outs, CF Josh Hamilton broke for second.  C Jorge Posada threw down to second base.  The throw was bad; SS Derek Jeter, covering the bag with Cruz at the plate, had to go several steps to the right side of second base to field the throw.  Hamilton, however, appeared to have no interest in stealing the bag, as he was content to force a rundown.  SS Elvis Andrus then broke for home, scoring the game's first run on the back end of a double steal.  The Yankees had a chance to nail Andrus at the plate, but a short, off-line throw by Jeter back to the plate nixed any chances of that.

The Rangers did it the small way in the first, and the big way in the second, when LF David Murphy crushed a homer to right field.  Later on in the inning, 1B Mitch Moreland and Andrus lined base hits before 3B Michael Young hit a booming double to right field scoring Moreland for Texas' third run of the game.  That would be all the Rangers would need, although they went onto score four more runs in the game.

The Yankees had some chances to get back into the game.  They had a rally going in the fourth with 2B Robinson Cano on third and no outs.  But Lewis then rebounded to strike out RF Nick Swisher and Posada.  DH Lance Berkman finally broke through with a single to right field but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double for the third out, debilitating New York's offense.  Cano hit a solo home run in the sixth, but the Yankees couldn't get anymore there either.

The real story of the day was pitching.  The two starters couldn't have been more different.  RHP Phil Hughes has a great record this season but a sub-par ERA, the beneficiary of the best run support in the AL.  Lewis has a great ERA this season but a losing record, as he gets some of the worst run support in the league.  In the postseason, though, the good starters prosper while the bad ones wither.  That's exactly what happened in Arlington yesterday.  Hughes was unable to complete five innings and gave up all seven of Texas' runs (all earned).  Lewis pitched 5.2 stellar innings, allowing only two runs and really only throwing one bad pitch (the homer to Cano).  The Rangers bullpen cruised this time, ensuring that they wouldn't be down going back to New York.  

American League Gold Glove Award Winners

Submitted by:  Dan

The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made.  LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason.  All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew.  Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks.  We will continue in the American League.

Some of the most disgraceful awards have been given out in the form of American League Gold Gloves over the past two decades.  Perhaps the most notorious was given to Rafael Palmeiro in 1999, who was a Designated Hitter for the Texas Rangers at the time.  But there have been other travesties, including a snub of former Cleveland Indians SS Omar Vizquel, considered by many to be the greatest fielding shortstop of his generation.  There will likely be more disasters in this category this year, but LeRoy in the Afternoon will make you happy with the right picks.

Here they are:

Catcher:  Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins:  Mauer has won the last two Gold Glove Awards at his position in the AL.  There's a reason:  He's the juggernaut, bitch.  Mauer will undoubtedly win a third Gold Glove this season, as he is still the best fielding catcher in the AL.

First Base:  Casey Kotchman, Seattle Mariners:  Kotchman probably won't win because he's not exactly a household name.  But he's a superb fielding first baseman.  In fact, Kotchman is known for his glove work and not his bat.  So he probably should win.  But, like I said, he won't.  Why?  Because he's not a good enough hitter.

Second Base:  Mark Ellis, Oakland Athletics:  Ellis is a guy who has been in Oakland for years.  He's a moneyball-type player whom despotic GM Billy Beane likes.  Since he came on the scene, he has persevered as a good, solid middle infielder.  But it's about time that he got a little recognition for his fielding.  In a league still searching for its next Roberto Alomar, managers and coaches have stopped looking at players like Ellis.  The smart money says that the AL Gold Glove Award for second baseman may go to Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees, which would be a shame of Biblical proportions.  Again, Ellis probably won't win, because he's not a great hitter.

Third Base:  Jhonny Peralta, Detroit Tigers:  Peralta played almost as much at short as he did at third this season for Detroit.  In fact, play at shortstop was so pathetic in the AL this season that I named Peralta as my runner-up offensively at that position.  So how does Peralta win the Gold Glove at third base?  Well, AL shortstops turned in the worst all-around season collectively that I've ever seen.  But fielding at third base this season was overly pathetic, the absolute worst that I've ever seen, at any position, ever.  Go ahead, take a look at the stats.  Three of the starting 14 third basemen in the AL had fielding percentages below .950.  Peralta probably won't win, but he should by default.  I think that maybe the AL should hire Brooks Robinson to teach these guys how to field at the hot corner.

Shortstop:  Derek Jeter, New York Yankees:  Did I mention that shortstop play was terrible in the AL this season?  Well, it just got worse.  Jeter has won four Gold Gloves, he didn't deserve any.  He has no range to his right, can barely throw across the infield, and makes a good amount of errors.  Remember that snub to Vizquel I mentioned earlier?  They snubbed him for Jeter.  It wasn't like shortstop play in the field was terrible in the AL this season, it just wasn't that good.  Jeter will probably win his fifth Gold Glove this season.  He should be winning his first.

Outfielders:  Ah, the dilemma.  To name three center fielders?  To name one left fielder, one center fielder, and one right fielder?  I usually opt for center fielders, but this time I'm making a well-deserved compromise.  CF Vernon Wells of the Toronto Blue Jays, CF Franklin Gutierrez of the Seattle Mariners, and RF Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays all turned in flawless seasons in the outfield in the AL this season.  Wells and Gutierrez are no-doubters.  I wouldn't normally vote for a player like Zobrist, a natural infielder-turned utility player-turned outfielder.  But he didn't make any errors this season.

Pitcher:  RHP Jerad Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:  When I went looking for the link for Weaver's profile I scrolled to the bottom of the Angels' roster.  Did you know that there are three people lower alphabetically than Weaver on the Angels' roster?  After scrolling all the way down, I had to move my cursor four slots up.  All that to name the best fielding pitcher in the AL.  He didn't make any errors.

Coming Tomorrow:  American League Hank Aaron Award Winner