Mook vs misfits, cast-offs, over-achievers & underdogs.

The World Series is starting tonight.

No one cares, because there are no east-coast teams, but you're gonna miss out. Not only b/c of the awesome pitching & thus quick games(plus since the Yanks aren't playing it will be at least an hour less)

This is a World Series we should all be thrilled about… the only problem is which underdog to root for.

The story-lines are crazy.

Much was made of the Giants during the NLCS.

Cody Ross was cut by the Marlins… and really only picked up by the Giants b/c they didn’t want SD to get him. He wins the NLCS MVP

Aubrey Huff led the Giants in most hitting numbers – got a modest 3 mil last season, after no one really wanted him- not even the Giants really, they were trying to get Adam LaRoche…

Most of their starters, weren’t starters at the beginning of the season.

Pat Burrel was released by Tampa Bay. Who knows where Juan Uribe came from. Mike Fontenot? He couldn’t even start for the Cubs. Andres Torres was a carreer minor-leaguer.

Even Tim Lincecum- the 2-time Cy Young winner? Well, when he struggled this season, it made so many scouts and baseball people happy- because with his frame and pitching motion, he wasn’t supposed to be any good.

But as much as we talk about the Giants this way- as a bunch of losers… the Rangers may have even more fire-power

1.     Josh Hamilton: was a former #1 overall pick. Btu drugs & alcohol messed him up. Tb dropped him, and the Reds gave him a chance. He was supposed to eb done with baseball, but look at him now

2.     Colby Lewis was another top prospect that went nowhere… he was so bad he had to go play in Japan. The Rangers took a shot on him, and he has proved them right

3.     Ron Washington was passed up for a bunch of managerial jobs, and when he came out and admitted cocaine use, some thought he should go then… but they kept him and he has become one of the best coaches

4.     Vlad Gurrerro was a former MVP. He was the face of the Angels…. And they decided to release the guy. No one wanted him. There was no battle over the guy. Hamilton may win the MVP, but Vlad was the one who carried them early in the seaon

5.     Nelson Cruz bounced around the minors for years, among many teams until the Ranger gave him a chance- and look what he has done

6.     Bengie Molina- well, he couldn’t even stay on the team of misfits above

7.     Back to pitching, how about CJ Wilson? In the off-season he was reportedly offered to Arizona for Chris Snyder- a back-up catcher.

8.     And Cliff Lee – well, everyone wanted him… but he’s a guy who has been traded 3 times in the last 15 months. I bet the Phillies wish they had him now.

But really we have to call the Rangers this team because- they didn’t even have an owner most of the season. They went up for auction.

This world series truly is a band of misfits, outcasts, over-achievers & underdogs.

Whoever wins, they are worth cheering!

Mook vs Mike Wilbon & the media pundits

I like Mike Wilbon… but he is an idiot.

He makes bold, brash claims… then when he’s wrong he says nothing.

And he’s a so-called expert, but what does he know?

No one gave SF or Texas a chance to make the World Series. Even when they were up 3-1… no one believed they would actually win.

The Phillies had a great rotation… but how come people couldn’t see the Giants rotation was better?

And the Rangers were supposed to lsoe b/c they never won in the post-season before? But not the people on the field.

Cliff Lee has won. Vlad Gurerro has won.

What are you guys talking about?

I’m sure East Coast bias played into this.

I think more-so, headlines did.

If a player was traded, it made headlines – and so, Halladay, Oswalt, Cliff Lee were big deals. If they make a lot of money, they’re also headlines.

The Giant’s rotation was killer all season, and especially in September… but somehow it was the Phillies rotation that was deemed unbeatable.

Granted the Phillies had much more offensive weapons… but let’s face it Ryan Howard is the most over-rated player in baseball (that actually has nothing to do with this, I just wanted to get that off my chest again, as I’ve been saying it for years).

The media loves the Yankees. They love the Red Sox. And now that these teams aren’t in it, they won’t cover it. And it’s not because baseball fans don’t like it- it’s because the media doesn’t like it.

It’s the same reason Boise St and TCU get screwed in college football. It’s the same reason we won’t ever stop hearing about the Miami Heat. And the same reason we think Brett Favre was a great QB.

Media Pundits, So-called "experts"... you know nothing.

Mook vs the BCS standings

Is anyone surprised by Oklahoma being ranked #1 by the BCS? The BCS loves Oklahoma!

They actually may deserve it this year, they killed FSU, who has been good and beat up on Texas... they have a pretty tough schedule the rest of the way too...
... though not as hard as Oregon or Auburn will have to face...

i like Oregon, LeMicheal James is my heisman favorite. They don't have much defense though and the Pac-10 is tough... Auburn will lose... Michigan State may go unscathed, i'm not sure what to think of the big10, but i don't think they're great- good... but not great.

Purdue by the way is in 1st place & undefeated in the big10... Ohio st is not. Can we beat 'em again? doubtful, but we'll see...


Here's the thing. All the people on tv are idiots. Denard Robinson was a 90% chance of winning the heisman... then Taylor Martiez had ONE big game, and people were ready to give it to him - and last week he was benched... And who has Nebraska beaten that they became such a great team... i wasn't surprised at all that Texas won- they lost 2 games in a row (one to Oklahoma) and all of sudden they were a crappy unranked team to some...

It seems like most of the voting is not based on performance, but expectation, past results, and if they played on national tv...
i wasn't buying Michigan until they beat Wisconsin, but most others started drinking the kool-aid b/c they beat an awful Notre Dame team (which is alo why Michigan got ranked, and Stanford became the darkhorse champion).
Meanwhile, teams like Missouri and Oklahoma St don't even make the top ten as undefeated teams...

i was glad to see South Carolina lose and Florida lose... it's not because the SEC is so tough either, they lost to has-been teams...

i wonder how this will all turn out- but please, let's not have another Boise St vs TCU game.

My rankings

1.     Boise St           W: VT, Oregon St

2.     Oregon            W: Stanf

3.     OU                  W: FSU, AF, UT

4.     TCU                  W: Oregon St

5.     Auburn              W: SC, Ark

6.     MSU                 W: Wisc

7.     Bama                 L: SC

8.     Utah

9.     LSU                 W: UF, WV

10. Wisc                  L: MSU

11. Mizzou

12. Ohio St              L: Wisc

13. Stanford            L: Oregon

14. Ok St

15. Zona                    L: Oregon St, W: Iowa

16. UT                       L: OU, UCLA W: Neb

17. Neb                      L: UT

18. SC                       L: Aub, KU  W: Bama

19. Iowa                    L: Zona

20. FSU                     L: OU, W: Miami

21. Arkansas             L: Bama, Aub

22. VT

23. K-St

24. Miss St

25. AF                        L:OU

Mook vs Robbie Hummel

The biggest sports story of the day was not #1 Ohio St losing... not the Rangers finally winning a playoff game at home and evening the Yankees... not the pitcher's duel in Philadelphia that turned into a HR derby... the biggest news for me... was Robbie Hummel tearing his ACL again and ending his season.

First practice of the season, and Purdue's #1 player is gone for the season.

As a freshman, Hummel was a player of the year candidate and led the Baby Boilers to the tournament. They were supposed to be exciting with potential & promise, but were leading the big10 deep into the season. The following season they won the conference tournament and made the sweet 16.
Last year the Boilers looked like a lock for big10 champs and a possible #1 overall seed - after not only dominating the big10, but beating Tennessee (The team that beat both Kentucky & Kansas) an annihilating #6 West Virginia by 20+
Then Hummel got hurt... they became a 4 seed. They shocked the world by beating Siena and making the sweet 16. They were tied with Duke late into the game- the eventual champions.

This was going to be the year. 3 Seniors, a lot of talent... Actually last year was supposed to be the year - the Final four was in Indy... now what?

Andy Katz wrote this story.


But i guess this is normal for a Purdue fan.

A few years ago, Purdue football was up to #5. Kyle Orton looked like the heisman winner. Gameday came to West Lafayette and we were cruising against Wisconsin, then everything fell apart. We lost 3 in a row, all in the last 2 minutes of the game, all by less than 3 points. The record at the end of the season was horrible.

The basketball team has been cursed before, with G Rob getting hurt in the tourney his last season... cursed we are.

Still, let's not lose hope.
Though Katz has dropped Purdue from 2 to 23,  and the majority of nation (including the state of Indian) think they're not even a top 25 team! a lot of us think this Purdue team can still compete

My friend Ryan wrote this post at boiled sports  and this article from the bleacher report.


Purdue is still talented with JJ & Moore. 2 Solid Seniors. They have a great coach. And they're used to being the underdog. It's disappointing. i don't have as much hope as before, but i'm not giving up on them.

Mook vs Ginger Ale

The Texas Rangers won their first playoff series ever last night. Cliff Lee was phenomenal again (though  i think they should took him out for the 9th).

Afterwards, instead of celebrating with champagne as most teams do, the Rangers used Ginger Ale, in support of Josh Hamilton.
Hamilton was orginally drafted by the Rays(the team they beat last night), but struggled mightily with alcohol and was pretty much out of baseball.
His life has been turned over to God, he has kicked the alcohol habit and could be the AL MVP this year.

i think the move by the team to put aside what is normal, what is custom, what is desirable, his teammates chose to honor & respect Hamilton. What a classy move! i wish we as a people were more like that in day to day life.

This goes along with the Giants - who after they won their playoff series against the Braves, delayed their celebration to honor Bobby Cox and give him a standing ovation after he coached his last game after a storied carreer.

Baseball - being a role model. Cheers to them!

Mook vs Boise St & Oregon

The world & the BCS are against Boise St.
They are pointing to the weak schedule they have ahead - but what about the games they have already played?
Did Ohio St beat anyone? Did Nebraska? Ok Ohio st beat Miami, but they're probably not better than VaTech, and it wasn't on the road.

Boise St has just flat out won. When was the last time they lost a game?
They've beaten the bog programs too. They beat Oregon last year, so why is Oregon so far ahead of them?

Certainly this isn't last year, but Boise St returns almost everyone from last year, so that should give them some credit to at least get a chance...

Oregon did lose to Ohio St last year too - so maybe i should rank Ohio state above them, but i'm not going to. Oregon has killed everyone they have played. They're game against Stanford was impressive- because they were down - big time. And they came back. They're offense is explosive.

The Pac-10 is the best conference. The Big 10 is weak. Hey, i'm from bigten country. i love the big ten. But they're not that good. Arizona crushed Iowa.
The Pac 10 has done well. UCLA killed Texas also.

Oklahoma should have a gripe too. They have played the toughest schedule so far (of teams winning games - Toledo, Oregon St, and probably some other crappy team in there have played a tougher schedule).
But OU killed Florida St- made them look like fodder- but surprise, they may make it to a BCS game and top ten ranking by the time the season is done. They beat Air Force who is getting ranked as they deserve ane Texas - which was at one point top 5

But i don't think the BCS wants Boise St there. They will win. What are they going to do when Boise St and TCU beats all these teams they are supposed to lose to and goes undefeated?
i don't think ESPN wants Oregon there either - it all goes back to East Coast bias.

i'm glad Bama lost, and i hope Ohio St loses and even Oregon (that conference will be tough to escape w/o a loss). Nebraska & OU will at the very least play each other for the conference championship...
Ah, a playoff would be great - but even then i'm sure they'd find a way to screw the small market team - it's all about the Benjamins isn't it?

My rankings

10-10-10

1.     Boise St

2.     Oregon

3.     OU

4.     Ohio St

5.     Auburn

6.     Neb

7.     TCU

8.     SC

9.     Bama

10. Utah

11. LSU

12. Arkansas

13. Stanford

14. FSU

15. MSU

16. Zona

17. Ok St

18. Mizzou

19. Iowa

20. Wisc

21. AF

22. UF

23. UT

24. UofM

25. Miami

Mook vs Denard Robinson

The Nard Dog is having an incredible year - ridiculous even!
He is running away with the heisman... quite literally running and playing like a heisman.

The numbers he has put up are uncomparable... 200 yds rushing and passing pretty consistently... touchdowns...

But is he a lock for the heisman?

The guys at PTI say yes. Halfway through the season and Kornheiser says the field has a 40% of winning - and Wilbon says only 10%!

Really? The field is pretty good, and you just need one of those guys to explode.
They also mentioned the way he plays he could get hurt- and they even cited Denis Dixon.
Not only is it possible, it's probable.
And let's not forget the competition he has faced. U Conn could be good. ND is bad. IU is awful. A Mac team - and UMass is worse than all of them... i'm not convinced.
i say in future games he'll be forced to throw more and not run as much and will be exposed. The defenses will find ways to stop him. And he'll miss parts of games with injury.

There has to be a flaw in his game- he wasn't even a starter last year- and it's not because of a veteran- it was another freshman.

The real wonder to me is- what could have Terrell Pryor done in this offense?
That guy is pretty incredible, he even caught a TD pass.

And what about Kellen Moore? Boise St may not get a national title chance, but maybe they'll let Moore throw more and if they want to be considered, they have to outscore their opponents by a lot. Plus, he'll get some career votes.

Those two guys along with LeMichael James (the guy i like) from Oregon are all playing for title contenders. i got to think they have a shot.


All that to say, i've heard from some U of M friends that Robinson really is a nice guy, a humble guy. And it would be fun to see a good guy win it.

Mook vs Randy Moss

The NFL continues to surprise me.

Most of the time it is the games itself - like all the close games last week.
It's amazing how a team can be horrible one year and a potential play-off team the next (See Missouri teams KC & StL this year and so many in the past).

But more-so it's the trades.
i don't get why teams will trade a 1st rd pick the next year to grab a 2nd rd pick... or multiple early picks to move up one or spots on draft day... then during the season no one gives up anything.

That's why i was surprised the Vikings were willing to give up a 2nd rd pick... for Vincent Jackson... and the Chargers delined! They are idiots.
Instead the Vikes get Randy Moss for ... a 3rd rd pick!
If the Chargers would have taken the trade for JAckson, they could have later traded for Moss.

Some are saying the Pats did well. They traded a 4th rd pick for Moss and now get a 3rd pick in return - after many years of service. But, i gotta think they could have got more... not only that, i think they shouldn't have traded him. Sure, they may be able to get AJ Green with the Raiders pick next year - but what are they going to do this year?

Their division is so loaded. i know they beat the Dolphins last week with Moss not catching a pass, but can they sustain it all year? i think they miss out on the playoffs.
But i don't think they had much of a chance of winning it all anyway... maybe... but not now.

Bellichek... seemed genius a while ago... but lately it seems his ego has got the best of him... we'll see.

i do like Danny Woodhead.