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 JUDGMENT COMETH Who better than us to pass judgment on athletes? You rely on us for it, and we aim to please. Here’s your first edition of TJR Studs & Duds.
STUD: AJ Burnett. Simply brilliant when the Yankees needed him to be nothing less. Over 7 innings, Burnett struck out 9 while allowing only 4 hits and 1 walk. He made the big pitch every time it was needed. Maybe most impressive, however, he threw first pitch strikes to 22 of the 26 hitters he faced. That’s 85%, well over the league average of 59%.
DUD: 1st base umpire Brian Gorman and crew chief Jerry Davis. Gorman blew 2 calls in the late innings that could have altered the outcome of the game. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Ryan Howard trapped a Johnny Damon line drive that Gorman incorrectly ruled was caught in the air. The resulting double play ended the Yankees inning when they should had the bases loaded with 1 out in a 3-1 game. Maybe even worse, after the game Davis, said that the replay confirmed that the call on the field was correct when it CLEARLY did not. Somebody check that guy for cataracts.
The 2nd call happened with 1 out in the very next inning. With runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out, Chase Utley hit into what was called a 4-6-3 double play. But, again, replay CLEARLY showed that Utley was safe at first. So 10 minutes after blowing a huge call, Gorman blew another one.
DUD: Major League Baseball. There have been too many plays similar to the ones above throughout these playoffs, and all could easily have been corrected with the use of instant replay. It’s time to make a change.
STUD: Carmelo Anthony. Anthony came up huge scoring 41 in a big game (if you can call the 2nd game of the year big) against division rival Portland on Thursday night. Melo led the Nuggets 4th quarter rally pouring in 19 of his 41 as Denver won in Portland 97-94.
DUDS: Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Howard. The two sluggers entered the World Series on fire, combining for 7 homers and 26 RBI this postseason. In the first 2 games, Rodriguez is 0-for-8 with 6 strikeouts while Howard is just 2-for-9 with 6 strikeouts and 1 RBI.
STUD: Pedro Martinez. Pitched 6 innings of 8 strikeout ball before giving up 2 hits in the 7th. When the lights were brightest, Pedro showed up again. Oh, and we just looked at the numbers and Pedro’s record as a Red Sox was 117 wins to 37 losses. That’s just absurd.
Dud: Any media outlet that continues to mention the old guy in purple’s return to Green Bay. Really. Could there possibly be anything that we haven’t heard? Is there any way we could find some dead ancestors to interview? Soooo tired of hearing about the old guy in purple. So he’s comfortable in Wranglers. Great. Who really cares?
Stud: Jimmy Johnson. There’s 4 races left in The Chase. Doesn’t matter. The dude is gonna win his 4th straight championship. That’s a record. Not even The Intimidator did that. Now that’s impressive.
 IF 5 IS GOOD, THEN 1 IS BAD
6 Straps – To Phillies ace Cliff Lee
We normally hand out a handful of these, but there’s an unwritten rule that says if you have one of the all-time greatest performances on your sports’ biggest stage, you get your own edition of Strap Time.
Cliff Lee was so good on Wednesday night, we’ve broken the mold and given him 6 straps out of 5. How good was he? He became the first pitcher in World Series history to not allow an earned run while striking out 10 batters and walking none.
The Yankees offense that led the Majors in runs scored during the season was reduced to looking like little leaguers.
He was so good that the overriding feeling coming out of the game was that C.C. Sabathia didn’t pitch well. But take a look at the numbers. He surrendered just 2 runs on 4 hits with 6 strikeouts over 7 innings. On almost any other night, C.C. is the story.
But not last night. Lee put on a show for the ages.
 WE'RE SORRY WE CAN ONLY PICK 1  "SHHH. DON'T TELL ANYONE I'M BROKE" $110 million. That’s what Antoine Walker earned in his 12 year NBA career. And yet, it seems that wasn’t enough.
Just one year removed from his last season in the league, Walker’s money is gone. And worse, he’s been arrested on felony charges of writing bad checks to Las Vegas casinos totaling more than $1 million. On top of that, Walker owes JP Morgan and Wachovia each $1.5 million.
It’s just astounding. How long have we been reading about professional athletes and celebrities blowing through cash and ending up broke? It’s like the holiday classic “The Christmas Carol”. The story never changes. The only thing that changes is the actor playing the lead role.
Congratulations Mr. Walker. You’re this year’s leading man…and TJR’s Biggest Loser.
 60% OF THE TIME, THEY WORK EVERY TIME We’re back with a World Series edition of Fun with Numbers. No game focuses more on numbers than baseball so we had plenty of stuff to work with here. Almost too much. Our heads are still spinning.
Without further ado, here are your numbers.
2: World Series Championships in Phillies history
2: Number of times the Yankees have won 4 straight World Series Championships (’36-’39 and ‘49-’53 when they won 5 straight)
31: World Series games played by the Phillies in the franchise’s 116-year history
32: World Series games played by Derek Jeter
10,167: Losses in Phillies franchise history, making Philly the only team in American sports history to surpass the 10,000 loss plateau
16.7: Consecutive 0-win, 162-loss seasons the Yankees would need to reach 10,000 losses
1: Number of times Cy Young winners have faced off in Game 1 of the World Series before CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee tonight (In 1995, Greg Maddux of the Braves faced the Indians Orel Hersheiser)
0: Teams that have started pitchers in World Series Games 1 and 2 who weren’t on their Opening Day roster (Lee and Martinez are scheduled to pitch games 1 & 2)
5 2/3: World Series innings pitched by Phillies Closer Brad Lidge
9: World Series games saved by Mariano Rivera, the most all-time
1.89: Cliff Lee’s ERA in his last 3 starts (2-1) versus the Yankees, including a 10-2 win on Opening Day this year
0.74: Lee’s ERA in 3 starts this postseason (2-0 with 1 no-decision)
8: Consecutive postseason games with an RBI by Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez, an all-time record shared with Lou Gehrig
1976: Year the last National League team repeated as World Champs (Cincy’s Big Red Machine in ‘75-’76)
Here’s a look at some other numbers you should know.
2009 Postseason Numbers
- Alex Rodriguez: .438 AVG, .548 OBP, 5 HR, 12 RBI
- Ryan Howard: .355 AVG, .462 OBP, 2 HR, 14 RBI
Yankees World Series Numbers
- Derek Jeter: 32 G, .302 AVG, .375 OBP, 27 R, 3 HR, 8 RBI
- Johnny Damon: 4 G, .286 AVG, .286 OBP, 4 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
- Jorge Posada: 23 G, .208 AVG, .337 OBP, 6 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI
- Mariano Rivera: 20 G, 31 IP, 4 ER, 1.16 ERA, 9 SV, 29 K, 6 BB
Phillies World Series Numbers
- Jimmy Rollins: 5 G, .267 AVG, .261 OBP, 4 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI
- Chase Utley: 5 G, .167 AVG, .375 OBP, 5 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI
- Ryan Howard: 5 G, .286 AVG, .375 OBP, 3 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI
- Brad Lidge: 5 G, 5 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3.18 ERA, 2 SV, 9 K, 0 BB
 WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT...WE THINK We here in the TJR Thought Lab wanted to take a new look at our NFL Power Rankings. Everyone loves the Saints. The Broncos are the league’s biggest surprise. Peyton Manning has the Colts undefeated. That old guy has that purple team at 6-1…and both the Pats and the Steelers are going to be tough again.
So we decided to have a little fun with this week’s rankings by taking a gander at the dregs of the NFL. Hapless. Pathetic. Woeful. Awful. Say what you want. They all apply to these teams.
Truth is, when we thought really hard about it, determining an order for the league’s worst teams was more difficult than settling on one for those at the head of the class. Without further ado, here’s our best shot at the league’s Bottom 5.
Pro Football
WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT...WE THINK For the first time this season, I had my version of the perfect Saturday. I pulled up a stool at the bar next to my friend JP, and we sat there and watched football, ate bad food and drank beer for 8 straight hours.
And to make it even better, we were in control of what games got played on the 5 huge flat screens above the bar. Over the course of the day, we watched all of 10 games and a few minutes of half a dozen others. I’m sure there’s not a better Saturday out there. We even got to watch the ‘Cuse beat Akron AND cover the spread. Not that we gamble or anything.
All in all, it wasn’t a great weekend for the nation’s top teams. No big upsets, but it was ugly out there. The Gators won a fugly one against a baaad Mississippi State team. ‘Bama won even uglier, and Iowa needed a TD as time expired to beat Michigan State.
And while we’re talking about the unimpressive, have you taken a look at the Heisman race? Is there anyone out there who wants to win this thing? I can’t remember there ever being such a muddled mess of Heisman candidates this late in the season. The “Big 3″ entering the season have all disappointed, and each new standout – Jacory Harris, Jahvid Best, Greg Paulus – has flamed out a week or so after joining the conversation. Okay, I threw Paulus in there just to see if you were still paying attention.
- Sam Bradford – injured shoulder in 1st game, re-injured against Texas, surgery, done for year
- Tim Tebow – 7 games, 8 passing TDs, 4 INT, and only 3.9 yards per carry
- Colt McCoy – 7 games, 8 INT including at least 1 in every single game
We digress. Here are this week’s rankings:
College Football
4.   
No one deserves to be #1 right now so I’m not giving any handouts. Here’s my thoughts on each – in no particular order:
Alabama: Needed 3 missed field goals (2 of which were blocked) to beat Tennessee at home 12-10. Just how bad was Alabama’s offense? They failed to score a TD at home against a Vols defense that yielded 23 points to Ohio University. Their 256 yards of total offense was 9 fewer than Tennessee QB Jonathan Crompton’s passing total.
Florida: Tebow had 2 interceptions returned for TDs on Saturday night. They failed to score a TD on 4 of 5 trips in red zone – a glaring problem as they entered Saturday’s game ranked 76th in the country in red zone efficiency. The biggest problem on offense may be that the team’s wide receivers aren’t able to create any separation against opposing teams’ secondaries. Only Riley Cooper had more than 32 yards receiving (63).
Texas: Had the best weekend by far blitzing Missouri 41-7. McCoy looked great, completing 26-of-31 passes including 3 TDs. The special teams unit blocked a punt and fell on it in the end zone for a TD. I’ve been hard on Texas all year because of their schedule, but considering the mediocrity around them, I can’t knock them anymore.
USC: The Trojans defense has cracks in it, giving up 36 to Oregon State one week after yielding 27 to Notre Dame. Oregon State’s Sean Canfield completed 30-of-43 for 329 yards and 3 TD with 0 INT, while RB Jacquizz Rodgers totaled 113 on the ground. The usually tough D almost blew a 19-point 4th quarter lead.
As for a 5th team, take your pick at this point. I’m not really impressed by anyone. Iowa, Boise State, Cincinnati, TCU. Ugh.
Stay tuned for TJR’s NFL Power Rankings coming later in the week.
 WHAT WE'D BUY...IF WE HAD ANY MONEY Sell: Parity in the NBA. During the offseason, the rich got richer and the poor, well, they sold everything that wasn’t nailed down. The Spurs snagged Richard Jefferson from the woeful Bucks for some fresh towels and a new set of Gatorade jugs. The Lakers signed Ron Artest. The Celtics added Rasheed Wallace. The Magic traded for Vince Carter. And the list goes on…Mavs (Shawn Marion), Cavs (Shaq), Blazers (Andre Miller), Bulls (Ben Gordon).
Buy: The Bucks, Nets, Timberwolves, Bobcats, Kings, Knicks, Clippers, Warriors, and Grizzlies (read: nearly 1/3 of the leagues’ teams) all being really, really bad. TJR has confirmation there are good seats still available for that mid-February Bucks-Nets matchup in the Meadowlands.
Sell: JaMarcus Russell ever being relevant as an NFL QB. Russell has regressed this season (if that’s possible) and his work ethic is somewhere just below Cheech & Chong’s. After a 6-for-11, 2 interception performance in Sunday’s 38-0 loss to the Jets, he actually had the testicular fortitude to say “I don’t think it’s me personally. I really don’t.” Hey JaMarcus, way to man up.
Buy: Mark McGwire making a difference as the St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach. When not on the golf course, McGwire has spent hundreds of winter hours working with MLB players on their swings. And regardless of what you think about his career, the guy did hit 583 homers so we think he knows what he’s talking about.
Sell: Boise State’s chances at a BCS bowl game. The Broncos dropped behind TCU in the latest BCS Rankings. If TCU wins out, they’ll get the nod over a Boise State team with no one relevant left on the schedule. And we wouldn’t be shocked to see Notre Dame win out and beat both of them out for a BCS bowl game.
Buy: A national championship game that includes the USC Trojans if for no other reason than saying otherwise is just boring. Here’s what we see: Texas falls this weekend in Stillwater. Iowa loses November 14th in Columbus. Cincinnati drops a game to either West Virginia (Nov. 13) or Pittsburgh (Dec. 5), and USC faces the winner of the SEC Championship game for the title.
 WHERE WE TAP INTO OUR METRO-SEXUAL SIDE I can’t tell you how happy I was to find this, and I’d like to thank Deadspin for bringing it to my attention. My guess is that you haven’t seen Ace Ventura: Pet Detective in quite a while, but anyone that’s seen it can’t forget Ray Finkle.
 I'M LOOKING FOR RAY FINKLE...AND A NEW PAIR OF SHORTS
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#32: Talk about embarrassing. These 3 teams are so horribly inept that it’s impossible to distinguish one from the other. One man’s trash is another man’s…well, trash in this case. The Browns, Rams and Bucs have a combined record of 1-20. And that 1 win was a Browns 6-3 stinker over the Bills in which QB Derek Anderson completed 2 of 17 passes. Can you say “contraction”?
#29: What a complete and utter mess. And that’s just off the field. Head coach Jim Zorn was stripped of his play calling duties by the EVP of Football Operations who promptly handed them over to a guy – and this is no joke – who just weeks earlier was calling out BINGO at a senior citizens home. On the field has been almost as awful. Despite becoming the first team in history to open the season with 6 straight games against winless opponents, the ‘Skins are 2-5 with those 2 wins coming against…you guessed it the Rams and Bucs.
#28: We’re still trying to figure out how these teams (2-12 combined) each managed to win a game. Then we looked it up. Yep. They both beat the Redskins. Prior to facing the Redskins, the Lions had lost 19 straight regular season games; the Chiefs had lost 16 of its previous 17.
#26:Let’s see. Where do we start? How about with the head coach breaking an assistant’s jaw with a punch. Or we could talk about JaMarcus Russell’s historically bad season (1 of 3 QB in history to have both a completion % (46.3) and QB rating (47.2) under 50 through 7 weeks. Oh, and how’d that whole passing up Michael Crabtree thing work out for the Raiders? In 7 games this season, Raiders 1st round pick Darrius Heyward-Bay has 4 catches for 64 yards. After a 10 week holdout, Crabtree suited up for the 49ers on Sunday and caught 5 passes for 56 yards. Sounds about right for the Raiders. You really can’t make this crap up.
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