NFL Second Quarterly Report

NFL Second Quarterly Report

We are now eight weeks into the 2010 NFL season, here are some second quarter thoughts from my scatterbrained mind.

The Winners

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In a division that used to belong solely to the New Orleans Saints, the Bucs seem to be making a big splash. Despite being in second place in the NFC South, Tampa Bay is tied for the NFC’s best record at 5-2, and doing it with pure heart. Baby face coach Raheem Morris claimed that he had the best team in the NFC while talking at his pregame presser this past Sunday, and even though their depth chart is compiled of rookies and rejects, they have been proving it on the field. The Atlanta Falcons have been the best team in that division all year, but the scrappy Bucs aren’t going away any time soon. On defense, they are led by one of our generation’s most consistent corner backs in Ronde Barber as well as one of the game’s up and coming stars, Aqib Talib. Oh yeah, and don’t think we’ve forgotten about defensive end Stylez G White. With the emergence of LeGarrette Blount as his featured back and a wide receiving corps consisting of Mike Williams and Michael Spurlock, second year quarterback Josh Johnson is quietly leading his team to a possible post season berth.

New England Patriots

I think an overwhelming majority of NFL fans would admit they really don’t like the New England Patriots. It’s hard to like a coach like Bill Belichick, one who likes to make questionable 4^th down calls and win Super Bowls in convincing fashion. Tom Brady? Who likes that guy? Spygate didn’t help either. However, what the Pats have always been particularly good at is winning as a team. Even if they don’t have the most talented group of players, they seem to win big games. The Pats go into Week 9 having won five games in a row, the longest winning streak in the NFL right now, and lead their division with the NFL’s best record at 6-1. Sure, their win over Buffalo was scary close, and they won back to back games by a total of only six points, but wins are wins, and the Pats know how to do it, even without Randy Moss.

Danny Woodhead

He’s more than likely going to be the smallest player on the field every time, but after the Jets cut Danny Woodhead, it was the Patriots who gave the scrappy running back a chance to shine.; and that’s just what he’s done. Bill Belichick has found ways to use him in four wide sets as a wide receiver, I-Form sets as the featured back and even in bunch formations as a screen option. Belichick has allowed Woodhead to become an integral part of the Pats’ goal line offense this season. He has 36 rushes on the season for 178 yards and two touchdowns, which puts his yards per carry at an impressive 4.9. He also has 14 catches for 136 yards and one touchdown. Maybe it’s because he’s taking his release from the Jets personally, or maybe he just fits well into New England’s system, but either way Danny Woodhead is making the most of his playing time and leaving Jets management scratching their heads.

Brandon Lloyd fantasy owners

Brandon Lloyd has been probably the most lethal albeit quiet fantasy threat all season so far. Lloyd, who has been with four different teams over a seven year career, has never really been featured as a team’s top receiving threat, having posted 500 receiving yards or more in only two seasons. This year, however, as the Broncos’ number one guy, he’s amassed 878 receiving yards in just eight games thus far, which is first in the NFL, along with four touchdowns. He is also averaging 109.8 receiving yards per game which is absolutely astounding, even for a receiver in a pass heavy offense. He’s certainly worked for his catches as well, pulling in tough grab after tough grab each week. Anyone who was lucky enough to pick Brandon Lloyd up off waivers within the first week or two of the season certainly found a diamond in the rough.

The Losers

Dallas Cowboys

Things just keep getting worse for America’s team these days. They started out the season 1-3 before going into an early Week 4 bye. Most analysts agreed that Dallas would pull out of it, especially coming out of a bye week. That hasn’t been the case. Embarrassing losses to both Tennessee and Minnesota put any chance of this team making a playoff run in serious doubt. And whatever doubt was there was washed away after Tony Romo broke his clavicle in Week 7 against the Giants. Jon Kitna will be taking the reins of this pitiful team from here on out, so it looks like Dallas fans will have to just hope for the best next season. Who knows? It might turn out to be a blessing in disguise if it means Wade Phillips loses his job.

Brett Favre

Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely hate Brett Favre. Before you read on, I feel it’s important to know that I am completely biased because, to be honest, I think the guy is nothing short of a cry baby and an idiot. He screwed with fans’ heads during three consecutive off seasons and sucked up every piece of media attention he possibly could. I don’t care about his statistics, and I don’t care about his jean commercials. All I want is for him to retire. He isn’t just a loser because of the fact that he’s a complete imbecile, and it’s not only because I hate him. It’s because once again he acts like a complete media whore and fails to do anything positive on the field with his team. Just watching him, anyone can see that his time is up for good. I just hope for the sake of all our summers that this time he actually retires.

Mike Shanahan

Mike Shanahan has long been the enemy of many fantasy owners, such as me. The guy loves multiple back systems, which often doesn’t help teams who own his running backs (ie: the year I drafted Tatum Bell only to see Mike Bell receive all the red zone touches). This time around though, I’m giving him flack for the way he’s handled two specific situations on his team. First, I think he has straight up alienated Albert Haynesworth by putting him through hell in the off season with physicals and then utilizing him the wrong way in their defensive scheme. Something has got to change or else Haynesworth is going to be out of there before they know it. And, secondly, if Shanahan places such a high importance on physical fitness, why did he pull Donovan McNabb last week and replace him with Rex Grossman during their two minute drill, citing McNabb’s lack of physical fitness as a reason? I think it’s completely and utterly ridiculous that he could even think of benching McNabb for a two minute drill like that; and of all people to replace him with, Rex Grossman? I always love a Sexy Rexy sighting, but really? Shanahan has always been known as a coach who has a revolving door of quarterbacks, and this is just his latest way of embarrassing his players. What is he going to have JaMarcus Russell try out next or something? Oh wait…

Most Impressive Single Game Performance (player)

Kenny Britt, Tennessee Titans

7 receptions, 225 yards, 3 receiving touchdowns

Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders

16 rushes, 165 yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 2 receptions, 31 yards, 1 receiving touchdown

Most Impressive Single Game Performance (team)

Oakland Raiders, 59 points scored, 8 touchdowns (five rushing, two passing, one defensive) (vs. Denver Broncos)

Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots (6-1)

2. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)

4. New York Jets (5-2)

5. Indianapolis Colts (5-2)

6. Atlanta Falcons (5-2)

7. New York Giants (5-2)

8. Green Bay Packers (5-3)

9. Tennessee Titans (5-3)

10. New Orleans Saints (5-3)

11. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)

12. Philadelphia Eagles (4-3)

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2)

14. Houston Texans (4-3)

15. Miami Dolphins (4-3)

16. Oakland Raiders (4-4)

17. Chicago Bears (4-3)

18. Washington Redskins (4-4)

19. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4)

20. St. Louis Rams (4-4)

21. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)

22. San Diego Chargers (3-5)

23. Minnesota Vikings (2-5)

24. Arizona Cardinals (3-4)

25. Cleveland Browns (2-5)

26. Cincinnati Bengals (2-5)

27. Detroit Lions (2-5)

28. Denver Broncos (2-6)

29. Dallas Cowboys (1-6)

30. San Francisco 49ers (2-6)

31. Carolina Panthers (1-6)

32. Buffalo Bills (0-7)

NFL First Quarterly Report

NFL First Quarterly Report

Four weeks into an exciting NFL season and there is an awful lot to talk about. Here is where I will breakdown the winners and losers of the first quarter of the season.

The Winners

Pittsburgh Steelers

How can they not be big winners? Four games without their starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and they go into their bye week at 3-1. I think this is the NFL’s best all around team and they gave me more reasons to believe it each time they took the field. Their defense was incredible, allowing just 12.5 points per game and holding the NFL’s reigning offensive player of the year, Chris Johnson , to 34 yards on 16 carries in week 2. Charlie Batch did a great job at stepping in at quarterback after Dennis Dixon’s injury in week 2. He threw three touchdowns and averaged over 100 yards throwing. The way they played as a team despite not having their leader under center was inspiring, and if anything a message to the rest of the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers are for real this year.

Arian Foster fantasy owners

I speak from a personal level on this one: Arian Foster is a god. He’s led all players in fantasy points and leads the NFL with 537 rushing yards on 85 carries with an unbelievable average of 6.5 yards per carry. He’s also scored five times, including one receiving touchdown. There hasn’t been a more effective back in the league through four weeks, and Foster is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. In an offense that features arguably football’s best wide receiver in Andre Johnson, this gives the Texans a ridiculous amount of options. Opposing defenses have to worry not only about Andre Johnson as a deep threat, but Arian Foster in the backfield. In week 4 against the Raiders, Foster played just one half of football after being benched for missing a team meeting, and yet still finished with 131 yards rushing with a touchdown. I can’t wait to see his production as the season progresses over the next four weeks. Fantasy owners of Arian Foster, I salute you.

Kansas City Chiefs fans

If I had taken a poll before the season and asked how many people thought the Chiefs would be the only undefeated team in football going into week 5, I would be willing to bet that nobody voted yes. It’s no fluke either. They have been playing really good football. They defeated a potent San Diego Chargers at home in week 1, thanks to a potent running attack and a punt return touchdown for rookie Dexter McCluster. Jamal Charles has been on limited duty with fewer than 40 carries through four weeks, yet he is still averaging close to 80 yards rushing per game. Thomas Jones is getting the bulk of the carries, and he hasn’t been a slouch either, averaging just about 72 yards a game rushing. I don’t know if the Chiefs can keep playing the way they have, but in this report, they are big first quarter winners and a pleasant surprise.

St. Louis Rams/Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I lump them together because they are both winners for the same reason: quarterbacks of the future. Sam Bradford has looked fantastic in an exceptionally bad offense in St. Louis. He is completing about 58 percent of his passes and averaging 236 yards throwing per game, with six touchdowns. It’s even more impressive considering his top two receivers are Mark Clayton and Danny Amendola. The Rams organization has to be pleased with what they are seeing from their first overall pick in the 2010 draft. In a similar situation, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to be happy with the production they are getting from second year quarterback Josh Freeman. He has been spreading the ball really well, throwing to eight different receivers, for 544 yards throwing and four touchdowns. Both teams can rest easy knowing the quarterback position is solidified for awhile with two young stars on the rise.

NFC West

Yes, the entire division. Technically they are all losers considering three of the four teams in the division have given up more points than they’ve scored. For the purposes of my report however, they are definitely winners. The NFC West is far and away the weakest division in all of football. I wouldn’t be surprised if a seven or eight win team won the division this year, and after what we have been seeing from these teams, it might actually happen. After coming into the season a favorite to dominate, San Francisco is ironically the only winless team in the division through four weeks. The sad part is that they are still going to win this division pretty easily. There is no questioning that they are the best team on paper, but football games aren’t won on paper. This will be an interesting albeit horrible division to watch as we go forward.

The Losers

Chicago Bears

I promise this is going to be my only homer choice of the report. After a 3-0 start against two tough opponents in Dallas and Green Bay, the Bears entered the new Meadowlands Stadium in New York to face a rather jaded Giants team . The Giants, 2-2, have question marks all over the place. I really expected an old school Chicago beatdown on defense and a fluid and balanced offensive game. In actuality, we got a Giants defense which made the Bears look like Merle Hodge’s son’s pee wee team. Nine sacks, yes, nine sacks in the first half alone. Jay Cutler was a sitting duck the entire night. I can’t say blame is entirely on the offensive line’s shoulders because Jay Cutler made some poor decisions in the pocket which allowed a few of those sacks to happen. The blank stare on offensive line coach Mike Tice’s face said it all. And now Jay Cutler is out with a concussion, leaving the Bears offense in the hands of NFL journeyman Todd Collins. Yikes.

San Francisco 49ers

This was not the team I was promised, and frankly I’m a little surprised. After a winless first four weeks, which included an embarrassing flogging at the hands of an awful Seattle Seahawks team, the 49ers had to make my list of losers. Coming into the season, they were favored to clean house in their division and post a serious playoff threat as a breakout team to keep an eye on. Well, as it turns out, nobody even want to look anymore. It’s been difficult to watch and very frustrating. I can only imagine how Mike Singletary feels. He’s given quarterback Alex Smith a vote of confidence and plans to stick with him through and through. Personally, I think Alex Smith is not very good, but I’m not the head coach of the 49ers, so it doesn’t mean anything in the end. I’m bored with this team already. Big losers in the first four weeks.

Philadelphia Eagles

Yeah, I’m going with losers on this one. First of all, they have the worst coach in football in Andy Reid (this is a guy who burns all three of his timeouts before the two minute warning in a close game). Secondly, the quarterback controversy was just one embarrassing press conference after another. First he names Kevin Kolb as his starting quarterback, which I have no issue with. He said that Kolb was his guy, and he stuck to his word. Kolb gets injured, and when he is ready to return, Andy Reid says that he feels like Mike Vick would give the team a better chance to win. I agree with him, but I do think it alienated Kevin Kolb just a little bit. Now both Mike Vick and running back LeSean McCoy are injured, so it’s Kolb’s turn to get back under center. I’m putting the Eagles as a loser simply for the fact that they can’t get their issues straightened out. Andy Reid is an awful human being. Enough said.

John Bonamego/Miami Dolphins Special Teams

I was floored by the way the New England Patriots special teams handled the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a horrendous turn of events for a special teams in one night. A blocked punt, a blocked field goal, and a kickoff returned for a touchdown all led to Miami Dophins special teams coordinator John Bonamego’s predictable firing.

The First Quarter MVP’s (three at each position, guys who have had a major impact on their teams in the first four weeks):

QB

Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts

Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

RB

Arian Foster, Houston Texans

Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers

Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

WR

Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons

Austin Collie, Indianapolis Colts

Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos

TE

Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers

Dustin Keller, New York Jets

Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders

DE

Mario Williams, Houston Texans

JustinTuck, New York Giants

Trent Cole, Philadelphia Eagles

DT

Haloti Ngata, Baltimore Ravens

Sedrick Ellis, New Orleans Saints

Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions

LB

Clay Mathews, Green Bay Packers

James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers

Curtis Lofton, Atlanta Falcons

CB

Leon Hall, Cincinnati Bengals

Charles Woodson, Green Bay Packers

Terrell Thomas, New York Giants

Safety

LaRon Landry, Washington Redskins

Patrick Chung, New England Patriots

Steve Gregory, San Diego Chargers

K

Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons

Josh Scobee, Jacksonville Jaguars

Mike Nugent, Cincinnati Bengals

Most Impressive Single Game Performance (player)

Patrick Chung, New England Patriots

4 tackles, 1 interception, 1 defensive touchdown, blocked kick, blocked punt (vs. Miami Dolphins)

Most Impressive Single Game Performance (team)

New York Giants

50 tackles, 10 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions, 3 points allowed (vs. Chicago Bears)

Power Rankings

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)

2. New Orleans Saints (3-1)

3. Green Bay Packers (3-1)

4. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)

5. Atlanta Falcons (3-1)

6. New York Jets (3-1)

7. Houston Texans (3-1)

8. Indianapolis Colts (2-2)

9. New England Patriots (3-1)

10. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)

11. San Diego Chargers (2-2)

12. Chicago Bears (3-1)

13. Miami Dolphins (2-2)

14. Dallas Cowboys (1-2)

15. Minnesota Vikings (1-2)

16. Washington Redskins (2-2)

17. Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)

18. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2)

19. Tennessee Titans (2-2)

20. Denver Broncos (2-2)

21. New York Giants (2-2)

22. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)

23. St. Louis Rams (2-2)

24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2)

25. Arizona Cardinals (2-2)

26. Seattle Seahawks (2-2)

27. Cleveland Browns (1-3)

28. Oakland Raiders (1-3)

29. San Francisco 49ers (0-4)

30. Carolina Panthers (0-4)

31. Detroit Lions (0-4)

32. Buffalo Bills (0-4)

More on the AL Cy Young race

It’s no secret that I’ve been one of Felix Hernandez’s biggest supporters in this year’s Cy Young race. I love the guy, and I love the way he pitches. He’s doing something extraordinary this season, and nobody even cares. I get that CC Sabathia has 20 plus wins and both he and David Price are pitching in a pennant race. The fact remains, the award goes to the best pitcher in a given year. Felix deserves it, and there are numerous amounts of evidence to prove it. First, let’s look at the stats as of today:

CC Sabathia: 21-7, 3.18 ERA, 197 K, 74 BB, 1.19 WHIP, .239 BAA, 237.2 IP, 5.5 WAR

Felix Hernandez: 13-12, 2.27 ERA, 232 K, 70 BB, 1.06 WHIP, .212 BAA, 249.2 IP, 6.0 WAR

Now, let’s debunk some myths, shall we?

1. CC Sabathia has 20 wins. Felix Hernandez only has 12.

Well yes, this is statistically true. However, it is also incredibly misleading. Let’s start with the win totals themselves. CC Sabathia has won 21 games and lost seven. Felix Hernandez has won 13 games and lost 12. Let’s look deeper into these numbers. CC Sabathia has just six wins against teams that have an overall record above .500. Felix Hernandez has nine wins against teams with similar records. That means 77% of Sabathia’s wins have come against teams with losing records, while 75% of Hernandez’s wins have come against teams with winning records. Basically, Sabathia has beaten a lot of bad teams and Hernandez has beaten a lot of good teams. Let’s total the statistics:

Teams with losing records

Sabathia: 14-4, 2.77 ERA, 105 K, 43 BB, 1.23 WHIP, .249 BAA

Hernandez: 3-5, 2.36 ERA, 99 K, 35 BB, 1.17 WHIP, .229 BAA

Teams with winning records

Sabathia: 6-3, 3.98 ERA, 84 K, 29 BB, 1.17 WHIP, .234 BAA

Hernandez: 9-7, 2.27 ERA, 128 K, 33 BB, 0.97 WHIP, .200 BAA

Against the bad teams, Sabathia pitched very well. Hernandez pitched well too. Against teams with winning records however, Sabathia is highly average. Hernandez dominated. A WHIP of .97 and an ERA of 2.27 is extremely impressive, especially when you see some of the teams included on the list. In an odd way, one could argue that Sabathia pitched better against worse competition while Hernandez pitched better against tougher opposition.

We also have to take into consideration the anatomy of a win in general. Yes, Sabathia does have 20 plus wins. Then again, he does play for a team that is currently number one in total runs scored with 839 (45 ahead of the second ranked team) while Hernandez plays for a team who has only scored 501 total runs all season. Batting average, slugging, OPS, et cetera. You name it and the Mariners are in last place.

The Yankees score roughly seven a game when CC Sabathia is on the hill (7.31 RS to be exact). Felix Hernandez? Try less than four (3.75 RS). Imagine going out on the mound every fifth day knowing your team is going to score seven runs for you, as opposed to going out on the mount and knowing that if you give up more than two runs, you will probably lose the game. Scary.

2. CC Sabathia pitches in a tougher division than Felix Hernandez does which makes Sabathia’s numbers more impressive

There is no arguing that the AL East is not better than the AL West, because we all know this to be true. The East features three powerful offenses in New York, Boston, and Toronto, while the West has statistically some of the worst offenses in the American League (for offensive power rankings check out Beyond the Boxscore’s analysis). However, the fact that the division Sabathia pitches in features tougher offenses does not mean that Hernandez’s numbers are not as impressive. Let’s take a look.

AL East opponents

Sabathia: 15 starts, 8-3, 3.46 ERA, 85 K, 33 BB, 1.20 WHIP

Hernandez: 7 starts, 5-1, 0.63 ERA, 58 K, 15 BB, 0.89 WHIP

It is also important to note that five of Sabathia’s wins came against the Orioles and three of Hernandez’s wins came against the Yankees.

I find it incredible that Hernandez dominated the Yankees with three wins, 31 strikeouts, and just one earned run in three starts. People are constantly saying that Sabathia has an advantage by pitching in a tougher division. It becomes a moot point once you realize that Hernandez has even more impressive numbers against the same tough teams and dominated a division Sabathia has been only average against. (I know, I know, but Sabathia has pitched more games against those opponents). It’s also interesting to note that Sabathia has a chunk of wins against a really bad Baltimore Orioles team. In fact, 10 of Sabathia’s 21 wins have come against the Orioles, Mariners, and Royals, arguably the three worst offenses in baseball. Also, he's only faced the Toronto Blue Jays one time all season. Yikes.

3. CC Sabathia pitches in a pennant race, putting him in a higher pressure situation

I never understood this argument, for several reasons. I mean, sure it must be a big responsibility being the ace on a pennant race staff. Isn’t it just as nerve racking being one of the best pitchers in baseball on a team that scores less runs than a pee wee team?

Sabathia goes on the mound every night knowing that even if he screws up a little bit, his offense has his back. Come on, the guy gets seven runs of support per game! Hernandez, not so much. He steps on the rubber knowing that if he gives up two runs, or even one single run, he might not be able to win the game. That’s not considered stressful? He has two complete game losses this year. I don’t know if anyone realizes how stressful it must be to give your best stuff for a complete game, and then to lose the game 1-0 or 3-2. It’s almost as if the stress argument works in favor of Hernandez.

Here are some clutch/pressure stats, for the saber minded people.

2 outs, RISP

Sabathia: 92 PA, 26 K, 9 BB, 26 runs allowed, .313 BAA, .380 OBP, .826 OPS, .436 BAbip,

Hernandez: 92 PA, 23 K, 6 BB, 26 runs allowed, .212 BAA, .272 OBP, .578 OPS, .279 BAbip

Late & Close(7^th inning or later with batting team tied, ahead by one, or tying run at least on deck)

Sabathia: 62 PA, 11 K, 8 BB, 3 runs allowed, .196 BA, .317 OBP, .513 OPS, .250 BAbip

Hernandez: 118 PA, 25 K, 7 BB, 7 runs allowed, .194 BA, .263 OBP, .559 OPS, .225 BAbip

First of all, notice that Hernandez is statistically a much, much better pitcher with runners in scoring position and two outs as well as in late and close situations. Also notice the stark difference in plate appearances between the two pitchers in late and close situations. When you pitch for the 2010 Yankees, there won’t be many close games. When you are the ace of the Mariners, close situations are what you live for.

If we are arguing pressure pitchers here, Hernandez is the winner.

I’m not here to argue that CC Sabathia is having a poor season. Not at all. I think Sabathia has had a really good season. I just don’t think really good (read: average) seasons win the Cy Young Award. Really great seasons win Cy Young Awards, and that is why Felix Hernandez deserves it. He has, on the worst offensive team in the league, pitched the best all around baseball out of any starting pitcher in the American League. He is the leader in every statistical category (sans wins) and has dominated some of the toughest opposition.

The Baseball Writers of America would be doing the game a great dishonor to pass up this chance to give one of the best pitchers in the game today an award he has truly earned.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! wrote a great article with similar points. You can view it here.

SHU Volleyball defeats Louisville, Osmun becomes all time kills leader

The women’s volleyball team split two matches this past weekend as they opened their Big East schedule on the road against the top two teams in the 2010 Big East preseason coaches’ poll, Cincinnati and Louisville.

After rallying from behind in the first two sets to force extra points (26-24, 27-25) on Friday, the Pirates dropped their third set (25-17) in defeat to the nationally ranked Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincinnati’s Big East preseason Player of the Year, Stephanie Niemer, finished with 20 kills and 10 digs to lead her team.
The Pirates were paced by senior Sarah Osmun who finished with 17 kills and 10 digs. Junior Meghan Matusiak tallied eight kills and 12 digs of her own, while freshman Alyssa Warren added 14 digs.

On Sunday, the Pirates stunned Louisville in five sets (25-20, 25-21, 19-25, 17-25, 15-13) with the help of senior Sarah Osmun, who finished the day with a game high 21 kills and 3 digs en route to becoming Seton Hall’s all time career leader in kills with 1,384. The record breaking kill took place with her first kill in the fifth set.

Junior Meghan Matusiak notched 14 kills, 11 digs, and four aces while sophomore Hannah Hugeback added 13 kills and 11 digs. The team effort was supported by a game high 47 assists for sophomore Olivia Trudeau and a game high 13 digs for Alyssa Warren.

“I had a good feeling about beating Louisville,” said coach Kris Zeiter, “and the win says a lot about the resiliency of my team. Most coaches go into a weekend like that and know they probably won’t win either game, but we did, and that’s great.”

Seton Hall took the first two sets in quick fashion. In the first, Louisville could never recover from an early deficit and did not come within three points of the Pirates all set. In the second, the two teams matched up evenly, keeping the lead extremely close the entire way. It was only after a 5-2 run capped off with an Olivia Trudeau kill that Seton Hall put them away.

After Louisville rallied back to win the next two sets, the Pirates made quick work of the Cardinals by pulling away after a 13 all tie. Louisville could not recover, once again, and the Pirates pulled off the upset.

Osmun, a senior from Crystal Lake, Illinois, did not have much to say about the kills record. Rather than focusing on the personal record itself, she praised her teammates for helping her reach the new record together.

“Volleyball is such a team sport,” said Osmun, “so if anything I think it just shows a lot about the teams I’ve played on and how much work we’ve done together as a team.”

Zeiter, who is in his fifth year as women’s volleyball coach, also understands that volleyball is the quintessential team sport.

“In basketball you can do things on your own with the ball,” said Zeiter, “but in volleyball, you can’t do anything unless you get a good setup, and Sarah understands that. She’s very modest and laid back.”

According to Zeiter, it was clear from the beginning that Osmun was going to be something great for the women’s volleyball program.

“I told her when I recruited her that if she came to Seton Hall, she could help us do some special things,” Zeiter said. “We beat Cincinnati for the first time ever in her freshman year, made the playoffs for the first time, and now we’ve beaten Louisville for the first time ever.”

As for Osmun, her mantra is quite simple.

“Win. Just keep getting better,” Osmun said. “Beating Louisville shows how much we really want to win. The rank of the team doesn’t matter, as long as you give the effort.”

The Seton Hall women’s volleyball team hosts West Virginia on Oct. 2, before welcoming Pittsburgh to Walsh Gymnasium on Oct. 3.

Why Felix Hernandez should win the Cy Young Award, even though he probably won't

I'm not the type for corny metaphors, but to make this interesting, let’s pretend that the Cy Young Award race is like climbing a mountain. Mount Everest, to be specific. Each year, pitchers begin to climb the mountain. Some fall off rather early, while others hang around for awhile. A select few, maybe four or five at most, climb more efficiently than all of the others. Now keeping in mind that only one of these pitchers can win the award despite all of their impressive resumes, or in this case all of their impressive climbing, these four or five pitchers must wait at the top of the peak for some kind of mountain dwelling committee to decide their fate. That's the Baseball Writers of America, for those of you who I have now confused.

This year, there are a number of pitchers who have the resumes to win the award. In fact, there are even two or three relievers who are in serious contention to finish in the top 10 in voting. However, one man will probably barely make the cut when in actuality he probably deserves to win the award outright. This man is Felix Hernandez.

They call him King Felix, the man who wears the brim of his hat down so low that you can barely tell if he has eyes. Hitters are scared of him. Pitchers admire him. His repertoire of pitches includes a fastball that can reach 100 mph, and devastating breaking pitches. And he’s only 24 years old. In just six years of Major League service, he has managed to become one of the most feared pitchers in the game. So why isn’t he going win the Cy Young Award, or even finish in the top 5?

Wins.

As a diehard baseball fan and a student of the game, nothing angers me more at the statistic ‘Wins.’ It is an incredibly simple stat to understand, and yet so troublesome, especially in a situation like the one I am writing about.

Hernandez, as of today, has an earned run average of 2.38 and a WHIP of 1.10, and his 200 strikeouts are tied for an American League best. He has pitched 211.1 innings and given up only 14 home runs, both which are league bests, as well as posting an impressive .222 batting average against. So why is CC Sabathia the favorite to win the Cy Young Award?

CC Sabathia has 19 wins. Felix Hernandez has 10.

The difference here is that Sabathia pitches for the New York Yankees, whereas Hernandez pitches for the Seattle Mariners. There is a fundamental difference. Let’s compare the numbers:



Hernandez has more strikeouts, less walks, a lower ERA, a lower WHIP, a lower batting average against, and has pitched more innings; but because Sabathia has 9 more wins, he is going to trump Hernandez when it comes time to vote. That is completely ridiculous. Sabathia’s team averages 5.8 runs of support in his starts, where Hernandez’s team scores an average of 3.1 runs per game. That is a staggering difference, and it certainly is not Felix Hernandez’s fault.

The Cy Young Award is an award that is given to the best pitcher in each given year. For some reason, an emphasis is placed on the pitchers who have high win totals or pitch for teams with better records. A win total does not mean a pitcher pitched well in all of those games. Sometimes a pitcher can have an awful game and still pick up a win. It is a statistic based solely on chance. When it comes to debating Cy Young Awards or any kind of award or merit for pitchers, wins are the last statistic I look at (if I even look at them at all).

What about Felix’s team? Just how awful are they? Well, here are the run totals for the Mariners in Hernandez’s 10 losses: 1, 3, 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 0, 0, 1. 12 runs in 10 games? That is absolutely horrendous. There isn’t a pitcher in the game today, or anyone who has ever pitched in history, that can survive with run production like that. King Felix has had his share of bad luck as well. On May 13th, early in the season, Hernandez gave up one run on five hits in a seven inning performance, demonstrating incredible control and dominance. The Mariners’ bullpen allowed the Orioles to score five runs after Hernandez was pulled from the game, and went on to lose the game 6-5. That’s Felix Hernandez’s fault though. Right?

How about on July 21st, when the Mariners hosted the Chicago White Sox? Felix Hernandez pitches eight innings of masterpiece baseball, giving up no earned runs and only allowing two hits. He struck out eight White Sox batters and left the game with a 0-0 tie. The Mariners won the game in extra innings, 2-1. Felix gets the no decision. His fault again, I’m sure.

This is not me trying to say CC Sabathia does not deserve the award, because statistically he is having a fantastic year. However, Felix Hernandez is having an even better year in every important facet of the game which is why he truly deserves to have his name engraved on the plaque. The award has never and should never be linked to team success and/or personal win accumulation. It should be based solely on how effectively a pitcher has pitched, using other vital and much more important statistics.

Let’s just hope the Baseball Writers of America put Felix Hernandez on top of Mount Everest, because that is exactly where he belongs.

seton hall basketball, you give me headaches

Great start to the game tonight against Syracuse, forced a lot of turnovers, ripped down a lot of boards...but it just wasn't good enough for several reasons.

1. Free Throws. God help me, this team is going to give me a heart attack before the season is over. You cannot, absolutely CANNOT shoot so abysmally from the free throw line and win games in the Big East. You just can't. We all knew Herb Pope would have problems, but this is just an atrocity. He's shooting 38% from the line this season thus far, including 2/14 in the last two games against WVU and Syracuse. For a guy who spends so much time under the boards and a guy who draws a lot of contact, he NEEDS to be better at the line. It's imperative that he shoots a decent percentage and yet he hasn't even come close. I don't want to put all of the blame on his shoulders because it's not just him. As a team 16/33 against WVU and 14/24 against Syracuse including key stretches in both games. It's ridiculous. In a game like the one against WVU, 17 points worth of missing free throws is HUGE. Bobby Gonzalez was quoted as saying, "It's all mental. We shot 400 free throws on Christmas eve, 400 more on Christmas morning. I need to bring a psychologist in or something, because it's all mental." Yeah, well I'm glad you can make jokes about it when you're losing two games you could have and should have closed out. Bottom line...if you don't hit free throws, you cannot win.

2. Substitutions, specifically Eugene Harvey/John Garcia. They are two separate entities but I'm putting them together under the heading of substitutions because they were key tonight. I don't care what Bobby Gonzalez says, or anyone else for that matter...I hate Eugene Harvey. He has been getting worse and worse every year, and when you have Jordan Theodore (who has been absolutely phenomenal) and Keon Lawrence (who is rusty and just getting his game back in order, but still a great player), you do NOT need to give Harvey that many minutes. He is tremendously hot and cold. One day he can come in and hit key baskets, make great passes, force turnovers, etc. Then the next game, he looks like he's never picked up a basketball before. He averages almost as many turnovers a game as he does assists. I understand he's a Senior and he's been here through thick and thin. Believe me, I understand that he's one of Bobby's favorite guys. The fact of the matter is, you just cannot give this guy the minutes he used to get when the team is this deep. There is NO excuse for him being out there at the end of this game running the point when Jordan Theodore was playing exceptionally better the entire night and is arguably a better ballhandler. No excuse.

As for John Garcia, here's another one of Bobby's favorites who I just don't think there is any room for anymore. Tonight, he was a liability...plain and simple. He's got bad knees, and everyone knows that, he didn't have a great game under the boards, and he fumbled a lot of balls that came his way. I think there is still a place for him on this team, but not at the end of a game like this. There is no justification for him being out there at the end of this game, especially when he's being outmatched by Onuaku all game long. Jeff Robinson, while he may be smaller, is more athletic and tougher under the boards. There is no way, as a coach, I can have a guy like Robinson sitting the bench with only 3 fouls and have Garcia, on two bum knees out there trying to out rebound Syracuse's big guys. Terrible decision.

3. Bobby Gonzalez is a terrible coach. I don't know how else to put it, he is just not good. Maybe he's a great motivator? No, actually he's definitely a great motivator. When he speaks, the team listens. When he gyrates uncontrollably on the court and when he fights for his player after a bad foul call, the team gets behind him. He's a great motivator to have on your bench, HOWEVER...he is just not a good coach when it comes to the fundamentals of playing the game. Plain and simple, he mismanaged the end of this game...with his substitutions and with play calling. The offense he had set up at the end of this game was simple: move the ball around and hope Syracuse's 2-3 defense makes a mistake so that Hazell can shoot. And then he calls a timeout before Syracuse inbounds the ball, and what happens? Syracuse breaks the press for a Peyton Manning like pass to Kris Joseph for a full court and one. That was killer. You absolutely cannot come out of a timeout and let up a huge play like that. It's just mind boggling. That's all on Bobby Gonzalez and no one else. Their setup was so horrific coming out of that timeout.

This team is so talented, and only getting better...but when there is poor coaching and poor free throw shooting, even the best teams can't win. There's a reason why Jim Boeheim has 800 wins: he wins games like these. He knows how to manage his team and get them to the point where they can win. Seton Hall has a nice stretch of games coming up where they can really impress and they cannot let this momentum go. They've been playing too well to stop now. Coming up they have at Virginia Tech (in Mexico), at UConn, and then Cincinnati at home. They need to keep this up so they can win at least two of those games.