Week 11 - Rants & Ranks
So, one last note on the Daisuke Matsuzaka story before I break out this week's Rants & Ranks.
I've already gotten a handful of e-mails about my prediction that the winning bid for Matsuzaka would be $51M. Some of the e-mails were congratulatory, some were inflammatory, and most were asking how the hell I came up with the number when so many "experts" were completely off target.
Well, it's fairly simple. And if you'll allow me a moment, I'll explain.
Back in April or May of this year, when the Yankees' rotation was falling apart and the World Baseball Classic was fresh in everyone's minds, Matsuzaka's name was floated as someone the Yankees would certainly target this off-season to help rebuild their team.
I remembered thinking to myself "Geez - if this kid is as good as everyone says he is, the Yankees would shell out $50M for a shot at him, and never think twice about it."
So, simple logic then dictates, that if the Red Sox thought that the Yankees would be willing to spend $50M on this pitcher, then Boston would be obligated to spend $51M if they wanted to trump New York. It's the same logic that applies to playing poker - don't worry about what you have, and don't really worry about what you think he has. Worry about what he thinks you have.
Really, it's not all that difficult. And yet, somehow, I still toil away at a 9-5 (actually, 8-4) job, wasting myself for a meager wage and crappy benefits. I'm just on the wrong career path.
And on that note, allow me to embarrass the hell out of myself with this week's edition of the Weekly Rants & Ranks:
(This week, I'm incorporating a comment and listing the previous weeks' rank next to each team as a helpful service to you. You're welcome. I’m also going to comment on fewer teams – I’ll leave the discussion up to you guys.)
1. (1) Indianapolis: They’ve got three games left on the schedule that could pose a threat to their undefeated season – Philly, Jacksonville, and the final game of the season, when everyone is resting for the playoffs and they have to face Miami. Otherwise, they’re home-free.
2. (5) Chicago: Very simple – they dominated a game against a top five team last week. All the other top five teams either lost or looked lousy in victory.
3. (6) San Diego: LdT is just sick. There’s nothing more to say about him. Right now, my MVP list looks like this: #1 LdT, #2 Manning, #3 Brees, #2,726 Culpepper.
4. (7) Baltimore: Hey, they don’t need to blow teams out to get a W. A one-point win might not get them style points, but it counts just the same as a 14-point win.
5. (11) Philadelphia: Just can’t get over the way they dominated that game. Admittedly, the Redskins are a vastly inferior team and they lost their best player, so this might be a little inflated.
6. (2) Denver: How can I drop a team four spots after a win? Because Jake Plummer scares the hell out of me.
7. (4) New England: Ok, I’ll admit – I’m getting a little worried. They need a win this week in Green Bay, and I’m not so certain they can do it.
8. (3) New York Giants: There is no way, that in their current injury-plagued state, they could beat any team listed above. And maybe not even a few teams below.
9. (8) New Orleans: They were in that game against the Steelers from start to finish, and one fumble late in the game cost them the win. They’re for real people.
10. (17) Seattle: 3-3 without Shaun Alexander, 2-1 with Seneca Wallace starting under center. Both could be back by this week, but it’s against San Francisco – what’s the rush?
11. (12) Dallas: Remember a couple weeks back when I said that Drew Bledsoe could become the new Vinny Testaverde? Well, apparently Testaverde himself isn’t ready to relinquish the title yet…
12. (16) Carolina: Sure, it was an ugly win against a lousy team. But it’s a win, nonetheless, and it gets them one step closer to the NFC South lead.
13. (18) New York Jets: Can’t deny the fact that they came into Foxboro and shut the Patriots down. That’s an impressive win, and they’re only one game back in the division.
14. (13) Atlanta: I just give up trying to classify Mike Vick. Seriously – if you can figure out what he is, let me know.
15. (9) Jacksonville: How do the Texans sweep you in a season series? More importantly, after they stomped you three weeks ago, how do you not adjust your game plan? That’s just bad coaching.
16. (10) Kansas City: This is probably a little unfair, since Miami seems to be playing with a chip on their shoulder the size of Key West. But the Chiefs lost to a 2-win team, and lost badly. Simple as that.
17. (15) Cincinnati: I can’t see them slowing down even a mediocre offense the rest of the way. They don’t exactly have a creampuff schedule – could they maybe even miss the playoffs?
18. (14) St. Louis: They’ve played two tight games with the division leader, and have nothing to show for it after losing both games on late field goals. If the defense could slow teams down, maybe those are a split, or even 2-0 instead of 0-2.
19. (20) Green Bay: They get a bump for beating a halfway decent team last week.
20. (19) San Francisco: And somehow, they get penalized for beating a lousy Detroit team.
21. (23) Cleveland: They fixed the biggest flaw in their game, slowing down the run (sort of) against Atlanta, one of the best rushing teams in the game. Sure, they still allowed 150+ yards. But they stopped the Falcons when they had to.
22. (27) Pittsburgh: Big win for them against the Saints, even if it was handed to them. And if they stage another late season comeback to make the playoffs, I officially give up.
23. (26) Miami: Damn – they look like a team possessed right now. The offense still stinks, but that defense is flying around looking to kill people.
24. (21) Buffalo: And they still can’t win on the road. Even if Lindell hits that FG, Indy had plenty of time to march down the field and end it. They took a knee well within Vinateri’s range to end the game.
25. (22) Minnesota: Boy did they fall apart fast. Guess the Patriots really did provide a blueprint on how to stop the Vikings.
26. (28) Houston: Yup, they own the Jaguars. It’s the rest of the NFL that gives them fits.
27. (24) Tennessee: I almost pushed them up a notch for the way they played the Ravens this week. But then I came to my senses and realized that a loss is a loss, even if it’s a tough one.
28. (29) Detroit: This is the part of the Ranks where I slowly realize that every team from here on out sucks. Makes it tough to write anything at all about them. But I’ll try. Detroit – They get bumped up only because the four teams below them are so abysmal
29. (25) Washington: Finally, we get to see just what Jason Campbell can do. And if the Skins somehow surge to one spot shy of the playoffs (no chance without Portis), the Hogs’ fans will crucify Joe Gibbs all off-season.
30. (31) Oakland: Even when the other team tries to keep you in a game, you manage to cough it up. And yet…
31. (30) Tampa Bay: I can’t see the Bucs winning another game this season. So eventually, they’ve got to fall to the bottom, right?
32. (32) Arizona: Oh, wait, that’s right. The Cardinals lease on the basement apartment runs through 2013.
That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with picks.
Lata.
posted by Big D @ 9:49 AM
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