Saturday, February 4, 2012

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Sports Blog Net

Giants vs Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI preview

Posted: 04 Feb 2012 01:43 PM PST

The New York Giants will play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. Game starts at 6:30 pm on NBC (TV) and WFAN (Radio). Patriots are favorites over Giants. Spread is -3.5 points. My pick is the Giants. Super Bowl rematch this Sunday night between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. This is going to be one exciting ballgame to watch as a football fan and one of these two teams has to win since it is probably the toughest super bowl pick of all-time. I like the Giants because they playing red-hot football, Eli Manning is three times the QB he was back in the 07 super bowl run and Big Blue matches up well with the Pats. Here are my three keys for the Giants in order to win the super bowl: (1) Eli Manning has to play like an MVP type and be better than Tom Brady if the Giants are going to win this whole thing. Eli is probably one super bowl win away from going to the hall of fame. He has played outstanding and he needs guys like Nicks, Cruz, Manningham and Ballard to get going in the passing game to take advantage of a bad Patriots secondary. (2) The Giants pass rush must rattle Tom Brady for most of the game in order to knock the wind out of him because if they don't get to him at all which I think they will. Big Blue will be in trouble If Tom Brady has all day in the pocket. (3) Shutdown Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez the tight end dynamic duo who can give defensive opponents a hard time. Giants DC Perry Fewell has to have a good gameplan to contain both of these guys in order to make it an easy night for his squad. A lot of football fans will watch an exciting super bowl tomorrow night and I'm sure we are going to get a good game to watch. As a Giants fan, I hope we can the super bowl and would be nice to see Eli Manning beating Tom Brady twice in the biggest game of the year. It could very well happen or it's going to be a long day. Let's go Giants! Final score is Giants 31, Patriots 24    

Dick Stuart Helps Pirates Win 1960 World Series---By Sitting on the Bench

Posted: 04 Feb 2012 11:35 AM PST

On SABR Day last week at the Forbes Field Chapter, our guest speaker was Dick Groat, Pirates' shortstop on the 1960 World Champion's captain and National League's Most Valuable Player. Groat told a captive audience about his All-American Duke University basketball career and his days in the NBA with the Ft. Wayne (now Detroit) Pistons. The Pistons were so eager to have Groat on its squad that it chartered a plane to take him back and forth from Pittsburgh to Ft. Wayne so he could play for both teams. Inevitably, the conversation got around to that famous World Series when the Pirates upset the heavily favored New York Yankees. Groat speculated that one of manager Danny Murtaugh's most insightful moves was to bench Dick Stuart for the seventh game. Whether facing righty starters (Art Ditmar and Ralph Terry) or the lefty Whitey Ford, the right handed hitting Stuart batted clean up in five of the preceding six games. In the seventh game, however, Murtaugh inserted Rocky Nelson at first possibly because Stuart was in a slump (.150, the worst average of any regular on either team) or a better fielder. In my last blog, I wrote about Stuart's notoriously bad fielding. Both reasons could be correct. In the bottom of the first inning, Nelson hit a two run homer off Bob Turley to stake the Buccos to a 2-0 lead. But more importantly, as Groat remembered it, Nelson made a play in the top of the ninth inning that Stuart may not have. Here are the details. The Yankees trailed 9-7, Gil McDougald was on third and Mickey Mantle, who had driven in Bobby Richardson to make it 9-8, was on first. Yogi Berra hit a smash down the right field line that Nelson grabbed. (Berra: "I hit the heck out of it.") After Nelson stabbed Berra's shot he stepped on first for the second out. But Nelson inexplicably didn't throw home to nail McDougald who had taken off and scored the tying run. If Nelson had thrown to catcher Hal Smith in time, the game would have ended and the Pirates would have been winners. All the while Mantle, sensing he would have been a dead duck, didn't try to get to second. Instead, Mantle safely dove under Nelson's tag. Score tied 9-9, Mantle on first, two outs. The next batter, Bill Skowron, hit into an inning ending force play, Groat to Bill Mazeroski, that set the stage for Maz's bottom of the ninth heroics. What if Stuart and not Nelson had been the Pirates' first baseman? If Berra's grounder gets past Stuart, it ends up in the deepest corner of the cavernous Forbes Field. McDougald scores easily and maybe the fleet footed Mantle too (but maybe not with Roberto Clemente's arm in right). The worst case for the Yankees is Mantle on third, one out with Skowron at bat, slugging Johnny Blanchard on deck and Clete Boyer in the hole. The Yankees also had two capable pinch hitters on the bench, another home run threat Bob Cerv and Hector Lopez who hit .429 for the series. Whether the Yankees would have kept on scoring is speculation but its probable that the Pirates would have needed more than Maz's one-run homer to win the seventh game. Ironically, Stuart was in the on deck circle to bat for pitcher Harvey Haddix while Maz was at bat. As he watched Terry get ready to deliver his fateful pitch, Stuart thought that if he got to bat, he could have been the hero. What Stuart didn't realize is that by staying on the bench, he had already played an important part in the Pirates' unlikely World Series victory.

Preview Los Angeles Clippers vs. Orlando Magic Feb 6th

Posted: 04 Feb 2012 10:25 AM PST

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Orlando Magic NBA - Interconference Monday, February 6th, 2012 Amway Center – Orlando, FL, 7:00 PM ET

 Analysis of the Los Angeles Clippers This will be the second game of a long 6-game road-stand for the Clips, and the first of those that will be against a playoff caliber team. The Clippers (13-7) are the surprise of the year in the NBA; their expectations certainly increased after getting point guard Chris Paul but few believed it would take them to their current place: 3rd in the Western Conference. Another win over a great team would all but cement the Clippers as a force out west this year.

 Analysis of the Orlando Magic The Magic have quietly gotten out to a good start, pulling together impressive wins over the Rockets, Trailblazers, and Lakers en route to a 14-9 start. However, their season has been driven not by their play on the court but by trade rumors surrounding start center Dwight Howard. Howard has listed the teams he would like to be traded to and one of them is the Clippers, giving us an intriguing matchup of the teams Howard plays for and Howard might play for later this season.

 Key Players DeAndre Jordan (Clippers) and Dwight Howard (Magic): The Clippers just signed power forward Kenyon Martin to help with their lack of frontcourt depth, but still only have one true center in Jordan. Jordan has proven himself to be an effective big man in the NBA this season, though he has not yet been matched up against the best center in the NBA: Howard. The Magic always rely on Howard to come up big (and he must to take down a feisty Clippers squad), but the Clippers also need Jordan to put up decent numbers and, more importantly, slow down Howard if they want a win Monday night.

 Key Statistics Opponent PPG (points per game): Currently the Magic rank 8th in the country in OPPG, giving up about 92 points each time out. The Clippers rank 24th in the same category, averaging 98 points given up. The Clippers rely on their offense and will have to get by a stingyOrlando defense led by, who else, Howard if they want to win at theAmwayCenter.

Clippers Vs Magic Prices Magic Vs Clippers  Tickets prices run from $18.00 for sec 218 row 14 all all the way to $172 for section 101 row A. The section 101 row A are behind the basket. With two days left until the Feb 6th game there is about 219 tickets left in the Orlando Arena. This is a strong game sales wise do to the Clippers playing so well and everyone wanting to see Griffin Vs Howard. Sales for the Orlando Magic have been soft this year because of Howard wanting to leave and the fans knowing that there is a very good chance the Magic wont go anywhere in the playoffs.

 Prediction The Clippers and Magic are two teams that are in places few thought they would be just months ago. The Clippers, before the Chris Paul trade, were thought to be a good but not playoff-caliber squad, capable of making a run in a few years. The Magic were thought to be without Howard, already traded to a contending team, and thus relegated to rebuilding status. Both teams have enjoyed success however and present an intriguing matchup for Monday night in the NBA.

Prediction ----- Orlando Magic: 101 – LA Clippers: 92

My Super Bowl Pick

Posted: 04 Feb 2012 10:19 AM PST

By Christopher Wood:  Well Super Bowl XLVI is here in Indianapolis, but most of the talk has been about Peyton Manning and his future. Nonetheless, lets get to the game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. They met four years ago, in super bowl XLII with bigger stakes on the line for the Patriots, but the Giants pulled the big upset and prevented the Patriots from going 19-0. In this game, it will be more about both offenses putting up yards and points. However, which defense is going to make the big plays when needed the most. I think the Giants have a talented trio of defensive lineman. Tom Brady will have to get rid of the ball quickly, considering what happen the last time, these 2 teams got together. Eli Manning has really stepped up his game this season. Eli had four 4th quarter comebacks this season, and been more efficently with his play. The Giants have better wide receivers, than the Patriots who usually go to the Tight Ends. There is one wide receiver (for the Patriots) who really needs to step up, and that is Chad Ocho Cinco (a.k.a. Chad Johnson). Only 15 catches all season, and has been a non factor in the playoffs. If there was a great time to have a breakout game, this super bowl would be the one. Besides, Rob Gronkowski is battling a high ankle injury. So how effective will he be? It could really make the difference on how this super bowl is played. Now for my pick: I say the Giants wil win, and this should be a great game.   If you would like to email me comments,my email address is: radioticket@yahoo.com  and/or you can follow me on twitter: @cwboxscore  

Super Bowl Preview

Posted: 04 Feb 2012 06:00 AM PST

[caption id="attachment_1908" align="alignleft" width="254" caption="Unless Vince Wilfork or another Patriot can disrupt Eli Manning, Manning will pick the Patriots apart in Sunday's Super Bowl. But the reverse holds for the Giants' pass-rush and Tom Brady. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)"][/caption] Each conference's representative in the last two Super Bowls have been identical. Both the Colts and Saints were pass-heavy offenses without much defense. Both the Steelers and Packers liked to build big leads early, then rely on opportunistic defenses to force turnovers in the second half. And this year, the Patriots and the Giants have incredible quarterbacks backed up by dominant receiving units. Both teams try to run just enough to ease up the pass-rush, and both rely on pressure up front to bail out bad secondaries. Whichever team better executes their identical strategies will will the game. Here's my Super Bowl preview.

The Battle for the Line

Super Bowl XLVI will be won at the line of scrimmage. The Giants will try like hell to either hit Tom Brady or force him to throw before Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez or Rob Gronkowski inevitably get open. Even with the ankle injury, Gronkowski's physical size makes him particularly tough on the Giants' defensive backs, the biggest of whom are still four inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter than Gronkowski. The Patriots' offensive line will face quite a challenge themselves, because not even the Ravens could match the pass-rush onslaught of the Giants' linemen. Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Osi Umenyiora can all get to the quarterback, as can linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka. If the offensive line can control those four, Tom Coughlin may have to pull an extra linebacker out of coverage, freeing up one of the Big Three receivers, who are all lethal in single-coverage. The Patriots have the personnel to counter the pass-rush, with Logan Mankins and Matt Light healthy again. Whether they can do so without drawing holding penalties is another question entirely. Flipping things, Vince Wilfork has had a monster postseason on the Patriots' defensive line, but he'll need help to shut down Eli Manning. Some combination of Mark Anderson, Brandon Spikes and Rob Ninkovich will have to step up. If they can get to Manning early, they might rattle the sky-high confidence he'll feel, having already beaten the two best teams in the NFC and beaten the Patriots in a Super Bowl. A confident Manning is dangerous, because receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz are very, very good. Even if the Patriots double-team them, either one could break away for 15- to 20-yard receptions without much difficulty. And considering the tackling problems the Patriots had with the Ravens, a 20-yard reception could easily become a 40-yard reception.

Rushing Protects the QB

Both teams may also try to weaken the pass-rush by running the ball. Neither team has a superior running back, but the Patriots' rushers are certainly better. They also play complimentary football: BenJarvus Green-Ellis is a power runner who can pick up short-yardage first downs and never fumbles, while Danny Woodhead and rookie Stevan Ridley can burst through holes for bigger gains. New York's Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw just aren't as good. The team whose offensive line really establishes a running game will control the clock, the pace and the pressure against its quarterback. That team will also probably win.

Special Teams Could Make the Difference

The Patriots have the better placekicker in Stephen Gostkowski, who converted nearly 85 percent of his field goals this season; the Giants' Lawrence Tynes couldn't even crack 80. And beyond 40 yards, Gostkowski went 10-for-13 to Tynes' 4-for-8. The Super Bowl will be played in a dome, so weather won't be a factor. If the teams try for longer field goals, Gostkowski should out-perform Tynes. On kickoffs, however, the Patriots have to watch out for Devin Thomas. He's a better returner than anyone the Patriots have, and the Giants are in general better on both kickoff returns and coverage. Woodhead fumbled a kickoff against the Ravens, and the Giants beat the 49ers because of two special teams fumbles. That's a bad combination for the Super Bowl.

Prediction: What Do You Expect?

If Manning wins, he passes Peyton Manning in championships. If Brady wins, he gets revenge for Super Bowl XLII. Either way, it happens on Peyton's turf. That's almost Shakespearean. When push comes to shove, Brady can still make more plays than Manning can. And Bill Belichick is deadly when facing a team twice in a season, especially after losing the first matchup. The Giants will start fast, but the Patriots will close the gap in the second quarter. Belichick will make terrific halftime adjustments, as he's done all season, and the Patriots should take control late in the third. Final score: Patriots 27, Giants 21.
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