The Spotlight On Today’s Sports

The Spotlight On The Return Of Mark Sanchez To Thanksgiving Football

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Hello everyone and happy thanksgiving eve!  If you’re like me Thanksgiving is synonymous with a variety of things including the start of the holiday season, good food and, of course football! Well, in 2012 for me, as a Jets fan, Thanksgiving went on to live forever in infamy…

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Sitting at 4-6 the New York Jets welcomed their division rival, the New England Patriots to a sold out Metlife Stadium, hoping to get their season back on track.  The result was one of the worst quarters of football in history.  Despite having possession of the football for 12 of the 15 minutes in the second quarter, the Jets were outscored by the Patriots, 35-3.  This included a 52 second stretch in which the Patriots scored on offense, special teams and defense, which culminated with one of the worst plays in football history, the butt fumble!

It’s never easy being a Jets fan but that Thanksgiving may have been one of the most disappointing losses in team history.  Part of that reason is because of just how excited my dad and I were for the game.  We rushed back from Thanksgiving dinner and went through all of the possible scenarios of what the Jets had to do to make the playoffs all Thanksgiving long.  This was at a time in which the Jets were coming off three straight .500 or better seasons and were just two seasons removed from the two trips to the AFC Championship game, which included a playoff win in New England.  Jets fans, like myself, finally had a reason to get excited about their team and it was thanks in large part to Rex Ryan and Quaterback Mark Sanchez.  Unfortunately, this sad 49-14 loss against the Patriots spelled the beginning of the end of that era of Jets football as they haven’t been the same since and now both Sanchez and Rex are long gone.  It’s a shame for Mark Sanchez that he is remembered mostly for such an unfortunate play because for a few years that kid ran New York.  That’s right, truth be told Sanchez had quite a bit of success for the Jets and has the record for most playoff wins by a Jets Quarterback (4), all of which were on the road no less.

The good news for Mark is that he does have a bit of a chance to redeem himself because he returns to Thanksgiving tomorrow afternoon as the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, filling in for the injured Sam Bradford.  The Eagles sit just a game out of first place(again at 4-6)  in the NFC East and a good performance from Sanchez tomorrow may lead them to a virtual tie with the Redskins and Giants by the end of the weekend.  That would definitely a bit of Thanksgiving redemption for the former Sanchize.  One thing is for sure, it can’t be much worse than it was on that fateful night in 2012!

The Spotlight On Today’s Sports- 11/23/2015

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Hello everyone and happy Monday! I’ve gotten a good amount of feedback from folks who have mentioned that they enjoyed the old Spotlight on Daily Sports Posts that I used t do when I first started the site so.  Well, I like to consider myself a man of the people and so your wish is my command!  I can’t promise the sports update will be every single day but let’s say most days for now and we’ll see where we go from there.  Today’s update is going to focus entirely on Week 11 in the NFL and what we learned from the week.  Let’s get right into it…

The New York Jets…Not a Playoff Team-  I’ve showed a lot of faith in the Jets throughout the season and I have predicted that they were going to be one of the teams representing the weak AFC as a wildcard and while I can’t tell you which one of these mediocre tems in the AFC will make the playoffs, I can tell you it won’t be the Jets. If the Jets are going to make the playoffs they need to get to 9-7 which mean they have to go 4-2 over the final six games and I just don’t see it.  This week’s brutal loss to the Texans was a real setback for the Jets because now they don’t get to face a FREAKIN WIDE RECEIVER AT QUARTERBACK anymore but instead get Tony Romo, Eli Manning and Tom Brady, the rest of the way..  Do you see this Jets defense stopping any of those three?  I don’t either but let’s say you’re optimistic and say they can beat Eli, fine then do you see the Jets going into Buffalo week 17 and beating the Bills because that’s the other option.  As much as it pains me to say it, I’d be much more willing to believe that the Jets will finish 7-9 then 9-7.

Fraud, Fraud, Fraud-  The only good news as a Jets fan is that at least my team didn’t have the biggest collapse since the beginning of a promising 4-1 season.  No way, that distinct honor goes to the Atlanta Falcons.  The Falcons have suddenly gone from 5-0 to 6-4 and they’ve done so in the ugliest of ways.  It’s bad enough that you let Blaine Gabbert come into your building and beat you before your bye but now yesterday the Falcons allow 106 year old Matt Hasslebeck to beat them in their building as well.  To make matters worse, the Falcons were up  by two touchdowns and let the piss poor Colts defense hold them to a scoreless second half at the Georgia Dome! I really hope someone rises to the occasion and knocks the Falcons out of the playoffs because they are as fraudulent a winning team as can be.  Too much talent to keep losing games the way they are.

The worst thing that could’ve happened to Peyton Manning-  is that the Broncos went into Chicago with Brock Osweiler and left the windy city with a victory.  The league was already ready to bury Peyton Manning and label him as washed up.  Everyone has seemingly forgotten about how good of a career Peyton has had and instead all you keeep hearing was that he was done, that the Broncos playmakers and defense have been carrying him all season.  Well, the fact that these same Broncos were able to go into Chicago with Brock Osweiler, making his first career start, and beat a Bears team that was playing good football, won’t stop any of that chatter.  Now the question turns to if Peyton is able to return at some point this season, do the Denver Broncos even want him back?  You would think the Broncos were 2-8 as opposed to 8-2.

The Cowboys Are Alive- Truth be told, the New York Giants are still the favorites to win the NFC East but the Cowboys now sit two games back and they have their Quarterback back!  Even though Tony Romo looked a little rusty in Miami, the Cowboys were able to pick up their first win in 8 tries.  Darren McFadden, of all people, rushed for 131 yards and you have to figure that if Matt Cassel was in at QB, he may not have even had 30 yards. Just the threat of having Romo back, opens up the Cowboys running attack because you expect them to pass every down.  Just look at Demarco Murray last season as compared to how he’s looked without Tony Romo.  The further good news for the Cowboys is that the Eagles were crushed by the Bucs at home and look lost with Mark Sanchez under center and the Redskins were embarrassed by the 10-0 Panthers.  The bad news for the Cowboys is that now they welcome those same undefeated Panthers into their building in just four days in a must-see Thanksgiving matchup. Put the turkey on the snack tables because that is a game you won’t want to miss.

A Win’s A Win…But At What Cost?-  This just isn’t the year for the Baltimore Ravens.  Just two weeks after losing Steve Smith for the season, the Ravens lost both Justin Forsett for the season due to a broken arm and Joe Flacco for the season due to a torn ACL.  That pretty much completes the laundry list of injuries to the Ravens this season and ends their disappointing year.  The cherry on top?  Matt Schaub will now be starting for them for the rest of the year.

Sweet Revenge- Just when it looked like the Bengals were going to push their matchup with the Cardinals to overtime, Carson Palmer drove his team right down the field in just a minute and three seconds to put them in position to seal the game with a field goal.  It was an elite level performance by Palmer who sent his team to the number 2 seed in the NFC and sent his former team into a virtual tie with the Denver Broncos.  How sweet it is!

And Then There Were Four?!?!-  I know I know, there are only two undefeated teams left the 10-0 Panthers and 9-0 Patriots but there are actually 4 undefeated (with at least two starts) quarterbacks this season.  Those four quarterbacks are Tom Brady, Cam Newtown, Tony Romo (3-0) and Matt Hasslebeck (3-0). Obviously the shocker of the bunch is Hasslebeck who has really turned back the clock off the bench for the Colts.  Whether he’ll be able to do it for the next 5 weeks, while Andrew Luck is out injured, remains to be seen but he goes to show the importance of having a cagey veteran on the bench.

Well that’s going to do it for today but I’ll be back tomorrow with another sports update where we’ll have no choice but to turn our attention to a team streaking in the NBA and bringing back interest in the NBA altogether at the same time.  Until then, what were your biggest takeaways from Week 11 in the National Football League.  Let me know in the comment section below or on twitter @Daily_Spotlight

The Spotlight NFL Week 11 Picks Against The Spread

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No your eyes are not deceiving you, this really is the first time ever in which we are bringing you the NFL Picks Against The Spread on a Friday and not on Sunday morning like you’ve grown accustomed to.  Last week we went 7-2 on the week going 5-2 on our weekly seven pack of games and then connecting on both Sunday and Monday night.  We lost last week with the Saints, who look like a team that’s ready to blow the whole thing up at this point, and the Cowboys who once against lost a nail biter on the final seconds of the game.  This week we’re back with 7 more games that you’ll hopefully be able to cash out on, let’s get right into it.

Highlights:

1) Kansas City Cheifs (-3) at San Diego Chargers

You know I hate picking against bad teams coming off of a bye but look out AFC, here come the Kansas City Chiefs and they feel really good about themselves.  This is a team that went into Denver last week, turned Peyton Manning over five times and destroyed the Broncos en route to moving to 4-5 which is just about where every team in the AFC Wildcard race is sitting.  I love Phillip Rivers, but the injuries have really caught up to the Chargers this season and losing Keenan Allen was the one injury that was too much to handle.  I like the Chiefs by a field goal in this game.

2) New York Jets (-3) at Houston Texans

That’s right I’m taking another road team by a field goal here and I’m taking my New York Jets.  The only worry I have here is the health of Ryan Fitzpatrick but if he’s cleared to play, and it looks like he will be, the Jets have to find a way to win here.  I know the Texans defense looked out of this world on Monday night, and honestly, they’re in a good position to win their division now but Brian Hoyer is out, which means it’s going to be TJ Yates at quarterback.  I know Yates just won on Monday and has shown flashes but he was the third string quarterback coming into the season and in his career has a less than impressive 4-7 TD-INT ratio.  That doesn’t bode too well for Yates against the NFL’s 4th ranked defense that the Jets have.  The Jets are also coming off of 11 days rest, while the Texans are on a short week.  The Jets bounce back this week and create much needed separation.

3) Chicago Bears (pk) over Denver Broncos

So Peyton Manning is out this week and in comes a relative unknown in Brock Osweiler, and the Bears aren’t even favored at home?  Aside from that it really looks like the Bears are going on a bit of a run here.  I know I mentioned this over the past few weeks but Jay Cutler always gives his team a chance to win and I’m thinking he wins his third in a row this week.  There also may not be a team hotter in the NFL right now than the Bears who walked into St.Louis and destroyed them by 24!  Oh, and did I mention that Bears head coach John Fox was fired by the Broncos last season?  I think it’s safe to say he’ll be a bit motivated.

4) Green Bay Packers (pk) at Minnesota Vikings 

Everyone and their mother is picking the Vikings here and with good reason, the Packers have looked pretty bad over the past three weeks.  That said, I’m going against conventional wisdom and rolling with Aaron Rodgers to have a big bounce back game and get a win when he needs to in order to keep pace in the division.  If losing the Lions at home for the first time since 1991 won’t wake the Packers up then seemingly nothing will.

5) St. Louis Rams (+3) at Baltimore Ravens

Ok so Case Keenum is starting this week for the Rams and his 11-8 career TD-INT ratio isn’t lighting the world on fire, but, does anyone remember what happened with the 49ers 2 weeks ago?  If you don’t, that’s why I’m here.  Two weeks ago, the 49ers benched their struggling franchise quarterback Colin Kaepernick after struggling all season and reports came out that his teammates were petitioning for Kaepernick to be benched.  The 49ers replaced him with Blaine Gabbert, the dreadful former quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars, went on to beat the Falcons in Atlanta as his team rallied around him.  Back to this week now and the Rams suddenly find their, once promising, season going down the drain as quarterback Nick Foles ranks dead last in QBR.  Well, now Foles is heading to the bench and again it’s time for the Rams to rally around a backup quarterback.  I think they will.  Also, what have the Ravens done to have any right to be favored by a field goal? This 2-7 team is so done, they lost at home to Jacksonville last week.

6) IF YOU’RE DESPERATE: Detroit Lions (pk) over Oakland Raiders

Not a popular pick here, I know, but I had a hard time finding a 7th game and so I’m going to roll with the Lions here.  Logic would say to pick a Raiders team that, until two weeks ago, was in the drivers seat on the fast track to a playoff spot.  But they lost both of those games over the last two weeks, one to a third string quarterback in Pittsburgh and then got their doors blown off last week by the Vikings.  As a matter of fact, if you look at the Raiders wins they’ve come against one team with more than two wins and that was the Jets, when Geno Smith was starting.  Yes, the Lions also only have 2 wins but their coming off their first win in Lambeau since 1991.  Maybe that was their superbowl but you know Detroit will be up for the game and they have the talent to beat anyone.  I like the Lion by a field goal!

7) LOCK OF THE WEEK: Dallas Cowboys (pk) at Miami Dolphins 

I mean if you didn’t see this one coming then you haven’t been paying attention.  Tony Romo finally returns for the Cowboys after they lost all 7 games in which he didn’t play in.  The Cowboys know that if they have any shot in the NFC East, it’s going to have to start this week against Miami.  The good news for them is that if they win, they’ll be just two out in the division.  The Cowboys are not losing this game, the Dolphins have been inconsistent all year and Ryan Tannehill has digressed to a scary degree (30th in QBR).  It’s been a long time coming, Cowboys fans…the suffering ends this Sunday.

That’s going to do it for me here but I’ll be back with my Sunday night pick against the spread as well as my Monday night pick.  Good luck and let’s make some money.

The Spotlight On The 2015 MLB Awards

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With tonight’s announcement of baseball’s National League and American League MVP Award Recipients, we can officially put a bow on the 2015 season that was. While there were not many surprises with this years award winners, most would not have predicted these outcomes before the season began. So without further ado, let’s jump right in.

The award season kicked off with the announcement of the Relievers of the Year. Personally, I miss the Rolaids sponsorship as nothing could be more fitting when it comes to a late game situation, but times have changed and so has the dynamics of a bullpen. That being said, it was little surprise to see Andrew Miller of the New York Yankees take home the award for the American League, now named for Mariano Rivera, while Mark Melancon won in the National League, now named for Trevor Hoffman.

While neither winner have been household names in the past, they took on their roles and completely dominated opponents this season. Miller finished with 100 strikeouts over 61.2 innings and had a minuscule 0.86 WHIP to go along with just 2 blown saves. Melancon was the major league leader in saves with 51 over 78 games for the National League’s best bullpen in Pittsburgh.

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The next award, that came with little debate, were the Comeback Player Awards. While the NL winner, Matt Harvey, took his team into the 9th inning in the decisive game 5 of the World Series, the AL winner, Prince Fielder, came back from a serious neck injury to lead Texas into a surprising AL West Title.

Prince Fielder, coming off of major surgery last season, played in all but 4 regular season games while posting a .305 average with 23 homers and 98 batted in. That was quite an impressive feat for the 31 year old robust first baseman. Matt Harvey, in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, pitched 189.1 regular season innings while posting a more than impressive 2.71 ERA and a not-too-shabby 26.2 innings in the postseason. Both were the right call for this award, but I will admit, I thought Alex Rodriguez would have given Fielder a run for his money, and deservedly so, as he carried the Yankees at times during the regular season.

Now onto the kids, although as I get older, all of these major leaguers start seeming like kids to me. Again, with little debate or surprise, Carlos Correa took home the American League Rookie of the Year, and Kris Bryant took home the hardware for the National League.

Carlos Correa played in just 99 games as a 20 year old, but 99 games was all that was needed to show the world he is the real deal. In his limited stint with the Astros, he hit 22 long balls, 22 doubles, stole 14 bases and played gold glove caliber defense. Shades of a young Alex Rodriguez (hopefully without the juice). Kris Bryant, despite all the typical hoopla surrounding a Scott Boras client, did not disappoint in his own right. He was tagged as the savior and face of the Cubs and with good reason. He stepped into Wrigley and mashed homers to the fans delight. He finished with 26 home runs, 99 RBI and most impressively received all 30 first place votes finishing clearly ahead of Matt Duffy.

Pulling into the final turn before the big two, the next awards issued were for Managers of the Year. While the National League really was a tossup between 3 unique candidates, with Joe Maddon beating out Terry Collins and Mike Matheny, the American League is the first award I felt was incorrectly awarded. Jeff Banister took home the hardware, with should-have-been- winner A.J. Hinch finishing 30 points back and Paul Molitor rounding out the top 3.

There can be an argument made for all 3 NL managers, but considering how quickly the Cubs arose from the dead, Maddon was more than deserving. Having to manage so much inexperience and youth is quite the challenge and Maddon was the perfect man for the job. Matheny finishing second is more due to his team’s annual appearance in the postseason and the numbing of how good of a manager he actually is with the ever changing pieces on his roster. Jeff Banister, who I honestly couldn’t have told you was the Rangers manager two weeks ago if you asked me, won the award by a substantial margin, but the team is filled with talent, as they are most years. A.J. Hinch, however, took the lowly Astros on a division leading run into and through the playoffs with a number of young unprovens such as Dallas Keuchel and Carlos Correa. I don’t deny that Banister was deserving, but Hinch was a bit more deserving.

Now down to the stretch run. Here come the horses… on the mound that is. While in my opinion the American League Cy Young was a pretty obvious choice in Dallas Keuchel, besting Price and Gray by a substantial margin, the National League was a pick ‘em. Greinke and Kershaw could be written into the top 3 every season, and this year were joined by newcomer Jake Arrieta. There aren’t many words to describe the second half that Arrieta had which led to his first Cy Young Award, but the voting was as close as expected.

Keuchel is the first Cy Young winner on the Astros since Clemens in 2004 and very deserving of the nod. He finished with 20 wins, 216 strikeouts and an unreal home record of 15-0 with a 1.46 era. Don’t forget, he plays in the bandbox that is Minute Maid Park. If it was up to me to create a new MLB Award category, he would also be the Beard of the Year Award winner. Arrieta was the first Cy Young winner on the Cubs since Maddux all the way back in 1992 (no, Maddux wasn’t always a Brave for you casual fans). Arrieta (also bearded but not on Keuchel’s level) led the majors with 22 wins and had the second best ERA behind Greinke, with a 1.77. He struck out 236 opponents, pitched a no-hitter, and had an ERA below 1 in the second half of the season.

Last, but certainly not least, the 2015 MLB Award season gets wrapped up with the announcement of the league MVP’s. While the debate should and will continue as to what really constitutes an MVP, we will focus on this year’s recipients and leave the debate on the true meaning of the award for another time. The MVP of both leagues was essentially wrapped up by the All-Star Break. Yes, there were a few deserving players in each league, but for the bulk of the season 2 players stood far and above the rest and they ultimately are clearing spots on their mantles this evening.

The National League MVP Award winner is 23 year old Bryce Harper. Harper completed his first fully healthy season and finally showed the potential that has been discussed and drooled over since his MLB debut as a 19 year. Harper became the youngest unanimous winner in history as he received all 30 first place votes. He easily beat out Goldschmidt and Votto for his first of likely many MVP awards. Harper finished his MVP season batting .330 with 42 homers, 99 batted in and scored 118 runs to go along with a canon for a left arm.

The American League MVP Award winner is first year Blue Jay, Josh Donaldson. Donaldson’s .297 average, 41 homers, 123 RBI and 122 runs were a big factor in leading the Blue Jays to their first playoff appearance since 1993 and, with a bit more pitching, likely would have led them to their first World Series appearance in that time as well. The trade to acquire Donaldson will likely go down as a steal for the Blue Jays, and that would hold true even if Donaldson retires tomorrow. Donaldson edged out perennial MVP candidate Mike Trout, with Lorenzo Cain rounding out the top 3.

Like I said way back in the beginning of this post, not much to debate with the years winners. All biases aside, the MLB voters did a solid job this year, aside from AL Manager of the Year and now with all award winners named, our sole focus can turn to the hot stove. Thanks to all of you for reading, if you liked my work might I suggest you check out my site over at metsinaround.com and I should also being stopping by over here from time to time.  Take care!

 

The Spotlight NFL Week 10 Picks Against The Spread- Monday Night Football

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Tonight Week 10 in the NFL concludes when the 3-5 Houston Texans head to Cincinnati to take on the 8-0 Bengals. So far this week we are 6-2 against the spread connecting on 5 out of our 7 picks and then closing out last night with a big win by the Arizona Cardinals. We missed at the very last second with the Cowboys and unfortunately losing our first LOCK OF THE WEEK of the season. Our Lock of the week was the Saints who made Kirk Cousins look like a 1st ballot hall of Famer. I think it’s time to officially write the Saints off this season and I have to wonder if Rob Ryan should get his resume together. 

As for tonight’s game, it’s pretty tough as the Bengals are again a huge favorite at -11 1/2. I hate choosing big favorites  in the NFL, even though the Bengals covered their big spread last week and actually are the only team this season perfect against the spread, I’m still rolling with the Texans tonight. A couple of things jump out at me here, for one, the Texans are a bad team coming off a bye and they joined three other under .500 teams coming off byes in week 9, the Lions, the Ravens and the Chiefs. My feeling is that when a bad team goes on a bye, they don’t get to vacation, but instead they spend those two weeks busting ass and preparing for their next opponent for two weeks, so let’s look at it. The Ravens lost to the Jaguars, which is obviously awful, but the Jaguars offense is sneaky good and they lost it at the very last seconds of the game. The Chiefs turned Peyton Manning over four times and destroyed the 7-1 Broncos in their building. Lastly, the Lions went into Lambeau and beat the Packers for the first time since 1991. Do you notice a trend? Next, you have to figure that with Andrew Luck down for 6 weeks, the Texans feel like the division is right there for the taking, so while I still expect them to lose, they should play inspired ball to keep it close. Lastly, Vegas is rarely wrong for all that long and usually adjust to teams that are undefeated against the spread. The 2007 Patriots, for example, went 8-0 against the spread to start their 16-0 regular season but they only finished 2-6 ATS the rest of the way. 

Thus all of that being said, while I’m not flying out to Vegas tonight to drop a huge wager, I like the Houston Texans +11.5 tonight. That will do it for me for now but in just 48 hours I’ll be back to kick off Week number 11!