Erd's Weekly Rant

I first would like to apologize to our few but faithful followers for a prolonged lack of activity on this blog.  We've got one blogger getting married in a couple months, another one is engrossed in Madden 12 and the last one probably forgot how to post without help from the first two.  But we are back and ready to make this the best sports blog it can be.  I'm going to be releasing a weekly rant in which I hit on something that really bothered me throughout the week.  I also will be doing a NFL and fantasy football preview every Thursday, so stay tuned.  Welcome back, let's get on with the rant. . .

I am not a Jets fans, nor am I a Cowboys hater, but the Jets deserved to lose on Sunday night. My anger comes partly from Shonn Greene's poor fantasy performance, but it mostly stems from watching some of the worst offensive play-calling and scheming I have seen in a while. Let's start by breaking down a few numbers from the game:

Shonn Greene - 10 carries, 1 target/1 catch
LaDainian Tomlinson - 5 carries, 7 targets/6 catches
Running plays per down - 1st down 13 , 2nd down 2, 3rd down 0
Back to back running plays - 0

Here is the Jets' play-by-play for those doubters;

New York Jets at 10:27
1st and 10 at NYJ 22	M.Sanchez sacked at NYJ 17 for -5 yards (D.Ware).
2nd and 15 at NYJ 17	M.Sanchez pass short right to S.Holmes to NYJ 22 for 5 yards (O.Scandrick).
3rd and 10 at NYJ 22	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short right to S.Holmes to NYJ 28 for 6 yards (S.Lee).
4th and 4 at NYJ 28	T.Conley punts 48 yards to DAL 24, Center-T.Purdum. D.Bryant pushed ob at DAL 36 for 12 yards (I.Trufant).
New York Jets at 4:31
1st and 10 at NYJ 16	S.Greene up the middle to NYJ 21 for 5 yards (K.Brooking).
2nd and 5 at NYJ 21	M.Sanchez scrambles right guard to NYJ 24 for 3 yards (A.Spencer). FUMBLES (A.Spencer), recovered by NYJ-M.Mulligan at NYJ 33. M.Mulligan to NYJ 33 for no gain (K.Brooking).
1st and 10 at NYJ 33	S.Greene left guard to NYJ 37 for 4 yards (J.Hatcher).
2nd and 6 at NYJ 37	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short left to S.Greene to NYJ 44 for 7 yards (M.Jenkins).
1st and 10 at NYJ 44	S.Greene right tackle to NYJ 45 for 1 yard (A.Spencer).
2nd and 9 at NYJ 45	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short left to L.Tomlinson ran ob at 50 for 5 yards (S.Lee).
3rd and 4 at 50	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short left to S.Holmes to DAL 42 for 8 yards (B.Church).
1st and 10 at DAL 42	L.Tomlinson right tackle to DAL 38 for 4 yards (S.Lee).
2nd and 6 at DAL 38	M.Sanchez pass incomplete short left to S.Holmes.
3rd and 6 at DAL 38	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass incomplete deep left to P.Burress.
4th and 6 at DAL 38	T.Conley punts 31 yards to DAL 7, Center-T.Purdum, downed by NYJ-J.Westerman.
New York Jets at 12:44
1st and 10 at DAL 46	M.Sanchez pass incomplete short right to J.Conner [D.Ware].
2nd and 10 at DAL 46	(Shotgun) L.Tomlinson right tackle to DAL 44 for 2 yards (J.Hatcher).
3rd and 8 at DAL 44	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass incomplete short left to S.Holmes.
4th and 8 at DAL 44	T.Conley punts 35 yards to DAL 9, Center-T.Purdum, fair catch by D.Harris.
New York Jets at 9:08
1st and 10 at NYJ 26	S.Greene left guard to NYJ 29 for 3 yards (J.Price-Brent).
2nd and 7 at NYJ 29	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass incomplete short right to J.Cumberland [A.Spencer].
3rd and 7 at NYJ 29	M.Sanchez pass incomplete deep right to S.Holmes.
4th and 7 at NYJ 29	T.Conley punts 40 yards to DAL 31, Center-T.Purdum. D.Harris to DAL 37 for 6 yards (B.Pool).
New York Jets at 3:16
1st and 10 at NYJ 13	M.Sanchez pass deep right to S.Holmes to NYJ 30 for 17 yards (A.Ball).
1st and 10 at NYJ 30	(No Huddle, Shotgun) L.Tomlinson up the middle to NYJ 33 for 3 yards (S.Lee; D.Ware).
2nd and 7 at NYJ 33	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short right to D.Keller to NYJ 44 for 11 yards (S.Lee).
1st and 10 at NYJ 44	(No Huddle, Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short left to L.Tomlinson ran ob at DAL 47 for 9 yards.
2nd and 1 at DAL 47	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez sacked at NYJ 47 for -6 yards (D.Ware).
3rd and 7 at NYJ 47	(No Huddle, Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short right to D.Keller pushed ob at DAL 36 for 17 yards (G.Sensabaugh).
1st and 10 at DAL 36	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short right to L.Tomlinson pushed ob at DAL 4 for 32 yards (G.Sensabaugh).
	Timeout #1 by NYJ at 00:48.
1st and 4 at DAL 4	M.Sanchez pass incomplete short right to D.Mason.
2nd and 4 at DAL 4	M.Sanchez pass short right to D.Keller for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
	N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-T.Purdum, Holder-M.Brunell.
	N.Folk kicks 65 yards from NYJ 35 to end zone, Touchback.
New York Jets at 15:00
1st and 10 at NYJ 20	S.Greene left guard to NYJ 18 for -2 yards (J.Hatcher; S.Lee).
2nd and 7 at NYJ 23	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short right to D.Mason to NYJ 28 for 5 yards (B.Church).
3rd and 2 at NYJ 28	M.Sanchez pass short right to D.Mason to NYJ 29 for 1 yard (A.Ball).
4th and 1 at NYJ 29	T.Conley punts 44 yards to DAL 27, Center-T.Purdum, fair catch by D.Harris.
New York Jets at 8:05
1st and 10 at NYJ 20	M.Sanchez pass deep left to J.Cumberland ran ob at DAL 47 for 33 yards.
1st and 10 at DAL 47	S.Greene right tackle to DAL 43 for 4 yards (D.Ware).
2nd and 6 at DAL 43	M.Sanchez pass short middle to D.Keller to DAL 33 for 10 yards (K.Brooking).
1st and 10 at DAL 33	M.Sanchez pass incomplete deep left to P.Burress.
2nd and 10 at DAL 33	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short middle to S.Holmes to DAL 27 for 6 yards (F.Jones).
3rd and 4 at DAL 27	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short left to L.Tomlinson pushed ob at DAL 20 for 7 yards (M.Jenkins).
1st and 10 at DAL 20	S.Greene right tackle to DAL 16 for 4 yards (K.Brooking).
2nd and 6 at DAL 16	M.Sanchez pass incomplete short middle to D.Keller (K.Brooking).
3rd and 6 at DAL 16	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass incomplete deep middle to D.Keller.
4th and 6 at DAL 16	N.Folk 34 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-T.Purdum, Holder-M.Brunell.
	N.Folk kicks 68 yards from NYJ 35 to DAL -3. D.Murray to DAL 11 for 14 yards (I.Trufant).
New York Jets at 0:49
1st and 10 at NYJ 10	M.Sanchez pass deep middle to P.Burress to NYJ 28 for 18 yards (G.Sensabaugh).
1st and 10 at NYJ 28	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short middle intended for D.Keller INTERCEPTED by S.Lee at NYJ 38. S.Lee for 38 yards, TOUCHDOWN. The Replay Assistant challenged the runner broke the plane ruling, and the play was REVERSED. (Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short middle intended for D.Keller INTERCEPTED by S.Lee at NYJ 38. S.Lee pushed ob at NYJ 1 for 37 yards (D.Ferguson).
	End of Period
New York Jets at 14:50
1st and 10 at NYJ 16	S.Greene right tackle to NYJ 15 for -1 yards (K.Coleman; S.Lissemore).
2nd and 11 at NYJ 15	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short middle to S.Holmes to NYJ 43 for 28 yards (A.Elam). DAL-M.Jenkins was injured during the play.
1st and 10 at NYJ 43	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short right to D.Mason to DAL 44 for 13 yards (A.Elam).
1st and 10 at DAL 44	(No Huddle, Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short right to L.Tomlinson to DAL 33 for 11 yards (A.Ball).
1st and 10 at DAL 33	(No Huddle, Shotgun) L.Tomlinson left guard to DAL 26 for 7 yards (S.Lee).
2nd and 3 at DAL 26	(No Huddle, Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass incomplete deep left to P.Burress (B.McCann).
3rd and 3 at DAL 26	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass deep left to P.Burress for 26 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Play Challenged by Replay Assistant and Upheld.
	N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-T.Purdum, Holder-M.Brunell.
	N.Folk kicks 65 yards from NYJ 35 to end zone, Touchback.
New York Jets at 8:59
1st and 10 at NYJ 3	S.Greene left guard to NYJ 9 for 6 yards (J.Ratliff).
2nd and 4 at NYJ 9	M.Sanchez pass deep middle to P.Burress to NYJ 35 for 26 yards (A.Ball).
1st and 10 at NYJ 35	M.Sanchez pass incomplete short left to P.Burress.
2nd and 10 at NYJ 35	(Shotgun) L.Tomlinson up the middle to NYJ 35 for no gain (S.Lee).
3rd and 10 at NYJ 35	(No Huddle, Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass deep right to D.Keller to DAL 46 for 19 yards (S.Lee).
1st and 10 at DAL 46	M.Sanchez sacked at DAL 46 for 0 yards (D.McCray). FUMBLES (D.McCray) [D.McCray], RECOVERED by DAL-D.McCray at NYJ 47. D.McCray to NYJ 47 for no gain (L.Tomlinson).
New York Jets at 2:16
1st and 10 at NYJ 20	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short left to P.Burress to NYJ 22 for 2 yards (M.Jenkins).
2nd and 8 at NYJ 22	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass incomplete deep right to D.Mason.
3rd and 8 at NYJ 22	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass short right to L.Tomlinson to NYJ 31 for 9 yards (S.Lee).
1st and 10 at NYJ 31	(No Huddle, Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass incomplete short right to S.Holmes.
2nd and 10 at NYJ 31	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass incomplete short right to L.Tomlinson.
3rd and 10 at NYJ 31	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez sacked at NYJ 29 for -2 yards (A.Spencer).
	Timeout #2 by DAL at 01:10.
4th and 12 at NYJ 29	T.Conley punts 41 yards to DAL 30, Center-T.Purdum. D.Harris to DAL 41 for 11 yards (N.Bellore).
New York Jets at 0:49
1st and 10 at DAL 34	S.Greene up the middle to DAL 32 for 2 yards (S.Lee).
	Timeout #1 by NYJ at 00:41.
2nd and 8 at DAL 32	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass incomplete short right to D.Mason (A.Ball).
3rd and 8 at DAL 32	(Shotgun) M.Sanchez pass incomplete short left to P.Burress (M.Jenkins).
4th and 8 at DAL 32	N.Folk 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-T.Purdum, Holder-M.Brunell.
	N.Folk kicks 65 yards from NYJ 35 to end zone, Touchback.

These numbers don't even start to show how predictable the Jets offense was. Their formations and personel were great indicators of what play was coming next. For example, both of their 2nd down running plays were draw plays for Tomlinson out of the shotgun formation and 4 of Tomlinson's 5 carries were from the shotgun. On the other hand, all 10 of Greene's carries came on 1st down with Sanchez under center. The most alarming of these stats is the last one. The Jets did not run single back-to-back running plays the entire game! For a team that has built its identity around the run, this should be a red flag to all fans. If the Jets think that it is time to hand Mark Sanchez the team, they are in for a shock. There are a handful of quarterbacks in this league that can pick apart a defense even when they know what is coming, but they are named Tom, Peyton, Drew and Aaron, not Mark.

I'm not going to give them a break either and say that this is a product of the shortened offseason. Their entire offensive core has returned, so there wasn't anything new to learn. This is likely more a product of their overconfident approach - assuming that they can win on talent and not intelligence. They luckily escaped with a win, thanks to Tony Romo's continued late-game mistakes, but hopefully this game will humble Rex Ryan and they'll start to give Shonn Greene a few more carries. Maybe next week they will put more effort into their gameplans instead of their pre-game antics.

"Buster Posey Injury, Instant Replay, and collisions at the Plate.... The New Age of Baseball"

I am sure the baseball purists are going to attempt to hack this one up with a machete, but I am sorry to inform those people that their day is done. Baseball is (attempting) to enter the 21st century. Word on the street is that there is even some revolutionary technology which allows officiating crews to make accurate calls with almost absolute 100% accuracy. Such technology should be debated and beat to a pulp, argued over, and blogged about. I mean come on, in a sport which billions of dollars is involved, why would you want the correct call made when you can have the "human element" of the game make a billion dollar mistake? Instant replay is a positive thing, and the new age of baseball needs to get over its ancient historic self and get on board. Every other sport has incorporated instant replay in some format, and I declare all instances successful. The increased length of the game argument is nonsense, and absolutely untrue. MLB, get instant replay into games immediately.

The next advancement past the dark ages is the MLB rule (policy, concept, etc) of collisions at home plate. Unfortunately, as all too often the case, someone must suffer to cause change. That person is Buster Posey. A young, very promising catcher for the San Francisco Giants, Posey was plowed into at home plate, snapping his leg like a twig. Posey's season is over, and the outlook is grim for the Giants as well. Don't get me wrong, Posey is not an innocent victim. He came up playing the catcher position, and undoubtedly took several home plate collisions. He should know how to position himself safely for this violent play. This time, Posey decided to essentially kneel down and lay back over his legs to block the runner from touching home plate. The result was gut wrenching, will undoubtedly change the Giants season, and could possibly alter the career of one of the most exciting up and coming players in baseball. The play by Scott Cousins was 100% legal, was in no way illegal, and I do not condemn him whatsoever. My issue is with the rule which allows collisions at the plate. There is no reason for this play, and baseball needs to eliminate it. Baseball is a one on one sport for the most part, with bits and pieces of team play in the field. It is non-contact, non-aggressive sport, at least not in the way other sports such as hockey and football are. No other player in the field is allowed to bump an opposing player, charge, or make any form of aggressive action during the game. There is no reason to have baseball players running full speed, full contact into a non moving player, who's first objective is to catch a ball coming towards him from a completely different direction. It is unsafe, careless, and is just leaving a window open for serious injury. The NFL and the NHL have both made extremely significant strides towards protecting their players by eliminating headshots, hits to defenseless players, and head to head hits. They have done this by fining, penalizing, and suspending their players for such actions. These sports are popular because of their violent nature, and they glorify it, yet they have realized steps were necessary to protect its athletes from serious injury. MLB does not even need to punish their players, they simply need to make an adjustment to an obscure curious rule from the past. I like to see a good collision at the plate as much as anyone, but to see a Ryan Howard or Lance Berkman charging full speed into the bodies of 200 pound catchers with the intention of dislodging the ball causes me to squirm a bit. Take one look at the Buster Posey video, and you can see the potential harm. A big argument I hear is that these catchers have so much equipment on, that it doesn't matter. Another ridiculous argument. The catcher's equipment is designed to protect him from 95 mph fastballs being deflected in 1/20th of a second in a direction physically impossible for a human to react to. It is not designed for, and in no way does it protect them from physical collisions. The NFL and the NHL's players are the most protected (as far as equipment) of any sport, and yet they have taken the aforementioned steps to protect their players.

Using the Posey play as an example, I would have felt the same excitement had Cousins taken a wide angle and tried to make an athletic play into home, while watching Posey (not on his knees in such a horrid position) make a catch and try to bring the glove across on top of Cousins. Anyone who has played baseball knows that this is not an easy play to make, and would have had a much better outcome for the "defenseless player" that in this case is the catcher. MLB, make this change now, and take a step into the new age. Hopefully then we will not need to see another terrific athlete like Buster Posey in a cast attempting to recover and save his career at age 24 after a lifetime of hard work.

O Canada - Hockey's Home and Native Land!!!

I could continue going with the Canadian national anthem, but I think you get the picture.  It is common knowledge that hockey is the lifeblood of Canada.  Take high school football in Texas and basketball at Rucker Park and put them together, that's how much hockey means to Canada.  While the youngsters are learning to skate before they can read, the adults are spending every last loonie to support their local hockey team, whether they are mini-mites or NHL superstars. 

So why do I care you ask? Well, the latest news is that the Atlanta Thrashers are officially on the move to Winnipeg, bringing an NHL team back to the city. So I got to thinking.  How much could the league benefit from a mass exodus of teams from non-supportive US cities to Canadian metropolises?  While other bloggers here are asking for hockey teams to come to cities like Milwaukee, I say why not send them where they will be fully appreciated.  I sat down and thought about the potential of capturing the magic of the United States vs. Canada gold medal game in the 2010 Winter Olympics and putting it into the NHL.

Unfortunately, this means that many US cities are going to lose their professional hockey team.  The following cities are the likely victims of my "hockey exodus":

Atlanta Thrashers move to Winnipeg
This move is finalized now.  Atlanta has ranked 22nd, 23rd, 30th, 29th and 28th in attendance during the past five seasons and actually has over 200,000 less people than Winnipeg  Most hockey fans will remember the Winnipeg Jets, who moved from the city in 1996.  This move is going to be the beginning of the movement north.

Phoenix Coyotes move to Quebec City
Phoenix is likely the next team on the move.  While Phoenix is one of the largest cities in the country, it has failed to help the Coyotes make a profit.  Even "The Great One" can't bring the Coyotes out of the red.  All signs point to this franchise going back north-of-the-border.  Quebec City has been without an NHL team since '95 and are ready to support a franchise once again.

New York Islanders move to Hamilton
Jim Balsillie has been trying to bring the National Hockey League to Hamilton for many years now, but always seems to fall short of his goal.  However, don't expect him to give up until he succeeds.  Look no further than the Islanders as a likely suitor for Hamilton.  The Islanders aren't second fiddle when comes to professional sports in New York, they are behind the Yankees, Rangers, Giants, Jets, and Mets.  No one will miss the Islanders, and Mr. Balsille is persistent.

Nashville Predators move to Saskatoon-Regina area
Nashville almost moved in 2007, but fell through when a deal didn't materialize.  The team is now owned by a group of investors that want to keep the team in Nashville, but the team continues to be in the bottom 3rd of the league in attendance.  Nashville has nearly 200,000 more people than Saskatoon and Regina combined, but is also a country music mecca, not a hockey hotbed.  Recent success has likely kept the Preds in Nashville, but if they fail to get it done on the ice, a move may be imminent.

Columbus Blue Jackets move to Thunder Bay
Out of all the teams on the list, Columbus may be the least likely to move.  They made the playoffs for the first time in the 2008-2009 season, but have had minimal success otherwise.  Following the lockout in '05, the Blue Jackets have been near the bottom of the league when it comes to filling seats, and if that trend continues, those seats could become vacant permanently.  As far as my potential location of Thunder Bay, it's just a thought.  A waterfront arena that could bring fans in from Northeastern Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan could be enough to fill the seats.  Again, this move is very unlikely, but could be profitable investment for someone willing to take a risk.

Florida Panthers move to Halifax
I will preface by saying that Hockey in South Beach doesn't sound right.  The Panthers actually play in Sunrise, FL, a city with less the 100,000 people in it.  While they had some success in the mid-90's, the Panthers have not made the playoffs for a decade.  Add on the fact that they are in an area that does not contain real hockey fans, and you can see the demise of this franchise sometime during the LeBron era in Miami.  Halifax is the polar opposite of Miami, it lives and breathes hockey.  The city has hosted the Ice Hockey World Championship and several other sporting events, which in Canada, generally always include hockey.  Given their ability to attract hockey fans, Halifax would be a much better location for hockey than Sunrise, FL.

My New NHL Layout
The final part of my plan would be to realign the divisions.  The goal here is to maintain divisional rivalries but create a new sense of US vs. Canada.  Unfortunately, some teams in the states are gonna to be in Canadian division, but oh well, you get the picture.

US Atlantic
New York Rangers
New Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Buffalo Sabres

US Central
Carolina Hurricanes
Tampa Bay Lightning
Washington Capitals
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Redwings

US Pacific
Anaheim Ducks
Dallas Stars
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Colorado Avalanche

Canada Atlantic
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs
Quebec City (Coyotes)
Boston Bruins

Canada Central
Hamilton (Islanders)
Thunder Bay (Blue Jackets)
Halifax (Panthers)
Saskatoon-Regina (Predators)
St Louis Blues

Canada Pacific
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg (Thrashers)
Minnesota Wild

This Week In Golf - Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

Last Year

Zach Johnson shot 65-66-64-64 to beat Brian Davis by three strokes. Ben Crane and Jeff Overton tied for third place.

Fantasy Breakdown

Players to Think About

Matt Kuchar: I really like Matt Kuchar this week. Kuchar had his worst tournament of the year last week, a tie for 54^th at TPC Sawgrass. Kuchar’s track record at Colonial isn’t the best either, he tied for 56^th last year. So why am I picking Kuchar? He ranks 3^rd on tour in scoring average and 7^th in the all-around ranking. I have a feeling Kuchar bounces back this week and posts a top 15 score.

www.cbssports.com

Pat Perez: I am not a huge fan of Pat Perez, but it’s tough to ignore his history at this event. Perez has three top 10’s in his last three tries at Colonial. He has also posted three top 10’s in his last five events this season. Perez is a must-have on your fantasy lineup this week.

Zach Johnson: There was no way I could keep Zach Johnson off the list this week. He won here last year by three strokes and has been playing great lately. Two consecutive top 10’s and a victory here last year should mean that Zach Johnson will be in the mix on Sunday.

Players to Stay Away From

http://tucsoncitizen.com

Hunter Mahan: It kills me to put Hunter Mahan on the list this week and I expect him to prove me wrong. But, I can’t ignore Mahan’s history at Colonial. He has never posted a top 25 here in seven tries. Hunter is playing great golf right now, but you may want to avoid him this week and save your starts for other tournaments.



J.B. Holmes: J.B. Holmes hasn’t missed a cut all year and is coming off of two consecutive top 10’s. However, Holmes missed the cut both times he played at this event. What worries me is that J.B. wasn’t playing well coming into both of those tournaments and he is playing well coming into this one. I think he will make the cut this time, but I don’t expect another top 10 from J.B. this week.

Adam Scott: After playing great golf at the Masters, Adam Scott has slowly slumped again. Scott missed the cut last week and has five consecutive rounds in the 70’s. I think it is due to the putter. He has always been a solid ball striker, but Scott usually struggles with his putter. The short stick was great at the Masters, but he averaged 30 putts per round last week. If Adam Scott can’t get his putter going, it might be another missed cut for him this week.

My Picks

David Toms: David Toms finds himself on my list again this week because he continues to play great golf and place in the top 10. It’s very simply why Toms is on my list this week. He has five consecutive top 25’s, he ranks second on tour in driving accuracy and greens in regulation, and he tied for 13^th at Colonial last year.

www.pgatour.com

Stewart Cink: Stewart Cink is a safe play this week. I don’t think Cink will be top 5, but he is almost guaranteed to finish in the top 25. Cink has four consecutive top 25’s at this event and has never missed the cut.

Steve Marino: Steve Marino is a gut feeling for me this week. He missed the cut here last year, but finished in the top 10 the two years before that. He has played fairly well in his last two tournaments and I have a feeling Marino is going to be in contention on Sunday this week. I am pulling for Steve Marino to get his first PGA Tour victory at Colonial this week.

Booth’s Golf Tip of the Week – How to Win a Scramble

See next post.

stats from www.pgatour.com

How to Win a Scramble

A scramble is not the true game of golf, but it is the most fun. Four guys using strategy and shooting rounds in the 60’s. I have way more fun playing in scrambles than playing 18 holes of stroke play. There a lot of players that go into a scramble with no strategy, but that’s a mistake. You can strategize to win and still have fun.

You don’t need four great golfers to win a scramble, although that would make it a lot easier. Most of us are average golfers and need to find a way to construct a great team with four average players. A team with handicaps of 4, 5, 5, and 6 are not necessarily going to beat a team with handicaps of 4, 6, 9, and 12. The key is to have four players that have different skill sets. Here are the four players you need:

The Leadoff: This player does not need to be a long ball hitter or have a low handicap. The leadoff player needs to do three things: hit fairways, hit greens, and putt well. I always tell the leadoff hitter that the team doesn’t need to use any of their shots for them to have a successful day. If the leadoff guy hits fairways and greens, it will take pressure off of the rest of the team and the other three players can be relaxed. This player also needs to make great lag putts. Every putt should be a tap in at the worst. Nothing is worse than having your first putter miss a putt by four feet and the other three players have to bear down to get one close instead of trying to make it. That is where you can lose a scramble.

The 2-Hole: The second player in the scramble needs to be similar to the leadoff player. I like the 2-hole player to have a little more distance off the tee, but that is not necessary. This player needs to be able to hit any fairways and greens that the leadoff player misses so that the next two can relax, hit hard drives, and shoot for pins. If the leadoff man is hitting the ball well, the 2-hole needs to be able to hit the ball a little farther and shoot closer to pins. I also like the second hitter to be an excellent chipper. It’s nice to have a guy that is great around the greens, just in case.

The Homerun Hitter: The third player does not need to be consistent, although it is obviously nice if he is. I call this spot the homerun hitter because the third player needs to hit long drives and shoot for pins. Hopefully one of the first two hitters hit the fairway so that the third guy can rip one. Hopefully one can also hit the green so he can shoot for the pin instead of the middle of the green. This is the guy that can hit a par 5 in two or make a long par 4 seem short. It’s very difficult to win a scramble without a guy that can bomb the ball.

The Anchor: The most important player on the team is the anchor. The anchor needs to be a good all-around player and has to be strong mentally. If you think a four-foot par putt is tough by yourself, imagine a four-foot par putt in a scramble when your team is counting on you after three other guys already missed the putt. There is more pressure on the anchor than any of the other three players. I was in a scramble a few years ago when I was an anchor. I was on a par 4, the first golfer hit it out-of-bounds, the second golfer chunked it in the weeds, and the third golfer also hit it out-of-bounds. It was up to me to hit a good drive in play. You need a strong minded fourth player to win a scramble. It is possible to win without a strong leadoff player, 2-hole guy, or homerun hitter, but it’s impossible to win without a solid anchor.

The one thing I didn’t mention is that you should try to have at least three good putters on the team. You won’t win a scramble with zero or one good putter and it’s difficult with only two.

Once again, this is a way for average golfers to succeed in a scramble. Obviously four anchors make the ideal team, but we don’t all have that option…

Even if you can’t win, remember that the most important thing about a scramble is to have a great time no matter how you play.

NBA Conference Finals Preview

Well I want to start by apologizing to our few but faithful followers for being MIA the past couple weeks.  I hope in the interim you have been enjoying baseball getting into full swing and the NHL playoffs, but most importantly, the NBA playoffs.  I'm gonna break down the Conference Finals for you game by game, but before I do so, I'd like to comment on the NBA Lottery.  If you didn't know, the Cavaliers won the first pick in the draft.  It was a major victory for a Cavs team that everyone has pitied since the departure of LeBron.  They will now pick 1st and 4th in the upcomnig draft, and in a league where an all-star player can lead you into the playoffs, the Cavs may find themselves making one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA history.  If you look at their depth chart now, you would simply cringe.  But the addition of a Kyrie Irving/Enes Kanter, Derrick Williams/Brandon Knight or any other combination of the aforementioned would likely make the Cavs immediate playoff contendors.  As we saw in the years following their biggest lottery win ever in 2003, it really is a lottery.  The Cavs won't need our pity anymore, and if they can add another key player in free agency, they may even earn our respect once again.  I may go into this in more detail as the draft nears, but for now, it's time to break down the games.

Eastern Conference Finals - Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls

The Heat and the Bulls are almost polar opposites when it comes to their makeup.  The Heat's success revolves around their 2 1/2 superstars.  They can single-handedly score 90 points themselves, but if one of them is off, they really struggle unless a role player steps it up.  On the other hand, the Bulls are built around role players who form a cohesive unit.  They rely on defense, hustle and discipline to win games.  They have good depth, but rely on Derrick Rose to lead them on the court.  It's all gonna come down to how well the Heat can match the hustle and determination of the Bulls.

Game 1: I predicted a split in Chicago for this series, so I'm not surprised to see the Bulls come out and win.  As mentioned, the difference in the game was rebounding and loose balls, which the Bulls clearly won.

Game 2: If my prediction holds true the Heat will take this game.

Game 3: Miami is going to be electric and Wade is going to be the difference.  I predict a triple-double for him either in game 3 or 4.

Game 4: Again, Miami proves too much for Chicago as the Heat take a 3-1 lead.

Game 5: With their backs against the wall, the Bulls avoid elimination by holding the Heat under 90 points again.

Game 6: If you thought the Heat celebrated after defeating Boston, wait until you see their reaction after taking down the Bulls in game 6 to get to the finals. 

Western Conference Finals - Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks

This is the battle of young versus old, up-and-coming all-stars versus aging veterans.  There is plenty of excitement for both of these teams.  OK City has never been here before, so they are playing with house money.  Dallas is looking to erase the memories of their postseason failures.  Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant are MVP caliber players.  The matchup between Jason Kidd and Russell Westbrook features one of the best point guards of all time versus one of the most promising young points in the game today.  I have no other in game insight to add, this series is simply gonna come down to who outscores the other team on the given night.

Game 1: Nowitzki set a playoff record at the foul line and JJ Barea and Jason Terry added 21 and 28 respectively to hold off the Thunder to get the win at home.

Game 2: OKC needs to find out how to defend Dirk without giving up open three-pointers to Dallas' shooters.  They won't quite figure that out yet by Game 2, which Dallas will take.

Game 3: There's no place like home for the Thunder.  They gameplan to go after Dirk on the offensive end, getting him into foul trouble early.  With Dirk limited, the Mavs struggle to keep up and OKC takes it.

Game 4: OKC goes on an offensive onslaught, as Durant and Westbrook both score 30+ to get the win and tie the series at 2-2.

Game 5: Dallas gets red hot from beyond the arc to win game 5 and take back a 3-2 series lead.

Game 6: OKC falls behind early, but rallies in the fourth to force a game 7 in Dallas.

Game 7: The atmosphere in Dallas is undescribable as Dallas looks to get back to the NBA Finals.  An early lead disintegrates, but JJ Barea comes up big again as he hits a last second three to win the series.