Iowa's Albert Young - One of the PREMIER Backs in the Nation

Ok, I've held it back long enough. I am pretty sick and tired of Albert Young not getting much love from the rest of the nation. I hear about Peterson from OU, Lynch from Cal, et al that are all Heisman candidates. No love for Iowa's running back. I look at Iowa's O-Line and just smile seeing the talent and the experience they will have up front. Young is now 100% (something he wasn't last year). Call me a homer, but I really do think Young is one of the premier backs in the nation. Just because Young doesn't score a ton, doesn't take away from what he did last year. He is a complete player who blocks well and also has fantastic hands.

Look at the stats. The one that stands out is the hype for Irons, but clearly Young was the better back last year even at 80%.

2005 RUSHING STATS
Adrian Peterson - 220 rushes, 1108 yards, 5.0 yds/carry, 14 TD; 9 rec, 50 yards, 5.6 yds/rec, 0 TD Michael Bush - 205 rushes, 1143 yards, 5.6 yds/carry, 23 TD; 21 rec, 253 yards, 12.0 yds/rec, 1 TD Jamaal Charles - 119 rushes, 878 yards, 7.4 yds/carry, 11 TD; 14 rec, 157 yards, 11.2 yds/rec, 2 TD Kenny Irons - 256 rushes, 1293 yards, 5.1 yds/carry, 13 TD; 14 rec, 164 yards, 11.7 yds/rec, 0 TD Marshawn Lynch - 196 rushes, 1246 yards, 6.4 yds/carry, 10 TD; 15 rec, 125 yards, 8.3 yds/rec, 0 TD Steve Slaton - 205 rushes, 1128 yards, 5.5 yds/carry, 17 TD; 12 rec, 95 yards, 7.9 yds/rec, 2 TD Albert Young - 249 rushes, 1334 yards, 5.4 yds/carry, 8 TD; 24 rec, 244 yards, 10.2 yds/rec, 0 TD

Antonio Pittman is another back that I don't think gets enough respect, and that, too, irritates me.

I can't wait for the season to start, and I am looking forward to a huge year for Young. I realize the Hawkeye's offense isn't condusive for Young to go out and get 2,000 yards this season, but I do think he is good enough to be mentioned as a Top 5 back in the nation.

Cubs Move to Single Digits Back in the Wild Card

GO CUBS GO!!

17 games under .500 at 47-64 and playing the best ball of the year, the Chicago Cubs move to within 9.5 games of the Wild Card lead thanks to St. Louis taking out the Reds in spectacular form tonight.


37-14 for the wild card
44-7 for NL central title

The Chicago Cubs are 18 Games Under .500 and Still in the Playoff Hunt

Here's the record the Cubs need the rest of the way:

38-14 for the NL Wild Card
45-7 for NL Central Title

Oh yeah, I am crazy....

A Look at the 2006 NL Cy Young Race...

Here's my breakdown...

As of July 26th, 2006:

TOP CANDIDATES

1. Carlos Zambrano - 9.06 K/9 (3rd in NL), .197 AVG (best in MLB), 147 Ks (Best in NL), 1.23 WHIP (10th in NL), 3.27 ERA (6th in NL), .352 SLG (2nd in NL), 11 wins (2nd in MLB despite playing for a team 22 games under .500) For walking as many people as Carlos does, his WHIP is amazing.

2. Pedro Martinez - 9.83 K/9 (2nd in NL), .202 AVG (2nd in NL), 111 Ks (10th in NL), 1.00 WHIP (Best in NL), 3.45 ERA (9th in NL), .343 SLG (Best in NL), 7 wins (Not getting run support isn't Pedro's fault).

3. Chris Carpenter - 7.64 K/9 (9th in NL), .232 AVG (7th in NL), 114 Ks (9th in NL), 1.12 WHIP (3rd in NL), 2.68 ERA (2nd in NL), .364 SLG (4th in NL), 10 wins

4. Brandon Webb - 6.82 K/9 (18th in NL), .255 AVG (13th in NL), 117 Ks (5th in NL), 1.11 WHIP (2nd in NL), 2.51 ERA (Best in NL), .362 (3rd in NL), 11 wins (2nd in MLB)

5. Aaron Harang - 8.48 K/9 (4th in NL), .264 AVG (20th in NL), 135 Ks (2nd in NL), 1.26 WHIP (12th in NL), 3.52 ERA (11th in NL), .410 SLG (15th in NL), 11 wins (2nd in MLB), 4 CG (1st in MLB), 2 SHO (1st in MLB)


HONORABLE MENTIONS

Jason Schmidt - 7.48 K/9 (14th in NL), .227 AVG (6th in NL), 115 Ks (7th in NL), 1.19 WHIP (8th in NL), 3.12 ERA (4th in NL), .367 SLG (5th in NL), 7 wins

Brad Penny - 6.68 K/9 (19th in NL), .258 AVG (15th in NL), 89 Ks (25th in NL), 1.26 WHIP (12th in NL), 3.23 ERA (5th in NL), .381 SLG (9th in NL), 10 wins

Bronson Arroyo - 6.89 K/9 (17th in NL), .247 AVG (10th in NL), 111 Ks (10th in NL), 1.17 WHIP (5th in NL), 2.92 ERA (3rd in NL), .393 SLG (11th in NL), 9 wins


DOWN THE LIST

Roy Oswalt - 5.98 K/9 (25th in NL), .282 AVG (32nd in NL), 91Ks (21st in NL), 1.26 WHIP (12th in NL), 3.35 ERA (7th in NL), .436 SLG (27th in NL), 7 wins

John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Chris Young also deserve to be mentioned.


DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT

No way on Jason Marquis... not with an ERA of over 5.60, only reason he has 12 wins is because of run support during his outings. 4.1 K/9 is below avg. That ERA is laughable, plus he is only averaging 5.5 innings per start. On top of that he has given up the most HRs of any NL pitcher.

When Do You Live Today for Today?

Too many times in life we get rundown by the daily grind. We go about our normal routines, as if programmed by some automated service. Daily routines; we all have them. Most of us can set our watches by our daily activities. Wake up. Grab breakfast (whether that is coffee, a donut, a cigarette, or whatever the preferred meal of the morn is). Go to work. Grab lunch. Go back to work. Leave work. Get home. Eat dinner. Go to sleep. Rinse, repeat (5 times). All the while, waiting in anticipation for the two days of the week that we have a chance to get away from the aforementioned routine; the proverbial weekend. Alas, this time away from our “normal routine” usually breeds a second process called the “weekend routine”. Mow the law. Clean up the house. Do the laundry. Continue to work on the ever-lengthening honey-do list.

So when do you have time to do the things you wanted to do as a kid? When do you get to spend all day lying on your back, trying to figure out what each passing cloud resembles? When do you get to bask in the fruits of your labor? When does tomorrow become today? When does soon become now? Too often we concentrate on the future that we forget about the present. Why is this? Are we a society of procrastinators or are we just focused on being prepared? There is a fine line between the two.

We are always wanting more; wanting something new, something fresh. We want the newest gadget, the latest edition, the current release. Is this an inherit insecurity or a wanted need to be on top of the game? Regardless, it is absolutely essential to at least attempt to live in the now, otherwise tomorrow will undoubtedly become yesterday without you even knowing.

Accolades for the 05/06 Hawkeye Basketball Team

17 CONSECUTIVE WINS AT CARVER HAWKEYE ARENA
(18 going back to last year)

JEFF HORNER - Iowa's All-time 3 Point Leader; Iowa's All-Time Assist Leader; 2006 Big Ten Assist Leader; 3rd Team All-BT; Big Ten Tournament MOP; All-American Honorable Mention

GREG BRUNNER - Iowa's All-time Rebound Leader; 2006 Big Ten Rebound Leader; First Team All-BT; Academic All-American

ADAM HALUSKA - Academic All-American, 3rd Team All-BT

EREK HANSEN - 2006 Big Ten Blocks Leader; BT Defensive POY

DOUG THOMAS - BT 6th Man of the Year

Looking back at Alford's First Seven Years as the Head Basketball Coach at Iowa; Iowa City - the Fishbowl; Looking Ahead to Next Year

So the Iowa fan base overeacted after a couple "journalists" (and I use that term lightly) reported that Steve Alford wanted to go to Missouri... hours later, they reneged and backtracked on their previous reports. Seems these guys (Katz and Doyel to name a few) want to be the first to break the news, so they start inventing news. The majority of the Hawkeye fan base turned on Alford and started spewing out misinformation and allegations that had no basis behind them. So now the fans want Alford to come out and give an apology statement or a reassertion statement now that the Missouri and Indiana jobs have been filled. Why should he? What did Steve Alford do to warrant this type of action? Just because an A.D. from another school asks for permission to talk to another school's head coach does NOT mean that the aforementioned coach is even remotely interested in what that A.D. has to offer. Once again, the Hawkeye fan base wanted to a reason to hate Alford... they were looking for any excuse to turn on him, as if the second most wins in school history wasn't enough to maybe calm the waters a bit. Iowa City is a fishbowl. That's why Lute Olson left. That's why George Raveling left.

So Steve Alford is here to stay (well, at least for a little while longer). It's time to take a peak at what he has done at the U of I. Most fans want to sling mud at his conference record and his NCAA Tourney success (or lack thereof).

Here's what I see...

The first four years of Alford tenure were poor at best. He had no idea how to coach at the upper D-1 level coming from a mid-major school. I think he has done very well these last 3 years... problem is his first four years were so bad, it has tainted his career at UI thus far. Alford was -14 in BT games his first four years, which put him in a huge hole. His 5-11 season was the killer. But Alford has won almost 2/3 of the games he has coached the past three years.

Alford first four seasons: 73-58 overall (25-39 conf)
Alford last three seasons: 62-34 overall (27-21 conf)

I see the past three years as a substantial increase in production from the Iowa staff, others will argue it was the maturation process of this year's seniors. I believe its a bit of both, but one thing you cannot deny is that Alford is getting better as a coach.

If you break up Alford's tenure into sections, there is a lot of proof that he has performed well in spite of everything that has happened to the program.

SECTION ONE: First four years playing with Davis' recruits and not knowing how to coach at the upper D-1 level. SECTION TWO: Last three years playing with his own recruits and actually knowing what he was doing, and having Neal come into the picture the last two years.

Do you want to argue that it's only been two good years in a row? The 2003-04 season is simple to defend as one of Alford best coaching jobs of his career. Do you want to argue that 2004 was a bad year - take a closer look: Jared Reiner had a season-ending injury that hurt the Hawkeyes tremendously, as Brunner had to switch to the 5 spot. Reiner had a chance to be All-Conf. that year. Nick DeWitz and Sean Sonderleiter both left mid-season, which killed the continuity (and already short bench) of the team. Mike Henderson was ineligible for the second semester. Depending on Kurt Spurgeon and Jack Brownlee isn't something I wish upon any basketball program. I give them all the credit in the world, as they stepped up big, but let's be reasonable here. Iowa played with SEVEN scholarship players that year. SEVEN. That was a pretty nice coaching job by Alford to be able to put up a winning Big Ten record that year.

I really believe the Iowa coaching staff has put together three very good seasons in a row... and they are only getting better. Next year WILL BE the kicker!

Alford is not Lute, but let's not do to him what we did to Mr. Olson. Now I completely understand why he left Iowa for Arizona.... there is no way to win over this fan base, as they will find something to whine about. Iowa City is most definitely a fishbowl. Olson could only take a few years, Raveling stayed a few. Davis toughed it out... but holy cow, there really is no denying the fishbowl that is Iowa City and Hawkeye basketball. Iowa just came away with one of their most productive seasons (sans the final game of the year), yet fans want to speculate where this coach goes and how much they want him to leave. Iowa doesn't have any other sports to watch in the state, so everyone focuses on the U of I's major sports - basketball and football. Both sports are highly criticised by the Iowa fan base. Ferentz received a lot of heat his first few years at Iowa, as did Alford. Iowa Hawkeye sports are, in fact, a big ol' fishbowl. Not that the University thinks its on the same level as Duke basketball or Notre Dame football, but because its fans cling to the team's success because they have nothing else (and of course their love for the team, as well).

So looking ahead to NEXT SEASON. There is NO WAY you bail out Alford next season by labeling it as a "rebuilding year." Unless Haluska and Henderson get suspended or injured, there isn't an excuse for not winning next season. I see Iowa as a Top 5 team in the Big Ten, getting close to 20 wins, and making another NCAA Tourney. If Alford does not successfully bring the Hawks to their third consecutive NCAA Tourney, then I am done with him.

Next year is NOT a rebuilding year, it's a reloading year.

Indiana FInds a Coach; How Does Sampson Stack Up Against His Newly Adopted Big Ten Bretheren?

So it looks like Alford is going to be staying put at Iowa, which is fine by me. How do the coaches in the Big Ten stack up against each other? Here's my list:

------------------------ TIER ONE ------------------------
1. Tom Izzo - 11 years under his belt - 254-109 (.700)
2. Bo Ryan - 21 years under his belt - 495-152 (.765)
3. Kelvin Sampson - 22 years under his belt - 455-257 (.639)
4. Thad Matta - 6 years under his belt - 148-49 (.751)
5. Bruce Weber - 8 years under his belt - 192-70 (.733)
6. Steve Alford - 14 years under his belt - 291-169 (.632)

------------------------ TIER TWO ------------------------
7. Dan Monson - 9 years under his belt - 168-118 (.587)
8. Matt Painter - 2 years under his belt - 34-24 (.586)
9. Tommy Amaker - 9 years under his belt - 154-125 (.552)
10. Bill Carmody - 10 years under his belt - 173-120 (.590)
11. Ed Dechellis - 10 years under his belt - 135-149 (.475)

Revisting Iowa as a POTENTIAL 2 Seed in the NCAA Tourney

Iowa would only have 8 losses, because remember I am saying this is contigent on Iowa beating tOSU today, so Iowa would finish 25-8.
UNI wasn't a bad loss, nor was the ISU loss.
The committee will look at those games as toss-ups with the absence of Horner... the same way they made Iowa validate their earlier wins last year when they lost PP. Losing players/losing games has an impact in the eyes of the committee. The only bad losses Iowa has is Minn and NW and they were both on the road.

Remember, Michigan State got a 1 seed in 2000 with SEVEN losses.
Four other teams have received #1 seeds with SIX losses.

It's all about the resume, quality wins, RPI, SOS, etc... # losses isn't the deciding factor.

IF Iowa wins vs. tOSU today, here's what I have:

1 SEEDS
Duke
UCONN
Villanova
Memphis

2 SEEDS
Ohio State
Texas
UCLA
Iowa

3 SEEDS
UNC
Gonzaga
LSU
Pitt/Illinois

4 SEEDS
Illinois/Pitt
Tenn/Florida
BC
Kansas

Iowa would be the last 2 seed or the first 3 seed with a win today.

My Look at the Bubble Teams for '06

UPDATE: I ended up getting 63 out of 65 teams correct. Air Force and Utah State got in over Cincinnati and Michigan.

Last year I named 65/65 tournament correctly, let's see if I can repeat the same feat this year...

TEAMS THAT I THINK ARE LOCKS/AUTOBIDS (parenthesis contain total number of bids for the conference; the first number is the locks and the second number is the total bids the conference will get)

Am East(1/1) - Albany
ACC(4/4) - Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, NCST
A. Sun(1/1) - Belmont
A-10(2/2) - GW, Xavier
Big East(7/8) - Villanova, UCONN, Pittsburgh, W. Virginia, Georgetown, Marquette, Syracuse
Big Sky(1/1) - Montana
Big South(1/1) - Winthrop
Big Ten(6/7) - tOSU, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan State
Big 12(4/4) - Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
Big West(1/1) - Pacific
CAA(1/2) - UNC-W
CUSA(1/2) - Memphis
Horizon(1/1) - UWM
Ivy(1/1) - Penn
MAAC(1/1) - Iona
MAC(1/1) - Kent State
MCC(1/1) - ORU
MEAC(1/1) - Hampton
MVC(3/5) - Wichita, S. Illinois, UNI
Mountain West(1/1) - SDSU
NEC(1/1) - Monmouth
OVC(1/1) - Murray St
Patriot(1/1) - Bucknell
Pac-10(3/4) - UCLA, Washington, Arizona
SEC(6/6) - LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama
Southern(1/1) - Davidson
Southland(1/1) - Champ
SWAC(1/1) - Southern
Sun Belt(1/1) - S. Alabama
WCC(1/1) - Gonzaga
WAC(1/1) - Nevada

TEAMS THAT I THINK ARE ON THE BUBBLE

So here's who I have on the Bubble... 7 spots are up for grabs
My choices are in BOLD and are also noted with an asterisk (*).

• Hofstra
• George Mason *
  
• Maryland
• Michigan *
  
• Cincinnati *
• UAB *
• Houston
• Missouri State *
  
• Creighton
• Bradley *
• Air Force
• California *
• Utah State
• W. Kentucky
• BYU
• Colorado
• Seton Hall
• Florida State

EDIT1 - After getting rocked by BC, Maryland is now out and George Mason is in.
EDIT2 - Added the rest of the conference champions.
EDIT3 - After much prodding, I will pull Michigan out of the lock status, and move them to the Bubble, but in my opinion, they are in.