10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (10/4-10/6)

10. President Obama Chimes in on Redskins Controversy
            I’d normally have no issue with Commander in Chief gave his two sense on a sports issue, but the last time I checked we are still in the middle of a government shutdown.

9. Dario Franchitti is Alive, No Fans Seriously Harmed in Scary Indy Car Crash

            Oddly enough, the reason Dario Franchitti moved to NASCAR many years ago was for the safety of the cars, but he returned to Indycar after experiencing very little Cup success. He escaped this wreck with a concussion, a fractured spine, and a broken ankle.



8. Georgia Saves Season, Knocks Off Tennessee in Overtime

            Aaron Murray delivered a fantastic performance, cobbling together a season-saving touchdown drive to send Saturday’s game into overtime. 

7. Athletics Win Pitchers Duel Against Justin Verlander
            We often mock no-hitters in this space, but a thrilling pitching duel is one of our more enjoyable baseball scenarios. The way Saturday night played out would certainly eat up a few minutes in a “Moneyball” sequel. After another win Monday, Oakland is one game away from earning the right to get slaughtered by the Red Sox in the ALCS.

6. Saints Move to 5-0

            The most under reported story of the 2013 season so far is how Rob Ryan has miraculously turned the Saints into a competent defensive team. 

5. Kevin Harvick Wins Another Crash Fest at Kansas
            Even more important than Harvick earning another victory in his final races with Richard Childress was Kyle Busch likely dropping out of championship contention. It’s going to take Talladega shakeup to get the 2013 title to anyone other than Matt Kenseth or Jimmie Johnson.

4. Pirates Take 2-1 NLDS Lead

            No Credentials nominates Pittsburgh as the current wearer of the “America’s Team” title. Unless you’re a die-hard Cardinals fan, there’s no way you can cheer against the Pirates.

3. Red Sox Demolish Rays, Take 2-0 ALDS Lead

            I’ll concede that two games isn’t much of a sample size in baseball, but there hasn’t been a more impressive team in the postseason than the Boston Red Sox.

2. Andrew Luck Leads Wild Colts Win Over Seattle

            In a game statistically dominated by the Seahawks, Andrew Luck went out and found another way to win. It’s time to recalibrate our AFC South rankings and put the Colts at the top of the list.

1. Denver Outguns Dallas 51-48   

            Fortunately for me, I was at work during this one, because if I watched it live my head would’ve exploded. We’ll find out next week if this was an encouraging or discouraging loss for the Cowboys, who are still tied for first in the pathetic NFC East.

No Credentials "Mail Bag" 7-22-11

The following questions may or may not be real e-mails from real or fake people from this universe or a parallel universe.

So I threw out a trailor for “The Dark Knight Rises”, and only included four quick scenes from the new movie, and filled half of it with clips from the first two films. Somehow, this still created buzz. Can I have my “greatest movie-maker alive” plaque shipped to my house next week? – Christopher N., Highgate, London, UK

            Not yet. You lucked out with Heath Ledger overdosing before “The Dark Knight” came out (not saying this to make light of Ledger’s death, it’s just a fact people). I will give you props for delivering a quality movie that cashed in on the hype, but for now the best comparison I have for you is former New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre. Torre took over the Yankees in 1996, which was a year after Buck Showalter led the Yanks to their first playoff berth in 14 years. Torre was handed the keys to one of the best teams ever assembled, and went on to win four championships in five years. Was Torre the best manager at that time? Probably not, but he benefited from exceptional timing. I’ll argue that Nolan has done the same thing.

(RANT ALERT: Showalter getting fired is even weirder when you consider that the Yankees had the best record in the American League before the strike ended the 1994 season. If the strike never happened, Showalter could’ve led the Yankees to five titles in seven years, assumming that George Steinbrenner would’ve given him a one year mulligan in ’95. No manager in MLB history had worse luck than Showalter) 

It hasn’t been talked about in awhile, but The Rapture was moved back until October. Is the Pittsburgh Pirates leading the NL Central in July the best sign that is going to happen? – Charlotte, Pocono, PA

            That coupled with ESPN’s orgasmic reaction to the owners approving a new CBA are the two most prominent signs I’ve seen this summer that The Rapture is still on.

If you’re a present day NBA player, aren’t you offended that NBA 2K12 is having Jordan, Bird, and Magic on the cover? – Ricky, Rochester, NH

            Here’s the list of players my fiancee came up with in five minutes that are video game cover-worthy.

1.      Dirk Nowitzki

2.      Lebron James

3.      Derrick Rose

4.      Dwyane Wade

5.      Paul Pierce

6.      Rajon Rondo

7.      Ray Allen

8.      John Wall

9.      Blake Griffin

10.  Kevin Durant

11.  Kobe Bryant

12.  Steve Nash

13.  Marcin Gortat (just kidding!)

14.  Joakim Noah

15.  Amar’e Stoudamire

16.  Carmelo Anthony

17.  Pau Gasol

18.  Deron Williams

19.  Chris Paul

20.  DeMar DeRozan (another joke, but he’s her favorite under the radar player)

21.  Manu Ginobili

She realized she missed Dwight Howard after the fact, but otherwise that was a pretty solid list. With that said, this year is as good as any for the 2K Sports folks to embrace the legends of the game. The lockout is going to wipe out at least three months of the season, so it’s a good idea to distance the game a little bit from the current crop of players.

Will Yao Ming be remembered as a success or a failure? – Joe, Round Rock, TX

            I’m not one that will label a player who was limited by injury a failure (I prefer to categorize a player as a “woulda-shoulda-coulda”. Not very proffesional sounding, but then again, I’m not very proffesional), but Yao’s international impact is enough for him to be considered a success. He literally brought the NBA to China. Maybe Yao didn’t realize his full potential, but I have a feeling we’ll see a few Chinese players who were inspired by him that will make an impact within the next 10 years

I’m getting a little concerned about the polls. I need three ideas to improve my candidacy for ’12. – Barack O., Washington, D.C.

            No problem Mr. President. Without further ado…

1.      Install Chuck Norris as Secretary of Defense – I don’t even feel like I need to explain the awesomeness of this idea.

2.      Use your executive power to reverse the decision in the Casey Anthony case. You’ll secure 85% of the female vote that way.

3.      Wait for all the college folks that voted for you to give a crap about politics in 2012. Most kids could care less about mid-term senate races, but they’ll show up for the presidential race.

When you're caught between a rock and a hard place, is the rock not hard? – Megan L., Madison, NH

            Think of the phrase this way. Harrison Ford is old, but Betty White is older. So to put it in terms of an analogy, Harrison Ford is to a rock as Betty White is to a hard place. Rocks are a combo of different minerals, so here are a few substances that would be harder than your typical rock.

A.     Diamond

B.     Titanium Diboride

C.     Stishovite  

Give me the best back-handed compliment you’ve ever heard in person. – Trevor, Anchorage, AK

            I’m going to rename the people involved just incase one of them happens to read this column, but here goes…One Saturday night a few years ago I was hanging out with my friend “Dave”. Another old high-school buddy (we’ll call him “Cliff”) came over to my apartment with his fiancee “Christina”, who until that evening we had never met. After going to a couple of bars and having an after party at my place, Cliff and Christina left. Either that night or the following morning, Dave had this to say about Christina:

“You know, Christina was pretty cool for a girl that is engaged to Cliff.”

            If any of you have heard something better, feel free to e-mail me your backhanded compliment or post it in the comments section of this page.

5-years, $37.5 million for Steven Stamkos. Isn’t that a steal? – Lisa, Niagra Falls, NY

            It appears to be, but remember that Stamkos is only 21 years old. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent at 26, which should be right in the beginning of his prime. It was good faith on both sides as far as limiting the dollar amount and years of the contract.

What’s the best thing to compare the NBA’s grand unveiling of the 2011-12 schedule to? – Ty, Brockton, MA

            Other than giving Shaq the oppurtunity hydrolics  to bash Chris Bosh, a big waste of time.

Let's assume that we landed on the moon. I said “assume”. And let's assume that we actually killed Osama. Again I am just assuming here. And lets take into consideration the we can chuck a pumpkin through a massive tube great distances while still maintaining it's sphere appearance and brilliant color. At what point do you think I will be able to maintain cellular service wherever my GPS guides me? After all, cell phones were available when we supposedly landed on the moon, and for the gentleman that were hunting (I didn't say killing) Osama . I can't imagine that they would have lost cell service. Now you'll notice I didn't mention the pumpkin chucker's. Primarily because those guys only give a damn about manure, pumpkin seeds, hydrolics and velocity. Because Lord knows cell phones DON'T work in that part of the world. So, to summarize, what did the moon walkers and the spooks potentially have that I don't? This is Legion6T standing by. – Ryan B., Kearsarge, NH

            Believe it or not, there’s actually a simple answer to this long-winded question…the answer is that the astronauts and the Seals had access to more expensive technology. I’m positive that wireless companies have the capability of producing mobile devices that would have service anywhere on Earth, but the cost to produce them is so high that it is impractical to sell on the open market. You’re average American isn’t doing important things like gunning down terrorists.

            That concludes another riveting edition of the No Credentials Mailbag. Do you have a question you would like to see researched and answered? Send it to me at c_muir@hotmail.com, and I promise to at least spend a minimum of three minutes reading about it on Wikipedia. Until next time…

NL Central Preview

6. Pittsburgh Pirates

A-Level = CF Andrew McCutchen

B-Level = None

C-Level = 2B Neil Walker, 3B Pedro Alvarez, LF Jose Tabata, CL Joel Hanrahan, RP Evan Meek

Ceiling = 65 Wins

Floor = 50 Wins

How They Reach the Ceiling – Pittsburgh has a solid young group of offensive players that could deliver some wins. Neil Walker and Jose Tabata made valuable contributions to the club after being called up from the minors. Pedro Alvarez has prodigious power potential. He projects to be a 40 home run guy that can eventually anchor the lineup. Andrew McCutchen is the most complete player in their lineup that has the potential to hit 25 home runs and swipe 40 bases.

How They Can Fall to the Floor – Other than James McDonald, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff is devoid of any talent that has upside. Pittsburgh has some arms down in the minors, but it will be another couple of seasons before there young pitching talent meets up with the young bats that are already in the majors.

Floor or Ceiling? – Let’s put it this way…if you own a national league hitter on your fantasy team, and he is playing the Pirates, make sure you get him in your lineup. Pittsburgh’s lack of pitching will doom them to a 52-107 record.

5. Houston Astros

A-Level = None

B-Level = LF Carlos Lee, CF Michael Bourn, RF Hunter Pence, SP Wandy Rodriguez, SP Brett Myers

C-Level = 1B Brett Wallace, SP J.A. Happ, SP Bud Norris, CL Brandon Lyon, RP Wilton Lopez

Ceiling = 85 Wins

Floor = 60 Wins

How They Reach the Ceiling – Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers were quietly one of the best pitching duos during the second half of the 2010 season. If they can get solid production out of either J.A. Happ or Bud Norris, they will have three pitchers that can face off against the top clubs in the NL Central. For Houston’s offense to be productive, they will either need a comeback season from Carlos Lee or a breakout season from Brett Wallace.

How They Can Fall to the Floor – Not to keep this to simple, but if none of the things that can get them to their ceiling, they will be at the floor. There’s really no middle ground with this team.

Floor or Ceiling? – I like some of the pitchers, but like last year, this club will struggle to score runs. 67-95 is where I see Houston finishing.

4. Chicago Cubs

A-Level = CL Carlos Marmol

B-Level = 3B Aramis Ramirez, LF Alfonso Soriano, CF Marlon Byrd, SP Ryan Dempster, SP Matt Garza

C-Level = C Geovany Soto, 1B Carlos Pena, SS Starlin Castro, RF Tyler Colvin, SP Carlos Zambrano, RP Kerry Wood

Ceiling = 85 Wins

Floor = 65 Wins

How They Reach the Ceiling – I don’t think there is another team in baseball that needs as many guys to have bounce-back seasons. Aramis Ramirez needs to have a strong year after an injury plagued 2010. Alfonso Soriano has been mediocre the past couple of seasons. Free agent acquisition Carlos Pena had a batting average under .200 last season. Carlos Zambrano was so bad that he was moved into the bullpen for part of the season. Chicago needs at least three of these guys to have strong seasons to have a chance at getting over .500.

How They Can Fall to the Floor – If the pitching tanks, it could be a very long summer in Wrigleyville. This team gave up an awful lot for Matt Garza. While a decent pitcher, he’s never demonstrated that he can carry a rotation. Amazingly, Chicago gave up just as much (if not more) than Milwaukee gave up for Zack Greinke. Don’t underestimate the anticipation of Albert Pujols impending free agency on this team. If Chicago struggles, it will be all Pujols, all the time in Chicago sports-talk radio conversation. That topic will weigh heavily on the players who have to answer questions about Albert everyday in the clubhouse.

Floor or Ceiling? – Chicago will be better than last year, but won’t be good enough to kill the Pujols anticipation. Look for 76-86 and long-drawn out speculation about Albert Pujols that will make you long for the days of Carmelo Anthony wanting to get traded to the Knicks.   

3. St. Louis Cardinals

A-Level = 1B Albert Pujols, LF Matt Holliday, SP Chris Carpenter

B-Level = CF Colby Rasmus, SP Jaime Garcia, CL Ryan Franklin

C-Level = SS Ryan Theriot, 3B David Freese, RF Lance Berkman, SP Jake Westbrook, SP Kyle Lohse, RP Jason Motte

Ceiling = 90 Wins

Floor = 75 Wins

How They Reach the Ceiling – Pujols and Holliday are as good a 1-2 punch as there is in baseball. If Colby Rasmus can make a leap, St. Louis could score a ton of runs this season. 3B David Freese is also a wildcard. Someone on this pitching staff needs to step up and replace the absence of Adam Wainwright. Jaime Garcia seems to be the most likely candidate.

How They Fall to the Floor – If there is no one that fills Wainwright’s shoes, pitching will be a major issue. This team has thrived with Carpenter and Wainwright logging at least seven innings a start. With just one ace, this bullpen could get burnt out early in the season. I don’t think Pujols contract situation will impact this veteran group much, but that will be the elephant in the room with this team all year long.

Ceiling or Floor? – Unless Pujols bats .400 and smashes 55 home runs, I don’t think the pitching is good enough. I’ll predict an 82-80 finish.

2. Cincinnati Reds

A-Level = 1B Joey Votto, 2B Brandon Phillips

B-Level = 3B Scott Rolen, CF Drew Stubbs, RF Jay Bruce, SP Edinson Volquez, SP Bronson Arroyo, SP Johnny Cueto, RP Aroldis Chapman

C-Level = LF Johnny Gomes, SP Homer Bailey, CL Francisco Cordero

Ceiling = 95 Wins

Floor = 80 Wins

How They Reach the Ceiling – Cincinnati doesn’t necessarily wow you with a ton of A-level talent, but they have as much depth as any team in baseball. Joey Votto is poised to reach 40+ homers for the first time in his career. Jay Bruce is also due for a major breakout. The starting staff would be greatly enhanced if Homer Bailey finally begins to live up to his potential. The Reds still have plenty of depth in their farm system, and should be able to make a trade to fill a hole before the trade deadline.

How They Fall to the Floor – A pitching staff implosion is the only thing that will keep the Reds mired around .500.

Ceiling or Floor? – Cincinnati’s offense will muscle this team very close to it’s ceiling. This could be high, but I see a 93-69 season for Cincinnati. They will be players for the division and the wildcard all year long.

1. Milwaukee Brewers

A-Level = 1B Prince Fielder, LF Ryan Braun, SP Zack Greinke

B-Level = 2B Rickie Weeks, 3B Casey McGehee, RF Corey Hart, SP Yovani Gallardo, SP Shaun Marcum, CL John Axford

C-Level = SP Randy Wolf, RP Takashi Saito

Ceiling = 100 Wins

Floor = 85 Wins

How They Reach the Ceiling – Trading for Zach Greinke and signing Shaun Marcum was two of the shrewdest moves in the off-season. Milwaukee has built the deepest rotation in the division. If Randy Wolf bounces back from a disappointing 2010, this team can push 100 wins.

How They Fall to the Floor – Similar to San Francisco, pitching is not the concern. Milwaukee’s offense is filled with a lot of guys that can hit the ball out of the park, but not a lot of guys who consistently get on base. Without a spark at the top of the lineup, this is a team that could be prone to prolonged slumps.

Ceiling or Floor? – Call me a fool, but I love the Brewers this year. Prince Fielder playing for a new contract should carry the offense. I’m predicting a 96-66 season, as well as a puncher’s chance at knocking off Philadelphia in the playoffs.