KentNewsNet Blogs

Fans of any type of Cleveland sports team get used to the feeling of depression. Nothing ever seems to go right for them.

During the 2007 season, the Indians were just one game from the World Series when they lost. The Indians have gone more than 60 years without bringing a championship back to the city of Cleveland. To make matters worse, the Colorado Rockies looked horrible playing against the Boston Red Sox in the World Series that year. The Tribe would have most likely won that championship, ending the drought.

But that was just fine for Tribe fans because there is always hope for the next season. C.C. Sabathia won the Cy Young during the 2007 season, and Fausto Carmona was fourth in the voting with 19 wins. All of us Indians fans were pumped to watch them pitch in the 2008 season.

Unfortunately, it didn’t go too well.

Sabathia played mediocre at best while he was with the Indians, and Carmona suffered with hip problems and only won eight games.

Oh yeah, and to make matters worse, when Sabathia went to the Milwaukee Brewers he pitched phenomenal. Sabathia won 11 games and pitched seven complete games, with a earned run average of 1.65.

The pitching wasn’t the only problem for the Tribe, but it did hurt a lot. It’s hard to make the playoffs without a solid starting rotation. The only bright light for fans was watching Cliff Lee pitch. He won the Indians’ second consecutive Cy Young award.

The Tribe missed the playoffs by 7.5 games in 2008. So now all of the loyal Indians fans just get to sit around this offseason and hope for the best in 2009.

The Browns had a similar scenario in their last two seasons.

In 2007, the Browns had a record of 10-6. They were tied for the division lead but didn’t hold the tiebreaker. And guess who did. The Steelers … AWESOME!

Then the Browns followed that season up with a miserable four wins in 2008.

And what did the Steelers do during this year?

Unfortunately, as long as you have the ability to communicate you know the answer to this question. They are in the Super Bowl playing a team that looks no better than a really good Arena Football League team.

Luckily for the city of Cleveland, the Cavs also play on Super Bowl Sunday. As of right now, the Cavs are looking good enough to make it to the NBA finals, and LeBron James is having an MVP-caliber season.

So something good can come out of that horrid day if the Cavaliers can pick up a win. It might ease the pain of seeing another Pittsburgh championship.

Contact Cleveland sports blogger Cody Erbacher at cerbache@kent.edu.

This is a Pittsburgh blog. So in today’s discussion, we will be talking about the Penguins’ disappointing season along with some news regarding Pirates offseason acquisitions.

Got ya.

Super Bowl XLIII is three days away, and the smell of corny Budweiser commercials fills the air. It seems as though every time a sports show is on TV or the radio, the lead reads “Blah, blah, blah, and in Super Bowl news … ”

Super Bowl Sunday has become a national holiday in America. Within the next 72 hours, you’ll be hearing predictions from “experts” on TV, washed-up NFL players who become analysts (and can’t pronounce the words on the teleprompter), the annoying guy that sits at the bar, your wife’s friend who acts like she knows where the Cardinals are from, 8-year-old boys who “LOVE THE STEELERS!” but think the Cardinals jerseys are “SO COOL!” and finally … me: a 19-year-old diehard Steelers fan who is trapped in the greater Cleveland area.

So here are my Super Bowl XLIII predictions:

1. John Clayton, ESPN NFL analyst, will be mistaken for a free-candy-van driver.

2. Pedro Gomez, another ESPN NFL analyst, will be mistaken for a robot. (Don’t believe me? Listen to him talk next time he’s reporting.)

3. The game itself will be no different than if it were taking place at Heinz Field. Old Pittsburghers retire in Florida. Retirees in Arizona? Well, you get what I’m saying …

4. Limas Sweed, the Steelers’ rookie wide receiver, will drop a “he’s wide open” touchdown pass.

5. Willie Parker won’t break his Super Bowl record-setting 75-yard touchdown run, but he will get damn close.

6. Hines Ward will get drilled at one point or another and smile so bright, Crest will be docked $3 million for a commercial spot.

7. Bruce Springsteen will be mistaken for being alive.

8. Matt Leinart will say to himself, “Wow, and I thought USC’s party scene was big.”

9. GQ will put Larry Fitgerald on its cover. Win or lose.

10. Dallas Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones will offer the MVP of the game captain status of the Cowboys and naming rights to their new stadium.

11. Casey Hampton will wobble his way onto the field, get down into his stance, look across the line and say, “I hear we got filet and lobster for halftime!”

12. The beer companies will, once again, dominate the commercials. On Monday morning, the office talk won’t center around the game, but Budweiser’s 30-second comedy show.

13. Bill Cowher’s opinion on the game will be as generic as Cola. He has too many ties between the two teams, and frankly, I’m not too sure he would endorse his former city as much as you think.

14. “I think I think” Peter King’s column should get more attention than it does

15. … And to go along with King’s No. 10 (and Rick Reilly’s column:), the NBC cameramen will be filming more of Larry Fitzgerald Sr. than No. 11 himself.

16. The first offensive play of the game for the Steelers will be called by Ken Whisenhunt. Yes, you read that right. Back in Super Bowl XL, the most memorable play was Antwaan Randel El’s reverse pass to Hines Ward that went for a touchdown. This year, Whisenhunt will get a taste of his own medicine — only Santonio Holmes or Nate Washington will be involved.

17. Snoop Dogg will be shown with black and gold on. He’s a diehard Steelers fan.

18. Michael Phelps will not be seen with a Baltimore Ravens jersey on.

19. Wiz Khalifa, a Pittsburgh rapper, will explode if the Steelers win the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh needs a hip-hop icon. This victory would help.

20. Super Bowl XLIII MVP: Hines Ward. Arizona will not be as worried of Mr. Ward because of the status of his knee. He’ll quickly shush the haters and have yet another MVP performance in the Super Bowl. This will be the story of the night.

21. Final score … drum roll, please…

… Pittsburgh, 31, Arizona, 24.

It will be a high scoring affair, but in the end, Pittsburgh’s defense will be too much to handle.

Until next week, Steel City Blog is on a week break. Wave those Terrible Towels.

Contact Steel City blogger Michael Moses at mmoses3@kent.edu.

Richie Scheuermann | Daily Kent Stater

Nobody in his or her right mind can deny the dominance of the NBA’s best player, LeBron James. It’s almost as if he was genetically engineered to play basketball, yet at 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, he looks more like an NFL tight end than a small forward.

The man also almost single-handedly carried Cleveland to the NBA finals two seasons ago. Unfortunately, it was evident that the Cavs could not compete against the Western Conference after being swept away by the Spurs like kitchen floor dust.

Then the 2007-2008 season came.

With the Cavs’ lackluster play for the majority of the season, general manager Danny Ferry decided to make a change.

On Feb. 22, 2008, one minute before the trade deadline, Cleveland arranged a massive three-team trade involving 11 players. The deal brought in center Ben Wallace, guard Delonte West and forwards Wally Szczerbiak and Joe Smith. It also shipped out forwards Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons, Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall, along with guards Larry Hughes and Shannon Brown.

It was a shocking deal to say the least, but it also made Cavaliers fans eager to see if the team could finally roam the plains of the promise land.

LeBron and his new supporting cast advanced to the second round of the playoffs only to be eliminated in an epic 7-game series against Boston and its holy trinity.

Then the offseason came.

The Cavs made a solid draft pick by attaining J.J. Hickson, who has become a valid second-tier power forward.

The real turn-around for Cleveland was acquiring free agent Mo Williams, the former Milwaukee Bucks guard who tore up the Cavs defense on several occasions the prior season.

Williams signified someone who could create his own baskets, instead of having the entire team depend on No. 23. He has allowed LeBron to grow into a more efficient and effective superstar. Teams have to game-plan for two potent scorers instead of simply sending an entire militia of men out for King James’ throat. Williams quickly became the player that Hughes was supposed to be.

It was probably Ferry’s best move so far as the Cavaliers GM, and it has put Cleveland into the elite category of the NBA.

What else could the Cavs have asked for?

Williams currently ranks in the top 50 players in the league in scoring at 16.4 per and is doing it with very solid 47 percent shooting from the field. He is also shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point range and is fourth in the league in free-throw percentage, something the Cavs have desperately struggled with in the past.

Williams and LeBron have combined for 44.8 points per game and have become one of the scariest duos in all of the NBA. They may not be Pippen and Jordan, but I don’t think any Cavs fan can complain about the two.

Cleveland now has the highest winning percentage in the Eastern Conference, without Big Z or Delonte West.

The question is: can the Cleveland Cavaliers take it to the next level and win a championship? In any circumstance, it is clear that the Cavs have taken their play to another level.

I personally cannot get enough of this team, and all I can say is, “I want ‘Mo!’”

Contact NBA blogger Richie Scheuermann at rscheue1@kent.edu.

Michael Moses | Daily Kent Stater

Well, it’s just another January in Pittsburgh. Snowy, cold, freezing rain, winning football games. No big deal though, it’s only our seventh trip to the Super Bowl.

(Sorry, for you Cleveland fans out there- “Super Bowl: Noun: The NFL’s championship game held annually between the best team of the AFC and that of the NFC”).

Don’t mind the joke. I had to;it’s in my blood. Yes, the Steelers are going to Super Bowl XLIII, only three years removed from hoisting up their last Lombardi Trophy. But this … this game has a lot more behind it than just another ring (we’re starting on our other hand, by the way).

Sure, a Pennsylvania Super Bowl would have been nice if Andy Reid and the Eagles wouldn’t have lost in the NFC Championship (again), but playing the Arizona Cardinals (?) proves the point that Pittsburgh truly does have the greatest franchise in the NFL.

Ken Whisenhunt, the Arizona Cardinals’ (in case you live under an anthill in Brazil, that’s the Steelers opponent) coach, was the offensive coordinator for the Steelers during their last Super Bowl victory. When former Steelers coach Bill Cowher retired, everyone, including the team, figured Whisenhunt would take over the reins.

Nope.

If it wasn’t going to be him, it had to be Russ Grimm. He was Pittsburgh’s offensive line coach during the `05 championship season. Along with Whisenhunt, Grimm was announced as one of the final three for the head honcho’s spot. Only a guy named Mike Tomlin stood in their way.

Here’s the sparknotes.com version of what played out: Tomlin got the job, and Whisenhunt exited feeling screwed (as he should have) and took over as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, taking Grimm with him.

Both coaches were hired with one goal on their minds: to reach the Super Bowl. It just so happens they reached that pinnacle in the exact same year.

The Pittsburgh ties don’t stop with Arizona there, though. Sean Morey, a special teams co-captain in 2005 and 2006 for the Steelers, led the team in special teams tackles in each of his three years wearing black and gold (2004-06) and was named a Pro Bowl alternate in 2005. Whisenhunt wisely packed him in his suitcase.

You’ll also find former Steelers Brian St. Pierre (backup QB, 2003-04/2006-07) and Clark Haggans (linebacker, 2000-2007) on the Cardinals’ roster as well.

Here’s where it gets fun. Reggie Wells, Arizona’s starting offensive guard, played at South Park High School (20 minutes from Pittsburgh) and played his college ball at Clarion.

Cardinals wide receiver Steve Breaston had his coming-out party this year, posting 77 catches and going over 1,000 yards receiving as the No. 3 wideout on the depth chart. Breaston grew up in — how about this? — Pittsburgh. He led Woodland Hills to the WPIAL Class AAAA title, gaining 219 yards on 15 carries during a 41-6 victory, was named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year and was selected as Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s co-Player of the Year in 2001.

Gerald Hayes, Arizona’s starting middle linebacker, played for the Pittsburgh Panthers and was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He led Arizona in tackles last season.

And lastly … a guy by the name of Larry Fitzgerald. You know, that “No. 11” you see on all the highlight reels going up for jump balls. Recently broke Jerry Rice’s postseason record for receiving yards with STILL one game left! Best wide receiver in the league, hands down. Do you even have to ask where he played his college ball?

… Thought not.

Contact Pittsburgh sports blogger Michael Moses at mmoses3@kent.edu.

Cody Erbacher | Daily Kent Stater

NBA

After a tough loss Tuesday night against the L.A. Lakers, the Cavaliers beat the Portland Trail Blazers by six points on Wednesday night, 104-98.

The Cavs couldn’t be blamed for the loss against the Lakers because Zydrunas Ilgauskas wasn’t playing due to injury. That left Anderson Varejao attempting to guard the monsters that play down low for the Lakers. Varejao is not big enough to starting as a center against the powerhouse teams like the Lakers.

The Cavs will look to continue their winning ways as they play the Golden State Warriors on Friday and the Utah Jazz on Saturday away from home.

LeBron takes shot at Knicks

Quite frankly, nothing about talking about the Knicks’ bad defense is relevant to LeBron’s decision on possibly leaving the Cavs in 2010. Besides, the Knicks aren’t going to have good defense when they play LeBron anyway; they’re all too busy thinking about how nice it’s going to be to play with him instead of playing against him.

MLB

For all you Omar Vizquel fans, keep tabs on the Texas Rangers because they signed him for a minor league contract. Vizquel will have an invitation to spring training, and he will be competing for a chance to be used as a utility infielder.

Carmona may soon be off Classic roster

This is good news that Fausto Carmona might not participate in the World Baseball Classic. Not participating would give him time to be with his team in spring training and get back to where he was two years ago when he won 19 games.

Wedge touts versatility on Press Tour

NFL

Unfortunately for Browns fans, LeBron isn’t leaving the Cavs to play for the struggling football team as the new State Farm commercial depicts.

All I can say as a Browns fan is hopefully the producers at ESPN realize that they can stop talking about the Steelers so much. I don’t think they realize that the Super Bowl has a second team competing. Also, the game is still two Sundays away. Do we really have to endure all the Pittsburgh talk so soon before the Super Bowl?

Contact Cleveland sports blogger Cody Erbacher at cerbache@kent.edu.

Aaron Martin | KentNewsNet Blogger

Traditionally, the ACC without question is the best college basketball conference year in and year out. This undeniable truth for more than a decade came into question in 2005 when the Big East expanded to 16 teams (legitimate schools such as recent Final Four participants Louisville and Marquette were among the additions).

So now the question that seemed so absurd just three years ago seems reasonable. Is the Big East a better basketball conference than the ACC?

In last year’s NCAA Tournament the Big East produced eight teams, the ACC four.

According to the latest AP poll, the Big East has a ridiculous eight teams in the top 25. The ACC has four teams.

The most common argument for the ACC is that it has the best teams at the top. While I don’t totally agree with this theory, let’s explore it anyway.

Since 2000, ACC schools have won three national titles: Duke (2001), Maryland (2002) and North Carolina (2005).

In that same time period the Big East won two titles: Syracuse (2003) and Connecticut (2004).
Even if you look at Final Four teams since 2000, the ACC has seven vs. the Big East’s five (I counted teams currently in the Big East who weren’t at the time).

While the ACC might have an advantage at the top, it’s not as significant as Dick Vitale would have us believe.

Truth is, the only way to evaluate a conference is how it stacks up top to bottom. Given the Big East has twice as many ranked teams and has a legitimate shot to be the first conference to produce 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament, it’s hard to make a case for the ACC being stronger.

But don’t take my word for it. Watch for Big East scores this season. I guarentee there will not only be plenty of ranked teams going head-to-head this season, but there will be plenty of upsets to prove the strength of the best conference in basketball.

That’s something you likely won’t see much in the ACC.

Contact college basketball blogger Aaron Martin at amarti3@kent.edu.

The Flashman Papers

Chapter 1: Nothing could be finer than to play North Caroliner … Central

Kent State 83, North Carolina Central 42 

Hey kids, it’s friendly Daily Kent Stater sports reporter Thomas Gallick. Keep checking the blog all (home) season for my worthless, bleacher bum coverage of the Kent State basketball program. And feel free to say something stupid in the stands — it very well could turn up in the “Overheard in the Stands” section.    

Last night I ventured out into the slushy wilderness that is Kent in winter for one purpose only: to make sure North Carolina Central actually exists. I mean, I follow college basketball every year. Who are these dudes? I saw them. They exist. Their warm-ups are hoodies. Now that you know that key fact, let’s break down the game.    

All categories are judged on the Haminn Quaintance scale … with one Q equaling Gabe Garcia skill level and five Qs equaling a throw-down by our favorite former big man.  

Offense

QQQQ

Al Fisher looked smooth as the on-court general of the Flash offense. Brandon Parks and newcomer Anthony Simpson look as though they can really contribute down low. Oh, and they were playing North Carolina Central, so they’re automatically docked a Q for not doubling the Eagles in points.  

Defense

QQQQ

I don’t care if you’re playing Central Alaska Technical Community College, holding a college team to fewer than 50 points is impressive. The Flashes also looked as if they could reach out and take the ball at will. Seriously, I still question the validity of 17 steals on the stat sheet, and I saw them live.  

Opponent

Q

I hate to rag on the Eagles, but I went to see if they existed and only saw faint signs of life. Did I mention they wore warm-ups with hoods? They get a Q for that.  

Fans

QQQ.5

Actually, the fan support at the MACC was not that bad last night, even with snowy weather and an opponent who would lose a couple games at the intramural tournament at the rec. Good for you, Kent State fans. Now, if half of the people who came would just come out for the football game against Northern Illinois tonight … 

Player of the Game

Al Fisher “of men” is that guy who plays in pick-up games and ruins your day. You know, everyone else is at the same level and some kid walks on the court and can’t miss a shot, embarrassing you and making you want to quit the game forever. That’s what Al Fisher does, only to other college players. The senior guard had a team-high 15 points, not to mention eight boards, and boy did it all look effortless.  
 

Overheard in the stands

Two chaps behind me have as informed a conversation about Antonio DiMaria as possible:

“I heard he was a redshirt last year.”

“What?”

“They redshirted him last year. I don’t remember his name, though.” 

Next Game

The Flashes travel to St. Louis Wednesday to play the Billikens. Loyal Kent State basketball fans will remember the Flashes held St. Louis to negative-5 points last year in a sterling defensive effort. 

Nick Walton | Daily Kent Stater

As a child, there was a variety of professions that I wanted to have.

From a player in the National Basketball Association to the next great movie director, I wanted to be a lot of things. My loftiest goal was to become the president of the United States. I would have loved to be the leader of the free world.

Currently, I’m one of the quality journalists at our fine university, but if I were president I would use all of my resources to fix the problems with sports. As far as the issues that really matter to American citizens, I’d relegate those responsibilities to someone else.

College football

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen teams get hosed out of playing for a national championship when they had better qualifications than the teams that play in the championship.

If I were president, I would keep the Bowl Championship Series standings as a way to determine seeds for a playoff system. The polls from other organizations wouldn’t come out until the sixth week of the season so we wouldn’t have top-five teams getting knocked off in the first week of the season. Teams would have to earn their rankings.

The best teams in the nation would end up in the BCS standings, and the top eight teams would play in the BCS playoffs. All of the teams that don’t qualify for the playoffs would play in bowl games.

To help make things even among the teams, I would have all of the conference regular seasons end in November, and there would be no conference championships. Football is a game that is meant to be played in adverse conditions, so it wouldn’t be a problem if games were played in December.

The National Football League

The New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers recently played in London to help promote football in foreign countries. If I were president, I would stop NFL commissioners from subjecting teams to traveling overseas to promote a game that isn’t popular in another country.

The great teams of the Premier League aren’t flocking over to America to promote the great game of soccer, so we don’t need to send our best teams over to Europe.

I personally like the sudden death overtime format of the NFL — if you don’t win in regulation, too bad — but I am willing to appeal to the masses and expand overtime to a format that is similar to college football.

Another problem I would fix is when defensive players celebrate. Defensive players were big proponents of enforcing celebration penalties, but they always get away with just as stupid celebrations.

If Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis touches a guy down after he was already on his way down, Lewis gets up and celebrates like he cured world hunger. I get sick of these weak celebrations that need to be banned.

If these aren’t banned, then I am in favor of a return of touchdown celebrations from Terrell Owens and Chad Ocho Cinco. If defenses don’t like celebrations, don’t let playmakers score.

Major League Baseball

The wild card is one of the best things to happen to baseball, but it hurts teams that cruise through the season. Look at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. They won 100 games this season, but because their division is so weak they got bounced in the first round.

To prevent first-place teams from coasting into the playoffs, I would start the season in the middle of May. The season is long enough, and if some games were cut, it would tighten the races for the playoffs and allow for a more competitive postseason.

As Americans, we need to be honest with ourselves: The World Series has been unwatchable since 2003. If the World Series posts low ratings after the first two games, Fox should send the series to the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) until the ratings get better.

Too often playoff baseball games come on too late. Children who want to watch their favorite player in the playoffs shouldn’t have to stay up past midnight. I would push for more playoff games in the daytime and also encourage for a World Series game to be played in the afternoon.

I would also like to enforce a collective bargaining agreement that promoted revenue sharing similar to what the NFL has. I would also set a minimum amount of money teams have to spend so we don’t have cheap owners.

The last thing I would try to improve about MLB is to get rid of the designated hitter. If a player can put up great offensive numbers, he should be able to play first base.

College basketball

I don’t have many complaints with college basketball because of March Madness. The only thing I would do is have the NCAA encourage the NBA to get rid the age limit.

It’s pointless to have student-athletes only try academically for one semester and then leave for the NBA. It’s a waste of people’s time and money.

National Basketball Association

The dress code has to go.

We should be glad that Allen Iverson had respect for history and wore NBA throwback jerseys. Commissioner David Stern was mad because the NBA wasn’t going to make a profit off of do-rags and NFL jerseys.

Similar to MLB, the NBA season is too long and needs to be cut by at least 15 games. For years I’ve been a proponent of keeping the first round of the playoffs as a best-of-five series, and I still support this format.

Even though LeBron James is my favorite player, I feel superstars get calls they don’t deserve. This precedent started in the Michael Jordan era, and it needs to stop. We also need better officiating in the game so we don’t have people complaining about referees all the time.

Even though I won’t be eligible to run for president until 2024, I’m laying out the groundwork for a successful campaign that will fix sports over problems that can’t be solved anyway. I hope I convinced you to vote for me in the future.

Contact sports reporter Nick Walton at nwalton1@kent.edu.

Douglas Gulasy and Jeff Russ | Daily Kent Stater

Some college football teams don’t really hit their stride until midseason. A team will go from looking OK to looking unstoppable.

Need an example? Take Pittsburgh. The Panthers looked pretty mediocre through their first few games of the season. Even though they started 4-1, there were rumblings that the Panthers were a bit overrated to be in the top 25.

Then last weekend happened. Pittsburgh destroyed Navy 42-21, and the score doesn’t begin to tell you how much the Panthers dominated the game. Navy really didn’t stop Pitt’s offense, while the Panthers shut down the Midshipmen.

Why are we telling you this? Because it took five games for the Panthers to become their ideal team. Meanwhile, it took one off week for us before we reached our midseason form.

Doug went 9-1 last week after a rather disappointing 6-4 opening week. Once again, he was one game better than Jeff, who went 8-2 last week after going 5-5 in Week 1.

Overall, Doug is 15-5 after two weeks, a winning percentage of .750. Jeff is 13-7, a .650 winning percentage. As you’ll notice, both winning percentages are significantly better than Doug Martin’s. 

Now for this week:

10. Kent State (1-6) at Miami (2-5)

Analysis: Speaking of Doug Martin … Martin and his boys head down to Oxford for a conference game with the RedHawks. After attending Martin’s Monday press conference, It’s safe to say that he’s getting a little frustrated with the team. And why wouldn’t he be? The Flashes can’t catch punts or make extra points, and half the time they can’t stop the other team. Not to mention they haven’t won a game against a Division I football team in nearly 13 months. Will that change this week? It’s hard to tell …

Jeff’s pick: Kent State

Doug’s pick: Miami

9. Virginia Tech (5-2) at No. 25 Florida State (5-1)

Analysis:  And here’s your token low-scoring ACC game of the week. Florida State’s offense is better than most other SEC teams’, but that honestly isn’t saying much. Virginia Tech, of course, would love to have the Seminoles’ offense; the Hokies are averaging fewer than 300 yards per game. ACC games are always so tough to pick because we don’t think there’s ever truly a winner.

Jeff’s pick: Florida State

Doug’s pick: Florida State

8. Eastern Michigan (2-6) at Ball State (7-0)

Analysis: This one could get ugly. Ball State is the best team in the Mid-American Conference, and the Cardinals are playing at home, where they’ve averaged slightly more than 41 points per game this season. Eastern Michigan, on the other hand, is one of the worst teams in the MAC. The Eagles are coming off a 42-35 loss to Akron last week. It won’t be so close this week.

Jeff’s pick: Ball State

Doug’s pick: Ball State

7. Rutgers (2-5) at No. 17 Pittsburgh (5-1)

Analysis: This one could also get ugly. As mentioned above, Pittsburgh seems to be rounding into form after its pasting of Navy last week. The Panthers have won five games in a row and are ranked the highest they’ve been since 1989. Running back LeSean McCoy is beginning to validate some of the preseason Heisman hype he received, as he’s rushed for 447 yards and three touchdowns in the past three games. Rutgers squeaked by Connecticut last week for its first win this season over a Division I team. The Scarlet Knights don’t have much offense to speak of, and that will be compounded by the fact that the Panthers’ defense is beginning to pick it up.

Jeff’s pick: Pittsburgh

Doug’s pick: Pittsburgh

6. Colorado (4-3) at No. 15 Missouri (5-2)

Analysis: How far the mighty have fallen. Missouri was ranked No. 3 in the country and was talking championship two weeks ago. Two straight losses later and Missouri is all of a sudden looking like a team that desperately needs a win this week. The Tigers got destroyed by Texas last week. Luckily for them, Colorado is no Texas (and no Oklahoma State, for that matter). The Buffaloes edged out Kansas State last week to end a three-game losing streak, but it’s a much tougher test for them this week. Jeff has faith in Dan Hawkins; Doug doesn’t.

Jeff’s pick: Colorado

Doug’s pick: Missouri

5. No. 8 Texas Tech (7-0) at No. 23 Kansas (5-2)

Analysis: If you want to pick a team to pity, make it Texas Tech. The Red Raiders next four games look like this: at No. 23 Kansas, vs. No. 1 Texas, vs. No. 6 Oklahoma State and at No. 4 Oklahoma. This week marks the Red Raiders’ first real test of the season, as they haven’t really been taxed this season. Kansas, which gave up 674 yards in a 45-31 loss to Oklahoma last week, will be faced with the difficult task of stopping the Red Raiders and QB Graham Harrell (2,761 yards, 23 touchdowns). It won’t be easy.

Jeff’s pick: Kansas

Doug’s pick: Texas Tech

4. No. 7 Georgia (6-1) at No. 13 LSU (5-1)

Analysis: This one is a toss-up. Georgia faces two difficult games in a row with the Tigers this week and Florida next week. The Bulldogs beat No. 22 Vanderbilt last week but only scored 24 points in doing so. LSU’s defense is better than Vanderbilt’s, but their offense leaves something to be desired. Make no mistake, though: It is very difficult for an opposing team to leave LSU’s Death Valley with a win. Can Georgia do it? Jeff and Doug disagree again.

Jeff’s pick: LSU

Doug’s pick: Georgia

3. No. 3 Penn State (8-0) at No. 9 Ohio State (7-1)

Analysis: It makes us a bit uneasy to know that we’ve only agreed on three of seven picks so far. Of course, that is what makes the editors’ picks so exciting. As for this game, Penn State faces its biggest test of the season so far. The Nittany Lions struggled for nearly three quarters against Michigan last week before putting them away 46-17. Ohio State had quite possibly its best performance of the season in a 45-7 drubbing of Michigan State. A slightly mobile quarterback gave Penn State fits for a while last week. What, then, will the Nittany Lions think about Terrelle Pryor?

Jeff’s pick: Ohio State

Doug’s pick: Ohio State

2. No. 2 Alabama (7-0) at Tennessee (3-4)

Analysis: The buzzards are circling in Tennessee, where Phil Fulmer’s seat isn’t just hot — it’s enflamed. The Volunteers had high preseason hopes, but they have sunk below mediocrity this season. Into this situation steps Alabama, the No. 2 team in the country. It took Nick Saban just one season to get the Tide rolling again. However, as the Crimson Tide struggled to put Mississippi away last week, they’d be unwise to overlook the team in pastel orange.

Jeff’s pick: Alabama

Doug’s pick: Alabama

1. No. 6 Oklahoma State (7-0) at No. 1 Texas (7-0)

 Analysis: Oklahoma State is no fluke. One week after going into Missouri and shocking the Tigers, the Cowboys thumped Baylor 34-6. Of course, Texas is even less of a fluke. One week after the Longhorns came back to beat No. 1 Oklahoma, they put an absolute whooping on Missouri. The Longhorns won the game 56-31, and it wasn’t even that close. This week, though, Colt McCoy and the boys are facing a defense that’s just a smidgen better than Missouri’s.

 Jeff’s pick: Oklahoma State

Doug’s pick: Texas

Contact assistant sports editor Douglas Gulasy at dgulasy@kent.edu and campus editor Jeff Russ at jruss@kent.edu.

Josh Johnston | Daily Kent Stater

An MLB executive probably shed a few quiet tears when the Phillies beat the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. Sure, Philadelphia’s victory destroyed the chance of a Manny-Red Sox reunion, but the City of Brotherly Love is still one of the largest TV markets in the nation. So no point in crying over spilled milk.

When the Rays outlasted Boston in the American League Championship Series last weekend, that same executive probably started eyeing buyout options while uncontrollable sobs of despair rained down on his polished shoes. No Red Sox Nation? Up to four games at the American League’s least-attended ballpark? This could be worse than the 2004 Cardinals-Tigers series (yeah, bet you didn’t even realize the Tigers have actually gone to the World Series in the past 20 years).

So why bother watching the Fall Classic this year? Why root for someone else’s team? Why care about the 2008 World Series?

1. Because it’s the American thing to do.

Baseball is right up there with muscle cars and Starbucks on the list of things American to the core. It’s not called America’s pastime for nothing. Sure, many of the MLB’s best players are from Japan and Central America, but aren’t the best cars and coffee also made in those countries?

2. Because 2008 will be an underdog story for the ages.

Last year the Rays finished in last place in the AL East. 2006? Last place. 2005? Last place. In fact, Tampa Bay had landed in the cellar in nine of their 10 seasons in existence. The other season? The Rays edged Toronto by three games to take fourth. Tampa Bay has three seasons of 100 losses or more and two very close calls to that number in 2003 and 1998.

But 2008 has been different. No longer are the Rays the laughingstock of professional baseball. Gone are the days of the loser Devil Rays. Names such as Evan Longoria, Scott Kazmir and Dioner Navarro showed up on the AL All-Star lineup. Tampa Bay refused to lose to the resurgent Boston Red Sox to claim its first ever World Series spot.

This is the stuff movies are made out of. This is the magic of the 2007 Colorado Rockies, who won 21 of their last 22 games to make the World Series. This is Curt Schilling’s bloody sock in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS. This is the Arizona Diamondbacks ending the New York Yankees’ three-year reign over the World Series in 2001. This is possibly the greatest turnaround in sport’s history …

… and no one seems to know or care about it.

3. Because this could be the return of an exciting Series.

Three of the last four Series have been sweeps, with 2006 ending in five games. One of baseball’s unfortunate flaws is that it takes time to build up excitement. Sure, Opening Day and the first game of the Series can be thrilling, but fans tend to come on later in the season or in the final games of the Series.

The last few Fall Classics have seen division winners dominate wild-card opponents. Yeah, the wild-card Red Sox did sweep the NL Central champion St. Louis, but Boston won strictly because of destiny and therefore that series shouldn’t count.

This year pits the powerful bats of Philadelphia against the young hurlers of Tampa Bay. The pitcher’s nightmare of Citizens Bank Park and catwalks of Tropicana. A manager who never says die and the uncanny Joe Maddon.

The Phillies have had a week since their last game, so how many at-bats will it take for the rust to shake off? The Rays’ hitters have made hitting home runs look like child’s play lately, but have their rotation’s arms fully healed from the grueling ALCS? The 2008 World Series has possibly an endless number of great matchups and storylines.

4. Because it’ll be the only thing worth watching that week.

Come on, what else is going to be on TV the week before the election? Campaign commercials? Who isn’t tired of those yet?

Contact sports reporter Josh Johnston at jjohns64@kent.edu. Just don’t do it at 8 p.m., because he’ll be watching baseball.