The Nav - All Thing Sports

Giants win SB 46!!!

2012-02-11T19:00:00.005-05:00

Ever seen an athlete or sportsperson quietly pump his or her closed fists, eyes closed with a smug smile of satisfaction?

Nothing showy or attention grabbing, not making any grand gesturing statement, just the feeling of having overcome so many struggles, self doubt and now a enjoying personal moment of joy and triumph.

I wish there was a word to perfectly describe that sight.

Go Giants! Great job Eli Manning.

How eerily similar was this Giants superbowl run to 2007/2008 season. Peter King, sports Illustrated writer, described it best in his Monday Morning QB column. Maybe I can find the link and attach it here. someday.

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David Boon interview

2010-03-20T03:12:00.004-04:00

Just read this short interview with David Boon on Cricinfo and boy are they right!

In my mind, between 1991-1994 Boon was probably one of the best batsmen in the world. Compact defense and good attacking shots on the off-side was what I remember, especially watching the highlight package (around 10 PM on DD) of India's tour to Australia 1991. A quick twirl of his wrists, a reasonably high backlift and see the ball flying thru' the offside. He took a particular liking of the Indian bowling attack.

Another clear memory was during the one of the ODI's which followed the test matches, where Boon who typically opened with Geoff Marsh, scored a chanceless 107* to chase down a low Indian total. I think Dean Jones partnered on the other end scored 48.

Good times.Dont get to see characters like Boonie playing cricket anymore. Its all different now..

Forgotten Cricketers: Part Three

2010-03-19T12:48:00.007-04:00

In this part we shall look closely at Indian cricket's two biggest banes - Wicket Keeping and the dearth of the Indian All Rounder.

Wicket Keepers -

There is something assuring about the presence of M.S Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik behind the stumps these days. The assurement that these guys can compete as one of the better batsmen in the line up but at the same time they are solid behind the stumps both to quick bowlers and more importantly those tricky leg & off spinners in the Indian sub continent. And to think that for the longest time after the departure of Nayan Mongia, these two qualities almost seemed mutually exclusive for our Indian keepers.

Lets take a look -

Saba Karim

A succesor to Mongia. Decent bat in Indian conditions, but a better keeper. Suffered an eye injury which prematurely ended in his cricketing career

Vijay Yadav

Afer Kiran More but before Mongia, Yadav for a short stint served as India's wicketkeeper /batsmen and will be remembered as an aggressive batter on the Indian tour of SA circa 92. Mongia's emergence as a reliable keeper and batter soon left Yadav fading back into the domestic circuit.

MSK Prasad

Showed glimpses of batting talent at the domestic level and was soon thrust onto the India's tour of Australia 99. Enough said. Never recovered. Not many did.

Deep Dasgupta

After Mongia had been the primary keeper for years and when it finally dawned upon the the selectors that he couldn’t keep or bat outside of the subcontinent, Deep Dasgupta was one of those who were thrown into the ring on India's controversial tour of SA 2001. Played well in patches including a dashing century in SA but overall struggled against quality pace bowling. His keeping wasn't upto par either and so was then asked to focus on his technique in domestic cricket and has since never made it back.

Sameer Dighe

A fighter, Dighe who for years bore the burden of Bombay's wicket keeping duties, briefly seemed to answer India's need for a wicketkeeper batsmen. And he proved his worth in that decisive game in Chennai against Aus in 01. But he was 31 that time and selectors were looking towards the future

Parthiv Patel

..and tThe future for a while seemed to be Patel. The youngest cricket to make test debut, he promised much after a satisfying tour of England in 2002 both in front and behind the stumps. However as time progressed his keeping standards deterioated and he was pushed to back of the line. These days he is content opening the batting alongside Matty Hayden for the Chennai SuperKings.

Ajay Ratra

Briefly played the part in between Dasgupta and Patel. Scrappy cricketer who could stick around, but was a typical keeper hitter. Remember all Wkeepers at this point were judged by their batting skill..a high benchmark set by Adam Gilchrist.

Vijay Dahiya

Same as above

Pankaj dharmani

Played 2 games in the 90's when Mongia's form seemed be dipping. But Mongia's comeback sealed dharmani's fate.

Ambati Rayudu

Probably the best wkeeper never to have played for India.

All Rounders

During the final years of Kapil Dev's playing days, I heard an Indian commentator on air state -

"Cricketers like Kapil only come once every 20-30 years"

I remembered smirking at the above comment. If only I knew, at that time, how prophetic that statement would turn out to be. Kapil Dev retired around 1993-94 and today almost 15 years later we are yet to find another who could shoulder the bowling attack and at the same time, could easily tear apart the opposition attack with his batting.

And every succesful team had atleast 1 great all rounder which brought the balance to their squad -

South Africa blessed with the likes of Brian McMillian, Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener

England's Freddie Flintoff really took off in Ashes 2005 and when Freddie was at his best, England seemed to be a different squad.

Pakistan - In the late 90's Pakistan had discovered a whole bunch of young all round cricketers - Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood alongside the great Wasim Akram who moulded these youngsters like the great Imran Khan before him.

New Zealand - For many years, all rounders Chris Cairns, Chris Harris, Nathan Astle and later Daniel Vettori carried the NZ squad and some times single handedly won test matches and championships (remember Cairns in 01 Champions Trophy)

Sri Lanka - Sanath Jayasuriya & Aravinda DeSilva led the way with their more than handy bowling alongside their explosive batting to add new dimensions to Sri Lanka cricket in the 90's.

West Indies - Carl Hooper stood out as an all rounder. But he too was in and out of the squad for most part of the 90's.Probably the cause for WI decline since the mid 90's.

Australia - Waugh brothers were quality all rounders, especially Steve Waugh who regularly took up the old ball and contained opposition with his cutters and slower ones. Bevan and Lehmann could also turn their arms over but Australia had such quality players at every position that they could afford not to have a true all rounder. Plus the presence of Adam Gilchrist allowed the team to carry an extra bowler as needed.

Lets took at some of the potential successors to our own Kapil Dev.

JP Yadav

A medium pacer who could hit the ball hard too. Unfortuantely his debut was against Australia in 2001 and his bowling didn’t quite hit the mark expected.

Sanjay Bangar

In his second stint with the Indian team, Bangar was the consumate team man, who could bowl steady medium pace and even offered to open the batting with decent success. However with Sehwag taking off as opener in One-day and test cricket and with no room in the middle order, selectors decided they could do away with Bangar.

Noel David

Noel who? Sachin Tendulkar apparently uttered the same words. very brief stint with the Indian team. Good fielder.

Dinesh Mongia

Wouldn't qualify as an all rounder in truest definition of the word. For me, a batter who wants to qualify as an allrounder should be able to bowl his share of 10 overs if needed. I dont recall Mongia ever completing 10 overs.But over time he proved to be a decent left arm spinner who could turn over a quick 5-6 overs and more than useful left arm middle/lower order batter. While Dravid donned the wicket keeping gloves, John wright's strategy of employing 7 batsmen allowed Mongia to time share with Hemang Badani. However with the end of the WC 03, Dravid turned in the wk gloves and the 7 batsmen experiment was abandoned. Mongia and badani were out of a job.

Hemang Badani

Similar to Mongia, Badani was once the mainstay of Indian ODI team. A good fielder and excellent lower middle order batsmen who specialized in run chases and building competive totals a la Michael Bevan. Just one of those players who the selectors swapped out for somebody newer.

Ajit Agarkar

Wiry fast bowler and free flowing batsmen when on fire, Agarkar is probably one of the bigger disappointments of Indian cricket. From an early age he was expected to do big things and displayed all the makings of a great all rounder -- century in under 19 cricket against Pakistan, fastest indian bowler to reach 50 wickets in ODI, 6/72 against Aus in 2004 which led to historic Indian victory in Australia, a flamboyant 66 versus Zimbabwe are some of the glimpses of what could've been. Soon after his debut his batting skills quickly deterioated. He will be remembered for getting 7 consecutive ducks against Australia. And a little after 2000 his bowling seemed to dip. Inconsistency led to his eventual downfall.

Reetinder Singh Sodhi

Once hyped as the answer to India's all round needs, Sodhi was part of the initial group of Ganguly's Gang circa 00 -02. But for all his support and the energy he brought onto the field this youngster simply didn’t have the talent to compete at the highest level and was soon playing full time for Punjab.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla

Compared as the next Kapil Dev, it took only 3 ODI's to show the world the true nature of shukla's talent. Not seen at the international level since

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DPL 2009 Season

2010-03-11T11:27:00.005-05:00

Champion for 2009 Fantasy Football season, your truly.

It seems a little silly to mention this now after all this time but I think I deserve a little self-back patting here.

I'd like to thank Chris Johnson (2k+ yds, 14 TD), Andre Johnson & Ray Rice who all had fantastic seasons and helped carry my team every week!

And also my last round pick - Giants receiver Steve Smith who I would say had a decent year kept me in the play with 100+ receptions, 1200+ receiving yards and 7 TD's in the year. Truly this is where luck plays such a big factor. Getting that kind of Welker like production from your last round pick is priceless.

Also lucky, to say the least, to have acquired QB Ben Roethlisberger for next to nothing when I was struggling in that position. Big Ben consistently put up big points for me and even one game against Green Bay he put up a monster 45+ points. His presence consolidated my team.

Even my kicker Nate Kaeding was clutch, who kept putting above average fantasy points when it really mattered.

Overall a great team where everything fell so beautifully in place. A maybe once in a lifetime set of events. Who knows. But looking forward to 2010 season of Fantasy Football..

A final snapshot the winning team -

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Forgotten Indian Crickets: Part Two

2010-01-31T02:29:00.007-05:00

So lets look back at some of the players who had the promise and hype to make India a super team -

OPENING BATSMEN

SS Das - Good openers are like rare gems in the Indian cricketing establishment. And this little fella was praised by the great Sunny Gavaskar himself. A short statured batter, Das seemed to be opener material with solid defense and technique against fast bowling. He had a promising start to his role but he didn’t convert his starts into big scores when he had the chance and when the runs ran dry, the selectors left him out cold.

Sadagoppan Ramesh - A free flowing batsmen when on song, his inconsistent performances drove selectors up the wall and after that wretched tour of Aus 1999, where he broke his finger courtesy a express delivery from Brett Lee (which he played with his eyes closed) he was briefly set packing away. He was given another lease of life around 2001 where he played a decent hand against Australia tour of India 2001
But soon his lack of big innings and his clumsy technique and footwork proved exasperating and the selectors had other openers they decided to give a look.

Vinayak Mane - Opener from mumbai. Putting up Tendulkar like numbers in the domestic scene. Got his chance against Australia at mumbai in 2001 but his poor performances silenced his hype and has been left out of national reckoning ever since.

Vikram Rathore - The great hype from Harayana. Embarrassing tour of england in 96 relegated him back to the domestic circuit

Sujith Somasundar - Captain of the succesful Karnataka ranji victories in the 90's. This opener was once thought to be "on par" with Rahul Dravid. Sometimes timing decides all. Que sera sera.

Wasim Jaffer - On again off again Mumbai opener. Was given opportunities till a couple years ago so he may still make a comeback. However given his inconsistency and lazy technique against the new ball I wouldn't expect to see him around too soon.

Akash Chopra - Now Chopra was a genuinely good opener from Delhi who played a crucial role in India's fine performance against Australia in 2004. For some inexplicable reason was left out by selectors and has been considered since. A real tragedy.

Devang Gandhi - Another allegedly opener of "promise" who quickly became undone in the nightmarish tour of Aus 99.

Robin Uthappa - This aggressive opener was seen as the next big thing in Indian cricket. But after a series of mixed results he sits on the sidelines. May still be part of India's T20 and ODI plans.

Middle Order

Traditionally the strength of Indian cricket, thru' the 1990's there were plenty gaps which needed filling. Here were some of the notable nominees -

Pravin Amre - A solid Middle order batsmen from MP who had a dream start to his test career with a century on debut on tour of SA. However a string of poor scores put his nervous crease digging days to an end.

Jacob Martin - A decent middle order batter, another victim of the intensive cleanup after the disastrous tour of Aus 1999

Hrishikesh Kanitkar - See above. Will forever be remembered for sweeping Saqlain Mushtaq to the boundary off last ball with India chasing down a then record 312 runs to beat arch rivals Pakistan under failing light in B'desh circa 98.

Atul Bedade - Master blaster from Mumbai. India's middle order answer to S. Jayasuriya. Left hand hitter known to whack the cricket ball with obscene power. That is if he ever connected bat on ball. Soon his hit or miss ways took its toll on his international ODI career

Venugopal Rao - Part of Greg Chappell's youth brigade who found themselves out of favor once the controversial head coach was sacked. Decent enough player though.

Hemang Badani - Once a mainstay of Indian ODI team. A good fielder and excellent lower middle order batsmen who prided on being a finisher a la Michael Bevan. Just one of those players who were swapped out for somebody newer and never quite re-established into the national team

Mohammed Kaif - See above. Excellent fielder and along with Y.Singh brought a certain vigor into the Indian infield. His Man-of-the-match performance in 2002 Natwest finals where his unbeaten 89 helped India win a famous victory. A victory which I personally feel helped India gain confidence in their own ODI ability. Sadly he never established a fixed batting spot in the line up and soon his inconsistent scoring allowed other players to push him out of the team.

Sridharan Sriram - Once proclaimed as one of the best batsmen produced by Tamil Nadu this wooden lefthander just couldn't’t cut it in the big world of intl cricket.

Amay Khurasia - The lion of MP domestic cricket. Another case of an Indian cricketer not quite ready for the intl stuff.

Sanjay Manjrekar - Given the kind of start he had to his career in the late 80's, it was expected that Manjrekar along with Tendulkar and Azhar would form the backbone of Indian Middle order for years to come. Sadly this never came to be. After a lackluster tour of Australia 91 and WC 92, Manjrekar briefly flirted with opening position before the eventually quits circa 96 due to injuries.

Vinod Kambli - A Test double hundred on debut followed by another in the next test. Fastest Indian to score a 1000 test runs. A dream start. But this best bud of Tendulkar simply could not lockdown his spot on the team although provided with ample opportunities due to his careless and lackadaisical attitude. And in sports its absolutely crucial to have the right mindset to stay successful

Next we will discuss the two perennial problems of Indian cricket - Wicket Keepers and All rounders.

Forgotten Indian Cricketers: Part One

2010-01-30T21:20:00.009-05:00

I was reading an article on Cricinfo the other day and I came across this name - Jacob Martin. I couldnt place the name immediately but it had a very familiar sound to it. I did a little digging around and it all came back to me -
Jacob Martin! A young right handed middle order batsmen out of Baroda, who for a very brief period was expected to fill the role of sheet anchor role in the Indian middle order, a sort of a second Rahul Dravid (this was before Laxman had found his footing & Calcutta 2001 was a few years away).
Martin might as well been that player had it not been for a rather disappointing tour of Australia 1999-2000. Mind you that was wretched tour for everyone involved on Indian side. Both cricketers and viewing public were shell shocked.

Here's a quick review of the tour provided by Cricinfo -

http://www.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153771.html

It was the lowest point of Indian cricket but it led to the catharsis that was the Ganguly-Wright era.

Being reminded of Jacob Martin, my mind began wandering, trying to remember of those countless other players through the 1990's (especially late 90's), many who burst into the national team and who along with core players like Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Javagal Srinath etc were expected to transform Indian cricket team into a world beating superpower. Many of them were not given enough opportunities while others were simply not good enough.

But first lets put things in a little perspective before I proceed

1) Through the 90's the Indian team were a mess. They just didnt fully realize it till the end of the decade. With the retirement of stalwarts who led the team through the 80's (Vengsarkar, Shastri, Gavaskar, Srikkanth) the team was in transition which was obviously neither well thought out nor well handled. This resulted in a lot of players persisted with despite being on the decline (Azhar, Sidhu) and others who were simply dead weight.

2) Indian batsmen were brought up on heavy dose of flat tracks aka belters. This allowed batsmen to play with a certain amount of freedom and expansiveness which could never be replicated outside of the sub continent. India's home strategy often rotated around the batsmen putting up huge scores on the board and the three pronged spin attack (Anil Kumble, Rajesh Chauhan, Venkathapathy Raju) would exploit the dust bowls to maximum effect and destroy opposition.

3) Openers werent tested enough. Their mission was to bat out the first session of the day where the ball would swing a bit and post lunch was time to cut lose. And the team management did themselves no favors by often experimenting with non-specialist openers (eg: Laxman, N.Mongia, M.Prabhakar etc) in an effort to squeeze in an extra batter or bowler. It was quite obvious to see that this narrow minded approach would not work outside of the dead pitches of India. As a result, genuine openers were being set up to fail since they usually had to face international fast bowling on swinging, bouncy conditions with little experience outside the domestic circuit.

4) Lack of quality fast bowlers. After Kapil Dev's retirement circa 93, Javagal Srinath and Manoj Prabhakar were the only pace options. There were several occasions were Srinath would be the lone fast bowler on the team. As a token measure of his mere presence, he would be asked to bowl a handful of overs before letting the spinners take over. He was later joined by Venkatesh Prasad around 96

5) As a result of above India could never really compete outside the sub-continent. The batsmen (few exceptions - Tendulkar, Dravid) could never consistently handle the pace, bounce, swing et al and the three pronged spin attack would not be as much a threat as at home. So while Kumble was the chief wrecker at home, on the away tours it was Srinath and Prasad would had to do the heavy legwork to keep India in the game while Kumble provided containment.

6) Therefore as much as India won at home, they were burdened by their poor record in places which really mattered like Australia, England, New Zealand, SA and West Indies. Soon questions were raised by commentators as to the true ability of the Indian team and the nature of the demoralizing defeats abroad began to take its toll in the sub continental performances too.
Overall there was a lot of negativity within the Indian team and amongst the cricketing public. Losing seemed unavoidable. Several players were brought into the team to fill gaps were quickly replaced because they couldnt provide the instant results the selectors were looking adding fuel to the fire of insecurity and team groupism. Thankfully today selectors are willing to provide more opportunities/chances to the younger players in order for them to settle down and blossom. A refreshing attitude inculcated by folks like Ganguly and Srikkanth (and several others) who have faced first hand the effects of callous selections. I hope and pray this trend will continue well into the future.

In my next article I will talk about of some of the more unfortunate, forgotten cricketers from the Indian National Cricket team.

NFL 2010: Divisional Championships

2010-01-30T19:51:00.016-05:00

NFC

I wont be the first to state this obvious parallel and the sports media have over analyzed this to death already- But for Favre it was another interception thrown in the Overtime of an NFC championship game which effectively pulled his team off the field when they were so maddeningly close to a game winning field goal.
The interception helped the saints take over in a favorable spot and 4 plays later, Garett Hartley kicked in a 40 yard field goal dead center of the upright to stamp Saints first ticket to the Superbowl.

I think it'll go down as one of those "Fuck me" plays which any professional athlete would love to take back.

Going into the game and being an objective viewer I thought the Saints and Vikings were evenly matched and it was plain for everyone to see all though the offense of both teams were comparable, the Vikings defense were far superior constantly applying pressure on D.Brees and virtually stiff ling the Saints scoring in the second half.

Vikings controlled possession of the ball through the course of the game and had the better passing and rushing stats including 3 pounding touchdowns by Adrian Peterson and passing touchdowns by B.Favre and yet the Saints came up on top cos they simply didn’t make any mistakes – The Vikings had 5 turnovers in total, infuriating fumbles by Adrian Peterson and B.Berrian and shot themselves in the foot when Vikings could have easily scored on both occasions and of course the final interception which sealed the Vikings fate. And while Saints didn’t deserve to win, in the end the Vikings, although the better team, deserved to lose.

With the end of Vikings 2010 campaign, questions will invariably arise of Brett Favre's next move. Will he finally call it quits? Or will give another go in attempt to achieve superbowl glory? Will he stick around Minnesota or chase his dream with another franchise? I figure we shall hear more about this sometime during pre-season..

AFC

The Jets miracle run finally comes to an end. The first half highlighted the best of Jets football, great defense, tough running game and a safety-first passing game including the 80 yard bomb to B.Edwards designed perfectly which caught the Colts off guard.

But Peyton showed his class and why is the MVP of this league, with his surgical flawless passing game which in the end exposed the Jets secondary which had up to that point done a good job on containing R.Wayne and D.Clark, but man-to-man couldn't cover both Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon who had monster games.

On the Jets side of the ball, the injury to Shonne Green and the lackluster performance by T.Jones crippled their running game and thus forcing them to go with the passing game which is clearly not their forte.

Looking to next year, the Jets seem to have all the right pieces and personal to make another run to the playoffs. Sanchez for all his limitations (and we know he can be quite the turnover machine as seen mid season) has matured over the past 4-5 weeks and there are signs, he can under the direction of Rex Ryan, handle the offensive assignments.

Ryan’s #1 priority would be acquiring an extra pass rusher. It just seemed in the second half that they seemed to be lacking that one extra rusher who could get in the face of Manning and disrupt his rhythm.

The return of Leon Washington will no doubt provide them the all purpose physical game. Questions loom over the return of T.Jones and B.Edwards. Jones had a great year but seemed to be a little off thru the post-season. With the presence of Greene, Ryan could pick up another running back and possibly see T.Jones off via trade or free agency. Ditto for B.Edwards with talks surrounding the possibility of trade for B.Marshall.

In any case it appears, although unthinkable beginning of this season, that the Jets seem to appear in a much better shape that the NY Giants.

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Fantasy news 05.18.2009

2009-05-18T13:22:00.008-04:00

Two Times had a good week thanks primarily to splendid pitching efforts by Roy Halladay, Clayton Kershaw and the tireless run production of Justin Morneau. After weeks spent in the doldrums they jumped to number 4 spot. Hopefully they'll continue to push their way upwards. Patience is the key.

After the disappointing loss last week, Three times regained some of the lost ground and beat week 6 rivals Meridians 7-3. Raul Ibanez had a monster week belting 3 home runs in a double-header on tuesday totaling for the week with 9 Runs, 4 HR's, 12 RBI's, ridiculous .481 BA and a stolen base to top it all. Ryan Theriot also showed adequate support - 2 HR's, 3 RBI's, 5 runs.

Team Navaneeth slumped to number 7 spot. The suspension of Manny Ramirez is really hurting and the team is at the moment cursed with D/L issues and could well do without silly clerical errors which limited the playing time of Evan Langoria.

ESPN team NJ Killer Cubs remains locked in the number 2, steadfastly battling for the Numero Uno position.

Here are the snapshots leading into fantasy week 7 -

Adds/Drops

Two Times Navaneeth - Let go of Chris Getz (2B, W/Sox) and replaced with Jayson Nix (2B, W/Sox) who currently holds a hot bat. Need to get hold of batter on a hot streak and ride the wave. Also closer Frank Francisco (RP, Rangers) hit the D/L, so used the D/L spot to pick up John Baker (C, Marlins) and moved struggling current team catcher Geovany Soto (C, Cubs) to the bench till he warms up.

Navaneeth - Dropped Mike Fontenot (2B,3B, Cubs) and Elvis Andrus (SS, texas) to make way for speedy Emmanuel Burriss (2B, SS, Giants) and Shin-Soo Choo (OF, Indians). This should boost SB and run production along with the presence of Juan Pierre.

ThreeTimes - Kevin Youkilis (1B,3B, R/Sox) hits the D/L. Used the D/L position to bring in ace pitcher Randy Wolf (SP, Dodgers) who is threatening to bury his fangs into opponents. Also let go of Sean Marshall (SP,RP, Cubs) and brought on David Aardsma (RP, Mariners). I was reluctant to let go of Marshall, considering he is a special SP, but Cubs coach Pinella is reportedly moving him to the bullpen with the possibility of bringing him back into the rotation at a later point. Not sure of his value working out of the bullpen but I will certainly consider him once (and he definitely should) fights his way back into the starting rotation.

Here's a look at some of the MVP's of my various teams

Of course NJ Killer Cubs does not need any special mention since its filled with fantasy studs like Adam Dunn, Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Phillips, Curtis Granderson etc. One only need look at their stats to realize their values. They are all MVP's in my book.

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Waiver Moves - 05/12/2009

2009-05-12T15:31:00.003-04:00

Added - Juan Pierre, Andrew Bailey
Dropped - Mike Cameron, Jose Lopez , Carlos Marmol

Brought on the closer, Andrew Bailey, (in 3 of my leagues) who is expected to replace current Oakland A's closer. Juan Pierre replaces suspended Manny Ramirez (warming my bench) and is expected to improve my tally of SB's.

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A Need for Speed

2009-05-11T10:12:00.006-04:00

All my Yahoo teams this seasons seem to be lagging behind in the stolen bases department. Its a result of focusing a little too much on RBI's and power on draft day. And besides, picking players purely for speed and the number of stolen bases is a tricky proposition considering most seem to have limited production in other statistical categories. It sort of flies in the face of defending the argument that a well-rounded team would be successful.

Outside of top 10 talent such as Hanley Ramirez or a Jose Reyes, who uniformly produce hits, runs and RBI's besides 20-30 SB's, other players are usually picked purely for their speed. For instance Jacoby Ellsbury, guaranteed to tag 50+ SB's this season, but provides very limited Runs/RBI's support. Michael Bourn, Willy Taveras are others who come to mind with similar challenges. Very one dimensional value to the team. Which is probably a good reason they remain available in a few waiver wires.

At this point in the season, and we're only in the second month, I would have to almost give up worrying about my SB tally and instead hope my team can top (or make up) the other statistical categories.

Disappointing end to the last week. With the exit of Manny Ramirez, Team Navaneeth nose-dived from #5 to #8. TwoTimes continues to linger around listlessly. But top heartbreak of the week would be ThreeTimes (H2H league) who despite having maintained a healthy lead, for most of the week, over week 5 opponent, Hammers, without the production of Youkilis, Young and Berkman over the weekend games who were out due to injuries, ended up losing 3-6. Dropped to .500.

Added -

Kansas City closer Juan Cruz (replacing closer Jokim Soria who hit the D/L; ),

Cubs SP Sean Marshall (provided with WIN on Sunday)

Tommy Hanson (Atlanta's much touted SP, yet to make it to the big leagues, absolute monster @ AAA)

Dropped -

Dexter Fowler, Paul Maholm, Bronson Arroyyo, Jordan Zimmerman (trying to get him back though)

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Manny out for 50 games!

2009-05-07T17:27:00.008-04:00

Manny Ramirez has been suspended by MLB for 50 games for failing a drug test. From a baseball perspective I wouldn't have cared for the news in the least bit what with all the hoop and scrutiny created by the media around A-rod this past week. But from a fantasy baseball perspective its positively earth-shattering!

Here's the story on Yahoo - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-dodgers-ramirez-drugs&prov=ap&type=lgns

Going into week 5 (or is it 6?) Team Navaneeth, which has so far been pretty competitive (hovering around number 4/5 spot in the league) had its catcher Posada and star pitcher Carlos Zambrano hit the 15 day DL. And now Manny, a key to my power hitting, is out for 50 god-damn games, all the way upto July 3rd, from the looks of things. Absolutely devasting, since such suspensions are not DL eligible, and even if it were, take a number, since the league only allows for 1 DL eligible position (currently occupied by Zambrano). So I have to burn precious bench space for both Posada and Ramirez.

The thought of letting go of either Posada or Ramirez, via trade, has crossed my mind. But the temptation of holding on to both, especially Ramirez, and the anticipation of knowing the kind of numbers he can deliver, once he returns is too great.

These are Mannys season stats/contributions so far --

Avg - .348
HR - 6
RBI - 20
Runs - 22
SB - 0

Argh absolutely wrecks my gut to see those stats go away. Possible options are to acquire Cleveland Indians Shin-Chin Choo, who brings speed and decent pop into the team. Going into thursday he'd already stolen 6 bases and was hitting .271. I reason I can bring him on and he can help improve my tally of stolen bases for the period Manny is out.

It'll definitely be an uphill task these next few weeks. Posada will remain on the bench till he is off the D/L and till then I'll play without the services of a catcher. I brought in Giants Pitcher Jonathan Sanchez while Zambrano sits out in the D/L.

Wouldnt want to cause bad luck, but the other teams are doing relatively Okay. Two times Navaneeth shuffles around the middle of the pack, Three times and NJ Killer Cubs burst into top 3 position.

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A-rod in the headlines...AGAIN

2009-04-30T16:53:00.009-04:00

Major headlines broke out today, supposedly based on Selena Roberts (SI reporter) new book claiming that Alex Rodriguez may have been using steroids as early as High school. This comes a few months after A-Rod came out in a much publicized interview with Peter Gammons, and sensationally confessed that 'he'd only used steroids from 2001-2003' and did not use it either prior to or after that time period.

Like most people, I don't believe A-rod's 01-03 story. There's definitely more to it and with this new report, it would seem to tarnish (if not already tarnished rep) A-rod's reputation as one of baseball's premier hitters of this generation. But the book containing the official story comes out on Monday and I guess I'll keep an eye out for any fall-outs.

Post Script : Here's the actual interview with ESPN -
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3894847

And here's a play-by-play commentary on the entire interview - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Play-by-play-of-the-A-Rod-interview-plus-pics-a?urn=mlb,140217

But on a personal level, A-rod has already fallen several notches down in my book (even though he is still a great player). But I always held him high regard, as a hitter, and as a person, despite the fact him having performed so poorly in so many playoff games which ultimately killed the Yankees playoff runs the past few years. His playoff record with the Yankees speak for themselves. From now on I wont be rooting for A-rod to perform miracles. He is after all very mortal.

At the same time I can't wrap my arms around this whole usage of Steroid, PED and HGH business. Is it good or bad?

On the one side, I argue, that it gives unfair advantage to people who do use steroids. And its also unfair cos a normal person, who has no inclination to do steroids, is forced to do so, or else he won't be competitive enough and most likely lose his livelihood. Why should that player be forced to be put in such a difficult position? But in an environment where everybody is taking it, and if you don't, you'll only be perceived as not trying hard enough to better yourself. If you ain't cheating, you're not trying

On the other side, I argue that, if by merely injecting myself with a magic medication, I could perform my daily job twice as better and more efficiently and at the same time have enough energy after coming home to play 2-3 hours of badminton, cook and blog - would I take it?

I guess I would, if I'm aware of all the side-effects and as long as I'm taking responsibility for my actions.

Also let me ask you this - Tiger Woods underwent a Lasik eye procedure. This helps keep his 20-20 vision intact. How is that different from taking steroids?
Men of different ages take Viagra to enhance their sexual ability. How can you justify their actions? Are they guilty of cheating?

Such differing standards.

MLB and other sports bodies have banned steroids cos they want to watch the best athletes in peak but most natural physical condition perform and compete against one other. A noble intention no doubt. But it serves no real practical purpose.

Baseball attendance shot up beginning 1998, after languishing for several years prior; the year when Mark Mcgwire and Sammy Sosa battled each other in an effort to become the home-run king. MLB and Bud Selig cashed in on the national craze. It was later revealed that both McGwire and Sosa were juiced up. But as far I can see nobody lost. People got their moneys worth. MLB made money.

Its just the feeling of breaking some sort of vague moral code that seems to have many columnists and writers up in arms. All I fear blown up way outta proportion.

In other news, looks like Shah Rukh Khan, owner of the Kolkatta Knight Riders (KKR) is ready to throw in the towel and sell his stake in the troubled franchise. Well it was only a matter of time I suppose. Much has been made and discussed as to how the coaching and team management have been emptying the coffers of the poor lil badshah of Bollywood.

Will keep an eye out for further developments on this story.

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NY Giants - Draft Day

2009-04-28T12:54:00.008-04:00

With the exit of Plaxico Burress, the NY Giants lack the big power forward WR who can trouble opposing defenses. Burresss had the power and speed to break tackles and his height proved a distinct advantage in the end zone.

His very presence also distracted defenses and allowed the Giants relentless running game to flourish. Going 11-1 (or thereabouts) with Burress in the 2008 regular season, the Giants lost a bunch before eventually falling to the Eagles in the 1st round of the playoffs after losing the services of Burress. And they did look quiet lackluster against the Eagles who pinned down the running game from the outset.

Going into the 2009 season, the Giants number 1 priority would've be to acquire a WR somewhat similar to Burress. My first impression was the Giants could've pursued Free Agent (FA) T.J. Houshmanzadeh (who later signed up with the Seahawks).

Now they have to look to trading for either Braylon Edwards (Browns) or Anquan Boldin (Cardinals). For what its worth, my money would be on Boldin. But much of the media talk have surrounded around Edwards. Edwards had a great season two years ago, but he drops the ball a little too much for my liking. It has to do with his concentration and the Giants probably feel that it is something which can be worked and improved upon. At a lower cost. Cos Boldin would definitely come at a higher asking price. Boldin was a monster last year (even after the concussion). But if there is anything to go by what Larry Fitzgerald (fellow cardinal WR) has to say in his interview with Dan Patrick found here - ( http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/danpatrick/listenlive.player.html?file=http://ht.cdn.turner.com/si/danpatrick/audio/2009/04/24/DP-Larry_Fitzgerald-04-24-09_Interview.mp3
)
then it looks like we'll be seeing Boldin in a cardinal uniform this season.

In any case, the Giants would have to find a way to trade for either of these two WR's given their availability. Amani Toomer, although still reliable, is not the force he used to be. Steve Smith is a possession receiver and Dominic Hixon needs a little more time to learn the trade to be a deep threat and would only be more effective with a premier WR on the other side. It allows Eli more options.

The Giants drafted WR Hakeem Nicks from North Carolina in their first round. So its obvious they are looking to boost their receiving corps although I haven't looked at the scouting reports on Nicks.
In addition they bolstered their offensive line by drafting TE Travis Beckum and OT William Beatty and upgraded their defenses/pass rush, by drafting OLB Clint Sintim. With the departure of Derrick Ward (who signed with Tampa Bay Buccs) breaking up the devastating trio of Earth, Wind and Fire, the Giants drafted RB Andre Brown who hopefully will provide adequate support in the running game.

With the return of Osi Umenyiora and with a possible deep roster of diverse WR's and strong RB's this could turn out to be a good year for the Giants. Can't wait for August!

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Fake IPL Player Controversy

2009-04-23T14:46:00.005-04:00

Just a quick post. I've been laughing my ass out for most of the early part of today reading through the daily journal of the fake IPL player

Here's the link -- http://fakeiplplayer.blogspot.com/

I suppose its probably the funniest (and slightly controversial) thing to come out of IPL 2009. Apparently a member of, either the playing staff or support staff, of the Kolkatta Knight Riders, has been anonymously revealing the inner workings of the KKR and also providing the inside story on several prominent members of the IPL fraternity. Definitely a must read and quite unexpectedly humorous. Another fun part of reading the blog is trying to figure out the various nicknames and who the anonymous is referring about. Most of them are easy to guess but there is also a website which provides that information.

I learnt about this blog on one of Rediff.com's IPL related stories; it got a brief mention and I'm sure that will be enough to have the blog's readership levels soaring.

Meanwhile I was able to get hold of Troy Tulowitzki in my line-up. So hopefully that will provide the much needed power option for Team Navaneeth in the coming weeks.

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Waiver Wire Moves - Week 3

2009-04-21T10:35:00.006-04:00

Two Times Navaneeth
Dropped David Ortiz last night. His power numbers are down and he is not the slugger from two years ago. But still should've probably tried to find a trade for him, either a package trade, or straight swap and receive a starting pitcher. Now he lies on the waiver wires. Picked up texas SS Elvis Andrus, a rookie, since Jimmy rollins continues to eat up a pivotal roster spot. Now I can have him on the bench till he starts to get those hits. Also dropped orioles SP Jeremy Guthtrie and picked up FA Nats SP Jordan Zimmerman, another rookie. I suppose all this over-dependence on rookies will probably hurt more than do good in the long-run since there is no trend or performance path to go by.

Navaneeth
Trying to acquire SS Troy Tulowitzki from the waivers. Dropped cubs SS Ryan Theriot. Theriot has been decent so far with a good BA, but a power hitter like Tulo in my line-up is exactly what I need, especially given the 09 predicted numbers for troy. Adrian Beltre is available as FA. Need to make a decision as to whether stick with current 3B Encarnacion or pick Beltre?

Also need to make roster space for Red Sox SP Justin Masterson before he gets picked up. For now, all pitching rosters look solid.

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Fantasy Baseball begins

2009-04-17T10:44:00.008-04:00

This year I have three fantasy baseball teams playing in yahoo leagues - two Rotisserie and one head-to-head. I also have one team playing in an ESPN league (also Rotisserie).

And you can well imagine the effort/time it takes to get your daily rosters just right. The pain of having benched for instance, Kosuke Fukudome, and later watching him hit a home run and driving 3 RBI's, well is best left un-described. And its been only two weeks since the 2009 baseball season began.

I find fantasy baseball more complex and the very nature of the game is such that it can drive a fantasy owner compelely insane. There are plenty of reasons. For one - There are a lot of players who you can pick from and who are equally capable of performing on your team and unlike football where by merely investing in top talent (with atleast 1 top WR, two decent RB's and a good QB you can qualify for the playoffs in a head-to-head league) guarantee results, baseball has so many players in so many positions that outside of the top 50 best baseball players, you have a plateau of several decent players who have great upside and potential to manouvre your team into a winning position. The key - Identify players who have shown potential and haven't reached their ceiling.

Second - The baseball season runs for a staggering 162 games and more often than not you are likely to have your best players, or players you're banking on, going through a lean phase and in its in these situations you'll have to truly manage your team and players, juggling your rosters and making hard choices. For instance, you drafted Jimmy Rollins, one of the top Shortstops in baseball, and who usually guarantees 20-25 home runs, and around 30-35 stolen bases with a reasonable batting average of .280-.300. But he is going through a real tough patch, and he is hitless for almost a week - what do you do? You obviously bench him, but at the same time you can't drop him yet since he may pay-off later. Couple that with a player sitting on waiver wire who is absolutely killing it, so now you're left with the choice of dropping some other player, clearing roster space, and hope the player you pick from the waiver wires continues to kill it and hope Jimmy rollins finds some form going. However time is a luxury in head-to-head leagues.

In head-to-head leagues you need to get the wheels churning every week. Or else you might have the team with the best stats at the end of the season in total, but you don't have enough wins in each week to earn you a playoff spot. And then again, most experienced fantasy players would trade Jimmy Rollins almost immediately. Most analysts preach the mantra of ruthlessness.

Also you have the additional problems of platoons - earlier the bench players were pinch hitters, pinch runners, utility players or merely backups. With the advancement and wide availability of baseball statistics (splits, batter-versus-pitcher matchups), and the acceptance (or dependence) of the managers who use them, some of today's managers experiment with match-ups a lot. A hitter will play only against lefties and not against right handed pitchers. So for such players, the fanstasy manager needs to perenially keep an eye out against opposing pitchers before deciding whether to start a batter, even if he is producing runs etc. But this applies only to small population of hitters. Most of the top hitters are likely to play irrespective of whether left-hand or right-hand pitching.

Here are my teams as they stand on April 17th 2009.

ESPN League (Rotisserie)

NJ KILLER CUBS
SLOT PLAYER, TEAM POS
C Ryan Doumit, Pit C
1B Miguel Cabrera, Det 1B
2B Brandon Phillips, Cin 2B
3B Adrian Beltre, Sea 3B
SS Rafael Furcal, LAD SS
2B/SS Elvis Andrus, Tex SS
1B/3B Marco Scutaro, Tor 2B, 3B, SS
OF Carlos Lee, Hou OF
OF Carlos Beltran, NYM OF
OF Alex Rios, Tor OF
OF Curtis Granderson, Det OF
OF Adam Dunn, Was OF
UTIL Mike Lowell, Bos 3B
P Mariano Rivera, NYY RP
P Rich Harden, ChC SP
P Ted Lilly, ChC SP
P Carlos Marmol, ChC RP
P Aaron Harang, Cin SP
P Erik Bedard, Sea SP
P Huston Street, Col RP
P Chris Volstad, Fla SP
P Kevin Gregg, ChC RP
Bench Pablo Sandoval, SF 1B DTD
Bench Manny Corpas, Col RP
Bench Gavin Floyd, CWS SP

Probably my best drafted team of the four - Good Power hitting, speed and pitching.

Yahoo Team 1 (Rotisserie)

Navaneeth Pos Player
C Jorge Posada (NYY - C)
1B Paul Konerko (CWS - 1B)
2B José López (Sea - 1B,2B)
3B Evan Longoria (TB - 3B)
SS Ryan Theriot (ChC - SS)
OF Torii Hunter (LAA - OF)
OF Manny Ramírez (LAD - OF)
OF Kosuke Fukudome (ChC - OF)
Util Adam Lind (Tor - OF)
SP Carlos Zambrano (ChC - SP)
SP Dan Haren (Ari - SP)
RP Jonathan Papelbon (Bos - RP)
RP Mariano Rivera (NYY - RP)
P Kerry Wood (Cle - RP)
P Huston Street (Col - RP)
P Jeremy Guthrie (Bal - SP)
BN Derrek Lee (ChC - 1B)
BN Elvis Andrus (Tex - SS)
BN Chris Young (Ari - OF)
DL Alex Gordon (KC - 3B) DL
BN Fausto Carmona (Cle - SP)

First team I drafted this season. A couple of star players - Langoria and Manny Ramirez (gotten off to a cold start) and some decent support - Jose Lopez, Fukudome, Lind. The hitting is nowhere close to the ESPN team, but the pitching is dominant with Zambrano and Haren starting and two great closers - Papelbon and Rivera. This will be one of those teams I'll have to continously work with through-out the season, relying on waiver wires and sleepers. Currently 6/12

Yahoo Team 2 (Rotisserie)

TwoTimesNavaneeth Pos Player
C Geovany Soto (ChC - C)
1B Justin Morneau (Min - 1B)
2B Kelly Johnson (Atl - 2B)
3B Edwin Encarnación (Cin - 3B)
SS Jimmy Rollins (Phi - SS)
OF Nelson Cruz (Tex - OF)
OF Nick Markakis (Bal - OF)
OF Vernon Wells (Tor - OF)
Util Ryan Howard (Phi - 1B)
SP Ricky Nolasco (Fla - SP)
SP Paul Maholm (Pit - SP)
RP Bobby Jenks (CWS - RP)
RP Frank Francisco (Tex - RP)
P Clayton Kershaw (LAD - SP)
P Chris Volstad (Fla - SP)
P Bronson Arroyo (Cin - SP)
BN Jay Bruce (Cin - OF)
BN David Ortiz (Bos - Util)
BN Mike Cameron (Mil - OF)
BN Max Scherzer (Ari - SP,RP)
BN Roy Halladay (Tor - SP)

A better rounded team with better hitters (both in terms of power and speed - Howard, Morneau, Markasis) and some great starting pitchers (Halladay, Volstad, Nolasco, Kershaw). A little tuning up and can be a top four team. Currently 3/12.

Yahoo Team 3 (Head-to-Head)

ThreeTimesNavaneeth -Pos Player
C Brandon Inge (Det - C,3B,OF)
1B Kevin Youkilis (Bos - 1B,3B)
2B Dan Uggla (Fla - 2B)
3B Michael Young (Tex - 3B,SS)
SS J.J. Hardy (Mil - SS)
OF Torii Hunter (LAA - OF)
OF Raúl Ibañez (Phi - OF)
OF Grady Sizemore (Cle - OF)
Util Denard Span (Min - OF)
SP Chad Billingsley (LAD - SP)
SP Jon Lester (Bos - SP)
RP Francisco Rodríguez (NYM - RP)
RP Kerry Wood (Cle - RP)
P Mark Buehrle (CWS - SP)
P Aaron Harang (Cin - SP)
P Scott Baker (Min - SP)
BN Lance Berkman (Hou - 1B)
BN Ryan Theriot (ChC - SS)
BN Chris Iannetta (Col - C)
BN Dexter Fowler (Col - OF)
BN Bronson Arroyo (Cin - SP)

On paper probably one of the better teams drafted. But since this is team is played in a head-to-head league, and due to slow start of the normally reliable Lance Berkman and others, it lost the 1st match-up of the season and currently sits at the bottom of the league. But personally I believe this was a good draft. With power hitters like Uggla and an excellent mix of run-producing players like Sizemore, berkman, youkilis. The pitching is decent too - with Billingsley, Lester and Scott Baker. I'm confident this team will rally in the coming weeks to make it to the playoffs.

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NFL - AFC & NFC QB's of the Year

2009-01-20T11:51:00.015-05:00

Every year there comes along a football player who impresses me with their sheer natural talent and confidence which comes out of hard work. For the 2008/2009 season, there were two outstanding players - New England Patriots QB Matt Cassel and Baltimore Ravens young QB Joe Flacco.

Both Cassel and Flacco proved to be able players and leaders and though their stats maybe not be the same when compared to the gaudy numbers of say Drew Brees or Jay Cutler (both teams were 8-8 and failed to make the playoffs are were often dogged by inconsistent offense) or Philip Rivers (also 8-8 but clinched divisional berth). The Cassel led Patriots also did not make the playoffs but finished 11-5. The justice of a system which allows 8-8 Chargers to proceed into the playoffs should be questioned and will be a subject of another post. Flacco's Ravens also finished 11-5 and clinched the final wild card spot. As the season draws to a close with the Superbowl two weeks away, only Cardinals QB Kurt Warner and possibly league MVP Colts QB Peyton Manning can stake claim to have the big numbers alongside playoff prowess.

But boy did Flacco have a great year for a rookie QB playing his first year in the NFL. He would've won the rookie of the year if not for a certain other awesome young rookie QB - Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons. But I personally I admired Flacco's game more than Ryan, perhaps cos I had the opportunity to watch Flacco in action more often, being in DC and all.

But there is subtle difference between the drafting of Ryan and Flacco and that being the Falcons had made a conscious decision to start Ryan as their QB when they made their pick. They were in the process of re-building a broken team around Ryan. A process which yielded amazing results within a short span of time, given where the Falcons finished last season.
Kyle Boller was to be the starting QB for the Ravens followed by Troy Smith. Flacco was drafted to be a third string QB with the expectation to be groomed into the starting role in the years to come. A season ending injury to Kyle Boller and freak illness to Smith later, Flacco found himself in the starting position and he came out in flying colors. The Ravens offense was never a threat, but under Flacco they found direction and menace and as the season progressed they gave enough chances for the Ravens defense to close out the games.

Here is a quick look at his season stats and comparison with fellow rookie QB Matt Ryan. And just to get an idea I compared with two QB's who had fantastic year.

Being in a more conservative natured team, with primary emphasis on defense, Flacco's numbers might appear a little pale when compared with QB's in a more pass-happy offense. But nevertheless they gain significance when looked as a whole, since his steady, minimal error approach let the defense do what they do best and together as a cohesive team they got the job done. Compare that with Brett Favre, a legend of the game who had 22 interceptions compared to his 22 touchdowns which killed any NY Jets playoff aspirations. Also keep in mind Flacco had 3 interceptions in the final AFC Championship game. Probably his worst game of the season. So he had season low 9 turnovers going into his final game.

In addition to his numbers - Flacco showed remarkable poise and precision in his passing and play-calling, and displayed those intangible qualities which can never usually be discerned from mere stats ; like how he never seemed to lose his cool when the pressure was brought on. In fact more often than not, he rescued his team with pin-point bullet throws on 3rd and long positions, keeping the play alive and displaying his arm strength. He has good pocket presence. He played well in bad weather and passed every test thrown at him with a quiet temper. In quick time and under the careful guidance of Ravens coaching he has possibly become one of the more exciting players to watch out for and barring any injuries has effectively taken over the starting QB position. I'd be terribly disappointed if the Ravens organization toyed around with the idea of bringing back Boller for the starting position.

Flacco reminds me a younger, better version of Eli Manning. I pray and hope he finds football success soon.
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When Patriots QB Tom Brady suffered a torn ACL in game 1 of the regular season, all eyes fell on unknown back-up Matt Cassel. Patriots were favorites to repeat their Superbowl appearance after running through every team last year. Without Brady they suddenly looked susceptible and beatable. And how could Matt Cassel possibly replace the charismatic Brady? As the season progressed, Cassel blossomed splendidly under the wily coach Bill Belichik's tutorial and progressed as one of the offensive stars of the season nearly leading the patriots into the playoffs with 11-5 record. A more than worthy replacement.

With 21 TD's, total of 3,693 passings Yds, 270 rushing yds, a pass completion of 63.4 pct, and a manageable 11 interceptions, Cassel ensured the Patriots offense kept moving and fantasy owners smiling. However with Brady expected to return next season, Cassel may have to surrender the spotlight and settle for the bench or test free agency waters.

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NFC Championship - 2009

2009-01-18T18:05:00.006-05:00

Just finished watching the NFC championship game between Philadelphia Eages and Arizona Cardinals. An exciting game with plenty of ups and downs. Going into half-time, it seemed the Cardinals had it all figured out, their defense stifling McNabb and Co. while Cardinals offense on fire with QB Kurt Warner leading the way making quick, accurate decisions, connecting with star WR Larry Fitzgerald three times, including a monster 60+ yard throw in the 2nd quarter off a trick play.

Eagles came roaring back in the 2nd half with their defense making required adjustments to cover Fitzgerald and DB's blitzing Warner, McNabb led effective drives (finding celek twice) and threw a bomb to rookie WR DeSean Jackson to take the lead, and all the momentum, early in the the 4th quarter. The Cardinals, however proved they had plenty of weapons with rookie RB Tim Hightower shoving, rushing and fighting his way into the Eagles red zone with a little over 2:50 minutes to go. Eagles fell short. They were many missed opportunities for the Eagles who looked to be the dark horse after beating the NY Giants last week. But there was just not enough time left on the clock for Eagles.

Cardinals have faced constant criticism since the beginning of this season which often comes from playing in a decidedly mediocre division (NFC West). They did have it easy getting into the playoffs cos despite getting off to a decent start they faltered towards the end and clinched the playoffs purely by winning their weak division. But they have plenty of fire power. Three match-winning WR's - Boldin, Fitzgerald and Breaston, effective RB's - Hightower, Edge James (who was used sparingly in the regular season but made it count in the playoffs) and Arrington. But probably the key was their QB - Kurt Warner who was competing with former USC super QB Matt Leinart. Second year coach Ken Wisenhunt decided to go with Warner after Leinart had a disappointing game in the 2nd pre-season game. It has definitely proved to be an excellent decision.

Now Cardinals will face the winner between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.

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A time to Organize

2009-01-18T16:46:00.001-05:00

Blogging has provided me with a platform to provide my unique voice and perspective to a multitude of subjects. However while I was scanning through my blog this past week, I felt the sheer wide gamut of subjects pulled the blog in different directions and thus not finding a common theme of interest. I never defined the scope of the-nav.blogspot. Everything of interest or worth writing about found its way on there. However maybe its time to create a more modular structure.

With that in mind I'm starting this space entirely devoted to all things sports.

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