Take Your Pick: Bears' QB Controversy

Well it's training camp time and i'm in Minnesota of all places on vacation! I don't really have time to whip up any kind of conference preview because I have to get up early to golf Longbow Golf Club in Walker, MN at like 5:30 AM so you better enjoy this.

So is it gunna be Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton? Well there's an old saying and it goes like this, "If you think you have 2 starters, you probably don't have one". Really does it matter if they go with oft-injured and the easily-rattled Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton's boring neck beard? It must not because Lovie Smith is flipping coins to see who practices with the 1st team and who practices with the 2nd team.

Personally if I had to pick I would go with Rex. There was that time in 2006 that Rex "took" the Bears to the Super Bowl. I would go with Rex if I absolutely had to pick between the two. I think the main reason why I would go with Rex is because I look at the Bears and I see extreme lack of talent at the talent positions. They have a bad corps of RB, WR, and QB (probably bottom 3 in the league in all 3 catagories!). I think the team could be seriously bad. With inexperience at RB and WR they need to take what little experience they can get and hope that Rex comes out on fire like he did the first 7 weeks of 2006.

I'm saying go with Rex here and you can always fall back on Kyle once Rex either gets hurt or cries after an interception.

Who would you pick in the Bears' QB Controversy?

Take Your Pick: Who Can a Fan Like Me Start to Root For?

So, Barry Bonds hit his 748th career homer putting him 7 shy of Hank Aaron for what is probably the most heralded record in all of sports. I hate Barry Bonds and if you are a repeat reader you probably know that already. Anyways, I am starting to come to the realization that this is probably going to happen and instead of killing myself when it does I decided that I need a guy to root for. I need to find the next player who is going to beat Barry's steroid-injected ass (pun intended) in the HR standings. So take your pick and help me figure out who is the going to be the best guy to take the record away from Barry.

Personally Arod is my guy. You have Arod at 492 having hit his 27th HR of the season tonight against the Mets. Arod currently ranks 24th all-time but in my opinion probably has the best foreseeable chance to surpass Bonds of all current players. He is 32 years-old right now and if you disregard this year's 27 HRs he needs 8 seasons with a rough average of 36 dingers a season. Now I think it will take him even less than that because he is obviously going to hi more than 36 this year. So, really at the most I think he would have to play until he was 40. If he can stay healthy and stay with the Yanks so he can DH as he gets older I think he can do it.

This is so sick and perverted but I'm going to have to start cheering for a Yankee...Arod no less. I've always thought of him as a bit of a sell-out (think of him going to Texas completely for the $$) and is now noticed as a cheating bastard. However, I think he's my guy. Now, I'm not by any means going to go get myself an Arod jersey. I'm just rooting for him to bring Major League Baseball -along with myself- out of a state of misery as fast as he can.

My second choice is Albert Pujols. He's only got 266 right now but is only 27. If he can continue to hit his average of 42 HRs a year he could be at 770 when he is 39. So he's got a good shot, but I'm still taking Arod over him. Some goes for him. If he can get away from the Cardinals and onto a team where he can do some DHing down the road that will increase his chances as well.

Active players ranked above Arod in HRs are Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, and Ken Griffey Jr. In my opinion both are just way too old to be considered a serious threat to surpass Bonds someday. No way for those 3.

Also, guys who I think can be overlooked include , Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Gary Sheffield, and Chipper Jones. Manny is ranked 25th with 480 but is 3 years older than A-Rod so he's not my pick....plus he doesn't even care. Basically the lowdown on everybody else is that I think they are just too old. They are high on the list but there's just no way they can play long enough with their production to be seriously considered.

If I wouldn't take Arod or Pujols I would rather take my chance with a young kid like Prince Fielder or Miguel Cabrera. They are so young though that it is just a real risky pick. There are too many intangibles to consider to try and accurately project if and when they could be in position to pass Bonds.

My Picks
1. Arod
2. Pujols
3. Someone young like Prince Fielder or Miguel Cabrera

Agree with my Picks? Who is your pick to surpass Bonds on the all-time HR list (however many that may end up being)?

Take Your Pick: Defending Against LeBron vs. The Pistons

Alright all of this dissecting of LeBron's every move has had me thinking a lot. So, naturally, I arrived at a mental crossroads which inspired me to blog....or just boredom one of the two. OK, so who would you rather gameplan against the superstar or the all-around team? The best example right now would be the Cavs (LeBron) vs. Pistons matchup so that's what I'm using to iron all of this out.

Ok so who would you rather have to gameplan against that one guy who can beat you, and beat you bad or the team where any guy can step up and beat you on any night? To arrive at my pick was rather simple I suppose. Just look at the 4 teams remaining in the NBA Playoffs. 1 Superstar (King James) and 3 other all-around teams who seem to be calibrated for the playoffs. To me this really spells it out nicely. I would much rather gameplan against LeBron than have to gameplan for the Pistons. Right now, if you can stop LeBron you stop the Cavs. That's why I think that they are a year, maybe 2 years or 1 player away from making the finals.

Take a look at teams like the Pistons and Spurs. Nothing too exciting or flashy. They just play defense and win....especially in the playoffs. In looking at the Pistons they have any number of guys that can beat you on any night. One night Chauncey will beat you and the next night Rip will tear you up. Not to mention Webber, 'Sheed, and McDyess. You can't just focus on beating the one guy. Whereas the Pistons can beat the Cavs by really mainly focusing on how to stop LeBron, getting a double-team on him, his tendencies, and taking away those tendencies and opportunities. With a complete team like the Pistons most likely nobody will explode on you but there are too many ways they can beat you and too many things to worry about.

Basically, I would rather have to focus on stopping the one guy who can beat you badly than having to worry about stopping a team full of guys who can beat you. That's what the Pistons are, and LeBron is the lone ranger when it comes to superstars in this year's playoffs right now. My pick was Cavs in 7. This was mostly because because I don't like the Pistons. It will be interesting to see if my prediction holds true but don't' be surprised to see a Spurs vs. Pistons final of "boring" basketball. Because these two teams are built for the playoffs and I think a lot of NBA coaching staffs would probably agree with me in preferring to gameplan against a LeBron, Kobe, or Dwayne Wade-like player than teams like the Spurs, Pistons, Jazz, or Suns.

But that's just my opinion. Some would maybe argue that it would be easier to not have to worry about double-teaming anyone. They would say that the Cavs just need to focus on winning individual battles and creating favorable matchups which would be far easier than stopping the LeBron's of the world. All you need to do is have everybody do their job right? You have a better chance to win if you are gameplanning against the team that doesn't have that superstar threat.

I disagree with that point of view though. Once again just look at the teams that are in the playoffs right now. Look at the superstar-studded teams that are at home watching. Right now I'd much rather be a coach sitting on the Pistons bench than the Cavs bench, they probably get more sleep at night. Although, if you're sitting on the Cavs bench trying to figure this stuff out you probably deserve to be paid more.

Take Your Pick: Bonds vs. The Field for 2007 NL MVP

I'm definitely not The Sports Flow's official Bonds fan here (that's ming), I'm more the official, complete and total passionate Bonds hater. Anyways, I found myself in a conversation with a manager at work about a week ago. The conversation revolved first around the Brewers pummeling his Pirates, but then shifted towards this year's NL MVP race. Granted it's really early to be talking about this but can anybody other than Bonds win the NL MVP right now!?

As we speak right now it looks like Arod will make a pretty strong case for the AL MVP this season. However, the NL race MIGHT be a bit more open. If and when Bonds hits that fatal blast that sends the sports world into a downward spiral will that make him a lock for some after-season ass kissing? Let's look at stats.

Right now Bonds is batting: .301 AVG, 11 HRs, 23 RBIs, with 40 BBs and an OBP of .511. He's only K'd 15 times all year while slugging .699and this is in a total of 93 ABs.

Let's look deeper.
HRs: t-3rd --> He's tied with Dunn and trails my beloved Prince and sexy JJ.

BBs: 1st

OBP: 1st

SLG: 1st

K's: 1st --> I'm guessing...the list stops with players who have only K'd 17 times making him literally off the charts.

These all look great but you might say that 3rd in HRs isn't enough. OK, well to put things in perspective he's tied with Adam Dunn who also has 11 HRs but 54 Ks as to Bonds mere 15! For RBIs he's middle of the road and he's doing all these HRs, RBIs, Rs, and BBs on about 50 less ABs then everyone else atop the HR and RBI charts. If he can keep this up is there anyone who can rival him for it even if my Bash Bro's from Brewtown keep up their end...which would be rare. Throw in these stats with breaking THE record. Yes THE record, maybe in all of sports and is there any way that he doesn't win it. This is all besides the whole steroid issue and I'm trying to stay away from it so let me simplify it with as little rage as possible. Bonds will break the record...Bonds will probably then win NL MVP...Bonds will deserve neither.

The field is decently strong. Headlining in opposition of Bonds right now I like: Todd Helton, Prince Fielder, JJ Hardy, Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday, Jose Reyes, Jimmy Rollins, Chipper Jones, Miguel Cabrera. Ok look, the field is incredibly hard to predict. It all depends on who does what and how teams do later in the year. But will it even matter? Because, unfortunately with Bonds, barring a god-forsaken injury, will break the record and then I find it pretty tough not to see Bonds as this year's NL MVP.....I'm disgusted.

Take Your Pick: NDSU Athletics vs. UND Athletics

The Sports Flow has decided to add some local flavor to the blog. Here in North Dakota, the best rivalry in all of sports is NDSU (North Dakota State University) Bison vs. UND (University of North Dakota) Fighting Sioux.

Both schools hate each other with a passion! You could say it's like Duke-UNC (bball), Michigan-Ohio St. (football), or the Yankees-Red Sox... in a North Dakota sense.

But some of it has died down since NDSU's recent move to Division 1. And for the 2008-2009 season UND will begin their transition to Division 1 athletics.

The two schools will renew their rivalry as both will take each other on for the 2008 baseball season. Which could be the first step to the schools playing each other in all sports soon.

But we're not here to just simply talk about the old rivalry. We want to take a deeper look into both school's athletic departments. We'll take an inside look at two different opinions and we'll let you decide for yourself.

Who do you take? NDSU Athletics or UND Athletics?
Let the debating begin...

Ming01's take:
I may be biased towards NDSU. But I have to take NDSU athletics over UND. UND has some great programs, such as men's hockey, women's basketball, and football is decent. But NDSU has quite a few quality programs and really have adapted to Division 1 well.

Let's start off with NDSU Football. NDSU's football program alone speaks for itself. Personally, if you take the top 2 programs for each. UND Hockey vs NDSU Football. Football has the advantage.

First off, it generates more revenue yearly. NDSU football has it's advantages playing some well known teams in D-1AA and last season just started playing some D-1A teams (Minnesota and Ball St.). They had Minnesota on the ropes in their house (the Metrodome) and dominated the Gophers in every aspect of the game (except FG kicking). The Bison made it look like they were the Big Ten team playing an inferior D-1AA team. And come next year, I expect the same, with the Bison coming out on top.

They've had great success over the last few seasons topping some damn good teams and finished the D-1AA rankings ranked 5th.

Lastly, if you take away NDSU's football program, then you have no athletic department. You can't say the same for hockey.


NDSU's Mens Basketball program has come a long way in the last 4/5 years or so. And I mean a long ways. They own the state of Wisconsin. In 2005-2006 they upset 14th ranked Wisconsin 62-55 and this past season upset 8th ranked Marquette 64-60 at Marquette's home tournament. The one they were suppose to dominate. Holding Dominic James to 3 of 11 FG shooting and 8 points.

In the 2005-2006 season the Bison finished with a 16-12 record and this past season finished at 20-8. Next season they will enter the Mid-Continent Conference and won't be eligible for the NCAA Tournament until the 2008-2009 season; where they will have a legitimate chance of making the big dance with Ben Woodside, Mike Nelson, Luke Moorman, Brett Winklemann, and their whole bench returning. But next year they have a shot at making the NIT again. I thought they really should have this year, but at the end they had some disappointing losses.

The Bison Men's Basketball team has been impressive in their transition to Division 1 Basketball. They are now entering a conference and should continue to improve. From here on out, I expect this team to compete in the Mid-Con and fight for a NCAA Tournament bid year in and year out.

In my opinion, overall, UND can't top that. There's no comparison, really. NDSU takes it. Joe and I felt like we needed to do a post on NDSU/UND. Plus, we wanted to do something that could generate some great discussion. And lately, I've been in some intense arguments between the two schools with some of my peers.

NDSU is on the rise and have found their place in D-1 athletics. Other than Hockey, UND still needs to adapt when they get to the D-1 level. Just because NDSU has, doesn't mean they will. No one said it's easy. It's a tough transition, and the Bison have payed their dues. There's only one perfect phrase to describe Bison athletics right now, that is... 'Bring on the competition.'

grittysquirrels take:

So first and foremost I just want to put out there that Stefan is planning on going to NDSU next year and I am attending UND...readers beware this rivalry may take The Sports Flow by storm and this post may be incredibly biased....With that said here is my take...focusing on both school's main programs.

• UND Hockey: is like nothing that NDSU has. Ralph Engelstad Arena in the nicest, most luxurious hockey facility(ies) in NCAA Hockey....maybe in all of Hockey (NHL included). They play at the D1A level...there is nothing higher. In my opinion there is just nothing that NDSU has that can compare, and if you've been to a game you know what I'm talking about. They play on the big stage (played on ESPN2 just a week ago) and are nearly a staple in postseason play and the upper tier of national rankings.
• NDSU Football: Sure ok, it's D1AA and grosses more revenue than the hockey team but if you are going to play that card then look...UND is having a bit of an exploratory year in D1AA next year and will be fullblown in '08. So with the whole revenue thing look, in 4-5 years UND will be where NDSU is right now and you can go ahead and add that revenue to what the hockey team does for the university too, so let's just go ahead and about make that a nonfactor.
• UND Football: is a relatively top-flight D2 program. They're consistently highly ranked and had a pretty decent recruiting class this last year. Last season they beat the NIU (Northern Iowa University) Panthers 35-31 in Iowa when the Panthers were the #3 ranked D1-AA team. So really, although the transition won't be easy I don't think it will be terribly hard. So, they've proved they can beat the higher competition and just because they are D2 doesn't mean they can be overlooked. NDSU, yes has a better football program, but UND doesn't lag as far behind as people think. Give them a 3-4 maybe 5 years and we'll have some great rivalry games going on each fall.
• NDSU Men's Bball: Is where NDSU gets their main advantage. Sure, they lost Tim Miles, but that might not hurt them too much. I've heard great things about some of the assistants he had over there. With basically all your key players back I think NDSU will have a real shot at making the NIT too....they were about 1 big win away this year.
• UND Women's Bball: is probably way too overlooked. They are another top-flight D2 program that should make a nice transition to D1 in coming years. They lost in the Elite 8 this year and are preseasonally ranked #5 for next season. It is worth noting that a lot of people don't even realize that they were 34-1 in the '05-'06.

THE FINAL TAKE
Look, I think that both of these programs collectively are very good and both on the rise. It is almost too close to call and that is why it makes such a good "Take Your Pick", however both out of pride and honesty opinions I'm taking UND.

NDSU's advantage in football is not as large as most think, and whatever advantage they have over UND in Men's Bball the UND Women's team negates, which makes hockey the catalyst here. I think the UND's Hockey program wins this for them (in my mind anyways). It's close and everyone is entitled to their opinion but the bottomline is that NDSU has nothing that compares to UND Hockey....period. You can draw parallels of the program to that of what basketball is to Kentucky or Duke. Top players (i.e. Duncan, Oshie, Chorney, Toews, the list could go on), top facilities (the Ralph is amazing), unbeatable environment (if you haven't been you're missing out), and competition at the highest level of play are just something that NDSU can't offer right now.

It's a tough take and everyone is entitled to their own opinion...so what is your take? Who do you want and why?

Take Your Pick: Oden vs. Durant

So, this is something that has been done on like 96% of sports blogs out there and even though it is a little late I want to do it anyways. Cuz if everyone's doing it...then it's best to follow along in order to fit in.

Alright, I've got the first pick in the NBA Draft next year, which guy do I want (assuming both leave for the draft). In case one stays let's just say we are looking for the all around best player at the next level right now. Here we go.....

• Oden- Offense is weak but excels at other aspecs which are essential and much needed at the next level (some NBA squads may take an interest in PLAYING DEFENSE which adds greatly to his appeal)
• Oden- You can't teach size.
• Durant- He can do it all
• Durant- A better scorer than Oden
• Durant- Can play multiple positions at the next level
• Oden- already has the NBA-body
• Durant- Still needs to fill out for the next level
  

By highlighting just a few of these Pros and Cons it is easy to tell that this is a tough call and both players will no doubt be great NBA players one day. However Greg Oden is my guy. By drafting him and inserting him in your lineup he makes a huge and immediate impact on your defense , which is a novel concept in the NBA. Also offensively he still can grow. With the right coaching, and a little maturing his offense will improve. He's proved his toughness this year by playing for weeks on one hand- his non-dominant one at that. So, if you have a bit of a void at the 5 spot, or are looking for what I view as the best overall pick to make the greatest immediate impact. I would take Oden. Because if you have the first pick in the draft, chances are is that you are looking for some kind of an immediate impact. However, if you are set at the 5 and are looking for a scorer who doesn't play great D, then Durant is your guy. Which of the 2 would you take?

P.S.- Stefan and I are both older than Kevin Durant....that in itself is scary and kind of wierd to think about.

Take your pick: Jeter vs. A-Rod

I'll be the first to admit that I hate the New York Yankees and almost all of their players, coaches, fans, and affiliates. With the recent rumors of an apparent rift between the two star infielders I thought it would be fun to play a game with it.

Ok, so you can only pick one guy and here's the deal. You are starting your own team and can pick one to be your centerpiece. One guy to build your whole team around. Take everything into consideration; I'll go first.

My Guy

I'm going to take Derek Jeter as my pick. There is no doubt that A-Rod may wind up hitting 500 hrs in his career and has more power to his bat but given the criteria of the game I'm going with Jeter. If I am starting my own team there is possibly no other guy in MLB that I'd rather build my team around than Jeter. Here are some of the reasons that I'd go with Jeter over A-Rod:

• He's a great leader on and off the field
• Great defensive player at the heart of the infield
• Comes drastically cheaper
• Commands much more respect in the clubhouse
• Has 4 rings - knows how to win and specifically win "The Big One"
• Much better defensively than A-Rod
• What he lacks to A-Rod in power he makes up for as a great contact hitter while supplying adequate power numbers
• What can you say?...He's clutch
• He's coming arguably his best season ever, while A-rod had an up-and-down year both at the plate and in the field.

Now, both of these players are great, don't get me wrong. Furthermore they are great in their own respects. Comparing the two like this might be a touch unfair because of how different they are. It is kind of like comparing Grady Sizemore to Travis Hafner, or Mark Loretta to Big Papi, etc. It's basically comparing apples to oranges; but that is what makes it fun. So you've heard my choice. Now what's yours? You're starting your own team who do you want, A-Rod or Jeter?