Friday, December 11, 2009
Turn up that dial
Daily News sportswriters Josh Krueger and Rick McGowan and sports editor Scott Barrett will join host Evan Smith today from 12:30-2 p.m. on WADK to talk about the local, collegiate and national sports scene. Be sure to listen in and join the discussion when the phone lines open up.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
R.I. high school football final poll
It was a tough way for Middletown to end the season, losing to Exeter-West Greeniwch in the Division IV Super Bowl after beating the Scarlet Knights during the regular season. Still, the Islanders - who ended a decade-plus-long losing streak to rival Portsmouth on Thanksgiving Day - are the top ranked team from Newport County in the state's media poll. Neither Middletown or Portsmouth ever dropped out of the poll, while Tiverton climbed back in late in the season.
Team Points Last week
1. Barringon (8) 160 1
2. Hendricken 146 3
3. Woonsocket 141 6
4. La Salle 134 2
5. Ponaganset 123 8
6. Mount Hope 118 7
7. East Providence 116 5
8. South Kingstown 99 4
9. Coventry 83 10t
10. Exeter-WG 81 20
11. Johnston 80 16
12. Cranston East 63 10t
13. Westerly 58 13
14. West Warwick 55 15
15. Middletown 53 9
16. Moses Brown 42 14
17. Portsmouth 31 12
18. Tiverton 30 19
19. Classical 19 17
20. Cranston West 16 18
Dropped out (rank): none.
Others receiving votes: Hope 10, Lincoln 6, Cumberland 2
Participating publications: The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier, The Cranston Herald, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Narragansett Times, The Newport Daily News, The Northeast Independent, The North Kingstown Standard Times, The South County Independent, The Warwick Beacon, The Westerly Sun.
Team Points Last week
1. Barringon (8) 160 1
2. Hendricken 146 3
3. Woonsocket 141 6
4. La Salle 134 2
5. Ponaganset 123 8
6. Mount Hope 118 7
7. East Providence 116 5
8. South Kingstown 99 4
9. Coventry 83 10t
10. Exeter-WG 81 20
11. Johnston 80 16
12. Cranston East 63 10t
13. Westerly 58 13
14. West Warwick 55 15
15. Middletown 53 9
16. Moses Brown 42 14
17. Portsmouth 31 12
18. Tiverton 30 19
19. Classical 19 17
20. Cranston West 16 18
Dropped out (rank): none.
Others receiving votes: Hope 10, Lincoln 6, Cumberland 2
Participating publications: The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier, The Cranston Herald, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Narragansett Times, The Newport Daily News, The Northeast Independent, The North Kingstown Standard Times, The South County Independent, The Warwick Beacon, The Westerly Sun.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Tough times for Tom
The days when Tom Brady steps in the phone booth, puts on his Superman uniform and saves the day are over. There was a time not too long ago when the New England Patriots quarterback couldn’t be rattled. He was the cool, calm, collected gunslinger that could untie the ropes and rescue the damsel in distress just before the train struck.
But he’s no longer the Brady that could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The numbers suggest he’s having a season that’s comparable to that of his earlier seasons, and the offense is scoring nearly 28 points per game, but he’s lagging in the one number that has always meant the most: wins.
New England is 7-5, having lost two straight and three of their last four. No doubt the defense deserves the bulk of the blame, but it’s safe to say that the offense Brady orchestrates is a shell of its former self. And Brady isn’t without some blame. He’s missing open receivers and making bad decisions, things the “old Brady” never did. He's on pace to match his career high for interceptions.
In the red zone, the Patriots are no longer a lock to score - how many picks has he thrown in the end zone? I can count three off the top of my head - and three fourth-down calls have produced the same number of turnovers on downs.
The players say nobody in the New England locker room is panicking, and that’s probably true. But Patriots fans have to wonder when Terrific Tom will once again step into that phone booth and help save this sinking team.
But he’s no longer the Brady that could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The numbers suggest he’s having a season that’s comparable to that of his earlier seasons, and the offense is scoring nearly 28 points per game, but he’s lagging in the one number that has always meant the most: wins.
New England is 7-5, having lost two straight and three of their last four. No doubt the defense deserves the bulk of the blame, but it’s safe to say that the offense Brady orchestrates is a shell of its former self. And Brady isn’t without some blame. He’s missing open receivers and making bad decisions, things the “old Brady” never did. He's on pace to match his career high for interceptions.
In the red zone, the Patriots are no longer a lock to score - how many picks has he thrown in the end zone? I can count three off the top of my head - and three fourth-down calls have produced the same number of turnovers on downs.
The players say nobody in the New England locker room is panicking, and that’s probably true. But Patriots fans have to wonder when Terrific Tom will once again step into that phone booth and help save this sinking team.
Monday, December 7, 2009
BCS gets it wrong again
Just when you think the BCS couldn’t be any more of a joke, the bowl matchups were announced on Sunday, making it clear that the BCS’s ineptitude knows no bounds.
Sure, the championship game has the right teams in it, but that would have been really difficult to screw up.
For the first time in the brief, unspectacular history of the Bowl Championship Series, two teams from non-BCS conferences (Texas Christian and Boise State) qualified for BCS bowls. That is good news. The bad news, however, is that they’re playing each other.
We’ve all watched this season as TCU and Boise State ransacked their respective conferences and finished undefeated to earn a shot at the big boys.
Problem is, they won’t get that shot.
TCU-Boise State matchup is somewhat intriguing, but it’s also a complete waste of a Fiesta Bowl. Wouldn't you want to see TCU take on Florida, or Boise State play Iowa or Georgia Tech? Let the little guys prove they can hang with the Big Ten, SEC or ACC, because apparently Boise State beating Oklahoma a few years ago wasn’t proof enough.
Who knows? Maybe they can’t hang this year, and Florida would squash the Horned Frogs and Iowa or G-Tech would blow out the Broncos. But those games, at least initially, would be a lot more interesting than what the BCS has given us.
Sure, the championship game has the right teams in it, but that would have been really difficult to screw up.
For the first time in the brief, unspectacular history of the Bowl Championship Series, two teams from non-BCS conferences (Texas Christian and Boise State) qualified for BCS bowls. That is good news. The bad news, however, is that they’re playing each other.
We’ve all watched this season as TCU and Boise State ransacked their respective conferences and finished undefeated to earn a shot at the big boys.
Problem is, they won’t get that shot.
TCU-Boise State matchup is somewhat intriguing, but it’s also a complete waste of a Fiesta Bowl. Wouldn't you want to see TCU take on Florida, or Boise State play Iowa or Georgia Tech? Let the little guys prove they can hang with the Big Ten, SEC or ACC, because apparently Boise State beating Oklahoma a few years ago wasn’t proof enough.
Who knows? Maybe they can’t hang this year, and Florida would squash the Horned Frogs and Iowa or G-Tech would blow out the Broncos. But those games, at least initially, would be a lot more interesting than what the BCS has given us.
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