So now you’ve taken your first few picks (after reading the previous rules #1 and #2) and you’re feeling pretty confident. But you realize you don’t know what to do now that you are in the middle of the draft. You see that Yahoo! has the unstoppable New York Jets Defense and Special Teams Unit ranked as the next best pick. Should you choose a D/ST in the 6^th round? Or should you pad your bench? But the bench doesn’t contribute. There’s only 10 seconds left! What do you do? Breathe. Relax. Take a sip of Matty Ice. Don’t worry. I’m here for you.

Rule #3: Wait on drafting a Defense/Special Teams (D/ST). This is probably one of the biggest mistakes most fantasy managers make. D/ST don’t need to be drafted until the last few rounds. Personally, I tend to wait until the last two rounds to take my kicker and D/ST (more on the kicker in upcoming Rule #5). The New York Jets Defense/Special Teams is pretty much the consensus number one pick among D/ST even though arguably the best cornerback in the league, Darrelle Revis, who is so vital to the Jets’ shutdown defense, is holding out with no end in sight. Regardless of the Revis holdout, the Jets D/ST is being picked in Yahoo! leagues with the 56.4 selection, on average, roughly in the middle of the 6^th round of an 8-10 team league. The Jets pick sounds fine and dandy until I tell you that, according to ESPN Fantasy Football expert Chris Harris, “Of the five pre-draft consensus No. 1 fantasy defenses in the past five seasons, exactly one finished among the top 10 defenses by season’s end.” Only one has finished among the top 10!

That one team would the 2006 Chicago Bears, which finished 2^nd in ESPN leagues. The Bears had dominated on defense the year before, but were immensely helped in 2006 by the 3 punt return TDs, and 2 kickoff return TDs, of Devin Hester. These 5 TDs added an additional 50 fantasy points (standard leagues award 10 points per special teams TD), or FP. Special Teams TDs are very difficult to predict, especially when the returner is a rookie (like Hester was). Do you know how many return TDs Hester has had in the past two seasons?  None. This isn’t entirely surprising as teams have been kicking away from Hester for the past two seasons. But why didn’t they do that in his second season, when he racked up an additional 6 return TDs?

Will Revis return? And can the Jets deliver with or without him?

Now, if are in your standard ten team league, you could be wasting a sixth round pick on the worst starting defense and special teams unit in the fantasy league! If you are taking a D/ST in the 6^th or7^th round, assuming that the league plays with two RBs, two WRs, and 1 Flex, you have not yet finished filling your starting skill position slots before drafting a D/ST! This is absurd. Last season, according to ESPN, the difference between the best D/ST unit, the San Francisco 49ers, and the last starting unit (which would be the tenth best starting unit), the Minnesota Vikings, was a measly 41 points (167 to 126). The 16^th best, or the middle of the pack, D/ST, claimed 111 FP, a difference of 66 points. This may sound like a lot of points, but the difference between the best running back, Chris Johnson, and the 20th running back, or the last starter, if everyone were to only draft running backs, was 186 FP, more than quadruple that of the point differential of the best and worst starting D/ST. While the difference for the other positions is smaller, it is still much greater than that of the D/ST. I will elaborate on this idea in a coming piece.

In the worst case, you will have to go to the free agency pool and stream defenses against terrible offenses. There are always very bad offenses that don’t score points and turn the ball over a lot. Last year’s four teams that scored fewer than 16.0 points per game were the Tampa Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns (15.3),  Oakland Raiders (12.3), and St. Louis Rams (10.9). In the past ten seasons, only twice have there been only two teams that scored under 16 points per game. So this seems like a trend that will continue. With this stat in mind, there are roughly ten to fifteen teams that can be picked up from free agency in a given week that will perform average-to-great in a given week  Drafting a defense and special teams unit in the mid-level rounds is just crazy.

Still not convinced? Let’s take a look at some of the players being drafted with later picks: From a quick glance at a list of the top 200 players’ average draft position (ADP), I saw 7 RBs including Lions RB Jahvid Best (a “stud” rookie taking over the starting role from, successful fantasy sleeper, Kevin Smith. Last season, Smith scored 131 FP in only 13.5 games), LeSean McCoy (a younger version of Brian Westbrook, in the same west-coast offense. Westbrook used to average among the top-ten RBs in), and Ronnie Brown (118 FP in only 9 games and one of the leagues most dominant RBs when healthy); 9 WRs, two of which are guys I am very, very high on: Donald Driver (135 FP last season) and Wes Welker (155 FP last season); 6 TEs including one of the most consistent ends in the past decade in Tony Gonzalez; and 7 QBs I wouldn’t mind taking with a late pick, my favorites being Matt Ryan (217 FP in 13 games. A healthy season should see his numbers back up around 265)  and Joe Flacco (240 FP last season and 2 great receiving corps additions in Anquan Boldin and the just injured Donte’ Stallworth to increase Flacco’s production). This comes to a total of 29 players! And that was from just a quick glance. There are so many more players I would rather take a flier on than a D/ST.

The problem with these defenses is the high-risk and low-reward of using a top-10 round pick. ESPN Fantasy Football’s Christopher Harris’ analysis of last year’s D/ST draft results indicates the difficulty in predicting even a top-ten D/ST unit. Four of the top ten D/ST from last season’s ESPN leagues were either drafted outside of the top ten, or not drafted at all. So the chance of snagging a starting unit after everyone else has theirs is almost 50%!

Clearly, from my list, there is a plethora of talented players, who are more likely to succeed but would be passed up if a D/ST is taken so high. As tempting as Patrick Willis makes the 49ers defense look, give your team a chance. Pass on the defense and draft a player with plenty of upside that could separate your team from the next.

Contact: If you have a fantasy football question, comment, insult, or compliment for Dr. Z, send it to Nightcapkspc@gmail.com or call in to The Nightcap on KSPC Mondays 8-10 PM at (909) 626-KSPC. No inquiry is too big or small. It might even be featured in Dr. Z’s next column! Please include your first name and from which city you are writing.

Editor’s Note: This sports column is a regular feature from “The Nightcap” crew, a group of 5Cers who air a weekly radio sports talk show on KSPC. You can listen in online at KSPCstream.com or KSPC.org (click “Hear us Online via Live365”) every Monday from 8-10 PM. Want to join the radio show this year? We are looking for new people! Email us at nightcapKSPC@gmail.com!

Okay, now you know how the league works and you won’t get stuck wondering why Matt Forte was taken 40 spots earlier than you expected (you can read about this explanation in Dr. Z’s Rule #1). So what do you in the first few rounds?

Rule #2: In the early rounds, don’t draft above value. This is one of the toughest rules to keep. The best way to catch yourself before falling off the deep-end is by grouping your players, according to position, into tiers of value before you draft. Group players by position according to how many fantasy points you think they will accrue throughout the season. If you believe that the points of a group of, say, five running backs will be comparable, then you group them together into a tier. Unless you are in love with a wide receiver in your third tier, don’t draft him if most of the receivers in tier 2 are still available. In this case I would question why that player is in tier three and not tier two.

If you aren’t sure how to create a tier system, a quick Google of “Fantasy Football Tier” brings up a few good places to start. The first few rounds are the most important picks of the draft because this is when the top performers are usually picked. There are a few choices: The stable, elite players, who have been there, done that, year after year: the Andre Johnsons, Adrian Petersons, and Chris Johnsons of the league; and the elite players “of new” who have had “breakout” seasons, phenomenal catches, and exciting runs: the Rashard Mendenhalls and DesSean Jacksons. Although I had Jackson on my team last year (as a mid-round addition mind you), I wouldn’t bet on him in the first two rounds, where I have seen him taken too many times this year. It is crucial to pick players who will stabilize your team (more on consistency in an upcoming column). You don’t want to rock the boat by taking a guy who could flame out. If you’re taking him because of two seasons, or fewer, of elite success, you should be questioning the pick and seriously considering someone else. It’s easy to fall into the trap and draft on hype and excitement instead of performance and value. Young “studs” like Philadelphia Eagles WR DeSean Jackson, and rookie “phenoms” like San Diego Chargers RB Ryan Mathews, tend to get a lot of hype that, in my opinion, they don’t deserve. I’m not saying that they won’t have stellar, or even elite, years. But they have not earned the high pick of a first or second rounder. There are just too many question marks.

Chris Johnson is only two seasons into his NFL career yet he has already established himself as a top RB.

Last season, the Chargers had the 22nd best (read: 10thworst) run offensive line according to profootballfocus.com’s film analysis. This is not surprising given the stats. The Chargers ranked second to last in yards per game (only the Colts were worse). Their 19^th most rushing attempts per game of 26.7 averaged them 88.7 yards per game. Their only saving grace for fantasy owners was LaDainian Tomlinson’s 12 TDs, which was a result of the strong passing game. That comes out to a league worst 3.3 yards per carry. And this is with the speedy Darren Sproles and the elusive, yet aging, LT. Why would rookie Mathews fare better, at least enough to grant him a late first round or early second round pick?

As for DeSean Jackson, the man is a serious deep threat with killer speed. But his numbers are much more than likely to regress. I seriously question if he is worth the value of a first or second round pick. Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson, Steven Jackson, and Adrian Peterson: these are the type of guys to draft early. It’s okay if you draft three wide receivers in a row before draft a running back, just as long as the guys are solid and consistent. Being flexible with the positions you draft early while sticking to value is key.

I’ve told you what to do in the pre-draft (know everything about your league!) and what to do in the first few rounds (draft based on proven production, not hype). Look out for the next in the series in which I tell you what to do next.

Contact: If you have a fantasy football question, comment, insult, or compliment for Dr. Z, send it to Nightcapkspc@gmail.com or call in to The Nightcap on KSPC Mondays 8-10 PM at (909) 626-KSPC. No inquiry is too big or small. It might even be featured in Dr. Z’s next column! Please include your first name and from which city you are writing.

Editor’s Note: This sports column is a regular feature from “The Nightcap” crew, a group of 5Cers who air a weekly radio sports talk show on KSPC. You can listen in online at KSPCstream.com or KSPC.org (click “Hear us Online via Live365”) every Monday from 8-10 PM. Want to join the radio show this year? We are looking for new people! Email us at nightcapKSPC@gmail.com!

Disclaimer: Dr. Z claims in no way to be a medical, dental, or any other type of physician in any way. He has also never received a doctorate. He is only considered a “doctor” in the sense that he writes to remedy your fantasy football qualms, afflictions, and maladies.

Every January, as the fantasy football season wraps up, my friends and foes always ask me, “Dr. Z, what’s your secret? How do you do it? Tell me what you know.” Ok. Maybe not. But perhaps they should. As much as I love baseball, it’s never been my forte, although I have to say I’m quite proud of my fantasy team, “Ron’s Rehab Center” which currently sits 2^nd out of 12 teams. But I’m glad that football season is finally here! And lucky for you, I’ve decided to let you in on my strategies that have consistently kept me in striking range of my league trophy year after year. I’m hoping that “Albert’s Fitness Center” can follow in the footsteps of “Donte’s Driving School” and lead me to the championship for the second straight year in my annual “Bye Bye Brett” league.

Rule #1: Know your league. If you don’t know the scoring and roster setup, then most of what I, or anyone else, tell you is practically worthless. It is extremely important to know if your roster needs 3 Wide Receivers, a second Quarterback, and possibly even a Defensive player or a flex, etc. Does your team credit receptions and rushing attempts? Or just yards and touchdowns? Do you get bonus points for touchdowns scored from longer yardage plays?

Before two-back systems became the norm, rushers dominated fantasy leagues, racking up yards and touchdowns. In 2002, ten RBs scored 10 or more TDs, with eight of the ten scoring more than 10. In the same year, eight receivers accomplished this feet. But only three of these receivers exceeded 10 TDs. The league high in rushing TDs was 27 (Kansas City Chiefs RB Priest Holmes) while the league high in receiving TDs was 17 (WR Randy Moss, playing for the Minnesota Vikings at the time). You get the point. Running backs dominated the league.

The Points Per Reception (PPR) league scoring format was created to try to keep the value of the positions balanced by adding extra value to receivers and tight ends. The scoring was exactly the same as a standard league except that each reception would be worth a certain number of points, hence the name, “Points Per Reception.” In some leagues, the added value can be as low as 0.1 ppr, but it is usually posted at 1 ppr. Now, with rushers coming out of the backfield to make catches more frequently, the added value is extended not just to the receivers and tight ends, but to the running backs as well. Running backs such as Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears, who was third in the league last season with 57 receptions for 471, is currently being drafted in standard Yahoo! Leagues at 81.8, which is roughly in the beginning of the 9^th round. But in Yahoo! PPR leagues, his average draft position (ADP) is 42.8, roughly three-and-a-half-rounds (4.8) higher!

Matt Forte's pass-catching ability increases his value in PPR formats by roughly four rounds!

But it’s not as if Forte is the only RB to catch the ball out of the backfield. Why is his value that much higher in PPR leagues? Let’s compare him to Carolina Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart (64.2 ADP) and Denver Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno (70.6 ADP). Stewart rushed for 1133 yards and 10 TDs, and caught 18 passes for 139 yards and 1 score for an estimated 198 fantasy points, FP, in standard leagues. Moreno rushed for 947 yards and 7 scores, and had 28 catches for 213 yards and 2 TDs for an estimated 169 FP in standard leagues. Forte ran for 929 yards and 4 end zone appearances, while catching 57 passes for 471 yards and no touchdowns for an estimated 163 FP in standard leagues. As we can see, Forte has the lowest fantasy numbers of the three. But in PPR leagues that award 1 point per reception, Forte gains 57 points, Stewart an additional 18, and Moreno 28 points, giving Forte the edge with 220 FP to Stewart’s 210 and Moreno’s 197. Need I say more?

It takes only a few minutes but just looking into what positions you need to draft to fill out your roster, how the points are scored, and even how many other teams are in the league, can make the difference between drafting Matt Forte in the 4^th round and wondering why he did not fall to you in the 8^th round like you were expecting.

Contact: If you have a fantasy football question, comment, insult, or compliment for Dr. Z, send it to Nightcapkspc@gmail.com or call in to The Nightcap on KSPC Mondays 8-10 PM at (909) 626-KSPC. No inquiry is too big or small. It might even be featured in Dr. Z’s next column! Please include your first name and from which city you are writing.

Editor’s Note: This sports column is a regular feature from “The Nightcap” crew, a group of 5Cers who air a weekly radio sports talk show on KSPC. You can listen in online at KSPCstream.com or KSPC.org (click “Hear us Online via Live365”) every Monday from 8-10 PM. Want to join the radio show this year? We are looking for new people! Email us at nightcapKSPC@gmail.com!

Tiger, an African-American, made it into Stanford and then proceeded to dominate a sport that had belonged to whites since its beginnings. When Tiger entered golf, the sport was still reeling from the departure of the beloved Arnold Palmer and the decline of Tom Watson.   The PGA was sorely in need of a hero. No one had the charisma, emotion, and dominance needed to win over the hearts of fans as well as bring new fans to golf. But Tiger, the son of a U.S. soldier, embodied the American dream and quickly became everything the PGA needed him to be. From 1984 to 1996,  no player won the Player of the Year Award more than twice, with the exception of Nick Price (’94 and ’95). Then, at the age of 21, Woods became the youngest player and the first African-American to win the Masters, which he did in 1997. He destroyed the competition by 12 strokes. And that elusive Player of the Year award that no one seemed to be able to hold onto? Tiger won it in ’97 after his first Masters title and then won it nine more times from 1999 to 2009. Off the golf course Woods was calm and controlled; the perfect role model for kids. On the links, he was intense and inspiring, bringing the renewed passion back to golf and great TV ratings with it.  He was golf. I loved him–everyone did. We rooted for him. We watched golf because of him. Although Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Davis Love III, and Phil Mickelson seemed to be nice guys too, I could never find myself rooting for anyone other than Tiger.

But, perhaps I should have been warned when, in December of 2008, Woods’ caddy, Steve Williams, said, “I wouldn’t call [Phil] Mickelson a great player, ’cause I hate the [expletive].” Let’s just say that that expletive rhymes with “brick.” Williams apologized and explained that Tiger was in no way connected or responsible for his caddy’s answer. Right. I was expected to believe that? But, hey, people make mistakes, and everyone’s entitled to their opinion. So, like everyone else, I let that slide.

This past Thanksgiving, everything changed. It was reported that Woods crashed his SUV outside of his home and had to be rushed to the hospital. It appears that this was likely just a cover-up. Supposedly Elin Woods, Tiger’s wife, upon learning that Tiger was engaging in extramarital affairs, had attacked him. There was a messy separation in which the prenuptial was rewritten. Tiger handed his wife $5 million immediately and she was due another $55 million over the next two years. Elin is barred from telling her side of the story and must continue to show up with Tiger at social events and act in public as if they “were still a perfect couple.”

Like countless athletes before him, Woods has betrayed the public’s trust. In 2003, Lakers star Kobe Bryant, my least favorite current NBA player (because I am a Celtics fan), cheated on his wife and allegedly raped a 19-year old waitress at a Colorado hotel. Because of Bryant’s heartfelt apology, his out-of-court settlement with the alleged victim, and his demonstrated willingness to change, fans have forgiven him. Then in 2007, then Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, pled guilty to interstate dogfighting. In a short press conference, Michael Vick delivered an apology that seemed like it was written by his agents and lawyers.  The reality that he had let down countless fans and kids, both in Atlanta and across the nation, apparently had not sunk in.

Of course, athletes disappointing the public is nothing new. In 1919, Chicago White Sox outfielder “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and at least seven of his teammates were indicted, but eventually acquitted, of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Still, baseball fans believed that key members on the White Sox had intentionally lost the series. Legend has it that as “Shoeless” Joe left the courtroom, a kid stepped forward from the throng that had gathered to see their idol, and begged of him, “Say it ain’t so Joe!” Jackson let down countless kids and fans, many of who never forgave him for ripping out the integrity of the sport.

Jackson. Bryant. Vick. And now, Woods. All thought they were invincible; above the rest. This attitude of some athletes makes it impossible for me to root for them. These athletes make millions upon millions of dollars playing a sport for fans and are role models for little kids all over the world. They have a duty to the public and are held to a higher standard. When Tiger apologized in his press conference, it felt more like he was upset that he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar than he had actually realized the extent of his actions. Woods demanded that the public and paparazzi stay away from his kids and the rest of his family.

But Tiger, you don’t get to call the shots anymore. You already forfeited that right when you used your family for your advantage and when you cheated on your wife–numerous times and with numerous different women. Maybe if Woods had taken a year off of golf to straighten out his life, spend time with his family, and miss some majors, I could give him the respect he demanded. But in true Tiger Woods fashion, he announced in March that he would return to play in the Masters. A Woods victory would only add to his legend. A devious publicity move that to me shows that he cares more about himself than his family. The severity of his actions still has not reached him.

This past weekend, when the focus should have been on Phil Mickelson – how he was battling alongside his wife Amy and mother Mary against breast cancer – it was instead on Woods’ return to golf even though he finished a full five strokes off the lead . The stories should have been about magnificent 16 year-old Italian, Matteo Manassero, who finished tied for 36^th, or Anthony Kim, the next American great who placed 3^rd with a tournament-round-low of 65, or the 40-year old K.J. Choi who tied for 4^th, or even the guy in 2^nd place, Britain’s majorless Lee Westwood, who has finished 2^nd or 3^rd in a major four other times.

In the same way that I cannot bring myself to root for Michael Vick, and baseball fans across the nation could not forgive “Shoeless” Joe, I could not forgive or root for Tiger. I think that ESPN’s Rick Reilly put it best:

“Who you rooting for today among the Americans? The guy who’s trying to be polite? Or the guy who just can’t help it? The guy who’s learning to be faithful? Or the guy who’s always been. The guy who’s working on his temper? Or the guy who never had one. Are you pulling for the guy who came to the masters with his life upside down through his own inexplicable choices? Or the guy who came to the masters with his life upside down through no choice of his own. Me? I’m pulling for Mickelson…You have to root for the guy who was friendly before it was fashionable, who was true without having to go to rehab for it. And who spent most of his professional golf life losing to the other guy, who it turns out, was neither.”

For once, twice, thrice, the nice guy didn’t finish last.

Editor’s Note: This sports column is a regular feature from “The Nightcap” crew,  made up of Ari Zyskind, Nathan Barnett, Dan Campbell, and Kevin Shuai, a group of 5Cers who air a weekly radio sports talk show on KSPC. You can listen in online at KSPCstream.com or KSPC.org (click “Hear us Online via Live365”) every Monday from 8-10 PM.

]]> http://cmcforum.com/news/sports/04132010-loving-to-hate-tiger/feed 7 http://cmcforum.com/news/sports/03012010-whats-wrong-with-the-winter-olympics http://cmcforum.com/news/sports/03012010-whats-wrong-with-the-winter-olympics#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:21:43 +0000 Ari Zyskind http://cmcforum.com/?p=11261 I love the Olympics, both summer and winter. The atmosphere brings out the best in the competitors, from Phelps’ touch out to take his seventh goal to the USA-Canada hockey rivalry, the Olympics make for great entertainment (and often drama).

But while I enjoy the Winter Olympics, they don’t promote as much diversity as the Summer Olympics. The fact is few countries have an opportunity to compete seriously or produce medal contenders. While the Summer Olympics present an opportunity for many countries to medal, only a fraction as many have a legitimate opportunity to medal at the winter games, and the top echelon of medalists come almost entirely from a tiny handful of countries. Granted, fewer medals are given at the winter games, but the fact remains that so far only 25 countries total have received any medals at all during the winter games compared to the 80 total countries which medaled at the Summer games in Beijing.

To be sure, few countries are geographically, socially, or economically able to support the extensive training regimens of winter athletes. But of those that are able to sustain and maintain such a program are glorified by the Winter Olympics. Although it’s supposed to be a great forum and gathering of the nations, only a few have the opportunity to compete seriously.

Take Women’s Ice Hockey. Scores during pool play were 12-1, 13-1, 13-0 and even a humiliating 18-1 defeat by Canada over Slovakia. The fact that Canada defeated, by such a large margin, a country that is actually supposed to be good at hockey is embarrassing to the sport and the games. While I will always support the American team (USA! USA!), I wish the possibility existed that they might someday have to compete with some country like Argentina.

And while this is unrealistic, it also serves to point out a potential flaw in how the Olympics are delivered. I think that there is too much emphasis on medal counts among countries. I am proud of the American athletes and thoroughly enjoy watching them out-perform such dreaded countries as the Communist Chinese, I wish there was more emphasis on the achievement of those who come from these almost insurmountable odds and succeed, instead of the amount of medals they might contribute.

After all, medals are achieved through hard work and personal achievement. But without the economic support, many individuals are not given the opportunity. Korea, as of Friday night sat in 7^th place, for total medals, with 14. Only one, a world record gold medal performance by figure skater Kim Yu-Na, was not a speed skating medal. Countries like Korea must focus their resources on a select few sports leaving countless individuals sidelined without ever being given the opportunity to compete.

Although I love the competition and patriotism of the Olympics, I feel that we should not be as consumed with medal counts as with the character and resolve of the athletes to achieve for their countries. We should support the Olympics as a forum where individuals from all countries can compete and engage in this great gathering of nations.

Editor’s Note: This sports column is a regular feature from “The Nightcap” crew,  made up of Ari Zyskind, Dan Campbell, Kavin Shuai, and Ned Schooler, a group of 5Cers who air a weekly radio talk show on KSPC. You can listen in online at KSPC.org (click “Hear us Online via Live365”) every Monday from 8-10 PM.

• Good luck to QB Matthew Stafford, who was drafted first overall by the Detroit Lions (who did not win a game last year). Stafford gets to throw to Calvin Johnson, a very talented receiver; that is, as long as he’s not running away from the defenders that his terrible offensive line let through. Let’s hope he has more success than Dan Orlovsky.
• The Jets made an aggressive play to nab USC QB Mark Sanchez at the number 5 spot. The Jets didn’t have to give much up to move up from 17 and I hear that Sanchez was working with USC Strength Coach Chuck Berry for the past year, so you have to feel confident about the pick.
• Oakland, which now has a stable of talented offensive weapons but no offensive line (or defensive for that matter) passed up the two “best” WRs in the draft to take Maryland’s Darrius Heyward-Bey. 49ers fans rejoiced as Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree fell to them at 10.
• My New England Patriots trade away many of their picks, but were able to snag CB Darius Butler of UConn in the second round. Most predicted that the Patriots were going to take Butler in the first round but the Pats were able to save some money by waiting 19 picks to draft him. The Celtics are apparently borrowing Butler for a week to fill in for the numerous injuries the Celts are struggling with.  
  
• Cincinnati drafted TE Chase Coffman in the third round to replace Kellen Winslow, but more importantly to help Chad Ochocinco. Now that TJ Housh”yomomma” is gone, and Kelley Washington left two years prior, Chad Ochocinco’s dance partners have dwindled to none. We’ll see if Coffman is up to the tough challenge and high standards left behind by the two.

If I was a gambling man…

I’d put my money on the Boston Bruins to win their next series, regardless of who they’re playing. They’re just that dominant right now… Cleveland can’t be stopped. Look for them to sweep their next opponent (the winner of the Atlanta-Miami series)…Take Seattle and Felix “The King” Hernandez over heavy-set Bartolo Colon and the erratic White Sox.

CMS Sports News

Larry Wang became the first Stag to win the Ojai Valley Division III Singles Title by beating John Watts of WashU (in St. Louis)…Stags Tennis take travel to UC Santa Cruz in a match that will determine Regional’s home court advantage…Athenas Softball dropped two games to Whittier but remain in third heading into the weekend’s SCIAC champions hosted by #1 seeded Redlands…Track & Field continues to dominate SCIACS with a flurry of athletes setting NCAA qualifying results…Women’s Water Polo ended the season with two consecutive wins but fell short of a SCIAC championship finishing 5^th in the conference.

Erika Weingart CMC ’09 and Julia Cruz SC ’10 have pitched the CMS softball team to a stellar 22-8 overall and an 11-5 SCIAC (2^nd) record heading into the weekend. Coach Betsy Hipple says that Erika’s performance puts her “in a league of her own,” with Erika pitching four consecutive wins in her last four starts. Julia boasts an impressive 1.03 Earned Run Average, which lands her at the #19 spot for best ERA in NCAA Division III. 

What is your best Athenas softball memory?

Erika Weingart: My favorite Athena softball memory (that I can state publicly…) would have to be our team van rides to away games, especially last year with Landis driving. I did not know until those trips that you could make a van veer dangerously on the freeway from too many people dancing in their seats… G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S! (my walkout song and fave van dancing jam).

Julia Cruz: My Freshman year we played at LaVerne. We had won the first game with our Senior pitching and I started the second game. It ended up going 11 innings until we finally won. I just remember, first of all, being amazed that Coach had had faith in me to finish all 11 innings, but also so incredibly excited that we had swept. It was one of the most satisfying wins I’ve been a part of. However, I’m still waiting for that dog pile on the mound when we win the SCIAC tournament/Regionals/Nationals!

What is it like playing under Coach Hipple?

EW: Coach is great. She is super intense, but in a good way. You will not find another coach who is more committed to a team and program than coach Hipple. I totally respect that, and so does the team. She pushes us in the right direction, and all that cardio has perks of its own… we are in great shape.

How do you handle the pressures of pitching, knowing that the team is counting on you?
JC: Personally, I love it. I love being in control of the game, setting the pace, and going head to head with every batter. It would be hard for me to play any other position.

Give three words that describe your pitching style:

EW: Hard, intense, and loud (only because I yell every time I throw the ball).
JC: Focused, dedicated, and (hopefully) dominating.

What are your plans for next year?

EW: Next year (June, actually) I will be starting a masters of education program at CGU. I am going to be a high school English teacher; I will be in my own classroom come next September, and simultaneously take classes working towards my masters.

Who is your favorite current teammate?

EW: Jess Vaughn, the “Stud Masta Flex in the flesh.” Jess is awesome, in fact if you ask her she would tell you, “My God, I’m amazing.” And it’s true. Pretty freakin’ awesome. Basically I’m in love with her.

JC: I’m going to go with the obvious– Jess Vaughn. She is what our Coach would call a “Steady Eddy” and she completely exemplifies what a leader should be.

Who is your favorite team to play against?

EW: Hmm… this is a tough one… I am looking forward to seeing Redlands again in the tournament at the end of the season. The first time I threw against Redlands this season I got lit up like a Christmas tree. Not my finest outing. The second time I faced them, I held them to five hits. Next time around I want to shut them down. So that would have to be my favorite team to play this season.

JC: It has to be a tie between Redlands and LaVerne. Redlands always provides us with the best competition but LaVerne gives us a good grudge match.

Do you have any superstitions or pre-game rituals?

EW: I am very superstitious dash bordering on obsessive compulsive. I’m territorial: my bag has to be in the same place, I have to stand in the same place for pregame announcements, etc. etc. I don’t do well with change. I broke a shoe lace the second week of the season so it’s only a little stub and very difficult to tie, but I can’t change it out.

JC: The night before every game I have to watch a movie with some epic battles to prepare for my enemies… I also have to listen to some Queen songs right before the game– Don’t Stop Me Now and Another One Bites the Dust.

Something people don’t know about you:
EW: I know every Nate Dogg song ever made. Hands down my favorite rapper… So freakin sexy.
JC: I can hit! My teammates seem to think that pitchers can’t hit and are always surprised when I can. I can also hit left-handed… Trying to break some stereotypes.

If you had to date one teammate who would it be?
EW: Aside from Jess Vaughn?! Hmmm.. gotta say Katerina Yale only because I hope she reads this and gets really awkward. That catching crouch… mmm… so sexy Kat.
JC: I have to say Kat Yale. We have a special pitcher-catcher bond that I don’t think other people really get. Haha.

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The Athenas, who are two games behind Redlands for first place, will host the University of La Verne (3^rd in SCIAC) in a double header (2pm and 4pm) on Saturday and Cal Lutheran (4^th in SCIAC) in a double header (12pm and 2pm) on Sunday. The weekend will be filled with action and determine the regular season SCIAC standings, as well as the seeding for the four team SCIAC Championship tournament. Cheer on the team and check back after the games for a recap of the weekend!