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!

April turns into May and before we know it, May will turn into June, and teams all around baseball will begin talking about “selling” and “buying” at the July 31st trade deadline. Everyone is a buyer in April. Everyone has hope.

No one gave the Astros, the Royals, the Orioles, or the Pirates much of a chance, but after the first calendar month of the Major League Baseball season nearly every team has found its flaws. Even The Yankees have concerns: off to a great start with their early Cy Young candidate, they still sit behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and have serious issues.

This week I am looking at the problems around baseball. What are they? How should they be fixed?

Below are my diagnoses and prescriptions for the aliments around the league (with some help from my baseball fan friends across the 5cs). Sorry for the AL bias. Post your own suggestions for your own team or any team below in the comments section!

The New York Yankees (2nd in the AL East, 17-8, 1 GB):

I put the Yanks on here for two reasons: 1) Javier Vazquez is a mess and 2) Center fielder Curtis Granderson just hit the shelf, out for 2-6 weeks with a groin injury. After posting a 15-10 record and 2.87 ERA over 219.1 innings last year with a mediocre Braves squad in ’09, Vazquez has fallen apart in his second stint with the Yankees with a 1-3 record, a 9.78 ERA and 15 walks in just 23 innings in ’10. He hasn’t gotten out of the sixth inning once, his start this week will be skipped, and he could ultimately be demoted to the highest-paid-long-reliever-in-baseball position (he’s making $11.5 mil this year). The Yankees gave up Melky Cabrera to get Vazquez, which seemed like a steal at the time, but watching Randy Winn (.077 AVG/.077 OBP/.077 SLG in 13 AB) and lefty-mashing yet streaky Marcus Thames (.550/.625/.850 in 20 AB) fill in for Granderson is going to make some fans wish General Manager Brain Cashman could take it back.

My Big Apple Cure: 1) Let the virus run its course, stick with Vazquez and 2) put on a pretty Band-Aid ®, call-up Chad Huffman.

2009 was likely a career year, but Vazquez won’t continue this forever. At least let him try to work out the kinks for a month longer; an average Vazquez is likely better than a stellar versions of the internal options in long relievers Sergio Mitre and former “ace” Chan Ho Park, and they certainly aren’t long term options.

This is the perfect time for Huffman; we know what Thames and Winn are (pretty mediocre). Keep an eye out on Chad Huffman, recently claimed after the Padres DFA’d him, Huffman is currently with the Yankees AAA affiliate in Scranton. He is struggling a bit out of the gates, but the Padres’ 2006 second-round pick and 2009 AAA Home Run Derby champion hit 20 homers in ’09 in 135 games at AAA last season. Thames and Winn will be key pieces for the rest of 2010, but this is the perfect audition for a young guy with a high ceiling who can get some at bats without immense pressure on him–he comes up with the understanding that he will be back in Scranton when Granderson returns.

The Boston Red Sox (4th in the AL East, 12-14, 6.5 GB):

Everyone doubted The Nation’s ability to score runs in 2010, but the pitching has really been the problem. The Red Sox have given up 134 runs, worst in the AL and 5th worst in all of baseball. Jason Varitek of all people leads the team in slugging (.824) and OPS (1.202) and isn’t even an every day player. The Red Sox can’t run (9 steals / 4 times caught stealing); only Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury have more than one steal (each with two), and Ellsbury is on the DL. The Red Sox can’t stop the run. Victor Martinez has been atrocious behind the plate, catching just 5 of 32 base stealers, but Varitek has lost a step behind the plate as well, catching only 2 of 13. The Red Sox are scoring runs, but David Ortiz (.159/.254/.381) and Martinez (.233/.298/.314) are troubling as well.

My Sweet Caroline: 1) bring back some traditional medicine, make Varitek the primary catcher, 2) put everything on high heat, make Daniel Bard the closer, and then 3) try the exotic fix, trade for Adrian Gonzalez.

Varitek is older but stroking it at the plate right now and has been historically a much better catcher for pitchers than the defensively paltry Victor Martinez. V-Mart would become the everyday DH and catch once a week (or so) with whomever he has the best repport with.

Daniel Bard is the answer in the pen. Jonathan Papelbon has two losses already, and while Bard hasn’t been perfect, he throws 99 mph and has struck out 20 in 15 innings, and Papelbon has been luckier than good with a mediocre 1.38 WHIP, walking 9 batters already in just his 13 innings of work.

Papelbon and/or Ortiz and/or Lowell could be moved, along with some minor league pieces and maybe Clay Buchholz, if the Sox can get creative in a three-team trade with the Rangers, Rays, or A’s who could all use bullpen help and a veteran right-handed bat and have the farm system to provide the needed prospects to pry Adrián González away from the Padres–this is all, of course, contingent upon the Padres, who currently sit at first in the NL West, selling come July 31st.

The Seattle Mariners (4th in AL West, 11-14, 2.5 GB):

The Mariners can’t hit. This is nothing new. In 2009, they slugged only .402 as a team (13th out of 14 in the AL) and their 640 runs scored was the worst in the AL and ahead of only two national league teams, the Pirates and the Padres. Yet their biggest offseason move was to bring in a starting pitcher, Cliff Lee. They parted ways with their best power prospect and replaced Adrián Béltre and the team homerun leader Russel Branyan with a high OBP player in Chone Figgins and the singles hitting first baseman Casey Kotchman respectively.

How to End the Sleeplessness in Seattle: 1) starting hitting the juice, cut Griffey and sign Barry Bonds, or 2) start a bidding war for the 2010 cure-all, trade for Adrian Gonzalez.

Griffey is a great player, a great teammate, and beloved by Seattle, but the team with the worst DH play in the AL the last two years has got to make a change to contend and could do no better than signing the best player of our generation, Barry Bonds.  The Mariners DH combination of Griffey, Eric Byrnes, and Mike Sweeney aren’t even slugging a mere .200, why not bring a guy in who slugged over .600 for his career and and who didn’t have a SLG% under .500 after 1989. Gonzalez is more realistic and could move Kotchman to DH.

Quick Fixes

The Texas Rangers (1st in the AL West, 14-12, — GB):

The Rangers have led in all but two games this year and were tied 6-6 in one of those two games, yet they stand at just 13-12.

My Lone Star Solution: don’t over medicate, stop sacrifice bunting.

Manager Ron Washington has no problem with bunting early in games and in late innings with a lead–sure fire ways to kill big innings from your offense–even though his team doesn’t put the ball in play (13th in the AL with 192 strikeouts). Ranger hitters see the third lowest amount of pitches per plate appearence (3.76) in the AL, and Wash is choosing to bunt most often with one of his best and most patient hitters right now, Elvis Andrus, who is seeing more pitches per appearance than anyone on the team (4.13) other than the injured Nelson Cruz (4.26), the recently activated Ian Kinsler (4.33), and the Rookie Justin Smoak (4.46)–none of whom have played near as many games as Elvis.

The Chicago Cubs (2nd in the NL Central, 13-13, 5 GB):

The biggest problem with the Cubs is that they are too good.

My Cubbie Concoction: stop treating the symptoms, get rid of the aging parts while they still have value.

At 13-13 and second place in the division, most people would suggest they contend, but this is where the Cubs seem to be every year–if not, usually in better shape, and they always fall flat in the playoffs. Derek Lee and Ted Lilly are free agents this winter and Aramis Ramirez and John Grabow will be free to walk in November of 2011; Ramirez and Lee could garner huge prospects, especially if they deal Ramirez this July as he will have 15 months with the acquiring team.  This team is not going to win championships; new prospects could join a resurgent farm system for the Cubs which has 5 players in Baseball America’s top 100 prospects, and ranks as high as fifth in respected circles for best farm system. Build around catcher Geovnny Soto, outfielders Marlon Byrd, Kosuke Fukudome and Tyler Colvin and future stars in shortstop Sarlin Castro, third baseman Josh Vitters, and a boat load of high-ceiling arms are on their way in.

The Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim) (3rd in the AL west, 12-15, 2.5 GB):

I don’t know where this team is. Anaheim isn’t in Los Angeles…I can never find the stadium.

How to Get Angels Back in the Outfield: it couldn’t even happen in the movies, Anaheim is in Orange Country, Scrap the “Los Angeles” part…

there is only one team in LA, which brings us to…

finally,

The Los Angeles Dodgers (4th in the NL West, 11-14, 5 GB):

Rotation is a disaster and Owner Frank McCourt can’t increase payroll while in a divorce battle.

My Miracle for Mannywood: say your goodbyes, rebuild.

The most ready starting pitching prospect, Scott Elbert, who has pitched 26 innings with the big club over the last two years, is struggling in ’10 in AAA Albuquerque–strikeout totals (22) are good, but 14 free passes in 18 innings is not going to get you back to the majors. Vicente Padilla is hurt and isn’t good anyway, and Charlie Haegar and John Ely are not going to get anyone to the playoffs. Time to let go of Manny, Casey Blake, Rafael Furcal, and Russell Martin.

The Doctor is out — give us your second opinion!

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. Want to join the radio show next year? We are looking for new people! Email us at nightcapKSPC@gmail.com!

“Temple was violent, playing a little dirty and they were bigger than us physically, but our strategy was more intelligent, we attacked, we scouted their players, and moved more cohesively as a unit than they did, they didn’t move as well as a unit, we came together better”  spectator Julie Hailue CMC ’11 said.

Captain Jeff Astor CMC ’11 reflected on the team’s attitude: “It was the last time this team would ever be together, and I knew that each guy would leave everything they had on the field.  They did.”

Photo credit: Tim Stapenhorst PZ '12

Under the leadership of first-year coach Jeremy Ognal, the team qualified for nationals for the first time since 2005 by winning the SCRFU D-II playoffs with a dominant 43-5 victory over their rival LMU, who knocked Claremont out of nationals last year.

The first two rounds of nationals were  hosted by The Central Florida Sports Commission & The Orlando Rugby Club in Sanford, FL. Claremont, the #2 seed in the Southern California region behind Arizona State, who they lost to 40-0 in January.  The 5C team defeated St. Louis University in the round of 16, and University of Vermont in the quarterfinals to advance to the final 4.

In the semifinals, the team eeked out a 36-34 victory over University of Miami (Ohio) to advance to Saturday’s final.

This has also been a historic year for the team, as they defeated the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in double overtime back in April in a DI/DII Challenge Match to be promoted to Division 1 competition.

The video of the final can be watched here.

Some information from this article was taken from The Student Life’s April 1st article.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is suspended for six games in response to an alleged sexual assault.

Take, for example, the recent scandal surrounding Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, and his subsequent suspension for 6 games. Big Ben’s suspension was in response to assault allegations that were lauded against him in March for some questionable conduct with a 20 year-old woman in Georgia. In a letter to Roethlisberger, Goodell scolds and implores him to “take this time to get your life and your career back on track.” (I’m sure that’s exactly what Roethlisberger was thinking to himself after the incident – “Wow, Ben, this is really out of control, with all these young women throwing themselves at you in the back of dimly lit clubs. This madness must end!”) Goodell and reality clearly aren’t close friends. Quarterbacks, and probably even more so Super Bowl champion quarterbacks, are likely to be cocky and insufferable guys that like to hook up with lots of young women. So what? Does Roethlisberger’s immoral behavior make him any less of a quarterback? Does it make his play and the Steelers any less entertaining? Most shockingly, Roethlisberger’s suspension was handed down despite his never actually being charged with assault. Now regardless of that whole “guilty-before-proven-innocent” thing, it’s clear that the NFL is acting in a capacity where it sees the law as deficient. It’s not good enough that you don’t break the law, you also have to be a “good guy” in order to play.

Bengals player Chad Ochocinco poses in a Snuggie at Wal-Mart.

Then why is John Hollinger picking the #7 Spurs to beat the #2 Mavs in 6?  Why was “Upstart Thunder Eye Upset” the headline on NBA.com last Friday?   More importantly, why did the photo for the article show league icon and leader of the #1 seed Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant defending up-and-comer Kevin Durant?   Why are many experts picking the Suns to reach the finals when they give up the 26^th most points in the league?

This year’s Western Conference Champion is more uncertain than ever before.  With Kobe Bryant’s recent struggles, Jordan Farmer’s injury, Derek Fisher’s lackluster play, and the surging Mavs and Suns, the Lakers are not expected to reach the Finals.  Looking down the bracket, the second-seeded Mavs only finished 2 games ahead of the 5^th place Jazz, and only 5 games ahead of the 8^th place Thunder.

Chaos, late game heroics, and new stars will be found in this year’s Western Conference Finals, but unlike the NCAA tournament, are we really looking for that?

The NBA’s superstar glamour and a lack of defense and teamwork has made fans from across the country pull for possibly one of the most highly talented and anticipated individual matchups in Finals history. Not to mention, the most frequently debated question in the NBA will be answered: “Who’s better, Kobe or Lebron?”

Sure, everyone wants to see a back-and-forth 7-game series like the one between the Celtics and Bulls a few years ago, but unlike March Madness, fans want to see the superstars play like superstars.

When you think of great NCAA tournament moments, you think of George Mason’s run to the Final Four and Butler’s push to the Finals. But when you think of great playoff moments in the NBA you think of Jordan’s shot over Bryon Russell, AI’s 48 points in Game 1 of the 2001 Finals against the Lakers, and Kobe’s elbow-jumper against the Suns in the 2006 playoffs to give the #7 Lakers a 3-1 series lead.

While sleeper teams like the #7 Spurs, #3 Suns, and #5 Jazz all have a realistic shot at making the finals, everyone will be hoping that the best two players in the league will square off in the Finals.

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.

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/04112010-tain-lee-12-golf-superstar-to-pursue-golf-dreams-at-berkeley http://cmcforum.com/news/04112010-tain-lee-12-golf-superstar-to-pursue-golf-dreams-at-berkeley#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:10:13 +0000 Max Mullen http://cmcforum.com/?p=13602 Tain Lee CM ’12, currently the 3rd ranked player in Division III and reigning SCIAC player of the week will transfer to Division I University of California at Berkeley next fall. Lee will continue to compete for the Stags, ranked 7th in Division III by golfstat.com, until the end of the season.

Last year Lee was awarded Division III First Team All-American honors after finishing eighth at the Division III championships. He was the first Stag to accomplish this feat since 2002, and the first Stag ever to be a first-teamer as a freshman. He was also a first team all-SCIAC honoree. Last week, Lee was the medalist at the Kingsmen Invitational for the second year in a row, leading the Stags to a first place finish.

Lee focuses on a putt at the Kingsmen Invitational.

Cal-Berkeley is a member of the Pacific 10 conference which has seen golfers such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Tom Watson compete on its links. Unlike a transfer from another D-I school, Lee will be eligible to compete immediately, and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Berkeley is currently the 28th ranked team in Division I golf according to golfweek.com, and won the D-I championship in 2004. It is the alma mater of two active players on the PGA Tour: Charlie Wi and Peter Tomasulo, who both competed in the 2009 US Open. The squad plays on 11 different practice courses and has its own facility for short game work.

CMS Golf will play at home on April 9th to battle Cal State Fullerton.

Better than new year's.

But this is what Opening Day is about. As I prepare for my personal new year, I know I will jump to similar conclusions about my Texas Rangers in just nine innings of play Monday afternoon. It is part of the beauty of Opening Day; five months of built-up excitement has to escape somehow.  Granted we all settle in with the other five games our teams play the first week of the season, but in that first loss or (hopefully) first win, everything is bigger, every home run glorified, and every meltdown exaggerated.

This is Opening Day. Embrace it. Find your special tradition for Opening Day, for it is not just the first of 162 games, but a day when everyone starts in first place, and half of the teams finish the day in last place. The stakes are high. Me? Well, I continued a relatively new tradition this year; watch Major League and let it lead into the Opening Night Game. Nothing breeds hope in a fan of an inept franchise like Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger turning a loser into a lovable champion–after watching that film, even Washington Nationals fan might be able to claim, “We’re contenders now.” Whether it is throwing a baseball around with a friend, watching your favorite baseball classic, donning as much team regalia as possible, if you’re lucky, heading out to the park for the game, or simply sitting down and watching the game from the first pitch to the 27th out, make sure you don’t let Monday pass like any other day.

Opening Day also means the end of the beginning. Spring is over and the season is under way, which means it is a reasonable time to look ahead to the end of the season and how things will shape up. Here’s my two cents:

Division Winners:

AL West: Texas Rangers

Sure I am a bit biased, but with Cliff Lee already on the shelf for the Ms and the Angels looking vulnerable, it might finally be the time for Texas to retake the western crown in the American League.

AL Central: Chicago White Sox

They have to be better this year, right? With two guys capable of Cy Young seasons, John Danks and Jake Peavy, and no real holes, the bullpen is lights out and look for the offense to be energized by the addition of Juan Pierre, the comeback of Carlos Quentin and the emergence of Gordon Beckham.

AL East: Tampa Bay Rays

This is bold, but I think the Rays add a real big player at the deadline. The owners of Baseball America’s best farm system will have the young prospects to add a big-time July piece to outlast the Yankees and Red Sox–why do they make the deal? All-Stars Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford are eight months away from free agency.

NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks

This is a true four team race, and I keep going back and forth on this one. I really have no idea. I think the Dodgers finally fall and the Rockies can only recreate “Rocktober” so many times. The Giants? I guess they lack the bats. Then again, the back end of the Dback’s rotation is atrocious. Loaded with young talent though, I think it finally all comes together in the desert.

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals

Simple–everyone is really flawed. Cards have the best player in the game, maybe the history of the game. Long live King Albert, as long as he remains healthy.

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies

Not even close. No one else has a chance. Even if Reyes, Beltran, Bay, and Wright all play 150 games the Mets have no chance. Phils are too good, and only got better in the offseason, adding Placido Polanco and the best pitcher in baseball, Roy Halladay.

Individual Awards:

Everyone picks the MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year, so I thought I would mix it up a little bit.

The Who-is-this-guy?-that-then-becomes-household-name Award: Kyle Blanks of the San Diego Padres

Playing in San Diego will hurt his chances to really get national media coverage but this guy can absolutely rake. He hit 10 homers in just 148 ABs last year and hit .400 this spring. At 6’6″ 270lbs, the current left fielder and first-baseman-in-waiting for the friars can also really move–Gold Glove quality defense at first, one of my favorite players to watch in the game. Oh, AND he had the coolest afro in baseball until he cut it.

The Why-Did-We-Forget-this-Guy-was-amazing Award: Grady Sizemore of the Cleveland Indians

One of the most exciting five-tool players in baseball tore up March-ball and seems poised to return to his top-10 form.

The Please-Retire Award: Pedro Martinez (Free Agent)

We remember you as one of the best. Don’t tarnish your career anymore than you already have, and end it.

The causes-the-biggest-Tim-Kurkjian-freak-out Award: Jerry Hairston and Scott Hairston of the San Diego Padres

Well, Kurkjian picked NFL player Antwaan Randle El against a bear in a memorable freak-out over the hypothetical question that swept the nation a couple of years ago, but Kurkjian’s finest moments are always over some ridiculous thing that happens in baseball. This year? The Hairston brothers will hit back-t0-back homers for the San Diego Padres and Kurkjian’s head will actually explode as he compares the unprecedented event to the unlikely father-son back-to-back home run feat by Ken Griffeys Jr. and Sr.

Finally…

The Willy Mays-Hays Award: Julio Borbon of the Texas Rangers

Awarded to the best unknown yet prolific base-stealer, the under-the-radar Borbon will steal at least 60 bases this year. He may or may not hang a pair of batting gloves in his bedroom for each base he steals, nor will he later star in action films like Blade, but the comparison is still worthy.

Happy New Year Everyone. Play ball.

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.