Draft Recap

I want to begin this post with a quick apology for my hiatus over the past few weeks.  I have 2 more weeks of exams and then I should be back to my regular, weekly posting schedule.  Thanks for still tuning into the blog though.  For those of you who want to stay updated without having to access the site everyday, we do have an RSS feed on this site.  The URL for the feed is http://www.putitinstoneblog.com/feeds/posts/default .  Feel free to post that into your favorite RSS Tracker (Mac users, may I suggest NetNewsWire, it is really good and free).  That way your RSS feed will alert you of any new posts on Put it in Stone without having to access the site!  Anyway, lets get to business.


I will confess, I watched just about every pick in the first two rounds of the NFL draft.  I have also familiarized myself with the picks the Lions made in the later rounds.  So, lets analyze and grade this draft.

The first thing I need to say is the Lions invested a TON in Matthew Stafford.  The NFL really needs to do something about these fat and continually inflating rookie salaries.  The Lions invested more money in a player that has never played a single NFL down than any other player on the team.  That move makes absolutely no sense.  The draft, and specifically the draft order, was intended to help bad teams get better; ya know, in economic terms, to encourage competition.  But instead, the rookie contracts hurt bad teams.  Too much money gets invested in a player based purely on speculation and conjecture.  I think the NFL really needs to follow the NBA's lead and cap rookie contracts based on position, and draft number.  Currently, the draft is seeing rookie contracts go up about 20% each year.  That number is much higher than inflation and way higher than the yearly increases in salary cap.  Take the power away from the agents, and put it back in the hands of the teams before 6-8 teams go broke.

Just for a quick example, in the NBA, the number 1 pick is a coveted position.  What team doesn't want to add Blake Griffin this year, or wanted to add Lebron James in 2003?  In the NFL the number one pick is a curse, resulting in a contract no team want to be burdened by.  This needs to change, Mr. Goodell.

Alright, besides the money, Stafford was the only pick.  I love Aaron Curry, and the Lions sure could have used Jason Smith, but franchise quarterback is extremely important in a league built for QBs.  With the money spent on Stafford, he has to be a franchise QB.  If he turns into a Jay Cutler type, he is probably worth the money.  If not, expect 6-9 more years of serious losing in Detroit.  The Lions have the skill players to help him succeed, but they do not have the protection ready to help him succeed.  He already struggles with footwork in the pocket, so protection and time for him becomes even more important.  The Lions would be smart to play Culpepper every down this year and let Stafford learn, observe, and lobby for a better O-Line.   Next year, the Lions need to address the Line, give Stafford more protection, and you might have a situation conducive for success. 

So, after the inevitable happened, I have to say I am disappointed with the selections.  The talent level the Lions got, and perhaps the value was really quite good.  They got the Best TE, and Safeties in the draft.  The problem is, they don't desperately need either of those positions!  Don't get me wrong, a game changer can come from any position, even TE or Safety.  Ed Reed and Antonio Gates are great examples of game changers from those respective positions.  However, the needs of the Lions in the trenches is so important.  The Lions didn't draft a D-lineman until the 4th and didn't draft an offensive lineman until the 7th!!!  While both of these players have upside and could become contributors, I don't see it.  Call it skepticism from years of Millen-late round disappointments, but the odds of finding a gem are diminished when you combine a first year coach with a first year GM.  So, my doubts and skepticism is firmly founded

Despite the lack of executive experience, I have no doubt that Pettigrew is a great player and will probably help the offense, and especially Matthew Stafford, succeed.  But a first round TE is rare for a reason.  Most TE's don't come close to the talent level of the Big-time DE, OT, QB's or skill position players that the first round is normally littered with.  Although, it is, perhaps, becoming more commonplace to draft TE's in the first round (Greg Olson, Vernon Davis, Heath Miller, Tony Gonzalez were all first round selections), normally this is a luxury pick.  The Lions have NO luxuries, as they have needs all over the field!

At 20, in hindsight, there must be something wrong with Maualuga.  Also, from what I have heard, Michael Oher is one step away from being retarded.  So, perhaps either of these players nwould not have been a good pick.  So, my pick would have been Peria Jerry or Ziggy Hood.  The D-Tackles the Lions do have are both fat and old.  Some youth injected into this pick would have made sense.  

As for the later rounds, I think the Lions made a big mistake trading out of the first pick of the third round because it cost them a chance at getting Michael Johnson, the DE from Georgia Tech.  After passing on Peria Jerry, getting an impact DE would have made a lot of sense.  But they missed out and took at DT in the fourth round.  Hopefully, this big player (330+) will be a big impact on Defense.  Also, this probably shows a lot of faith in the skills of Cliff Avril, which is something I can see.

Levy, I have heard, can play middle.  Hopefully this is a natural transition for him and the Lions can rely on one of their only strengths, outside linebacker, to help Levy transition and succeed.  
In conclusion, I am a disappointed that the Lions did not address some more pressing needs at 20.  However, many sports writers and former executives claim the best way to draft is to take the most talented players in the first round and address needs in the later rounds.  If this philosophy is the right one, the Lions probably did that in their first 3 picks.  However, my fears are that the continued existence of some big holes on the offensive line, defensive line, and middle linebacker will result in a lot of losses yet again this year.

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Better Late than Never: BASEBALL PREDICTIONS!!!

Opening Day is finally here!  Baseball season has begun and honoring the theme and spirit of this blog, I bring you my predictions for the 2009 season.  Of course, predictions like this are really meaningless because a single injury or trade could change the whole completion of the season changes.  Now that the boilerplate stuff is out of the way, lets begin!  I bring you my predictions for all the division leaders, the respective league MVP's and Cy Young Winners and my World Season prediction!


AL East:  Yankees.  They addressed their two biggest needs in a big way this offseason: pitching and defense.  Teixeira is a huge upgrade over Giambi and their pitching staff much better with the big acquisitions of C.C. and Burnett.  Those additions push them above the Red Sox, but with the Rays close behind.

AL Central:  Twins.  This division is horrible, but the young hitters and solid pitching of the Twins should be enough for them to rise above the rest of crappy teams in this division.  The White Sox claim a good rotation, but they are relying heavily on the miracle recovery of Jose Contreras.  I imagine the Indians could make a run for the division, but the young and quick hitters, and the very good defense of the Twins will be enough to win this division.  Sorry Tigers fans, I have serious concerns about our rotation and our bullpen.  I don't have a good feeling about this season.

AL West:  Athletics.  The reason I am not picking the Angels is because they have a lot of early season injuries to their rotation and their hitting took a hit with the loss of Teixeira.  The Athletics made a great move getting Matt Holliday.  I also like the talent of their young pitchers.  They will be enough to make the playoffs, barely.

Wild Card:  Rays.  I honestly think the Rays will be better this year than last year.  The problem is the Yankees have a huge psychological advantage, and enough of one to prevent them winning the division.  The Yankees will win the season series against the Rays, and barely beat them out of the division.  But the Rays will be in the playoffs again.  

Cy Young:  Roy Halladay.  (My dark horse for this award is Liriano.)
MVP:  Matt Holliday

NL East: Mets.  I think the Mets had the best team last year in the NL, but the bullpen let them down.  The addition of K-Rod is a big addition.  The bullpen should get a big boost just from his presence.  As a result, I like them over the Phillies

NL Central: Cubs.  This team improved, while all the others got worse.  Only the Cardinals could challenge the Cubs for this league, but that is going to require Chris Carpenter to have a great season, which I doubt.

NL West: Dodgers.  Manny should be set to have another great season in LA, assuming he isn't trying only when there is money on the line.  But, regardless, the Dodgers have good and enough to get the division 

Wild Card:  Phillies.  I can't hate on the defending champs.  They will contend for the division, but settle for the wild card.

Cy Young: Brandon Webb
MVP:  Hanley Rameriez

World Series:  Rays v. Mets.  Rays win it all!

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Reefer err I mean Bracket Madness

I heard some of you are really STRUG-GEL-LING with your brackets. You getting beat by you roommates girl friend, who pick her winners based on criteria such as what teams uniforms would most likely appear on What Not to Where. You even overheard her say, “there’s no way Clinton would wear those awful black Purdue uniforms. He’d go with the classic UCONN look.” Or are you losing to the guy in the cubicle next to you, who has watched two college basketball games all year. The only player in the tournament he has actually heard of is Tyler Hansbrough. He picks all caulk and some crazy upset that of course happens. I can almost guarantee knowledge college basketball fans are losing to an individual such as this. Of course maybe you’re sitting in seventh place out of 32 people like me, but everyone above you has the same freaking teams left. Well, as other things I have fixed in sports (see MooN’s NCAA Football Playoff System or the MFPS for short) I have a system that will eliminate your programs. Once again I will be returning the bullet format for the sake of clarity.

· Disclaimer #1: This system only works for knowledgeable fans and only on a small scale. There’s no way this system works in your office pool in which over 100 participate. It’s too complicated and would be time consuming. You also need a group of individuals that understand how seeding and upsets work. Your cousin’s seven year old son can’t participate here. It wouldn’t work.

· Disclaimer #2: This system is for those expecting more out of their pool. It seeks to eliminate the five minute fill, the crazy upset guy, similar brackets, and going with the caulk. This is for the fan looking to take things to the next level (see Nate’s fantasy football system).

· Disclaimer #3: This system seeks to reward those, who actually make tough picks. I feel that it is unfair to reward someone for picking a #1 seed over a #16 the exact same way as someone, who picks the right #12/$5 upset. It doesn’t make sense. Seeing brackets are essentially a form of gambling they should be based on odds, right?

· Without further ado: The MooN NCAA Tourney Bracket System (copyright 2009)

· The system increasing the amount of points given per round as the teams advanced in the tourney like most systems

· 1stx1, 2ndx2, Sweet 16x3, Elite 8x4, Final 4x5, Championship x6

· Points are also given according to seed

· 1-2 start value= 1 point,3-4= 2 points, 5-7= 3 points, 8-10= 4 points, 11-14= 5 points, 15-16= 6 points

· Bonus 5 pts for each Elite 8 team, 10 pts per Final 4 team, 15 per Championship game team, 20 for winner

· Bonus 10 points available in each round for most games picked correctly

What do you think? I am completely open for suggestions on perfecting my system. I believe this system would greatly reduce the likely hood of losing to that guy, who asked you at the water cooler what a Zag was. It also rewards picking upsets correctly instead of going caulk, while not giving so many points that picking higher seeds is not reward. This would make strategy more important for example in a small pool it makes no sense to pick upsets when going with the 1 and 2 seeds will win 90% of the time. This system will also eliminate the likely hood of losing a bracket because of one pick made in the first or second round. I believe that people should be rewarded for picking one 5 seed in the final four correctly more than picking two 1 seeds. What’s harder to do? I bet your brother-in-law’s first wife wouldn’t know, but if you’re reading this you probably do.

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