James Irwin

We have LeFevour, and the only prescription is more cowbell

The best dual-threat quarterback in college football doesn't play for Florida. He doesn't have two championship rings and he isn't a Heisman Trophy favorite. That's because the best dual-threat quarterback in college football isn't Tim Tebow. It's Dan LeFevour, the senior from Central Michigan (8-2), who is putting up PlayStation numbers for a team steamrolling to the Mid-American Conference title game. LeFevour doesn't receive Tebow-like publicity. The MAC is not the SEC and Central Michigan's only losses this season have come at the hands of Pac-10 Arizona and ACC Boston College. But the Chippewas did beat Michigan State earlier this year. And for all the hype over Tebow's incredible...

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Forget the big name, Irish should court Kelly

There now is little doubt that Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis is in danger of losing his job. Back-to-back losses to Navy and Pitt have cranked the dial on his hot seat from simmer to boil. The end of his tenure seems inevitable. So who replaces Weis? Irish fans will clamor for a big name. They will implore the Notre Dame athletics department to pony up the cash and lure a big-time coach like Mack Brown or Les Miles to bring the program back to glory. The problem with that logic is Notre Dame is not what it used to be. The Irish haven't won a BCS bowl game (Fiesta, Orange, Sugar, Rose) since before the BCS existed. They no longer hang with top teams in power conferences. These are not...

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Somebody please fix this BCS mess

We don't like the BCS. In fact, we hate it. The process is perplexing, impractical and has enough math equations to confuse a high school algebra teacher. We want a playoff system. To the mere mortals at Cheers & Jeers, it's the only way to determine a true champion. Keep all the minor bowls, then take the four BCS games and use it to create an eight-team playoff field. Case closed. We know this won't happen. We're stuck with this flawed arrangement that spits out data and favors power conferences. In a year where the Yankees, Lakers and Steelers own three of the four major professional sports championships, the real death of the underdog is found in college football, where, more...

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A turn-back-the-clock Game 6

For the first time since 2003, the World Series involves a second travel day. There will be plenty of underlying stories to watch when the Phillies and Yankees meet in Game 6: 1. The men in the middle » It's ironic that a series dominated by stars in their prime -- Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee -- will feature a game that hinges on the performances of two seasoned warhorses. A pair of 200-game winners, old foes Andy Pettitte and Pedro Martinez, take the hill Wednesday night. The 37-year-old Pettitte is throwing on three days rest, but that might serve as a sidebar, because nobody works Yankee Stadium into frenzy quite like Martinez. 2. Chase-ing history...

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Hamels is becoming a cause for concern

A breakthrough performance in the 2008 postseason was supposed to serve as a launching pad for Phillies lefty Cole Hamels. But the reigning NLCS and World Series MVP never got on track this season, dropping his first two starts and finishing with a 10-11 record. The hope in Philadelphia was that Hamels, who went 4-0 last postseason, would snap out of his funk in the playoffs. That hasn't happened. Hamels struggled mightily in the first two rounds against the Rockies and Dodgers. He was dreadful again Saturday night in Game 3 of the World Series, giving up five runs and getting the hook with one out in the fifth inning. Control has been the issue with Cole, though not in the way you'd...

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Top 10: World Series moments since 2000

Perhaps no championship event in the history of sport has provided us with as many iconic moments as the World Series. Babe Ruth called his shot. Kirk Gibson limped around the bases. Mookie Wilson hit that “little roller up along first.” Here’s a look at some of the best moments from the past 10 Fall Classics: 10. 2008: Phinally! We begin at the end, with the current kings of baseball, the Phillies, who overcame terrible weather and rode the strong pitching of Cole Hamels to their first title in 25 years. Brad Lidge (48 consecutive saves in the regular season and playoffs) struck out Eric Hinske for the final out of Game 5. Team of the decade?* It's up for...

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Fall Classic's deciding factors

It's been a decade since the team with the best record in baseball has met the defending champion in the World Series, and, dare we say, the past few years haven't produced the best Fall Classics. Three of the past five have ended in sweeps. The other two lasted only five games. Which brings us to Wednesday night's throwdown between the Yankees and Phillies at "The House that George Built." These teams are so alike it's spooky, but Cheers & Jeers went inside the clubhouse and found a few underlying factors: 1. Starting pitching » It plays similar at face value, but the big guy in the room (both literally and figuratively) is CC Sabathia. Should the Yankees choose to...

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Pedro moments at Yankee Stadium

Pistol Pete gets the ball in Game 2 of the World Series. Will he add to this list? 1. Domination station » Vintage Pedro, who strikes out 17 and allows only one hit against the Yanks in this Sept. 10, 1999 start. His fastball reaches 99 mph and his changeup is untouchable. It is perhaps the most dominant start of his career. 2. The duel » Martinez and Roger Clemens link up for an old-fashioned showdown, combining for 22 strikeouts on May 28, 2000. A two-run HR by Trot Nixon is the difference as Pedro finishes with a four-hit shutout. 3. Tide turning » A 6-0 Martinez faces off against first-year Yankee Mike Mussina on May 24, 2001. Pedro fans 12, but gives up a HR...

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McCoy, Texas back on track

We're in full-fledged BCS-mode, so style points apply. With apologies to Iowa's miracle win over Michigan State, here's a recap of Week 8 in college football: The Good Colt McCoy and No. 3 Texas got their groove back in a big way Saturday night with a 41-7 thumping of Missouri. On a day when both No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama were pushed deep into the fourth quarter, the Longhorns scored on their first three possessions. McCoy completed passes to eight different receivers. Honorable mention » Cincinnati, LSU, TCU The Bad When "College Gameday" comes to your house, you better bring your A-Game. No. 16 BYU obviously didn't get the message. The Cougars were steamrolled...

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Phillies' Howard is an RBI machine

Nationals fans (wherever they are) have seen too much Ryan Howard. Now, the Rockies and Dodgers know how they feel. The hulking Phillies first baseman homered again on Monday night, tying Lou Gehrig for the most consecutive playoff games (eight) with at least one RBI in baseball history. Howard, hitting .385 in the NLCS, has two home runs and 14 RBI in eight games this postseason. He's picking up right where he left off last year, when he smashed three homers and drove in six runs in the World Series against the Rays. Baseball stat-heads have talked all year about how the Phillies are the one team in the National League who can stand toe-to-toe with the American League's powerball...

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Does Nostradamus blog for The Onion?

Eight months ago, The Onion ran a mock obituary for A-Rod, after the "baseball legend and mythical figure" admitted to steroid use. "A-Rod is survived by 33-year-old Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez, a divorced father of two," read the story. It was a humorous way of charting the decline of Rodriguez' public image. Fast-forward to Saturday night, when Rodriguez homered for the third time this postseason, tying Game 2 of the ALCS in extra innings. Maybe the steroid admission destroyed the weight of Rodriguez' superstar image, along with the image itself. The Yankees can say all they want about how Rodriguez took time to "reflect" during his recovery from hip...

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Coffee is for closers only

Didn't you pay attention when your professor showed "Glengarry Glen Ross" in business class? Well don't feel bad, because neither did four MLB closers during the opening round of the playoffs. In the movie, Alec Baldwin's character gives a curse-filled rant on the ABCs of the hard sell. "Always be closing," he booms. "You close or you hit the bricks." Apparently Ryan Franklin, Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon and Huston Street didn't get this memo. Now they (along with the Cardinals, Twins, Red Sox and Rockies) are watching the rest of the postseason in stunning high-definition. The quartet delivered a knockout punch to the notion that any lockdown reliever in...

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Five players to watch in the ALCS & NLCS

The division series is nice, but the LCS is where the big bucks are earned. These players will be under a microscope: 1. Alex Rodriguez » The most polarizing figure in baseball hit .455 and hammered two home runs in the ALDS against the Twins. But beware; A-Rod's last ALCS (against the Red Sox in 2004) ended in a 2-for-17 skid. 2. Brian Fuentes » It's been a tough postseason for closers. Fuentes led all of baseball with 48 saves in 2009, but do you think he's a slam-the-door-shut reliever? Neither do we. That's a scary thing in October (see opposite sidebar). 3. Cole Hamels » Which Hamels shows up against the Dodgers, the one who went 4-0 in the 2008 postseason, or...

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Top 10: Memorable NFL losing streaks

Sunday’s Redskins-Lions game (1 p.m., FOX) isn’t exactly must-see TV. In fact, thanks to the NFL’s blackout rule, it will be no-see TV in the greater Detroit area. But the media buzz this week has been that the Lions, owners of a 19-game losing streak, might end the skid against an underwhelming Redskins team. Regardless, Detroit certainly fits into our Pantheon of NFL losers. 10. 2003 Giants (8 games) Jim Fassel’s G-Men were 4-4 on Nov. 2 after a 31-28 win over the cross-town Jets. Then the bottom fell out. A slew of injuries (including a season-ender to quarterback Kerry Collins) derailed New York’s season. The Giants scored 54 points over a seven-week...

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Fearless Forecast for week of 9/20/09

EVENTS TO WATCH MLB » Dodgers at Nationals, Thursday, 7:05 p.m., MASN HD Nats have an outside shot at continuing a dubious streak. Each of last two seasons the Phillies have clinched an NL East division title vs. Washington. Even with nine games left after leaving the District, Joe Torre’s Dodgers could also be in position to clinch N.L. West by the series finale. NFL » Giants at Cowboys, Sunday, 8 p.m., NBC Lots of big story lines in Big D, but the biggest is the coming out party for new Cowboys Stadium. It’s so big it could have its own zip code. We also hear it has a pretty nice television set. NCAA men’s soccer » North Carolina at Maryland,...

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Fearless Forecast for week of 9/14/09

EVENTS TO WATCH NFL » Ravens at Chargers, Sunday, Sept. 20, 4:15 p.m., CBS The unstoppable force meets the immovable object. The second-best scoring offense of 2008 (Chargers) will face the defense that gave up the second-fewest yards (Ravens). The edge will likely lie with Norv’s Chargers who don’t have the long plane ride — but you can never count out Ray Lewis and the boys from Charm City. MLB » Angels at Red Sox, Wednesday, 7:10 p.m., ESPN This Tuesday-Thursday series of postseason archrivals, puts the Halos in an interesting predicament. The Sawx are in a stiff Wild Card fight with the Texas Rangers — whom the Angels hold a solid, but...

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Fearless Forecast, 9/6/09

Events to watch MLB » Braves at Cardinals, Saturday, Fox, 4 p.m. Maybe the two best pitching staffs in MLB. Tim Hudson’s return from Tommy John surgery gives Atlanta yet another quality arm. Meanwhile, Joel Pineiro (3.19 ERA) has been excellent — even if teammates Adam Wainwright (2.47) and Chris Carpenter (2.28) have been better. NCAA Football » USC at Ohio State, Saturday, ESPN, 8 p.m. A rematch of last year’s early-season game in Los Angeles. It was no contest then as the Pac 10’s best ripped Ohio State, 35-3. Maybe the Buckeyes can earn some revenge at home. USC will start true freshman Matt Barkley at quarterback. MLB » Dodgers at...

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Fearless Forecast 08/30/09

What to watch U.S. Open Tennis, All Week, USA » One of the signs summer is slipping away - late-night tennis at the U.S. Open. Even casual fans can find themselves drawn in by the rambunctious atmosphere at Arthur Ashe Stadium as the top seeds try to deal with the heat, the disorderly NYC crowd, and upset-minded challengers. South Carolina at North Carolina State, Thursday, ESPN » In last year's season opener, the Gamecocks threw four interceptions and still stomped the Wolfpack, 34-0. So it's not that we think this is a great matchup (it isn't) or that we're dying to see these two teams again (we aren't). We just miss college football. It's good to see you again, old...

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Fearless Forecast 08/23/09

Events to Watch Little League World Series » Saturday, ABC, 3 p.m. OK, it’s become over-commercialized, and over-analyzed, but it’s still fun. Turn on ESPN any time this week and you’ll likely catch a dose of the 16-team extravaganza. Thankfully, the title game is still Saturday afternoon from Lamade Stadium on network TV. Golf » Solheim Cup » Sunday, Golf Channel, 11 a.m. Can the U.S. women make it three straight in their biennial Ryder Cup-style competition with Europe? Sunday singles matches should hold some intrigue with players such as Michelle Wie, Natalie Gulbis and Suzann Pettersen under the gun. NFL preseason » Patriots at Redskins...

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Fearless Forecast 08/09/09

Events to watch NFL Preseason » Redskins at Ravens, Thursday, 7:30 p.m., CSN/NBC 4 Move along, not much to see here — really. The starters may play a series. But it is preseason football and sports fans love it. Be sure to stand back — what is now a slow burning love affair by Redskins fans with backup QB Colt Brennan will surely grow to a blazing fire as he takes the field against the Ravens’ backups. MLB » Astros at Brewers, Fri. (FSN-HD, 6:05 p.m.), Sat. (FSN, 5:05 p.m.), Sun. (FSN-HD, 12:05 p.m.) The NL Central is all tied up near the top, with the Cardinals and Cubs as likely choices to take the division crown. Lurking just a few games back are the...

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