Jets Select QB Geno Smith

     As Geno Smith sat in the Green Room, aka the depression tank, player after player heard their names called during the opening night of the 2013 NFL Draft.  When the first night came to a close, Smith remained undrafted.  On the next night, the New York Jets selected Smith with the 7th pick of the second round.  Dream come true?  Hardly.  For Smith, this is a nightmare scenario.  The New York Jets, after the release of Tim Tebow, have four other quarterbacks on their roster.  The legendary John Madden always said, "if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have any."  Two is too many, three is a turducken, so what would Madden call five?  Another issue for Smith is the Jets head coach, Rex Ryan.  Ryan is to offense what Dan Quayle was to spelling.  The man is clueless, as evidenced by the lack of any offensive weapons on the roster.  Ryan has destroyed the confidence of Mark Sanchez, former savior, and it's only a matter of time for Smith.
    During his senior year at West Virgina, Smith passed for 4,205 yards, 42 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.  These are incredible stats, video game-like stats.  However, college quarterbacks from pass happy offenses usually don't translate into franchise NFL quarterbacks.  There's Andre Ware, David Klingler, Tim Couch, and perhaps the worst of all, Akili Smith.  All of these men were sensational college quarterbacks, but their NFL legacy is being labeled a bust.  The only saving grace here for Geno Smith is that he was selected in the second round, not the first, so he won't be as big a bust as the other aforementioned quarterbacks.  Perhaps if Smith was drafted by New England or Denver, and was able to be tutored by the likes of Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, his future might turn out differently.  But this is New York, where the fans don't have the patience and the media is far more critical than those in the smaller markets. This new Jet is expected to soar, but I'm afraid he'll never make it off the tarmac.

    
    

Milwaukee Roadkill

The other day, Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks tweeted that his team will win their playoff series against the Miami Heat in six games.  After being demolished in game one by a score of 110 to 87, Jennings may need to re-tweet.  May I suggest "We're going to get swept!" or "Did anyone get the license plate of the truck that just ran us over?" as a couple of options for you.  Lebron James was phenomenal, and it pains me to write that as he should be doing it in Cleveland, not Miami.  James played like an MVP should, dominating the game with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists.  Milwaukee may steal a game at home, but for the series, these Bucks are already dead, stuffed and mounted on Lebron's wall.

Indian Fever

Spring is here, and so is the start of a new baseball season.  It's the time of year that my beloved Cleveland Indians are not yet mathematically eliminated from post-season play. I have to admit, this past offseason had me somewhat excited for the season to begin.  That's not normally the case - a friend and I have a standing bet before the start of a new season.  We each select 3 teams that we think will finish with the worst record in baseball.  For the first time in three years, I didn't draft the Indians.  Why?  Because the Dolans finally spent some money.  I don't know where this money came from, and I don't care.  Now, some of the "experts" believe the Indians were spending just to spend and didn't get any real value.  I disagree.  Let's take a look at the moves. 

1. Terry Francona - finally a manager who not only has major league experience, but championship experience.  Francona knows how to win, and he did it in Boston, a city where you have to win or they will show you the door in a hurry.  Just ask Bobby  Valentine.

 2. Michael Bourn - a true leadoff hitter and a player with speed - a walk or a single is usually followed up with a steal of second.  Bourn has some pop in his bat as well, as evidenced with the 9 home runs from a season ago.  Bourn also helps the Tribe with his defense.  He can cover a lot of ground in center field, and his addition allows Michael Brantley to move to left field.  Gone are the days of Shelley Duncan and Trevor Crowe.  Cleveland, watch Michael Bourn play and remember the glory days of Kenny Lofton.

3. Nick Swisher - perhaps the Indians overpaid, but the emotion, excitement and joy to play the game are the intangibles that Swisher brings to Cleveland along with his bat.  Intangibles don't show up in the box score, but are so necessary for a winning club.  Swisher will move from the outfield to first base, and thank goodness.  No longer will we have to watch Casey Kotchman pretend to be a major leaguer. 

4. Mark Reynolds - what the Indians have here is their new team leader in home runs, no doubt about it.   Reynolds will start out as the designated hitter, replacing long time fan favorite Travis Hafner.  I also expect Reynolds to eventually be the everyday third baseman, as Lonnie Chisenhall is not yet ready for the job.  Reynolds will also be the new team leader in strikeouts.  With the good comes the bad, so enjoy the bombs off of his bat, but be ready for the cool breeze when he swings and misses.  Nonetheless, a major improvement over Jack Hannahan, another starter from a year ago pretending to be a major leaguer. 

5. Brett Myers - probably the most underappreciated of all of the free agent signings.  Myers is expected to be the number three starter for the Indians.  If Myers can produce the type of season like the two he recently had as a starter in Houston, it could mean an extra 5 to 10 wins for the Tribe. 

The Indians head into the 2013 season better in every aspect than the 2012 squad. The roster has more talent, and the new additions bring a culture of winning to the clubhouse.   They won't win the division, that title belongs to Detroit.  But with solid managerial leadership from Francona, and a little bit of Progressive Field magic, this Cleveland Indians team could make the playoffs as one of the wildcards.  Go Tribe!