First Day of College Football: The Fall of the Navy Midshipmen, Penn State, and Misericordia(Even though there's just began)

Greatest Tackle in the History of Mankind

Well this was the first day of the 2012 college football season and instead of talking about all of the action from today I am going to focus on some of the games that meant most to me. As a lifelong fan of the Naval Academy it was heart breaking get destroyed in Ireland against Notre Dame. Oddly it seemed like Navy was the Irish and Notre Dame were the British. Penn State played its first game under new head coach Bill O'Brien and although they started off hot, they were just not able to finish. Meanwhile, the Gettysburg Bullets started their season off on a high note with a score that was just a little lopsided.

Ricky Dobbs

Navy's performance in their 50-10 loss was surprising to me, since my grandfather went their and my Dad went to Penn State but hated Joe Paterno, I always rooted for Navy and I just must have been lucky the past few years. Craig Candeto was the first Navy quarterback that I deeply remembered and that was because of his performance in an Army-Navy game quite a few a years ago and then he was followed by the solid  but not quite Candeto Aaron Polanco, he was the quarterback on some of the more successful Navy teams but it wasn't because of him. After that there was Lamar Owens who had real ability and a real team behind him. He later got in trouble with the law for an unspeakable good, but no one wants to think of one of their child hood idles as a sinner, so I have no problem forgetting about it and just looking at his accomplishments as quarterback. After Lamar there was the Hawaiian that will be known as Kaipo-Noa, who I spent some of the best Saturdays of my childhood idolizing. His back-ups name was Bryant and that is all I remember about him except for that he would come in late in games when Kaipo was tired and do alright, he was such an asset they had him play slotback and even return punts. Ricky Dobbs was next in line and he was the most skilled of the bunch, the one problem was that his team wasn't as good as previous incarnations and coach Paul Johnson left the new coach just wasn't able to do the job.

Craig Candeto

But coaches and quarterbacks weren't the only assets on the Navy teams during those years. Fullbacks such as Kyle Eckel, Adam Ballard, and Eric Kettani were such stalwarts in the backfield that it really helped the quarterback use the option offense to the best of their abilities. Slotbacks like Reggie Campbell and the current senior Gee Gee Greene will always have a place in my heart. I watched them play so many games and I might not remember all of them but I do remember them losing to Notre Dame on a last second field goal even though they blocked the kick. I remember when they sacked Jimmy Claussen for that one win (as well as Ram Vela diving for that tackle). I also remember them beating Mizzouri and losing to Texas Tech. I also remember their first lost to a service academy in 4 years last year (I think it was last year) and I will always remember this game against Notre Dame. They no longer had that swagger about them like they use to, no matter what the score was they would try to kill the ball carrier on each play but it just doesn't look like the same team. The kids use to be hungry and now they are always outmatched. Sure, they were always slower and weaker, but now they don't even look like they compete. Notre Dame may be a good team, but no Navy team I ever loved would lose like that.

Bill O'Brien

Off to Penn State now, since now half of me is a Penn State fan, I didn't get to watch much of the game but I'm sure the score doesn't tell the whole story. Penn State still has heart and talent, they just only have 30 minutes of it. There is no doubt that Penn State's starting 22 is better than Ohio's 22, its just that in football you need about 22 guys on each side of the ball to win the game. PSU just couldn't rotate their defensive line and that ended up hurting them in the second half (almost as much as the fact that their quarterback sucks). This might be a long year for Penn State fans but at least the kids are trying and the school may have gotten the short end of the stick not just on the punishment they were handed but on the people they chose to trust, the same thing could of happened to Bobby Bowden but it didn't.

Off to my true team, the Gettysburg Bullets. The only way to describe going to a Gettysburg College football game is to watch alumni talk about how much money their parents spent to send them there. Seriously, that is what this school is famous for, sure we are all going to have jobs when we graduate because this is a really good school, but everyone here is either upper middle class or upper middle class. Now the game was a blowout because it was Misericordia's first football game ever. I give the kids credit just for going out there every play they were getting stomped on. My floormate/middle linebacker Kodie had a great day (I'm sure kids at Penn State could say they live on the same floor as a football player). The score was 43-0 at halftime which I left at then watched the soccer team win 2-0.

Yes, we have really ugly uniforms

It is now safe to say that I am a Gettysburg fan and a Penn State observer, I don't think that I will be rooting for Navy anymore just because they are not the team that I use to root for. I don't know how Gettysburg season will shape up but now I am a part of that upper middle class G-Burg tradition, so I will root for them the whole way. Penn State will just be interesting to watch and I still think I will root for Navy when they play on the 15th, I just don't think I'll watch them play another game all year.

5 Baseball Trades That Should Happen but Won't

  With the baseball non-waiver trade deadline approaching, teams are starting to sort themselves into two groups; buyers and sellers. This year very few teams are willing to give up on making the playoffs because of the added playoff spot, but it looks as if the Marlins, Mariners, Twins, Royals, Phillies, Cubs, Astros, Padres, and Rockies are out of it. Every other should look to improve their team as most division races are close, some of the trades proposed here might seem a little wacky, but both teams will benefit from them in the long run.

  1. Phillies send Cole Hamels (but only 2/3 of his contract) to BoSox for SS Jose Iglesias and C Blake Swihart
  For the first time in what seems like forever the Phillies are long shots to make the playoffs. There have been rumors that Hamels would be moved but no potential trades have been made public. The Red Sox are only 2 games out of the AL East which is quite an accomplishment considering they have the 19th best ERA in the Majors. Hamels would help bolster their rotation with his 3.07 ERA and 11-4 record. He also has the 12th best WHIP in the game at 1.09, the true measure of how effective a pitcher is. Hamels only has one year left on his contract and is set to make $15 million this year, the Phillies should cover at least 1/3 of the remaining money since the Red Sox need Hamels.

Jose Iglesias

  The Red Sox would be giving up two of their top 10 prospects but Jose Iglesias is the #2 SS in their system and Blake Swihart is their #2 catcher. Sure, both players could switch positions but the Red Sox are pretty set at both second and third so their isn't much room for Iglesias and Swihart is blocked by Ryan Lavarnway and Salty behind the plate and by Adrian Gonzalez at first. The 22 year old Iglesias is Major League ready at short stop and since the Phillies have a rapidly aging infield, they could try to move him to either third or second base. In 2012 so far he has hit .261 in 60 games at AAA and .333 in 10 games in the Majors. Swihart is a 20 year old catcher currently hitting .265 while slugging.393 at A, Carlos Ruiz is 33 years old and by the time Swihart is major league ready, Ruiz may be out of his prime.

  2. Marlins send 2B-OF Chris Coghlan and RHP Heath Bell and get C Hector Sanchez, RHP Heath Hembree, and LHP Mike Kickham
  Let's start off with what the Giants will be sending away in this deal, Catcher Hector Sanchez is only 23 years old and on their Major League roster, sounds like he is too good to give away unless you remember that the Giants also have Buster Posey on their team. Yes, Posey has gotten injured in the past but this is a high risk trade that could provide plenty of reward. The Giants also possess two other catchers in their farm system that could back up as well as current back up Eli Whiteside (who is a douche) who is filling in for the injured Sanchez. Hembree is currently in AAA for the Giants and has taken up the closer role. He has 13 saves in 32 appearances for the Fresno Grizzlies. His 5+ ERA might appear scary but opponents are only hitting .217 off of him. Mike Kickham is more of a long shot to make the major leagues since the Marlins are pretty solid in the rotation and Kickham isn't a top prospect but he could help in the bullpen one day. He has spent 2012 at the AA level and has been doing very well. He is 8-7 with a 2.71 ERA and at 23 seems to be soon ready for the Majors albeit with much upside.

Chris Coghlan

Hector Sanchez

  The Giants will be receiving two good players that have struggled recently but with a change of scenery their luck might change.  At 34 years of age, signing Heath Bell to a multi-year was very, very stupid. He has blown 6 saves for them this year but in the past he was an all-star. Sending him out west might be the best thing for him since he was successful with the Padres and maybe he is just a California type of guy. Chris Coghlan was the Rookie of the Year in 2009 but since then he has been sent down twice by the Marlins, now he is 27 and his career either needs to take off again or it might go down the drain. The Yankees could be another good possible fit for him but the New York pressure could get to him. He is very versatile and could fill in almost any where for the Giants. If this trade would go down, it could turn into nothing or it could win the Giants a World Series and revitalize the Marlins Franchise.

  3. Yankees Acquire RHP J.J. Putz and OF Justin Upton in exchange for cash(TBD), OF Mason Williams, and 3B Tyler Austin

Mason Williams

  What the Yankees get here is a flatout superstar in Justin Upton, he might not have been himself so far but he is still young (24) and has the potential to be great. The Diamondbacks are only 7 games out but have made it clear they went to get rid of Upton and they should also try to get something out of the 8.5 million they spent on him. Since the Yankees have lost both Brett Gardner and Mariano Rivera for the what looks like the rest of the season both their bullpen and outfield have held up well. This doesn't mean that they still can't upgrade. The Yankees are use to taking up old washed up players but this is a chance for them to get quality players at a quality age, Putz is 35 and at the tail end of his career but also the tail end of his contract while Upton still has a few years left on his deal. The Diamondbacks would need to find young talent to help replace Upton in the line up. Since the D-Backs already have plenty of pitching prospects (some are already in Majors) they don't need to receive a pitching prospect. Because the Yanks have money, they are loaded with prospects and even if they trade some away, they can always sign a free agent or go to one of their other prospects. Both Williams and Austin are at the tops of the Yankees system and Williams is 85 in Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects. Austin will soon be able to replace Ryan Roberts at 3rd and is quite a hitter, never hitting below .300 at any stop in the minors. Mason provides an average bat with above average speed as well as some power. Both are only in High-A so they are a couple years away from the show.

  4. Braves give up prospects RHP Zeke Spruil and SS Tyler Pastornicky and Receive Shortstop Marwin Gonzalez and if they can LHP Wesley Wright
  Yes, everyone knows that the Braves have a stacked bullpen but why not try to make it better. Venters is currently hurt and someone other than O'Flaherty has to help get the ball in to Kimbrel's hands. The Braves have a gaping hole at shortstop that they have tried to plug with Paul Janish but that will probably not work out. Gonzalez is only 23 years old and hitting just under .300 in his first year of the majors. He does not produce many homers but he can hit the ball with power in the gap for doubles. Wright would only be used against lefties as righties are hitting over .300 against him but he has held righties down to .185 and has a 4 to 1 K to BB ration against them. The Braves need to win the World Series and everyone in baseball would be happy if they did. Chipper Jones is a no doubt Hall of Famer and this move could earn him a ring.

Marwin Gonzalez 

  The Braves would be giving up quite a bit in this deal though. Pastornicky has already been in the majors and has the ability to turn into a great player, it's just that Gonzalez is one year ahead of him and the Braves need Pastornicky to be one year ahead because of the Jones situation. He hit .252 in 161 Plate Appearances in the Majors this year while hitting .268 at the AAA level. Spruill is in his 4th season out of high school and still appears a while away from the bigs. The second round draft pick has a 4.18 ERA in AA this year while possessing a WHIP of 1.263. Maybe a change of scenery will help this young man out since he could make the Astros better.

5. Cubs send Ryan Dempster to St. Louis and Matt Garza to Baltimore while building for the future up the middle
  Let's first talk about the Ryan Dempster situation, the Cardinals, Nationals, and Braves have all been said to be interested in the pitcher. The Nationals do not need to improve their team what so ever, they would only hurt themselves by giving up prospects to get him. It is understood that in a year they have a chance to win a ring they would go all out, but they have a team that could win it already and if they get him and miss, their future might be in doubt. Same thing goes for the Braves, they have to ask themselves, does this really make us that much better. The answer for them is no and they need a shortstop more than another pitcher. Both St. Louis and Baltimore are in contention for the world series and by picking up another pitcher.

Dan Klein

  The Orioles would be giving up a lot in this proposed trade as they would be sending their #2 and #3 pitching prospects as well as their #1 OF prospect. Robert Bundy is the older brother of the O's top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy, so maybe moving out of the shadow of younger brother will be good for him. He will not be a top of the rotation pitcher but could have good effect coming of out of the bullpen or being at the end of the rotation. Dan Klein is 23 years old and has an ERA of 1.11 between AA and High A this year, the only problem is that he is constantly injured. If he can stay healthy, there is no reason why he can't be the future of the Cubs organization. The Outfielder they would be giving up is Glynn Davis, this kid can run and he has an average stick, he will boost their defense by covering a lot of ground but he is only in High A and a couple of years away from the Majors. Some might say that this is giving up way too much for Garza but this might be the only year that everything falls right in their season.

Mitch Harris

  The Cardinals wouldn't have to give up as much because Dempster has the ability to become a free agent after this season unlike Garza, who is still bound by arbitration. They send away RHP Mitch Harris, RHP Trevor Rosenthal, and C Cody Stanley. Mitch Harris is a pitcher that the Cardinals drafted in 2008 but since he attended the Naval Academy he has been busy fulfilling his service obligation and the Cubs could use him for PR since an appearance by him would potentially increase attendance. Rosenthal has a 2.78 ERA in AA this year and if he keeps it up, he could end up in the show soon, but the Cardinal's door is closing and Dempster could help them win now. Stanley is not as hot of a prospect as he is 23 and struggled offensively  in A since being called up from Rookie Ball. In 4 years in the minors he has thrown out 41% of base runners so he has more upside behind the plate than at it.

All these trades have the potential to help one team win the World Series this year and another win it 5 years ago. In baseball, some players become worthless to one team because of either better players at their position or they simply don't fit into the system. Some teams in this trade are obviously winners over the other. Prospects are never a sure thing so teams do take a risk by sending away their star, but when you suck you have to do something.  It is almost 99% sure that none of these trades will happen, but you never know what will happen at the trade deadline.