25 Years of Fail

Some fans hope for repeats, some want another championship before they die, and some want to know what making the playoffs even looks like. Here's the 11 cities who have experienced the most failure the last 25 years.*
 *Cities with at least 2 major sports teams


11) Atlanta: The Braves had a ridiculous streak of 14 consecutive division titles from 1991-2005, including 5 National League pennants. Yet they only captured one championship.

                                                             1 for 14 will do this to you

The Falcons have been bad far more often than good. They won the NFC in 1998, only to meet up with the buzz saw that was John Elway.  The Hawks haven't done a thing since the Nixon administration, and the NHL's Thrashers are leaving town as you read this.

10) Washington D.C: The Redskins are one of the more storied franchises in the NFL, which helps. They've also captured a couple of Super Bowls in the last 25 years, which also helps. But there hasn't been much success since about '91, and their fans dress like this:

The other franchises in the nation's capital haven't picked up the slack. The Bullets became the Wizards but didn't get any better. The Capitals missed their only shot at a Stanley Cup in 1998.

9) Phoenix: The 2001 Diamondbacks became the youngest franchise to win a World Series, just their fourth year in the league. Besides that, Phoenix sports have been nothing more than something to do to get out of the sun. The Coyotes have proven hockey doesn't belong in the desert. The Suns' biggest claim to fame is being a part of Jordan's first 3-peat, and the Cardinals needed a 53 year-old Kurt Warner to become relevant. For just a year.

8) Cincinnati: It's hard to find a better joke of a franchise than the Cincinnati Bengals. They had a solid 14 year playoff drought from 1991-2004. They've had just two playoff appearances since then, and their drafts have been comic gold. They once took Akili Smith over Torry Holt. Peter Warrick over Brian Urlacher. Justin Smith over Ladanian Tomlinson. Levi Jones over Dwight Freeney and on and on and on.

7) Oakland: The city of Oakland hasn't seen a championship since Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire anchored the lineup and neither was suspected of using steroids.

Al Davis still owns the Raiders, so that train wreck isn't going anywhere for a while. And the Warriors might be the NBA's worst run franchise, which is tough to do in a league with the Clippers and Knicks.

6) Buffalo: When you go to the Super Bowl 4 years in a row, the law of averages says you'll win at least 1, right? The Bills lost on a wide-right field goal in 1990, got blown out in 91, got blown worse in 92, and blew a halftime lead in 93 to make it an even four-peat. Buffalo is one invention of the buffalo wing away from being the worst city in America.

5) Cleveland: If this was the biggest failures of the last 50 years, Cleveland probably tops the list. But  they've had decent teams in the last 25 seasons. The Cavs had Lebron, which was fun while it lasted. The Browns left, came back, and have been to the playoffs a hand full of times. They also have some of the league's most passionate fans, even with all the losing.

The Indians won a pair of American League titles in the mid-90's, but couldn't win either trip.

4) San Diego: Not normally known for sports mediocrity, San Diego is quickly gaining a reputation. The Padres' biggest achievement of the last 25 years was getting swept by the Yankees in the 1998 Wold Series. They haven't won a single playoff game since, and they hadn't won a playoff game before 98. The Chargers also have an embarrassing title appearance story to tell, getting utterly destroyed by the 49er's, 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX. Along with the laundry list of playoff failures, the team is also a candidate to move to LA.

3) Seattle: The Sonics played for an NBA title but left 3 years ago. The Seahawks have been somewhat respectable, winning 7 division titles and 1 NFC championship, and the Mariners are somewhere in the middle. Only 4 playoff appearances, but hey, at least they're still in town.

2) Milwaukee: These final two cities are in a class all their own. I'll start with Milwaukee because they won the coin flip. The Brewers once made the playoffs, and they almost won two games. Almost. They've had a few good years, winning 85+ games four times, and as of today they're tied for first in the National League Central. The Bucks have been pretty awful, not sniffing a championship since the mid-70's.

1) Kansas City: The Chiefs have 3 playoff wins in the last 25 years, getting past the divisional round only once. What success the Chiefs have had the last quarter century is undoubtedly overshadowed by the Royals, who haven't made postseason play since their World Series title in 1985. They've won more than 85 games only once, and they haven't finished better than 3rd in their division since 1995. With four 1990's or later expansion teams (Rockies, Marlins, Dbacks, Rays) making or winning the World Series recently, the annual losing in Kansas City is even more astounding.

Hall of Very Good

Bert Blyleven wasn't a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. The former starting pitcher retired in 1992 after 22 seasons and was first eligible for enshrinement in Cooperstown in 1998. Needing 75 percent of the votes, he received just 17. The next year, he had just 14 percent. After 14 years on the ballot, Blyleven was finally elected last winter and will be enshrined this summer. I'm not sure what he did between 1998 and last December, but it sure did work.

He had 287 wins in 1998, and he still had 287 last winter.
He didn't strike anyone else out.
Maybe his era went down? No, it's still 3.31.

 Now, I understand the significance of being a 'first ballot hall of famer.' It means you're the best of the best. Or maybe the best of the best of the best. There's hall of famers, and there's first ballot hall of famers. Nolan Ryan and Lou Brock are first ballot guys. Robert Doerr and George Davis are not.

So I understand not wanting to put certain guys in on their first chance. It's a way of recognizing the elite for being just that.

But if a guy doesn't warrant enough votes after four, five, and even 10 plus years, does he really deserve a plaque?


This reminds me of a recent column from Sports Illustrated's Joe Posnanski, who talked about the problems with the All-Star game voting and how he doesn't even know who to blame anymore.


I feel the same way with the Hall of Fame. It's not Burt Blyleven's fault. He's just been waiting. Hoping that someday the writers would think his stats were good enough. Because they certainly weren't in 1999. Much like voting a guy in on his first chance sends a message, waiting 14 years does the same thing. Every year, the HOF voters told Blyleven, "Hey, you were good, but not that good. Maybe next year."

The current rule states that as long as a player receives 5 percent of the vote every year, he can stay on the ballot for up to 15 years. As long as the rule is in place, the writers will continue to show us how smart they are.

Again, If a guy wasn't good enough after 5 years on the ballot, he probably isn't a hall of famer. And Blyleven probably has a hall of fame resume. But with the safety net of knowing they had some 15 years to put him in, writers sent the message every winter. If players only had 5 chances to gather enough votes, I'm pretty confident Blyleven would have made it a decade ago.

It's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good. If guys like Blyleven were good enough players, put them in within 5 years. If they weren't, keep them out so Cooperstown isn't watered down in 2 decades.

11 Non-Conference Games To Watch This Fall

With exactly 2 months until the start of the college football season and not a truly meaningful sporting event until then, it's time to look ahead. Last year nearly every preseason discussion was "Is this the year a non-BCS school makes the title game?" Or something similar. It got old. Part of me was glad #4 Boise State was upset by Nevada at the end of the year. They won't be in that position this year, but they do have a non-conference game against Georgia that's worth watching. Here's 10 more.


11. Missouri @ Arizona State (Sept. 9): Mizzou doesn't leave the state much in the non-con, only twice in the last 4 years. Quarterback play is also a question mark for the Tigers with the departure of Blaine Gabbert to the NFL. Starter James Franklin only attempted 14 passes last year, and a Friday night start against a pretty good Arizona State team will be a good early challenge.

10. Ohio State @ Miami (Sept. 17): Rematch of the 2001 National Title game as well as a bout last season in Columbus in which Ohio State won 36-24. Any match up of historic programs is sure to get ratings and this is no different. It will also be interesting to see how Ohio State is handling things post-Jim Tressel/Terrell Pryor.

9. Oregon State @ Wisconsin (Sept. 10): Wisconsin has a chance to be really, really good this year. The transfer of former NC State quarterback Russell Wilson to Madison is huge. After landing Wilson last week, Wisconsin's odds to win the BCS title dropped from 30-1 to 15-1. Beating Oregon State will get them a little closer to that goal.

8. Notre Dame @ Michigan (Sept. 10): Notre Dame is probably overrated again, and with a new coach, Michigan will have plenty of question marks as well. But aside from the historical aspects of the match up, there's something else to watch. It will be the first night game in Michigan's history.

                                                             Turn on the lights

7. Boise State @ Georgia (Atlanta, Sept. 3): Boise State won't make the national game this year, but they do know how to knock off top BCS teams, as they did to #10 Virginia Tech last season. Georgia isn't as good as last year's Virginia Tech team, but they aren't bad. Probably just outside the top 25.

6. LSU @ West Virginia (Sept. 24): Any time a potential title contender travels to a hostile environment early in the year, it gets exciting. West Virginia has a new coach and won't be on any preseason polls while LSU should be in the top 5. The atmosphere in Morgantown will give this one some drama, though.

5. Alabama @ Penn State (Sept. 10): National title contender from the SEC West traveling to a rough environment to face a fringe top-25 team? Sounds familiar. However, this match up gets the nod in the head coaching and home field advantage departments.

        

4. Florida State @ Florida (Nov. 26): This has the potential to be #1 on the list, but things have to fall into place just right. Regardless, Florida State is looking to repeat last year's 31-7 rout. Florida's new head coach and former Texas D coordinator Will Muschamp knows pressure, but now he's the head guy in Gainesville.

3. Texas A&M @ Arkansas (Cowboys Stadium Oct. 1): The former Southwest Conference foes should be in the top 15 heading into the season, but both loss key players from last year's teams. Arkansas is replacing quarterback Ryan Mallett while A&M linebacker Von Miller was the second overall pick in this year's draft. Both teams also share the misfortune of having title contenders within their divisions (Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama). Both teams should still be ranked heading into this one, though.

2. Oregon @ LSU (Cowboys Stadium Sept. 3): Two top-5 teams selling out this monstrosity will be awesome.

Oregon fans bought 15,000 tickets, only to be outdone by the 37,000 snatched up by LSU. The remaining tickets were bought pretty quickly, and if I wasn't biased, this would be the #1 game to watch by far. But I am, so it's not.

1. Oklahoma @ Florida State (Sept. 17): Florida State got pounded by Oklahoma last year in Norman, 47-17. They went on to win 10 games and return 20/22 starters from last year. Aside from quarterback Christian Ponder, everyone else is back. They've also had a top 10 recruiting class each of the last 4 years. With the returning starters as well as the influx of top talent, The Seminoles are my pick to win the BCS title this year, IF they can get by top ranked OU in week 3.


                                    

Top 50 Coaching Jobs

The annual coaching hires and fires among college basketball coaches got me thinking. What are the 50 best college basketball head coaching jobs?

I looked at:

-Prestige
-Overall success
-Success the last decade
-Ability to recruit



First Class:

1) North Carolina
2) Kentucky
3) Kansas
4) Duke
5) UCLA
6) Indiana

Indiana barely made the first list, but they get in by reputation alone. At least for another 5 years.


Business Class: 

7) Louisville
8) Ohio State
9) Arizona
10) Michigan State
11) Syracuse
12) Illinois
13) Uconn
14) Villanova
15) Georgetown

16) Texas
17) Florida
18) Maryland
19) Pittsburgh
20) St. Johns
21) Notre Dame


Economy Class

22) Oklahoma
23) Marquette
24) North Carolina State
25) Wisconsin
26) Arkansas
27) Washington
28) Purdue
29) Oklahoma State


Stand By:

30) USC
31) Michigan
32) Stanford
33) LSU
34) Tennessee
35) Missouri
36) Memphis
37) Oregon
38) West Virginia
39) Texas A&M
40) Kansas State
41) Cincinnati
42) Clemson
43) Wake Forest
44) Vanderbilt
45) Butler
46) Alabama
47) Xavier
48) Georgia Tech
49) Virginia
59) Gonzaga

Bracket Predictions

My Super Bowl prediction was within 1 point, so I'll try this again.

There's still 2 days left of conference tournaments, but here's my bracket:

1 seeds:
Ohio State
Kansas
Pittsburgh
Notre Dame

Team that could fall: Notre Dame

Ohio State and Kansas are locks. That's not changing one bit. Duke has a shot to steal a 1-seed from the other two, however. Especially with Pitt's 76-74 loss to Uconn today. Kemba Walker is nails, by the way. Big East Player of the Year, no question about it.

2's:
Duke
North Carolina
Purdue
Syracuse

Team that could jump up: Duke
Team that could fall: Syracuse

North Carolina's 12-1 ACC finish surprised everyone I think. Kendall Marshall's move to starting point guard played a big part in that run.

3's:
San Diego State
Uconn
BYU
Texas

Team that could jump up: San Diego State

4's:
Wisconsin
Florida
Louisville
Arizona

Teams that could fall: Arizona

5's:
Kentucky
St. Johns
West Virginia
Xavier

Team that could jump up: Kentucky

6's:
Texas A&M
Georgetown
UNLV
Vanderbilt

Team that could jump up: Texas A&M
Teams that could drop: UNLV, Vanderbilt

7's:
Old Dominion
Kansas State
Cincinnati
Temple

8's:
Missouri
George Mason
UCLA
Utah State



The top 4 seeds were fairly easy to choose from. After that it got a little tedious, but we'll see what happens on Sunday at 5.

Big 12 Wrap Up

Back in early January I predicted the Big 12 standings here.

What I knew all along:

-Kansas would capture its 7th straight Big 12 title, albeit a very tough road after trailing Texas by 2 games midway through the conference schedule.

-Rick Barnes would pull a Rick Barnes. The Longhorns started the Big 12 season 11-0 only to lay eggs against Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas State. Way to go, Rick.

-Kansas State wasn't as good as everyone wanted to believe. However, they did rally big time after starting 2-5 in conference play to finish 4th. It's not the season they hoped for, but a Big 12 tournament 4-seed is better than the NIT.

-Texas Tech isn't very good at basketball. Shocking, considering their ridiculous home atmosphere down in Lubbock.

I had no clue:

-Colorado would finish 8-8, good enough for a 5-seed in the Big 12 tournament. Tad Boyle can coach, so the Pac-10 better watch out. Also, Buffs guard Alec Burks will be in the NBA sooner rather than later.

Here's how they finished:


1) Kansas: (14-2) Predicted finish: (1st)

2) Texas (13-3) (2nd)

3) Texas A&M: (10-6) (4th)

4) Kansas State (10-6) (5th)

5) Colorado: (8-8) (10th)

6) Missouri: (8-8) (3rd)

7) Baylor: (7-9) (6th)

8) Nebraska: (7-9) (8th)

9) Oklahoma State: (6-10) (9th)

10) Oklahoma: (5-11) (12th)

11) Texas Tech: (5-11) (11th)

12) Iowa State: (3-13) (7th)


So I was perfect on 5 teams, within 1 spot on 3 teams, and missed badly on Colorado, Iowa State, and Missouri. I would predict the Big 12 Tournament which starts in 9 hours, but frankly, I don't care about conference tournaments.

The Big Least

I hear every year how The Big East is the most amazing basketball conference in the history of basketball conferences. Sure, they have a lot of teams getting into the tournament, but the conference is home to nearly every team on the eastern seaboard. Of course they get more teams in.

But what do they do in March?

I looked up Big Least performances in the NCAA tournament since its expansion to 16 teams in 2005 and I wasn't surprised.

-The obvious number is the zero national champions.
-Even with a much larger conference, they've only had the most Elite 8 teams once. (4 teams in 2009)
-They had 2 Final Four teams in 2009, but the Big 10 and SEC have done the same. (2005 and 2006)

And because conferences have different amounts of teams, I looked at percentages.

-The Big 10, not the Big Least, has had the highest percentage (from 2005-present) with 27% of its teams in the 2005 Elite 8.
-The Big 10 also had 18% of its members make the Final Four in 2005. The SEC had 16% of its members make the Final Four in 2006. Both are above the Big Least's best year, which was 12% in 2009.

When averaged out from 2005 until now:

-The Big Least has had 4% of its teams make the Final Four, tied for 3rd with the SEC and PAC 10.
-The ACC has had more with 5%.
-The Big 10 has the most with 7%.


In title games since 2005:

-Big 10 is 0-2
-Pac 10 is 0-1 
-Big 12 is 1-0.
-SEC is 2-0
-ACC is 3-0

The Big Least hasn't made the title game since expanding to 16 teams in 2005.


I don't see that changing this year either. The Big Least once again has a lot of good teams like Pittsburgh, Villanova, Syracuse, Notre Dame, and St. Johns. They might even get 11 teams in the tournament.

But don't expect any of them to win it all.