Rockets blast off at Kelly-Shorts

Lets take a trip back to our childhoods together. Granted, we didn't all lead the same lives as children, but if you were a normal kid, at some point down the line, you made your parents angry. My personal specialty in this area was my method of "cleaning" which usually consisted of trying to hide the mess and hope my parents never noticed.

It didn't really work. 

Worse than my plan not working out was the anger that would follow the discovery. Now, we all make mistakes, we all do things that anger other people, but it generally doesn't last. At that point in our lives, our parents generally forgive and forget, like that TV show, and that's the end of it.

I could deal with my parents being angry with me, that was one thing. However I can think of a few moments in my life where I maybe didn't make my parents mad, but I disappointed them. Being a disappointment to someone, even if just for a few moments, that always stung me worse.

After watching the game this past Saturday in which the CMU football team squandered away it's chances of winning by turning the ball over in the most pivotal moments, I can honestly say; I'm not mad. I am disappointed in this team. Ok, maybe a little bit mad as well.

I am disappointed that a team can show the potential, the ability, to stay with a team that has traditionally been one of the top scoring offenses in the MAC. I'm disappointed that this team has been unable to play two halves of good football in any one single game this year, and has, in the opinions of many, underperformed.

Now, you might be thinking, why would they care if I'm disappointed, I'm just another broke student with no background in college football, and you're right, they probably don't. I'm a firm believer in the idea that if you constantly talk about how bad a team is or how they are doing, then you are contributing nothing of worth to the team as a fan or in any other capacity. I'm not trying to arrange myself on a soapbox here and blast the team to all of you, my adoring readers.

On the occasions when I had disappointed my parents, I was given a similar speech, which left me with the unmistakeable feeling that my parents were, above all, worried about the particular choice I made because they knew, deep down, I could always do better, be better than what I was. That's how I feel about this football team. I don't aim to criticize them while offering nothing to build them back up. I want them to know what I know, that if they want to go out and beat teams that are, on paper, better than them, then they can do it.And if you didn't see that potential from the game this Saturday, then I don't know what game you were watching. Maybe none at all. Maybe season five of Gossip Girl, no judgements.

So here I offer some concise thoughts about the game and certain aspects that I liked and others that I didn't.

• The run game was DYNAMIC. Even with new starter Saylor Lavalli missing some pivotal running lanes that the line opened for him, the beautiful thing is that 1.) those lanes even existed, and 2.) Lavalli managed to find a lot of open space outside of the tackles, which if you've been keeping up with me on these CMU posts is what I've wanted him to do all along. Lavalli managed 144 yards on 26 carries, along with scoring a short touchdown. A universal truth in football is to get the ball into the hands of your play-makers, and Lavalli is that guy.

• The passing game was inconsistent, and could honestly count for both a pro and con of this game. On one hand, Cooper Rush threw two very accurate passes during the game. To Toledo linebackers. On the other hand, seeing Rush throw some of these passes reminds me of better days for CMU football, the days when Dan LeFevour was throwing crisp, balanced passes all around the field. Inexperience and nerves are hurting him right now, but Rush is a true freshman, and if he can work out the kinks, he'll be the future. 
• Defensively, the Chippewas held the Rockets and their two QB's to only 166 yards passing, and also forced one turnover. However, this accomplishment seems a little less glamorous when you factor in the yards the Chippewas allowed on the ground. 252, to be exact, mostly to senior RB David Fluellen, who I swear has somehow entered his 12th season of eligibility for Toledo, the guy has been playing for them as long as I can remember. Someone needs to do a double check there. 

• As a young lad, I never met a sock I couldn't lose. It was such a futile struggle to keep my drawers full of enough socks to keep myself happy, so futile, in fact, that it reminds me of the Chippewas D-line. Oh SNAP. Yeah, I'll harass this group week in and week out until they create some pressure on somebody. Quarterbacks having all day in the pocket is hurting us immensely, and the D-Line needs to step up and do something about it. Just do me a favor, nobody tell them I said anything, okay? They really don't need to know, and honestly, compared to them, I am kinda small.  

I don't enjoy feeling disappointed in this team. I don't enjoy defending them against the horde of Enos  haters who clamor about how horrible this team is. It tires me out and is going to speed up the onset of arthritis. I want so badly for this team to iron out the kinks, namely ball control, and get to the level that I know they can play at. Oh, and once again, don't forget that Cooper Rush is a redhead. Just throwing that out there, do with it what you will .


Enjoy the column? I did too, funny how that works. If you're unaware, a new follower of mine or have just been living under a rock for the past 6 weeks, this is the most recent post in a  weekly series where I recap the Central Michigan University football games, and throw in as many needless puns, anecdotes and sob stories as I can while I'm at it. Also, a small side note. If any of you know a decent alternative (do NOT say Wordpress. I feel filthy just saying the words.) to using a blog site run by a indecent company such as Google, please let me know, I'm  in a bit of a pickle and considering a move.Thanks for reading, and tune in next week as I recap the CMU-NC State game.

CMU folds in Las Vegas

I have to level with all of you.

I didn't watch the CMU game this previous Saturday. I did not see even one second of gameplay. I went back on my pledge to watch every game this season back in the previous posts and for that, I apologize. Sometimes other things, more important things, come up and must be addressed. This Saturday was one of those cases.

Ok, moving past that.

I did my homework on the game, however. I read about how the game went and it became obvious to me that this was, like the UNH game, a tale of two halves. Central went from completely dominating UNLV in the first half and racing to a 21-0 lead to completely collapsing in the second half and losing the game by a score of 31-21. Hell, I think the only team that committed a worse blunder is Wisconsin. After putting up 253 yards of offense in the first half, Central managed only 125 in the 2nd half, while also turning the ball over twice.

It's hard to say what caused such a stunning collapse. Some might say that it is karma coming back around, since we won last week off the same sort of collapse by UNH. Or perhaps it was that the ginger demi-god Cooper Rush finally showed some weakness with two straight drive killing interceptions.A quick look at the stats confirms that the Chippewas run game was shut down in the second half, forcing CMU to attack UNLV one dimensionally, and once that happened, it was too easy to expose their weaknesses.

I would attribute the loss to over-confidence, and the assumption that the game was in hand. I've seen a lot of teams come out completely different, both positively and negatively, from halftime, and if there is one simple truth in football it is that you cannot have that mindset in a game. By coming onto the field with a cruise control mentality, the team becomes complacent, they stop trying, stop hustling, stop making those big plays. If you ask me, that is exactly what happened here. Oh, and UNLV backup Caleb Herring, that happened too.


If you didn't bother to read the intro, I'll give you the Sparknotes version. I didn't watch this game. My deepest apologies. However, I WILL be watching the Chippewas next game against Toledo, and I will be hoping for a Chippewas win like the rest of you. Right? Ok. Tune in next week for quality content people. Au Revoir.

Better late than never

It took three quarterbacks, ninety minutes of football and a host of offensive plays for Central Michigan University to finally find an offensive rhythm this season. That stretch of confused, seemingly inept football ended in the third quarter of Central's game versus the University of New Hampshire on Saturday, but not before it threw fans through a loop.

The season started with Cody Kater at the helm. Kater, a transfer from Cincinnati who also had extensive experience at Grand Rapids Community College won the starting job in the spring and began the season as the starter. After his struggles in the Michigan game, culminating with his injury, Alex Niznak took the reigns, and seemed to show some promise. Ironically, it was in Saturday's game against UNH where Niznak himself struggled and was replaced with Cooper Rush.

This move, seemingly born out of desperation, was the best possible thing that could've happened to CMU. The Wildcats had come out of the gate with passion and a lethal option based offense, and were busy wiping Central all over the field up to that point. Rush came out poised and confident, and led the offense on four scoring drives, including the game winning field goal with less than 4 minutes left in the game.

What changed for the CMU football team? What allowed a team that was being shut out by an FCS team to mount an improbable comeback in just one half of football?

Obviously, the X factor here was Cooper Rush. He dominated the Wildcats by using play-action passing and finding the open man, typically star wide out Titus Davis. The most dynamic play of the game was a brilliantly thrown catch and run by Rush to Davis that went for a 97 yard touchdown. He finished 19-32 for 326 yards and 3 touchdown receptions.

Rush succeeded in the second half as a result of the play action, which required the effective running of first time starter Saylor Lavalli to keep the defense guessing. Lavalli finished with 93 yards on 24 carries for a 4.7 YPC average. While Lavalli excelled in space on the edges, it was painfully obvious in the first half that the team misses the punch of a solid runner like Zurlon Tipton, who is out indefinitely with a broken ankle. CMU missed several short conversions on 4th down, going for the touchdown in lieu of attempting field goals. This is an issue that could plague the Chippewas all season long, as the team lacks a solid replacement for Tipton's bruiser running style.

The Chippewas defense was stronger in some key areas against UNH where they struggled against Michigan.

In the first half, the Chippewas defense seemed a bit lackluster, and it appeared the game might be headed in a similar direction as the last game. In the 3rd quarter, the defense led a more effective pass rush, and their penetration in the backfield slowed the Wildcat's rushing attack while simultaneously leading to several sacks of UNH QB Andy Valais. The defense also came up with several key turnovers, which led to Chippewa scores.

Overall, the game raised a lot more questions than it answered. Chippewa fans are still unsure of who will end this season as the starting quarterback, or how effective the defense will be at controlling some of the MAC's more potent offenses. We don't know how many games we'll end up winning, or whether the team will return to a bowl game. However at least for me, the most important question for the time being has been answered.

Cooper Rush is, at least for now, the starter at Central Michigan University. And, in case you didn't know, and I'm not saying this is the reason why he was successful, but....

HE'S A GINGER.



Like what you read here? This is part 3 of my weekly series focused on following CMU football. Tune in next week as I recap the Chippewas game against the UNLV Rebels in Las Vegas.

Annihilated in Ann Arbor

I'm going to start off this review by making a definitive statement about the game yesterday.

I'm not angry that CMU didn't win that game. They didn't let me or any other fan down, because despite the volatile, anything-can-happen nature of college football, there are vast differences between the programs of CMU and U of M. These differences were quite apparent in the game, and as expected, Central didn't stand much of a chance.

So yes, I'm bummed that we lost, bummed that we weren't at least able to keep the game close. But if getting pummeled by a Big Ten powerhouse makes us more prepared to deal with the remainder of our schedule, then so be it. Central follows it's toughest game of the season with it's easiest, at least on paper. The University of New Hampshire plays in the Football Championship Subdivision, but seems to do well there. Central needs to be able to control this game and get it's offense in a rhythm, especially after yesterday's game and the changes forthcoming to the offense.

For the half of football where it was actually a game, Central showed potential, albeit a confused potential. Starting quarterback Cody Kater was stricken with accuracy issues after his initial pass completion, and was soon replaced with Alex Niznak after suffering a broken collarbone. Things did not get much better for the Chippewas from there, as star halfback Zurlon Tipton broke his ankle after just a few plays. While the offense did move better under Niznak than Kater, the team was only able to manage a few short drives. Nerves seemed to get the best of Niznak, as he consistently overthrew receivers and had just a few completions, albeit some nice throws for first downs.

Niznak had very little help from his offensive line, and was constantly chased this way and that by Michigan defenders. With little time to react and make good throws, he turned the ball over twice and his day was largely ineffective, with a 50% completion rate and just over 100 yards passing. The only bright side for the Chippewas offense was the strong running of HB Saylor Lavalli, who was able to move the ball quickly and efficiently to the outside, instead of up the gut, where the Chippewas had struggled throughout the game. Looking forward, Lavalli could be an efficient offensive weapon, but it depends entirely on his ability to take on a workload similar to Tipton. If he can handle 15-20 carries a game, he could be a big difference maker for the Chippewas in the absence of Tipton.

Defensively, I thought the Chippewas showed some surprising ability to defend the pass, intercepting Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner twice and playing some nice defense on Michigan receivers. On the ground, however, the Chippewas were run over, down and through by Michigan all day. Four separate backs found the end zone for Michigan on their way to 242 yards rushing as a team. The defensive line for Central showed the same inability to pressure the quarterback in this game as it did last season, and in doing so lost containment on highly mobile quarterback Devin Gardner, who was able to scramble and make plays with his feet. It seems the strengths of this defense may have switched in the off-season, from run to pass protection. While it has only been one game, this game certainly highlighted the pressing need for a pass rush, which has long been dormant for CMU. An aggressive pass rush could result in sacks, or rushed throws into CMU's experienced-and capable, secondary.

What had started as a thrilling first possession for the Chips quickly stalled, and the resulting punt attempt was laughable in more than one way, as the ball never left the leg of punter Richie Hogan before being blocked and returned for a score. The play quickly took the wind out of the sails for Central Michigan, however the special teams unit was able to rebound surprisingly well. Hogan averaged 46 yards per punt through 6 punts on the day, including a 67 yarder. In addition, CMU was able to force a muffed punt during one return and pinning Michigan deep inside their territory on several others. The placekicking offered Central fans a way to eliminate the bad memories of seasons past, as freshman kicker Ron Coluzzi was 3-3 on field goal attempts.


Overall, this game was disappointing on more than one level. Starting the season 0-1,(especially losing in the fashion Central did) can be discouraging for younger players. However I have confidence that the team will move past this game and look forward to playing schools closer in skill to themselves. MAC competition will allow Central fans to see a more accurate representation of this team's skill level, and maybe, just maybe, Hogan and Coluzzi will get a bit of a rest.






Want more? This is the second installment of a series of CMU oriented content written week by week as I follow the football team through my last season of college. Look for next week's recap and analysis of the New Hampshire game.

CMU Football fall preview

To say that I was unhappy about returning to class this morning would be the understatement of the century, as I'm sure I share the same displeasure of many students in the same position.

However, my return to campus for what will likely be my swan song has helped me to prioritize what will be important to me this school year, namely time spent with friends, performance in the classroom, and of course, Central Michigan Football.

Four quick years have gone by since I arrived on campus, and in those four years, I have seen dozens of players take the field for CMU, but never to the same effect as this season. Last spring I spent several weeks covering the football team for the local campus newspaper, CM-Life (shout-out). I volunteered my time to interview players and coaches on a variety of different angles and stories, and it has given me an intimate enjoyment of what is yet to come. Some of the main reasons I look forward to this season are as follows:

• CMU's relative success last season is indicative of Dan Enos's long awaited turnaround of the program. The team could improve this year even more, since every player on the team is now "his guys" playing in his system. 
• Cody Kater is an experienced quarterback who shows a lot of potential. If he does struggle, the team has two backup QB's that could show some serious potential. 
• The team plays Michigan in it's first game of the season, and while it will likely be a defeat, the Chippewas play their toughest opponent first and should feel more comfortable with MAC opponents after they play in the Big House. 
• Both the offense and defense retain playmakers from last season, including 1400 yard back Zurlon Tipton and safety Avery Cunningham. 
• Personal opinions of Ryan Radcliffe differ greatly, but regardless of that fact, he won't be under center this season, allowing for the team to embrace a new offensive leader.

I'll admit, I'm quite bummed by the Chippewas schedule, which only features 5 home games to go along with the 7 road games.  However, I think the Chippewas could easily win 4 of those 5 games at home, and potentially steal 4 of 7 on the road, amounting to a 8-4 record. That's not too shabby.


However, to win those games, the Chippewas need to work on several key areas where they have struggled under Enos in past seasons.

Pass Rush- CMU has had a rather ineffective pass rush in the past 3 seasons, resulting in low sack numbers and less quarterback pressures. An un-pressured quarterback has more time to pick apart a secondary, so it is absolutely crucial for the Chips to get after the quarterback and if possible, shove his face into the dirt.

Special teams- OK, it was better last season, I must say. Place kicking has been a laughable facet of the Chippewas under Enos, making a reasonable assumption of 3 points into a nervous prayer whenever the Chips didn't find the end zone.  As far as returns, it has been far too long since Chips fans saw them take one back to the house. Now a return for a touchdown might be unreasonable, but special teams needs to put the offense in a good starting position to help put up points. The developing duo of Saylor Lavalli and Defarrel Davis should be able to help this season, but they are unproven as full time returners.

Defensive playmakers- With the departure of fiery safety Jahleel Addae, the defense lost it's biggest leader and playmaker, and the question of who can step up to fill the void remains. Teams have abused the Chippewas defense in recent seasons, keeping the Chippewas playing from behind and struggling to keep up. We can watch all the highlight films we want of Nick Bellore and Frank Zombo, but they aren't coming back. The defense must step up as a unit this season.

Western-Central Rivalry game- Ok, I'm going to level with you all on this one. I would be very upset if the football team went 1-11 this season. Terribly, dreadfully upset. I would probably weep. However if the Chips were to only beat ONE team this season, for the love of all things holy and right with the world, let it be the Western game. The series is split 2-2 since I began my time here, and nothing would make me happier to leave Central knowing they got the best of the Broncos during my time there. Oh, and for reference, the team is 1-2 under Enos vs. Western.


The season starts this weekend in Ann Arbor, and the potential of what COULD BE this season means a lot to me, and to the players. Getting close to these guys, many of whom are younger than me, was a privilege and a very cool experience.

Just as I followed the team through spring practices, I will follow them through their season, on here. Hopefully my experiences with this team will wrap up in as positive a manner as they started. I hope you all enjoy!

The thorn in Bud Selig's side (or rather, the needle)

They say love is blind.

Typically, this statement is used to refer to the whimsical trysts of young teens, unable to recognize all the facets of their relationship, preferring to remain in a state of blissful ignorance.

Bud Selig loves baseball, in this there is no question. Yet however blinded he may be by his love of the sport, he is choosing to be ignorant of the plethora of issues facing his sport. Bud Selig has stated that the "steroids era" is over in baseball.

What?!?

The recent BioGenesis scandal as well as Ryan Braun's recent admission of a second violation of the league's drug policy has got to be painfully obvious, and while the notion of a cover up seems like an exercise in futility, Selig is trying his best to not face the facts.

Baseball has reached it's crisis point on performance enhancing drugs. 

The BioGenesis scandal is likely to come to a head sometime in the upcoming weeks, and depending on the punishments doled out, the fallout could be huge. The list of fifteen players is likely to grow, and yet it already contains a handful of All-Stars, an NL MVP and two World Series champions. All of whom are suspected and heavily expected to be found guilty of violating the drug policy.

We have Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez, already two repeat offenders of the drug policy, who have both been exposed as false and have rightfully taken the fall for their offenses. Rodriguez is likely to be suspended for some portion of this season, as Braun already has been, and could potentially find himself out of baseball within several years.

Now the question arises, what does baseball do with the awards and accomplishments these players have "earned" while using illegal substances? We cannot draw an exact picture of when either man went dirty, but should the use of any illegal substance warrant a forfeiture of MVP awards and World Series rings?

If Selig is to curtail the doping issue before it spirals out of control, then the time has come to start throwing the book at players. The notion of players getting second or even third chances to come clean and play fair is simply ludicrous and invites players to get better at not getting caught, not stopping steroid use.

To effectively punish current offenders and well as dissuade future offenders, Selig must not consider any punishment off the table. Multi-season bans and even lifetime bans from the sport should seriously be considered, as well as fines. I mean, come on, in the NFL you get fined for tying your shoelaces wrong, it seems fitting that MLB should be able to punish players with a fine worthy of the crime.

Repeat offenders, what repeat offenders? One and done is how it should be done, and i'm not just rhyming for fun, hun. Players, analysts, fans and the commissioner himself have voiced tremendous displeasure for steroid use in the sport, so it's time to put the money where the mouth is and DO something about it. Fifty game suspensions are nice and all, but it's obviously not an effective tool when players don't even miss a whole season.

Manny Ramirez is trying to work out a comeback to the league. Don't worry, Boston fans, he won't probably make it. Lets be serious here, guys like Ramirez have no place in a league competing amongst clean players who work hard, play hard and give their all to win.

If Bud Selig really loves baseball, and truly wants what is best for the league, it is time for him to take the reigns and take whatever action is necessary to clean up his sport.

Where did baseball's toughness go?

I walked up to the plate apprehensively, clueless about the score of the game yet hoping more than anything to help my team out. It's Little League season, and I'm a mere 10 years old and hardly in touch with my inner Micky Mantle.

I grip my bat tight, take a long look at the opposing pitcher, see him start his windup, see the pitch leave his hand and POP!, straight to my back it goes. Fighting through the pain, I was optimistic due to the fact that as a victim of a hit by pitch, I was due a free trip down to first base. Unfortunately, no one told the umpire of that particular baseball standard. I wasn't allowed a free base, promptly struck out on 3 straight pitches and took my seat on the bench.

Now, this minor incident in a Little League game doesn't make any direct comparison to Major League Baseball, but I would use it to show a point. My point, and I'll back it up with the additional information that I was hit again in that game and once again was denied a free base, is that the MLB and it's players are lacking a fundamental quality of toughness.

How do I arrive at this conclusion? Well, while my story above was meant more as a comedic anecdote than undeniable proof, I'm sure that Little League baseball shouldn't have tougher rules on hit batters than the major leagues.

I think it's fair that before I begin rambling and bore you to death, I make a few disclaimers. While I think that players of the olden days used to be tougher than players of today, I don't in any way think that there is a decline of skill. Instead I would say that talent as a whole has increased, not least of all because of the end of barriers such as race and social standing, which have allowed competition to expand and make players better.

I'm not going to go into detail about money, and contracts, and lavish lifestyles of players now compared to players of old. I'm not going to list the guys who left the league in the middle of their careers to go serve their country during wartime, because it's whiny, repetitive and frankly, poor journalism.

I'd like to cite several factors and current trends that highlight a movement towards more specialized players and, in some fashions, weaker players.

Buster Posey is a young catcher for the San Fransisco Giants, who has the unfortunate honor of being a major cog in the wheel of weakness, per se. During the 2011 season, Posey was injured while attempting to block home plate from an advancing runner, a play that has always been an integral and necessary part of his position. Posey suffered substantial leg injuries during his collision with Scott Cousins, and he accepted the circumstances as a professional would, taking his recovery time and working to get back to his teammates. However, the collision sparked a major debate in baseball, turning this age old responsibility of the catcher into an "unnecessary risk", and suddenly several managers and players came out opposing this play and, even worse, calling for Major League Baseball to make changes to protect catchers.

On the bright side, perhaps all the attention on catchers brought some of the overprotective managers off of their pitchers, if only for a little bit. The current durability and stamina of current pitchers is no comparison to their baseball ancestors, and while a fair amount of blame rests on their controlling and worrisome managers, the simple facts tell us that pitchers ain't what they used to be. Sure, they throw faster than they used to, they reach triple digits on the radar guns. For a while, at least. In today's MLB, the most durable workhorse pitchers are not likely to register a complete game in more than 1 or 2 of their starts per season. As recently as the 1980's and stretching back way before that, it was not uncommon for pitchers for complete 5-7 times as many complete games. In fact, it was not unheard of or uncommon for pitchers to start both games of a doubleheader. Ask Tim "the Freak" Lincecum to do that next season.

So now that we have catchers who don't block and pitchers who tire easily, we can at least find some salvation in the grit, determination and toughness of our hitters, right?

According to information on Major League Baseball gathered over time, baseball players have grown by an average of 5 inches and 12 pounds, and that's just over the last 4 decades. As players grow and ballparks shrink, it stands to reason that players today would be putting up power numbers that impress. However, only one active player ranks near the top of the all time home run leader chart, Alex Rodriguez, who is likely to be out of baseball within the next few seasons due to his involvement with performance enhancing drugs. After that, the next closest active player is down at number 28 on the list. Amongst the top 20 leaders sit 5 players who are confirmed steroid users or confirmed users of illegal PED's.

Yes, even amongst baseball's oldest and greatest, today's bigger and better athletes fail to match up with the rough and tumble players of old. The baseball of today is a very specialized game, a game where players are sheltered and, dare I say babied through season after season of ice packs, massages form personal trainers and more "rest days" than practice days. I don't know how it happened, or why, but somewhere along the line, changes to the sport happened and will probably never revert back to the old ways. Hell, half the reason you see Nolan Ryan and Hank Aaron smiling at games is because they know their records aren't gonna be broken anytime soon, not in today's baseball.

So sit back, fans, and get out your radar guns, you might just be lucky enough to see somebody pitch 110 MPH one of these days. If you're really lucky, he might even be able to sign you an autograph with the arm he's not icing after the game.