Sports September 5, 2011

So the NFL season is about to start, and apparently Tiki Barber is going to have to cut his comeback attempt short and sit the season out. I found this to be of little surprise. What I did find surprising about this whole ordeal is why everyone else is. To start with, not many teams are willing to take chances on veteran running backs, especially if he hasn't played in few years. With players like Clinton Portis who have played the last few available, why take a shot at Tiki. Sure, Tiki was a great player, but that was 5 years ago. Times have changed, especially because passing games are becoming more relevant. Running backs at his age who have played the entire time tend to not whether seasons so well. Plus, Tiki took cheap shots at his former team in the broadcast booth, only to have them win the Super Bowl. On a side note, the Giants won the Super Bowl the year after Tiki left.

If you think Josh Beckett's injury isn't going to have any impact on the pennant race this year, I think your mistaken. Beckett, up to this point, was the Red Sox best pitcher and a possible Cy Young candidate (that is if Verland slips badly). Any injury at this point in the season can have a huge impact, especially one to a player of Beckett's caliber. The Red Sox can ill afford to lose him. Jon Lester has been their only other consistant starter this season. John Lackey and Tim Wakefield have struggled, and Clay Buchholz is already out. Erik Bedard has been good since he was acquired, but can he really be counted on in the postseason. The Red Sox seem to be a lock for the Post Season, but with Beckett lost, their chances seem to be slipping. They've fallen to 2.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East. If they do lose the division, they might get stuck to playing the Rangers on the road, a team they've struggled against. If Beckett cannot make it, then they might have to pitch Lester on 3 days rest, a daunting task for anyone. I don't like their chances against the Rangers period, especially on the road without Beckett. Then again, I'm a Yankees fan, what do I care.

Speaking of rotations, weren't the Yankees supposed to have the question marks in their pitching staff. Granted, behind CC, there is no guaranteed Yankee's second starter, but the two rotations, that is if the Red Sox lose Becket, will have strikingly similar rotations: a dominant ace ahead to several question marks. Yet, in that situation, I think I would have to say advantage Yankees. The Yankees have the better bullpen, which is why they made no moves at the deadline to acquire pitching. The Yankees can afford to have their starters, other than CC, pitch only 5 innings because their bullpen can close out the last four. Don't forget that in recent games, the Yankees starters have done well. Also keep in mind that Ian Nova has won 15 games this season and hasn't lost in a long time. Both offenses can score, but the Yankees are more dynamic in their ability to steal bases. Head- to- head, the Red Sox are better, but the Yankees are better against other teams and took 2 of 3 in the last series at Fenway. If the Yankees and Red Sox are on a collision course for the ALCS, a series that should be promising, I would have to say the Yankees hold the slim edge at the moment.

However, none of this will matter if the Rangers and Tigers have their say. The Yankees and Red Sox might be the best teams in the AL, but underdogs seem to have good seasons these days. The Rangers have an explosive offense themselves and did ride it to the World Series last year. C.J. Wilson of the Rangers has also proven to be a good starter, and not many would want to face him. The Tigers also have an ace of their own. No one, and I mean no one, wants to face Justin Verlander in Game 1 of any series against any pitcher. The Tigers rotation does seem less ferocious after him, but don't count out Doug Fister, Rick Porcello, or Max Scherzer who are all solid starters in their own right. In the chance that the Rangers do lose the AL West and the Angels win it, something that seems unprobable but is very possible, no one would want to face their fearsome rotation in any series. If the Yankees and Red Sox are going to play in the ALCS, they'll have their work cut out for them.