A Salute to Michael Cuddyer

Michael Cuddyer certainly isn’t the best player to ever dawn a Twins uniform. However, he came to the ballpark and played hard everyday during his career with the Twins. Not only that, he was willing to play wherever Ron Gardenhire put him on the field. The only two positions he never played while with the Twins were shortstop and catcher. His stats were never overly impressive but they were always respectable. What sticks out the most is that his highest RBI total of 109 came in 2006 and his highest HR total of 32 came in 2009. This is because in both of those years the Twins clinched a division title in an impressive and exciting manner by battling back down the stretch after a tough start to the season. Cuddyer’s numbers clearly show that he was a key player in both of those runs to the playoffs. In fact, in the 2009 run to make the playoffs, Cuddyer was probably the MVP of the Minnesota Twins. This is the case because he stepped in and played a respectable first base after Justin Morneau went down with an injury, and he hit big home run after big home run in September. Most notable was his home run in the second to last regular season game (well, it ended up being the third to last regular season game) against Kansas City that gave the Twins the lead and kept their season alive. This past season was a tough one, but at least Cuddyer finally got the chance to represent the American League in the All-Star Game. We at jasathletics salute you Michael Cuddyer for a solid career with the Minnesota Twins and wish you the best in your future endeavors. Your play on the field and your work in the community will be missed. One more thing, the Twins’ clubhouse will definitely be a little less chipper this upcoming year as that famous Michael Cuddyer smile is now in Colorado.

Robert Griffin III Tightens the Big 12's Hold on the jasathletics College Football MVP Award

Just a couple minutes before writing this I still had not decided who would win the jasathletics College Football MVP award. It came down to two men - Robert Griffin III and Montee Ball. I have to admit that Montee Ball's numbers were very impressive this year. In the end though, I had to give the award to Robert Griffin III. Just like Ball, Griffin III had great statistics this year. Nine out of the twelve games that he played in he threw for more than 300 yards. However, what set him apart from Montee Ball were his big plays at big times. Robert Griffin III is the first man to win the two most prestigious college football awards in the same year - the Heisman Trophy and the jasathletics College Football MVP award. All three years now the jasathletics College Football MVP award has gone to a player from the Big 12 (Also know as the Real Big 10) conference. I would like to thank everyone that voted in my poll. Your votes are one of the many factors that eventually swayed me towards Robert Griffin III. Finally, I would like to congratulate Robert for winning this year's jasathletics College Football MVP award.

The Five Finalists for the jasathletics College Football MVP Have Been Selected

The five finalists for this year's jasathletics.blogspot.com college football MVP award have been selected. Included among the finalists are two running backs - Montee Ball of Wisconsin and Trent Richardson of Alabama - and three quarterbacks - Kellen Moore of Boise State, Robert Griffin III of Baylor, and Case Keenum of Houston. Justin Blackmon, the preseason favorite to win the award and the defending champion, just missed making the final five. In fact, only two out of the five finalists were mentioned in jasathletics' article on the preseason favorites to win the award, namely Kellen Moore and Trent Richardson. All five finalists have put up big numbers this year. Montee Ball rushed for 1,759 yards and 32 tds. He also had 255 yards receiving and 6 receiving tds. His 38 total touchdowns put him only 1 td behind Barry Sanders' all-time record of 39 going into the Rose Bowl. With those numbers he will be tough to beat. When Mark Ingram left Alabama for the NFL Trent Richardson finally got his opportunity to be the feature back at Alabama. This year Richardson ran for 1,583 yards and 20 tds. He also added 3 receiving tds and 327 receiving yards. Once again Kellen Moore put up some great numbers. Moore threw for 3,507 yards and 41 tds. Not only that, he also had a completion percentage of 74.1 this year, which is the highest he has ever had. There is no doubt that Robert Griffin III has always had talent, but this year he established himself as the rich man's Marqueis Gray. Robert Griffin III had 3,998 passing yards, 644 rushing yards, 36 tds through the air, 9 tds on the ground, and only 6 interceptions. Finally, Case Keenum put up huge numbers this year. He had 5,099 yards passing, 45 tds, and only 5 interceptions. However, even though jasathletics doesn't usually look at these kind of things, Houston's bad loss to Southern Mississippi will be hard to overlook. jasathletics has a poll where you can vote for who you think should win the award. Keep in mind that your votes have no direct effect on who wins; however, your votes could persuade the voting committee. The winner will be announced in a press release sometime in the next week or so.

Not Again

Once again Boise State’s run at an undefeated season and a BCS bowl has ended in depressing fashion. Both times they had the game locked down. Both times I was left in shock. Both times I was left with only one sentence.

Last year at Nevada Boise State had a fairly good lead. Then in the second half they lost their large lead. The good new was that Kellen Moore had just enough time to lead one last drive. Well, to be precise, it really wasn’t a drive at all. This is because Kellen Moore got Boise down the field in one play by completing a long pass to Titus Young. Right after that pass was completed a person knew that it was the kind of play that would go down in college football history. It was the play that would undoubtedly solidify Kellen Moore as the jasathletics.blogspot.com College Football Player of the Year. All that stood between Boise and a win was a short field goal. Then the unthinkable happened. Boise’s kicker missed the field goal. He didn’t miss by much though which left me to say, “I am not entirely sure that he missed that.” After another close miss in overtime I would repeat that sentence, and unfortunately Nevada’s kicker put the game away when Nevada got the ball.

Last Saturday the unthinkable happened again. Boise State was locked in a tight game with TCU. This is when Kellen Moore reached into his back pocket and pulled out the dagger by completing a 50-yard pass for a touchdown to take a seven point lead. Then on TCU’s next possession Boise intercepted a pass and looked to have the game wrapped up for sure. After the interception Boise State ended up punting after a few plays though. This is when the Boise State defense came up big again and stopped TCU. After a TCU punt, Kellen Moore led a steady drive down the field. The clock was under three minutes and it looked like Boise was on the verge of scoring one more time to put the game away. This is when a backup running back put the ball on the ground. It was recovered by TCU. I was left with only one sentence, “Son, you have to hold onto the football.” I repeated this sentence many times as TCU drove the football down the field, scored a touchdown, and added a two point conversion to take a one point lead. Boise State did get a shot at a field goal to win, but it was missed badly.

Now you may be thinking that it was not all the running back’s fault since the Boise defense could have stepped up and stopped TCU or the kicker could have made the field goal. However, you have to remember that the defense and the kicker had already mentally prepared for a win. It’s tough to go back out there with the game on the line after you thought that it was all wrapped up.

It’s not so much seeing Boise State lose that has been tough, it’s the way they have lost (although it would be disappointing even if they had lost these games in not so grand of a fashion). Two years in a row now one mistake by one player at the wrong time has ended their chance of going to a BCS bowl game. I could accept it if Nevada and TCU had beat Boise by two touchdowns or something like that. If that had happened I would have tipped my Banning Junction hat to them and said they were the better team. However, that is not the case. There is no doubt in my mind that Boise State outplayed Nevada last year and that they outplayed TCU this year. Even more importantly, Kellen Moore did all he could in both of these games.

With this in mind, what makes this loss even tougher is that Kellen Moore is not going to get to finish his career on the big stage. He deserved to get one more shot against a top ranked opponent in a BCS bowl game. Unfortunately, the greatest quarterback in college football history (maybe a bold statement but you can say something like that when you have your own blog) is going to finish his career playing in something like the billstires.com bowl in Tempe, AZ on December 10.

jasathletics Preseason College Football MVP Rankings

1. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

Last year I had never even heard of Justin Blackmon until the very end of the college football season, and he seemed to be an unlikely candidate for the jasathletics College Football MVP award. Then I looked at his stats, and what I saw were some of the most impressive stats that I have ever seen. His overall numbers of 1782 yds and 20 tds were great. However, I was even more impressed when I looked at his stats from each game. This is because he did not have a single bad game. In fact, he had more than 100 yds and at least 1 td in every game he played in. It will definitely be tough for him to duplicate those numbers this year, but at the same time there is no reason to believe that he cannot. In the end, Blackmon is the best player in college football and I expect him to defend his title as jasathletics College Football MVP. One ESPN analyst even claimed that he could start right now on every NFL team, so others have taken notice as well. If he does defend his title this will be the third year in a row that a player from the Big 12 (also known as the Real Big 10) has won the award.

2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

LaMichael James came close to winning the jasathletics College Football MVP award last season. In fact, he was the front runner for the award until I found out about Blackmon. This year I expect James to take another solid run at winning the award. If he is able to have better stats than his 2010 numbers of 1731 yds on the ground and 21 tds, he will definitely make it tough for Blackmon to repeat. However, Blackmon is sure to put up some big numbers as well, which means that James might have to pass the elusive 2000 yd mark to win the award. This is a tough task though because Kenjon Barner is sure to get a decent amount of carries for the Ducks this year as well. Overall James will definitely put up some solid numbers this year and make a run for the award. A solid game against Louisiana State to start the year would really help him in his quest to win the jasathletics College Football MVP award.

3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State

If Titus Young and Austin Pettis were still at Boise State, then there is no doubt that Moore would have been the preseason favorite to win the jasathletics College Football MVP award. However, they are not, so Boise State is coming into the season with some untested wide receivers. This makes me a little bit concerned. Kellen Moore is one of the best quarterbacks in college football history though. Therefore, no matter who he is throwing the ball to, I expect him to put up large numbers. One thing that Moore does have going for him is a solid running back in Doug Martin. Martin should help take some of the pressure off of Moore and help open up the passing game. If Moore is able to put up some solid statistics against Georgia and if his receivers play well, then Moore could be the front runner for the award after week 1. A win against Georgia would not hurt his cause either. Overall I expect the man from Prosser, Washington, to have a solid year. I would not be surprised if he walks away with the jasathletics College Football MVP award at the end of the season. This is especially the case if he puts up the numbers that I expect him to put up this year, which are 4000+ yds and 40+ tds.

Some others in contention for the jasathletics College Football MVP award are Andrew Luck of Stanford, Marcus Lattimore of South Carolina, Trent Richardson of Alabama, and Landry Jones of Oklahoma. Luck is definitely the best professional prospect, but I do not know if he will be able to put up the kind of numbers that are needed to win the award. Lattimore had a big freshman campaign for South Carolina, but had trouble staying healthy at times. Richardson is now the main man in the Alabama backfield now that Mark Ingram has gone to the NFL. He is definitely going to put up some solid numbers, especially since Alabama does not have a proven quarterback. Finally, Landry Jones has some great receivers like Ryan Broyles coming back, which means he could very well pass his numbers from last year. If he is able to do that, then he will be a contender for the award at the end of the year.

Major Moments

There is no doubt that Rory McIlroy's performance at Congressional Country Club this past week was impressive. However, something was missing. Namely, there were no major moments. What I mean by major moments is there was not a particular shot that will always be remembered. Of course setting records is great, but in the end all that will be remembered from this year's United States Open are the numbers. This is because there was no need for a clutch shot down the stretch since he had such a large lead. Overall what makes major championship golf great are the shots that will be remembered for ever, not the hoisting of the trophy. While it was not easy to watch at the time, and it would have been easier at the time if he had been blowing away the field, I am glad that Phil Mickelson has had a few major moments while winning his four major championships. Now I would like to remember a few of those major moments.

In 2004 Phil Mickelson came to Augusta National without a major championship on his resume, and with this lack of a major came considerable media pressure. This is because he had already won 22 PGA Tour tournaments. Phil played great the first three days though and entered Sunday tied for the lead. Then Phil shot a two over par 38 on the front, followed by pars on 10 and 11, and came to the 12th tee three shots behind Ernie Els. Once again it looked like a major would elude Phil Mickelson. However, this is when a major moment took place. Phil went pin hunting on the par three 12th and hit a solid shot to about 18 feet past the hole. He then proceeded to bury the putt. His back nine charge had officially started. Three birdies and two solid shots on the 18th hole later Phil was only 18 feet away from his first major. This is when one of the greatest major moments of all time took place, as Phil made the putt to win his first major and capped it off with a jump that will be remembered forever.

Phil's next major moment came at the 2005 PGA Championship. In the final round, Phil came to the par five 18th tee tied for the lead. He proceeded to hit a solid tee shot. What is notable about this major moment is that he hit his tee shot close to a plaque commemorating a great shot that Jack Nicklaus had once hit, and right before he hit his second shot he tapped the plaque with his club. Then he went for the green in two. He hit a solid shot that came up just short and right of the green. This is when his short game, which he is know for, came up big as he hit his chip shot within three feet and made the putt for birdie to win his second major championship.

Finally, there is the 2010 Masters. That week Phil entered the final round one shot behind Lee Westwood. He played the first 11 holes in one under par that day. Then a major moment took place as Phil hit a solid tee shot about 18 feet past the hole on the par three 12th and made the putt to finally emerge as the frontrunner. Overall it was almost an exact replica of how Phil played the 12th hole in the final round in 2004. In addition, another more memorable major moment would ensue, just like in 2004. On the 13th hole Phil hit his drive into the trees and pine needles to the right of the fairway. At this point Phil had the lead and it looked as if he was going to lay up and try to make birdie the conventional way. It is a good thing he didn't take that safe route though because we would have missed one of the greatest major moments ever. This is because Phil hit his second shot, which was from the pine needles, from behind a tree (however the tree really was not in his way but is sure makes for a better story), over a creek, and just over 200 yards from the hole, to roughly three feet. A couple of birdies later and Phil would slip on the green jacket for a third time.

Overall I am not saying that Rory's win this past week was not impressive. I am just saying that it lacked a major moment. In addition, I feel that Rory will win more majors throughout his career, and I am sure that he will have a major moment or two along the way. Furthermore, notice that Phil has won four majors and I only outlined major moments from three out of the four. So even Phil has won a major in not the most exciting manner (however if I really had to I am sure that I could find a major moment from the 2006 Masters because it was definitely more exciting than this year's U. S. Open). The bottom line is, major championships are better when they are remembered because of great shots, not great numbers.

Tim Hortons - A Canadian Classic

I have been to Canada thrice. While there for the second time I noticed a chain restaurant that I had never seen before, namely, Tim Hortons. I immediately thought that it must be an eatery distinct to Canada. In addition, I was intrigued by it and I knew that I had to eat at one sometime. This comes as no surprise to those that have read my article about Braum's, as that article revealed my interest in and desire to eat at chain restaurants that I have never eaten at before. However, on this particular trip to Canada, Tim Hortons would elude me in similar fashion to the way the jade elephant has eluded many a gambling man. A few years later though Tim Hortons and I were united just outside of Victoria, British Columbia. When I first stepped foot inside of Tim Hortons my eyes immediately went to the pastries and other assorted bakery goods. This is because during the time that elapsed between my second and third visits to Canada I found out that Tim Hortons is famous for its bakery goods and coffee. So I knew that I had to try Tim Hortons' bakery goods, and indeed I did, as I bought an assortment of doughnuts. The pastries definitely lived up to their billing, especially the Boston cream doughnut. While purchasing and enjoying the doughnuts I noticed that Tim Hortons sells sandwiches and soups among other items. At this point I knew that a return trip to Tim Hortons would have to be in order, and indeed a return trip to Tim Hortons would ensue. On this second trek to Tim Hortons I enjoyed a tuna sandwich and some soup (I don't exactly remember what kind of soup I had, but for those of you that are interested I think it was wild rice soup). Both were very good and I must say that the bread was some of the best I have ever had. This comes as no surprise though because, as I mentioned earlier, Tim Hortons is know for its baked goods. Overall I went to Tim Hortons multiple times while on this third trip to Canada, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed eating at it every time. It has been a few years now since I have crossed paths with a Tim Hortons, but hopefully we will cross paths soon either in Canada or in the United States, as many Tim Hortons franchises have opened up in the U.S. in recent years. Unfortunately, there are not any in Minnesota yet. Simply stated, Tim Hortons is a Canadian classic, and I encourage you to stop by Tim Hortons if you ever find yourself in Canada or near one of the Tim Hortons located in the United States. However, I must say that if you want to get the full Tim Hortons effect you should go to one in Canada.

TCU Claims the 2010-2011 jasathletics College Football National Championship

Once again Cameron Newton put me in a tough spot as Auburn won the BCS National Championship game last night. Now most of you know that jasathletics.blogspot.com gives its college football national championship to the the team with the best record to win a BCS bowl game with the tiebreaker going to the actual BCS national champion. So by those rules the jasathletics College Football National Championship should go to Auburn. However, jasathletics also believes in integrity and holds the right to make an executive decision. So your 2010-2011 jasathletics.blogspot.com College Football National Champion is Texas Christian University. The Horned Frogs put together a solid undefeated season that was capped off by a 21-19 victory over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. They also brought home the Mountain West Conference championship this year. Overall TCU had a great season and I felt that they deserved the jasathletics title.