Ravens vs. Orioles, Same City but Worlds Apart

Today was the last day of baseball's winter meetings. Just like every other year some big moves were made. Unfortunately another repeat is the Orioles being very quiet. Well not too quiet they did pick up the amazing pitcher known as Dana Eveland, who has the incredible career ERA of 5.52. Now i am not naive, I know to get players to come here they have to want to come here. My main problem with the Orioles is that they tell us they want to get better and yet do nothing to strive towards getting better. New GM Dan Duquette has stated that the goal for the Orioles in the 2012 season is to be at least .500. I know the regular season is still a couple months away, but as an O's fan you cant feel confident with how this past week has gone. That is what leads me to the comparison to the Ravens, but really its how they are nothing alike.

Back to how the Orioles don't add the players they need to become competitive. Before the 2011 season the Orioles picked up players like Vladimir Guerrero, Derrek Lee, Mark Reynolds and JJ Hardy. Out of those four players JJ Hardy is really the only one who played well in all facets of the game. Both Vlad and Lee were and are past their primes, and Reynolds while the power numbers were there, he couldn't play third to save his life. As for the Ravens they don't miss nearly as much as the O's do. Now I understand football is different than baseball, but the general concept of picking up the right player for the right situations should not change. Just look at some of the Ravens off season pick ups. Bryant McKinnie, Vonta Leach, Andre Gurode, Bernard Pollard and Lee Evans. The only argument you can make is Evans because of his injury. Other than that each one of those guys have contributed, and some in a big way. The Ravens know when they have a weakness and address it accordingly. The Orioles say that they do and try to convince you they will be a winner. However the glaring differences don't stop at player acquisitions.

The front offices are incredibly different as well. First the Orioles, the major concern from fans and baseball experts is the involvement of Peter Angelos. Mr. Angelos has always been criticized for how he handles the team. Angelos has never given the reigns to his GMs to do what they need to turn the team around. Since Pat Gillick (the last successful GM) the Orioles have had five men try, all have failed and none have last more than four seasons. I am willing to bet that Angelos is the main reason it took forever to find a new GM this season, and why the guy they hired hadn't been in baseball for 10 years. The Ravens have had one figure head who has made all the football decisions, Ozzie Newsome. Plenty of guys have left who were under Newsome, but since he was hired in 1996 Newsome has been the man. Neither Modell or Bisciotti have never been known to meddle, and in my opinion its a huge part of the Ravens success. From 1996 on the Orioles have had two winning seasons (96 & 97), the Ravens have had eight winning seasons, two division titles and a Super Bowl. The numbers speak for themselves.

Baltimore might be one of the most unique sports cities in America, not saying that its a good thing. You have one franchise that does everything right, and even if there are complaints they aren't major ones. The other franchise does everything it possibly can to frustrate its fan base, not on purpose but sometimes it feels that way. One last thing, the Ravens make you proud to wear their jerseys and colors. When I tell people I am an Orioles fan a look of pity comes to their face. I don't know when the Orioles will be winners again and until they do me and most of Baltimore will continue to reluctantly suffer through the baseball season so we can enjoy the Ravens.

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The Five Biggest Mistakes made by the BCS

Last night the selections were announced for this years BCS Bowl games, and as expected it comes with some controversy. In my opinion the only time the BCS doesn't screw it up is when you only have two undefeated teams and you cant screw it up. Now i will say that the BCS is better than what it used to be, however that doesn't mean the BCS is fool-proof. Many people want a playoff system, even it is just a plus one. For those who do want a playoff, don't hold your breath its not going to happen anytime soon. So after last night it got me thinking of some of the most boneheaded decisions made by the BCS. I will only list five but I'm sure i could definitely list more.

# 5: BCS chooses to see 'Game of the Century Part 2' over Oklahoma State
What better way to start then last night. Also its hard to rank this any higher because we really don't know how it will work out. Comparing the two teams schedules i have to say Oklahoma State had the tougher road to the BCS. The Cowboys won at Texas A&M, at Texas, they destroyed a pretty good Baylor team and embarrassed their in state rival Oklahoma. The only thing Alabama has over Oklahoma State is Bama's loss is better. Bama lost to the best team in the country while OKSt lost to Iowa State. Again hard to tell how big a mistake this is but as a fan id rather see OKSt-LSU than Bama-LSU.

# 4: Florida State gets nod over in state rival Miami in the BCS Title Game

In the early 2000s the Hurricanes had a mini dynasty going and this could have been the first step in that dynasty. Miami went 11-1, their only stumble, to the eventual Rose Bowl champs Washington Huskies on the road by five points. As for the Noles they also lost only once in the regular season, to the Hurricanes. FSU did end the season with an impressive win over Florida. When the season ended Miami was ranked # 2 in the AP and Coaches poll above Florida State, but in the BCS Standings FSU was # 2. In the bowl games Miami beat Florida by 17, and FSU mustered just 2 points in a loss to Oklahoma.

# 3: USC and LSU Share the National Championship

The one thing you could say about the BCS was there was always one champion. Well after the 2003 season that changed. USC stumbled early in the season but then righted the ship to finish 11-1 in the regular season. Now LSU was not the problem in this equation, its the Sooners. Oklahoma had an impressive regular season and they deserved to be in the conversation. Then the Big 12 Championship game happened. After all the domination the Sooners were crushed by Kansas State 35-7. So common sense would say they were done right? Well not only did Oklahoma get into the title game the BCS had them number 1, really??? Needless to say Oklahoma lost to LSU and USC beat Michigan leading to the first and only shared National Title under the BCS System.

# 2: Auburn runs the table in the SEC, doesn't get title shot

The SEC is the best conference in football, and has been for a long time. So when a team goes undefeated in that conference automatic championship game appearance right? Although this might not at first glance seem so bad. The two teams that played for the championship were also undefeated. Auburn did however beat four Top 25 teams, and three of those were top 10. The thing that made this more egregious is what happened in the BCS Title Game. USC obliterated Oklahoma 55-19. Auburn had a really good team and them against USC would have been an interesting match up.

# 1: Nebraska sneaks into the Title Game

The Cornhuskers were rolling back in 2001, they passed their only real challenge in beating second ranked Oklahoma by 10 points. Nebraska seemed to be heading into a championship showdown with Miami. In the season finale against rival Colorado the Cornhuskers were completely humiliated. Colorado ran all over Nebraska beating them 62-36, yea not a misprint 62-36. Nebraska did not even play in the Big 12 Title game, but somehow they were # 2 in the BCS and played Miami in the Rose Bowl (sound familiar). Miami won easily 37-14. Oregon, the team people wanted to see play Miami, also won easily. They beat the team Nebraska gave up 62 points to a month earlier. Nebraska did not belong in the Title game and the final score strongly indicated that.

The BCS is crap nothing else to say about it, and until they get a playoff system installed there will always be controversy. How college football doesn't determine its champion on the field of play is and will always be mind boggling. Unfortunately its not only the schools that miss out on the championship experience, it also deprives the fans of the best possible game.

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Tim Tebow is Vince Young 2.0

This NFL season one person/story has dominated the headlines more than any other, Tim Tebow. Whether its a website being created in honor of his post game celebration, or the numerous opinions of how good he can be, its been TebowMania in 2011. I am in the majority by saying Tim Tebow might be one of the worst throwing quarterbacks ive ever seen. I dont feel Tebow will ever be that franchise QB, but despite how I feel the guy is a winner. So while watching the debacle of the Philadelphia Eagles last night it got me thinking. Tim Tebow is the next Vince Young.

The first obvious similarity between the two men is just their style of play. Im willing to bet that most experts would say that neither is great at passing but both are good running quarterbacks. Even looking back at their college careers its eerie how similar they are. Both Young and Tebow are cult heroes on their respective campuses.

First to VY, Young was an amazing 30-2 as a starter at Texas. Young threw for over 6,000 yards at Texas while also running for over 3,000. His postseason success speaks for itself. Young might have had not only the best two Rose Bowls in history but maybe but Bowl games period. After the 2005 season Young led Texas over Michigan 38-37. Young had 180 yards passing, 192 yards rushing and 5 total Touchdowns. Hard to top that performance right? wrong. The next year on the same field only this time for the National Championship, Young threw for 267 yards ran for 200 with 3 touchdowns it what was maybe the greatest college football game ever. After that kind of career its no wonder why he was drafted third overall in 2006.

Now for Tim Tebow and honestly what can you can that hasnt already been said. For most of his freshman season he was used as a "wildcat" QB as the Gators won the National Championship. He was named starter before his sophomore season and the rest you can say is history. Even though he was never known as a passer Tebow had over 9,000 yards passing with 88 TDs. Rushing wise Tebow had over 2,900 yards, and in 2007 he had a then record of 23 rushing TDs for a quarterback. As for his postseason success, also very good. Tebow won 2 SEC Championships, 2 National Championships and was 2-1 in Bowl Games as a starter. And of course lets not forget the Heisman Trophy in 2007.

Now as far as their NFL careers go, not a lot to compare but still some similarities. As earlier mentioned neither is considered a "traditional" QB. Yet both men sport winning records as starting quarterbacks, Young is 31-19, Tebow is 6-3. Both Tebow and Young have given us jaw dropping moments that kept us on the edge of our seats. We all know what Tebow has pulled off in 2011, but VY was also exciting. Remember this epic run in his return to Texas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUukfA5ugtI&feature=related. Despite the great record and awesome moments Young's stats are not those of a franchise QB. Young has only 8900 yards passing and has thrown more INTs than TDs. Tebow's stats also leave something to be desired with under a 50 percent completion percentage, and he averages just 83 yards passing a game.

Now we all know that Vince Young has had some off the field maturity issues and this is the one main difference I see in the two men. I doubt Tebow will get into a bar fight if someone disses Florida, in fact i doubt Tebow even goes to bars. But as far as the career arches go, they are almost identical. Both men have given us thrilling end of the game moments. Both quarterbacks just know how to win football games. Depending on who you talk to both players are sub par quarterbacks. Now only time will tell if Tebow will turn into a backup like Young has in his career, but if I were a betting man id say Tebow is destined to be the next Vince Young.

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