Musings on the Bills dramatically bizarre win and the Yankees inability to hit

               The Bills kept their season alive by overcoming their coach’s lame-brained decision to throw the ball out of the Wildcat formation instead of milking the clock near the end of regulation. And, yes, despite the ugliness of the game and the offensively challenged opponent, it was a good win on the road against an Arizona Cardinals team that had won eight-straight in Phoenix.

               

                But the Bills are going to have to show me a lot more to remove the stench of their recent losses and make me think they are the legitimate playoff contenders I anticipated heading into the season.

               

               Their 3-3 record may put them in a four-way tie for first in the muddled AFC East, but the lopsided nature of their three losses against good teams (Patriots, 49ers and Jets) and their three wins vs. average-to-mediocre teams (Chiefs, Browns and Cardinals) leaves me underwhelmed.

              

               Ryan Fitzpatrick’s weak and inaccurate arm worry me and I want to see Mario Williams and the “upgraded” defense shut down a quality offense.

             

               The Bills absolutely have to win Sunday’s home game vs. a Tennessee team that will be well-rested after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night.

            

                Buffalo’s reputation took a pounding in the three routs they suffered. It’s going to take a win this week and respectable showings the following two weeks on the road vs. Houston and New England before I’ll be mentioning the P-word again. (You can read more of my takes on the Bills at WROC-TV’s website – www.rochesterhomepage.net )

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                Bronx Bombers? More like Hitless Wonders. Yes, A-Rod is the lightning rod, with his numerous swings-and-misses. But he’s had plenty of company in the whiff department. Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano all have looked as helpless as pitchers at-bat. It’s almost as if some virus has spread through the lineup.

            

                Cano has been the worst of the bunch, setting a single post-season record for futility by going 0-for-26. If you are looking for a silver lining – and this is a major-league stretch - “Don’t-Ya-Know” Cano still has a long way to go to catch Dan Wilson, the former Seattle catcher who went hitless in 42 consecutive postseason at-bats from 1995-2000.

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                The umps, as Yankee skipper Joe Girardi complained, did blow some calls in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series vs. Detroit. But even if there had been replay to reverse the errors, the Yankees still would have lost 1-0 because they’ve forgotten how to hit. New York has been shut out in 18 of the past 19 innings and things figure only to get worse with Tigers ace Justin Verlander scheduled to pitch in Game 3.

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                It was sad to see Derek Jeter’s post-season come to a premature end the other night when he fractured his ankle diving for a ball. As a friend said, “This is my generation’s DiMaggio or Mantle being helped off the field.” As someone who witnessed numerous injuries to Mantle back in the day I understood completely.

            

                The bad break conjured memories of the last time Jeter suffered a serious injury. I was in Toronto for the 2003 season opener when he separated his shoulder in a collision with a Blue Jays catcher who was hustling to cover third. Then-Yankees manager Joe Torre told us afterward that Jeter informed him he would be back in the lineup the next night. But his body disagreed and the Captain wound up missing six weeks.

      I was all set to write a column that night about the large Japanese media entourage following new Yankee slugger Hideki Matsui’s every move, but I scrapped that column the instant Jeter was injured.

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                Last night marked the first time since the 1981 World Series that neither Jeter nor reliever Mariano Rivera were a part of an active Yankees post-season roster. Another sign that time is beginning to catch up with the Yankees and that the end to a marvelous era is drawing nearer.

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                If there’s anyone happy about Jeter’s injury it’s probably Pete Rose. Baseball’s Hit King predicted a few days ago that Jeter would never break his record. Considering Jeter is 38 and 900 hits shy, he would have been right even if the Yankees shortstop didn’t fracture his ankle.

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                Regardless if the St. Louis Cardinals or San Francisco Giants advance to the World Series, they’ll tie the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers for most National League pennants with 18.

                          

                 

Bills, Syracuse need to take advantage of winnable games this weekend

                In my column for WROC-TV’s web site (www.rochesterhomepage.net) before the regular season kicked off last Sunday, I listed six things that needed to go right in order for Buffalo to end its playoff famine.

                Amazingly, the Bills wound up seeing things go wrong in five of the categories during their opener against the Jets, which explains why they were squashed and why many Buffalo fans are ready to jump off the third deck of the Ralph without a parachute or bunge cord.

                One game does not a season make, but there is major cause for concern.

                The Meadowlands Meltdown raised once more legitimate concerns about Ryan Fitzpatrick’s arm strength and decision-making. Those three interceptions were abominations, and a painful reminder of what we witnessed during last year’s second-half swoon. Fitz need not be a Pro Bowler for this team to win, but neither can he be the interception machine who led the Bills to just one victory in their final nine games in 2011. Consistency still eludes him despite all the off-season work on his mechanics, and you begin to wonder if what we see is what we’re going to continue to get – mediocrity.

                Of greater concern was the play of the supposedly revamped defense – specifically Not-So-Super Mario Williams, who managed just one tackle. If this guy doesn’t live up to the hype that comes with being the most handsomely rewarded defensive player in NFL history, Buffalo is in serious trouble.

                The injury bug already has taken its toll and a unit that appeared to be a strength going into the season – special teams – was burned for a long touchdown return vs. the Jets.

                And, boom, just like that, all the optimism that had been building for six months was gone.

                Fortunately, the Bills have two upcoming games that give them a chance to get well soon. I really believe they will give a more spirited effort in their home opener Sunday against a Kansas City Chiefs team that also was spanked in its opener. I expect better performances from Fitz and Williams. And I would hope that the Bills corners tighten their coverage and stop treating every receiver as if he were Usain Bolt sprinting for the gold.

                I foresee a win over the Chiefs, followed by a win in Cleveland against the Browns next Sunday.

                At least, that’s what better happen, or you can kiss this season goodbye because a home game against New England and road contests at San Francisco and Arizona follow, and the Bills could be looking at a start reminiscent of two years ago.

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                 Speaking of teams that need a win . . . Syracuse returns home to play Stony Brook in the Carrier Dome tomorrow. You might figure that a team that went toe-to-toe with the nation’s second-ranked team last week should have an easy time against an FCS (1AA) school. But there’s not a huge difference between a mediocre Division I football program and a good FCS football program. And if you don’t believe me, just ask Colorado, which lost to Sacramento State, or Colorado State, which fell to North Dakota State. The moral of this story is that the Orange better come to play or it could be looking at an 0-3 record.              

Thoughs on Air Marrone and my prediction for the Bills-Jets

I was very impressed with the way Syracuse hung with second-ranked USC, but in the end the cream rose to the top as Matt Barkley showed why he is the Heisman frontrunner and Marqis Lee and Robert Woods showed why they are the best wide receiver tandem in college football. Barkley didn’t force the issue against the game but overmatched Orange defense. He just put the ball in position for Lee (3 TD receptions) and Woods (2) to make plays in the end zone, which they did – even against double coverage. Barkley finished with six TD tosses. That was the most ever yielded by a Syracuse football team.

Still, there is much to be encouraged about if you are an Orange football fan. It’s apparent that their pass-happy offense, triggered by fifth-year QB Ryan Nassib, can put points up against anybody. SU trailed by just five points in the fourth quarter, before the Trojans superior playmakers did their thing to pull away for a 42-29 victory.

I agree with Chris Spielman, the former Ohio State/Buffalo Bills-linebacker-turned-college-football-analyst that SU has the talent to contend for a league championship in the weak Big East Conference. The Orangemen need to shore up a few things – especially on special teams, where they continue to get burned on returns at pivotal junctures. (Head coach Doug Marrone needs to rethink his decision to handle special teams chores.) This team appears to have great upside and should become better as the season progresses. Regardless what happens, they’re going to be fun to watch because of their potency on offense.

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It’s a good thing Nassib isn’t on a Stephen Strasburg innings limit or he’d be shut down by mid-season. The Cuse signalcaller is averaging 55.5 passes through two games. Projected over the 12-game regular season, that computes to 666 attempts. Extrapolating his numbers over 12 games, Nassib would finish with 4,752 yards, 36 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

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You may have read or heard that ESPN expert Chris Mortensen tweeted that Barkley wasn’t going to be the only NFL-caliber quarterback playing in yesterday’s game at MetLife Stadium. Yes, Nassib is starting to receive some NFL buzz and currently projects as a mid-to-late round pick. I think he has a ways to go – especially with regards to his touch passes – but he certainly is justifying the look by NFL scouts.

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I have the Bills ekeing out a 20-16 victory against the Jets in their season opener today. I think Buffalo’s defense will do a decent job of bottling up the Jets run game (including wildcat QB Tim Tebow) and putting some pressure on Mark Sanchez, who statistically ranks as the worst starting quarterback vs. heated pass rushes. I also believe Buffalo will rely on a heavy dose of Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller running the ball, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see both backs out there together for 5-10 plays.

You can read my season-preview Bills column for WROC-TV at www.rochesterhomepage.net. I’ll be posting a fresh column off of this game and appearing on FOX 31 and Channel 8’s sportscasts at 10 and 11, respectively, so please check me out.              

Admiration for Jeter's consistent brilliance, plus musings on the Bills exhibition performances, the new Wings-Twins agreement & SU football's trip up north

One baseball story that’s been overlooked this season is the continued excellence of Derek Jeter. The marvelously consistent Yankees shortstop enters tonight’s game against the Red Sox with a league-leading 160 hits and a nifty .317 batting average.

 Not too shabby for a 38-year-old who looked like he was washed up during the first few months of the 2011 season when he was hitting more dribblers than line drives.

       Jeter currently ranks 12^th on baseball’s all-time hits list with 3,248, and will crack the Top 10 with just 36 more hits, surpassing both Eddie Murray and Willie Mays.

            

    He has a legitimate shot at cracking the top five with an average season in 2013.

            

    The juicy question, of course, is if El Capitan has a shot at the Hit King, Pete Rose.

    

            He does, but it’s not going to be easy. As Rose told me in an interview in Cooperstown several years ago, “The last 1,000 hits of my career were 10 times harder to get than the first 3,000.”

    

            Jeter clearly has kept himself in impeccable shape, but Father Time eventually catches up with all of us, including elite athletes. Down the road, expect to see Jeter spend more time in the DH slot and at some point, probably after signing a contract extension in two years, he will have to switch to a position that is less demanding than shortstop. That could be a combination of third base (think Cal Ripken Jr. at the end of his career) and DH. Some have suggested a shift to left or centerfield, but I think the inevitable diminution of skills will preclude such a move at this late stage of his career.

    

            In the meantime, we should try to enjoy the consistent excellence of this remarkable ballplayer.

    

            Spectacular always gets noticed. Day-after-day excellence isn’t as sexy and often gets overlooked.

    

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            Some observations after the Bills first two glorified exhibitions:

        

            Donald Jones clearly has cemented his grip on the No. 2 wide receiver spot opposite Stevie Johnson.

 T.J. Graham’s sprinter’s speed and crisper routes could give the Bills the field-stretcher they’ve been looking for since Lee Evans was in his prime.

 I believe that, unless he stinks up the joint in these last two preseason contests, Vince Young will beat out Tyler Thigpen for the backup QB job.

And, despite the fact Mario Williams doesn’t have a recorded tackle in two games, Buffalo’s D-line is going to be as good as advertised and create some havoc for opposing quarterbacks.

        

            I haven’t been enamored so far with the play of the linebacking corps – this unit really needs to step it up.

 And the O-line has looked a little shaky, but I remember how putrid this unit looked last exhibition season and it wound up greatly exceeding expectations.

        

           This week’s home exhibition vs. Pittsburgh will give us a slightly more focused look, with the starters possibly playing into the second half. But neither team will be game-planning or showing its hands, so, again, watch everything with a grain of salt.

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         I think the two-year extension of the player development contract with the Minnesota Twins was the right move by the Rochester Red Wings. The Twins have put a much better ballclub on the field at Frontier Field after the worst back-to-back seasons by the Wings in nearly a century. It continues to be a good working relationship, much better than the one the Buffalo Bisons have had with the New York Mets, whom Buffalo probably will dump in favor of the Toronto Blue Jays. I also like the fact that the Wings continue to sign two-year, rather than long-term extensions. The shorter contracts help prevent the big club from taking you for granted.

                                                                      

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           Classy move by Doug Marrone to have his Syracuse University football team spend this past week at Fort Drum, interacting with members of the U.S. Army. He, his assistants and his players no doubt learned some valuable lessons from the soldiers – lessons that should benefit them not only this football season, but throughout their lives.