The Hypocrisy and the Loss

I haven't yet written about the Astros scandal because I don't know exactly what to say. The one thing I absolutely won't say is that they didn't cheat. They so obviously did, they so obviously had a system in place to steal signs, relay them to batters, apparently using drums and other things. They absoluteyl did this. There's no defense there.

Where is the defense, then? Well, it probably resides in the same two arguments I made fun of and berated Patriots fans for using for years after Spygate (more on the overall comparison to the mindset of Patriots fans shortly). The first was 'well, everyone does it!' and the second (and in this case more interesting one) is 'it didn't really help!'. Both have always been such hollow defenses when it was Bostonians and Massholes making them in defense of their team that was caught red-handed stealing signals.

I used to always think "how can you use the 'everyone did it' excuse... that's like the first lesson we teach kids is that that is not an excuse!". But now? Well, I have to say that I think probably a lot of teams do something a bit untoward, if not outright cheating like the Astros.

The second excuse always grated me because well, if Bill Belichick was such a genius, why the hell did he do this sign stealing scheme. Clearly, it helped. Well, with teh Astros, we actually have tangible proof that it might not have mattered. The Astros were across the board better on the road in 2017 than at home, and at least in the current iteration of the scandal, it seems their scheme was limited to home games. The Astros hit, slugged, OBPed and everything else better on the road. They even had a lower 'chase rate' (the rate which you swing at pitches out of the strike zone). There's no logical reason for this. You should do a lot better, you would think, if you knew it was a fastball or a off-speed pitch coming. Somehow, the Astros didn't.

All this said, I do want to mention the one area where I do think I am different than Patriots fans. Yes, I think the scandal is overblown, and likely all teams were doing it, and it didn't seem to have a tangible impact, but at the end, it does make me feel a bit worse about the Astros and being a fan of them. It sucks knowing we cheated (even if others did). It somewhat ruins a whole lot of amazing memories in the 2017 series - specifically that amazing, hauntingly mesmerizingly beautiful Game 5 win against the Dodgers. I won't stop loving the fact I watched my team win a World Series, but I do love it ever slightly less.

That one simple fact - that having my team uncovered as have cheated does impact my love of the team - does separate me from Patriots fans, which only became more blindingly subservient to their team after Spygate (and then Deflategate and every other Gate), using the fact they were caught cheating as a rallying cry. And maybe a lot of Astros fans will do the same, but not me.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

The Patriots are the NFL's best team (or at worst, the second best), but I'll tell you this, Tom Brady has regressed. He is not long for this NFL world. He may want to play until he's 45, but he won't be able to. The signs are already there, with him having easily his worst season in a long time, with teh normally impregnable Patriots offense slipping to mediocrity - bouyed by a suddenly historically good defense, of course.

And you know what, at the same time the Brady era seems to ptoetnailly be nearing its close (and I can't restate this enough, they very, very easily could still win the Superbowl this year), I've never been more excited to be an NFL fan in a long time. The Brady era is over, but with it the Ben, and Rivers and nearly Rodgers and others as well. This is the era with Russell Wilson as the old fogey, and the guys like Mahomes, Watson, Jackson, Wentz, Dak and others leading the future - and a damn bright future it is. Particularly in teh AFC, the conference that sat dormant letting the Patriots dominance actually end up more stark in the 2010s than it was in the 2000s.

The NFL is in a great place at the moment. It doesn't seem as unbalanced as a few years. Maybe it is, of course, because we have a couple of historic defenses, but this season has been great. No more than this past week. I thought it set-up well with three great primetime games and all three delivered. You had the Raiders holding on to a 26-24 win in their last primetime game in Oakland. Then the Vikings and Cowboys in a thriller down to the wire, and finally that incredible, bonkers Seahawks 49ers game, which showed so many ills for the 49ers (especially Jimmy G who just isn't that good right now) but still showed them win because their defense was dominant.

Yes the game nearly ended in a tie, but that too was reminiscent of one of my weirdly favorite games of recent years, the Seahawks 6-6 tie against Arizona in 2016 (yes, I am fully serious). That game was fascinating, with dominant DL play, great individual defense, superhuman scrambles by Russell Wilson, the throttling of a 'conventional' QB in Garoppolo. All of it.

That is what the NFL can be in 2019, and it sets us up for a great second half. No undefeated teams. Scores in the two to three loss range, that are all quite capable if not perfect. That's good. perfection isn't fun. The ruthless beat of the Patriots drum is boring. The AFC has been boring for a decade now (or at least a half-decade, since Manning retired). The NFC has often been about which of the many qualified teams get a chance to beat Goliath - and most came close, if not doing so in the 2011 Giants and 2017 Eagles. It feels different this time.

It's interesting to note that all the best QBs of the year with few exceptions are African-American (or half, in Mahomes's or Wilson's case), but other than maybe Lamar Jackson, they are succeeding because they are also dominant pocket and oin the move passers. These aren't gimmick schemes stolen from college, this is the real deal, and it is so fun.

It has been an awful decade if you like parity or not seeing half the league beholden to a soulless, dominant team of Massholes, but there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel here.

NFL 2019: Week 11 Power Rankings & The Rest

32.) Cincinnati Bengals  (0-9  =  137-259)

31.) Miami Dolphins  (2-7  =  119-268)

30.) Washington Redskins  (1-8  =  108-219)

29.) New York Jets  (2-7  =  130-238)

28.) New York Giants  (2-8  =  203-289)

27.) Atlanta Falcons  (2-7  =  191-259)

26.) Arizona Cardinals  (3-6-1  =  222-281)

25.) Cleveland Browns  (3-6  =  171-221)

24.) Detroit Lions  (3-5-1  =  217-237)

23.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers  (3-6  =  260-279)

22.) Denver Broncos  (3-6  = 149-170)

21.) Chicago Bears  (4-5  =  162-157)

20.) Los Angeles Chargers  (4-6  =  207-194)

19.) Jacksonville Jaguars  (4-5  =  179-189)

18.) Indianapolis Colts  (5-4  =  194-193)

17.) Pittsburgh Steelers  (5-4  =  193-181)

16.) Oakland Raiders  (5-4  =  208-240)

15.) Los Angeles Rams  (5-4  =  226-191)

14.) Tennessee Titans  (5-5  =  203-197)

13.) Carolina Panthers  (5-4  =  225-228)

12.) Philadelphia Eagles  (5-4  =  224-213)

11.) Buffalo Bills  (6-3  =  174-150)

10.) Kansas City Chiefs  (6-4  =  284-239)

9.) Dallas Cowboys  (5-4  =  251-170)

8.) XXXXXXXX

7.) Houston Texans  (6-3  =  238-191)

6.) New Orleans Saints  (7-2  =  204-182)

5.) Minnesota Vikings  (7-3  =  262-182)

4.) Green Bay Packers  (8-2  =  250-205)

3.) Baltimore Ravens  (7-2  =  300-189)

2.) New England Patriots  (8-1  =  270-98)

1.) XXXXXXX

Projecting the Playoffs

AFC

1.) New England Patriots  =  13-3

2.) Baltimore Ravens  =  12-4

3.) Houston Texans  =  11-5

4.) Kansas City Chiefs  =  11-5

5.) Oakland Raiders  =  10-6

6.) Tennessee Titans  =  9-7

NFC

1.) San Francisco 49ers  =  13-3

2.) Green Bay Packers  =  13-3

3.) New Orleans Saints  =  11-5

4.) Dallas Cowboys  =  10-6

5.) Minnesota Vikings  =  11-5

6.) Philadelphia Eagles  =  10-6

Looking Ahead to Next Week’s Games

Byes: Green Bay Packers (8-2), Tennessee Titans (5-5), Seattle Seahawks (X-X), New York Giants (2-8)

14.) New York Jets (2-7)  @  Washington Redskins (1-8)  (1:00 – FOX)

13.) Buffalo Bills (7-3)  @  Miami Dolphins (2-7)  (1:00 – CBS)

12.) Cincinnati Bengals (0-9)  @  Oakland Raiders (5-4)  (4:25 – CBS)

11.) Dallas Cowboys (5-4)  @  Detroit Lions (3-5-1)  (1:00 – FOX)

10.) Arizona Cardinals (3-6-1)  @  San Francisco 49ers (X-X)  (4:05 – FOX)

9.)

8.)

7.)

6.)

5.)

4.)

3.)

2.) New England Patriots (8-1)  @  Philadelphia Eagles (5-4

1.) Houston Texans (6-3)  @  Baltimore Ravens (7-2)  (1:00 – CBS)

NFL 2019: Week 10 Power Rankings & The Rest

Tier I - The "Race for Tua" Quinto

32.) Washington Redskins  (1-8  =  108-219)
31.) Miami Dolphins  (1-7  =  103-256)
30.) New York Jets  (1-7  =  96-211)
29.) Cincinnati Bengals  (0-8  =  124-210)
28.) Atlanta Falcons  (1-7  =  165-250)


Tier II - The "Well, That Happened" Duo

27.) New York Giants  (2-7  =  176-255)
26.) Cleveland Browns  (2-6  =  152-205)


Tier III - The "Solidly Bad Spoilers" Trio

25.) Chicago Bears  (3-5  =  142-144)
24.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6  =  230-252)
23.) Denver Broncos  (3-6  =  149-170)


Tier IV - The "Pretender Contenders" Quadro

22.) Pittsburgh Steelers  (4-4  =  176-169)
21.) Jacksonville Jaguars  (4-5  =  176-189)
20.) Detroit Lions  (3-4-1  =  204-217)
19.) Arizona Cardinals  (3-5-1  =  195-251)


Tier V - The "Soft Underbelly of the AFC" Quadro

18.) Los Angeles Chargers  (4-5  =  183-168)
17.) Indianapolis Colts  (5-3  =  182-177)
16.) Tennessee Titans  (4-5  =  168-165)
15.) Oakland Raiders  (4-4  =  182-216)


Tier VI - The "Less Soft Underbelly of the NFC" Duo

14.) Carolina Panthers  (5-3  =  209-204)
13.) Philadelphia Eagles  (5-4  =  224-213)


Tier VII - The "Bad Good Teams" Duo

12.) Buffalo Bills  (6-2  =  158-131)
11.) Seattle Seahawks  (7-2  =  248-230)


Tier VIII - The "Really Good Divisional Round Fodder" Trio

10.) Dallas Cowboys  (5-3  =  227-142)
9.) Los Angeles Rams  (5-3  =  214-174)
8.) Minnesota Vikings  (6-3  =  234-158)


Tier IX - The "May if a Few Things Break Right" Trio

7.) Green Bay Packers  (7-2  =  226-189)
6.) Houston Texans  (6-3  =  238-191)
5.) Kansas City Chiefs  (6-3  =  252-204)


Tier X - The "Potential Super Bowl Champs" Duo

4.) Baltimore Ravens  (6-2  =  251-176)
3.) New Orleans Saints  (7-1  =  195-156)


Tier XI - The "God Help Us" Duo

2.) San Francisco 49ers  (8-0  =  235-102)
1.) New England Patriots  (8-1  =  270-98)



Projecting the Playoffs

AFC

1.) New England Patriots  =  13-3
2.) Baltimore Ravens  =  12-4
3.) Houston Texans  =  11-5
4.) Kansas City Chiefs  =  11-5
5.) Buffalo Bills  =  11-5
6.) Oakland Raiders  =  9-7


NFC

1.) New Orleans Saints  =  14-2
2.) San Francisco 49ers  =  14-2
3.) Green Bay Packers  =  12-4
4.) Dallas Cowboys  =  11-5
5.) Minnesota Vikings  =  10-6
6.) Philadelphia Eagles  =  10-6


Looking Ahead to Next Week's Games

Byes: New England Patriots (8-1), Denver Broncos (3-6), Philadelphia Eagles (5-4), Washington Redskins (1-8), Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5), Houston Texans (6-3)

13.) New York Giants (2-7)  @  New York Jets (1-7)  (1:00 - FOX)
12.) Atlanta Falcons (1-7)  @  New Orleans Saints (8-1)  (1:00 - FOX)
11.) Miami Dolphins (1-8)  @  Indianapolis Colts (5-3)  (4:05 - CBS)
10.) Baltimore Ravens (6-2)  @  Cincinnati Bengals (0-8)  (1:00 - CBS)
9.) Buffalo Bills (6-2)  @  Cleveland Browns (2-6)  (1:00 - CBS)
8.) Arizona Cardinals (3-5-1)  @  Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6)  (1:00 - FOX)
7.) Detroit Lions (3-4-1)  @  Chicago Bears (3-5)  (1:00 - CBS)
6.) Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)  @  Tennessee Titans (4-4)  (1:00 - CBS)
5.) Carolina Panthers (5-3)  @  Green Bay Packers (7-2)  (4:25 - FOX)
4.) Los Angeles Rams (5-3)  @  Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4)  (4:25 - FOX)
3.) Los Angeles Chargers (4-5)  @  Oakland Raiders (4-4)  (TNF - FOX)
2.) Minnesota Vikings (6-3)  @  Dallas Cowboys (5-3)  (SNF - NBC)
1.) Seattle Seahawks (7-2)  @  San Francisco 49ers (8-0)  (MNF - ESPN)

The Dismay in the Disaster

As I sat on a plane, furiously refreshing SI.com (somehow on an International flight on United, both MLB.com and espn.com were blocked) and watched my favorite team throw away a World Series in the span of like seven pitches, I had to think to myself that I was glad it was happening this way.

Had I not been in a plane, I would have been in a stationary dark room of my basement, trapped in a different way - not 30,000 feet high but unable to move nonetheless. It was probably better, however, to not have the video to really see the destruction in real time. For six innings, Grienke was amazing, but the Astros squandered opportunities against a bad Scherzer, leaving what should have been a 4-0 or 5-0 game at 2-0 and very much in the balance.

I may have time for a full retrospective look at this Astros team and this season, probably the best regular season team I've ever followed (certainly the best Astros regular season team). But just like they did last year in their sullen five game ALCS loss to Boston, they were unable to string together big hits, had a few bats go silent (this time Correa and Bregman, mainly), and lose all their home games in a series. I guess there is some interesting infamy of being the first team ever to go 0-4 at home in a playoff series, but that is not much comfort.

But let's not talk too much about that dismay. At the end of the day, the 2019 Astros still did give me some great moments. Both their walk-off wins over the Yankees in the ALCS were amazing, from Correa doing it way past midnight in the 11th inning, and having an all time HR pimp moment, to the incredible moment that was Altuve's series-clincher. They also gave me a whole host of moments in the regular season, be it every Gerritt Cole start in the 2nd half, or the Verlander no-hitter, or all the blowouts and great moments.

The 2019 Astros weren't without their blemishes of course. Their inability to hit in RISP and lose home playoff games has been a staggeringly sad trend these last two years (of course, this was reversed in 2017, when they won a series where teh home team won every game). And then of course there was that Taubman fiasco, which I have so many stances on. The first is I still heavily rooted for teh Astros. I'm not a fan of them beacuse of their ex-Assistant GM, nor am I a fan of them because of Luhnow - who I'll admit is a brilliant baseball mind but seems to be an unrepentant asshole and who I'm sure is the person behind the pr missteps throughout the Taubman saga. That said, I can put on a brave face but I have to be honest it didn't feel as good rooting for this team. But that is all over now.

The Astros should still be good in 2020. They will lose Gerrit Cole, but they can replace him with a back-from Tommy John Lance McCullers, a hopefully good again Forrest Whitley, a potential return to form from Aaron Sanchez, and who knows what else. The offense should still be very good, with hopefully, finally, a good healthy season from Carlos Correa. A full year of Kyle Tucker too. There is a lot to look forward to as an Astros fan. Yes, they will almost certainly not be as good as the regular-season version of the 2019 Astros, but then again neither were the 2017 Astros, a team that had Dallas Kuechel as their ace for a majority of the season but still won 100 games.

Anyway, while all this was happening, there was an ever more depressing story going on in the world of sports: the gutting of Deadspin. I don't know when I became a loyal Deadspin reader. I think it was after Will Leitch had already left and AJ Daulerio took over as Editor (around the time of the Brett Favre / Jenn Sterger story). I think my first knowledge of Deadspin was from reading Will Leitch's book 'God Save the Fan' which was gifted to me. I started reading it loyally, daily, soon after - along with what I always considered its sister site (or the very least, its offspring) Kissing Suzy Kolber. The latter side closed its doors in 2015 after losing a lot of its writers over the years.

These were tentpole sites for a young sports fan. It truly was sports without 'access, favor, or discretion.' Did I love every move the site made? No, I did not. Despite being heavily liberal as a person, the sites progressive views were somewhat too much. By the way, this is not to say at all that Deadspin should have 'sticked too sports', just that I didn't agree with all their writers views on everything. Which is fine. I still found the site brilliatn, hilarious, pointed, thought-provoking, and required daily reading.

It is not gone in the sense it still exists. I can type in www.deadspin.com and it will take me to a website that looks like the site I loved - probably with a lot more ads. However, it will be new names writing stories, blindly 'sticking to sports.' It will be hollow, it will be fruitless. These first couple days, I've still typed in Deadspin a few times because it is just so familiar to do so. But overtime it will become less and less and soon thereafter it won't happen.

I hope the site gets resurrected somewhere. The writers themselves are all talented enough that they'll land somewhere (which was my feeling about Grantland when it closed as well) but what made it great was the tight vision and voice the site had, the commenters that made it so great, and its fearless style. Of course, there is some import in pointing out that the Deadspin mindset of 2019 would probably despise a lot about the site in 2010, where there was a decent amount of traficking in hot women, lewd stories and bro-ey-ness. Of course, they grew beyond that as their writers did (people like Drew Magary and Barry Petchesky penning open letters bemoaning their past selves), but the sense of in the wild remained throughout.

Deadspin was an everything site for me. I would waste a lot of time there, but also learn a lot with the various longform pieces and exposes. Certainly I'm more knowledgeable about things like the NCAA's cartel-like behavoir, or the dour world of how sports teams 'investigate' sexual assault and domestic violence issues. Of course, beyond all that dreariness, there was also a lot of fun.

Those damn perfect comments. Early on the comments had a life of their own in the Deadspin world, and while every set of commenters would look down on the next set, the overall quality never truly wavered. Laughing and learning was the core to Deadspin's allure, and all that is gone.

I'm really not ready or skilled enough to talk about the ins and outs of Deadspins fight with their PE-owners and new CEO, other than to say that the PE owners have been completely outplayed in this fight. I will forever miss Deadspin. I hope some of the great group of writers find themselves in teh same place so I can read them together. However, even if they don't, hopefully they'll be somewhere being as caustic and insightful and snarky and invasive as possible.