One more year ...for Ken Griffey, Jr.

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Remember Ken Griffey Jr. when he was that young stud with the sweet swing and the guy that seemingly made every amazing catch in center field?

Yes, that was about 15-20 years ago when Griffey was first beginning to make a name for himself in the Majors.

Well, while Griffey's skills have diminished over the years -- as they should -- he's still hanging around after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners.

Good for Griffey.

The game used to be about him, putting on a show for the fans with his head-scratching skills, but now Griffey is a reserve player that's more like a coach.

His leadership and passion to help the younger players is why the Mariners had no issues with bringing him back at a bargain basement price of a base salary of $2 million.

Griffey, who has 630 career home runs, 1,829 RBIs and a .285 average, has been a joy to watch over the years.

I don't remember the 2009 version of Griffey as a .214 hitter with 19 home runs, I remember the Seattle days of back-to-back 56 HR seasons (in 1997-98) and seven 40-plus HR seasons in the first 12 years.

Those were the days for Griffey, and then injuries broke him down after his first season with the Reds (he never should have left Seattle, either).

The production has tapered way off, but Griffey's still got that sweet left-handed swing that every father wants their kid to have.

If you're in the 30-plus age group, I'm willing to bet a Griffey poster hung somewhere on your wall, or you wanted to be just like him growing up on the baseball diamond.

Griffey's no doubt a first-ballot Hall of Famer. And if you want to show your kid what a left-handed swing should look like, just watch a Seattle Mariners game this season.

One more year and it may be retirement time for Griffey.

Either way, it's been a great career for Ken Griffey, Jr.

It's V-Mart Over V-Tek

By Rick Eggleston
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

With the baseball season coming to its official close on the field following the Yankees’ impressive six-game drubbing of the Phillies — so much for picking Philly — all eyes turn to MLB's general managers meetings in Chicago.

Not surprisingly, the Red Sox arrived in Chi-Town this week with their own issues. At the top of their list is veteran catcher Jason Varitek, who has until midnight tonight to decide whether to exercise his $3 million player option after the team announced that it wouldn’t pick up his $5 million team option. That’s because they wisely picked up last season’s mid-year acquisition — and Varitek replacement — catcher Victor Martinez’ $7.1 million team option instead.

While working out a long-term deal with Martinez has yet to be discussed, the Red Sox would be smart to get something done soon. Martinez, whose .303 average, 23 homers and 108 RBI ranked him among the team’s offensive leaders, is the Sox’ catcher of now and for the future. Varitek, on the other hand, is yesterday’s news.

Should Varitek, who’s coming off a career-worst season at the plate where he finished with a .209 average, activate his player option, he’d become a $3 million backup catcher for the Sox. Not a bad payday for guy whose skills both defensively and offensively have deteriorated in recent years. Thus, Varitek’s value has decreased, and he would be hard-pressed to do any better in free agency.

The exact opposite remains true for Martinez, who if he’s permitted to reach free agency if the Sox don’t hammer out something with the former Indians backstop soon, will be able to command top dollar on the open market. Whether he elects to do that is entirely up to the Sox, who certainly possess the resources to get him to stay.

Then again, Martinez could play hardball and choose to test the waters himself no matter what the Sox offer. Hopefully, this won’t be the case for the mere fact Scott Boras isn’t Martinez’s agent.

What we learned this week in college football: Week 10

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Notre Dame will be looking for a new head coach this offseason
Notre Dame needed to win out to have any hopes of a BCS bowl and a 23-21 loss to Navy destroyed those chances. Weis can't take all the blame for that loss. A lot of it was poor execution. Freshman kicker Nick Tausch missed two field goals, including a chip shot. Either of those go through and it completely changes this game to another "gutsy," close win for the Irish. Robby Parrish fumbled on the third play of the game, giving the Mids great field position to set up their first score. Jimmy Clausen fumbled on the one-yard line to end a possible scoring drive and Michael Floyd failed to turn around after obviously misunderstanding which play was being run and had a ball that ended up being intercepted bounce off his back. But at the end of they day, the bus driver is held responsible if there's a crash, no matter how unruly the students may be. Fans endured the last two seasons because of the promise of the near future. That future has arrived and, while it's really been no fault of the offense most of the time, that future brings with it another season without a BCS berth. That is the goal and it has not been achieved.

TCU is the best of the Non-Automatic Qualifying teams
Even before the upcoming matchup between Utah and TCU, TCU has pulled themselves above the rest. By simply staying undefeated. Utah's loss to Oregon was a tough one, but a loss nonetheless and looks a bit more empty at this point. Oregon beat USC, but couldn't back it up against Stanford. While Boise State is also undefeated, Louisiana Tech almost made me look like a genius as the Broncos had all kinds of trouble putting them away. Houston needed a last-second field goal to beat a Tulsa team that gained over 500 yards on them and has been mediocre team in the C-USA.

Cincinnati has no business being in the BCS top 5, but there they are
The Bearcats have made a very weak case overall, yet they keep holding their place near the top of the BCS rankings. Against UConn they did little to improve their resume. UConn, still reeling after the loss of Jasper Howard and playing with a backup quarterback, pushed Cincinnati to the brink in a 47-45 loss, outscoring the Bearcats 35-10 in the second half. On the season, Cincinnati has played a schedule that boasts a 34-40 record, a .488 winning percentage. Their toughest opponent to date has been South Florida and they beat them and the Bulls lost their starting quarterback for the season after Week 3.

Week 9 Recap: Pats Gain Control of AFC East

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It wasn't always pretty, but the Patriots took control of the AFC East with a division win against the Miami Dolphins, highlighting week number nine in the NFL.

Patriots 27 (6-2) Dolphins 17 (3-5)

Just when the Dolphins looked poised to pull off a potential upset, going on a ten minute drive that ended with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter, the Patriots came right back with a touchdown of their own to take the lead. Tom Brady's 71 yard TD pass to Randy Moss ended any real chance for the Dolphins, and the Patriots now sit in firm control of the AFC East. Get ready for a big game next week, as the Patriots head to Indy to face the unbeaten Colts.

Colts 20 (8-0) Texans 17 (5-4)

Sometimes its better to be lucky than good, and that certainly applies to the Colts this week. Houston's Kris Brown missed a potential game tying 42 yard field goal on the final play, and the Colts remained undefeated. The win sets up a huge meeting with the Patriots next week in Indy.

Falcons 31 (5-3) Redskins 17 (2-6)

The Falcons beat the NFL's version of a minor league team, as Michael Turner ran for 166 yards and a pair of TDs. The most interesting part of this game was the fight that broke out along the Atlanta sideline after a late hit on Matt Ryan. It was actually the first time this season that the Redskins have shown any fight.

Cardinals 41 (5-3) Bears 21 (4-4)

Kurt Warner bounced back nicely, as after throwing 5 picks last week against the Panthers, he threw 5 touchdown passes this week against the Bears. Larry Fitzgerald was his main target, as he grabbed nine passes for 123 yards and two scores.

Bengals 17 (6-2) Ravens 7 (4-4)

If there were any doubts that the Bengals are a legit contender in the AFC North this year, those doubts were erased on Sunday. Cedric Benson went over 100 yards and added a score, and the Bengals defense shut down the Ravens from there. The win sets up a potentially huge game at Pittsburgh next week, with first place in the division at stake.

Buccaneers 38 (1-7) Packers 28 (4-4)

Maybe the Bucs should wear those orange uniforms more often. Josh Freeman threw for 3 touchdowns in his first career start, and the Bucs earned their first win of the season.

Jaguars 24 (4-4) Chiefs 21 (1-7)

Matt Cassel actually played well, throwing for 262 yards and a couple of touchdowns, but it was still not enough to beat the Jaguars. Maurice Jones-Drew was once again the Jags best player, gaining 97 yards rushing and adding a TD in the win.

Saints 30 (8-0) Panthers 20 (3-5)

It wasn't easy, but the Saints improved to 8-0 for the first time in team history with a win at home against the Panthers. After falling behind 14-0, Drew Brees heated up and threw for over 300 yards and a TD in the win.

Chargers 21 (5-3) Giants 20 (5-4)

The Giants thought they had snapped a 3 game losing streak, but Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers had other ideas. Rivers found Vincent Jackson on an 18 yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds remaining to hand the Giants a fourth straight loss, this time in stunning fashion. The Giants are now in danger of dropping out of the race for the NFC East.

Seahawks 32 (3-5) Lions 20 (1-7)

After falling behind 17-0 early, the Seahawks rallied for a comeback win at home against the Lions. Matt Stafford struggled, throwing 5 ints in the loss.

Titans 34 (2-6) 49ers 27 (3-5)

Don't look now, but the Titans are actually on a winning streak. Vince Young didn't put up big numbers, but he also didn't make any mistakes, leading the Titans to the win. After a promising 3-1 start to the season, the 49ers have now dropped four in a row.

Cowboys 20 (6-2) Eagles 16 (5-3)

Maybe it is time to start believing in Tony Romo. Romo's 49 yard TD pass to Miles Austin in the 4th quarter put the Cowboys ahead for good, as the Cowboys gained a huge road win in Philadelphia. The win gives the Cowboys the top spot in the NFC East.

Monday Night Football: Broncos Coming Back to Earth

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

For the first time as an NFL head coach, Josh McDaniels is dealing with a loss.

More than just the loss to the Ravens last time out, was how the Broncos lost. Heading into last week's game the Broncos were 6-0, coming off a bye, and facing a Ravens team that had struggled the past few games. All signs pointed to the Broncos getting an easy win, but just the opposite happened.

The Ravens controlled the game from the opening gun, and dominated the Broncos in all three aspects of the game - offense, defense, and special teams. The 30-7 final score was not even really indicative of how one sided the game was. The Broncos defense allowed the Ravens to run over them for 125 yards, the most the Denver defensive unit has allowed all season. The offense was not much better. Kyle Orton struggled to get the offense moving, and the Broncos were held under 200 total yards for the game, the lowest output by the offense this year.

Are the Broncos really as good as there 6-0 start indicated, or are the closer to the team that we saw last week against the Ravens? The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but doubt may now be creeping in the Broncos' minds. Remember last season the Broncos started 8-5, but dropped that last three games of the season to miss the playoffs. Could history repeat itself? Probably not, but heading into Monday night's game at Invesco Field, the Broncos have something to prove. They must show that they can handle defeat, and not let things spiral out of control like they did a year ago.

Now the Broncos get to face off against the defending Super Bowl champs in the Pittsburgh Steelers. After starting the season slowly, the Steelers have been hot the past month, winning four straight to improve to 5-2. The Steelers once again find themselves in position to win the AFC North, as heading into the weekend they were tied for the division lead with the Cincinnati Bengals.

It"s not like the Steelers have been playing weaker teams during this latest surge. Two weeks ago, prior to the team's bye week, the Steelers defense was dominate, knocking off Brett Favre and an undefeated Vikings team. The offense has once again been solid as well. Ben Roethlisberger has thrown for over 2000 yards already this season. Rashard Mendenhall looks like the real deal at running back, and the receiving corps of Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, and Heath Miller are as solid as you will find.

The Steelers are hot, and have the talent to take this team back to the Super Bowl. Based on the last couple of weeks, you could make the argument that the Broncos and Steelers are trending in opposite directions. After Monday night, there will be no such argument.

The Steelers are clearly heading towards the top of the AFC, and maybe now the truth is starting to catch up with the Broncos. Josh McDaniels, say hello to your first losing streak as an NFL head coach.

Prediction: Steelers 20 Broncos 10

Week 9 Predictions: Welcome Back New England

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

I don't know about everyone else, but I hate the bye week. It feels like a month has passed since the Patriots last played. It is time for the Patriots to get back to work. Here are this weeks picks.

Patriots 34 Dolphins 14

Will Joey Porter finally stop with the whole spygate thing? Get over it already. Unlike Joey Porter, Brady and crew will do their talking on the field. The Patriots will score early and often, and Miami will not be able to keep up.

Colts 35 Texans 31

The Colts looked vulnerable against the 49ers last week, and Houston has the weapons to put some points on the board. Add in a banged up Colts secondary, and the Texans have a real shot in this one. In the end however, Peyton Manning will do just enough to keep the Colts unbeaten. If this game was in Houston, it might have gone the other way.

Ravens 21 Bengals 13

A month ago the Bengals went to Baltimore and shocked the Ravens. Things will be different this time, as the Ravens defense will step up and shut down Cedric Benson, Carson Palmer and the rest of the Bengals offense.

Cardinals 30 Bears 24

The Cardinals have been the most inconsistent team in the NFL this season. Just when you think they are ready to make another playoff run, they get hammered like they did against the Panthers last week. Expect the inconsistency to continue, but in a good way for Arizona, as Kurt Warner will bounce back from a dreadful 5 int performance with a big game.

Falcons 38 Redskins 10

Matt Ryan looked bad against the Saints on MNF, but the Redskins should not give him anything to worry about. The Redskins have not scored over 17 points in a game this year. The Falcons could have that many by the half.

Bucs 16 Packers 13

This is just a hunch. The Bucs have to win at least once this year right? The Pack has a banged up offensive line, so maybe this will be the week the Bucs defense gets it together. Plus they have had two weeks to prepare. Josh Freeman can't be any worse than Byron Leftwich and Josh Johnson. What the heck, I'll give the Bucs the win.

Jaguars 13 Chiefs 10

I was tempted to pick the Chiefs here, as the Jags have been bad defensively. Then I remember the kind of season Matt Cassel was having and though better of it. Maurice Jones-Drew will be big again this week.

Seahawks 23 Lions 6

T.J Houshmandzaheh had words with Matt Hasselbeck last week, but expect these two to hook up several times against a poor Lions pass defense.

Saints 42 Panthers 17

The Saints will make franchise history, going to 8-0 after this one. The Panthers have been better lately, winning 3 of 4, but do you think they really have a chance? Yet another game of 40 plus points for the Saints.

Chargers 34 Giants 21

It is time for New York to panic, as the Giants will lose their fourth straight. The Chargers will be the latest team to put up big offensive numbers against a suddenly struggling Giants defense.

49ers 28 Titans 10

A week ago the 49ers looked solid on defense, holding Peyton Manning in check. This week should be easy by comparison. Vince Young will struggle, and the 49ers will break a three game slide.

Eagles 37 Cowboys 28

Look for the Eagles to get another huge division win. One week after beating the Giants at home, the Eagles will do the same to the Cowboys this week.

Steelers 20 Broncos 10

Josh McDaniels suffered his first career loss last time out in Baltimore. He will now achieve another career first this week - a losing streak.

Big advantage for Patriots coming off the bye

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The Miami Dolphins can't be too excited having to travel to Gillette Stadium to take on New England after the Patriots are coming off the bye week.

The Pats will be rested, but more importantly head coach Bill Belichick and his staff have had two weeks to game plan for the Dolphins and their various Wildcat looks on offense.

We all know what Belichick can do with two weeks to prepare, and we all know the Dolphins wish this wasn't the scenario.

But the biggest thing is what can both defenses do to stop the other offense?

With Miami, it's all about that Wildcat formation. Some say it's a gimmick, but it's a staple in the Dolphins' running game. Ronnie Brown is a threat to run, but he can also pass a little out of that formation, while Ricky Williams adds another dangerous runner in the backfield.

While Miami can run with the best teams in the league, it can't keep up with teams in the passing game with Chad Henne at the helm.

No doubt the Pats will try to neutralize the run game and put the game in Henne's hands. And there's no way he can carry this club, considering his lack of talented weapons on the outside.

But the Patriots' defensive front must answer the bell, play strong and penetrate into the backfield to disrupt the timing of Miami's run game.

If they do, I don't think this game will be that close. If they let Miami pick up good chunks of yards and control the clock, then the Pats are in for a 60-minute war on Miami's terms.

As for the Patriots' offense, look no further than quarterback Tom Brady (is this a surprise?).

In his career, Brady has had issues with Miami and Jason Taylor. Taylor is still around and is a dangerous pass rusher on the outside. How will rookie 6-foot-8, 315-pound Sebastian Vollmer handle the speed of Taylor? I think he'll be OK, considering he can't do any worse than Matt Light who has struggle with any type of speed rusher for years.

Now Light is out with a knee injury and Vollmer has done a great job in his place. Vollmer might not have the speed of a puma from side to side, but he's got brute strength and power, and if he gets his paws on Taylor, there's no way Taylor is going to get to Brady.

The biggest advantage for the Pats is Randy Moss and Wes Welker going up against Miami's rookie cornerbacks. You can't tell me a vet like Moss isn't going to have a few tricks up his sleeves for the rookies. Expect Moss to be a key, unless Miami decides to double Moss every team with a corner and safety help over the top. If that's the case, Brady will dink-and-dunk down the field, with Welker being the biggest difference-maker. Either way, the Pats will throw and throw some more vs. Miami.

While the running game has been iffy for much of the season -- although Laurence Maroney, despite all the haters out there, has been extremely serviceable since Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris went down with injuries -- they will need Maroney to keep this defense honest with hard-earned yards. That means putting his head down, not dancing around too much, and fighting for 3-4 yards a pop.

But don't forget about special teams. Miami's Ted Ginn returned two kickoffs for TDs last week against the Jets, so the New England coverage units better bring its 'A' game and target Ginn with a couple big hits. Ginn's soft, he is afraid of contact and likes to bounce plays to the outside. The Pats know this, and don't expect Ginn to find the room to use his speed and find paydirt against the Pats this week.

This game is set up for the Pats, coming off the bye, to play a very strong football game.

I expect the Pats to confuse Henne, limit the big running plays and create a few turnovers and completely take Miami out of its game plan.

And Brady takes command and uses his arm to pick apart the Dolphins.

Prediction: New England, 31-20