Day 2: Brad Penny, Brandon Marshall, AL MVP and more

Headlines:

1) Mets 3B David Wright has been playing his last two games since returning from the DL with a concussion while wearing a larger helmet that is known to protect against pitches up to 100 mph. The downfall is that the helmet is a "little" larger than previous helmets. Some players have publicly stated they would not wear the new grotesque helmet. What do you think?

Ben: Stupid. Do you really want to risk your health because a helmet doesn't look "cool"? Get a heater up and in, and see what you think about it then. I don't think it should be required equipment, but I also think it's stupid to say that you'd never wear it because it makes you look silly.

Change is always going to face resistence, no matter how helpful it may be, but this just seems ridiculous. It could potentially save your life, why fight it?

Boz: So what if it looks bad! Major league players make millions. I don't think they'll have to worry about their reputation or picking up chicks because of the way they look in their batting helmet. Just whip out your bank statement. This is a no brainer to me. WEAR THE NEW HELMET! The smaller helmets protect against pitches up to 70 mph...so basically it protects against Tim Wakefield's knuckleball. You know what else looked weird at first in the MLB recently but will save lives? Batting helmets on base coaches, but it was the right idea.

Jeff Francouer was one of the players to publicly stat that he would never wear the new helmet. I would like to hear what Francouer would say if he was in David Wright's shoes and got beaned in the head by a 95 mph pitch. I bet he would be singing a different tune.

2) Giants RHP Brad Penny made his debut for San Francisco and pitched 8 scoreless innings with only giving up 5 hits. Are the Giants now the Wild Card favorite?

Ben: I'm not sure the Giants are the favorite to win the Wild Card just because of Penny, although it definitely improves their chances. Their pitching staff was already pretty solid, but I think the addition of Penny makes them a serious threat if they do sneak into the playoffs. A rotation of Timmy, Cain, and Penny sound dangerous to me, especially when you only need 2 or 3 good pitchers to make a deep run into the postseason (see Arizona Diamondbacks, circa 2001)

What is going to slow them down are bats. When you've got Pablo Sandoval as your only major threat, I think in the long run you're in trouble. A bat would have been more helpful, but good pitching goes a long, long way.

Boz: If he keeps pitching like he does then I like to believe that the Giants are now the favorite in the NL Wild Card race. I like the acquisition of Penny because it makes their rotation very strong with Lincecum, Cain, a born-again Barry Zito, Penny and Jonathon Sanchez who has turned it around since throwing to no-hitter. And this is their rotation with Randy Johnson and Noah Lowry on the 60-day DL.

I would have liked to see the Giants go after Jim Thome. They needed to get some offense and they only added Ryan Garko and Freddie Sanchez (who is now on the 15-day DL). Thome could have spent time at first base and given some big at-bats off the bench. I'm going with the Rockies to win the NL Wild Card because I don't think Penny will keep pitching like this and the Rockies have a good rotation themselves and much more offense.

3) Many players in the AL have made their case for the MVP but there isn't a clear-cut favorite as Albert Pujols is in the NL. Who do you got in the AL?

Ben: Teixeira. Best player on the best team. Sorry Mauer fans, very few MVP's come from teams that don't make the playoffs, and I won't write off the Twins yet, but if they don't make it, I can't see Mauer winning.

Teixeria has everything. Power numbers, batting average, RBI's, defense, AND he's got the New York market behind him. When it comes down to it, more media coverage for the Yankees is going to doom Mauer. If Teixeria stays on pace, he's winning this thing by a mile.

Boz: I already know that I am going to get a phone call from Carter on this one and will have to listen to him (again) make his case for Joe Mauer as the clear cut favorite. But I am going out on a limb and picking a surprise just like when Justin Morneau won in 2006. I am taking Kendry Morales of the Angels. He's got the power numbers (30 home runs, 94 rbis) that matches Teixeira and tops Mauer. He is also batting .313 which tops Teixeira and while it isn't close to Mauer's .368, it is a good batting average. He's also on a first-place team.

4) The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski making him the second offensive coordinator fired in the last week with under two weeks to the regular season? Is it a good move to fire a coordinator this close to the season?

Ben: All I can say is, WOW. An unreal turn of events for Jagodzinski. I think it's a bad decision to fire coordinators this close to the season, especially when it's their first season with the team. In addition to that, if their style clashed that drastically with the Head Coach, they should have never been hired in the first place.

All that being said, Jagodzinski is going to find it tough to find work in the near future. It seems to be proven that he is hard to work with, and is egotistical. Usually coaches are only allowed to have a huge ego they win, and Jagodzinski hasn't proven to consistently win big games. So, see ya.

Boz: Jagodzinski has just had an awful year. He starts out as the head coach at Boston College and when he wants to interview for the NY Jets job, his athletic director threatens to fire him if he does. Jagodzinski tried to call his bluff and was promptly fired. He gets hired on as the offensive coordinator for the Bucs (a good consolation prize) but when the Bucs want to demote him to QB coach, Jagodzinksi refuses, and is fired.

My beef with this is that you've been with this coaches since the spring. So why has it taken this long to figure out that they aren't the right fit for the position? The silver lining is that it is better to fire these offensive coordinators now rather than during the season. I don't think it is a bad move in either the Chiefs or the Bucs case because the people taking over the play calling is already on the staff and is familiar with the team and the system.

ODDS:

1) What are the odds that the Denver Broncos will trade Brandon Marshall before the start of the season?

Ben: 40%. Marshall wants out and McDaniels is trying to show he is top dog. I don't think it's highly likely he gets traded, but I think there is a better then average chance. When you act as childish as Marshall has, it's going to be tough for the organization to keep you around. He has talent, so if he becomes available there will be suitors, but I'm doubtful it gets that far.

Boz: I'm saying 30%. The Broncos want someone in return for Marshall who can be inserted into the line-up and make an immediate impact, along with a future high draft pick. This is a high price tag for a high risk in Marshall. Marshall has two strikes already and is only hurting is chances of a trade by acting like a 5 year old during practice. Not many NFL teams will take a chance on a player like this, despite all of the talent that Marshall has.

2) What are the odds that newly retired Bruce Bowen makes it into the basketball Hall of Fame?

Ben: 0%. Numbers are what make the difference, and his numbers are just not good enough. Bowen is not a good all-around player, and doesn't deserve the honor of "Hall of Famer". I can't think of why he should be even considered besides the fact he played for fantastic teams and one of the best coaches in NBA history. Tony Kujoc won a few NBA titles, should he be in the Hall of Fame?

Boz: 10%. His offensive numbers are awful (he averaged just 6.1 ppg in his career). But he has made multiple all-NBA defensive first team three straight years and was second in the Defensive Player of the Year award twice. He also won three NBA championships which can carry weight when voting on the hall of fame. But that being said, he was a very dirty player with multiple players claiming that Bowen intentionally slides his foot underneath the landing of players taking jump shots. He also purposely kicked Wally Szczerbiak in the face during the 2001-02 season and in the 2007 NBA Playoffs kneed Steve Nash in the groin and kicked Amare Stoudemire.

3) What are the odds that mid-major Boise State knocks off No. 16 Oregon?

Ben: 98.5%. I love the Broncos, and I love the blue turf. Even though Oregon is probably better than last year in the loss to Boise State in Eugene, I still think the Broncos bring more intensity and sneak out of win.

Boz: I'm saying 80%. The game is on the blue turf at Boise State, where they have won 20 straight games. The Broncos beat the Ducks last year in Eugene, 37-32, which is a tough place for most teams to play in. Boise State knows that if they lose this game they can count out any chance to play in a BCS bowl game. That being said, they'll bring it tonight.

HAPPY HOUR

Ben: A tip to the cap on how different pitching used to be "back in the day": in 1917 Philadelphia's Grover Alexander went the distance in both games of the Phillies' 5-0 and 9-3 sweep of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Can you imagine any pitcher even attempting that? Oh yeah, he won 373 games and pitching's triple crown 4 times.

Boz: Happy 42nd Birthday to Luiz Gonzalez. Not only is he a former Cubbie, but he had the game-winning hit in game 7 of the 2001 World Series to defeat the Yankees. He had 2,591 career hits and 354 career home runs, including 57 in 2001.