The Observer, October 14, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 7
Ricky Rockets: Maimone nominated for Draddy Trophy
In the news this week…
Congratulations to football and academic standout Santo Maimone, who was has been named one of the semi-finalists for the 2005 Draddy Trophy and National Scholar-Athlete Awards. Known as the "Academic" Heisman, the Draddy Trophy recognizes one individual as the best in the country combining academic success, football performance, and exceptional community leadership. This year, Maimone, a two-year captain, is one of 184 semi-finalists who have the opportunity to win the coveted Draddy Trophy. The field will be narrowed to 15 finalists on Oct. 27, with each finalist receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The Draddy winner will be announced at the NFF Awards Dinner on Dec. 6 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City . Past winners include Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997), Chad Pennington (Marshall, 1999), and Craig Krenzel (Ohio State, 2003) along with Brandon Robert s in 2002 from fellow UAA school Washington University…
While taking some time off to recover from the Indians' meltdown during the final week of the season, I realized that it is ultimately balance that is needed to win the World Series. The Indians lacked experience and the properly balanced mindset. Eric Wedge constantly preached about living in the moment and taking one game at a time to his players. This is a great philosophy to follow, but ultimately, the Indians failed to adopt this mindset, allowing themselves to get too high after wins and too low after losses. This was evidenced by several long winning streaks during the season, and unfortunately also by long losing stretches during the first month and last week of the season. Perhaps Wedge constantly drilled the philosophy into his team not so much because he believed it, but because he knew his team was having problems grasping it. Wedge will emphatically deny this and also deny that his team choked during the final week. He is absolutely correct in doing this: managers should believe in their players and outwardly show it to bolster their confidence. Nonetheless, there aren't many words that can describe the Indians' performance during the last week other than choke. Hopefully, the Indians will use the letdown as motivation to propel them into the playoffs next season…
Speaking of balance to win the World Series, look for the Cardinals and White Sox to end up playing each other in the Fall Classic. The White Sox lineup can hurt anyone with its power and speed, and Chicago's pitching, both bullpen and starting rotation, is superior compared to that of the other playoff teams. The Cards are strong across the board, especially their battling lineup. The Angels, having a balanced team themselves, will give the Sox a run for their money but will fall in seven games. In the NL, the Astros have a great starting rotation but not much else and will fall to St. Louis in six…
With the Indians winning 93 games, the Browns appearing to finally be headed in the right direction, and the Cavs expected to make the playoffs, Cleveland is no longer a laughing stock in professional sports. Out of these three teams, expect the Cavs to make the playoffs and win a championship first. Simple reason: LeBron James. He doesn't have the killer instinct of Michael Jordan just yet, but he's getting there. If he does get there completely, his team will be a lock for a championship. Hopefully he'll be in a Cavs uniform when he does that. Signing quality veteran free agents like Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, and Damon Jones certainly will help that possibility become a reality…
Enjoy the week in sports. See you back here next week.
