Fan Stop Central

Well, the Kansas City Chiefs have prolonged suffering for their fans for one more week after this past weekend’s trouncing of the San Diego Chargers; however, this does not mean that the Chiefs are now squarely in the playoffs … only that any hope of reaching the playoffs are on life support.

Here is how the Chiefs and Pittsburg Steelers see their playoff hopes:
For the Chiefs to make the playoffs,

• Chiefs must win
• Steelers must lose
• Chargers must lose or tie with Denver Broncos
  all three MUST happen for the Chiefs to make the playoffs … not a bright hope.

For the Steelers to make the playoffs,

• Steelers win or tie, OR
• Chiefs lose or tie, OR
• Chargers win

Here is the rest of the Playoff breakdown provided by NFL.com:
AFC EAST DIVISION

• New England has clinched division title.

AFC NORTH DIVISION

• Cincinnati has clinched division title.
• Pittsburgh can clinch playoff berth with:
• PIT win or tie, OR
• KC loss or tie, OR
• SD win

AFC SOUTH DIVISION

• Indianapolis has clinched the division title and home-field advantage in the playoffs.
• Jacksonville has clinched playoff spot.

AFC WEST DIVISION

• Denver has clinched division title and a first-round bye.
• Kansas City can clinch playoff berth with:
  • KC win + PIT loss + SD loss or tie

NFC EAST DIVISION

• N.Y. Giants have clinched playoff spot
• N.Y. Giants can clinch division title with:
  1. NYG win or tie, OR
  2. WAS loss or tie
• Dallas can clinch playoff berth with:
  1. DAL win + WAS loss or tie, OR
  2. DAL win + CAR loss, OR
  3. DAL win + TB loss + NYG loss + NYG and DAL clinch strength of victory tiebreaker over TB, OR

  DAL tie + WAS loss

• Washington can clinch division title with:
  1. WAS win + NYG loss
• Washington can clinch playoff berth with:
  1. WAS win, OR
  2. DAL loss, OR
  3. WAS tie + DAL tie

NFC NORTH DIVISION

• Chicago has clinched division title and a first-round bye

NFC SOUTH DIVISION

• Carolina can clinch division with:
  1. CAR win + TB loss or tie, OR
  2. CAR tie + TB loss
• Carolina can clinch playoff berth with:
  1. CAR win or tie, OR
  2. DAL loss or tie, OR
  3. WAS loss or tie.
• Tampa Bay can clinch division title with:
  1. TB win, OR
  2. CAR loss, OR
  3. TB tie + CAR tie
• Tampa Bay can clinch playoff berth with:
  1. TB tie, OR
  2. DAL loss or tie, OR
  3. WAS loss or tie, OR
  4. NYG win or tie, OR
  5. TB clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over DAL or NYG.

NFC WEST DIVISION

• Seattle has clinched division title and home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Following Week 16: Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Green Bay, Houston, Miami, Minnesota, New Orleans, N.Y. Jets, Oakland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Diego, San Francisco and Tennessee have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Playoff breakdowns provided by NFL.com

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from CBSSportsline.com
Missouri State’s feeling a little left out.

Everybody else in the Missouri Valley Conference, it seems, is knocking off a power-conference program, and the Bears just haven’t had their chance until tonight, when they take a 6-0 record to Arkansas.

“Creighton, Northern Iowa, Indiana State – we need a win like they have so we can catch up with the league,” Hinson said.

On the same day last week, Northern Iowa defeated Iowa, and Indiana State beat Indiana. On Sunday, Creighton walloped Nebraska.

Knocking off the bigger-budget boys is no new development in the Missouri Valley. It’s been happening for years. But it seems as if teams from the Valley and other midmajor conferences have taken an even bigger step toward altering the college basketball landscape.

Now, they’re going after the ranked teams. Iowa was No. 13 when it fell to the Panthers. Indiana State beat the 16th-ranked Hoosiers. Syracuse was ranked 19th when it fell to Bucknell.

There have been so many instances of teams from conferences that usually get no more than one or two spots in the NCAA Tournament whipping the multi-bid league teams that it’s just not raising eyebrows anymore.

It shouldn’t, as far as the Missouri Valley is concerned, Missouri State head coach Barry Hinson insists. Sycamores coach Royce Waltman is now 3-2 against Indiana. The Panthers have won three straight over the Hawkeyes in Cedar Falls. Creighton’s victory over the Cornhuskers was its 10th in a row in the regular season against Big 12 competition.

“This is not unexpected,” Hinson said. “This conference has proved in years past that it can win those games.”

Now, it’s as if the Missouri Valley has shown the way. Followers of Northwestern State called their victory at Mississippi State the program’s biggest in 20 years. The next week, the Demons were even more impressive, winning at Oklahoma State.

• Gardner-Webb over Minnesota.
• Sam Houston State and Davidson over Missouri.
• San Francisco over Texas Tech.
• Tennessee Tech big over Oregon State.
• UC Irvine, Montana and UC Davis over Stanford.
• Iona over Iowa State

Talk about bracket busters.
Factors that separate programs remain in place. Teams from power conferences get greater exposure, get to play mostly home games, and have more resources and better overall talent.

In the preview magazines, the midmajors and smaller schools are lumped together like coach-class passengers in the back of book.

But the midmajors and below have played to their strengths in the season’s first month. They tend to be more experienced and ultra-motivated in these meetings. A talent gap exists, but it’s not nearly what it used to be.

Ratings Percentage Index, a power ranking based on results and schedule, is at its most inexact early in the season, but it’s no system flaw that the Missouri Valley is rated fourth ahead of the Southeastern Conference and Big 12, and the Colonial Athletic Association is ninth, ahead of the Pac-10.

“Other leagues are deeper, with more talent on the roster, and they tend to get the bigger guys,” Drake coach Tom Davis said. “That doesn’t always translate into better players.”

Drake is redshirting three players this season, and the Bulldogs are only following the trend of league powers Creighton and Southern Illinois. Voluntarily sitting out a year to develop is unheard of in major conferences. It’s becoming common in the Missouri Valley.

But more midmajors are willing to do it. Four years ago, the Missouri Valley instituted a fine for teams that dragged down the league’s ratings percentage index by poor scheduling. The conference dropped the rule, but teams got the idea: Go find good competition.

The philosophy makes sense. The better a league’s RPI, the more teams it stands to land in postseason play, which means more cash for all teams.

So maybe it’s time to change the definition or at least widen the circle of major or power conference. Draft picks, recruiting lists, television appearances and larger budgets favor leagues like the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12.

“There are not givens in this league because of the level of coaching,” Davis said. “You’ve got 10 schools playing at a pretty decent level. I can remember in the Big East or Pac-10, there were places where you knew you could go on the road and get two or three road wins. You don’t see that in the Valley.”

What you see are teams taking on power conference programs and winning, not just in the Missouri Valley but throughout the game.

“Indiana State beating Indiana?” Missouri State head coach Barry Hinson said. “I wasn’t surprised at all.”

The surprise these days is to go a day or two without a power conference team tripping over an experienced, motivated, well-coached midmajor.

© Kansas City Star. All Rights Reserved.

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With their playoff desitny completly in their own hands, they’ve let all hope slip through their fingers … and more than a few missed tackles. The Kansas City Chiefs, if they even want a shot at sniffing the playoffs, are now in an even more must-win time.

All the Chiefs had to do was go into New York Giants’ land and play fundamental football. Instead, veteran running back, Tiki Barber, made the Chiefs’ defense look like a mighty-might football team; rushing for more than 220 yards … that set an all-time Chiefs’ franchise record for most rushing yards allowed.

So, it comes down to the final two weeks of the regular season, and the Chiefs do not hold their own destiny. Sure, they still have to win their two remaining games, but the Chiefs must also be in good fortune and get help from the remaining AFC Wild Card contenders (Pittsburg Steelers and San Diego Chargers).

Here’s the breakdown … now:
The Chiefs must beat San Diego and Cincinnati in the final two regular season games. That would leave the Chiefs with a 10-6 record for the season, and 9-3 in the AFC. That would be better than the Chargers conference record, even if San Diego turned around after losing to the Chiefs and beat the Denver Broncos in their last regular season game. That would leave the Chiefs and Chargers with matching 4-2 division records, sending the tie breakers to conference record, where the best the Chargers could finish would be 8-4.

THEN, the Chiefs would need help from either the Cleveland Browns or the Detroit Lions; one of those teams MUST beat the Steelers. It Pittsburgh wins both, they are in and there’s nothing the Chiefs could do about the situation.

It simply comes down to calling and executing the right plays. Of course, the opponents are also paid as professional atheltes and they have to execute their plays, too. But, make no mistake, if the Chiefs do not make the playoffs this year, it will be no fault but their own. They have held the keys to the playoffs all year long, but have lost leads in the 4th quarter of numerous games.

Good luck, and GO CHIEFS!

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The Kansas City Chiefs quite possibly have the toughest strength of schedule coming down the stretch. Beginning back on November 27, it looked like the Chiefs were about to enter the killing fields. With opponents that included defending Super Bowl champs and AFC East division leading New England Patriots, the AFC West division leading Denver Broncos, at the NFC East division contender Dallas Cowboys, at the NFC East division leader New York Giants, AFC West division foe and fellow AFC Wild Card contender San Diego Chargers and the AFC North division leading Cincinatti Bengals, this stretch of schedule would intimidate even the toughest of teams.

This stretch began to prove the Chiefs to be in the upper-echelon of NFL teams by beating both the Patriots and Broncos; however, their most recent trip to Texas (and a last-second field goal) threw a hitch in the Chiefs’ gitty-up.

But, don’t give up now. The Chiefs are 100% in the driver’s seat for the last AFC Wild Card spot in the playoffs. The Chiefs, Chargers and Pittsburg Steelers are all tied for the final AFC Wild Card spot. All the Chiefs have to do is win, win, win, win. It breaks down like this (assuming the Chiefs win-out:

• The Chiefs beat the Chargers – they get knocked out of the playoff race.
• The Steelers get knocked out (again, assuming the Chiefs win-out) due to a tie-breaker of best record versus AFC opponents.
• It gets real hairy after this with the “if they lose and if they win and if they win and if they lose, and on and on … so I won’t bore you with speculation

Bottomline – WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN!
That’s it, no other excuse. As long as the Chiefs win, they are in. Period.

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The inagural World Baseball Classic kicks off in March 2006. For three weeks, ball players from all over the world will join together to create 16 country-represented teams (China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, United States, Cuba, Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Australia, Dominican Republic, Italy and Venezuela.). These teams are set to be comprised of the best players in the game. These teams will meet in four different location around the globe (Arizona, Japan, Orlando, Puerto Rico) for the first round. From there, the the Classic will meet in either California or Puerto Rico, with the World Baseball Classic Championship ending up in San Diego, California see World Baseball Classic bracket.

Imagine watching a classic first-round showdown between Canada closer Eric Gagne and Barry Bonds of the United States. Or a ninth-inning at-bat between Chicago White Sox teammates Mark Buerhle of the U.S. and Tadahito Iguchi of Japan to decide which of their countries advances to the Final.

Imagine having one of those ticket strips that you keep forever as priceless memorabilia, because you were witness to a Dominican Republic lineup that might have been the scariest in baseball history. Imagine Venezuela’s Johan Santana, one of the game’s best pitchers, picking his way through that modern Murderers’ Row.

Imagine you have to fill out a lineup card of nine potential cleanup hitters including Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero, Miguel Tejada, Adrian Beltre and Alfonso Soriano.

The more you think about it, the more you want one of those ticket strips. Most of them are on sale now, with tickets for the Japan and Puerto Rico venues coming soon. Imagine that you could say you were there to watch all of this history happen, spending a spring like no other before it.

Imagination is the beginning of creation. The players will create a tradition next March. Maybe the Dominican lineup really is the ‘27 Yankees. Maybe Andruw Jones can lead the Netherlands to the promised land. You can be there, and you can do the imagining now.

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