I just don’t have it in me to write about another loss. The Dolphins looked pretty flat, Pennington got injured, and the Dolphins lost to San Diego. I haven’t see one of my teams (Orioles included) win since September 16th.

I’ve reached a new low in my fandom of sports, I think. I have absolutely no faith in any of my teams at any time throughout any game they ever play anymore. EVER.

Since Purdue lost to Northern Illinois (who lost to Idaho this week!), I also got to watch the worst 2 minute offense ever run by the Dolphins on Monday night. Then comes Notre Dame. It has all the hallmarks of a dramatic Purdue loss:

National television.
People thinking Purdue might just win it.
(End of list)

Here’s the thing, EVERY PURDUE NATIONALLY TELEVISED / PRIMETIME GAME GOES LIKE THIS. I mean, it’s a script. Every time, it’s:

Purdue quick score, 7-0 lead. Purdue fans get sucked in.
Other team scores 14-21… Purdue hope smashed.
Purdue claws back into the game and takes a slight lead with very little time left….
Purdue falls apart. Turnover, poor clock management, piss poor defense, you name it. Usually a combination.
Other team scores the eventual game-winning TD, but with a little time left on the clock as to not fully demolish hope
Purdue fails in their attempt to tie. Either via a missed FG or a horribly called gadget play.

EVERY TIME. Ohio State in 2002. Ohio State in 2003. Wisconsin in 2004. Michigan the following week in 2004. Ohio State in 2007. Oregon in 2008. Oregon in 2009. Every bowl game we’ve played since 2003. Now we can add a new one: Notre Dame 2009.

I mean, it’s not even funny how similar all these losses are. And for some reason, I fall into it every time. Tonight, however, when ND got the ball back, I just knew Purdue would lose the game. Up by 4, 3+ minutes to go, I knew this was a done deal. I was just hoping they’d score fast enough to give the Purdue offense the ball back.

Notre Dame took the ball down to the Purdue 10 with about 1:00 to go. Purdue didn’t call a timeout. I disagree with this decision completely. 1st and goal, you know ND isn’t going to run all three downs, call a timeout and plan for the worst. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. You call the TO, now there are 60 seconds left on the clock for your offense to potentially work with. After stopping on first down, ND tried a draw on 2nd down, and with :36, Purdue called a TO. The announcers vehemently disagreed with this call, but I think it was a good one. Here’s why:

1) The announcers insisted that ND was going to spike… With 36 seconds, 3rd and goal, there’s absolutely no reason to spike. Even if the play takes 35 seconds to run, you get to run 2 plays.
2) You have to keep as much time on the clock for your offense, if necessary. It’s easier to run 1 kneel than comeback with less time on the clock. Especially when you’re talking 20 seconds versus 12 seconds left.
3) For all we know, ND might’ve called the same play on 4th and goal even if there were a spike, and now Purdue gets the ball with :12 left, 3 TOL. :12 isn’t really enough time to run 3 plays requiring a timeout.

ND of course scores the TD, Purdue gets the ball back and takes it out of the end zone with :24 to go, burning 15% of the time remaining and giving the offense :20 to go 80 yards. First play, Elliott is sacked and the first timeout is burned. The next play is one of the most ridiculous I have ever seen with :12 to go. A reverse with the old “lateral until you score a touchdown”… It was hideous. It’s not on Youtube yet, but it will be.

I’m emotionally spent for this week. I don’t know if I have the capability of watching this Dolphins game tomorrow. Of course, I said this last year after the Dolphins got spanked by the Cardinals, and the Fins ended up winning 11 of their last 14.

It’s always that little bit of optimism that sucks you back in.

In one of the more spectacular displays of clock management, the Dolphins spent 45:03 of tonight’s game on offense. There’s only one problem: they managed to lose because of poor clock management.

One would think that with such a dominance of time of possession it would mean a few things:
1) The Dolphins were running the ball successfully
2) The Dolphins D was holding Indianapolis to few plays
3) The Dolphins didn’t need to pass (because they were leading the game).

All three of those were correct in a way. The Dolphins had no problem with the ground game. The defense was holding Indianapolis to few plays, but sometimes they were scoring drives, like the one that started the game, a 1 play, 80 yard, 0:12 TD pass to Dallas Clark. The Dolphins didn’t need to pass much because they only trailed in the first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes of the game. Unfortunately, it’s the last 5 minutes of the game that matter.

With 3:18 left, the Dolphins received the kickoff 7 yards deep in the end zone.

Bad sign #1: They tried to return the ball and got tackled at the 17.
Bad sign #2 The first play from scrimmage was a HB Draw that all 65,000 fans + 10,000,000 TV Viewers saw coming.
Bad sign #3 After this failed play, the Dolphins went into a long huddle.
Bad sign #4 After breaking the huddle, they got up to the line and ended up having to waste a timeout!
Bad sign #5 After giving the Colts’ D the benefit of rest (did I mention the TOP discrepancy?), The only play they could decide to run was…. a HB Draw! The same play they had just ran. Surprisingly, it didn’t work again! 78 seconds after the drive starts, the Dolphins are 6 yards downfield.
Bad sign #6 Finally getting a first down, the Dolphins run the no huddle (the slowest no huddle I’ve ever seen) and a Colts player is injured. But the Dolphins had called a timeout before the injury. WHAT? The player was injured on the play, yet somehow the Dolphins called a timeout before he was injured. I can’t explain that one. Though it would’ve been irrelevant if the Dolphins hadn’t burned 1:18 of clock on 2 failed HB draws.

The Dolphins flat out deserved to lose that game. When you can’t run a 2 minute offense effectively, you can’t expect to win close games. Hopefully, this will be similar to last season, when the Dolphins were 0-2 and managed to turn it around, but with the difficult schedule they have, I think that it seems unlikely.

So if you’ve ever wondered why I made this website in the first place, let’s take a quick peek:
The Orioles: 60-90, have lost 5. Worst record in the AL.
The Dolphins: 0-2. See above synopsis of the stomach punch game.
Purdue football: 1-2. Dominated by a MAC team.
Phoenix Coyotes: Still bankrupt. Still a chance of moving to Hamilton, Ontario. Potentially ordered into mediation on Wednesday morning. No clear future for hockey in the valley.

Pretty disheartening, eh?

Welcome to the agony.

First off, let me apologize for the lack of updates, I spent the last 2 weeks crossing Europe. Side note: Without internet, you enter a black hole of sports when you go to Europe. I had intermittent internet while I was in Rome but I had to catch a flight to Madrid when there were 6 minutes left in the Purdue-Oregon game, and didn’t find out how those 6 minutes went until 5 days later when I returned to the US. Talk about agonizing sports situations! Of course, Purdue ended up losing that game. But let’s not dwell on that, the Boilermakers will get everything going this week, right?

Right??

What? No.

That couldn’t be.

Purdue wouldn’t lose to a MAC team again, like they did in 2003 against Bowling Green and nearly once again in 2006 against Miami of Ohio.

They struggled but then redeemed themselves…. Right?

I still can’t put my head around this loss. Sixty minutes of unmotivated defense but decent offense. Bolden looked good, and Joey Elliot ran for a 65 yard touchdown, something I’ve never seen a Purdue QB do. The Defense and Special Teams play was, in a word, abysmal. Aaron Valentin’s first punt return went 70+ yards to the house for a Purdue touchdown and all was well, until the next two punt return attempts bounced off his shoulder pads, giving NIU about 40 yards of field position each time. Purdue’s defense further dug the hole by giving up 454 yards, 280 on the ground.

Even still, Purdue had a chance at the end of the game to drive 80 yards in :15… And they ended up only about 20 yards short.

A disheartening loss for the Boilermakers, giving their fans an idea of what the rest of the season will be like. So far, I predicted Purdue to be 3-0. They’re 1-2 with a loss against a MAC team. If this team wins 4 games this year, I’ll be shocked.

Purdue 5th year Senior Joey Elliott to bring back the Spoilermaker legacy?

So college football has gotten off to a rather notable start, with the much replayed Oregon – Boise State postgame fracas. So much for the sportsmanship initiative the NCAA is trying to push this year. Literally the third game of the season ends on one of the more violent notes. However, the implications of this fight affect my very own Purdue Boilermakers.

Below is my week by week preview of the Purdue Boilermakers 2009 football season, culminating in my final record prediction for the year.

Toledo at Purdue , today.

This game is going to start off on the wrong foot with the Boilermakers not winning as impressively as one thinks they should against Toledo. However, this is more of a representation of how good Toledo has become rather than how bad Purdue is. The Boilermakers will come out with no huge new tricks on offense and play the game in the beginning of the Hope era much as they did in the Tiller era. Standard first game of the year rust will be shown and the pessimists (myself included) will be concerned that it will “be a very long season” but a little early to hit the fire alarm. Purdue 28, Toledo 24. Purdue record: 1-0

Purdue at Oregon

This game is a huge statement game for both teams. Are the Danny Hope Purdue Boilermakers going to return to the legacy of the early 2000 “Spoilermakers,” or will they roll over against Oregon like they did last year, blowing a lead and eventually losing in overtime. Oregon will be missing their starting running back (of course), and Oregon’s passing game wasn’t all that impressive against Boise State. To me, this is really a coin flip of a game, and in a fit of preseason optimism, I say the Boilermakers shock the world and win a very close game. Purdue 21, Oregon 17. Purdue record: 2-0. I think if this win happens, Purdue may see 1 or 2 token votes in the polls, but it won’t last long.

Northern Illinois at Purdue

NIU isn’t as bad of a team as you’d think, but the Boilermakers still roll in this game. Purdue 42, Northern Illinois 10. Purdue record: 3-0. Unbridled optimism begins in Boilermaker country.

Notre Dame at Purdue

This is where it begins. The annual slide back to mediocrity. The Boilermakers face Notre Dame at home on national tv, and I don’t see this one going much better than last year. Notre Dame 35, Purdue 20. Purdue record: 3-1

Northwestern at Purdue

Homecoming weekend in West Lafayette (you can count on me not being there…) but the Boilermakers will struggle against Northwestern as they always do. I still see this one going to the Boilers, however. Purdue 17, Northwestern 14. Purdue record 4-1

Purdue at Minnesota

This is a major trap game for the Boilermakers. The Gophers are looking good in the recent years and they’re playing in a new stadium where they might actually have a home field advantage. In the first actual disappointing loss of the year, Minnesota 38, Purdue 20. Purdue record: 4-2.

Ohio State at Purdue

We play tOSU tough, but they’re a good team. They will still manage to make it look difficult, though, as always. tOSU 14, Purdue 10. Purdue record: 4-3

Illinois at Purdue

Another Boilermaker loss. Here it comes!!! Illinois 21, Purdue 10. Purdue record 4-4.

Purdue at Wisconsin

The Boilermakers put up a fight, trying to upset a game or two. Purdue plays them tough but can’t outlast the Badgers. Wisconsin 35, Purdue 27. Purdue record 4-5

Purdue at Michigan

Purdue finally wins a game as the underdog! Purdue 31, Michigan 17. Purdue record 5-5

Michigan State at Purdue

Purdue is unable to ride the momentum and can’t hang against the Spartan defense. MSU 21, Purdue 7. Purdue record 5-6.

Purdue at Indiana

The Boilermakers finish off the season with a spanking of IU, just like last year, and the Old Oaken Bucket remains in West Lafayette. Purdue 52, IU 20. Purdue record 6-6.

So there’s a little optimism in there, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Boilermakers win 6 games this year. It will require a couple of upsets but nothing too major. The groundwork is layed for the 2010 season when Robert Marve takes the helm. I think the real focus this year should be the gameday strategy of Hope, and how well he can manage a game. I’m optimistic that he’s better than Tiller, the worst gameday coach I’ve ever seen, but he’s from the same system, so it may be an inherent systemic flaw. A big upset early on the season could set the tone for the rest of the year and give the Boilermakers some momentum, but some disappointing losses, especially against Toledo, would demoralize the team and doom them to a 3-4 win season.

It’s the best time of the year, when even lowly Purdue can think about their potential path to the BCS. It won’t happen this year, but the sun still shines in West Lafayette. Boiler Up!

The Orioles were the first team in the 2009 season to be eliminated from their division.

Now that’s an accomplishment. I’m proud to be an O’s fan once again. They’re also 1 more loss away from mathematically assuring their 11th losing season in a row.

At least I’m not a Pirates fan.

On the other hand, it’s officially football season now that I have drafted my fantasy team. I got the highly visible “Turn” pick, last in round 1 and first in round 2. I hate that position, personally. You have to commit a little too much, too early. Then you get to sit out for the next 22 picks, which is pretty awesome.

Oh well, we’ll see how this year turns out. Much like my sports teams, my fantasy teams are usually brutally bad. Usually due to some untimely injury (see: Tom Brady) or waiting until week 8 to turn it on (see: Drew Brees, 2007)… Hopefully we’ll turn the streak around this year.