Choke or Not?

In the last 48 hours, there has been some debate over whether JR Hildebrand's last-lap crash was a choke or not. Here are the two sides to the argument.

WHY IT ISN'T A CHOKE
JR Hildebrand did what rookies rarely do at Indy: have a chance to win. He ran up front all day, and put himself in a terrific position to chug the milk. With just one turn, and five more clean seconds necessary to claim the checkered flag, Hildebrand messed up.

He's handled it extremely well, refusing to throw his team (read: spotters) or Charlie Kimball (who he was attempting to pass) under the bus.

WHY IT'S A CHOKE
Plenty of great athletes have "choked" before. Bill Buckner had over 2,700 hits in his career. Hall-of-Famer Patrick Ewing missed a finger roll that would've won New York's Eastern Conference Semifinals series with the Pacers in 1995. 14-time Major champion Tiger Woods lost a Sunday lead in the 2009 PGA Championship to someone called Y.E. Yang. Alex Rodriguez, LeBron James, and Peyton Manning have all at one time or another been labeled as a "choker". If an inexplicable mistake comes at a crucial time, it's a choke regardless of who makes the error.

In order to complete the Indianapolis 500, you have to make 800 correct turns. JR Hildebrand was perfect for the first 799, and then crashed after Turn 800 about two football fields away from the finish line. Blame it on his spotters if you want, but even JR said that it was his split-section decision to go high and make the aggressive pass on Kimball. It's perfectly reasonable for a 23-year old rookie to make a mistake at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - it happens multiple times annually. The only problem is that it rarely happens after the final turn, on the final lap, while the rookie is leading the race.

FINAL VERDICT
It's a choke. Hildebrand is a great kid, with a ton of talent, who has handled the heartbreaking situation with the class of a long-tenured veteran. That being said, it doesn't matter how nice or how classy JR is. It would've been highly unlikely that he a) would've run out of gas, or b) been passed by Wheldon had he let off the gas a little bit and played it safe heading to the line.

The Big 2...

Besides celebrating the birthdays of Cam Newton, Salvador Dali, and Francisco Cordero, May 11th is a special day on the calendar because it's the two-year anniversary of The Zone!

I've already done so on the Zone fanpage on Facebook, but I also wanted to take this space to thank all of you that have listened, supported, and participated over the past 24 months. It's been a big thrill for me, and I'm looking forward to more of the same.

Help Found

It was very strange to watch the approach to this year's Draft for the Colts. For so long, we had seen this franchise draft based on the best player available, and for a long time that approach worked. But, a new philosophy - perhaps signifying a new era with Chris Polian waiting to take over for his father - was ushered in on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: the Colts were drafting for need.

The offensive line had been rapidly deteriorating for a long time, and that area was finally addressed by the team. Indianapolis used their first two picks to fortify their shaky line by adding tackles Anthony Castonzo, and Ben Ijalana. Ijalana, out of FCS program Villanova, is expected to shift to guard. Both are skilled and, more importantly, large. Castonzo checks in at 311 pounds, while Ijalana would be a beefy guard at 317 pounds. The additions of the two draft picks should lead to some shifting on the offensive line. Expect Charlie Johnson to move to the right side, whether that be at guard or tackle, with Castonzo securing the starting LT nod. The battle at offensive guard should be the most interesting storyline of Training Camp (if there is one), with Ijalana, Mike Pollak, Kyle DeVan, Jamey Richard, and Jacques McClendon all getting a look. The odd man out in this whole situation could be longtime RT starter Ryan Diem. Diem, a ten-year veteran, has been regressing for years and is due $5.4 million (a jump from $3.8M last season) in 2011, the final year of his contract.

Drake Nevis, a third-round pick out of LSU, puts an extra body at the interior of the defensive line with the statuses of Daniel Muir, Mookie Johnson, and Eric Foster still yet to be determined. Nevis will also get a chance to start. Also, I'm very intrigued by RB Delone Carter from Syracuse. The 225-pounder has a body type that we haven't ever seen in the Colts' backfield, and could help with their struggles in short-yardage situations. If Chris Rucker of Michigan State can prove his legal issues are a thing of the past, he can contribute as well. He is projected to help at safety, where the Colts have glaring depth issues.

All in all, the 2011 Draft class signifies that the Colts have gotten the message. Their patchwork offensive line needed improving, while the defensive tackle position and depth at RB and S needed to be addressed. We won't know how to grade this five-player haul until several years down the line. However, based on positions only, you have to be happy with what the players the Colts were able to bring into the fold.

Sold on Solder?

Mock Drafts are hardly an exact science, but with the 2011 NFL Draft beginning tonight, I was surprised at how nearly-unanimous the experts were in projecting the Colts' 22nd overall selection:

Colts' #22 Mock Draft rundown
Mel Kiper, ESPN: OT Nate Solder, Colorado
Todd McShay, ESPN: OT Nate Solder, Colorado
Mike Mayock, NFL Network: OT Nate Solder, Colorado
Pat Kirwin, NFL.com: DT Cory Liuget, Illinois
Russ Lande, Sporting News: OT Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
Rob Rang, CBSSports.com: OT Nate Solder, Colorado
Chad Reuter, CBSSports.com: OT Gabe Carmini, Wisconsin
Adam Caplan, FoxSports.com: DT Muhammad Wilkerson, Temple*
(* this was after Caplan had Solder in his first three Mock versions)

It's tough to know anything about offensive lineman, outside of the guys like Jake Long who are considered top-five picks. Here's a highlight video of Solder:



I don't really care if Solder is the pick or not, but with this being such a great draft for offensive tackles, the Colts really need to take advantage of that. I'd list their other needs in order as: DT, S, and depth at WR and CB.

Tiger Myth

If you're a fan of the show (which I'm guessing you are if you're reading this...), you know that I'm not a huge Tiger Woods fan. It doesn't have anything to do with his personal life, or personal jealously, even though I'd love to look that scary in red. It's mostly because of his attitude, and a blantant disregard for the etiquitte instilled in all golfers when they first learn to play. However, all of that aside, one thing I can't stand is the belief that professional golfers are scared of Tiger Woods.

Chances are, you've heard it before from announcers and fans alike: "Uh oh, here comes Tiger! I bet is going to crumble!" Forget the fact that Tiger still has never come from behind on a Sunday to win a Major championship. There's a widely-held belief that other golfers on the tour watch Tiger's every move, and tremble with fear as he approaches them on the leaderboard.

It's completely ridiculous.

Golf is a game of inner focus. Are other golfers cognizant of what Tiger (and everyone else) is doing? Of course. They need to know where they stand for strategy purposes. But, pro golfers have to focus on themselves. They wouldn't be playing at the PGA Tour level if they didn't. Brian Murphy of Yahoo! Sports writes a terrific piece on how Sunday's results at The Masters proves that other golfers are unafraid. Murphy focuses on what the other golfers did once Tiger tied for a share of the lead through 10 holes:

Jason Day: bogey-free back nine 32, including birdies on 17 and 18. Adam Scott: without a major title and questioned for his mental toughness, played behind Tiger’s roars and posted a bogey-free 33 on the back nine, finishing ahead of Tiger.

Geoff Ogilvy: already with a major in the Tiger Era (the 2006 U.S. Open), played in the twosome immediately behind Tiger and ripped off five consecutive birdies for a back-nine 31, tying Tiger’s final-round 67.

Luke Donald: playing behind Tiger’s noise, bounced back from a double-bogey on No. 12 for a back-nine 34, going three under in his last six holes.

Charl Schwartzel: all of 26 years old (just 12 when Tiger won the 1997 Masters) and playing behind Tiger’s pine-rattling crowds, carded arguably the greatest back nine since Nicklaus in ’86, a bogey-free 32 and those instantly historic four consecutive birdies. Oh, by the way, he’ll be drawing up the menu for next year’s Champions Dinner.

Just like the '09 Masters when Tiger charged the front nine and faded away, the rest of the field was unafraid. Tiger is great. Tiger will win again. But, the psychologial impact that Tiger has on the rest of golf is grossly overrated.

Hammertime

Purdue will unveil their new and improved version of Purdue Pete during tomorrow's annual Gold and Black game. A video of Purdue Pete II (or version 2.0) surfaced on their athletics website yesterday before it was taken down a few hours later. We were still able to find the photo on the Lafayette Courier-Journal website.

I'm not a big fan. While the old Purdue Pete had a creepy, hard plastic face (similar to what the mascot from the old Big Boy burger chains had), PPII's is made from fabric. In fact, he looks more like the lovechild of Jay Leno and Sparty, just without the HGH. I'm completely lost on the hat. Since when was chrome part of Purdue's color-scheme? I thought it was "Hail to the Old Gold and Black". PPII's octagon-shaped tin foil hat makes this outfit appear even more ridiculous. A plain gold shirt, and oversized belt buckle (also chrome) don't help tie the outfit together. I'm no fashionista, but that reflective hat is going to look absurd reflecting the bright sun on Saturday afternoons at Ross-Ade Stadium. Did I mention the new Pete is ditching the trademark hammer as well?

The old Purdue Pete wasn't perfect. But, he had his weapon of choice, a hard hat with the official school colors, and a face that would haunt your dreams (don't you want your mascot to be intimidating?) Hell, I'd even take the super effeminate basketball-version of Purdue Pete, with the short shorts and go-go boots. This toned-down, huggable, tin foil hat wearing fraud was a big swing and a miss.

Quickest MLB Preview Ever

Author's note: we're already about two hours into Opening Day, so me putting off my MLB Preview has left me scrambling just to get some predictions on the record. Here they are...

AMERICAN LEAGUE
East: Red Sox - They're just too strong. Their offseason reminds me of what the Yankees did in '09 which led to a World Series run. Also, just imagine what they can do with a healthy Youkilis, Pedroia, and Ellsbury...

Central: White Sox - Chicago seems to be the trendy pick. There's nothing exciting about this team, but they're steady and would've been the Division champ last year if not for a late-season fade. The Adam Dunn Factor (teams suck when they acquire him) worries me.

West: Athletics - A casual baseball fan won't know much about their starting rotation, but it's enough to make a baseball nerd drool. For what Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, and Brett Anderson lack in big name appea, they make up for in talent and effectiveness. Don't sleep on Dallas Braden either - he was 11-14, but only had a 3.50 ERA in 2010.

Wild Card: Yankees - With Tampa Bay falling off, it's hard to see anyone else coming up here and grabbing this spot. If the AL Central was a college basketball conference, it would be a one-bid league. Texas had a lot of things go right last year, and the Angels aren't back (yet). From a talent standpoint, New York is still one of the three best teams in the league.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
East: Phillies - This team isn't as invincible as everyone makes them out to be. Chase Utley likely won't be back until mid-May, and promising prospect Dom Brown is hurt, and still may need some more seasoning when he returns. The success of this squad falls on their starting pitching, which with the addition of Cliff Lee, is one of teh best we've ever seen on paper.

Central: Reds - I think they're a safe pick because there are more answers than questions with this bunch. They aren't flashy, but they have a wealth of solid starters, a young lineup with no glaring holes, and are possibly the best defensive team in all of baseball.

West: Rockies - I've been burned by them the last couple of years, but the law of averages says that I'll have to be right eventually. Ubaldo Jimenez can't be expected to have the same season as he did last year, but if the rest of their rotation can pick it up, they'll be in good shape.

Wild Card: Braves - It's tough leaving the defending World Champs out of it, but the Braves look like they're back. It's taken a few years for them to retool, but they have terrific pitching depth. Nate McClouth can't be worse than he was last year, and the addition of Dan Uggla can only help.

I'm not going to give you my World Series pick for fear that this entry will end up similar to my Bracket picks (see below, if you dare). But, I'm leaning towards Red Sox/Rockies in a rematch of a non-competitive 2007 Fall Classic, with the same end result.