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Talking Points could only find three Major League Soccer power rankings this week, but all three had the Portland Timbers still near the top.
SportsIllustrated.com places Portland at No. 2, unchanged from last week. Bleacherreport.com slots the Timbers at No. 4, down a spot. YahooSports.com also had Portland at No. 4. The Timbers play on the road Saturday at Chicago. The three Web sites have the Fire rated either No. 15 or No. 16, so another good chance for Portland to get a win on the road.
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And while on the topics of power rankings, the Seattle Mariners are near the bottom of the ratings for Major League Baseball (imagine that). Cbssports.com and cleveland.com slot the Mariners at No. 23, the New York Daily News places them at No. 24, and bleacherreport.com at No. 25.
Pichers Felix Hernandez and especially Hisashi Iwakuma are getting lots of love, but DH-1B Kendrys Morales has been given the nod as the April-May MVP of the team.
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Even more rankings! Sportingnews.com has ranked the head coaches in the NFL. Here are the top six: No. 1 John Harbaugh, Baltimore; No. 2 Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco; No. 3 Bill Belichick, New England; No. 4. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay; No. 5. Sean Payton, New Orleans; No. 6. Pete Carroll, Seattle.
About Carroll, the site says: “You can see why Carroll has rediscovered his groove in the NFL after a big-time college stint with Southern Cal. Even though he’s 61, he brings youthful exuberance and a positive attitude, and his players respond with the expected confidence. He’s not that far from adding a pro championship to his resume.”
Ranked at No. 15 is newcomer Chip Kelly of the Philadelphia Eagles.
About Kelly: “The biggest coaching question leaguewide this season is: How will Kelly do in the NFL? The bottom line: Kelly is a football junkie who knows the game inside and out, especially offensively. The Eagles needed to have more fun on the field and less off it, and that made him the ideal man for the job.”
