Well, well well. It is finally that time. After numerous talks and mock drafts, the 2007 NBA draft is upon us. We know that the first two picks will be, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, but after that it’s anyone’s guess as how the draft will go. A lot really depends on which trades are made. You have just about everyone on the trading block, from Kevin Garnett, to Jermaine O’Neal to Mike Bibby, and of course Kobe Bryant. If any of these names are moved, the draft will move in a completely different direction, that previous thought. When it’s all said and done, I feel that Kobe will be in a Lakers uniform, and he will have Jermaine O’Neal with him. I don’t know if that will be enough to make Kobe happy, but it will be a start.
In other sporting news, football season is almost here. The NFL has been in the news year-round unfortunately. From Pacman Jones, to Tank Johnson, NFL players have been making the wrong kind of headlines. Some, more like most to all, of these events are the players own wrong doing. But I’m just sick of the way the players get treated after making a mistake. Apparently everyone else not in the NFL is perfect and never make mistakes. Like NFL players are the only people to drive drunk, or have fights at the club. Yes, I know playing in the NFL is a HUGE privilege and they should be grateful, but I think our society has placed them too high up on a pedestal. And this problem isn’t just in the NFL. Everywhere there are stories about “celebrities” and what they are doing. WHO CARES?!?!?!?!?! Why is it news when Paris Hilton gets out of jail? Why is that on Sportscenter?
When Charles Barkley stated that he was not a role model, I was young, anywhere between 8-12. Even at that age though, I agreed with him. I didn’t look up to him, MJ, or any other athlete when making moral choices. Parents need to raise their children, not athletes, actors, actresses or musicians. Nor should the TV. Not to say that sports doesn’t need a little bit of housekeeping itself, but the family structure in general needs help more.
Now that I’ve stepped down off my soapbox (for now), there are reports that the NFL rookie symposium had 100% attendance. That should have been expected with new commissioner Roger Goodell throwing out suspensions like Peyton Manning throws touchdowns. I did not expect that Troy Smith would be engaging Goodell in debate about whether or not the league focuses too much on negative stories. I like that because it’s a sign that Smith is aware of what is going on around him. I just hope that he continues to strive to be one of the success stories, rather than become one of the negative ones.
With the baseball season moving towards the All-Star break, the season has had some surprises. No, I’m not talking about the Yankees not being very good, I’m more so talking about the Brewers leading the Central, the White Sox’s freefall, and how mediocre the NL East is. Also, surprises for this cannot be talked about without mentioning Sammy Sosa. He achieved another milestone, going past the 600 Home Run mark earlier this month. In any other era, that would be an automatic pass into the Hall of Fame. Of course, there has been much speculation that he may not receive first ballot entry. Of course I think that this is ludicrous. The man took a year off, got re-charged and now is back to his old self. The whole steroids issue bugs me anyways. In addition to the extra attention focused on Barry Bonds, I’ve wondered why its always assumed that hitters were the only players using. A power pitcher like Roger Clemens is still playing at the ripe young age of 43 and there isn’t any speculation. I could go play the race card here, which would be very valid, but I will refrain from doing so. However, the fact is that pitchers used just as much as hitters, and all things equal, hitting a baseball is still not easy. I would consider it a travesty if they started to put asterisks by the records these players are achieving. They didn’t put asterisks when the mound was too close or not high enough. So they shouldn’t do it now. I think I’ll stop here before I get all angry and such.
Look for a NBA Draft post later tonight or early tomorrow.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
May 23, 2007
It has been an extremely long time since I did a blog. A lot of things have happened in the sports world. The NBA season finished, MLB started, and March Madness occurred. The NBA early draft entry deadline has passed, and now the NBA draft lottery took place.
The draft lottery was held last night and did not go anywhere near the correct form. The teams with the three worst records (Memphis, Boston, and Milwaukee) did not finish in the lottery. Instead they got picks 4th, 5th, and 6th, respectively. This caused major uproar in Boston where it was widely hoped Greg Oden would come there and become the second coming of Bill Russell. The situation isn’t as dire in Memphis, where they’re only a season removed from making the playoffs in the tough Western Conference. Basically the only reason Memphis is in the lottery is because Pau Gasol was hurt to begin the year. Milwaukee is also coming off an injury filled season as well.
Now the talk shifts from who will get the first pick to who will be the first pick. Most people around the league think it’s a done deal that Portland will choose Oden first. Me, I’m not so sure. I really think, actually hope that the Blazers really study this pick. Look, you can’t teach size. But Oden won’t be able to push and just be physically better than everyone else in the NBA. His offensive game isn’t polished enough to control the paint in any way other than defense and rebounding. However, after typing that down, Oden seems like the perfect fit for a team that already Brandon Roy, the reigning Rookie of the Year, Zack Randolph, and La Marcus Aldridge. Oden would actually be able to grow without the weight of the franchise on his shoulders.
The second pick of the draft went to the Seattle Sonics, who desperately needed it. The team was recently sold, and there is growing talk the team may be moving to Oklahoma City. With the second pick, they have the opportunity to get Kevin Durant (if Portland takes Oden), who is an instantly marketable face. He took the campus of Texas by storm and there isn’t any reason that he won’t do the same for the city of Seattle. Pair him with Ray Allen, and the Sonics shouldn’t lose 51 games this season.
Well enough on the draft, there will be plenty of talk about that for the next month. I want to vent about the “policing” the NFL has engaged in. The suspension of Adam Jones and Chris Henry, I agree with. If the league does decide to suspend Tank Johnson, I will understand and slightly agree as well. But I ask: where will it end? It seems Michael Vick will be the next athlete caught in the whirlwind.
The issue of dog fighting has me torn. On one hand, I see and understand the cruelty done to the animals. On the other hand, what’s the difference between dog fighting and horse racing? I’ll tell you the difference. The difference is that horse racing brings in millions of dollars through sponsors and television ratings and whatnot. Both are cruel to animals. The only horse that was saved from certain death was Barbaro and even he was “put down”.
Personally I think that this goes into a deeper issue within sports and society. There is a disconnect between most of the players and most of the fans that come watch them. The divide will only get deeper if these athletes are perpetrated to be “hoodlums” by the media, their teams and to some degree the leagues. I understand the nature to clean up sports, but that will fully occur once society gets cleaned up. These athletes are unfortunately continuing behavior that they’ve learned while growing up. And while they should know that their status puts them in a larger spotlight, the fact of the matter is that they appear not to.
Well I want to close that disconnect through my writing. I am just searching for that opportunity. Until next time.
The draft lottery was held last night and did not go anywhere near the correct form. The teams with the three worst records (Memphis, Boston, and Milwaukee) did not finish in the lottery. Instead they got picks 4th, 5th, and 6th, respectively. This caused major uproar in Boston where it was widely hoped Greg Oden would come there and become the second coming of Bill Russell. The situation isn’t as dire in Memphis, where they’re only a season removed from making the playoffs in the tough Western Conference. Basically the only reason Memphis is in the lottery is because Pau Gasol was hurt to begin the year. Milwaukee is also coming off an injury filled season as well.
Now the talk shifts from who will get the first pick to who will be the first pick. Most people around the league think it’s a done deal that Portland will choose Oden first. Me, I’m not so sure. I really think, actually hope that the Blazers really study this pick. Look, you can’t teach size. But Oden won’t be able to push and just be physically better than everyone else in the NBA. His offensive game isn’t polished enough to control the paint in any way other than defense and rebounding. However, after typing that down, Oden seems like the perfect fit for a team that already Brandon Roy, the reigning Rookie of the Year, Zack Randolph, and La Marcus Aldridge. Oden would actually be able to grow without the weight of the franchise on his shoulders.
The second pick of the draft went to the Seattle Sonics, who desperately needed it. The team was recently sold, and there is growing talk the team may be moving to Oklahoma City. With the second pick, they have the opportunity to get Kevin Durant (if Portland takes Oden), who is an instantly marketable face. He took the campus of Texas by storm and there isn’t any reason that he won’t do the same for the city of Seattle. Pair him with Ray Allen, and the Sonics shouldn’t lose 51 games this season.
Well enough on the draft, there will be plenty of talk about that for the next month. I want to vent about the “policing” the NFL has engaged in. The suspension of Adam Jones and Chris Henry, I agree with. If the league does decide to suspend Tank Johnson, I will understand and slightly agree as well. But I ask: where will it end? It seems Michael Vick will be the next athlete caught in the whirlwind.
The issue of dog fighting has me torn. On one hand, I see and understand the cruelty done to the animals. On the other hand, what’s the difference between dog fighting and horse racing? I’ll tell you the difference. The difference is that horse racing brings in millions of dollars through sponsors and television ratings and whatnot. Both are cruel to animals. The only horse that was saved from certain death was Barbaro and even he was “put down”.
Personally I think that this goes into a deeper issue within sports and society. There is a disconnect between most of the players and most of the fans that come watch them. The divide will only get deeper if these athletes are perpetrated to be “hoodlums” by the media, their teams and to some degree the leagues. I understand the nature to clean up sports, but that will fully occur once society gets cleaned up. These athletes are unfortunately continuing behavior that they’ve learned while growing up. And while they should know that their status puts them in a larger spotlight, the fact of the matter is that they appear not to.
Well I want to close that disconnect through my writing. I am just searching for that opportunity. Until next time.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
February 6, 2007
Its been a couple of days since the Super Bowl has ended, and I have used this time to really sit back and, free of the emotion of the game, study what happened. Since I do not have access to the coaches’ tape, I can only use what I saw during the game’s telecast. Looking back, I really think that Rex Grossman is getting a raw deal. I definitely am not saying that he played spectacular or even good. At best, he was serviceable. However, how much can you expect from a rookie QB?
That inception he threw is beyond explanation. He blew that play. It was a safe call. If the corner doesn’t bite, throw the ball away or check down. Rex did neither; he forced the ball and then didn’t even get over to stop the Colts from returning it for a score. That second interception was a by-product of the weather. If Rex can do one thing well, its fling the ball around. That ball got caught in the wind and rain, and held up so that Bob Sanders could make the pick.
I am amazed however, at the fact that it’s Rex’s fault that the defense allowed 81 plays!! I mean how is that possible?!?!?!? Rex didn’t allow the Colts to rush for 191 yards and for an average of 4.5 yards per carry. He didn’t allow the Colts to convert on 44% of their third down. Look the Bears played passive defensively; they only sacked Peyton Manning once and rarely sent any type of blitzes at him. Peyton responded by sitting back there and picking the Bears apart. And when they tried to stop the pass, the Colts running game pounded them. It seemed to me as if Lovie was afraid to go after Peyton. I hope not because I think he has the athletes and hitters to punish the Colts. For all of the “physicality” the Colts showed this season. The receivers still moved away from contact during the Super Bowl.
And what about the play calling? On a 2nd & 1 play, when you are having success running the ball, would you call a pass play in the rain? Even after Cedric Benson got hurt, you could still run Thomas Jones and pick up a yard. I think the Bears play calling played a role in Rex playing bad.
To wrap this up, congrats to Peyton, Tony Dungy and all of the Colts. They truly deserved to win the Super Bowl. They survived all of the ups and downs of the season and wound up on top. As for the Bears, they seem to have major issues. First they have to re-sign Coach Lovie Smith. Then they have to either franchise LB Lance Briggs or look to trade him before he hits the free agent market. Also, defensive coordinator Ron Rivera may leave to become either the head coach or defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys. And as if the list wasn’t long enough, look for the “Get Rid of Rex” chants to grow louder and louder as we get closer to the draft. That I think would be a safe thing to do. Maybe not a first round QB, but a second and definitely a third. At best, this motivates Rex, who is in the final year of his contract (i.e. money year), who plays more consistent and with the combination of the return of Tommie Harris and Mike Brown plus the still watered down NFC, the Bears could be right back in Super Bowl XLII.
Now that football is on hiatus for awhile, L , we can turn our attention to the NBA. First let’s start with the All Star selections. I think it would be a travesty if Carmelo Anthony is not added to the All-Star team. He is leading the league in scoring. That would be absurd. If it does happen, it will speak to larger problem. A growing divide (and power struggle) between the brass of the league and the players in it. First it was the dress code, then it was the switching and then switching back of the ball. I just hope that both sides remember that without the fans none of them would have a job. I think David Stern will do the right thing and add Carmelo.
As for ‘Melo’s regular team, the Nuggets are in the midst of a bad injury stretch which has comprised the plan for AI and ‘Melo to mesh together. Luckily for them, though it is only early February and the season does not end until April. They don’t have much time to get their act together. Game on Nuggets, Game on.
That inception he threw is beyond explanation. He blew that play. It was a safe call. If the corner doesn’t bite, throw the ball away or check down. Rex did neither; he forced the ball and then didn’t even get over to stop the Colts from returning it for a score. That second interception was a by-product of the weather. If Rex can do one thing well, its fling the ball around. That ball got caught in the wind and rain, and held up so that Bob Sanders could make the pick.
I am amazed however, at the fact that it’s Rex’s fault that the defense allowed 81 plays!! I mean how is that possible?!?!?!? Rex didn’t allow the Colts to rush for 191 yards and for an average of 4.5 yards per carry. He didn’t allow the Colts to convert on 44% of their third down. Look the Bears played passive defensively; they only sacked Peyton Manning once and rarely sent any type of blitzes at him. Peyton responded by sitting back there and picking the Bears apart. And when they tried to stop the pass, the Colts running game pounded them. It seemed to me as if Lovie was afraid to go after Peyton. I hope not because I think he has the athletes and hitters to punish the Colts. For all of the “physicality” the Colts showed this season. The receivers still moved away from contact during the Super Bowl.
And what about the play calling? On a 2nd & 1 play, when you are having success running the ball, would you call a pass play in the rain? Even after Cedric Benson got hurt, you could still run Thomas Jones and pick up a yard. I think the Bears play calling played a role in Rex playing bad.
To wrap this up, congrats to Peyton, Tony Dungy and all of the Colts. They truly deserved to win the Super Bowl. They survived all of the ups and downs of the season and wound up on top. As for the Bears, they seem to have major issues. First they have to re-sign Coach Lovie Smith. Then they have to either franchise LB Lance Briggs or look to trade him before he hits the free agent market. Also, defensive coordinator Ron Rivera may leave to become either the head coach or defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys. And as if the list wasn’t long enough, look for the “Get Rid of Rex” chants to grow louder and louder as we get closer to the draft. That I think would be a safe thing to do. Maybe not a first round QB, but a second and definitely a third. At best, this motivates Rex, who is in the final year of his contract (i.e. money year), who plays more consistent and with the combination of the return of Tommie Harris and Mike Brown plus the still watered down NFC, the Bears could be right back in Super Bowl XLII.
Now that football is on hiatus for awhile, L , we can turn our attention to the NBA. First let’s start with the All Star selections. I think it would be a travesty if Carmelo Anthony is not added to the All-Star team. He is leading the league in scoring. That would be absurd. If it does happen, it will speak to larger problem. A growing divide (and power struggle) between the brass of the league and the players in it. First it was the dress code, then it was the switching and then switching back of the ball. I just hope that both sides remember that without the fans none of them would have a job. I think David Stern will do the right thing and add Carmelo.
As for ‘Melo’s regular team, the Nuggets are in the midst of a bad injury stretch which has comprised the plan for AI and ‘Melo to mesh together. Luckily for them, though it is only early February and the season does not end until April. They don’t have much time to get their act together. Game on Nuggets, Game on.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
January 24, 2007
With a little under two weeks before Super Bowl XLI, there will plenty of time to dissect the X’s and O’s of the game. Right now though all eyes should be on the two head coaches, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith. These two head coaches have just made history. They are now the first African American head coaches to lead their teams to a Super Bowl. And it’s only fitting that the two coaches are friends with each other. Actually it’s more than that. It’s a mentor-mentee type of relationship that first began when Dungy hired Smith way back in 1996.
That staff for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is now starting to take shape and many coaches from that staff are starting to shine. In addition to Smith, other coaches from that staff to get jobs include Herman Edwards, head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs; Rod Marinelli, head coach of the Detroit Lions; and Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With such a new, young crop of coaches, it’s time to sit back and watch them shine.
In other NFL news, it’s time to once again bid adieu to Bill Parcells. Parcells retired on Monday, for the third time. All indications to a more permanent break from the sideline coaching. Never one to miss an opportunity to talk junk about someone, TO once again trashed someone, taking shots at Parcells saying “We underachieved this year………..”
Now sometimes I defend TO, hell sometimes I agree with TO, but this is out of line. Granted TO is slightly correct. The Cowboys did underachieve, however some of that has to be attributed to the league-leading 18 drops TO had during the year. I know one game personally where his drop affected the outcome (against the Redskins) and I saw numerous drives end with TO drops. TO needs to just rehab his injured finger and try not to drop so many passes next year.
The Raiders finally have a head coach now, which is good. On the other hand though, they have taken a giant risk. Lane Kiffin, though he has good pedigree as a coach and he is succeeding now, has zero NFL coaching experience which makes his hire one giant risk.
The Bumbling Bengals have returned. This time the Bengals are bumbling outside of the playing field. CB Jonathan Joseph became the 9th Bengal’s player arrested in the last nine months, when he was arrested on marijuana possession. His arrest caused Bengals QB Carson Palmer to come out and voice his displeasure about this issue. I applaud Palmer for doing this. He is setting a standard of behavior both on and off the field. What this also does is put pressure on head coach Marvin Lewis and general manager Mike Brown to get players who have good character. We shall see where this issue goes from here.
That staff for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is now starting to take shape and many coaches from that staff are starting to shine. In addition to Smith, other coaches from that staff to get jobs include Herman Edwards, head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs; Rod Marinelli, head coach of the Detroit Lions; and Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With such a new, young crop of coaches, it’s time to sit back and watch them shine.
In other NFL news, it’s time to once again bid adieu to Bill Parcells. Parcells retired on Monday, for the third time. All indications to a more permanent break from the sideline coaching. Never one to miss an opportunity to talk junk about someone, TO once again trashed someone, taking shots at Parcells saying “We underachieved this year………..”
Now sometimes I defend TO, hell sometimes I agree with TO, but this is out of line. Granted TO is slightly correct. The Cowboys did underachieve, however some of that has to be attributed to the league-leading 18 drops TO had during the year. I know one game personally where his drop affected the outcome (against the Redskins) and I saw numerous drives end with TO drops. TO needs to just rehab his injured finger and try not to drop so many passes next year.
The Raiders finally have a head coach now, which is good. On the other hand though, they have taken a giant risk. Lane Kiffin, though he has good pedigree as a coach and he is succeeding now, has zero NFL coaching experience which makes his hire one giant risk.
The Bumbling Bengals have returned. This time the Bengals are bumbling outside of the playing field. CB Jonathan Joseph became the 9th Bengal’s player arrested in the last nine months, when he was arrested on marijuana possession. His arrest caused Bengals QB Carson Palmer to come out and voice his displeasure about this issue. I applaud Palmer for doing this. He is setting a standard of behavior both on and off the field. What this also does is put pressure on head coach Marvin Lewis and general manager Mike Brown to get players who have good character. We shall see where this issue goes from here.
January 24, 2007
With a little under two weeks before Super Bowl XLI, there will plenty of time to dissect the X’s and O’s of the game. Right now though all eyes should be on the two head coaches, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith. These two head coaches have just made history. They are now the first African American head coaches to lead their teams to a Super Bowl. And it’s only fitting that the two coaches are friends with each other. Actually it’s more than that. It’s a mentor-mentee type of relationship that first began when Dungy hired Smith way back in 1996.
That staff for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is now starting to take shape and many coaches from that staff are starting to shine. In addition to Smith, other coaches from that staff to get jobs include Herman Edwards, head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs; Rod Marinelli, head coach of the Detroit Lions; and Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With such a new, young crop of coaches, it’s time to sit back and watch them shine.
In other NFL news, it’s time to once again bid adieu to Bill Parcells. Parcells retired on Monday, for the third time. All indications to a more permanent break from the sideline coaching. Never one to miss an opportunity to talk junk about someone, TO once again trashed someone, taking shots at Parcells saying “We underachieved this year………..”
Now sometimes I defend TO, hell sometimes I agree with TO, but this is out of line. Granted TO is slightly correct. The Cowboys did underachieve, however some of that has to be attributed to the league-leading 18 drops TO had during the year. I know one game personally where his drop affected the outcome (against the Redskins) and I saw numerous drives end with TO drops. TO needs to just rehab his injured finger and try not to drop so many passes next year.
The Raiders finally have a head coach now, which is good. On the other hand though, they have taken a giant risk. Lane Kiffin, though he has good pedigree as a coach and he is succeeding now, has zero NFL coaching experience which makes his hire one giant risk.
The Bumbling Bengals have returned. This time the Bengals are bumbling outside of the playing field. CB Jonathan Joseph became the 9th Bengal’s player arrested in the last nine months, when he was arrested on marijuana possession. His arrest caused Bengals QB Carson Palmer to come out and voice his displeasure about this issue. I applaud Palmer for doing this. He is setting a standard of behavior both on and off the field. What this also does is put pressure on head coach Marvin Lewis and general manager Mike Brown to get players who have good character. We shall see where this issue goes from here.
That staff for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is now starting to take shape and many coaches from that staff are starting to shine. In addition to Smith, other coaches from that staff to get jobs include Herman Edwards, head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs; Rod Marinelli, head coach of the Detroit Lions; and Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With such a new, young crop of coaches, it’s time to sit back and watch them shine.
In other NFL news, it’s time to once again bid adieu to Bill Parcells. Parcells retired on Monday, for the third time. All indications to a more permanent break from the sideline coaching. Never one to miss an opportunity to talk junk about someone, TO once again trashed someone, taking shots at Parcells saying “We underachieved this year………..”
Now sometimes I defend TO, hell sometimes I agree with TO, but this is out of line. Granted TO is slightly correct. The Cowboys did underachieve, however some of that has to be attributed to the league-leading 18 drops TO had during the year. I know one game personally where his drop affected the outcome (against the Redskins) and I saw numerous drives end with TO drops. TO needs to just rehab his injured finger and try not to drop so many passes next year.
The Raiders finally have a head coach now, which is good. On the other hand though, they have taken a giant risk. Lane Kiffin, though he has good pedigree as a coach and he is succeeding now, has zero NFL coaching experience which makes his hire one giant risk.
The Bumbling Bengals have returned. This time the Bengals are bumbling outside of the playing field. CB Jonathan Joseph became the 9th Bengal’s player arrested in the last nine months, when he was arrested on marijuana possession. His arrest caused Bengals QB Carson Palmer to come out and voice his displeasure about this issue. I applaud Palmer for doing this. He is setting a standard of behavior both on and off the field. What this also does is put pressure on head coach Marvin Lewis and general manager Mike Brown to get players who have good character. We shall see where this issue goes from here.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
January 23, 2007
Today I wanted to try something else with my blog. Periodically, I will put up game reports of recent games that I have covered. I always enjoy doing live coverage of a game in any sport. Without further ado, here it is:
Roller Coaster Season Continues
By:Alfons Prince
Roller Coaster Season Continues
By:Alfons Prince
As the calendar moves further in 2007, the UDC Firebirds continue to have a roller coaster season. After starting the season with 7 wins and only 1 loss, the Firebirds lost 3 of their next 5 games, before they started their current five game homestand on January 16th. Heading into their Monday, January 22nd game against West Chester University, UDC has one win against two losses, with their win coming against Felician College.
Though UDC has lost their last two games, the games have been close, and entertaining games; games that have allowed their fans to come out and be able to happily cheer for their team.
The first loss, which took place on January 18th, came against their arch rival, the Virginia Union Panthers. The Panthers first defeated the Firebirds only a week earlier on January 11th, so there was a feeling of revenge as the game began. UDC took advantage of this energy to jump out to an early 6-0 lead. They maintained this distance throughout the first half until a late spurt left UDC ahead at the half with a 33-24 lead. Even though the Firebirds got four 3-point shots from guard Charlie Smallwood, the Panthers were able to keep the game close because of their dominating rebounding edge. At the half, Virginia Union held a 15-3 advantage in 2nd-chance points.
Virginia Union came out hot to begin the second half, going on a 14-5 run to tie the game at 38 with 14:29 left in the game. The two teams then begin to battle each other as neither team took more than a six point lead. The game began to get more chippy and feisty as the referees let play become more physical. An offensive foul call on Antwon Hawkins of UDC gave Virginia Union the ball with 2:26 remaining and a six point lead. Despite a valiant effort, UDC was never able to get any closer as Virginia Union made timely free throws and go on to win 74-69. Although UDC was able to shoot 40% from the field, the Firebirds left too many opportunities at the free throw line where they missed 11 of their 26 free throw attempts. This combined with Virginia Union’s rebound advantage (48-40) provided to be too much for the Firebirds to overcome.
Since the Firebirds are in the middle of a homestand, they did not have time to be down about their previous loss. Two days after the game against Virginia Union, UDC took the court against the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown Mountain Cats. The Firebirds once again displayed tremendous heart, however again they lost, this time on a jump shot by Mountain Cat guard Dwight Hines with 8 seconds left. The Firebirds allowed the Cats to shoot 42% from the field and an astonishing 54% from 3-point range.
UDC had a much harder time shooting the ball. While the Firebirds shot a comparable 41% from the field, they only shot 24% from 3-point range. In this game the Firebirds were led in scoring by guard Antwon Hawkins, who had 26 points. Other key contributors were guard Frank Petersen, who added 15 points and forward Willie Shaw, who added 14 points.
With three games left on the current homestand, the Firebirds need to season to begin another upswing. After January 29th, UDC only has two more home games before the end of their regular season. Playing on the road has been a bit of a problem for UDC, evident by the team having lost 3 of the 6 “true” (Non-tournament, holiday or classic) road games. If this team wants to continue their improbable season, they need to finish this season stronger, especially on the road.
I hope that you enjoyed the game recap that I submitted for my blog. Until next time, peace.
Monday, January 08, 2007
January 8, 2007
With the 1st week of 2007 completed, things are not only hot with the weather, but within the sports world as well. The NFL playoffs just finished their opening weekend, providing intriguing match-ups including two divisional games. The NBA has switched back to the old ball for the remainder of the 2007 season and it has interesting storylines such as Allen Iverson now playing for the Denver Nuggets, whether or not the Phoenix Suns can actually win the Western Conference, and is the Eastern Conference really that bad.
In addition to the stories that take place within the lines of play, there have been a couple of important off the field stories. First, I would like to send my heartfelt prayers to the family of Denver Broncos Cornerback (CB) Darrent Williams. Williams was murdered the morning of January 1st in Denver, the victim of a drive-by shooting. When I first heard about this, I felt a couple of different emotions. I immediately felt sadness for both of his families (the Denver Broncos and his blood relatives). Next I felt anger and despair at the fact that the New Year began with the murder of another young black athlete. When we closed 2006 talking about athletes and guns, members of the media wondered, and often asked “Why are athletes making millions of dollars out partying late at night?” Being the ripe old age of 25, I understand both sides of the argument. After a long week of working, you often want to go out and do some partying before the next work week begins. However, everyone who goes out should, actually, must be aware of their surroundings.
In the end, athletes will always be susceptible to this type of violence. A main reason is the way our society is shaped. We place a lot of emphasis on athletes, actors and other entertainers. We study their life, how much money they make, How much they spend, etc, so to me it’s, unfortunately, not really a shock to me when they sadly are attacked or involved in some form of violence. I could go on about this further, but there is more to talk about.
The next major off the field move is Nick Saban and his departure from the Miami Dolphins to the University of Alabama. If you haven’t heard, Nick Saban will be the new coach at the University of Alabama for the 2007 season. He resigned from his former job as Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins on January 3, 2007, after saying, rather emphatically, that he would not do so. There are other circumstances such as the contract ($32 million guaranteed) and Saban’s NFL record (a mediocre 15-17) but the bottom line is that: 1) Saban loved to coach college football; 2) Saban was/is better at coaching college football and 3) the contract was for $32 million dollars guaranteed. I’m sorry but there aren’t a lot of people in the world who wouldn’t switch jobs for $32 million dollars. I think there are some in the Dolphins organization who understand Saban’s decision and of course some who don’t, but if Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga can wish Saban well then the rest of us should……should being the operative word there.
While on the subject of college football, let’s talk about the bowl season. The BCS, though far from perfect, can at least say that they provide great games. The #1 game thus far has been the Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma. The Broncos scored on a hook and ladder (not lateral, thanks Around the Horn © ESPN) play with seven seconds left to tie the game. This was after Oklahoma rallied from a 28-10 deficit to take a 35-28 lead. The suspenseful game continued into the overtime session as Oklahoma scored on their very first play. Boise State once again rallied to score, this time on a Wide Receiver pass on 4th and 2. This time Broncos Coach Chris Petersen decided to go for the two point conversion and the win. He called a modified version of the famed Statue of Liberty play and his players ran it to perfection which allowed Running Back Ian Johnson to run in the winning conversion. Then the storybook ending became complete when Johnson proposed to his girlfriend on the sidelines, who said yes, naturally.
Now if storybook endings aren’t your thing and you like total domination, the BCS has provided that as well. LSU and USC both followed similar blueprints as they defeated their BCS opponents; Notre Dame and Michigan, correspondingly. Both teams had dominant 2nd half performances led by juniors who are expected to leave early for the NFL. (QB JaMarcus Russell for LSU and WR Dwayne Jarrett for USC) Both teams also left themselves open to questions as to why these performances weren’t more prevalent during the season. In any event, both teams turned pre-game thrillers into laughers that tried to make you change the channel.
Wrapping up college football, I think the BCS title game, tonight at 8 PM, has a lot to live up to. I also think that it will live up to that billing. I think that Florida will shock the Buckeyes with their speed, plus the Gators will have a huge chip on their shoulder. Those two factors will allow the Gators to win 31-28.
With each passing year, one hopes to get wiser, contribute a little bit more, and leave a deeper mark. In that spirit I am trying to set this blog in a more concise manner. By the 13th of January, I would like to have a daily format to my blog so that I not only get my opinion out there, but I also touch upon a lot of subjects thus gaining knowledge about that sport and that topic. So that the beginning of my plan for this New Year. Check back later today as I talk about the first round of the NFL Playoffs, the NBA and other issues. Until then peace.
In addition to the stories that take place within the lines of play, there have been a couple of important off the field stories. First, I would like to send my heartfelt prayers to the family of Denver Broncos Cornerback (CB) Darrent Williams. Williams was murdered the morning of January 1st in Denver, the victim of a drive-by shooting. When I first heard about this, I felt a couple of different emotions. I immediately felt sadness for both of his families (the Denver Broncos and his blood relatives). Next I felt anger and despair at the fact that the New Year began with the murder of another young black athlete. When we closed 2006 talking about athletes and guns, members of the media wondered, and often asked “Why are athletes making millions of dollars out partying late at night?” Being the ripe old age of 25, I understand both sides of the argument. After a long week of working, you often want to go out and do some partying before the next work week begins. However, everyone who goes out should, actually, must be aware of their surroundings.
In the end, athletes will always be susceptible to this type of violence. A main reason is the way our society is shaped. We place a lot of emphasis on athletes, actors and other entertainers. We study their life, how much money they make, How much they spend, etc, so to me it’s, unfortunately, not really a shock to me when they sadly are attacked or involved in some form of violence. I could go on about this further, but there is more to talk about.
The next major off the field move is Nick Saban and his departure from the Miami Dolphins to the University of Alabama. If you haven’t heard, Nick Saban will be the new coach at the University of Alabama for the 2007 season. He resigned from his former job as Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins on January 3, 2007, after saying, rather emphatically, that he would not do so. There are other circumstances such as the contract ($32 million guaranteed) and Saban’s NFL record (a mediocre 15-17) but the bottom line is that: 1) Saban loved to coach college football; 2) Saban was/is better at coaching college football and 3) the contract was for $32 million dollars guaranteed. I’m sorry but there aren’t a lot of people in the world who wouldn’t switch jobs for $32 million dollars. I think there are some in the Dolphins organization who understand Saban’s decision and of course some who don’t, but if Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga can wish Saban well then the rest of us should……should being the operative word there.
While on the subject of college football, let’s talk about the bowl season. The BCS, though far from perfect, can at least say that they provide great games. The #1 game thus far has been the Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma. The Broncos scored on a hook and ladder (not lateral, thanks Around the Horn © ESPN) play with seven seconds left to tie the game. This was after Oklahoma rallied from a 28-10 deficit to take a 35-28 lead. The suspenseful game continued into the overtime session as Oklahoma scored on their very first play. Boise State once again rallied to score, this time on a Wide Receiver pass on 4th and 2. This time Broncos Coach Chris Petersen decided to go for the two point conversion and the win. He called a modified version of the famed Statue of Liberty play and his players ran it to perfection which allowed Running Back Ian Johnson to run in the winning conversion. Then the storybook ending became complete when Johnson proposed to his girlfriend on the sidelines, who said yes, naturally.
Now if storybook endings aren’t your thing and you like total domination, the BCS has provided that as well. LSU and USC both followed similar blueprints as they defeated their BCS opponents; Notre Dame and Michigan, correspondingly. Both teams had dominant 2nd half performances led by juniors who are expected to leave early for the NFL. (QB JaMarcus Russell for LSU and WR Dwayne Jarrett for USC) Both teams also left themselves open to questions as to why these performances weren’t more prevalent during the season. In any event, both teams turned pre-game thrillers into laughers that tried to make you change the channel.
Wrapping up college football, I think the BCS title game, tonight at 8 PM, has a lot to live up to. I also think that it will live up to that billing. I think that Florida will shock the Buckeyes with their speed, plus the Gators will have a huge chip on their shoulder. Those two factors will allow the Gators to win 31-28.
With each passing year, one hopes to get wiser, contribute a little bit more, and leave a deeper mark. In that spirit I am trying to set this blog in a more concise manner. By the 13th of January, I would like to have a daily format to my blog so that I not only get my opinion out there, but I also touch upon a lot of subjects thus gaining knowledge about that sport and that topic. So that the beginning of my plan for this New Year. Check back later today as I talk about the first round of the NFL Playoffs, the NBA and other issues. Until then peace.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
November 14, 2006
As I started to write this blog, I realized that I had a multitude of items to write about. There is an NFL recap, the start of the college basketball season, Tiger Woods losing his first golf tournament in months, and fresh hot stove material from baseball. However, after watching SportsCenter, it has become clearly evident that I have to start this blog talking about Bobby Knight.
By now, mostly everyone has seen the video of Knight “slapping” one of his players, Michael Prince, under his chin. I have watched clip after clip and heard analyst after analyst state their opinion on the subject and while I agree with most of their opinions, here is my take on the subject:
Bobby Knight has become like Terrell Owens in the public’s eye, meaning that anything he does will get a reaction. Whether this action is right or wrong is irrelevant, the bottom line is that any questionable action that he does will be scrutinized and talked about endlessly. I also feel that this is much ado about nothing. The kid and his parents found nothing wrong with it so neither should anyone else.
Now back to the rest of the world in sports. Week 10 of the NFL season ended last night as the Carolina Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-10. The victory moved the Panthers to 5-4 and right back into the playoff hunt. The Panthers have been one of this years most confusing teams. Even in the game last night, the Panthers played very very poorly in the first half and needed a turnover by the Bucs to jump start them in the second half. I think the Panthers have a star WR in Steve Smith, a stud defender in Julius Peppers, and a great coach in John Fox. But for whatever reason, they can’t run the ball and they do not play particularly well in the fourth quarter. For those two reasons primarily, I think the Panthers will make the playoffs but probably lose somewhere around the second round.
From the better late than never files, we have the first start of Jason Campbell this week. Campbell, a 2005 first round draft pick of the Washington Redskins, is taking over a 3-6 team with a lousy defense, and now he gets to show off his arm in Offensive Coordinator Al Saunders’s offense. I think its absolutely crazy that Campbell has not a least played in mop-up duty to make this start a little easier Though that didn’t happen, I think the kid will be ready and play a good game overall.
In baseball news, the Washington Nationals have named Manny Acta their new manager. While I don’t know much about Acta, the few articles I have read about him, have held him in high regard. With a young manager, a new stadium in 2008 and a young budding star (third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, 2006 NL Rookie of the Year Runner Up) the Nationals appear to be moving in the right direction. Well that’s all for now. Until next time, peace.
By now, mostly everyone has seen the video of Knight “slapping” one of his players, Michael Prince, under his chin. I have watched clip after clip and heard analyst after analyst state their opinion on the subject and while I agree with most of their opinions, here is my take on the subject:
Bobby Knight has become like Terrell Owens in the public’s eye, meaning that anything he does will get a reaction. Whether this action is right or wrong is irrelevant, the bottom line is that any questionable action that he does will be scrutinized and talked about endlessly. I also feel that this is much ado about nothing. The kid and his parents found nothing wrong with it so neither should anyone else.
Now back to the rest of the world in sports. Week 10 of the NFL season ended last night as the Carolina Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-10. The victory moved the Panthers to 5-4 and right back into the playoff hunt. The Panthers have been one of this years most confusing teams. Even in the game last night, the Panthers played very very poorly in the first half and needed a turnover by the Bucs to jump start them in the second half. I think the Panthers have a star WR in Steve Smith, a stud defender in Julius Peppers, and a great coach in John Fox. But for whatever reason, they can’t run the ball and they do not play particularly well in the fourth quarter. For those two reasons primarily, I think the Panthers will make the playoffs but probably lose somewhere around the second round.
From the better late than never files, we have the first start of Jason Campbell this week. Campbell, a 2005 first round draft pick of the Washington Redskins, is taking over a 3-6 team with a lousy defense, and now he gets to show off his arm in Offensive Coordinator Al Saunders’s offense. I think its absolutely crazy that Campbell has not a least played in mop-up duty to make this start a little easier Though that didn’t happen, I think the kid will be ready and play a good game overall.
In baseball news, the Washington Nationals have named Manny Acta their new manager. While I don’t know much about Acta, the few articles I have read about him, have held him in high regard. With a young manager, a new stadium in 2008 and a young budding star (third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, 2006 NL Rookie of the Year Runner Up) the Nationals appear to be moving in the right direction. Well that’s all for now. Until next time, peace.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
November 12, 2006- Shake Up Saturday
Well, well, well. What do you have to say now Mr. Corso? Of course I am talking about ESPN analyst Lee Corso, who on Thursday night proclaimed that Rutgers could finish the season undefeated and still not lay for the BCS National Championship. Now I try to live in reality as much as possible, and I know it would still be a long shot for Rutgers to make it considering they still have to travel to West Virginia early in December, but to proclaim Rutgers out already after punishing Louisville is absurd. And when the teams Corso bring up, go out and lose on Saturday, it makes his argument seemed flawed.
I won’t get on Corso too much because the whole BCS system is flawed. It gives an unfair advantage to established football program that have a history. The system does this by including preseason polls when determining the BCS rankings. Preseason polls mean nothing. Take the seasons of Florida State and Miami for example. Both teams were ranked in the Top 20 preseason polls of ESPN and Sports Illustrated. After yesterday’s action, both teams are unranked and each has five losses.
Other case studies include Iowa, ranked 11th in ESPN’s preseason poll, now unranked with a record of 6-5; Arizona State, ranked 16th in Sports Illustrated’s preseason poll, now they are unranked with four losses.
Notice I didn’t mention any SEC teams. I did this because I wanted to talk about these teams and this conference specifically. All year analysts have been touting this conference as one of the best, if not the best in the nation. I really don’t have a problem agreeing with this, but when no team stands out in a conference, it makes it hard for me to say that the conference champion (who will have at least one loss) should play for the BCS title when there are undefeated teams for other power conferences. Fact of the matter is that LSU has two losses, Auburn has gotten blown out at home TWICE, and Florida can’t seem to score anymore than 20 points against ANYONE.
I’ll wrap up this portion on college football by asking this: If an undefeated team from the Big East has ZERO chance to play in the BCS title game, why are there 117 teams in D-I football? Why not just do the preseason rankings and only let those 25 teams play?
As for the biggest game of the year in college football, I think it will be a great game between Michigan and Ohio State. I’m a Michigan fan but as I have watched them, smart, mobile QBs give their defense trouble. With Troy Smith and being at home, I think Ohio State pulls the game out late and wins 20-17 (As a tear streams down my face)
As for Ohio State’s opponent in the BCS title game, I think USC will run the table and slide into that #2 BCS slot. Though their schedule is brutal (@ home against Cal and Notre Dame, and at UCLA), they are starting to jell on offense and they have one of the best receiving core in nation with Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett. I also think that Pete Carroll knows his team very well and will keep them focused and get them to another epic, though less publicized title game.
In other college news, there were some great finishes. Florida escaped by blocking a game winning FG attempt as time expired, while Nebraska won a Zac Taylor touchdown with 21 seconds left. Arizona contributed to Shake Up Saturday by giving Cal its 2nd loss of the season. At the start of November, it was said that this November in college football would be one to remember. Thus far, those prophets have been more than right on that call. Until next time, peace.
I won’t get on Corso too much because the whole BCS system is flawed. It gives an unfair advantage to established football program that have a history. The system does this by including preseason polls when determining the BCS rankings. Preseason polls mean nothing. Take the seasons of Florida State and Miami for example. Both teams were ranked in the Top 20 preseason polls of ESPN and Sports Illustrated. After yesterday’s action, both teams are unranked and each has five losses.
Other case studies include Iowa, ranked 11th in ESPN’s preseason poll, now unranked with a record of 6-5; Arizona State, ranked 16th in Sports Illustrated’s preseason poll, now they are unranked with four losses.
Notice I didn’t mention any SEC teams. I did this because I wanted to talk about these teams and this conference specifically. All year analysts have been touting this conference as one of the best, if not the best in the nation. I really don’t have a problem agreeing with this, but when no team stands out in a conference, it makes it hard for me to say that the conference champion (who will have at least one loss) should play for the BCS title when there are undefeated teams for other power conferences. Fact of the matter is that LSU has two losses, Auburn has gotten blown out at home TWICE, and Florida can’t seem to score anymore than 20 points against ANYONE.
I’ll wrap up this portion on college football by asking this: If an undefeated team from the Big East has ZERO chance to play in the BCS title game, why are there 117 teams in D-I football? Why not just do the preseason rankings and only let those 25 teams play?
As for the biggest game of the year in college football, I think it will be a great game between Michigan and Ohio State. I’m a Michigan fan but as I have watched them, smart, mobile QBs give their defense trouble. With Troy Smith and being at home, I think Ohio State pulls the game out late and wins 20-17 (As a tear streams down my face)
As for Ohio State’s opponent in the BCS title game, I think USC will run the table and slide into that #2 BCS slot. Though their schedule is brutal (@ home against Cal and Notre Dame, and at UCLA), they are starting to jell on offense and they have one of the best receiving core in nation with Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett. I also think that Pete Carroll knows his team very well and will keep them focused and get them to another epic, though less publicized title game.
In other college news, there were some great finishes. Florida escaped by blocking a game winning FG attempt as time expired, while Nebraska won a Zac Taylor touchdown with 21 seconds left. Arizona contributed to Shake Up Saturday by giving Cal its 2nd loss of the season. At the start of November, it was said that this November in college football would be one to remember. Thus far, those prophets have been more than right on that call. Until next time, peace.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
October 26, 2006
With Game 4 of the World Series bet, there was a lull in Wednesday’s sporting events. This gives me the chance to sit down and start looking at the upcoming NBA season.
The 2006 NBA season starts on Tuesday and between now and then I’ll go through and play Nostradamus, predicating each division winner, playoff participants and eventual NBA Finals Champion.
Starting with the Atlantic division of the Eastern Conference, where the New Jersey Nets look to be the strongest team. Not only are the Nets the defending division winner, they added very helpful pieces such as rookies Marcus Williams and Josh Boone. Both Boone and Williams can provide immediate help in areas that the Nets need: a backup PG for Jason Kidd, and rebounding help. These additions will help New Jersey’s Big Three of Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter, get some rest during the season and be somewhat rested for the playoffs. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a contract year for Carter, which should produce better play from him.
Besides the Nets, this division looks to be pretty bad. The rest of the teams in this division all have major flaws with them. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers have the blueprint of having one superstar (Paul Pierce and Allen Iverson, respectively) with flawed core players around them. For Pierce he has a shoot first PG in Sebastian Telfair, who plays like his cousin, Stephon Marbury, meaning that the team will lose but Telfair’s stats will be ok. Iverson’s cast, though slightly better than Pierce’s, still too often stands around and watch AI do his thing.
At least those teams don’t have the problems of the New York Knicks. After their worst season in 20 years, Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is gone. In Brown’s place is General Manager Isiah Thomas will now coach the team. Things aren’t all that rosy for Thomas as owner James Dolan placed a win-or-else mantra on Thomas. Further complicating matters is the Knicks’ roster, which has no less than five guards and no inside presence to speak of. These guards, who include Jalen Rose, Stephon Marbury, and Steve Francis, are notorious for needing the ball to play effectively. To me, this all adds up to another very long season for the Knicks.
The wild card team of this division is the Toronto Raptors. Incoming General Manager Bryan Colangelo is attempting to copy his blueprint he perfected with the Phoenix Suns, adding PG TJ Ford with PF Chris Bosh to become, hopefully, the Eastern Conference’s version of Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. In addition to Ford, # 1 Draft Pick Andrea Bargnani, free agent Rasho Nesterovic, and Anthony Parker also join this squad so it’s really a crap shot as to how they’ll finish. Well here is how I think the Atlantic division will turn out:
1) New Jersey Nets
2) Philadelphia 76ers
3) Toronto Raptors
4) Boston Celtics
5) New York Knicks
Well that is all for now. Hopefully the weather in St. Louis will cooperate and Game 4 of the World Series will be played. Either way, check back tomorrow as I at least preview the Eastern Conference’s Southeast division. Until then, peace.
The 2006 NBA season starts on Tuesday and between now and then I’ll go through and play Nostradamus, predicating each division winner, playoff participants and eventual NBA Finals Champion.
Starting with the Atlantic division of the Eastern Conference, where the New Jersey Nets look to be the strongest team. Not only are the Nets the defending division winner, they added very helpful pieces such as rookies Marcus Williams and Josh Boone. Both Boone and Williams can provide immediate help in areas that the Nets need: a backup PG for Jason Kidd, and rebounding help. These additions will help New Jersey’s Big Three of Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter, get some rest during the season and be somewhat rested for the playoffs. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a contract year for Carter, which should produce better play from him.
Besides the Nets, this division looks to be pretty bad. The rest of the teams in this division all have major flaws with them. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers have the blueprint of having one superstar (Paul Pierce and Allen Iverson, respectively) with flawed core players around them. For Pierce he has a shoot first PG in Sebastian Telfair, who plays like his cousin, Stephon Marbury, meaning that the team will lose but Telfair’s stats will be ok. Iverson’s cast, though slightly better than Pierce’s, still too often stands around and watch AI do his thing.
At least those teams don’t have the problems of the New York Knicks. After their worst season in 20 years, Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is gone. In Brown’s place is General Manager Isiah Thomas will now coach the team. Things aren’t all that rosy for Thomas as owner James Dolan placed a win-or-else mantra on Thomas. Further complicating matters is the Knicks’ roster, which has no less than five guards and no inside presence to speak of. These guards, who include Jalen Rose, Stephon Marbury, and Steve Francis, are notorious for needing the ball to play effectively. To me, this all adds up to another very long season for the Knicks.
The wild card team of this division is the Toronto Raptors. Incoming General Manager Bryan Colangelo is attempting to copy his blueprint he perfected with the Phoenix Suns, adding PG TJ Ford with PF Chris Bosh to become, hopefully, the Eastern Conference’s version of Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. In addition to Ford, # 1 Draft Pick Andrea Bargnani, free agent Rasho Nesterovic, and Anthony Parker also join this squad so it’s really a crap shot as to how they’ll finish. Well here is how I think the Atlantic division will turn out:
1) New Jersey Nets
2) Philadelphia 76ers
3) Toronto Raptors
4) Boston Celtics
5) New York Knicks
Well that is all for now. Hopefully the weather in St. Louis will cooperate and Game 4 of the World Series will be played. Either way, check back tomorrow as I at least preview the Eastern Conference’s Southeast division. Until then, peace.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
October 25, 2006
One great pitching game deservers another, seems to be the MO for this year’s World Series. One day after Kenny Rogers pitched the Tigers back into the Series, Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter pitched the Tigers to another must win game with his eight shut-out innings, allowing only three hits. He faced only two batters over the minimum and threw only 82 pitches. Also, unlike his counterpart Rogers, Carpenter was not accused of having any substance on his hand.
I joke about the fiasco but Carpenter helped to put that to rest by just dominating the Tigers. Only first baseman Sean Casey and third baseman Brandon Inge had hits and three Tiger players (2B Placido Planco, CF Curtis Granderson, and C Ivan Rodriguez) continued to not have any hits in the World Series. This issue has caused Tigers Manager Jim Leyland to seriously think about some major line-up changes before Wednesday’s Game 4.
Leyland needs to find some spark because the Tigers do not want to fall behind 3 games to 1 since the odds of overcoming that deficit aren’t very good.
Well that’s all for now. Stay tuned as I’ll start my NBA preview in the coming days with the NBA season looking to begin next week. Until then, peace.
I joke about the fiasco but Carpenter helped to put that to rest by just dominating the Tigers. Only first baseman Sean Casey and third baseman Brandon Inge had hits and three Tiger players (2B Placido Planco, CF Curtis Granderson, and C Ivan Rodriguez) continued to not have any hits in the World Series. This issue has caused Tigers Manager Jim Leyland to seriously think about some major line-up changes before Wednesday’s Game 4.
Leyland needs to find some spark because the Tigers do not want to fall behind 3 games to 1 since the odds of overcoming that deficit aren’t very good.
Well that’s all for now. Stay tuned as I’ll start my NBA preview in the coming days with the NBA season looking to begin next week. Until then, peace.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
October 24, 2006
Back in the lab again. First I’ll start by saying that I broadcasted my first game last night, the Monday Night Football game between the NY Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. I did ok, but there is plenty of room for improvement on my part. It’s a fun thing to do and I cannot wait to do it in person at a stadium where I can have access to interview quotes, the entire field, and things of that nature.
As for the game itself, Dallas made a change at QB, which could have huge ramifications on their season. At the beginning of the second half Drew Bledsoe was replaced by Tony Romo. Drew had an awful first half, being sacked four times (once for a safety) and threw a terrible interception as the Cowboys were driving to take the lead at the end of the first half. In fairness to Drew, though, two of the sacks weren’t his fault as the line provided no blocking but the interception really sealed his fate.
Romo came in and showed flashes of why Parcells made the change. However his play also showed his inexperience, throwing two costly interceptions including one that was returned for the game clinching score. I think Parcells made the right move because Drew can’t escape the rush. With a full week of practice with the first teamers, I think Romo will develop rapidly and help improve the offense of the Cowboys.
While the Cowboys have their own set of problems, the Chargers also have pressing issues of their own. They learned that they may lose LB Shawne Merriman for four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy on steroids. Now Merriman will appeal the situation saying the steroid he is accused of taking was in his system because it was in an over-the-counter supplement. Personally I think his appeal will be denied. In the past couple of years the news has been littered with stories of professional athletes using steroids and quite frankly, blaming them on over-the-counter supplements is getting old. These days you have to be smarter when taking supplements. Just my opinion.
Merriman’s alma mater, Maryland did something good this weekend in college football. They moved one victory closer to becoming bowl eligible by virtue of their 26-20 win over NC State. However their schedule is really tough with four of their five last opponents only having one conference loss and the fifth opponent is Florida State, they should be able to pull out the one victory needed to become bowl eligible.
Other interesting things from the weekend in college football include fast paced finishes by Notre Dame, Texas and Miami in their victories over UCLA, Nebraska and Duke respective. Ohio State and Michigan appear headed on a collision course to a November 18th showdown for all the marbles (the Big Ten Championship, as well a spot in the National Title Game). Man I need to see if I can get tickets to that game because I know its going to be a crazy atmosphere.
All of November will be crazy in college football. In addition to that heavyweight slugfest, the month is littered with high powered games like West Virginia versus Louisville on November 2nd, USC versus Cal on November 18th and then USC again this time versus Notre Dame on November 25th. All of these games will have serious BCS implications. What a month it’s about to be.
While November is primarily for college football, this time is for football and the World Series. In this year’s Fall Classic, the Detroit Tigers are tied one game apiece with the St. Louis Cardinals after another postseason gem from Kenny Rogers. Unlike his first two wins however, this one is causing a bit of a stir. The Cardinals think that there was a foreign substance on the left hand of Rogers. This is important because if there was, the rule is that that player is immediately ejected and also suspended 10 days. However the Cardinals never made a formal request for the umpires to check Rogers’s hand and by the top of the second inning the “substance” was gone.
Now once again, the supposedly squeaky clean game of baseball has a scandal. Look the Cardinal didn’t tell the umpires to check so they can’t cry about it now. On Fox, they (Fox) showed he had the same spot of “substance” in his starts against the Yankees and Athletics, and neither of those teams had him checked either. And another fact to remember is that after the “substance” was removed, Rogers still went out there and pitched seven more great innings of baseball. If I were associated with the Cardinals, I would focus less on this and more on Game 3, because this situation is starting to look like the controversial incident that the White Sox when they won the World Series last year.
Well that’s all for now. Check back tomorrow and see what I think about Game 3 of the World Series. Until next time, peace.
As for the game itself, Dallas made a change at QB, which could have huge ramifications on their season. At the beginning of the second half Drew Bledsoe was replaced by Tony Romo. Drew had an awful first half, being sacked four times (once for a safety) and threw a terrible interception as the Cowboys were driving to take the lead at the end of the first half. In fairness to Drew, though, two of the sacks weren’t his fault as the line provided no blocking but the interception really sealed his fate.
Romo came in and showed flashes of why Parcells made the change. However his play also showed his inexperience, throwing two costly interceptions including one that was returned for the game clinching score. I think Parcells made the right move because Drew can’t escape the rush. With a full week of practice with the first teamers, I think Romo will develop rapidly and help improve the offense of the Cowboys.
While the Cowboys have their own set of problems, the Chargers also have pressing issues of their own. They learned that they may lose LB Shawne Merriman for four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy on steroids. Now Merriman will appeal the situation saying the steroid he is accused of taking was in his system because it was in an over-the-counter supplement. Personally I think his appeal will be denied. In the past couple of years the news has been littered with stories of professional athletes using steroids and quite frankly, blaming them on over-the-counter supplements is getting old. These days you have to be smarter when taking supplements. Just my opinion.
Merriman’s alma mater, Maryland did something good this weekend in college football. They moved one victory closer to becoming bowl eligible by virtue of their 26-20 win over NC State. However their schedule is really tough with four of their five last opponents only having one conference loss and the fifth opponent is Florida State, they should be able to pull out the one victory needed to become bowl eligible.
Other interesting things from the weekend in college football include fast paced finishes by Notre Dame, Texas and Miami in their victories over UCLA, Nebraska and Duke respective. Ohio State and Michigan appear headed on a collision course to a November 18th showdown for all the marbles (the Big Ten Championship, as well a spot in the National Title Game). Man I need to see if I can get tickets to that game because I know its going to be a crazy atmosphere.
All of November will be crazy in college football. In addition to that heavyweight slugfest, the month is littered with high powered games like West Virginia versus Louisville on November 2nd, USC versus Cal on November 18th and then USC again this time versus Notre Dame on November 25th. All of these games will have serious BCS implications. What a month it’s about to be.
While November is primarily for college football, this time is for football and the World Series. In this year’s Fall Classic, the Detroit Tigers are tied one game apiece with the St. Louis Cardinals after another postseason gem from Kenny Rogers. Unlike his first two wins however, this one is causing a bit of a stir. The Cardinals think that there was a foreign substance on the left hand of Rogers. This is important because if there was, the rule is that that player is immediately ejected and also suspended 10 days. However the Cardinals never made a formal request for the umpires to check Rogers’s hand and by the top of the second inning the “substance” was gone.
Now once again, the supposedly squeaky clean game of baseball has a scandal. Look the Cardinal didn’t tell the umpires to check so they can’t cry about it now. On Fox, they (Fox) showed he had the same spot of “substance” in his starts against the Yankees and Athletics, and neither of those teams had him checked either. And another fact to remember is that after the “substance” was removed, Rogers still went out there and pitched seven more great innings of baseball. If I were associated with the Cardinals, I would focus less on this and more on Game 3, because this situation is starting to look like the controversial incident that the White Sox when they won the World Series last year.
Well that’s all for now. Check back tomorrow and see what I think about Game 3 of the World Series. Until next time, peace.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
October 18, 2006
I want to start today’s blog talking about the “feud” between African-American sports journalists Scoop Jackson and Jason Whitlock. They have taken decidedly different views on a study, which was done by Richard Lapchick. The study basically concluded that the newspaper industry has done a bad job of having minority diversity at the editor level. While both journalists agree that this is true, the reasoning behind their ideas is where the battle lines are drawn.
Whitlock believes (as it appears to me) that African-Americans have not only not prepared ourselves to become editors but also that we are not interested in becoming major newspaper editors as well as other professions such as college coaches of major sports. Jackson believes that a major part of the reason African-American college students and African-Americans in general, don’t pursue these professions is because of the lack of minorities in these fields. I see both sides of the argument, but my personal belief falls closer to Scoop’s point of view.
My degree is a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. As I finished my senior year, I noticed that I would not be happy making a living doing chemical engineering work, and that I loved the world of sports and writing about it. I started to come to this conclusion while watching the rise of sports debate shows, especially The Sports Reporters, Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption on ESPN. On these shows, I have seen many journalists (both minority and majority) debate their views, and each brings a special flavor. I love hearing these views and even arguing with my TV in a sort of mock debate with them.
I must confess that I do get more enthused when I see someone who looks like me on the show, and I’m not sure if Mr. Whitlock understands the effect of seeing someone of your race successfully doing something that you are interested in doing. I know that anything worth doing requires a lot of hard work, and I also know that because of a lack of minorities in the newspaper industry already, my work will be further scrutinized.
I appreciate the truth and honestly the Mr., Jackson’s column provided. I already know of the hard work I personally must do and it is a great feeling to be conscious of the barriers you help to break down when achieving your goals. In wrapping up this section, I will say that I will miss Mr. Whitlock’s 10 NFL Truths (Apparently, Mr. Whitlock has resigned as a contributing writer to ESPN.com) , I will continue to read Mr. Jackson’s column and I hope to meet both of these good sports journalists in the future. Even though they have different viewpoints on the issue, they both should take happiness in the fact that I, an aspiring minority sports journalist, will continue to push forward and help to make the changes they desperately both want to see.
Not that I have discussed that topic, I can go back and review the previous NFL weekend. The Monday Night Football game was a thriller. Matt Leinart is continuing to show that he really was the most prepared NFL QB coming out of college. Though the Arizona Cardinals lost the game to the Chicago Bears, Leinart threw two touchdowns against the vaulted Bears defense and also put his team in position to win the game with a late field goal. That’s now two straight weeks where Leinart has performed coolly and calmly in the clutch. All that aside though, the Bears found a way to win and now they are 6-0 heading into their bye week.
Leinart’s backfield mate at USC, Reggie Bush and his team, the New Orleans Saints have to be one of the league’s heartwarming stories. They are undefeated at home and right now they have the upper hand when it comes to the NFC South Divisional title and the playoff birth that comes along with it. Bush is close to the league lead in receptions and just his presence on the field has opened up running lanes for Deuce McAllister and passing lanes for Drew Brees.
As much as the Saints are the touching story of the NFL, the Detroit Tigers are that story of MLB. They are already in the World Series after a 4-0 sweep of the Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series. They await the winner of the National League Championship Series, which at the current moment is being led by the St. Louis Cardinals 3 games to 2 after the Cardinals 4-2 win on Tuesday night. The World Series is scheduled to begin on Saturday in Detroit, where the Tigers will look to finish their storybook season.
Well that’s all for now, check back tomorrow as the outcome of Game 6 of the NLCS is discussed. Until then, peace.
Jason Whitlock's Column
Scoop Jackson's Column
Whitlock believes (as it appears to me) that African-Americans have not only not prepared ourselves to become editors but also that we are not interested in becoming major newspaper editors as well as other professions such as college coaches of major sports. Jackson believes that a major part of the reason African-American college students and African-Americans in general, don’t pursue these professions is because of the lack of minorities in these fields. I see both sides of the argument, but my personal belief falls closer to Scoop’s point of view.
My degree is a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. As I finished my senior year, I noticed that I would not be happy making a living doing chemical engineering work, and that I loved the world of sports and writing about it. I started to come to this conclusion while watching the rise of sports debate shows, especially The Sports Reporters, Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption on ESPN. On these shows, I have seen many journalists (both minority and majority) debate their views, and each brings a special flavor. I love hearing these views and even arguing with my TV in a sort of mock debate with them.
I must confess that I do get more enthused when I see someone who looks like me on the show, and I’m not sure if Mr. Whitlock understands the effect of seeing someone of your race successfully doing something that you are interested in doing. I know that anything worth doing requires a lot of hard work, and I also know that because of a lack of minorities in the newspaper industry already, my work will be further scrutinized.
I appreciate the truth and honestly the Mr., Jackson’s column provided. I already know of the hard work I personally must do and it is a great feeling to be conscious of the barriers you help to break down when achieving your goals. In wrapping up this section, I will say that I will miss Mr. Whitlock’s 10 NFL Truths (Apparently, Mr. Whitlock has resigned as a contributing writer to ESPN.com) , I will continue to read Mr. Jackson’s column and I hope to meet both of these good sports journalists in the future. Even though they have different viewpoints on the issue, they both should take happiness in the fact that I, an aspiring minority sports journalist, will continue to push forward and help to make the changes they desperately both want to see.
Not that I have discussed that topic, I can go back and review the previous NFL weekend. The Monday Night Football game was a thriller. Matt Leinart is continuing to show that he really was the most prepared NFL QB coming out of college. Though the Arizona Cardinals lost the game to the Chicago Bears, Leinart threw two touchdowns against the vaulted Bears defense and also put his team in position to win the game with a late field goal. That’s now two straight weeks where Leinart has performed coolly and calmly in the clutch. All that aside though, the Bears found a way to win and now they are 6-0 heading into their bye week.
Leinart’s backfield mate at USC, Reggie Bush and his team, the New Orleans Saints have to be one of the league’s heartwarming stories. They are undefeated at home and right now they have the upper hand when it comes to the NFC South Divisional title and the playoff birth that comes along with it. Bush is close to the league lead in receptions and just his presence on the field has opened up running lanes for Deuce McAllister and passing lanes for Drew Brees.
As much as the Saints are the touching story of the NFL, the Detroit Tigers are that story of MLB. They are already in the World Series after a 4-0 sweep of the Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series. They await the winner of the National League Championship Series, which at the current moment is being led by the St. Louis Cardinals 3 games to 2 after the Cardinals 4-2 win on Tuesday night. The World Series is scheduled to begin on Saturday in Detroit, where the Tigers will look to finish their storybook season.
Well that’s all for now, check back tomorrow as the outcome of Game 6 of the NLCS is discussed. Until then, peace.
Jason Whitlock's Column
Scoop Jackson's Column
Thursday, September 21, 2006
September 21, 2006
It’s Thursday, and the middle of the week has passed. Instead of looking ahead to the upcoming weekend, I have to start by speaking on a game that took place last weekend. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma’s head football coach is still ranting and raving about the official’s bad calls during their game against the Oregon Ducks. Now, I’m not saying that his anger isn't justified. The officials did absolutely blow the calls. And the replay reviewer blew the calls again.
Despite all that however, Okalahoma still lost the game on the field. They had a chance to make a play and didn’t. Oregon did. Stoops needs to stop focusing on the past and focus on their next opponent and in the long term vision, the rest of the season. All they can do now is move forward. If they win out, then they can come back and make some serious noise but not before. If they go out and lose again, this game becomes moot. Lose twice, and Stoops will look like he was trying to mask a flawed team. Even if that’s his coaching tactic, this whole situation will make him look desperate.
In other college football news, Penn State travels to Ohio State this weekend. Ohio State looks virtually unstoppable on offense and the defense, though young, has proved to be very opportunistic. Led by LB James Laurinaitis, the defense has forced six (6) turnovers in three (3) games. While I like the young playmakers on Penn State’s offense, they didn’t fare well in their last road test against Notre Dame, and unfortunately I see a repeat of that day. Ohio State forces their young QB, Anthony Morelli into some crucial turnovers and wins by at least 10 points.
As baseball moves into their home stretch, only two divisional races are up for grabs. The NL West and the AL Central races are going right up to the end, with the second place team likely getting the wild card spot in their respective leagues. I’m going to go with the Detroit Tigers and the L.A. Dodgers to win their particular divisions with the Minnesota Twins and the S.D. Padres getting the wild card spots.
Well with the weekend being one day closer, I am getting more excited. Coming tomorrow is my NFL picks. After a bye week last weekend, I come back refreshed and looking to improve on my 9-7 record thus far. Until next time, peace.
Despite all that however, Okalahoma still lost the game on the field. They had a chance to make a play and didn’t. Oregon did. Stoops needs to stop focusing on the past and focus on their next opponent and in the long term vision, the rest of the season. All they can do now is move forward. If they win out, then they can come back and make some serious noise but not before. If they go out and lose again, this game becomes moot. Lose twice, and Stoops will look like he was trying to mask a flawed team. Even if that’s his coaching tactic, this whole situation will make him look desperate.
In other college football news, Penn State travels to Ohio State this weekend. Ohio State looks virtually unstoppable on offense and the defense, though young, has proved to be very opportunistic. Led by LB James Laurinaitis, the defense has forced six (6) turnovers in three (3) games. While I like the young playmakers on Penn State’s offense, they didn’t fare well in their last road test against Notre Dame, and unfortunately I see a repeat of that day. Ohio State forces their young QB, Anthony Morelli into some crucial turnovers and wins by at least 10 points.
As baseball moves into their home stretch, only two divisional races are up for grabs. The NL West and the AL Central races are going right up to the end, with the second place team likely getting the wild card spot in their respective leagues. I’m going to go with the Detroit Tigers and the L.A. Dodgers to win their particular divisions with the Minnesota Twins and the S.D. Padres getting the wild card spots.
Well with the weekend being one day closer, I am getting more excited. Coming tomorrow is my NFL picks. After a bye week last weekend, I come back refreshed and looking to improve on my 9-7 record thus far. Until next time, peace.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
September 14, 2006- Weekend Recap
Man what a weekend!!! I am just now returning back to “normal” form and a normal routine. Well that and I am just getting better from the stomach flu or something like that.
From college football to the NFL to the US Open, it was a busy weekend in sports. Its weekends like that that make me wish I had picture in picture on my TV. There is a lot for me to talk about so let’s begin.
Starting with the NFL, I stated the even though I wanted to get 75-80% of my game picks correct, I knew my first couple of weeks would be rough. Well I was certainly correct about that. After Week 1, I am 9-7, which is a good starting point, but it shows me I have a lot of work to do. Playing Thursday Morning Quarterback, let’s recap my picks and see where I went wrong or right.
Pittsburgh vs. Miami- I underestimated the Pittsburgh defense and overestimated Daunte Culpepper. A guy makes a comeback from a serious knee injury and I forgot how he played before he got hurt. Well he reminded me and the rest of us with two (2) terrible fourth quarter interceptions. I consider this a lesson learned.
Tampa Bay vs. Baltimore- The surprise of the week. It wasn’t the outcome of the game that shocked me but how the game was won. The Ravens came out and made a statement as their defense didn’t look old at all and Steve McNair looked really familiar with the Ravens offense. A very scary team considering that this was only Week 1.
Denver vs. St. Louis- If Jake Plummer continues to play like he did this past Sunday; the Jay Cutler Watch will start sooner rather than later. St. Louis won this game by doing what I thought Denver would do; run the ball and play good defense.
Tennessee vs. NY Jets- I should have said “The Jets have Chad Pennington”. Did he even have shoulder surgery? He looked great and he carried the Jets to victory.
New England vs. Buffalo- The first game I accurately picked the winner. And even this game was closer than expected. In the end, however New England found a way to win, which is what aspiring championship teams do.
Cincinnati vs. Kansas City- You know what else championship teams do? Win on the road using an efficient offense and hard-nosed defense. That’s exactly what Cincinnati did, holding Larry Johnson to 68 yards rushing. If their defense continues to play like this, the AFC North might become the toughest division in football.
Seattle vs. Detroit- Seattle tried really really really hard to lose this game. Oh, the Lions had something to do with that. The bigger problem, which Seattle attempted to fix with the acquisition of Deion Branch from the New England Patriots, is the offense lacked playmakers on the outside. I called it my “upset watch” game and in that regard I was dead-on.
Carolina vs. Atlanta- I got the basics of this game correct. Atlanta would try to run the ball. What I didn’t expect was that Atlanta would run the ball so effectively and I thought Carolina’s defense would play better. Well I was wrong, Atlanta won and I got another pick wrong.
Philadelphia vs. Houston- The one game I felt completely safe about all weekend. Donovan McNabb looked as if last year never happened, both on and off the field. Donte Stallworth looked very comfortable in the offense. However we shall see how real the Eagles are this week when they face NFC East opponent, the NY Giants.
Cleveland vs. New Orleans- Reggie Bush got twenty-two (22) touches and gained over 100 yards. Deuce McAllister got twenty-two (22) carries and close to 100 yards. Drew Brees looked good. All good signs as the Saints continue to build momentum for their home opener.
Jacksonville vs. Dallas- I got this one half right. TO did show up and had a pretty good game. What I didn’t account for was the stingy Jacksonville defense forcing Drew Bledsoe into three (3) interceptions, which cost Dallas the game. TO said all the right things after the game, but Bill Parcells also said that Tony Romo will get a shot. Now the only questions are when Romo will play and under what circumstances.
Chicago vs. Green Bay- Wow. I wonder what Brett Farve is thinking. You come back for one (1) more season and in your first home game of the year, you are shut out by your fiercest and oldest rival. Guess his preseason statement about this being the most talented (and young) Packers team were a little off, eh?
Arizona vs. San Francisco- Arizona opened their new home in style jumping out to a 21-7 lead before relaxing a bit and making the game score look closer than what it really was.
Indianapolis vs. NY Giants- The referees found a way to impact an Indianapolis game, again. This time a truly bogus offensive Pass Interference call backed the Giants up, and the Colts capitalized by forcing Eli Manning into a game clinching interception. More notable was that the Giants were able to flush Peyton Manning out of the pocket. The downside to that is that Peyton Manning was able to make plays outside of the pocket. Definitely, the most entertaining game of the weekend.
Washington vs. Minnesota- Watching the game, I feel very uneasy about the Redskins. Not only did they lose but their defense cost them the game. Against an average, at best, WR core, the Skins were routinely beat deep down field. This looms as a problem with TO and Terry Glenn waiting this week. The offense was ok, with Clinton Portis showing that he is ready to carry his share, and Santana Moss showed he is still his explosive self. Still worried about the defense though.
San Diego vs. Oakland- The Raiders are in 1st place in the 2007 Brady Quinn Sweepstakes. Enough said.
Well now that I have wrapped up discussion about the NFL, I can move to college football, which also wrapped up a pretty exciting weekend. Notre Dame answered questions about itself, dismantling Penn State and overmatched Quarterback Anthony Morelli. Ohio State put itself in the National Championship’s driver seat by going into Austin, Texas and beating the Longhorns 24-7. Troy Smith made plays when he needed to and Ted Ginn Jr. provided his usual spectacular play. The scariest part was that Ohio State’s defense forced three (3) turnovers and held a Top Three (3) team to only 7 points.
I have to give kudos to the Akron Zips and their head coach, JD Brookhart. Not only did he have the cajoles to go for the win on NC State’s home field, he also handled the classless criticism from NC State’s head coach Chuck Amato with grace and dignity. Coach Brookhart I applaud you.
Lastly, I would like to discuss the results of the final weekend of the US Open. Yes the US Open wrapped up last weekend and if you missed it, then you missed some good tennis. First on Saturday night, Maria Sharapova won her second Grand Slam, beating Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4. Then on Sunday, we (the fans) got the match we wanted to see. Once Andre Agassi was defeated, everyone hoped that Roger Federer and Andy Roddick would meet in the final. Well they did meet and with Tiger Woods in the stands watching, Federer won 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 for the 11th time in 12th tries. I have started to love the way Federer plays tennis. It’s like he feels the exact moment his opponent is starting to gain momentum and then he comes up with an improbable shot the further deflates his opponent. Quietly I am starting to really admire the hold Federer is tightening on the game of tennis.
Well I feel I have rambled on enough. Enjoy my thoughts on this past weekend and hopefully you will look for my next blog. Until next time, peace.
From college football to the NFL to the US Open, it was a busy weekend in sports. Its weekends like that that make me wish I had picture in picture on my TV. There is a lot for me to talk about so let’s begin.
Starting with the NFL, I stated the even though I wanted to get 75-80% of my game picks correct, I knew my first couple of weeks would be rough. Well I was certainly correct about that. After Week 1, I am 9-7, which is a good starting point, but it shows me I have a lot of work to do. Playing Thursday Morning Quarterback, let’s recap my picks and see where I went wrong or right.
Pittsburgh vs. Miami- I underestimated the Pittsburgh defense and overestimated Daunte Culpepper. A guy makes a comeback from a serious knee injury and I forgot how he played before he got hurt. Well he reminded me and the rest of us with two (2) terrible fourth quarter interceptions. I consider this a lesson learned.
Tampa Bay vs. Baltimore- The surprise of the week. It wasn’t the outcome of the game that shocked me but how the game was won. The Ravens came out and made a statement as their defense didn’t look old at all and Steve McNair looked really familiar with the Ravens offense. A very scary team considering that this was only Week 1.
Denver vs. St. Louis- If Jake Plummer continues to play like he did this past Sunday; the Jay Cutler Watch will start sooner rather than later. St. Louis won this game by doing what I thought Denver would do; run the ball and play good defense.
Tennessee vs. NY Jets- I should have said “The Jets have Chad Pennington”. Did he even have shoulder surgery? He looked great and he carried the Jets to victory.
New England vs. Buffalo- The first game I accurately picked the winner. And even this game was closer than expected. In the end, however New England found a way to win, which is what aspiring championship teams do.
Cincinnati vs. Kansas City- You know what else championship teams do? Win on the road using an efficient offense and hard-nosed defense. That’s exactly what Cincinnati did, holding Larry Johnson to 68 yards rushing. If their defense continues to play like this, the AFC North might become the toughest division in football.
Seattle vs. Detroit- Seattle tried really really really hard to lose this game. Oh, the Lions had something to do with that. The bigger problem, which Seattle attempted to fix with the acquisition of Deion Branch from the New England Patriots, is the offense lacked playmakers on the outside. I called it my “upset watch” game and in that regard I was dead-on.
Carolina vs. Atlanta- I got the basics of this game correct. Atlanta would try to run the ball. What I didn’t expect was that Atlanta would run the ball so effectively and I thought Carolina’s defense would play better. Well I was wrong, Atlanta won and I got another pick wrong.
Philadelphia vs. Houston- The one game I felt completely safe about all weekend. Donovan McNabb looked as if last year never happened, both on and off the field. Donte Stallworth looked very comfortable in the offense. However we shall see how real the Eagles are this week when they face NFC East opponent, the NY Giants.
Cleveland vs. New Orleans- Reggie Bush got twenty-two (22) touches and gained over 100 yards. Deuce McAllister got twenty-two (22) carries and close to 100 yards. Drew Brees looked good. All good signs as the Saints continue to build momentum for their home opener.
Jacksonville vs. Dallas- I got this one half right. TO did show up and had a pretty good game. What I didn’t account for was the stingy Jacksonville defense forcing Drew Bledsoe into three (3) interceptions, which cost Dallas the game. TO said all the right things after the game, but Bill Parcells also said that Tony Romo will get a shot. Now the only questions are when Romo will play and under what circumstances.
Chicago vs. Green Bay- Wow. I wonder what Brett Farve is thinking. You come back for one (1) more season and in your first home game of the year, you are shut out by your fiercest and oldest rival. Guess his preseason statement about this being the most talented (and young) Packers team were a little off, eh?
Arizona vs. San Francisco- Arizona opened their new home in style jumping out to a 21-7 lead before relaxing a bit and making the game score look closer than what it really was.
Indianapolis vs. NY Giants- The referees found a way to impact an Indianapolis game, again. This time a truly bogus offensive Pass Interference call backed the Giants up, and the Colts capitalized by forcing Eli Manning into a game clinching interception. More notable was that the Giants were able to flush Peyton Manning out of the pocket. The downside to that is that Peyton Manning was able to make plays outside of the pocket. Definitely, the most entertaining game of the weekend.
Washington vs. Minnesota- Watching the game, I feel very uneasy about the Redskins. Not only did they lose but their defense cost them the game. Against an average, at best, WR core, the Skins were routinely beat deep down field. This looms as a problem with TO and Terry Glenn waiting this week. The offense was ok, with Clinton Portis showing that he is ready to carry his share, and Santana Moss showed he is still his explosive self. Still worried about the defense though.
San Diego vs. Oakland- The Raiders are in 1st place in the 2007 Brady Quinn Sweepstakes. Enough said.
Well now that I have wrapped up discussion about the NFL, I can move to college football, which also wrapped up a pretty exciting weekend. Notre Dame answered questions about itself, dismantling Penn State and overmatched Quarterback Anthony Morelli. Ohio State put itself in the National Championship’s driver seat by going into Austin, Texas and beating the Longhorns 24-7. Troy Smith made plays when he needed to and Ted Ginn Jr. provided his usual spectacular play. The scariest part was that Ohio State’s defense forced three (3) turnovers and held a Top Three (3) team to only 7 points.
I have to give kudos to the Akron Zips and their head coach, JD Brookhart. Not only did he have the cajoles to go for the win on NC State’s home field, he also handled the classless criticism from NC State’s head coach Chuck Amato with grace and dignity. Coach Brookhart I applaud you.
Lastly, I would like to discuss the results of the final weekend of the US Open. Yes the US Open wrapped up last weekend and if you missed it, then you missed some good tennis. First on Saturday night, Maria Sharapova won her second Grand Slam, beating Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4. Then on Sunday, we (the fans) got the match we wanted to see. Once Andre Agassi was defeated, everyone hoped that Roger Federer and Andy Roddick would meet in the final. Well they did meet and with Tiger Woods in the stands watching, Federer won 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 for the 11th time in 12th tries. I have started to love the way Federer plays tennis. It’s like he feels the exact moment his opponent is starting to gain momentum and then he comes up with an improbable shot the further deflates his opponent. Quietly I am starting to really admire the hold Federer is tightening on the game of tennis.
Well I feel I have rambled on enough. Enjoy my thoughts on this past weekend and hopefully you will look for my next blog. Until next time, peace.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
September 7,2006- First Week NFL Picks
Ahhh, it is finally here, football season that is. The air smells different, the sky looks different. Ok maybe I am exaggerating just a little bit but you get the picture. One thing I want to do this season is really test how good my prognosticator skills are. So I will be doing weekly NFL picks and then comparing myself to those on ESPN, FOX, CBS, etc. I expect to start off slow, as teams begin to define themselves. By the end of year, I want to be getting 75-80% of my picks right. Lofty expectations I know, but I plan to reach them. And so without further adieu, here are my Week 1 NFL picks.
- Pittsburgh vs. Miami- Without Big Ben, I don’t think Pittsburgh has enough firepower to stay with Miami. Though the home crowd will keep them in it, I think Miami will slip by.
- Tampa Bay vs. Baltimore- In a match-up of defenses that could age fast, I think Chris Simms has more experience, in his offense that is, than his counterpart, Steve McNair. So while McNair and the Ravens work out the kinks, Tampa Bay will win this defensive battle.
- Denver vs. St. Louis- Denver will begin their AFC West title defense by running all over St. Louis.
- Tennessee vs. NY Jets- Tennessee has Vince Young. The Jets do not. Is it really that simple? Of course not, but in the end I think Tennessee will win because of more weapons, with one of those weapons being Vince Young.
- New England vs. Buffalo- New England tries to gear up for another Super Bowl run by taking it to Buffalo, a team with QB problems. Actually they have a lot of problems.
- Cincinnati vs. Kansas City- I was tempted to take K.C. because of Larry Johnson, then I remembered that the Chiefs still cant tackle anyone and the Bengals have a lot more firepower so in a shoot-out give me the team with the most bullets. In this case that’s Cincinnati.
- Seattle vs. Detroit- The upset watch game. Detroit has a new coach who is cleaning house. The Seahawks are still smarting over their Super Bowl loss. It wouldn’t shock me that Detroit would come out inspired, while Seattle could play flat as a board. Although it wouldn’t shock me, I don’t think it will happen. Too many old Detroit players still around and Seattle wins.
- Carolina vs. Atlanta- Right out of the gate, the NFC South will begin to bang each other around. Carolina has always played Michael Vick tough. This year Vick begins the season with a banged up receiving core, so look for the Falcons to run more than they already do. Carolina has injury problems of its own as star receiver Steve Smith is questionable with a hamstring injury. At home I think Delhomme and the Panthers find a way to get it done.
- Philadelphia vs. Houston- I so want to go against the Eagles. I think they have helped to keep this TO fiasco alive and for an organization the “does things the right way” supposedly, I found that upsetting. However, one team that upset me more was the Houston Texans. They passed on Reggie Bush, saying they had Dominick Davis. Well now Dominick Davis is hurt and Reggie Bush looks like the perfect back to fit in with the zone blocking scheme of new coach Gary Kubiak. And I’m not sold on Mario Williams. He didn’t make enough plays in college when he had 3 other first round picks playing with him to occupy blockers and give him one-on-one opportunities. Only time will tell though. Philly wins because of McNabb. He is ready to dispel any thought that he needs TO. He’ll do it this week, as for the rest of the season, time will tell.
- Cleveland vs. New Orleans- Well before preseason this looked like a good game. Year 2 for Cleveland under Romeo Crennel was going well as the coach brought in veteran leaders such as Willie McGinest and LeCharles Bentley. Then the preseason began and fate reminded them why they are the Browns. Injuries cost the Browns their top 3 centers, and now they have reworked their line, again. New Orleans on the other hand gained more enthusiasm from the preseason with new QB Drew Brees showing no signs of lingering injury from his shoulder surgery, and Reggie Bush looking like he should have been the #1 pick the draft. I think the good trend continues for New Orleans and they gain more momentum for their home opener, September 25.
- Jacksonville vs. Dallas- Lets see. You have a receiver who loves the big stage. His first game with a new team is going to be nationally televised. Is anyone else seeing a big game from TO? Well, I am and I think he delivers a win in Week 1. I’m not sold on the Jaguars receiving core yet and I don’t think they have the secondary to stop TO all game. Dallas wins.
- Chicago vs. Green Bay- I know this is a rivalry game but if Chicago had some offensive this game wouldn’t even be close. However, Chicago’s offense can be sometimes offensive to watch, and they’ll make the game closer than it needs to be but in the end, the defense wont let them lose to Green Bay.
- Arizona vs. San Francisco- Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon of the Arizona Cardinals. Yes the offense and defense was ranked in the Top 10 and I know they signed E. James this off-season. But I cant be completely sold on Kurt Warner anymore. One thing I will not be sold on is that San Francisco won’t be drafting first next year, because they will. Arizona starts them on that path.
- Indianapolis vs. NY Giants- Brotherly rivalry. Anyone with brothers knows that this game is eating away at both of them. They both want to win; actually they both need to win. Neither Manning brother finished the season in a manner that they liked, and this first game is their chance to show their team, their fans, and themselves that last year was last year. The game is played outside, so that helps Eli. But its still big brother Peyton and that offense. I think the Colts have fixed the line problems that Pittsburgh exposed, and their offense looks as if they never missed a beat. Colts win.
- Washington vs. Minnesota- I really hope the Redskins were only using 2% of their playbook in the preseason because they looked flat out awful. And then even if they showed no schemes or anything, their performance told me that one-on-one their players have trouble beating the other players. Maybe I’m reading into it a little too much but that is the vibe I get. Well the preseason is done and if Clinton Portis’s shoulder is healed, the Redskins win. Reports in DC say that it is, so they’re my pick. Redskins win.
- San Diego vs. Oakland- Two teams breaking in new QBs. They will lean on the running game until they feel comfortable. In that case, give me the team with the better running back. That’s San Diego with L.T. They’ll win and give Philip Rivers some confidence.
So there are my picks (bolded). Let’s watch together and see how I do. Until next time, peace.
- Pittsburgh vs. Miami- Without Big Ben, I don’t think Pittsburgh has enough firepower to stay with Miami. Though the home crowd will keep them in it, I think Miami will slip by.
- Tampa Bay vs. Baltimore- In a match-up of defenses that could age fast, I think Chris Simms has more experience, in his offense that is, than his counterpart, Steve McNair. So while McNair and the Ravens work out the kinks, Tampa Bay will win this defensive battle.
- Denver vs. St. Louis- Denver will begin their AFC West title defense by running all over St. Louis.
- Tennessee vs. NY Jets- Tennessee has Vince Young. The Jets do not. Is it really that simple? Of course not, but in the end I think Tennessee will win because of more weapons, with one of those weapons being Vince Young.
- New England vs. Buffalo- New England tries to gear up for another Super Bowl run by taking it to Buffalo, a team with QB problems. Actually they have a lot of problems.
- Cincinnati vs. Kansas City- I was tempted to take K.C. because of Larry Johnson, then I remembered that the Chiefs still cant tackle anyone and the Bengals have a lot more firepower so in a shoot-out give me the team with the most bullets. In this case that’s Cincinnati.
- Seattle vs. Detroit- The upset watch game. Detroit has a new coach who is cleaning house. The Seahawks are still smarting over their Super Bowl loss. It wouldn’t shock me that Detroit would come out inspired, while Seattle could play flat as a board. Although it wouldn’t shock me, I don’t think it will happen. Too many old Detroit players still around and Seattle wins.
- Carolina vs. Atlanta- Right out of the gate, the NFC South will begin to bang each other around. Carolina has always played Michael Vick tough. This year Vick begins the season with a banged up receiving core, so look for the Falcons to run more than they already do. Carolina has injury problems of its own as star receiver Steve Smith is questionable with a hamstring injury. At home I think Delhomme and the Panthers find a way to get it done.
- Philadelphia vs. Houston- I so want to go against the Eagles. I think they have helped to keep this TO fiasco alive and for an organization the “does things the right way” supposedly, I found that upsetting. However, one team that upset me more was the Houston Texans. They passed on Reggie Bush, saying they had Dominick Davis. Well now Dominick Davis is hurt and Reggie Bush looks like the perfect back to fit in with the zone blocking scheme of new coach Gary Kubiak. And I’m not sold on Mario Williams. He didn’t make enough plays in college when he had 3 other first round picks playing with him to occupy blockers and give him one-on-one opportunities. Only time will tell though. Philly wins because of McNabb. He is ready to dispel any thought that he needs TO. He’ll do it this week, as for the rest of the season, time will tell.
- Cleveland vs. New Orleans- Well before preseason this looked like a good game. Year 2 for Cleveland under Romeo Crennel was going well as the coach brought in veteran leaders such as Willie McGinest and LeCharles Bentley. Then the preseason began and fate reminded them why they are the Browns. Injuries cost the Browns their top 3 centers, and now they have reworked their line, again. New Orleans on the other hand gained more enthusiasm from the preseason with new QB Drew Brees showing no signs of lingering injury from his shoulder surgery, and Reggie Bush looking like he should have been the #1 pick the draft. I think the good trend continues for New Orleans and they gain more momentum for their home opener, September 25.
- Jacksonville vs. Dallas- Lets see. You have a receiver who loves the big stage. His first game with a new team is going to be nationally televised. Is anyone else seeing a big game from TO? Well, I am and I think he delivers a win in Week 1. I’m not sold on the Jaguars receiving core yet and I don’t think they have the secondary to stop TO all game. Dallas wins.
- Chicago vs. Green Bay- I know this is a rivalry game but if Chicago had some offensive this game wouldn’t even be close. However, Chicago’s offense can be sometimes offensive to watch, and they’ll make the game closer than it needs to be but in the end, the defense wont let them lose to Green Bay.
- Arizona vs. San Francisco- Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon of the Arizona Cardinals. Yes the offense and defense was ranked in the Top 10 and I know they signed E. James this off-season. But I cant be completely sold on Kurt Warner anymore. One thing I will not be sold on is that San Francisco won’t be drafting first next year, because they will. Arizona starts them on that path.
- Indianapolis vs. NY Giants- Brotherly rivalry. Anyone with brothers knows that this game is eating away at both of them. They both want to win; actually they both need to win. Neither Manning brother finished the season in a manner that they liked, and this first game is their chance to show their team, their fans, and themselves that last year was last year. The game is played outside, so that helps Eli. But its still big brother Peyton and that offense. I think the Colts have fixed the line problems that Pittsburgh exposed, and their offense looks as if they never missed a beat. Colts win.
- Washington vs. Minnesota- I really hope the Redskins were only using 2% of their playbook in the preseason because they looked flat out awful. And then even if they showed no schemes or anything, their performance told me that one-on-one their players have trouble beating the other players. Maybe I’m reading into it a little too much but that is the vibe I get. Well the preseason is done and if Clinton Portis’s shoulder is healed, the Redskins win. Reports in DC say that it is, so they’re my pick. Redskins win.
- San Diego vs. Oakland- Two teams breaking in new QBs. They will lean on the running game until they feel comfortable. In that case, give me the team with the better running back. That’s San Diego with L.T. They’ll win and give Philip Rivers some confidence.
So there are my picks (bolded). Let’s watch together and see how I do. Until next time, peace.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
September 6,2006- Farewell Andre
As we have now reached the final day before the NFL season starts, I would like to take the opportunity to bid a sad farewell to Andre Agassi.
Agassi lost on Sunday to Benjamin Becker in 4 sets to officially mark the end of a radiant career. Being an 80’s baby with a father who played collegiate tennis, I’ve always had an interest in tennis. Though I never was able to turn this interest into any success on the tennis court, I’ve always followed the sport as a fan.
I watched Agassi’s whole career for the most part, and what I have always admired about Agassi is the way he played the game he loved. I’ve always noticed that Agassi has always looked like he wanted to be out there. I’m definitely not saying that other players show lack of effort, but for me Agassi was able to radiate a love for the game that shone through the television. Though he transitioned from ATP Tour rebel to the Tour’s elder statesman, he always maintained that passion for the game.
I remember reading an article about Agassi in Sports Illustrated awhile back, and the article just made me appreciate Agassi more. It brought to light, for those who didn’t know, his past and even then I saw how much passion he had for the game. Even during his low career points, it was tennis that brought him back. I have never seen an Agassi match where he looked disinterested. Maybe I have been lucky enough to miss those matches, if they exist, but even in defeat he looks at home on the tennis court.
Now Agassi’s departure leaves a void in American male tennis. Yes we still have top notch talent, but these players (James Blake, Andy Roddick, and Justin Gimelstob, among others) lack the overall charisma to individually sustain the interest of the American people.
So here I am giving my farewell to one player who made me want to pursue tennis. His career was an absolute joy to watch; even his final match was fun to watch. I for sure will miss his play.
Thank you Andre Agassi, I’m sure success will continue to follow you in whatever arena of life you choose to enter.
Agassi lost on Sunday to Benjamin Becker in 4 sets to officially mark the end of a radiant career. Being an 80’s baby with a father who played collegiate tennis, I’ve always had an interest in tennis. Though I never was able to turn this interest into any success on the tennis court, I’ve always followed the sport as a fan.
I watched Agassi’s whole career for the most part, and what I have always admired about Agassi is the way he played the game he loved. I’ve always noticed that Agassi has always looked like he wanted to be out there. I’m definitely not saying that other players show lack of effort, but for me Agassi was able to radiate a love for the game that shone through the television. Though he transitioned from ATP Tour rebel to the Tour’s elder statesman, he always maintained that passion for the game.
I remember reading an article about Agassi in Sports Illustrated awhile back, and the article just made me appreciate Agassi more. It brought to light, for those who didn’t know, his past and even then I saw how much passion he had for the game. Even during his low career points, it was tennis that brought him back. I have never seen an Agassi match where he looked disinterested. Maybe I have been lucky enough to miss those matches, if they exist, but even in defeat he looks at home on the tennis court.
Now Agassi’s departure leaves a void in American male tennis. Yes we still have top notch talent, but these players (James Blake, Andy Roddick, and Justin Gimelstob, among others) lack the overall charisma to individually sustain the interest of the American people.
So here I am giving my farewell to one player who made me want to pursue tennis. His career was an absolute joy to watch; even his final match was fun to watch. I for sure will miss his play.
Thank you Andre Agassi, I’m sure success will continue to follow you in whatever arena of life you choose to enter.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
September 5, 2006
So the first week of the 2006 college football season is in the books. There were some surprises, some upsets, but in the end the big boys are still standing. Here are some things that I observed from the first weekend.
- Ohio State’s offense is really really really good. They scored 28 points against Northern Illinois before you got comfortable in your seat. Troy Smith looked like a bona fide Heisman candidate, granted it was only Northern Illinois, but still you get the picture. Ted Ginn made all the explosive plays he was supposed to and the offense looked like a well oiled machine. We will see however, this Saturday, how good the offense really is. Even though Texas has lost on of its top defensive players in Tarell Brown, #2 Texas will give the Buckeyes all they can. Must See Game of The Week.
- Penn State will surprise a lot of people. Now I am not ready to say that Penn State will beat Notre Dame this weekend, but they will make some noise in the Big Ten. They have a growing QB (Anthony Morelli), a strong set of WRs led by Derrick Williams, and their defense is returning star LB Paul Posluszny. I think they make this weekend’s game close but once again Notre Dame pulls it out.
- Speaking of Notre Dame is it just me or is Notre Dame the biggest lighting rod in college football. You either love this team or hate them. I really think that they are getting the short end of the stick in the new rankings. They go to a big-time school (Georgia Tech) from a big-time conference and they managed to pull out a victory. Notre Dame continues to play one of the hardest schedules in America, and yet when they play a tough game they get penalized. Miami lost to Georgia Tech, so ask them how easy the Yellow Jackets are to play.
- Enough ranting about Notre Dame though, let’s talk about Cal. Lee Corso actually picked them to be in the National Championship, wow. What did he see? Because what I saw was a team that had no identity on offense, and on defense, they looked like they needed tackling drills. Now I understand letting WR Robert Meachem break a tackle and score, but to score consecutive touchdowns to essentially ice the game is inexcusable. I mean if they can’t tackle Tennessee, what’s going to happen when they face Pac-10 offenses like Oregon and USC. This isn’t a good way to start the season, but then again they know that already.
- To wrap up my thoughts on college football, The Florida State- Miami game needs to be moved back to the month of October. The quality of the game has seriously deteriorated since being moved to September, and I have begun to miss the fun and great offensive and defensive games instead of the defensive slugfests we have grow used to watching.
Now its time for the “big boys”. The NFL season starts on Thursday and I can not wait. Though the premiere game will be deprived of a little star power now that Ben Roethlisberger has went under the knife for an emergency appendectomy. Well Miami will definitely showcase its new star, Daunte Culpepper. He looked very good in preseason, but that was just preseason.
What’s the deal with Deion Branch and the New England Patriots? The Patriots are under the salary cap by a huge amount. Now that the Patriots have been shown how much the league thinks of Branch, give the man his due and get him on your football team. Give Tom Brady another weapon and gear up for another Super Bowl run.
Finally I’ll end this blog talking about Tiger Woods. Man, this guy is going to end up (if he keeps this pace, hell even half of this pace will be a great career) the best athlete of all time. He now has 12 majors, just six shy of the all-time record of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus. The scary part is that Tiger is only 30, turning 31 in December, meaning that he will potentially have 20-30+ years to win six majors. The way he strings wins in bunches; remember he also had a stretch of six consecutive wins spanning the 1999-2000 golf seasons; it’s highly likely that he will crush the all time record. And this will be done with his mind as well as his athletic skills. He has learned to not only out play everyone, but out-think everyone as well. In his sport, where they design courses specifically to help out the field, that might be the greatest skill of all.
Well, well, well. This marks the end of this blog. Feel free to make comments as they are appreciated. Until next time, peace.
- Ohio State’s offense is really really really good. They scored 28 points against Northern Illinois before you got comfortable in your seat. Troy Smith looked like a bona fide Heisman candidate, granted it was only Northern Illinois, but still you get the picture. Ted Ginn made all the explosive plays he was supposed to and the offense looked like a well oiled machine. We will see however, this Saturday, how good the offense really is. Even though Texas has lost on of its top defensive players in Tarell Brown, #2 Texas will give the Buckeyes all they can. Must See Game of The Week.
- Penn State will surprise a lot of people. Now I am not ready to say that Penn State will beat Notre Dame this weekend, but they will make some noise in the Big Ten. They have a growing QB (Anthony Morelli), a strong set of WRs led by Derrick Williams, and their defense is returning star LB Paul Posluszny. I think they make this weekend’s game close but once again Notre Dame pulls it out.
- Speaking of Notre Dame is it just me or is Notre Dame the biggest lighting rod in college football. You either love this team or hate them. I really think that they are getting the short end of the stick in the new rankings. They go to a big-time school (Georgia Tech) from a big-time conference and they managed to pull out a victory. Notre Dame continues to play one of the hardest schedules in America, and yet when they play a tough game they get penalized. Miami lost to Georgia Tech, so ask them how easy the Yellow Jackets are to play.
- Enough ranting about Notre Dame though, let’s talk about Cal. Lee Corso actually picked them to be in the National Championship, wow. What did he see? Because what I saw was a team that had no identity on offense, and on defense, they looked like they needed tackling drills. Now I understand letting WR Robert Meachem break a tackle and score, but to score consecutive touchdowns to essentially ice the game is inexcusable. I mean if they can’t tackle Tennessee, what’s going to happen when they face Pac-10 offenses like Oregon and USC. This isn’t a good way to start the season, but then again they know that already.
- To wrap up my thoughts on college football, The Florida State- Miami game needs to be moved back to the month of October. The quality of the game has seriously deteriorated since being moved to September, and I have begun to miss the fun and great offensive and defensive games instead of the defensive slugfests we have grow used to watching.
Now its time for the “big boys”. The NFL season starts on Thursday and I can not wait. Though the premiere game will be deprived of a little star power now that Ben Roethlisberger has went under the knife for an emergency appendectomy. Well Miami will definitely showcase its new star, Daunte Culpepper. He looked very good in preseason, but that was just preseason.
What’s the deal with Deion Branch and the New England Patriots? The Patriots are under the salary cap by a huge amount. Now that the Patriots have been shown how much the league thinks of Branch, give the man his due and get him on your football team. Give Tom Brady another weapon and gear up for another Super Bowl run.
Finally I’ll end this blog talking about Tiger Woods. Man, this guy is going to end up (if he keeps this pace, hell even half of this pace will be a great career) the best athlete of all time. He now has 12 majors, just six shy of the all-time record of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus. The scary part is that Tiger is only 30, turning 31 in December, meaning that he will potentially have 20-30+ years to win six majors. The way he strings wins in bunches; remember he also had a stretch of six consecutive wins spanning the 1999-2000 golf seasons; it’s highly likely that he will crush the all time record. And this will be done with his mind as well as his athletic skills. He has learned to not only out play everyone, but out-think everyone as well. In his sport, where they design courses specifically to help out the field, that might be the greatest skill of all.
Well, well, well. This marks the end of this blog. Feel free to make comments as they are appreciated. Until next time, peace.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
September 2, 2006
It is finally here. After making it through training camps, 2 a-days, and the mostly boring NFL Preseason, the real football season can begin. This weekend, to me, marks the beginning of the football season, both college and professional.
Starting with premium match-ups featuring traditional college football powerhouses on Saturday and continuing with the start of the NFL season on Thursday, the next 7 days officially have become the most exciting time of the year for me. I came to this realization early this morning while waiting for the US’s Bronze medal game against Argentina to begin. (More on them and that later) I already had an idea about how much I loved football since I play flag football nearly the entire year, and have an absolute ball doing it, but I now fill an extra spring in my step, like a light has been turned on for me.
The mere thought of the upcoming games brings a large smile to my face. Seeing the ESPN Gameday commercials brightens my day in a way that is indescribable. So in an effort to display why I feel such enthusiasm, I will break down some of the major college games of the weekend.
Starting off is the game between Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. Notre Dame comes in with all the hype and rightfully so. They return a lot of offensive playmakers to an offense that averaged 36.7 points and 477.3 yards per game. However if there is one team that those numbers do not scare, it’s the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
During the past two seasons, Georgia Tech has knocked off a ranked opponent while being unranked. They’ve done this with their defensive play, allowing only 15 points per game in those victories. This match-up will be a strength versus strength match-up and though Georgia Tech will make it tough, I see Charlie Weis’s bunch passing their first tough test of the season.
Other teams facing tests in their opener games include USC, where QB John David Booty makes his first start against an Arkansas team looking for revenge for that 70-17 beat down they absorbed last year. Also preseason #1 Ohio State takes the field for the first time, hoping to quickly update a new defense that has 9 new starters. This will be of grave importance as Ohio State travels to #3 Texas next weekend. Texas also has a new starter, but their new starter is the QB, Colt McCoy who is replacing Vince Young. One of Ohio State’s Big Ten rivals, Penn State starts their season on Saturday trying to prove that last season was no fluke while Ohio State’s chief rival Michigan wants to erase the mediocrity that plagued them last season.
Do games featuring these teams excite you? Well if not there are games with two ranked teams to attract your interest. The first one which takes place on Saturday features #9 California and #23 Tennessee. Both teams have high hopes this year but different expectations accompany those hopes. Tennessee comes in looking to rebound from their first losing season since 1988. They will find out very quickly if 2006 will mean a return to respectability as 3 of their first 6 games are against opponents ranked in the Top 20. Cal, meanwhile, comes in with Pac-10 title hopes. They have a Heisman hopeful in RB Marshawn Lynch and new Offensive Coordinator Mike Dunbar adds ingenuity to an already potent offense. I think that Tennessee is on its way back but California squeaks by and gets the win.
The marquee match-up of the weekend festivities is between #11 Florida State and #12 Miami. These are two Florida teams who are looking for a strong start to the season. Both teams are starting experienced sophomore quarterbacks who took their lumps last year. This game hardly needs an introduction as the football programs at Florida State and Miami are household names. Expect lots of cameos of current and former NFL players from both universities. Miami has a lot of players missing the game for various reasons, but since they are at home the game will be closer than expected in the end Florida State pulls it out and gains the early upper hand in the quest for the ACC Championship.
As promised, here are some of my thoughts about USA Basketball and the performance at the World Championships. The US defeated Argentina 96-81 early Saturday morning to win the bronze at the 2006 World Championships.
I am disappointed that we did not win the gold medal. I am still happy with a bronze medal though, because it showed that the team was able to put the disappointment of losing to Greece behind and take care of business against Argentina.
I am pretty sure that the US will win gold during the ’08 Olympics in Beijing. I feel this way because we will get shooters like Michael Redd and we will add Kobe Bryant and Amare Stoudemire, who will provide inside help if he returns fully healthy.
Well, well, well. This marks the end of this blog. Feel free to make comments as they are appreciated. Until next time, peace.
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