The Bad News Bloggers

It's Spring Again... F@ck!

2010-04-20T02:36:00.000-07:00

This is a new column called "Manny Stiles' Gratuitous Pondiferications of the imitation brand emoticon "f@ck"

I call it:

Manny Stiles' Gratuitous Pondiferications of the Imitation Brand Emoticon "F@ck"

This is a poem I wrote called "F@ck Boston"

Suck it in...
suckas
it's the smell of Spring.
Fungoes in bloom,
the Red Sox in perilous doom.

John Lackey is whack-y
he got smacked-y
like a cricket bat whacking a
wicked dust bunny...

Oh, yess... yessss Spring!
The Rays stepped on 'em
and swept the Sawx with a broom.

Carlos Pena,
puttin' you through pain, huh?
Why not pay Josh Beckett MORE money?
It's so wicked funny...

Ha Ha haaa haa ha.

Ha hahaaa yeah, that's what I said.

F@ck Boston.

F@ck the Celtics.

They're whatever Rasheed wants them to suck as bad as...

Garnett is toast begging to get buttered only to fall buttered side down in a pile full of bone-on-bone contact.

F@ck the Patriots.

Why?

Because the chicken crossed the road to rape, kill and eat the Easter Bunny. But only a split second before Bill Belichick was going to.

Slander? Hell yeah I'll slander Bill Belichick with all kinds of deluded methaphors and dream clouds in print. Nothing against the guy except for F@ck Bill Belichick! F@ck the entire franchise, their retired players not named Sam Cunningham, the current and future personnel and especially that repulsive logo.

And because my pet shrimp told me so. True story.

F@ck the Bruins. No one's afraid of you, you measly chumps.

I can't even feign interest in the Bruins. I'm serious. I tried to feign interest, but pitifully to NO avail, no regard and no measurable or distinctual change. They're the Bruins. Nothing to get excited about here.

F@ck Sam Malone, too. You know why.

Paul Revere made chamber pots, Ted Kennedy was addicted to rectal self-examinations and you Bostonians live in a sub-state. Massachusetts should be a county inside a Big Boy state, not a teeny, tiny, quiant, lace-ruffled pansy-derriered state that looks like the Iron Sheik's boots. F@ck Massachusetts (for the most part, I suppose). What did Massachusetts ever do right other than let itself get forced to free Maine out of it's grimy clutches?

And also.... Because I said so.

The New Curse is ON. Count it. Tick... tick... tick...

Live Updates from Adelaide and Hong Kong Sevens

2010-03-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Sure it's half way around the world for most of you, but that does not mean Walker Sports does not have their finger on the pulse of international rugby. Thanks to our friends over at UR7s.com we are proud to bring you live updates from the Adelaide Sevens which is currently in progress, and the Hong Kong Sevens which is just around the corner.

Be sure to catch up with friend of Walker Sports Robin Heymann as he brings all the latest action from both of these amazing tournaments. Adelaide Sevens are already underway and the US Eagles are making headlines for all the right reasons. On the first day they managed to knock off powerhouse England 24-21. That's right there's never a dull moment on the sevens pitch. Catch up on what you missed yesterday, and get ready for the games today.

Read the Live Text here.

Sports Betting for Dummies

2010-03-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

Want to bet on sports but don't know what to do? Click here:

Sports betting for dummies

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3!

U.S. Rugby Chat Episode 11: Mid Season Report

2009-08-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Once again, we are back and talking rugby with none other than Jeremy Beynon from HeavensGame.com. This week we get into a bit of dicey territory when we take a look at the Mid-Year report provided by U.S.A. Rugby. Take a listen and see how we interpret this massive document.

Listen Here

View the USA. Rugby Mid-Year Report Here.

ArmchairGM Down Today

2009-08-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

For reasons unknown The mothership known as ArmchairGM has been down virtually all day, saying it's "not a valid Wikia".

Next thing you know AGM works again but only for it to be down again for upwards to 1-2 hours.

We'll keep you posted on what has happened.

I'm pretty sure AGM is not down for good so I'll just assume it's a technical glitch. Hopefully it's just a glitch.

And we promise to update this site more as football season is approaching.

2009 NFL Preview with Predictions Part 1: The NFC

2009-06-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

(Who, contrary to popular, joyous celebration and belief, is STILL alive and
getting RIGHT back into his old habits of posting NFL preview articles several months too early. Good times!)

As I was sitting back earlier yesterday evening and filtering out whatever it was that my girlfriend was yelling at me for... I had a random change of heart about how I was going to approach my 2009 NFL Prediction/Preview article. As I was looking at and also picking winners from Super John's simply SUPERB (CLICK HERE TO GET IT – seriously, it's A+ stuff!) NFL season schedule, I realized that while we can have a pretty firm and grounded grasp on say – the first half of the season – there are just WAY too many outside factors that come into play such as injuries, player suspensions, and of course, Cinderella stories, to try and accurately make any kind of educated and realistic end-of-season type prediction.

Traveling further upon this train of thought, not only did I actually try to convince myself that predicting the first ten weeks of the season would be fun – but I actually thought it would be just as satisfying and intellectually filling as a full season preview. Don't bother asking me why I thought this was a good idea. It was probably a mix of being yelled at for not washing the entire house with a toothbrush and being hypnotized by the whole NFL schedule on one sheet of paper.

Yeah, but ANYWAY, after I went through and picked every game for the first ten weeks and mapped out the standings I was left with... well, I was left with some predicted Week 10 standings.

Thankfully though, common sense prevailed and I realized that I was heading down a rocky and spike-stripped trail that would probably only succeed in leading me to waste countless hours of my time predicting perhaps the most obscure point throughout an entire NFL football season. That's right. I have returned, ladies and gentleman!

As with all my write-ups, please feel free to shower me with praise or disagree vehemently while questioning how I've managed to even figure out how to get on a computer and use the Internet. Unfortunately, there is no in between...

First up in Part 1? The National Football Conference (also known as the NFC).

Cue the predictions!

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NFC North:

1. Bears (12-4)

2. Packers (8-8)

3. Vikings (7-9)

4. Lions (4-12)

Off-season occurrence that could shake up all of 2009: The Bears acquisition of former Broncos QB Jay Cutler.

Wild card/Sleeper team of the division: Minnesota Vikings

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A lot of people might think that I'm taking the Cutler deal as a sure-sign that the Bears will turn things around. If that's what you were thinking, than you, sir, are correct!

Cutler is a GREAT quarterback with an absolute CANNON for an arm and he also now has one of the best all-around backs in the league behind him in Matt Forte. If not THE best all-around back – but we'll wait a bit longer to anoint him with that title.

Either the Bears are going run away with it or it is going to be an absolute, drag-em-out brawl, reminiscent of the AFC and NFC South over the past few years or so, with everyone in the seven to nine win margin range.

The Packers can really go either way. They had a solid draft and have some playmakers and potential stars on either side of the ball. Also, they now know that Aaron Rodgers is no bum, so that's always a good thing, of course.

The Vikings' quarterback situation is still pretty wide open as I highly doubt Sage Rosenfels will end up leading this team to the promised playoff land. Tarvaris Jackson, on the other hand, could go balls to the wall this off-season and forcefully take over the reins while being the QB everyone thought he could be. He showed flashes of brilliance at the end of last year but let's not get ahead of ourselves shall we? Or we could. IT'S ONLY JUNE FOR GOODNESS SAKE! AHHHHH!

Still though, with a stellar offensive line and arguably the best running back in the league in Adrian Peterson, all the Vikings would really need would be to not lose games on the defensive side of the ball and also hope the receiving corps of Berrian, Harvin and Rice can help carry a passing game that will be led by one of two quarterbacks – both of which are questionable signal callers in their own right.

As for the basement team: surprise, surprise! It's the Lions! At least they're heading in the right direction after throwing off an ill-intentioned team strategist and GM Matt Millen. Hopefully he's not on Football Night in America again this year, as that would not make ANY sense at all and probably cause half of Detroit to throw their televisions out their windows. We can't be having that, NBC!

Unless, of course, you ask him questions each week that center on how he'd run certain teams into the ground; that would definitely have some good time potential!

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NFC South:

1. Falcons (11-5)

2. Panthers (10-6)

3. Saints (7-9)

4. Buccaneers (5-11)

The Buccaneers are to quarterbacks as chocolate is to...? Uhmm... what?!

Wild card/Sleeper team of the division: New Orleans Saints

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This is pretty much the same thing as last year, with the Falcons and Panthers running away with the season's race while the other two teams sulk deeper into the depths of despair and losing. You could practically flip-flop the Falcons and Panthers for that #1 spot that will probably take at LEAST 11 wins in order to be able to wear the crown.

Also, I said last August that Deangelo Williams would break out during the season, much to the chagrin of some very loyal Jonathan Stewart owners. Well, they both had great seasons so I'm not trying to suggest who won the argument, but I AM suggesting that Deangelo Williams is going to have another stellar year, if not a better one, and NOT just because he's one year away from his contract year with a pretty tasty incentive bonus to work towards.

If you didn't notice it last season, Deangelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have learned to feed off each other. They've both realized that they're too good to be replaced by the other and have accepted this fact while, at the same time, trying to playfully outdo each other each and every game. Don't get me wrong, I think Stewart will have another solid year, but I think Williams will come out on top stat-wise at the end of the year thanks to more experience, more wisdom, and a career and attitude changing experience in which he realized he had to work his tail off to succeed in the NFL and could not just rely on pure talent.

As for the Stewart vs. Williams' argument, I'm personally against debating anymore. They're two unique talents who are both going to have good games that are better than the other, and any time spent trying to argue who is better than the other could be better spent on looking forward to when you next get to watch them again. I was 100% pro Deangelo Williams last year, I'm not going to lie, but after many a game spent trying to root against him I eventually just stopped and wondered what tine the world was wrong with me. If you're a football fan than you can delight in watching both of these guys play – regardless of which is on your fantasy team. I'm aware that fantasy loyalties can complicate matters, but unless one of them gets injured, I think it’s been made pretty clear that they’re both going to get their fair share of pigskin touches.

All they really need is for Delhomme to continue on and stay injury-free and what we've got is a Panthers team who's fully ready to take any and all comes for the NFC South title. Not to mention just THINKING about the Panthers vs. Falcons divisional race (at least from the outset of the season) already has me giggling like a little schoolgirl.

As for the other two teams, the Saints definitely have the talent and could explode at JUST the right time. If Reggie Bush's surgery went well than they may be that dark horse candidate that everyone loves to pick come pre-season. They're certainly an INTERESTING pick, that's for sure. By interesting, I don't mean that I'd bet money on them mind you. Just... interesting – like -- bet your buddy $20 they'll win at least 8 games interesting. I just got the shivers.

Last and probably... deservedly... least... the Tampa Bay Buccaneers! I dunno, I just don't see them doing ANYTHING unless they somehow nab a veteran QB like Brett Favre or Michael Vick. Rookie Josh Freeman has some potential for sure, but he's no Joe Flacco and he's no Matt Ryan. Although he does have a fairly strong offensive line to help with protection and joining him on any credit card commercial deals he decides to film. It's up in the air if he'll even be starting though, and I just don't see Byron Leftwich leading this team ANYWHERE but downtown-Charlie-Brown-into-the-ground. This looks like it may be shaping up to be one of those classic, "Start the veteran until the season's practically gone and hopeless, then just throw in the rookie signal caller to learn the ropes, get roughed up for the rest of the season, and throw Peyton Manning early in his career type interception totals."

Then again, you never know. Freeman COULD be the next Joe Flacco or Matt Ryan – but I just don't think so. Kellen Winslow Jr. would certainly help matters, though... if he doesn't break both his legs trying to jump in front of and wave down a taxi or something. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I heard that story break on Sportscenter in a few minutes. Would you? '

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NFC East:

1. Redskins (11-5)

2. Cowboys (10-6)

3. Giants (9-7)

4. Eagles (7-9)

Best chances to be the "least in the NFC Beast"? Eagles by a mile.

Wild card/Sleeper team of the division: WHAT?! There is NO such thing as a sleeper team in the NFC Beast!! RAWWRG SMASHH!

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Out of all of the divisions for each of my annual NFL previews, I ALWAYS completely whiff on the NFC East predictions and they end up being the exact opposite of what I predict they'll be. You may all now commence your future divisional bets on the Eagles if you wish.

Now to explain the method behind my madness:

While Jason Campbell hasn't certainly been the ideal starting QB, especially for a franchise like the Redskins who have no problem with spending the equivalent of the gross national capita of a small country on an injury prone role player, I for one have seen him show flashes of brilliance over the past few years. And even more so last season! He's certain not to take the Redskins courtship of Jay Cutler lightly and with his contract up at the end of the season, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he had a monstrous, breakout year.

He has the weapons on offense to put up plenty of points on the board on a good day and now has some defensive playmakers to step it up on the defensive side of the ball. If all goes well (although judging from my previous NFC Beast predictions it will instead go horribly wrong) then I can honestly see the Redskins taking the NFC East crown. I really can. Seriously, I'm not trying to talk myself into this pick at all. No way!

The Cowboys on the other hand just remain an enigma per the usual. While Terrell Owens departure will surely be felt, it probably isn't going to make THAT much of a difference considering how old he was getting and how often he dropped passes that hit him square in the hands. I'm not saying the guy wasn't a game breaker and an occasional game changer or anything, but I AM saying that he's a diva who whines like a little biatch when things don't go his way. And how quickly we've all forgotten about Roy Williams! His skills were overshadowed a bit with the arrival of Calvin "The Freak" Johnson, but from what I remember of him, he used to be pretty good.

All the Cowboys doom and gloom can stop. They're going to be fine. And even if they DON'T turn out okay this season, all that really means is that we can all rejoice and dance around because who DOESN'T love to see the Cowboys lose and then subsequently make fun of Cowboys fans right after? Seriously! Who's with me! Anybody? No?

The Giants are still the Giant, sans Plaxico Burress, which, to ME, is a pretty big sans. He was there best receiver and played a HUGE role in their Super Bowl win. So there's that. It's up in the air as to how it's really going to affect them. I personally can't wait to see Brandon Jacobs pound the rock though – it's truly a joy to see him run the football and also run full grown men flat over. Good times!

As for the Eagles, I just get the feeling that they're on the decline rather than on the up-and-up. Brian Westbrook is going to lose his magical powers sometime soon and I'm projecting that it least starts this season.

All in all though, this could be McNabb's last hurrah in an Eagles uniform and while I picked them to finish last, I'm not going to be double-taking if McNabb starts slinging balls left and right and sixty yards downfield. No matter what happens, we can be sure that the NFC Beast will live up to its billing as one of the most tough, exciting, and action packed divisions throughout all of the league. Plus, you can call it the NFC Beast which is just hilarity in its purest form. '

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NFC West:

1. Cardinals (10-6)

2. 49ers (8-8)

3. Seahawks (7-9)

4. Rams (4-12)

The only certainty in the NFC West this coming season: It will, in fact, RAIN in Seattle. Write it down!

Wild card/Sleeper team of the division: Do I have to? Uhmm... well... if I HAD to pick a sleeper team – like if you had a gun to my head and I HAD to pick a sleeper team – I guess I'd take the Niners. 'Cause Mike Singletary is the man and will have them playing their hearts out each and every week. Too bad they don't have a steady QB option though -- unless of course, you consider Damon Huard a steady QB. HAHAHA!

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Now that the Seahawks' marathon streak of winning the NFC West – which lasted what... 42 straight years in a row or something – has been broken, the NFC West is at least worth following now. Well, maybe not the Rams but we can still hope can't we? Hey, I wonder If Marc Bulger will be out of the concussion section of the St. Louis Hospital in time to start the season. What? Have the Marc Bulger has a horrible offensive line jokes and gets concussions and breaks his ribs all of the time jokes been done to death? LIES! Some jokes just never get old!

The Cardinals look to be the juggernaut that will take the divisional crown this year, but as we all know, this is the NFL and in the NFL, we're always a split second away from someone's MCL, ACL, TCL, ZCL or ABCDEFG getting torn apart or severed. One of those injuries to Fitzgerald and bam – we might start thinking someone else has a chance in the division. Maybe...

But for now, it's looking like the Cardinals got it on lockdown unless Matt Hasselbeck bounces back and greedily snatches the crown back once again for the Seahawks. Knowing Matt Hasselbeck though, I wouldn't put that past him at all. He seems like a very greedy person.

The 49ers are definitely a wild card and a promising prospect for a deep sleeper pick if ONLY because Mike Singletary is the MAN! They need to fix the QB situation though because no matter how much heart and ferocity everyone else is playing with, that same heart and ferocity can't complete passes and throw for touchdowns. Surprising, I know, but trust me -- it's true!

The Rams could potentially come out of nowhere and surprise everyone but I'm convinced that Marc Bulger cannot and will not drop back to pass anymore WITHOUT preparing himself for broken ribs, a broken hand, or just a good old concussion. Good job offensive line! Way to fail your job in such a RIDICULOUSLY pathetic way that you may have mentally scarred your poor QB for life.

Definitely a good two years at the office for you guys though, and by good, I mean absolutely, positively, horrifically, disgustingly bad. Good thing they brought in some new blood that hopefully understands that they're job is to PROTECT the QB – not let him become a weekly staple at the local emergency room every Sunday night.

I understand that sacks are unfortunately a part of the game, but the poor guy went through TWO years in a row where he wasn't just sacked often, but he was sacked by people who were very often no longer being held back by the lineman. AKA he got hit HARD when he got sacked.

I hope the offensive line is successfully patched up at long last and we can finally see the Marc Bulger of old. But I just highly, highly doubt it. I don't know why.

Translation: He's not coming anywhere NEAR my fantasy squad. Sorry, Marc. You burn me once? Shame's on your offensive line. You burn me twice? Shame's on your offensive line. You burn me THRICE? Nice try offensive line but I'm going to make fun of your torrid performances until the day that I no longer want to anymore.

Revenge at its finest!

Stay tuned for the AFC focused Part 2... sometime in the next few days. So stay tuned!

Oh! Mass Media, how doest thou annoyest me?

2009-06-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

I spent a random 20 minutes watching some popular sports network today while I was sitting at a local establishment and oversaw the scattered brainplops of those participants/employees within the media conglomerate. Their conversation started on a simple premise: Randy Johnson is likely the last 300 game winning pitcher we will ever see. They went into the logistics of how difficult it is for a pitcher today to tally enough decisions per season on top of the needed longevity it takes to become a 300 game winner.

It bored me to death. Kneejerk reactions are no longer commonplace these days - they are EXPECTED!

They gave reason after reason why it is so tough to amass 300 wins in a career under baseball's current conditions - specialized relievers, pitch counts, etc - where starting pitchers receive less than 69% of their start's decisions. They jumped the sheer cliff of - there's no one on the immediate horizon to win 300 games (save Jamie Moyer from pitching well into his 50's) - to "No one will ever do it again!"

Gee, brainiacs a mere 30 years ago, that number was all of 74%. So apparently we should expect 5% less 300 winners to make the cut based on that fuzzy math leap of logic, right? My guess is that 5% is the same as ALL with today's economy...

Furthermore, they neglected to note that two of the winningest pitchers EVER recently retired (or were "shooed away") - Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens both eclipsed 350 wins! Another pitcher with 300 wins still thinks he's active (Tom Glavine). How easy is THAT to do with a 5 man rotation and specialized relievers.

They neglected to note how Randy Johnson sucked for a LONG time before he became a winning pitcher. They noted that it takes a pitcher many seasons of 20+ wins to make a 300 win career yet blatantly refused to note RJ had all of THREE 20-win seasons in his lengthy career! THREE!

Let's disregard the overwhelming realism that the Big Unit became only the 24th pitcher in the HISTORY of the GAME to accomplish the feat. So it's not exactly an easy bar to leap in the first place... Over nearly 150 years, we should average a 300 winner about twice a decade. We've had 4 this decade. And it's even more interesting to note that nearly HALF of the 300+ wins pitchers have won their 300th game SINCE the advent of the 5 man rotation, designated hitter and the arrival of the closer and specialist relievers.

NONE of this is my point, though.

The next two stories after this great debate are what really irritated me:

1) Roy Halladay won his 10th game of the season yesterday.

It's JUNE 7th and he has 10 wins... me thinks he's going to make a solid run at 20 wins this season. Gee, that would give him his third 20-win season in his career - the same number as Randy Johnson had! Wow! And get this... Oh yeah, that win yesterday gives him 141 for his career... or 49 more wins than Randy Johnson had at the very same age!!! Hello!

2) Stephen Strasburg is a "Once in a generation talent", blah, blah, blah. Gee, let's not tell him that he has NO CHANCE at winning 300 games, right?

I won't get into the whole "Magic are down 2-0 so the series is obviously over", "Brett Favre is trying to come back so let's not speculate how much he obviously will suck because he's old" or "Let's disrespect Roger Federer because he didn't beat the #2 player to win the French Open title."

When Television was invented there were debates over whether they would lead to the downfall of society. I must say is it's not the TV's fault. All I'm saying is - Educate yourselves people! Sports information disseminated for the masses should be consumed for entertainment purposes AT BEST! Laugh at your buddies who think they have a clue because they saw two morons debate the topic on TV. If they foul sports information up this badly, you can only guess what the real story behind the nightly news might be... From now on, I'm only watching the commercials... that way, I might ACTUALLY learn something useful!

DSRTSV! (6/2/09)

2009-06-02T07:22:00.001-07:00

The game of cricket has a Randy Johnson moment (minus the exploding bird). Pigeon, meet death.

105 Days Until Seahawks Opening Day

2009-06-02T07:20:00.001-07:00

Come on Ruskell, you have 105 days to do the right thing.

Pujols v.s. Ramirez (and Other Fantasy Updates)

2009-05-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

We are nearly a month into the 2009 MLB season, meaning players are pretty much up to speed on things while others are already nursing injuries, some worse than others. All you fantasy baseball players are probably looking for that waiver wire gem and/or contemplating a few trades, blockbuster or not. Power or speed? Consistency or scattered power outages? Wins or saves? These are all questions that enter the fantasy owner's mind at all hours of the day. What you want in a player is, quite obviously, consistence. Surprises usually aren't welcome in the fantasy world, especially since most surprises aren't necessarily good ones. Not only that, but you want a player that you can count on, and it sure doesn't hurt to know exactly what to expect from this player each and ever day.

For these reasons, Albert Pujols should have been the number one player taken in the draft this year (and every other year of his illustrous career, for that matter). Pujols is the definition of consistency. Since entering the league in '01, Pujols has put up 30 or more home runs (HR's) with over 100 runs batted in (RBI's) and, yes, he has even had a .300 or better batting average (BA) in all eight of those seasons. Don't underestimate his ability to steal a base or two, either. In '05, he stole a career-high 16 bases and has four so far this season. At age 29, Pujols will have 500 career home runs in no time and if he can keep this extraordinary pace, may even contend with the home run record in his later years.

Why draft Hanley Ramirez with the first overall pick, when you can snag Pujols? Yes, Ramirez's track record looks pretty good too, but he doesn't have it all like the St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman, Pujols. Ramirez has played three full major league seasons in the Florida Marlins organization as a shortstop, but hasn't quite shown the consistency and reliability you want in your top fantasy player. When he has a good day, yeah he's good, but the fact that he has never recorded over 100 RBI's, and his batting average has been a little off-beat (.292, .332, .301) at times, tells me that he has some weaknesses. Whether it be an inability to hit with runners in scoring position, or lagging injuries, there are holes on Ramirez's stat sheet.

Pujols v.s. Ramirez (so far in '09)

Pujols (24 games; 87 at bats): .356 BA, 9 HR's, 29 RBI's, 4 SB, 25 runs, 18 BB's, 8 K's, .724 SLG

Ramirez (21 games; 81 at bats): .272 BA, 2 HR's, 12 RBI's, 3 SB, 9 runs, 7 BB's, 13 K's, .432 SLG

Final Word: After taking a look at the two's numbers after the first twenty games, I am sticking with my Pujols over Ramirez verdict. El Hombre, as they call him in St. Louis, is leading every major category over the speedy Hanley. Pujols, one of the best all-around players in the game today, attracts more walks than most other players, therefore he produces a lot of runs for his ball club and has more chances at stealing bases. All of these reasons lead me to believe that he is not only a great player for your fantasy team, but does a lot to help his team win games. St. Louis would not be nearly as good a team without him.

As for the rest of the fantasy baseball world? Well, here is my list of six current hot and cold players (as of Monday, May 4th):

Hot

Carlos Pena, 1B, TB..In the past three or four games no one has been hotter at the plate than this slugging infielder. In his team's four-game series against the Red Sox this weekend, Pena was 6 for 14 with two home runs and four runs batted in. He is hitting just .269 this season, but I expect his power surge (11 HR's, 27 RBI's in '09) to continue through October, maybe November.

Zack Greinke, SP, KC..Yes, the Kansas City Royals (14-11) are in first place, and it is mainly because of this young man. Greinke has posted a 5-0 mark, and a 0.50 earned run average (ERA) in his first five starts this season. He has recorded two complete games with 10+ K's in late April, and has straight dominated opposing batters. His only two earned runs of the season came on the 29th of April against the Detroit Tigers. Greinke is, without a doubt, the hottest pitcher in baseball right now. He will make his sixth start of the season tomorrow against the Chicago White Sox.

Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, SD..Gonzalez has seemed to have gotten overlooked by the other stars of the game, but Gonzalez has hit nine home runs (tied for third most in the league), and has had just three games without a hit in his team's 25 games this season. He has put up a solid .318 average, and has driven in 20 runs. His team hit a bit of a cold streak during their series against the Dodgers this past weekend, but I expect him to continue his successes throughout the season.

Cold

Mark Teixeira, 1B, NYY..Expected to make an immediate impact in his new home in New York, Teixeira has been a bust already (in some people's minds). The slugging first baseman has his just .182 with three home runs and 10 runs batted in while in pin stripes. In his past 12 games, Teixeira has had six hit-less games (a combined 8 for 46 with zero home runs and three runs batted in). Not exactly what New York fans, and fantasy owners, were expecting 20 games into the season. Get it in gear, Mark!

David Ortiz, DH, BOS..U-G-L-Y! It appears as though Ortiz's best fantasy days are behind him. The "former" slugger is hitting .215 with zero homers in 93 at bats. As a matter of fact, Ortiz hasn't hit safely since April 29 against the Cleveland Indians (went 1 for 5), meaning he went 0 for 11 in Boston's four-game weekend series with the Rays, as his Sox dropped three of the four games.

Josh Hamilton, OF, TEX..Hamilton has been a big disappointment to both baseball fans and fantasy owners. Much was expected from him this season after his monster year in '08, but he was recently placed on the 15-day disabled list by Texas after he sustained a strained rib cage muscle. In the 18 games he played in before his DL stint, Hamilton was hitting a rather low .242 average with just two home runs and 10 runs batted in. You may see him again towards the middle to end of the month, but most likely not before then.

Never Again Shall I Watch the NFL Draft on ESPN

2009-04-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

I wasn’t expecting the best of coverage by ESPN for the NFL Draft, but goodness me did that “coverage” suck. I know it’s hard to fill in 2 days of things to talk about, but everything from Erin Andrews’ pointless interviews, to having a bunch of talking heads, to Todd McShay dying for Seattle to draft BJ Raji (when we already have Brandon Mebane, Cory Redding, and Colin Cole) was too much to handle. This cannot be possible. For lack of a better phrase, they half-assed one of the biggest days in the NFL that has absolutely nothing to do with playing the game itself. There was nothing positive about this year’s telecast.

I used to like Chris Berman. On Saturday though? Pathetic. His puns are worse than ever “The 4 hour mile”, he constantly strung together incoherent sentences broken up in between more incoherent sentences. It’s like he wanted to set up one of his colleagues before the pick was made but it just came off as awkward. When the highlights of Matthew Stafford were narrated by Boomer I couldn’t bear it. He could not possibly have been prepared. He looks so lost and it’s embarrassing. If I’m ESPN I’m thinking of phasing him out slowly.

Steve Young, Mark Sanchez is “Presidential” in the way he dresses? What the hell are you talking about? He did this again later on with another player. Young is a good analyst but even he was awful. It’s like he was intent on shouting over everybody with insane observations while stressing the importance of the QB position. Frankly I’d rather have Emmitt Smith back than listen to Young again. At least I’m guaranteed entertainment I can laugh at.

The team of Berman, Mel Kiper, Steve Young, and Keyshawn Johnson made my life hell. I had to mute the TV several times because it wasn’t intelligent debating. It was 4 guys shouting over nothing. You may not like Around the Horn, but the mute button is probably the best part of that show.

Todd McShay should be fired because he adds nothing other than arguing with Kiper but you already knew that.

Michael Smith was so awkward over the weekend with his little touch screen draft board thingamajiggy. He couldn’t articulate himself properly much of the time and is not good on TV. Stick to reporting and writing because you do a solid job in that department.

We’re not done yet. The pointless “sideline reporting” has reared its ugly head yet again. Erin Andrews interviewing Matthew Stafford before the official announcement that he would be the #1 overall pick AND after Roger Goodell made it official was unnecessary. Why do we need immediate thoughts from them after they’ve been selected?! It’s just more talking heads that are not needed for a professional broadcast.

Where is ESPN getting these people? An injury analyst? Are you serious?! Pedro Gomez should be banned from television. If he’s going to tell me that Edgerrin James was watching the Heat/Hawks playoff game with his kids then I’m not a happy camper.

Enough picking apart of individual people, let’s go to the production itself. I know they’re at the mercy of advertisers, but going to commercial break 4 minutes before a pick is about to be made is unacceptable! They ended up missing the final pick of the 1st round.

It’s also anticlimactic for the cameras to zoom in on a player who is on the phone smiling, knowing he’s about to be selected by whichever team is on the clock. Can’t you just wait 20 seconds instead of practically giving away the pick? I swear they did this 6 or 7 times in the first 15 picks.

Why do I need these stupid polls on the ticker? They put up one that asked “Will Josh Freeman be the starting QB in week 17?”. Zero percent said yes, and zero percent said no. Come on. It’s bad enough I have a bunch of guys shouting nonsense to me, what’s the purpose of adding reader polls after nearly every pick?

I’m going to leave it there even though I have some more things to say.

That is the last time I’m watching the NFL Draft on ESPN. My tolerance has been pushed off a cliff. It’s like they don’t even care what they do anymore. Since I know you’re scoping blogs ESPN, hear me on this one (and just about every other blog and media outlet there is), your COVERAGE IS BEYOND TERRIBLE.

I’ll watch it online if I have too. I can’t stand it anymore. It’s obvious they aren’t getting any better at what they’re supposed to do. Excess doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better. I’m fine with simplicity. ESPN is not capable of understanding that, and I know that I’m not the only one fed up with this.

Check back in June when I end up writing the same thing about the NBA Draft.

The Sun Sets on Phoenix's Playoff Hopes

2009-04-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

It’s a slow news day and I had to come up with a cheesy title! Bear with me here.

Has there been a more disappointing team than the Phoenix Suns? In their first year since they fired Mike D’Antoni for consistently folding against the Spurs, they won’t even make the playoffs. They beat the New Orleans Hornets last night to temporarily save their playoff chances, only for the Dallas Mavericks to come swarming in and blowing out the Utah Jazz to eliminate them. This all could’ve been prevented on Sunday when they were in Dallas to try and cut their lead on the 8th seed in the Western Conference to 2 games. Instead, they gave up 81 points by halftime and got blown out.

It all started when they hired Terry Porter as head coach. Porter made it to All-Star weekend before getting dumped. The problem? Rumored chemistry issues with the players, and it wasn’t fun to watch Phoenix anymore. They were at times running a half-court offense that paralleled the San Antonio Spurs. Slowing down the game is not what these Suns were meant for.

Alvin Gentry was hired to give the Suns a chance at the playoffs, and he is currently squeaking over the .500 mark as an interim. The fast and exciting team was back, but so was the awful defense of the past that has stopped them from reaching the NBA Finals.

In a year where Shaq has played his best basketball since he won the championship with Miami, Grant Hill has been healthy all year, and Steve Nash continues to put up great numbers, they have the golf clubs ready! Why? Because it was also a year where Amare Stoudemire had a sub-par year and had an eye injury that ended his season. Steve Kerr inexplicably traded Boris Diaw and Raja Bell for Jason Richardson of the Charlotte Bobcats. They did nothing to improve their defense and instead threw away one of their best defenders in Diaw.

It really has been a trainwreck season for Phoenix, and I’m not sure the fans are going to be happy with Steve Kerr’s moves. He has caught the Suns dearly. Like the Spurs, the era has ended. The days of cruising to the playoffs is over. The days of being labeled a “serious contender” to win it all is over.

This team is getting older. Nash, Shaq, Hill, all in their 30s. Stoudemire has the knees of a 77 year old. It’s time to rebuild in the desert. Maybe trade away Amare like they had planned to 2 months ago. Hope that the lottery balls bounce their way in the draft. The only question remains is if Steve Kerr is on the hot seat after this failed season.

Don't Worry

2009-03-20T07:58:00.001-07:00

Things are slow.

We haven't posted in a long time.

But we'll be back.

Eventually.

Here is the video of the day.

Brandon Marshall Arrested.....AGAIN

2009-03-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

We’ve been through this before. The Denver Broncos are trying to figure out how they want to handle the Jay Cutler trade ordeal, and then Brandon Marshall promptly does something stupid, AGAIN! The wide receiver was arrested for disorderly conduct on Sunday, making this 4 arrests in 4 years. Apparently he was in a fight and was released on a $300 bond. Now, he’s not only being dumb, but he’s being dumb while Roger Goodell is commish. You know what that means!

He was suspended for three games last season for repeatedly running afoul of the law — Marshall’s suspension stemmed from seven police-related incidents with his former girlfriend, Rasheedah Wately.

But he had his punishment reduced to a single game when he pledged to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that he would stay out of trouble.

Marshall, 24, now potentially faces a longer suspension to start the 2009 season, perhaps as much as eight games, which is the punishment other players have received for repeatedly getting into trouble off the field.

The league doesn’t require convictions for the commissioner to suspend a player.

He’s talented and all, had a very productive season in ‘08, but I think the Broncos should consider getting rid of him. The transition from Rod Smith to Brandon Marshall would’ve been easy and smooth had the latter been interested in behaving. Coupled with the aforementioned Cutler deal I think the Broncos have pretty much written their own soap opera.

Middlesbrough Fans Told to be Quiet

2009-02-26T16:21:00.000-08:00

Plenty of tough times for Middlesbrough FC. Currently, they sit in the relegation zone in 19th place, and I don’t recall them winning a Premier League game this year. If you watch Middlesbrough home matches, you’ll quickly notice the lack of a full stadium, it’s a bit quiet, and their matches are so boring.

CLEARLY the fans need to tone it down for their own home matches. This is the text from the letter written by Boro’s safety officer, Sue Watson (thanks from The Beautiful Game).

Dear Block 53A supporter

Standing at Riverside Stadium

Over the last few games this season the stewards have tried hard to persuade you all to sit down in this area of the ground.

The club are grateful of and encourage your noisy passionate support, but please remember that the Safety Certificate for the ground, issued by Middlesbrough Council, does not allow permanent standing within the seating areas.

I know when the action is exciting and the team are shooting at the north end of the ground the instinct of every fan is to stand, I do not want to stop you doing this, but then please sit down. If you could adhere to this but still maintain your level of support then all parties will be happy.

We need you to work with the stewards towards a safe environment, this compromise is the way forward and respects the wishes of other fans, which want to sit in the same area as you but cannot stand.

I am receiving more and more complaints from our own fans also seated in this area about both the persistent standing and the constant banging and noise coming from the back of this stand. Please stop, make as much noise as you like when we score, but this constant noise is driving some fans mad.

That is the dumbest request I’ve ever heard. So if they make a shot on goal you can stand, but when they don’t you must sit down and shut up? And who are these fans complaining about the other fans standing up and making noise? That’s what you are SUPPOSED to do! This isn’t cricket, and since one-third of the stadium is empty anyways you can just move to another seat!

Last year the Baltimore Orioles told its fans to tone it down when the VISITING TEAM was at-bat! It’s like these guys are wanting fans not to be fans.

Could you imagine going to a Seahawks game and the PA announcer goes “Fans, the Vikings are on offense so we suggest you do be quiet so they can hear each other!”?

How could you make such a letter at a time like this? They have had little to cheer about and now you want a portion of the stadium’s attendance to be quiet?

Singing, chanting, standing for your team is a part of being a fan, especially in Europe. Trying to limit it because supposedly some fans complained is just ludicrous.

As you can imagine, the fans who sit in the Block 53A section weren’t too happy about it, and there is now a Facebook group calling for Sue Watson to resign. They also turned their backs at the pitch in their recent game against Wigan.

Way to go, Boro! You’re losing fans by the minute, losing money by the second, and losing on the pitch! This obviously is what you’re trying to achieve!

Big Ten Basketball is Just Embarrassing

2009-02-18T21:06:00.000-08:00

If you ever get a chance to watch 5 minutes of Big Ten basketball, you will quickly realize that not only is it the most boring conference on the planet, but the goal is to not score.

Thankfully, I wasn’t one who had to deal with the lowest scoring Division I game since 2005. If you just finished watching Penn State vs. #18 Illinois, I’m sorry. For those who didn’t watch this, want to know the final score?

Are you sure?

Are you REALLY sure?

Are you so sure you want to know the score?

Okay, your loss.

Penn State 38 Illinois 33

That’s right, the #18 team in the country against a team on the bubble combined to score fewer points than Providence did in their blowout loss to Louisville. A grand total of 28 shots were made out of 96 attempts, Illinois did not take one attempt from the free throw line, and Talor Battle led all scorers with 11 points for the Nittany Lions.

The score at the under 16:00 TV timeout was 2-0 for the home team Illini.

At half time it was 17-15 in favor of Penn State.

What is the matter with the Big Ten conference? Not one team makes for good TV and they couldn’t score consistently if they increased the diameter of the rim by 5 yards!

Anyone who attended that game should demand a refund, especially since it was Illinois, the ranked team, playing at home.

38-33 is a great football game, not a 40 minute basketball struggle.

Erin Andrews Wins Again!!

2009-02-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have heard about the the contest being run by Playboy to find America's sexiest sportscaster. Well all the votes have been tallied, and the results are in. Once again for the second year in a row ESPN's Erin Andrews has taken the title of sexiest sportscaster in America. Not too surprising really. Congrats to Erin, although our vote here at Walker-Sports still goes with Washington D.C.'s own Lindsey Czarniak

Just Because the NFL Season is Over....

2009-02-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

…..Doesn’t mean the arrests stop! In fact, we’re just getting started! The Super Bowl marked the official end of the competitive 2008-09 NFL Season (the Pro Bowl is just nothing), and the arrests were on!

Jamaal Williams of the San Diego Chargers, arrested on DUI suspicion. That’s the 2nd time the Chargers have had someone arrested for DUI in a month, with Vincent Jackson the other player.

Darrell Reid of the Indianapolis Colts, already arrested 2 years ago for marijuana possession, was arrested a few days ago on disorderly conduct and trespassing chargers. Reid refused to leave a nightclub and when asked to leave by an off-duty police officer, said this:

“I don’t have to because I am a football player with the Indianapolis Colts.”

That sense of entitlement already failed the last time, it won’t work this time.

Next up, Terry Glenn! The former wide receiver for the Patriots, Packers, and Cowboys has had numerous run-ins with the law, so he felt he needed to get in on the act. Glenn was arrested on public intoxication and marijuana possession charges. The arrest actually happened in late January, but was not made public until the 5th of this month. Glenn was also caught wandering around a hotel naked before the arrest, and he already posted bond.

Last but not least, former Falcons running back Jamal Anderson! The man who created the “dirty bird” dance is a really dirty bird, arrested on felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor marijuana possession charges.

“The patron had heard what he thought was sniffing from inside the stall and told the off-duty officer,” police spokesman Otis Redmond said, according to the newspaper. “The officer went into the restroom, heard the same sniffing and peered over the stall door. He saw Jamal Anderson and Mark Hudson sniffing two lines of powdered cocaine off the back of the toilet.”

Hudson, 20, was also arrested at the bar in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, the report said.

Police found a 1-inch square bag of cocaine and a suspected marijuana cigarette in Anderson’s pocket, according to the paper. Police said both men were in possession of cocaine, according to other local reports.

Must be a pretty interesting place if someone sniffing means it’s time to call the cops. Anderson was working as an analyst for ESPN before his arrest.

There you go folks, those are your multi-millionare football players. This is what the NFL has become, and the league is very much earning its reputation as a league of criminals.

A-Rod Test For Positive For Steroids, What's That Mean For MLB?

2009-02-09T06:52:00.000-08:00

By now, everyone has heard the news that New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids during the 2003 baseball season. At the time A-Rod was playing shortstop for the Texas Rangers. He was also the AL's home run champion and the AL MVP. According to four different sources, A-rod tested positive for two anabolic steroids.

To be completely honest I could careless what this means for A-Rod or for the New York Yankees as I am not a fan of either. However, I do find the situation very interesting for Major League Baseball. This has not been the best week for Bud Selig and company in the home offices. Earlier this week Selig was ripped for earning $18 million last year. On Wednesday the federal government unsealed documents that will confirm the steroid use by Barry Bonds, and now you have one of the biggest names in the sport on the biggest team in the game testing positive for steroids. To be frank, MLB is hurting.

It seems that no matter what Major League Baseball does it just cannot get out of it's own way. They have tried to put the entire steroid era behind them by ignoring it, and it did not work. They confronted it with the Mitchell Report and it did not help. And now you have another major player testing positive and it just makes this whole thing feel like the nightmare you just cannot wake up from.

MLB has taken some major hits over the last 10 years. If it's not one thing it's another and obviously Bud Selig cannot right what is a very slow sinking ship. Perhaps MLB should scrap their leader bring in someone else and try start over again. Baseball will never return to it's glory days that is for sure. It is pretty sad to see how what was once an American pride has crumbled in the national spotlight.

Shaquille O'Neal Neal Anti Gay?

2009-02-05T12:54:00.000-08:00

According to some gay rights groups the Big Daddy came across as being anti-gay in this commercial he filmed for ESPN. As a result ESPN chose to pull the ad before he made its way into regular circulation.

The funny part about all of this is, anyone who has checked up on Shaq's track record he is anything but anit-gay. He was one of the first players to come out a few years ago and stated he would have no problem with a gay teammate. To add to that, when Shaq was a member of the Miami Heat he once put on his sheriffs hat and chased down and arrested a group outside of a club who were taking part in a gay bashing beat down. So in reality Shaq is anything but anti gay. Nonetheless ESPN chose to air on the side of caution with this one.

How I See It: Steelers Capture Number Six in SB XLIII

2009-02-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

As a life-long fan, I was very happy to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the underdog Arizona Cardinals last night in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay, Florida. Not only did they win their record 6th Super Bowl title by defeating Arizona 27-23, but also Ben Roethlisberger proved, once again, why he is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career. I understand he still has a lot to prove, but the fact that he already has two Super Bowl championships under his belt at age 26 is remarkable. Let's not forget about his rookie season in '04 where he went 13-0 as the starter in the regular season and took his team to the AFC Championship game against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. I will put it this way, Roethlisberger is a play-maker--that's all there really is to say about that. A clutch play-maker. Say what you want about holding on to the ball too long, but the reason why he's so good is because he uses his huge body (6 foot 5, 240 pounds) to avoid defenders and find the open man. That's exactly what Big Ben did on that final drive, which includes the last 6-yard TD toss to eventual MVP Santonio Holmes with :35 to play.

Roethlisberger, Holmes, Arizona's mental errors on defense. They all played a key role on that final, 78-yard TD drive which put Pittsburgh ahead 27-23. I don't want to hear anything about those penalties--that's not why I wrote this article. Arizona killed themselves, I will put it that way. There was no need for Adrian Wilson to run Mitch Berger over after Jeff Reed's field goal attempt. And how about all those holding calls enforced against Mike Gandy going up against James Harrison? Arizona can only blame themselves for all those penalties.

Arizona gave a valiant effort, but they truly only played one quarter of fabulous football. Pittsburgh went out there on fire in the first quarter and Arizona pretty much just dug themselves too big of a hole early on. Pittsburgh continued their first quarter donination from the rest of this season by holding on to the ball for 11:28 of the 15 minutes and producing two scoring drives, giving them an early 10-0 lead. Arizona had a nice goal line stand, stopping Roethlisberger inches from the end zone--had Ben gotten in, Pittsburgh would've had a two TD lead instead of a 10-point lead.

Warner bounced back from his three passing yards first quarter by leading his offense down the field, 83 yards, in approximately five and a half minutes. The nine-play drive was capped by a one-yard TD pass from 37-year old Kurt Warner to TE Ben Patrick. 10-7 Pittsburgh. The two teams exchanged punts for the next several minutes--with a Ben Roethlisberger INT thrown in the mix--until Arizona put together a nice little drive after the two-minute warning. Six Warner pass plays (4/6 for 33 yards) and a Tim Hightower run play later the Cards found themselves knocking on Pittsburgh's door with :18 left to go in the first half of play. After a four-yard pass complete to Anquan Boldin failed to stop the clock, head coach Ken Whisenhunt decided to call his final timeout of the half. So with no timeouts remaining and Arizona had the ball at PIT's one-yard line, Whisenhunt and his offensive coordinator Todd Haley had no choice but to put the ball in Warner's hands and pass the ball--well, duh, what else would Arizona do! Either way, Arizona ended up paying the price. The NFL's defensive player of the year, James Harrison, smelled the end zone, and after snagging the ball out of the air and running 100 yards (a new SB record, by the way), Harrison found it as well.

The veteran QB Warner makes a costly mistake with no time left in the first half and that proves to be at least a 10 point TD for Harrison, who needed his oxygen after the Jim Brown-like run to paydirt. The play was reviewed by the booth (inside two minutes) but the call on the field was confirmed and the TD stood. Despite the final drive for Pittsburgh, I think Harrison's INT returned for a TD was the play of the game. Had Arizona scored a TD there, or even just kicked a chip-shot FG, the second half may have been totally different, therefore ending a little differently.

After Bruce Springsteen's solid effort during halftime, play got back underway with a Jeff Reed kickoff to Arizona's return man, J.J. Arrington. On Arizona's first possession, Pittsburgh's defense got a heavy dose of Edgerrin James, but they held up and even forced another Warner fumble (even though it was challenged and the call was eventually overturned). Shortly afterwards, Arizona was forced to punt. Pittsburgh's first possession of half number two resulted in almost nine minutes elapsing, and after the big Adrian Wilson "unneccessary roughness" penalty gave the Steelers a first down deep inside Cards' territory, the Arizona defense got back to work. Just three short plays after the big penalty against Arizona, Pittsburgh was forced to attempt another short FG, which Reed (and his crazy dyed-blonde hair of his) kicked throught the uprights for a 20-7 lead.

But, not so fast Pittsburgh fans. With just over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Arizona's offense really started clicking, and Pro Bowl WR Larry Fitzgerald finally broke out and was the heart of Arizona's eight-play, 87 yard drive which was capped by, yes, a one-yard TD pass to Larry Fitzgerald himself.

Still 20-14 with three minutes left, Pittsburgh was caught in a pickle. Arizona punter Ben Graham had a fantastic punt, downing Pittsburgh inside their own five-yard line. Ben Roethlisberger, on third and 10 at their one, threw a 19-yard bullet to Holmes for the first down. But..center Justin Hartwig was called for holding--which was quite obvious and VERY stupid, by the way--and a safety was called against Pittsburgh since the penalty took place in the end zone. As you all know, safeties are worth two points for the opposing defense. PIT 20, ARI 16.

Safeties also mean the Cardinals would get the ball on a free kick, giving them solid field position. It took just two plays for Warner to throw a short pass to Fitzgerald, who was running a 5-yard slant route. Of course, Fitzgerald has that speed burst, and he turned up the center of the field for a 64-yard TD. Kicker Neil Rackers put Arizona ahead 23-20 with his extra point, which split the uprights easily.

Arizona and their fans must not have watched much of Pittsburgh football this season, this game was certainly not over, and Arizona gave Roethlisberger way too much time to get into the end zone (just over two minutes, in fact), not to mention that Pittsburgh had two timeouts remaining plus the two-minute warning which stops the clock.

Roethlisberger got right to work, throwing a 14-yard strike to Santonio Holmes right after a 10-yard holding penalty called against guard Chris Kemoteau. That pass is really what got the GW drive going. The highlight of the drive: A 40-yard pass and catch by Holmes, who later caught the go-ahead six-yard TD catch, which was a phenomenal, tight-rope catch in the back of the end zone--the pass happened to go right over the outstretched arms of THREE Arizona defenders. Again, the play was reviewed by the officials but the call on the field stood as called--a TD--which was, in fact, the correct call.

Pittsburgh left about :30 for Arizona to drive down the field and score, but Pittsburgh's defense held up, forcing a questionable fumble (LaMarr Woodley with his second sack of the night AND the forced fumble). Defensive end Brett Kiesel recovered the fumble, wrapping up the sixth SB victory in the team's history. The officials should've reviewed the play, that certainly would've stopped most of this "controversy" and "bad officiating" talks, even though I believe the call would've stood as was. The ball was coming loose before Warner's arm went forward, the ball went forward because it was still against his body, but it was obvious Warner had no control over that ball.

Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23

Great game, nonetheless! One of the best in the past 10 or 15 years, and I will give the Cards credit, they played a heck of a game, but Mike Tomlin deserves this one. Six pack, one for the other thumb, whatever you want to call it, it belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But, one of the best parts about all this, Pittsburgh has the chance to do this again next year, and the year after, and even the year after that. Could this be another Steeler dynasty? Who knows. But it's a good start (two of the last four SB wins). Great way to end the season, Pittsburgh. Congratulations, let's do it again!

Walker's Favorite Super Bowl Ads

2009-02-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl XLIII was phenomenal. Really it was, the game far exceeded my expectations and if you lived under a rock and did not know who Larry Fitzgerald was before the game kicked off, you better realize who he is now. While the action on the field was hot, some of the biggest companies in the United States proved they did not care about the recession and went out, spent big and struck gold with some great commercials. Listed bellow are our favorite Super Bowl commercials.

SSR's Super Bowl Pick

2009-02-01T15:08:00.001-08:00

This is it. Today is the day the world will watch the big game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals. So, any reason why I am not really that excited? This is the one Super Bowl where I have watched little coverage, little hype, and would really consider not watching altogether. As a Seahawks fan, do I really want a division rival winning the Super Bowl? But I digress….

Matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers (14-4) @ Arizona Cardinals (12-7)

Time: 6:28 PM ET/3:28 PM PT

Where: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL.

Why: To avoid the Super Bowl Loser’s Curse

Network: NBC

Announcers: Al Michaels and John Madden (with 500 people on the pre-game show and roaming the sidelines).

SSR’s Pick: Steelers 23 Cardinals 14. I have picked against the Cardinals in every game, and I was very tempted to pick them in this game. However, I can’t bring myself into thinking that Pittsburgh’s defense will be unable to break down Arizona’s explosive offense. If Arizona is going to win this game it will be through their defense. As crazy as that sounds, the Cardinals have forced the most turnovers in the post-season, with 11 in total. In fact, it is probably the biggest reason why they are in the Super Bowl, by forcing turnovers and giving their offense a chance to shine. Naturally, they’ll be facing a team that turned it over just 1 time in their 2 games. On offense I think that Larry Fitzgerald can’t be stopped, so it’s up to Anquan Boldin to stop being a baby and play some football. It’s up to Steve Breaston and the rest of the receiving corp to give Kurt Warner a 2nd option against this strong Steelers secondary. The running game for Arizona has been strong throughout the post-season, but the Steelers didn’t allow a 100 yard rusher all season long, so forget about that. It’s not like you can force Arizona to pass though, and they will have a greater chance if they can somehow beat the Steelers with underneath routes and screen passes. Alas, I think Pittsburgh will win because they will not make the mistakes that the other teams Arizona faced in the past did, and that is putting relentless pressure on Warner so that he won’t get the chance for even a quick pass to his receivers. On offense I don’t expect anything spectacular, but Ben Roethlisberger is the highest rated QB on 3rd down, and the unheralded Heath Miller will also key the Bruce Arians coached offense. He is stronger, and more mobile than Kurt Warner and that is another big persuasion towards Pittsburgh. Willie Parker is my MVP, I think he will have one of the best games of his career, and break past that tough Arizona front 4.

WIS’ Pick: Cardinals 15 Steelers 10. If it comes anything close to that, then it is easily the most boring Super Bowl of all-time. The Cardinals kicked 5 field goals and did not allow a touchdown until Willie Parker scampered to the end zone with 1:43 left in the game. The Steelers had one last chance late to win the game, but Big Ben was flagged for intentional grounding on the final play of the game, as he goes just 12-23 with an INT. Kurt Warner was the MVP with a 16-28 passing day for 210 yards. I don’t know why, because Neil Rackers got them all of their points, but you can’t give it to a kicker, right?

Enjoy the game.

The PETA Super Bowl Commercial that NBC Doesn't Want You to See

2009-01-28T13:20:00.000-08:00

We all know what PETA's agenda is. In addition we also know what the Super Bowl is really about, Viagra and Beer ads. So I'm not too sure why this PETA ad was considered too racy for the Super Bowl. Nonetheless, I've gone out of my way to find the ad that the Super Bowl does not want you to see.

Super Bowl XLIII Preview Extravaganza: Terry McAulay

2009-01-27T08:18:00.001-08:00

Let’s kick the Super Bowl preview off with what is obviously the most important non-player in the game, the referee. Only the best have the honor of reffing in the big game, legends like Red Cashion, Jim Tunney, and Ed Hochuli. Some games are called very well, others are scrutinized by fans and media alike (Bill Leavy).

For the 2nd time in his career, Terry McAulay will be the head official in the Super Bowl. The report from the LA Times says that McAulay was selected over Walt Anderson and Bill Carollo, with the 2 men working in the conference championship games. McAulay has been in the league for 11 seasons, and was the referee for Super Bowl XXXIX between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.

Interestingly enough, McAulay’s crew is one of the least experienced in the league and everyone else besides McAulay has not been an NFL official for even 10 years! The crew who gets the Super Bowl is based on grades on their performances throughout the season by league supervisors, and in a year where zebra-wearing incompetence and controversial calls have been at a high, this seems like a weird decision. I say this is a rather weird decision because……

This was the same crew that screwed over the Tennessee Titans in their divisional playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens. It’s McAulay’s crew that made Jeff Fisher and the entire Nashville population lose it. Do you have a short memory? Well there are some things that transcribed that could’ve completely changed the outcome of the game and who would play in the Super Bowl.

With a little over 2 minutes remaining, with the Ravens driving and the game tied at 10-10, it appeared that the play-clock in the stadium had reached zero. Nearly a full 2 seconds passed by before the ball was snapped, and Joe Flacco found Todd Heap for a gain of 23 (leading to their winning field goal). McAulay explained the folly:

The official Terry McAulay said afterward that the back judge was responsible for the call, that the real play clock had not hit zero and that the Titans could not have challenged for delay of game.

What is the real play-clock? There is no excuse for the “real clock” to be 2 seconds behind the stadium clock.

We know very well about the last Super Bowl that involved the Steelers and the refs, let’s just hope McAulay won’t be the center of controversy. I don’t think he is a bad referee and he and his crew should be given a chance to shine.

Of course, one more moment like the “Beer Bottle” game in Cleveland that was a part of, or the play-clock situation in Nashville means he’ll be downgraded just like Ed Hochuli.

DSRTSV! (1/26/09)

2009-01-25T17:12:00.000-08:00

Things have been slow at BNB lately, but that will change soon....hopefully. Expect a lot of Super Bowl talk as the season winds down.

But the video of the day is brought to you by the KTFO society. Shane Mosley whipped Antonio Margarito in a stunning 9th round TKO upset last night, and is the new WBA welterweight champion.

Rounds 8 and 9 for your viewing pleasure.

Random Super Bowl Facts

2009-01-25T17:09:00.001-08:00

Our first Super Bowl preview post of 2009! It’s the Steelers and Cardinals duking it out in Tampa for the right to claim the Lombardi Trophy. While Pittsburgh making it to the Super Bowl after Tennessee lost was not surprising, the Arizona Cardinals dispatching opponents that were supposed to knock them out really is. Let’s explore some of the possibilities for the winner of this game.

If the Steelers win…….

It would be their 6th Super Bowl title, an NFL record, and they are the only team among the 3 who currently have 5 to have played in the Super Bowl in this decade.
Mike Tomlin would be the 2nd black head coach to win a Super Bowl in the year that Tony Dungy, the first one to win it, retires.
Charlie Batch would get a 2nd Super Bowl ring.
Byron Leftwich, former top 10 pick now journeyman backup, would get a Super Bowl ring.
Their last 3 Super Bowl titles would have all come against teams from the NFC West (Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis - then LA Rams, Arizona Cardinals).
The AFC North would snag both Super Bowl titles held in Tampa in the 2000s (the Ravens being the other).
It would be their 2nd Super Bowl won when Al Michaels and John Madden are the announcers.

If the Cardinals win….

Only the Seahawks will be in the ringless category of the NFC West.
Matt Leinart would get a Super Bowl ring doing nothing but get benched.
Kurt Warner would be the first QB to start on two Super Bowl winning teams.
The same applies to Warner if he wins MVP.
They would become the first 9-7 team to ever win the Super Bowl.
Edgerrin James would get a well-deserved ring.
Every player on the team except Kurt Warner would get their first Super Bowl ring.
They would be the first Super Bowl winning team from the NFC West since 1999, led by Kurt Warner of course.
It would be the 2nd year in a row the NFC takes the title, something that hasn’t happened since the Cowboys and Packers took Super Bowls 31 and 32.
Did I mention Matt Leinart would get a ring?
Ken Whisenhunt will have beaten the same team where he was offensive coordinator of the 2005 Super Bowl team.

Stay tuned for more Super Bowl bonanza stuff.

Turnovers Key in Arizona, Pittsburgh Wins: Recap of Conference Championship Weekend

2009-01-19T11:24:00.000-08:00

The Super Bowl matchup is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers will battle it out in Tampa Bay in less than two weeks. Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt will have the honor in facing his old team with the Vince Lombardi Trophy on the line (Whisenhunt was offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh before taking the Cards' head coaching job two years ago).

How these two teams did it yesterday? Simple, they minimized mistakes and were able to force some turnovers on the other side of the ball. Arizona's veteran QB Kurt Warner will be headed to his third career Super Bowl (1-1) while Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger his second (1-0).

Philadelphia Eagles 25, Arizona Cardinals 32

This game was an offensive explosion, which surprised, once again, countless amounts of NFL fans and "experts" (I don't like using that word, but that's what they are called). Most NFL followers, including me, had doubted whether or not Warner and all-pro WR Larry Fitzgerald would have the connection they had made the previous two weeks. But, Fitzgerald caught nine passes for 152 yards and three TD's (all in the first half) throughout the game as Asante Samuel and Brian Dawkins struggled to stop the Arizona passing attack which went for 267 yards (ARI: 369 total yards).

Philadelphia did more of the same when they had the ball. Despite being down 24-6 at the half, Donovan McNabb got his team together and made a late surge, scoring 19 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarter, taking the lead for the first time after a 62-yard bomb to rookie WR DeSean Jackson. Philly led 25-24 with 10:45 to play after a David Akers failed extra point and a failed 2-point conversion (after the 62-yard pass). McNabb threw for 375 yards and three TD's (Philly gained 454 yards on offense) but his first half INT was a costly mistake.

Arizona was poised to win the game, and on their very next possession, Kurt Warner put together a 14-play, 72 yard drive which took 7:52 away from McNabb and got him out of his groove. The drive was capped with an 8-yard pass from Warner to '08 fantasy stud, Tim Hightower; a TD machine this season. The successful two-point conversion for Arizona made it a seven-point game, 32-25, and the bandwagon jumpers went crazy!

Philadelphia's offense got two more chances to even the score before time ran out, but were unsuccessful. McNabb got a solid start to the drive with a couple of short to medium passes to Jackson, TE Brent Celek and RB Brian Westbrook, but four straight incomplete passes on first and 10 gave the ball back to Arizona with under two minutes remaining. A quick three-and-out on defense put the Eagles in position for a ver deep pass of, lets see, 91 yards. With :09 to play, McNabb's short pass play with a couple laterals failed and Arizona went on to win the game as the time expired.

In just his second season as the head coach, Ken Whisenhunt has taken the Arizona Cardinals to their first-ever Super Bowl. Had it been one year earlier, they would've been playing in their very own stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Either way, Arizona will cherish this moment for a lifetime.

Baltimore Ravens 14, Pittsburgh Steelers 23

Ah, the other BIG game this past weekend. Perhaps the matchup that has received all the attention (east coast bias, huh?). Pittsburgh was favored by six points, but that didn't bother Baltimore any. Number one defense versus the number two defense, that's what this game was all about and the victory could've gone either way.

Pittsburgh got the ball first and was able to drive down the field thanks to a big play from reliable veteran WR Hines Ward, which put the Steelers in field goal range. Jeff Reed's 34-yard field goal capped a 7-play, 55 yard drive and gave Pittsburgh the early 3-0 lead. The key in the very long first quarter was the defense for Pittsburgh. Baltimore's rookie QB Joe Flacco had just two passing yards and Baltimore had just 17 total yards and zero first downs in quarter number one. The Ravens four first quarter possessions; punt, INT, punt, turnover on downs. Pittsburgh; FG, punt,

FG, fumble. BAL 0, PIT 6.

It really wasn't until the end of the first half when Baltimore's offense started producing. A three-play, 66-yard drive, in which just 1:02 elapsed from the game clock was capped by a 65-yard pass from QB Ben Roethlisberger to WR Santonio Holmes. The TD extended Pittsburgh's lead to 13-0 with about 14 minutes to play in the opening half. With just under three to play, Baltimore cut the lead in half with a three-yard TD run for Willis McGahee. Matt Stover's extra point made it a 13-7 ball game.

Poor clock management at the end of the half on Roethlisberger and coach Mike Tomlin's part sent the two teams into the locker room with a close six-point game. With Hines Ward out with a knee injury and Big Ben shaken up after being hit several times after passes, Baltimore stole the momentum just before the half. Fortunately for Baltimore, Pittsburgh failed to put more points up after what should've been an easy, wide open TD catch for 6 foot 4 rookie WR Limas Sweed. Sweed dropped the pass and Pittsburgh failed to get any points from it. Another fine example; what looked to be an easy TD pass to Holmes was ruled incomplete and Pittsburgh settled for a FG. One more thing; Pittsburgh got a gift-call on what was apparently a roughing the punter called on Baltimore. Punter Mitch Berger was awarded the Academy award for his acting and Pittsburgh was given the ball back deep inside Baltimore territory. What does Pittsburgh do? Nothing, not even three points.

Baltimore fails to capitalize on the momentum early in the second half, punting on their first three possessions. Pittsburgh manages three points off another Jeff Reed field goal, this one from 46 yards out. On their other two third quarter possessions Pittsburgh punted, as well. BAL 7, PIT 16 at the end of three.

Early in the fourth, however, Baltimore pulls within two on Willis McGahee's second TD of the day (this one from 1-yard out). After the TD, Flacco just seemed to fold under pressure. Pittsburgh's defense continued to bring the heat and Flacco just collapsed in the pocket. The Ravens' last three possessions looked like this; INT, fumble, INT. In the final six or seven minutes of regulation, Flacco and the offense had seven plays, gaining just 43 yards.

The game was virtually over when Flacco's second--of three total--interception was run back for a 40-yard TD by all-pro SS Troy Polamalu, who was all over the field all game long, like usual.

Despite the spectacular play by the home team, not all was good in the final minutes of play in Pittsburgh. A very big collision between Pittsburgh's Ryan Clark and Baltimore's Willis McGahee sent Clark to the sidelines with wooziness and McGahee off on a stretcher with extreme neck pain (as it was later categorized). McGahee was released from the hospital earlier today, however, after spending the night in a Pittsburgh hospital. He seems to be ok.

Finally, Flacco was picked off once more to end his horrendous night in Pittsburgh. The Steelers held on to advanace to their 7th Super Bowl appearance in the 43-year SB history. Only Dallas (8) has more appearances than Pittsburgh as the Steelers look to capture their NFL-record 6th title against Arizona on February 1st, 2009 in Tampa Bay, Florida.

I can't wait.

What Do You Get....

2009-01-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

When you throw the ball 47 times and run it just 17?

You lose your 4th NFC Championship game in 5 tries!!!

Cardinals Make it to Super Bowl

2009-01-18T15:22:00.000-08:00

Yep. It's true.

Dear Andy Reid

2009-01-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

You are fired.

Signed,

The fans of the Eagles and SSReporters

DSRSTSV! (1/13/09)

2009-01-13T19:07:00.000-08:00

Naughty drunk Giants fan. Can't you take a loss properly?

The Official NFL Conference Championship Preview (2008-09)

2009-01-13T16:34:00.000-08:00

This is it. Four teams will play til the death this Sunday. Four teams will give it all they've got and leave it all out on the field. The winner? Well, all the winner will get to do is travel to Tampa Bay and play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in two weeks, a chance at NFL history. Both the NFC teams, Philadelphia and Arizona are looking for their first-ever Super Bowl championship. Baltimore is looking for their second title since returning to Baltimore in 1996 while the Pittsburgh Steelers are seeking their record-breaking 6th Super Bowl win.

Three of the four QB's in this weekend's games have played in a Super Bowl, two of those three have a ring in their possession (Kurt Warner with STL in '99, Ben Roethlisberger with PIT in '05).

The Phildadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals will kickoff at 3 PM ET in Glendale, Arizona. The Eagles must stop the duo of Warner and Pro Bowl wideout Larry Fitzgerald after the two went for 166 yards and a TD against the Carolina Panthers last week. Eagles safety, Brian Dawkins, is nearing the end of his career and has yet to win a ring. Dawkins, the heart and soul of Philly's D for years, is Donovan McNabb's and the rest of the Eagles' motivation. Arizona's motivation in this game? How about losing season after losing season. They have rarely even managed to make the playoffs and they finally realized they are just one game away from the Super Bowl in Tampa. What more can you ask for??

As for the Ravens/Steelers game in Pittsburgh (scheduled to kickoff at 6:30 PM ET), many believe the third time's the charm for Baltimore's stingy defense. Pittsburgh has come out on top in both of the two team's previous meetings this season, and that was a Steelers team suffering injury after injury. But, after watching the Steelers 35-24 route of the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, the Steelers look to be as healthy as ever. This game will be better than the Super Bowl itself. The cold, snowy weather will make due for a very physical, run-based game. Both defenses are on the top of their game and are looking to knock off their division-rival. The winner of this game has a very good chance in the Super Bowl. I present you the third of four Playoff Previews (4-4 in eight playoff games, ew that's not good):

What I, myself think.

What Madden 09 (for XBOX 360) says.

and, of course...

What 'Whatifsports.com' says (FYI: WIS just recently released the 2008 rosters).

NFC Conference Championship

Philadelphia Eagles @ Arizona Cardinals

Sunday, January 18th, 2009 at 3 PM ET

ME: PHI 24, ARI 17

Donovan McNabb has played tremendously this playoff season and even when Philadelphia's run game has struggled, Philly has been able to win games anyway because of solid defensive play. Asante Samuel and Brian Dawkins have had great games in the defensive secondary and if they can double-team Larry Fitzgerald it will be a much easier win for Philadelphia than expected. Give Brian Westbrook the ball early and often to take pressure off McNabb and continue giving him the ball if/when Philly gets a comfortable lead. Yes, Arizona winning this game will be a great head-liner, but I'm doubting them once again. Prove me wrong, Arizona!

Madden '09: PHI 16, ARI 23

Kurt Warner led his team to victory with a little help from the best WR in the league, Larry Fitzgerald of course. Warner went 23 of 32 for 238 yards and 2 TD's against Brian Dawkins and Asante Samuel. Guess they should've double-teamed him, huh? Fitzgerald caught both TD's for 24 and 32 yards in the second and third quarters. The rest of the scoring came off the once Pro Bowl kicker Neil Rackers who booted three FG's from beyond 43 yards. Donovan McNabb passed for just 195 yards and a TD, Brian Westbrook caught a TD and ran for another. A safety on Kurt Warner in the third capped Philly's scoring as Arizona rolled on to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance. Can you believe it!?!?

WIS: PHI 27, ARI 13

Well, it appears as though WIS knew exactly what Philly had to do to stop Warner and Fitz...double-team them, of course! I've mentioned that in this article several times now and yes, it works occasionally. Arizona couldn't stop Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook. McNabb threw for 321 yards while Westbrook ran for 128 and a TD. Brian Dawkins made 8 tackles and record 1.5 sacks with a forced fumble on Warner. Now, that's how you win ballgames!

Overall: PHI (2-1)

AFC Conference Championship

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday, January 18th, 2009 at 6:30 PM ET

ME: It's a toss-up! (but really, Pittsburgh wins 17-14)

Literally, I'm not sure I can pick a winner. Pittsburgh is favored by 6 points, but it will be much closer than that. People are continuing to say that Baltimore has more motivation and "third time's the charm" but that's just bull. Pittsburgh is just as motivated as Baltimore is. The two teams have the hottest defenses in the league right now and both QB's have very similar abilities and are about one inch and 10 pounds size difference. Ben Roethlisberger will be playing in his third career AFC Championship game and this defense seems to have a little more playoff experience on their side but that's about it. Like I said earlier, though, Pittsburgh seems to be healthy for the first time in what, 12 or 13 weeks at least. Baltimore's defense did struggle to stop Tennessee's run in the first half of last game, Pittsburgh will need to mimic what Tennessee's Chris Johnson did while actually on the field. I picked a generic score of about 17-14 and flipped a coin. Baltimore won two out of three times. But, I'm going against those odds and saying Pittsburgh wins. Call me bias all you want, I'm not a professional, I do what I want!

Madden '09: BAL 17, PIT 20

Ed Reed picked off Ben Roethlisberger once and sacks him twice, but James Harrison and James Farrior lead Pittsburgh's defense with 2 sacks each (PIT sacked Joe Flacco 6 total times), and Troy Polamalu picked him off twice. Ray Lewis led Baltimore's hard-hitting defense with 13 tackles and a sack as Roethlisberger completed 18 of his 29 passes for 202 yards. Hines Ward was clutch as he caught seven passes for 89 yards and the game-winning 24-yard TD catch with less than a minute to play. Jeff Reed's two 40+ yard FG's were huge, too. Baltimore got off to a 14-0 start and led 14-3 at the half. But, just like most other games this season, Roethlisberger led a second-half comeback. Pittsburgh outscored Baltimore 17-3 in the third and fourth quarters on their way to another Super Bowl appearance.

WIS: BAL 7, PIT 6

Talk about a defensive slugfest! In the end, Baltimore late big-play makes the difference. Rookie QB Joe Flacco throws a 79-yard bomb to TE Todd Heap with just under four minutes remaining. Heap has made a couple big plays in the past couple of games and he had 94 of Flacco's 174 passing yards in the one-point win. Ray Lewis' 10 tackles and Ed Reed and Justin Bannan's interceptions of Ben Roethlisberger make the difference in the game as Roethlisberger goes 11 of 22 for 99 yards and 2 INT's. The game may not have been as close if veteran kicker Matt Stover hadn't missed the 45-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter for Baltimore.

Overall: PIT (2-1)

Super Bowl Match-up:

Philadelphia v.s. Pittsburgh

Battle of PA!

Young Wants Out

2009-01-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

It's apparent that Rangers Shortstop Michael Young wants out of Texas after the latest talk.

The 32-year old, long-time Ranger has experienced his fair share of bad luck and shear discomfort throughout his nine seasons in a Texas uniform. It's not really that the Rangers organization has flat-out disrespected him, he has just been bumped around so much that he probably feels that way, at this point.

Originally a second baseman, Young played three different positions in his third season in the majors during the 2002 season (2B, SS, 3B). Before the 2004 season Young was, likely unwillingly, moved to shortstop after the trade of current SS Alex Rodriguez and the recent acquisition of former New York Yankees second baseman, Alfonso Soriano. That season Young played 158 games at short and two as the team's designated hitter (DH).

Young has played 150+ games at short every year since the move.

But after all these years, Young's days in Texas seem to be on the cusp of diminishing. Young announced publicy that he wants out of Texas after the organization's latest stunt; bumping Young to third. Texas is trying to replace Young with rookie SS, Elvis Andrus. Why the Rangers thought they could take advantage of Young's unique ability to play the game of baseball is beyond me. Before now, I really don't think I've heard much from Michael, but he has made his voice loud and clear this time; He WANTS OUT, Texas!

His numbers may not be quite as eye-popping as the likes of Alex Rodriguez or Albert Pujols, but Young can get it done and, as you can see, very versatile. He can hit, field and run at an above-average level day in and day out. Michael has hit for a .300 or better average in five of his nine seasons with Texas, has stolen double-digit bases in four seasons (he only went one season without any SB because he had just two AB's in '00), and has a career .980 fielding percentage in over 1,200 career games.

Add his five All-star selections, one All-star game MVP and his Gold Glove from last season and you've got a pretty reliable resumé.

My point: Michael Young should take his business elsewhere. If Texas' General Manager, Joe Daniels, and Manager, Ron Washington, don't appreciate what he has done for the team while at the position, they don't deserve to have a player of his caliber on the ball club. Period. End of story. Here's what Young, himself, has to say about the matter (Quote from MLB.com's Hot Stove Report):

"Shortstop is my job, I've worked hard at it. I've earned it."

Agreed, 100%.

Double DSRTSV! 1/7/09

2009-01-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

Darren Sproles knocks out the Colts in OT over the weekend in video #1.

Video #2, Warren Sapp vs. Michael Phelps.

Somebody Has to Win: 1976 Buccaneers vs. 2008 Lions

2009-01-07T18:48:00.000-08:00

The 1976 Buccaneers, the 2008 Detroit Lions. Both came into the Superdome in New Orleans winless, among the most embarrassing teams in NFL history. The Buccaneers needed nearly 2 whole seasons to get their first win in franchise history, the Lions went from the days of Barry Sanders to the days of Dan Orlovsky. One of them left the Big Easy with their first, and only win in front of a crowd of about 1700. It’s the Buccaneers against the Lions using Whatifsports.com’s simulator, read on!

Narrated by John Facenda:

1st Quarter

Tampa Bay kicked off to Detroit to start the game. I have no introduction because we’re talking about 2 teams that are remarkably, historically, inconceivably awful, and I don’t want to waste my breath doing an intro. Dan Orlovsky drove the Lions down the field against that inept Buccaneers defense. A 10 play, 75 yard drive took 6:16 off the clock. Sadly, we’ve got two winless teams, and Orlovsky could not hit Sean MacDonald in the end zone and they had to settle for a field goal made by Jason Hanson. 3-0 Lions

Tampa Bay, led by Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier, responded with a bang. A combination of an aerial assault with John McKay and Morris Owens with the running attack featuring Louis Carter and Ed Williams took the Bucs all the way down to the 29 yard line of Detroit. Spurrier cleaned up the rest with a touchdown pass on the next play to John McKay, giving the Bucs a stunning 7-3 lead.

Back came Detroit, neither defense could stop each other it seemed, until Bert Cooper piledrived Orlovsky into the ground when Detroit was driving. The Lions would go into the next quarter facing a 3rd and 19 at the Tampa Bay 27.

2nd Quarter

A daunting task for the 0-16 Lions, a 3rd and 19 just when they were ready to pick apart the Bucs for more points. Orlovsky would not be denied, finding Michael Gaines, shedding a tackle and getting into the end zone. Lions 10 Buccaneers 7

Spurrier replied by playing pitch and catch with Morris Owens, all the way to the Detroit 29. The Lions defense stepped up though, and forced the first major mistake of the game. Jared DeVries pressure Spurrier, resulting in a sack and a fumble, which the Lions wouls recover at their own 34. The first turnover of the game meant the Lions had a chance to take a two possession lead.

Once again, a determined Lions offense beat up Tampa Bay, with Orlovsky completing 5 of his 8 passes in a 10 play drive. The 3rd down pass from the 5 hit Calvin Johnson, who scored his first touchdown of the game. The Lions capitalized, and took a 17-7 lead.

Late in the first half Hanson tacked on another short field goal, already Detroit’s 3rd red zone drive, but twice it ended in a field goal. Detroit was suffocating the Bucs, and went into the locker room with a 20-7 lead.

3rd Quarter

Lions coach Rod Marinelli only said to his team to do their best, while Tampa Bay coach John McKay (yes, there were two John McKays on the team, a coach and a player) reminded them that they couldn’t stop the Detroit Lions on defense, otherwise they were doing well. Whatever else was said obviously worked for Tampa Bay, because the Lions showed once again why they were winless, getting only 1 first down in the 3rd quarter and punting it 4 times. However, Tampa Bay did even worse, and didn’t get a first down until the final play of the quarter. Running back Rod McNeill picked up 34 yards on a draw play, rumbling to the Detroit 30. Heading into the 4th, the Lions were in the lead, but Tampa Bay had a chance to close that lead. Lions 20 Buccaneers 7

4th Quarter

The very first play of the 4th quarter would be a touchdown for the 1976 Buccaneers. Spurrier, who finished the game completing less than half of his passes, hit Bob Moore, who outran the Lions defense for a 30 yard touchdown. Back in the game, down just 20-14.

Back came Detroit with a 10 play, 70 yard drive of their own. It was another drive dominated by the passing of Dan Orlovsky, but once again in the red zone they faltered, settling for another Hanson field goal. 23-14 Lions with 8:57 left in the game. For Detroit, 4 red zone posessions, only 1 touchdown to show for it.

Tampa Bay replied with an 8 play, 73 yard drive in just 3:07, huge considering time was running out, and Spurrier threw his 3rd touchdown pass, this one to Morris Owens for 14 yards. However, it wouldn’t be a battle of winless teams without a simple goof-up. Kicker Dave Green missed the extra point, and the Lions lead was 23-20 with 5:41 to go. A field goal would only tie, and not win the game thanks to that crucial screw up.

Don’t worry, the Lions would make a game-changing play. Orlovsky was replaced by Jon Kitna, trying to prove he can still play in the league. Kitna was 1-3 in his only series, the revived Bucs defense would not be fooled by Marinelli’s surprise, and Ken Stone picked off Kitna and returned it to the Lions 34 yard line with 3:55 to go.

Tampa Bay had a chance to win it in regulation, slowly pounding the football and just killing time off the clock. With just 1:32 to go, the Bucs were inside the 5 facing a 2nd and goal. The only thing stopping Tampa Bay from a comeback victory, was Detroit’s tiring defense, and sheer incompetence. Spurrier’s pass for Williams was incomplete, 3rd and goal. Only 1 more stand needed, and they would get it.

SLAM!!!!! Down went Spurrier at the 9 yard line, former Seattle Seahawk, Chuck Darby came up huge and sacked the quarterback to force Tampa Bay to kick the field goal to force overtime. It was now or never, Green already missed an extra point, and if he missed this chipshot field goal, the Lions would leave the already emptying out Superdome with a win. The snap was down, the kick was perfect, and with :39 left, overtime was imminent. Not only did Kitna’s interception give Tampa Bay life, it proved costly. Detroit’s attempt to win it with little time failed, overtime with the score tied at 23-23.

Overtime

Detroit won the coin toss and elected to receive. They were devastated, already blowing a 13 point lead in the final quarter, knowing a missed extra point prevented this game from going into overtime. It was a disaster, Kevin Smith lost 4 yards on 1st down, Orlovsky scrambled for 6 yards on 2nd and 14. For some reason, Marinelli called a running play on 3rd and 8, and they got no yards. Just like that, Tampa Bay got the ball back.

The Buccaneers’ ground game gained 54 yards on their drive which started at their own 31, Spurrier threw just 1 pass, a completion to Owens for 15 to the Lions 35. Carter, Williams, McNeill, and Essex Johnson pounded the rock, wore down the Lions defense. Then, with the ball at the 7 yard line, went for the kill:

“Handoff to MacNeill, left side with a big hole!! TOUCHDOWN TAMPA BAY!!! TOUCHDOWN TAMPA BAY!!!! BUCS WIN!!! AT LONG LAST!!! WE HAVE A WIN BABY!!! TOUCHDOWN!!!!”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 29 Detroit Lions 23 (OT)

The drought was over. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Detroit Lions in a thrilling comeback win, and the 1976 team got their win after all, while the Lions went frustratingly into their locker room cementing themselves as the worst NFL team of all time. Coach McKay was showered in Champagne, Coach Marinelli congratulated his guys for trying.

Steve Spurrier won the MVP award for the game, completing 11-24 for 193 yards and 3 touchdowns, with no interceptions.

A game in which both teams made many mistakes as expected, the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers were victorious.

The Official NFL Divisional Weekend Preview (2008-09)

2009-01-07T18:20:00.000-08:00

Looking to bounce back after going 2-2 in the wild card round last week, I will be a little more cautious in picking my three definite winners and, of course, one upset; which is probably very surprising to most NFL fans out there. But, what can I say? I enjoy living on the edge. It's not like I have any money riding on the outcome of these games. Once again, I will present to you:

* What I, myself think.

* What Madden 09 (for XBOX 360) says.

and, of course...

* What 'Whatifsports.com' says (FYI: WIS just recently released the 2008 rosters).

Baltimore Ravens @ Tennessee Titans

Saturday, January 10th, 2009 at 4:30 PM ET

ME: BAL 21, TEN 24

Like most playoff games nowadays, this game will be close and will come down to the team that makes the least mistakes. With DE's Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch back in the lineup, Tennessee will get plenty of pressure on rookie QB Joe Flacco, sacking him many times and forcing multiple turnovers. With their elite RB's--Lendale White and rookie Chris Johnson--in the backfield, Tennessee will have no trouble controlling the clock. I actually believe if QB Kerry Collins can limit mistakes on offense and maybe score two or three times, they should be able to control the tempo and dominate both sides of the ball. Collins keeps the ball away from Ed Reed and Chris Johnson rolls for 120+ as Tennessee advances.

Madden '09: BAL 19, TEN 13

Turns out Baltimore's defense is very good, though I'm sure you already figured that out for yourself. The Ray Lewis-led squad dominated Kerry Collins and Tennessee in this Madden matchup by sacking him four times (two of which went to Lewis, himself), plus a Terrell Suggs INT. The bright moment for Tennessee was Chris Johnson's 56-yard run early in the third quarter, which gave Tennessee the 13-12 lead. But, the rookie Flacco managed a late scoring drive which was capped by a three-yard TD which he ran in himself. The Matt Stover extra point gave Baltimore the 19-13 lead with just over a minute to play. Ray Lewis sealed the win with a late sack of Kerry Collins as time expired. Could Baltimore match their 2000 Super Bowl season? Their defense just may be good enough.

WIS: BAL 6, TEN 12

Kerry Collins was't near as affective as he should've been (7 for 18, 44 passing yards), but he was able to get the job done, nonetheless. As I expected, defense is what won the game. Tennessee shut Flacco down, sacking him three times and limiting him to just 115 yards through the air. Chris Johnson led the team in rushing yards, with 75, as Tennessee picked up 155 on 35 carries. Four Rob Bironas FG's and three Matt Stover FG's were the only points of the game. So, I guess in a way, it was the special teams that made the difference. Anyway, Tennessee moves on, according to WIS.com.
Overall: TEN (2-1)
Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers

Saturday, January 10th, 2009 at 8:15 PM ET

ME: ARI 35, CAR 31

Ah, yes. The big, head-scratching prediction. I have been praising the Panthers' running game and calling Jake Delhomme the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year all season long, but I'm going to have to pick against the mighty Panthers this week. I like the matchup of Kurt Warner and Pro Bowl WR's Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin v.s. Carolina's 16th ranked pass defense. Arizona limited Atlanta's sixth ranked offense to 250 total yards and the game's second-leading rusher, Michael Turner, to just 42 yards (forced a Turner fumble, too). Not to mention the three turnovers they forced, including two Matt Ryan INT's. Arizona has as much of a chance at stopping the Panthers elite running game as anyone.

Madden '09: ARI 17, CAR 33

So, it appears as though John Madden and his crew don't agree with my upset pick, at all. He has Carolina playing mistake-free, T.O.P. domination. In this game, the killer duo of DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart combining for 165 yards and 2 TD's (one each). Jake Delhomme went 18 of 26 for 261 yards and a late second quarter TD pass to All-Pro WR Steve Smith, which gave Carolina a 17-0 advantage. A late scoring spree for Kurt Warner and his Cards wasn't enough as the second seeded Panthers advanced to the NFC Conference Championship game.

WIS: ARI 38, CAR 24

Wow, this result really surprised me. Not only did Arizona beat Carolina by two TD's, but Kurt Warner threw for 269 yards and three TD's while Arizona stopped the DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart-led Carolina run game to 116 yards on 34 carries. Larry Fitzgerald was Arizona's leading receiver with 5 catches for 93 yards and two of Warner's three passing TD's. Arizona's defense also sacked Delhomme (14 for 22 for 182 yards) twice and picked him off once more, which happened to be returned 61 yards for a TD by former Steelers LB Clark Haggans in the second quarter.
Overall: ARI (2-1)

Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants

Sunday, January 11th, 2009 at 1 PM ET

ME: PHI 17, NYG 31

I'm not buying into the whole "Eagles are untouchable" talk I keep hearing. Yes, they may have beaten the Giants earlier in the season, but I guess you haven't learned your lesson yet: don't doubt Eli Manning in the playoffs. He WILL prove you wrong, he's done it before. ESPN's poll showed that about 54% of people out there believed Philly would win. Philly's D gave up 83 rushing yards and two TD's to Adrian Peterson last week. What do you think the trio of Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw are going to do to this defense? If Philly can't get Brian Westbrook going early, it could be a long day for this Philly offense going up against the NFL's fifth best defense, led by DE Justin Tuck.

Madden '09: PHI 18, NYG 17

Philadelphia advanced with the slimest of margins thanks to 247 passing yards and a late TD pass to the rookie DeSean Jackson--who broke out for five catches, 102 yards and the TD catch. But, the Eagles pulled off the miraculous 14-point comeback thanks to four kicks booted through the uprights by veteran David Akers. Eli Manning and the G-Men took the 14-0 lead after a McNabb fumble was returned for a TD and Ahmad Bradshaw ran the ball in from two yards out. Akers hit three of his four FG's in the second half as McNabb's Eagles outscored New York 12-0 in the fourth quarter and 15-3 in the second half. Philly can thank Manning's two second-half INT's, which were both intercepted by Philly's Quintin Mikell. Brandon Jacobs' 133 rushing yards ended up making little impact on the outcome.

WIS: PHI 23, NYG 21

Donovan McNabb and the Eagles' D proved me wrong as Philly pulled off a two-point upset. Eli Manning was nothing compared to the red-hot Eagle defense. In fact, Manning went just 14 for 25 for 172 yards (0 TD, 0 INT). It was New York's running game that kept the Giants' hopes alive with 214 yards on 28 carries, scoring all three of the team's TD's (2 Ward, 1 Jacobs). Head coach Andy Reid did, in fact, get the running game going early and often for Philadelphia as Brian Westbrook scored his lone TD from 20-yards out just five minutes into the game. Westbrook finished with 129 yards on the ground and 46 through the air en route to a 23-21 win.

Overall: PHI (2-1)
San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday, January 11th, 2009 at 4:45 PM ET

ME: SD 10, PIT 24

All bias aside, Pittsburgh will win this football game. The only thing I'm real worried about, at this point, is how Ben Roethlisberger will react after sustaining a concussion against the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago. The guy is a warrior and has been hit plenty before. If he can just manage the game--he really doesn't have to do anything special--Pittsburgh will be fine. Mike Tomlin will most likely get the run game going early and often. If Willie Parker can be affective on the ground, it's smooth sailing from there. On defense, they will need to stop the little man, Darren Sproles, since the 'Bolts will most likely be without Ladainian Tomlinson for a majority of the game, anyway. Score some points on the ground, limit mistakes and force a few turnovers is what Pittsburgh must--and will--do against the Chargers' on Sunday.

Madden '09: SD 17, PIT 24

Ben Roethlisberger played a real solid game, completing 18 of his 25 passes for 198 yards and two TD's. But, the talk of the night was Willie Parker and his 132 rushing yards and two TD runs. Pittsburgh lost two fumbles on offense, but Pittsburgh's two INT's and five sacks of Philip Rivers (three recorded by James Harrison) made up for the offensive turnovers. Tomlinson and Sproles combined for just 73 rushing yards as Pittsburgh held the ball for 36 of the possible 60 minutes.

WIS: SD 10, PIT 20

Again, Ben Roethlisberger had a solid game, going 15 for 22, 249 yards and a fourth quarter TD pass to Hines Ward. Darren Sproles and Ladainian Tomlinson combined for 101 of the Chargers' 122 yards on the ground, but a couple James Harrison sacks and a Troy Polamalu INT proved costly for Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers offense. Pittsburgh played usual Steeler defense and dominated the time of possession with their 338 total yards and zero turnovers on offense. Pittsburgh advances to play Tennessee in the Conference Championship, according to me and WIS.

Overall: PIT (3-0)

Reggie Bush Has Surgery, And We Ask Is He a Bust?

2009-01-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

There is something wrong with Reggie Bush. Well, we have known since October that the onetime top pick of the New Orleans Saints has suffered from knee injuries the sidelined him for the bulk of the 2008 season. However, today our understanding of the extent of Reggie Bush’s knee injuries just became a little bit clearer, while our understanding of the future for the star tailback just become clouded.

The New Orleans Saints admitted today in a phone call that Reggie Bush underwent a microfracture surgery procedure on his left knee. The surgery took place in mid-December shortly after the Saints back was placed on injury reserve due to lingering problems in the knee. The microfracture surgery will sideline Bush for several months as he works to rehab the injured knee. Saints officials are hoping that Reggie Bush will be healthy enough to play come mini-camp in June.

However, the more interesting story behind all of this, is one has to examine the idea that Reggie Bush is a NFL bust? Just take a look at the stats, and see for yourself how effective the one time USC star has been since entering the NFL in 2006. Since entering the NFL in 2006 Reggie Bush has competed in all 16 games just once. Over the course of his three year career, Reggie Bush has rushed for 1550 yards, and he has 1599 yards receiving, that’s his combined total. Yes, Bush shares times one Pro-Bowler Deuce McAllister, but those numbers are flat out horrible for a player who was labeled as the savior for the franchise.

Reggie Bush has had his moments of stardom where he can take over a game with his big play ability, especially on special teams, where he is a threat to return a punt for a touchdown nearly every time he touches the ball. However, the sum of his overall body of work has to leave most wanting more from the top draft pick. In reality Reggie Bush’s impact on the Saint’s offense has been little more than the impact Devon Hester has had on the Chicago Bears offense.

Now with two years of limited action due to a bum knee, and the recent news of microfracture surgery, one has to seriously consider the overall effect of having Reggie Bush on the roster. His production on the field has been limited at best. He proved he cannot run between the tackles and therefore he is not an every down back. Not to mention, Bush seemed to pick up a bit of a fumbling problem this past season when he was in action. In addition one has to wonder just how seriously Reggie Bush takes his football career. He has plenty of distractions in his life now that he is dating tabloid headliner Kim Kardashian. Will he spend more time jetting between L.A. and Vegas than rehabbing? Hey, it is a legitimate question to ask, if Jessica Simpson is the antichrist for Tony Romo, who’s to say Kim Kardashian does not have the same affect on Bush.

Granted hind sight is 50/50 as Steve Spurrier would say, but one has to think the Houston Texans got it right, when they picked up Mario Williams with the first picked and passed on Reggie Bush. The injuries plus the lack of size, it’s just not possible for Bush to live up to expectations and he will never amount to much more than an above average special teams player.

Pats Tag Cassel: Good or Bad?

2009-01-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

Three Super Bowl rings. Two Super Bowl MVP's. Four Pro Bowls.

That's just a few of the accomplishments that make up New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's long resume in the National Football League. But, Brady's 2008 campaign was destroyed right off the bat after suffering a serious knee injury week one of the season, against the Kansas City Chiefs. Both the ACL and MCL in his knee were torn after Kansas City defensive back Bernard Pollard rolled on top of it during the first quarter. The injury forced New England to place him on the injured reserve, abruptly ending his season.Former University of Southern California quarterback, Matt Cassel, stepped in right away and led the team to the week one victory, 17-10. With little NFL experience, not much was expected of Cassel--who hadn't started a game since high school before Brady went down. Many TV analysts and fans considered New England's season spoiled.

In three and a half quarters of play, Cassel went 13 of 18 for 152 yards and a touchdown pass against the Chiefs. Not bad. The following week, against division-rival New York Jets, Cassel threw for 165 yards in a 19-10 victory.

In the end, Cassel--the unlikely hero--threw for 3,693 yards, 21 TD's and just 11 interceptions for the 11-5 Patriots. Yes, the team failed to make the playoffs, but that doesn't take away from the successful season the 26-year old Matt Cassel had under center. Cassel started off a bit on the rough side of things, but towards the end of the regular season, Cassel was as cool as "Joe Cool'' himself while in the pocket.

His success brought up an interesting topic this Sunday. The Patriots' organization decided to use their "franchise tag" on Cassel, keeping him in town for at least one more season. For those that don't know, the franchise tag is a designation that each NFL team are allowed to place on one player--usually of high importance to the team--that is scheduled to be a free agent that year. This strategic manuever allows teams to keep a highly-talented player for one extra year. For that season, that player's salary is guaranteed for that season.

The announcement made by New England's front office can only mean two things: A. Tom Brady's rehabilitation isn't going very smoothly or B. New England wishes to keep Cassel as their starter for next season.

Say it's crazy, but I wouldn't be surprised if Brady started the 2009 season off on the bench. Cassel is five years younger than the all-pro Brady, and knee injuries are one of the worst injuries to sustain in a game like football. Brady doesn't want to return too early and aggravate the knee, which has already been operated on several times.

The smart thing for head coach Bill Belichick to do here is sit Brady to begin the season, no matter how well Brady says his knee is. I suspect that's the reasoning behind the franchise tagging of Matt Cassel and fully agree in this move, considering the situation.

I mean, what's the worst that can happen? Ok, so Cassel has a rough start to the '09 season. Big deal. Brady has overcome many obstacles in his nine-year career. Cassel has displayed the leadership skills, and overall talent this season, I'm sure he can manage. Besides, football is a team game. It will take more than a few quarterbacking mistakes to fall in an early hole.

Keep Cassel another year for stability, Brady gets back to his normal winning routine and the Patriots could get a lot in return for a quarterback of Cassel's caliber. But, it's never a bad thing to have two capable quarterbacks on your roster.

Pro Bowl to Be Played the Week Before the Super Bowl

2008-12-29T17:04:00.000-08:00

At long last, there will be football played in between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl! Not a 3rd place game, but the Pro Bowl! Instead of having that pointless game the week after meaningful football is over, it will be played the week before the Super Bowl and it will also be played at the site of the big game and not in Honolulu.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the NFL has not announced the move.

It’s not a new notion to have the game moved up to take place between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. The NFL has discussed it multiple times in recent years, and commissioner Roger Goodell told the AP last month that having the game precede the Super Bowl would avoid a “somewhat anticlimactic” ending to the season.

The Pro Bowl has been held in Honolulu since 1980, and it’s probable that the game will return to Hawaii after 2010, although not on the permanent basis as has been the case over the last three decades.

A smart move to get ratings because any football played after the Super Bowl is basically going to get no attention. Honestly, I would get rid of the Pro Bowl and have a 3rd place game, but I guess this isn’t so bad.

Note that players on teams competing in the conference championship games will not play, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they end up adjusting the Pro Bowl voting.

Playoff Brackets Nearly Set: Week 17 Wrap-up

2008-12-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

What a way to end a topsy-turvy season! Five-plus blowouts--including three shut-out performances--as we wrap up another fine NFL regular season. In the end, seasoned veterans, such as Brett Favre and "choke artist" Tony Romo, will be watching the playoffs unfold from their armchairs at home. Just like the rest of us!

Replacing the two gun-slingers (I guess Romo would like to be referred to as a gun-slinger?), are two rookie signal-callers, Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan. Flacco of the Ravens, and Ryan of the Falcons are battling for both the Rookie of the Year award and the right to represent their respective conferences in the Super Bowl this season.

If you had asked an entire panel of so-called "experts" before the start of the season, I'm 99% sure that neither the two young'un's (that's how Dictionary.com said it was spelled, FYI), nor their teams would be mentioned under the category of playoff potential. Baltimore won just five games one year ago as Atlanta went on to win just four. Both teams turned a new page over the off-season, hiring a new head coach and drafting themselves a franchise QB. Both team owners hit jackpot, as you can see. Two wild card teams battling for League supremacy.

As an NFL fan and observer, all you can do it sit and wait anxiously for the two to take the field next weekend to come. Again, as an NFL fan and observer, I will certainly be watching these two warriors battle it out, and possibly even witness the two make a few big plays and lead their teams to round two the following weekend.

Flacco, accompanied by Baltimore's stingy defense, ranked #2 in the NFL, will go head-to-head with possible MVP candidate, Chad Pennington in Miami. Yes, you heard me correctly. Dolphins QB Chad Pennington, the scum of New York just a few years back, has come up in a few MVP debates. I mean, really, why not? There really hasn't been a clear front-runner this year, unlike last year when New England Patriots QB Tom Brady won--almost unanimously! Pennington deserves a majority of the credit for turning around the 11-5 Dolphins. Remember, they won just one game last year, and that was in overtime against the 5-11 Ravens. But, I'm gonna throw this out there to counteract that last argument, Tony Sparano is my vote for NFL Coach of the Year (even though I don't even get a vote).As far as the Ravens/Dolphins wild card matchup in Miami goes, this could be get out of hand. I'm going with the upset, which really isn't an upset in my eyes. The three v.s. six seed matchup is misleading. Both teams have an 11-5 record, but Baltimore has the hot hand, winning 9 of their last 11 games, including a 27-13 victory over, yes, the Dolphins. Over half of Baltimore's wins haven't really been that close, and believe it or not, Baltimore's offense has played fantastic the past few weeks. Their defense is, well, great. Hard-nosed, in-your-face defense explains the Ravens D, completely. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers! That's what helped them defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars to reach the point they're at now. That, and the fact that Jags' QB David Garrad was on his back a majority of the time.

Regardless of the outcome of the Denver Broncos/San Diego Chargers game (DEN 6, SD 24 at the half), the Indianapolis Colts (#5 seed in AFC bracket) will come out winners. Peyton Manning, like Pennington, is well alive in the hunt for the NFL's MVP award, and plays his best ball late in the year. Never rule Manning out of anything, he knows what he is doing and gets the job done day-in, day-out.

According to my calculations...and predictions, it will be Baltimore at Tennessee and Indianapolis at Pittsburgh in the second round of the AFC playoffs. I will give you my round two predictions when we get that far. Too early to tell you who is playing better ball (sorry).

Not much to say about the NFC. The Chicago Bears let me down:( I had them beating Houston--and the 12-4 New York Giants beating Minnesota)--and winning the NFC North title. Rookie RB Matt Forte is still another one of my favorites to win Rookie of the Year. Man, it's sooo hard to choose just one this year. Minnesota pulls off a shocking upset, 20-19, after a Ryan Longwell game-winning 50-yard FG in their dome. Thanks to his 103 yards on the ground, Adrian Peterson won the NFL rushing title with 1,760 yards in 16 games.

Like the Baltimore Ravens, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys just had to win their final game and they clinch the final spot in the NFC playoffs. The problem? Dallas and Philly were playing eachother. That simple fact, plus the fact that these two teams were fierce rivals, made this game a great, evenly-matched game. Or so we thought..The game, to my surprise, quickly got ugly for Romo's 'Boys. I can hear the people in Dallas now:

"Romo is a waste of space, time, money" ((etc, etc, etc.))

But, I don't think it's fair, personally. Yes, he has found several different ways to lose playoff games--even with 13 Pro Bowlers last year--but he is still rather young and is still in the middle of his prime. Give him a little breathing room, Dallas. Not so much pressure. That could end up going a long way. It took both Manning's a few years to get into the groove of things.

Anyways, let's go on to the other side of this matchup. Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid did it, Philly. Despite the long skid earlier in the season and talks of Reid's firing, the Eagles have reached the playoffs and even have a shot in the wild card game against the third-seeded Minnesota Vikings (10-6). Great win for Philly, especially since they were able to shut-down division rival Dallas, 44-6.

I doubted Minnesota against the Giants this week and I will not let that happen again this week. Ever since Tarvaris Jackson's return to the lineup, the Vikes have been a whole different team. They have won five of their last six games (only loss was v.s. Falcons, 24-17), and have the number one rusher in the League in their backfield. Minnesota's D will shut down the Philly run game and AP will run over Philly's D for 150+ yards. Minnesota defeats Philly to move onto round two.

In the other first round NFC wild card matchup, the struggling Kurt Warner--who was once in the thick of the MVP talks--and his Arizona Cardinals will have to tackle a huge task. Out-throwing, and out-running the red-hot Atlanta Falcons. Led by, of course, Matt Ryan (like I said earlier), the Falcons have had the most success they've had in several years (well, since Michael Vick, anyway) under new head coach Mike Smith.

To me, this is no contest. The lower-seeded Falcons will run away with this one and Ryan may only have to throw the ball 20 or 25 times. Former San Diego Chargers RB Michael Turner has had a phenomenal season, as he picked up 208 yards on the ground against the New Orleans Saints earlier today. Round two matchups: Falcons @ Giants, Vikings @ Panthers.

Still awaiting tonight's results. But, like I said, I don't think the late-game will affect my wild card round predictions...at all. Enjoy the rest of your time off, everyone.

Happy New Year!

BBB15's NFL Ramblings (Week 17)

2008-12-27T21:20:00.000-08:00

I haven't done much of this kind of stuff all season long, but it's never too late to try it, right? No one is more excited about tomorrow's slate of games than I (just so you know). Unfortunately, I will miss the early games due to work:( But, I will be sure to catch the 4:15 PM (E.T.) and the 8:15 PM (E.T.). Here it goes...

AFC East Showdown

The Dolphins/Jets matchup, though it may not sound so appealing to the casual NFL fan, is the "game of the week" without a doubt. Yes, there are obviously some other great games (e.g. NYG/MIN, DAL/PHI, DEN/SD) but the 'Fins, Jets shoot-out is for the AFC East supremacy. Former New York QB, Chad Pennington, will be on the other side of the field under center for Miami (10-5) while the definite Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre, who has played rather inconsistently this season, will be quarterbacking the Jets (9-6). By the time the fourth quarter rolls around, New York will be out of playoff contention due to a win from both Miami and the New England Patriots, who will defeat the Buffalo Bills, 35-10.

Playoffs or Bust

Since, as we should all be well-aware of by now, there will not be an AFC wild card team from the West, the Sunday night matchup between the 8-7 Denver Broncos and 7-8 San Diego Chargers will decide the division winner. Big headed, trash-talking QB's Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers will have to leave it all out on the field tomorrow night in San Diego if they want a chance in the playoffs. Who wins? In the end, Cutler's buckin' Broncos and the rather weak defense will prevail, holding the pesky 'Bolts out of the playoffs. Maybe then Philip Rivers will finally close his damn mouth!

Wild Card, Anyone?!

There's a good chance we could have not one, but two rookie QB's in the playoffs this season. Former Boston College, current Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan has already punched his ticket to the NFC playoffs (first wild card) and with a win over Jacksonville tomorrow, Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco, the former Blue Hen, could very well punch his own ticket. Tony Romo's circus will need to sneak past the Philadelphia Eagles and their rowdy fans before they can call themselves a playoff contender. After tomorrow, Baltimore and New England will be presented with the two AFC wild card spots while the Falcons and Cowboys represent the NFC wild card teams.

A Mess Out West

I am referring to both West divisions, by the way. The struggling 8-7 Arizona Cardinals clinched their division weeks ago, but are dangerously close to finishing the season 8-8 after a very strong start to the season. The rest of the NFC west are a combined 12-33...ick!! The AFC West is more of the same. Only difference, there are two below-par teams fighting for their playoff right. Like I said above(^^), the 8-7 Broncos and 7-8 'Bolts are fighting for the division crown tomorrow night at 8:15 PM ET.

North Champ?

The Pittsburgh Steelers clinched the AFC North a few weeks back, but the NFC North has yet to be completed. Chicago's overtime win over the Green Bay Packers last week kept them alive for the division crown, and with a win over the Houston Texans (and a Minnesota loss v.s. the NYG), Chicago can clinch the North with a 10-6 record. Even if they Vikings win, the Bears still have a shot at a wild card spot. But, that will not happen. BOLD prediction: Chicago wins, Minnesota loses. Bears clinch division, Vikings narrowly miss playoffs. Who's excited for the 0-15 Detroit Lions/Green Bay Packers game at the frozen tundra?!?! I know I am, as well as the '76 Bucs. Can Rod Marinelli make history? Of course he can, they've been losing like this all season. What makes you think all this will change against the young, gun-slinging Aaron Rodgers?!?! Detroit becomes the first team to ever go 0-16.

Don't forget your brown bags, Detroit fans!

College Bowl Wrap-up (12-27-08)

2008-12-27T19:31:00.000-08:00

Two of the day's three big bowl games have played out with thrilling results. West Virginia University's senior QB, Pat White, became the first-ever to win four bowl games as the starting QB after lifting his Mountaineers to an exciting 31-30 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. White threw for 332 yards and 3 TD's, ending his college career on a high note. The Moutaineers finished the season with a 9-4 record while dropping the 'Heels to an overall record of 8-5.

Sophomore RB Noel Devine added 61 yards on the ground and an 18-yard first quarter TD run. West Virginia--and College Football, as well--will indeed miss Pat White, dearly, but will get the chance of watching the elusive Devine for at least one more season.

Like the Moutaineers, the Florida State Seminoles finished their 2008 campaign on a high-note. Florida State, 9-4, defeated the struggling Wisconsin Badgers (7-6) 42-13, earlier today as well. Badger RB, senior P.J. Hill, ran for 140 yards, but Wisconsin's three lost fumbles came back to haunt them as FSU rolled on to a 28-0 run in the third and fourth quarter.

Florida State's sophomore QB Christian Ponder's 2 TD passes and mistake-free play made up for Wisconsin's 201 yards on the ground, giving FSU the Florida Citrus Bowl game trophy and the thrill of victory.

Looking for more Bowl action?? May want to check out the Emerald Bowl (Miami FL. v.s. California) on ESPN. Currently, the Golden Bears from California are ahead of the 'Canes, 17-14, with the fourth quarter begining. California's two TD's are credited to sophomore RB Jahvid Best. Best has accumulated 167 yards and two TD's on the ground through the first 3 QTR's of play.

Still want more football?? There's always week 17 NFL action tomorrow from 1 PM ET until around 11 PM ET tomorrow.

Happy Holidays From Bad News Bloggers!

2008-12-25T13:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and Hanukkah from all of us at Bad News Bloggers to you the reader (literally, we know you're actually the only reader)!

Enjoy sports, food, presents, shoveling snow out of the way, and most importantly, time with your family!

Posting will be sporadic as Justin mentioned, but I'll be around for the weekend as we have a massive weekend of football coming!

DSRTSV! 12/21&22/08

2008-12-22T20:03:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. Been busy and the Holiday season is killing me. Let me say on behalf of BNB, we wish you all the best this Holiday season (all 3 of you!).

I will be around, but busy between now and January 5. Posting from me will be sporadic, but I'll do my best to put up a MMBBQ at some point and some other daily links (The DLLs will be sporadic). But hopefully some fellow BNBers will pick up some slack (like Ben...he's picked it up)

Anyways...Jim Carey as Rocky...Enjoy!

Idiot of the Day (12/2208)

2008-12-22T10:34:00.000-08:00

Detroit News columnist Rob Parker is my vote for "Idiot of the Day" after the Detroit Lions press conference yesterday following the Lions' 15th loss of the season.

Parker, who has made some appearances on ESPN's 1st and 10 with with the idiot himself, Skip Bayless, ripped Detroit head coach Rod Marinelli. He asked some very personal questions and even brought his family into the talk.

Here is the two and a half minute press conference with Marinelli and what the guys in the FOX studio had to say about the exchange...

What Have We Learned this NFL Season??

2008-12-21T18:10:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like December football!!

If you were looking for something exciting to do this Christmas, sitting on the couch watching the NFL playoff race unfold before your eyes is as good as it gets. As of Monday December 22nd, seven of the possible 12 playoff slots have been clinched. This means that next Sunday a total of five playoff teams will be revealed. Taking a look at the upcoming slate of games, this could be settled at the last possible minute. While we await tonight's Carolina-New York Giants matchup--which will decide the NFC's top seed--and tomorrow night's NFC North showdown, let's take a look back at all the things we have learned this season.

Consistency, Consistency, consistency!

The NFL is very unpredictable. Anything can happen on any given Sunday. That's why it's extremely important to come out ready to play every single week. Inconsistency isn't going to cut it in this game, just ask Brett Favre. Instead of coming out and sticking it to the weak Seattle Seahawks defense, Favre's New York Jets struggle to put up points and now their playoff spot is in jeopardy. Pressure is on Favre up in New York. If something bad should happen to New York against the 10-5 Miami Dolphins next week, all the blame will fall on the gunslinging veteran.

Other examples? The Dallas Cowboys, who put their fate in the hands of teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings after the loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. Ed Reed and Co. flat-out outplayed Tony Romo, who was unable to hit his targets on a majority of his pass attempts.

Football is a young man's game

Rookies have dominated the NFL this season, and there really doesn't seem to be a wrong answer when it comes to the Rookie of the Year. Whether it be Matt Ryan in Atlanta, Chris Johnson in Tennessee, Joe Flacco in Baltimore, Matt Forte in Chicago (etc, etc, etc). The NFL is filled with early bloomers this season. Falcons QB Matt Ryan seems to be the front-runner for the ROY as of yesterday's 24-17 win over Minnesota. Ryan seems to have all the skills and leadership of a veteran QB, such as Favre and the Manning brothers. Just one year after Atlanta went 4-12, the rookie has led the team to a 10-5 record and a wild card spot in the NFC playoffs, which was clinched after Sunday's win.

Flacco, Baltimore's QB, is having a noteworthy rookie campaign as well, leading the Ravens to a 10-5 record and just one win shy of a possible wild card spot. In the windy city of Chicago, former Tulane RB Matt Forte has totally turned Da Bears running game around with his 1,115 yards and 7 rushing TD's through Chicago's first 14 games. How can we forget the League's fastest player, Chris Johnson from East Carolina?! Johnson, RB for the AFC's best team (Titans, 13-2), ran through and around the Steelers defense--ranked number one in the NFL--for 69 yards and a fourth down TD run which went for 21 yards.

Not everyone can win

That should be the motto of the Detroit "winless" Lions, who suffered their 15th loss of the season on Sunday, 42-7 against the Reggie Bush-less New Orleans Saints. There really, truly isn't much else I can say about this one. With GM Matt Millen gone (fired earlier this season), maybe the Lions will finally draft some decents players in the 2009 NFL Draft. Detroit will wrap up their devastating 2008 season next Sunday against the division rival Green Bay Packers at 1 PM ET, at the Frozen Tundra of Green Bay, Wisconsin. If feel for ya, Detroit!

New England doesn't need Tom Brady

Matt Cassel has done the unexpected. He has won 10 games under center for the New England Patriots after All-Pro QB Tom Brady was injured and lost for the season back during their week one matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. A majority of NFL fans (including NE fans) and analysts believed the Pats' season was done. Not so fast, my friends. Just like Brady did to start his career, former USC back-up QB Matt Cassel has done a fine job filling in, and has even made a huge impact on fantasy teams around the country. Cassel, earlier in the season, threw for 400+ yards in back-to-back games. His 345 yards Sunday against the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals has kept his team alive and well in the AFC East division race. Some are now saying Tom Brady has been overrated this whole time. Maybe it IS the system.

Defense wins championships

The AFC's top two teams, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, have made it this far because of their stout defenses. Pittsburgh's record of 11-4 (good enough for the 2nd seed in the playoffs) is basically because of the solid play of their defense. Tennessee was able to knock off Pittsburgh because their defense got to Ben Roethlisberger countless times, forcing him to fumble FOUR times (lost twice) and throw two interceptions, one of which was returned 83 yards for a TD, sealing the 31-14 win. Baltimore has gotten to where they are now because of their nasty defense and in the West, Denver and San Diego have struggled because of poor play on the defensive side of the ball...and inconsistency on offense, but that's a whole other story. Point is, the Super Bowl will come down to whose defense plays better. Mark my words!

More to come from in the next few days. Better get comfortable, there's just too much to talk about these days.

DSRTSV! 12/20/08

2008-12-20T21:04:00.001-08:00

Honestly, who throws a shoe...

A cryptic word from our sponsors:

2008-12-19T16:27:00.000-08:00

Keep up the great work Bad News Bloggers!

Have a very happy holiday!

Sincerely,

Everyone at the Affiliate Crack Team!

DSRTSV! 12/19/08

2008-12-19T14:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Manny Pacquaio, you're 30!

Now go have a ridiculous party...

Freedom Friday Daily "Linkin' Logs" (12/19/08)

2008-12-19T07:02:00.000-08:00

The Teixeira Bonanza isn't really going as planned for...well...anyone. And frankly I don't get it. MLBTR has the confusing updates involved, but last night the Red Sox, led by Owner John Henry, met with Tex and little was resolved. Henry's dubious response after meeting with Boras and his client in Vegas was:

"We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."

Ok...Who the fuck is offering more?

Rumor has it the Sox offered no more than $184 over 8 years - $23 million a year
The LA Times Mike Digiovanna claims the Angels offered 8 years and $175 million - roughly $22 million a year
Yesterday morning the Sox has the highest offer on the table...I still surmise its the $23 million per year deal and the Sox have no desire to go to $25 per ($200 mil).
As of Wednesday the O's appeared to be out of it though the O's GM Andy MacPhail claims the Orioles have flexibility"...whatever that is.
And that brings us to this: SI's Jon Heyman claims the Nationals may be at the $200 million mark. Are they really the highest bidder?

No one knows, but it seems plausible. I find it hard to believe that given all we've heard about Tex wanting to play near his hometown in Maryland that he'd reject a ridiculously high offer from a team in the area or even attempt to get another (competitive) squad to compete against them...then again, maybe he realizes that playing in Boston or New York (my presumed landing spots) would be just as advantageous as Baltimore. Or maybe he just really wanted to be an O and not a Nat (seems more plausible).

The Sports Guy ranks his NFL clubs...still a jackass... But here's the part I hate about the Simmons expose:
Here's the theory I'm buying: The Eagles caught the Cards on a cross-country Thanksgiving trip 96 hours after their previous game, then a rattled Giants team right after Cheddar Plaxgate, then a putrid Browns team on Monday night. Now they're catching the Redskins right as they're quitting on their coach. That's four straight totally explainable wins. Do not get reeled in by Philly for that Week 17 home game against Dallas. I am warning you right now.
Well, let's do what I like to call, journalism.
- December 2007: Philly 10, Dallas 6
- December 2006 (the Christmas Day - T.O. Game): Philly 23, Dallas 7
- December 2005: Oh you thought this would be a loss be...Philly played Dallas on November 14th.
- December 2004: Philly 12, Dallas 7
- December 2003: Philly 36, Dallas 10
- December 2002: Philly 27, Dallas 3
- December 1999: Philly 10, Dallas 20
The point is, Andy Reid's Eagles are 5-1 versus Dallas in December, with that one being his first year with a shit squad. This team gets up for Dallas. You can feel the buzz in the city. Moreover, if its for a playoff spot, and its in Philly, you can't tell me they don't have a shot. Oh...and who have fluke 5 game winning streaks?!?!
No Elton...actually...No Problem. I have a feeling the Sixers will find their winning edge with Brand out. That being said, they still need to factor his 20-10 in at some point and this injury is just a delay in that transition.
Ever wonder how much that Raiders game meant to Matt Cassel, Rawbeezeits of AGM has more.
AA throws more fuel on the Simmons-ESPN Conspiracy fire. This time its a dig at Rick Reilly. That being said, Reilly sucks ass and Simmons is probably right.
A LeBron James sitcom? Really?
EC's Top 10 Gambling realizations...
And finally, the Kings are retiring the jerseys of both Vlade Divac and C-Webb. Well, I guess you gotta retire a jersey sometime...But the predecessor to Manu Ginobli and the guy who banged Tyra Banks? Eh? Ok sure...

DSRTSV! (12/18/08)

2008-12-19T06:02:00.000-08:00

Sorry, forgot it yesterday. I'll be sure to post another later today...

Sure, not even the Hawks could stop the C's spic winning streak, but Josh Smith still posterized Kendrick "it's all swoll" Perkins

An Abusive 10 Things I Think Smell Like Shit

2008-12-18T06:12:00.000-08:00

Lots of interesting topics and frankly some of them are kind of disturbing and serious

Brian Giles pulls a "Brett Myers." Not exactly the public punching/hair pulling that happened in Boston with Myers, but Brian Giles's girlfriend (we're guessing former) is suing the Padres outfielder for numerous beatings, attacks and general unmanliness. She also claims Giles hit her while pregnant and caused the miscarriage of the couple's child. I'm not sure how criminal charges weren't involved (maybe they were), but a series of abuse by a ballplayer finally leading up to a lawsuit (civil) instead of criminal action strikes me as suspicious. And then of course...there's evidence. So it appears as though Giles's slump will extend beyond last year.
Mindy's meltdown. Apparently Roger Clemens's former lover attempted suicide yesterday. The whole issue wreaks of confusion, desperation and sadness. The Roger Clemens destruction parade is just crushing lives left and right...good for him...
Deadspin - King of the Simmons Conspiracy. One of the more fascinating writers around is indeed Bill Simmons. For better or for worse, the guy's an entertaining writer (or at least he steals the good stuff) and does know a lot about Boston sports and the eras, much like I do about Philadelphia or perhaps others do about their respective home regions. But over the last year or so, Deadspin has surmised that a rift has grown between its elite non-specific writer and the WWL. The most recent one is indeed a total crock of shit by my estimation but not without its own value...that the ESPN Ombudsman has imposed some type of rulebook and Simmons is a bit perturbed if not concerned over it. His assertions are valid by my estimation but more importantly, for better or worse, Simmons is one of us. He is/was a blogger. A writer of his own volition and one that may have to play by ESPN's rules more so than is own. I'm essentially free to write what I want and so is any other blogger. To stifle Simmons is a dig at the blogosphere and proof that old media and new media are destine to keep clashing for years.
Of Auburn and Racism. If you haven't heard, there's been ideas tossed around that race was the primary motivation behind not hiring Turner Gill and instead hiring Gene Chizik. Now, I'm confused by the whole thing myself, but it certainly wreaks of a little shit. Sir Charles's (an Auburn Alum) statements are certainly the most damning, but I think the outward theory that this hire was entirely racially motivated seems almost impossible. Maybe I'm wrong, but we've seen coordinators come out of no where to get hired before. With Chizik being a former Tiger coordinator himself, maybe Auburn had plans before the interview process even began? Or maybe they're just a bunch of rednecks?
And then there's Joe Paterno. This man is going to die on the sidelines. I've been waiting (not anxiously...I'm not a weirdo) for the odd news break to claim that good ole JoePa (A Penn State folk hero, now) has died...during practice. You can't tell me this isn't going to happen. This guy is football. He loves the game. But more importantly, he loves his players and his college. He wants each and every one of them to succeed...at life. And for that, this man should be revered.
Its time for a playoff. When the BCS Bowls are named and Bowl season times, it means one more thing: Playoff talk. And while its been discussed ad nauseum, its still valid. If Division 1-AA (and Divisions 2 and 3), the NFL and the Arena league can do it, why can't D-1A? There's so many ways to go about it, so many ways to continue the old Bowl system regardless and so many ways to increase marketing and money making. I'd even argue that its actually more beneficial to the game, interest and to the money-hungry big conferences. So what is a Boise State wins 1 game over Oklahoma...the odds of them making it to a semi-final or final are still slim to none. And even if one game is a clunker as far as attendence of home fans (which I still doubt), don't forget the other 7 games for the first round!
Goodbye to this shitty place. People rarely uttered a peep when they blew up the Vet, but why is Texas stadium being revered. The place is a shithole. It has a stupid hole in the roof and houses the Cowboys. Just blow the friggin' thing up already
Mets swindled my Madoff. Considering all the charities ripped off by this guy, I don't feel too bad for the guy who owns the Mets. Sad part is, it didn't even effect their payroll; talk about financial stability. Me's thinks Wilpon is still oozing with cash
Marshall Faulk, The Dallas Media, and Jason Garrett's free pass. And Marshall is right. While most local media outlets don't necessarily try to damage the team (or bite the hand that feeds), the Dallas media goes so far as to support the team. And that's disgusting. Its a fraudulent way to do business and only goes to enhance the bullshit that is "America's Team." What a crock of shit.
And this one doesn't stink. RIP Sammy Baugh. And I mean this in the nicest way possible. Goodbye to one of the greats who changed the game it made it what it was today...even if he was a Redskin...

DSRTSV! 12/17/08

2008-12-17T18:46:00.000-08:00

My fellow BNB cohorts provided the activity for today, while I was stunningly busy. Very stifling. I will put up the "10 things..." tomorrow in lieu of some links (I know, skipping two, I'm tired).

Anyways, Mike Van Ryn can't catch a break...

NFL Hot Seat 2008

2008-12-17T17:26:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of the year!!! Just 2 weeks left of regular season football and that head coach hot seat is definitely warming up. This season we have plenty of candidates……one of them being Rod Marinelli, who COULD be fired because the Lions have lost every game this season.

AFC East

Eric Mangini (New York Jets) - Potentially on the hot seat if the Jets fail to make the post-season. For now I think he’s safe considering this is his 2nd season with a winning record with just 3 seasons under his belt.

Tony Sparano (Miami Dolphins) - Absolutely not, he is not on the hot seat.

Bill Belichick (New England Patriots) - See above.

Dick Jauron (Buffalo Bills) - I really don’t care that the Bills were dumb enough to give Mr. 7-9 a 3 year contract extension, his butt is burning. Remember the Bills were Super Bowl contenders after week 5? Now they’re out of post-season contention and are 0-5 in their division after HE called arguable one of the dumbest plays in Bills history. Only Jauron can think JP Losman can come through in the clutch and completely ignore his fully-functioning running game. Once upon a time the Bills we the dominant AFC team in the 90’s, now Jauron has got them getting no more than 7 wins every year.

AFC North

Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers) - Why? They’re a Super Bowl contender.

John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens) - Nope.

Romeo Crennel (Cleveland Browns) - The 10-6 season was a facade, Crennel is on the hot seat. For a supposed defensive guru the Browns sure aren’t doing anything to try and get out of the bottom half of the league in any defensive category. I’m quite sure he and a good chunk of his staff are fired after this season.

Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati Bengals) - There’s a sinking ship and Marv is the captain. Throw him overboard!

AFC South

Jeff Fisher (Tennessee Titans) - Nope.

Tony Dungy (Indianapolis Colts) - He is on the way out anyway because he’s retiring so…….nope.

Gary Kubiak (Houston Texans) - A possible winning season for an expansion team means….nope.

Jack Del Rio (Jacksonville Jaguars) - There is way too much talent for this team to fail to string together back-to-back seasons. Del Rio has pretty much lost control of the team and it’s time to move in a new direction, in my opinion.

AFC West

Mike Shanahan (Denver Broncos) - As long as Pat Bowlen is owner then Shanahan is safe. Also, they’re probably going to win the division so…..nope.

Norv Turner (San Diego Chargers) - Norv Turner seriously destroys every team he coaches. Turner is a much better coordinator than a head coach, and his claim to fame last season was winning playoff games with Marty Schottenheimer’s team.

Tom Cable (Oakland Raiders) - He is an interim and he probably has no shot at being a permanent head coach.

Herm Edwards (Kansas City Chiefs) - As Carl Peterson goes, so does Herman Edwards. You play to win the game!!!! Too bad Herm doesn’t practice what he preaches.

NFC East

Tom Coughlin (New York Giants) - Nope.

Wade Phillips (Dallas Cowboys) - It is Jerry Jones, and he can pull the trigger. This was the team that was supposed to waltz into the Super Bowl and now they may end up missing the playoffs. By all means he is on the hot seat.

Andy Reid (Philadelphia Eagles) - This winning streak is all fine and dandy but it may all be for naught. I think it’s been made clear by the media and Eagles fans across the country that Walrus is in trouble.

Jim Zorn (Washington Redskins) - He is probably on the hot seat but I think it is totally unwarranted. Defensive coordinator Greg Blache on the other hand should be in trouble. What do you mean you don’t prepare for trick plays?

NFC North

Brad Childress (Minnesota Vikings) - He’s held off the hot seat for now with their great run to 1st place in the division. Of course if they somehow choke and lose the division (and the playoff spot) then I think he should be back on.

Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears) - I said “yes” earlier this year before I realized that offensive coordinator Ron Turner is not really good at his job. If something does not work over and over again (Jason McKie up the middle from the 1) then you should take it out of the playbook. Smith is fine, especially if they win the division.

Mike McCarthy (Green Bay Packers) - It’s obvious that the Packers are going to have to rebuild the front 4 of their defense so that they can stop collapsing towards the end of games. McCarthy should stay.

Rod Marinelli (Detroit Lions) - Take a wild guess.

NFC South

John Fox (Carolina Panthers) - Nope.

Jon Gruden (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - Why am I tempted to say yes? If they don’t make the playoffs and lose out this would be the 6th season in a row in which they either fail to make the playoffs or lose their first playoff game when they do make it. It’s too close to call, I’m going to say he is not on the hot seat.

Mike Smith (Atlanta Falcons) - Not a chance.

Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints) - Not this year…

NFC West

Ken Whisenhunt (Arizona Cardinals) - HAHA!!! No.

Mike Singletary (San Francisco 49ers) - Bill Walsh called Singletary earlier this week and said he should be the new permanent head coach.

Mike Holmgren (Seattle Seahawks) - Lame duck coaches are not on the hot seat. Incompetent defensive coordinators (John “Off Coverage on 3rd and 1″ Marshall) SHOULD be.

Jim Haslett (St. Louis Rams) - He may be fired even though he is an interim. The Rams are actually playing worse than with Scott Linehan even with their 2 wins this season.

You’ve got 11 coaches on the hot seat. We will revisit this post when all of the firings and resignations have been made and see how accurate I am.

Steelers, Titans to Play for Home-Field Advantage

2008-12-17T14:56:00.000-08:00

He has done it, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has taken his team to the playoffs for the second straight season after clinching the AFC North division and a first round bye with a controversial win over Pittsburgh's fiercest rival. The Baltimore Ravens are, of course, that fierce rival I just mentioned. Despite being down nearly all four quarters of the game, the 11-3 Steelers defeated the 9-5 Ravens, 13-9 this past Sunday in Baltimore. I will be one of the first to admit the refs blew the call on the lone touchdown of the game (with under a minute remaining). Wide receiver Santonio Holmes' feet were in the end zone, but the ball was not, which is the most important thing. The ball must break the plane and it didn't. But, nonetheless, the Steelers picked up their 11th win and yet another playoff appearance. Tomlin clinched his second playoff berth in his second season as an NFL head coach. Quite an accomplishment, if you ask me.

Both offenses in Pitt/Bal's matchup played horrificly, turning the ball over several times. Rookie Qb Joe Flacco looked cool under the pressure of the number one defense in the NFL, for a while anyway. It didn't take long for the front seven to rattle Flacco up, and he was picked off twice in the game, the second INT clinched the win for Pittsburgh in the 40-degree weather.

You can cry and complain all you want if your Baltimore, but that isn't going to change the outcome. The best thing for Baltimore is to move on and prepare for their Saturday night matchup with the playoff-hungry Dallas Cowboys. This game will make or break the season for both teams involved. We will get to see what Flacco is made of when he goes up against the NFL's sack leader, DeMarcus Ware, who is 3 1/2 sacks shy of Michael Strahan's single-season sack record of 22 1/2.

As for Pittsburgh, Coach Tomlin and his crew will be put to the test once again on Sunday, December 21st when the top-ranked defense will face off with the run-oriented offense of the Tennessee Titans. Head coach Jeff Fisher has made it his priority to play smash-mouth football--running the ball down the opponents throat and packing a mighty punch on defense. Tennessee's backfield consists of powerful running back, LenDale White and the elusive rookie Chris Johnson, who was selected to this year's AFC Pro Bowl roster. According to White, the explosive duo is the original smash and dash. In other words, White claims he came up with Carolina Panthers' RB's DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewarts nicknames of "Smash" and "Dash," and they stole the idea from him. Either way, the duo of the vet and the rookie will give Pittsburgh a run for their money, especially if Pittsburgh can't get their running game going early and often.

The winner of the heavily-anticipated game will likely determine the number one seed in the AFC playoffs. Meaning they are playing for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and will most likely play all their starters despite already being in the playoffs.

Yes, it is week 16 starting tomorrow night when the wild card hopeful Indianapolis Colts, 10-4, play their fifth out of the team's six divisional games, against the disappointed Jacksonville Jaguars (5-9). Peyton Manning is almost certain to have another big fantasy day on his way to leading the Colts to their 11th win and a playoff berth.

A Colts win would mean the Ravens, Dolphins, Jets and Pats (depending on week 16 outcomes) are all competing for the last playoff spot. Two of the four teams, all of which are having solid seasons, would be left out of the picture come January (since one of the three named AFC East teams would finish the season with the division title). Who will it be? Well, we have yet to find out if Matt Cassel is capable of leading the Pats to a snowy December win in Foxboro, and the Dolphins and Jets are both on hot streaks (MIA: won 7 of last 8, NYJ: won 7 of last 10), so I'm gonna say the AFC East division will come down to the Dolphins and Jets.

But, Baltimore has also been playing great on both sides of the ball and have won seven of their last nine games. My bold prediction is Indy wins fifth seed with win over Jacksonville, Baltimore wins sixth seed with an 11-5 record and Miami wins out to clinch the East with an 11-5 record.

DSRTSV! 12/16/08

2008-12-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

If you didn't see it (or at least the highlights) you missed the awesome upset of Cleveland State over #11 Syracuse at the Buzzer. Here's another quick look at the insanity (Apologies for the quality, but apparently people at Cleveland State have never heard of a TV Tuner...they all just point a camcorder at the TV...I bet the folks at Syracuse have...and just chose not to)

Leftover Tuesday Daily "Linkin' Logs" (12/16/08)

2008-12-16T06:39:00.001-08:00

Again, another Monday Night Bust. Now as an Eagles fan, I certainly take solace in the win, but I'll be honest; beyond the first quarter the game was uninteresting...especially to a national base. What it do do was assist in explaining the playoff scenarios, which essentially leave the top four something like this:

Dallas Cowboys - Win out and they're in (Baltimore, @ Philadelphia). That being said, they certainly have the toughest remaining schedule, given that Baltimore most likely needs to win out as well to get in and Philadelphia is potentially playing for a birth of its own and/or pride in preventing the Cowboys fromg getting in
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Again, win out and they're in (San Diego, Oakland). Tampa faces the most interesting test. Oakland is a total slouch and easy game, while the San Diego game wreaks of potential upset given the way the Bucs have played the last two weeks. Still San Diego has to travel and the Buc defense is still fairly solid. They appear to have the easiest road into the playoffs
Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons technically need help to get in, and as state above, they also need to win out (@ Minnesota, St. Louis). Should either the Cowboys or Bucs falter once, the Falcons then move into position to claim a spot. The hitch is Minnesota (9-5) has a 1 game lead on Chicago (8-6) and also has the Giants in week 17. Should the Giants lose to Carolina and fall to 11-4, Minnesota has a chance to overtake the second seed and a bye by beating them (tying their record and having the head-to-head tie breaker). So Minnesota has plenty of incentive to win. Their running attack could crush Atlanta, but their quarterback (Tavaris Jackson), regardless of his four TD game, is still a huge question mark.
Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles are essentially in the same position as the Falcons and they also have two tough games that they must win (@ Washington, Dallas). Fortunately, by virtue of defeating Dallas in week 17, the Eagles move up (and everyone else) one spot. And therefore, they need one loss, by either Tampa or Atlanta to assume the 6th seed (and if both lose, the 5th). It may appear that they're in the worst position of the four, but its basically the same as Atlanta's and I'd argue the Cowboys is worse (they have the two toughest games by far).
Chicago Bears - The most improbable of playoff births, Chicago needs tons of help and also must win out (Packers, @ Texans). Then they need three of the following four things to happen: A) Cowboys lose to both Baltimore and Philly, B) The Falcons to lose to Minnesota and and St. Louis, C) The Bucs to lose to San Diego and Oakland, or D) The Eagles to lose once to either Dallas or Washington. Of course, this can be alleviated by Minnesota losing out (Atlanta, New York Giants) and Chicago winning out, thus giving them a one game lead. I'd argue this is Chicago's best chance.
New Orleans Saints and Washington Redskins - Technically speaking, they both can get in contingent on winning out, but its almost impossible. They need four of the five teams above to lose out in order to get in and some other weird instances. Its essentially impossible.

In a nut shell, Tampa and Dallas have the easiest paths (i.e. control their own destiny), but Atlanta probably as a solid shot at the sixth seed. Philly needs some help and unless Minnesota loses out, I don't see Chicago getting in. Should be a fun two weeks...

Carl Peterson resigns as the Chiefs GM...Probably because that team has perpetually sucked ass for years (though they have had their occasional explosive team). This can't bode well for Herm "You play to win the game!" Edwards.
The Phillies made a few subtle moves, keeping Jamie Moyer and adding Chan Ho Park. The Park deal is one year at $2.5 million that could reach $5 million with incentives. The Moyer deal is believes to be as much as $20 million, most likely based on some incentives (I surmise innings pitched, as his previous deal was).
After news of the Angels 8 year offering over the weekend, it appears the Red Sox have made their own 8 year contract offering. Tim Dierkes at MLBTR cites Michael Silver of the Boston Herald in the possibility that the deal could be worth more than $170 million and perhaps close to $200.
In some other stunning developments, Rafael Furcal is expected to go back to Atlanta and Jake Peavy is now going to stay in San Diego...for now.
Chase Utley appeared before the Philadelphia media yesterday to address things from his surgery to his now infamous parade speech. He plans to be ready for opening day, though the Phils are more pessimistic, expecting Eric Bruntlett to fill in for about a month. And he had this to say about his World Series speech:
"That was definitely an emotional day that we all had," Utley said. "That drive down Broad Street to the park was one of the best days of my life. I imagine for a lot of Phillies fans it was the same. I could have used different words to express myself. At the time, I didn't. I tell all kids not to use that word. If they're 29 and they win the World Series, I think they can say that. But I definitely would say to all the kids out there, 'Kids, it's a bad word. Don't say it.' And I'm dead serious."
Is there any doubt this guy won't be in Philly (and a hero) for his entire career?
Jared Allen believes in Karma...which is ironic given his thoughts regarding Carl Peterson.
Someone at the LA Times refered to Northeastern Alum Jose Juan Barea as a "Mexican Smurf" - Man that paper is alllll classssss. For the record, JJB is not 6 feet tall...oh and he's Puerto Rican...If I remember correctly...Mayaguez is his home town.
And finally, EC's DMt gives us the top 11 key sports moments in a fans life...

A Special 40 Year Anniversary

2008-12-15T19:15:00.001-08:00

That's right. Today December 15, 2008 is a special day. Because its the 40 year anniversary of another special day.

Date: December 15, 1968

Location: Franklin Field, Philadelphia, PA

Time: Halftime of the Philadelphia Eagles - Minnesota Vikings game with the Eagles spiraling towards a 2-12 season.

The stands were full of angst-ridden fans. Drunk, annoyed, frustrated and sitting through a pathetic, rainy, icey, wet halftime show featuring Santa Claus.

As the story goes, the original Santa was unavailable, so they found a replacement in the stands; a drunk Frank Olivo, a skinny Italian man who relished the opportunity to be on the field. Unfortunately, the fans would have none of it, as the Olivo-Santa proved to be an even poorer imitation of a more well-financed attempt. They lustily booed, and pelted him with whatever they could find, from hotdogs to snow balls.

But they we're booing Santa, they were booing the product, the team, the effort and the display. No different than booing a bad call or a bad effort (see Manny Ramirez). And so their fate was sealed. But don't let a Philadelphian fool you. Today's historical date may represent years of resentment in distaste, but Philadephians relish it. They love the fact that others resent them for it.

But the fact of the matter is that the paradigm of booing Santa exists today. The effort and product put forth in 1968 was something that would be booed today by annoyed Philly fans. It was and always will be about trying harder and doing more with less. Ricky Watters was Santa, Derrick Coleman was too, Bobby Clarke wasn't and Chase Utley certainly isn't either...

Whatever...Boooooooooo!

Browns @ Eagles Live Blog - 2nd Half

2008-12-15T19:09:00.000-08:00

This is hilarious.

The Eagles were a few yards away from having another return for a TD allowed at the end of the half. The good news? In those 2 games they won.

Touchback for Akers. Lewis gains 2 on 1st down.....yawn. Where is Jerome Harrison? Lewis gains 2 again and Steve Heiden the tight end is hurt...does not look good. Edwards again!! Deep pass to midfield and he has 88 yards receiving. An end-around with Cribbs gains 6. Jamal Lewis gained 6 yards....did I type that right? I-formation and Lewis just gains 1......sigh. Oh look a dropped pass by the fullback.

"Poor Browns fans your team hasn't scored a touchdown in a month." - Tirico

Burn.

Timeout called by Cleveland with 3rd and 9 coming up.

Temperature in Seattle: 27 degrees with a wind chill that brings it to the teens.

Temperature in Las Vegas: 36 degrees with a chance of snow.

Temperature in Philadelphia: 61 degrees with rain.

Weird.

3rd and 9, another blitz and Dorsey is hit as he throws and Trent Cole is destroying Dorsey. Zastudil will punt it away....oh my the Browns are missing a player, but they'll take the delay of game but Philly declines it. Aaaand touchback.

Eagles 17 Browns 3 with 11:24 left in the 3rd

Eagles @ Redskins will be called by Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

McNabb on a play-action finds DeSean Jackson for a gain of 7. No gain on 2nd down for Baskett. McNabb fires one to Jackson on a slant and gets the first down. Buckhalter gains 4.

The debate about wide receivers between Kornball and Jaws should be great.

Curtis picks up the first down and McNabb just keeps picking them apart. The problem I have with Jaws is he thinks we know nothing about football. Westbrook gets 3 before being tackled by Rogers. McNabb is under pressure and.....what a strike to Avant.

"They shouldn't even try to get in the red zone." - Kornheiser

Ugh.

A blitz by Cleveland and McNabb swings it to Westbrook for a gain of 3, the pass was deflected. A running back screen with Westbrook and he gains 6 and is a yard short of the first down. Holy crap they throw it on 3rd and 1......THEY MADE IT!!! HANK BASKETT!!! Of course Andy Reid is smiling because every pass turns him on. Eagles have it at the Browns 16, batted down by Shaun Rogers. Dan Klecko, like father, like son. He catches a pass as a fullback and gains 6 yards. It's 3rd and 4, shotgun formation. DOWN GOES MCNABB!! KAMERION WIMBLEY SACKS HIM!!!

Another wasted opportunity by the Eagles.

"At least they didn't come away with another interception. I thought Tony would come up with something like that." - Jaws

Akers hits one from 34!!!

Eagles 20 Browns 3 with 3:34 left in the 3rd

"You know you're old when you look at Dan Klecko and say 'I covered his father'." - Tony K

Shut up.

Akers is a touchback machine......

Dorsey is running for his life and throws it away. Stewart Bradley rips up Jamal Lewis on the screen. Justin said he sucked weeks ago......want to change that? It's 3rd and 11......behind Dinkins and incomplete, 3 and out. Tirico is just teasing Cleveland sports fans.

"There you go Cleveland fans there's something for you to smile about." - Tirico....a Syracuse alum talking about Cleveland State's win

Jackson returns the wobbler to the Browns 44....Eagles probably can put it away with a TD.

McNabb is under pressure again and throws it away. Westbrook goes nowhere on 2nd down. It's 3rd and 11 with McNabb out of the gun, it's Jason Avant and that was another brilliant throw. He gains YACs and makes Browns players miss for a gain of 24 to the Browns 22. Congrats to Jason Avant for a 100 yard receiving game. LJ Smith catches a pass so hard that he falls down...gain of 3. Another run for 3 more and that ends the quarter.

Eagles 20 Browns 3

Eagles face 3rd and 4, McNabb's pass is knocked down by McDonald. Another red zone possession gets no touchdown.

Akers....GOOD FROM 33!!!

Eagles 23 Browns 3

Cribbs returns one to the 30.....flag down and this game is starting to get boring. The Browns are running the football......oh goodness this team sucks. Cribbs in the Flash Package picks up a first down for a gain of 12. Dorsey's pass is incomplete and Gocan just shoved the receiver out of the way but the flag is picked up because the pass was behind the line of scrimmage. Dinkins gains 6 on 2nd and 10 before being wrapped up by 2 Eagles players. Donte Stallworth, the former Eagle gets the first down and then proceeds to get booed. Oh wait Santa Claus just showed up....:P

Dorsey throws it right to Stewart Bradley. That was one of the worst passes I've seen in this season. Looks like the Brown will make it a solid 4 games without a TD.

Sure why not let Buckhalter gain a bunch to the 9 yard line for 26 yards?

"I used to wear that helmet." - Jaws

McNabb fires......TOUCHDOWN GREG LEWIS!!!! TOKEN CATCH!! TOKEN TOUCHDOWN! GAME OVER!

11:14 left, Eagles 30 Browns 3.

Once upon a time the Browns were losing close games against the Broncos. Now they are the laughing stock of the league.

"Yeah, they go into meetings saying we're just three plays away from being 9-3. Yeah, and we're just some body hair away from being GQ cover models" - Tirico via Matmonster

Comment of the night.

Cribbs to the 30 and I just want to see the Browns get a TD at this point.

Cribbs in the Flash Package gets 1 yard. Even Cribbs is throwing incomplete passes at this point. Timeout Browns......

Dorsey is throwing now and throws ---- AN INCOMPLETE PASS!!! Can the Browns just fire the entire coaching staff and Phil Savage? Ball is downed at the 14 yard line and the Browns obviously packed it in.

The announcers are talking about Andy Reid, again.

Kevin Kolb is in the game and Kyle Eckel picks up 4 yards. McNabb threw for 290 yards and 2 TDs with 1 INT.

"2nd half, [McNabb] was strokin' it once again." - Jaws

Kolb is throwing and he's hit, Brandon McDonald picks it off......HE SCORES!!!!!!!!! THE BROWNS HAVE A TOUCHDOWN!!! REJOICE!!!!!!!!!

30-10 Browns with 9:11 left.

Demps brings it out to the 24 yard line as the Browns don't even want to onside kick it. Eckel gains 2 on 1st and 10, Eckel gains 2 more.

"Tony I need a favor, can I mention Favre?" - Tirico

Uh oh.

Okay so the Favre thing subsided quickly, scared me there......Kolb nearly throws another INT and what are they doing passing up by 20 points?

This is the first punt for the Eagles believe it or not, and Sav Rocca shanks it. Browns get the ball back looking for an offensive TD.

They're just ball-washing Reid now and it's annoying. Browns penalized for a false start.

A screen to Lewis for a couple of yards, and Jaws finally say what we've been thinking, and that is Marty Mornhinweg is calling the plays, not Reid. FUMBLE!!! Dorsey hops on it and they're just a comedy show at this point. Hansen drops a SURE interception on 3rd down.....the Browns suck.

There's still a football game and Kyle Eckel gets 5 yards and this game can't end soon enough. Eckel picks up a first down and the Eagles continue to drain the clock.

2:00 warning, Eagles 30 Browns 10

NOW THE BROWNS CALL TIMEOUT?!!!! WHAT?!! What a bunch of screwballs.

Fair catch at the 14 for Cribbs. Dorsey finds Edwards for a first down. Dorsey goes deep and that's incomplete intended for Stallworth. Dorsey throws it at the back of an Eagles defender.....ugh. The Eagles are blitzing on 3rd down and Quentin Demps gets his first career sack! 4th and 19 and Sheldon Brown drops an interception and that will do it.

Eagles kneel down and that will do it!! They clinch another win in their quest to make the post-season against all odds.

FINAL SCORE: Eagles 30 Browns 10

Good night everyone, thanks to all who participated in the first BNB live-blog, see you next week at my website for Packers @ Bears, and hopefully that game will be meaningful for Chicago.

Please visit this site as well as mine, won't you?

DSRTSV! 12/15/08

2008-12-15T19:03:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't seen it, or want to watch it again, here's Santonio Holmes controversial game winning Touchdown. And I actually do agree with Petey on this one. Its probably a TD, but since it was ruled a spot on the (roughly) 6 inch line in should not have been overturned.

Then again, I still think the Steelers would have put it in regardless...sorry Ravens fans

Indisputable Evidence: Peter King is Still a Moron - MMBBQ (12/15/08)

2008-12-15T17:49:00.000-08:00

Petey provides his insight on the play this weekend involving the Steelers and Ravens, his steps back from his Super Bowl picks (as recent as 2 weeks ago), and his Fine 15 is finely unreadable. Let's fire up the grill and get ready for another MMBBQ

The Giants and Titans don't look like Super Bowl locks anymore. And Jeff Fisher has some 'splainin' to do.

Rocket Science right there. Yes, consecutive losses for teams' with the two best records in the NFL has a way of doing that...

The most controversial play since ... well, since the Tuck Rule

Both these teams will most likely make the playoffs and both teams might actually be the best (and second best) in the conference and while this game had some bearing on playoff position and the season, its fairly hard to compare it to a game that involved the playoffs themselves and arguably the start of a dynasty...ok, ok, Walt Coleman was involved in both, so there's some commonality

The magnitude of the play can't be overstated. If the play is upheld, it's fourth-and-three-inches, and Mike Tomlin has the biggest call of his coaching career to make -- go for the touchdown to win the game, knowing he might end up turning it over on downs, or kick the gimme field goal and play for overtime. A Pittsburgh win would clinch the division title. A Baltimore win would tie the two mortal enemies with two weeks to go.

Again? Really? See above? I know its a big difference, but this game was all about the difference between the 2 and 5/6 seed in the playoffs...not loser goes home.

Look at what this team (the Steelers) has done since Week 4, all with Roethlisberger playing despite a wounded shoulder: Survived a 15-round fight with Baltimore at home to win 23-20 ... won a slightly less physical game at Jacksonville the next week, 26-21, beating the team that had beaten them twice in a month in Pittsburgh last winter ... lost to the Giants at home, in part because of long-snapper problems ... impaled the Redskins in Washington at a time when the Redskins had won six of seven ... played the only game they really wish they could take back, losing 24-20 to Indy on two Roethlisberger picks in the final five minutes ... had the strange 11-10 slugfest with San Diego ... won at Foxboro by 23 in a combo platter of Patriots mistakes and physical dominance ... got a gift against Dallas in a game the Cowboys absolutely had to have ... and won a game Ray Lewis and Ed Reed will never forget in one of the most physical games you'll ever see.

So the Steelers are 11-3. They've had their share of good fortune, but to be 11-3 against that schedule is to be 13-1 or 14-0 against most other schedules.

Or they can be 7-7 (or maybe 8-6) if all those plays start not going there way. What? I suppose you think they beat Philly in a game where the Eagles got real (reeeeaaalll) physical and owned Ben Roethlisberger? Or you blame the Giants loss on a bad snap, but forget the drive involved after said bad snap (and safety) which resulted in the win? Or the Cowboys game...ok, ya got me there.

The not so "Fine 15" - Where Petey gives us some head scratchers...

Let's review some highlights from Petey's Fine 15 during 11/23/08 , a mere three weeks ago...

1. New York Giants (10-1). Over the last four weeks, the Giants have scored 35, 36, 30 and 37, all against teams in the top 10 in the NFL in total defense -- Dallas (8), Philadelphia (6), Baltimore (2), Arizona (10). Not trying to be too gee-whiz here, but exactly who is going to stop this team?

Answer: Philadelphia and Dallas...top 10 defenses

2. New York Jets (8-3). Biggest day in the history of New Jersey sports: The Jets versus the Giants in Tampa ... WITH SPRINGSTEEN AT HALFTIME.

Bwahahahahahaha...Let's check Peter's 12/15 version:

"What? The Texans at No. 15 over the Jets and Cards, two division leaders? No question."

Yep, from #2 to lower than 15...

6. Philadelphia (7-5-1). I'll bet you $1,000 that Donovan McNabb howled uproariously over the T.O. hijinks last week. Several times.

Wait till the postgame quotes come out...then I'll give you my address Peter...

Enjoyable/Aggravating Travel Note...thus Suggesting Petey is a Moron

Friday afternoon, Montclair, N.J., four-way stop, and I'm at the western stop sign. I have the right of way. No car is at either the north or south stop sign, and a blue Maxima approaches the stop sign across from me.

Ok...so you're at a four-way stop and some dude is across from you...what, nothing about the weather? Was there a fucking glare too? And you have the right of way by what virtue? Being Peter King?

I know I'm at a dead stop because I have to shift the car back into first gear, which I do only when the car is stopped.

Ah...that's how you knew...

No? Okay, I gotta say it. Seriously, what the fuck? You knew you were at a dead stop because you had to shift the car into first gear (in order to go, I'm assuming?). Not because of something obvious...like you weren't moving?

I proceed straight into the intersection, and the Maxima, which only slowed down and never came close to stopping, turns left, in front of me, with no signal. Now, we can count the traffic tickets right there on three fingers -- stopping at a stop sign, not signaling on a turn and I think there's also a statute about really ticking me off. So I lean on my horn and the guy driving the Maxima waves me off. Like: You didn't really expect me to stop there, did you?

Now, I'm not a DMV guru or anything but...I really couldn't find anything about failing to use turn signals being a "ticketable" offense (maybe there is?). And while rolling stops are indeed illegal, but about as common as "speeders" doing 60 in a 55..."Really ticking me off?" - Yeah nothing there.

But what I didn't get was, Peter claimed to have the right of way and claimed the guy moved right in front of him, but at no point mentioned which way he was going or even if he was signalling...

I'm a bit of a driving hypocrite because I do my share of law-breaking driving. But I've always thought that these municipalities struggling so mightily with reduced budgets could make big dough by simply posting unmarked police cars around town and pinching drivers for rolling through stop signs and going 43 in a 25-mph zone. It might even make people drive the way they're supposed to.

But the biggest travesty? Its a fucking traffic incident that happens...I'd guess a couple thousand times a day throughout this country...yeah, thousands. In fact I'm pretty sure I saw this happen twice today. If that's the most aggrevating thing to happen in the travels of a major sports columnist, then I'd imagine that's a damn fine week...ugh

The NFL has final say over the games flexed to Sunday night in Weeks 11 through 16 ... and the NFL has absolute say over the final Sunday night game of the year, in Week 17.

I preface this by acknowledging that I am employed by NBC, the beneficiary of the potential to change the late-season schedule, so you rightfully should look at this and say, "Of course King's going to empathize with the concept of flex scheduling and pay homage to powerful Lord Ebersol. It's helping to pay King's massively bloated salary.'' And you'd be right, sort of. So skip over the section if you don't want to read my propaganda about how good flex scheduling is for the football fan from Orono to Oxnard.

Mmmm...He pretty much said it all right there. Hmmm: Massively bloated salary? Propoganda? Yeah, pretty much all covered.

10 Things I Think Prove Peter is a Moron...

a. The excessive reverence for the Heisman Trophy by ESPN had me wretching up my pork chop Saturday night. Did Jesus win the Heisman? Moses? Abraham Lincoln?

That's not fair, it didn't exist until 1935...dick...

f. Why does every announcer say "football game'' instead of "game'' or "field'' or "player'' over and over and over in the same sound bite? We know the sport is football. Does Joe Buck say, "The Cubs are playing a heck of a baseball game on this baseball field?'' Does Mike Breen say, "This is a basketball game for the ages, and these basketball players out on that basketball floor will remember it forever?''

huh?

i. Best new uniforms in the league this year: the all-red jobs of the Texans. Bob McNair should make them Houston's home unis.

As in these? Ok...

3. I think you won't find me paying much attention to the Pro Bowl when the rosters are announced Tuesday afternoon. The game hasn't had meaning for a long time, but now, ever player wants to make the team and no team wants to play in the game. Too many players treat it as a nuisance, not an honor.

Mostly because it is...

b. I believe in Kyle Orton.

So, you're the one...

a. Why, oh why, if you're a politician in Illinois do you think you're getting away with anything big? Assuming this latest idiot goes to jail, that makes it four of the past eight Illinois governors who would have been imprisoned.

As opposed to North Dakotan politicians who think they can get away with anything?

b. Jim Carrey is the new Adam Sandler. He makes a gazillion dollars starring in movies we don't want to see.

And you write articles that suck ass but still get thousands of hits...

c. Except the remake of The Longest Yard, of course. The greatest movie of all time.

That can't be serious...

f. Coffeenerdness: Did an exclusive interview with Marv Albert last night about his coffee habits. Turns out he likes three double-tall cappuccinos a day, and doesn't mind drinking them at room temperature.

Really, I'd expect something with a little more bite...ba dum cha...

g. I have to get a life now.

Hahahahaha. Point taken...

Browns @ Eagles Live Blog - 1st Half

2008-12-15T17:13:00.000-08:00

The last time Ken Dorsey was good.

Alright let's get this party started!! If Philly loses this they are pretty much eliminated from playoff contention. Play nice in the comments and the game kicks off just 24 minutes from now.

Some thoughts about Sunday's action:

The Seahawks won against the Rams, who have Josh Brown. The former Seahawks kicker made a living off of game winning field goals the last 3 seasons.......but he decided to go after the money and his old team with a new kicker won it on a last second field goal. Oooh revenge!
Herman Edwards should be fired. I don't care if they are rebuilding, he has consistently proved he can no longer win in this league.
The Panthers should be in the Super Bowl if they beat the Giants.
Speaking of which, the Giants are in danger of losing their first round bye if they lose out. If the Vikings win their game and the Giants lose theirs, the Giants/Vikings will be for home field advantage.
JP Losman is awful.
FIRE JOHN MARSHALL!
The Lions are playing better football....but I see no wins so who cares?
Tony Romo was excellent last night, but the offensive line will kill him.

___________________________________________

ESPN Picks:

Steve Young - Eagles
Emmitt Smith - Eagles
Stuart Scott - Eagles
Coach Ditka - Eagles
Keyshawn Johnson - Eagles
Cris Carter - Eagles
Tom Jackson - Eagles
Chris Berman - Eagles

Which means the Browns will probably win looking at their records on MNF.

____________________________________________

"He could also bring that package that we love to talk about." - Ron Jaworski talking about Josh Cribbs

Jaws already starting off with innuendo.

"Overdone like a cold congealed cheesesteak." - Kornheiser

Here we go.....I'm irritated already.
_____________________________________________

Quentin Demps will receive and Demps gets to the 36 yard line to give the Eagles good field position as we get this thing going. McNabb goes out of the shotgun and Brent Celek gets a gain of 2 on the quick pass. Celek gives me bad memories....FIRE JOHN MARSHALL! Westbrook gets his first carry for a gain of 3 to the 41 to set up a 3rd and 5. McNabb is flushed out of the pocket and.....FIND JASON AVANT!! He stays in bounds and makes a great catch along the sidelines at the Browns 39. A Kevin Curtis sighting, a gain of 8. Westbrook will....bounce to the outside and gets to the 21 yard line for the first down!! He ran into a wall and then bounced back out. Correll Buckhalter is not injured for once and gets to the 17 yard line. A draw play for Westbrook gets them to the 14 yard line. Kinda funny that the Eagles are running the ball well as soon as they actually use it. What a concept!!

McNabb looks for CURTIS!!!!!!! TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!!!! An 8 play drive and that was so easy and balanced. Eric Wright was the man that got beat and the Eagles lead.

Eagles 7 Browns 0 with 10:45 left in the 1st quarter

Kevin Curtis, making all the white boy receivers happy. - 49er16

+1

Why are they running the ball, everyone knows Donovan McNabb is only effective when you throw 70+ times a game - Justin

Absolutely! This is ludicrous from Reid. ;-)

Cribbs to return the ball to the 28 yard line, after Gocan brought him down. Ken Dorsey will be coming out to throw his interceptions.

Lewis picks up 4 up the middle on their first play. Cribbs takes the snap this time and picks up the first down and more on the misdirection to the 40. Dorsey's first pass is deflected but caught by Lawrence Vickers who has running room to the Eagles 39 for the first down. Of course on the next play they almost don't even get the handoff away and Lewis loses a yard. Here comes the blitz and Dorsey gets popped as he throws and BRAYLON EDWARDS MAKES A GREAT CATCH!!!! He beats Sheldon Brown and gains 28 to the Eagles 13. Lewis to the 9 yard line on 1st down. 2nd and 6, another blitz and Dorsey just throws it to the ground. It's 3rd and 6 out of the shotgun and Dorsey fires for Dinkins.....off of his hands. So when Kellen Winslow isn't dropping the ball, Dinkins does the job for him. Cleveland still looking for their first TD in a month.

Phil Dawson with the chippy......GOOD!

Eagles 7 Browns 3 with 6:48 left in the 1st

That was a typical Dorsey pass. A throw to the knees from 5 feet away. - 49er16

Or a Charlie Frye Hail Mary.

Demps breaks free!!! Down at his own 43 yard line!!! Commercial break.......ugh.

McNabb swings it out to Westbrook for a gain of 6 on 1st down. Tra Thomas jumps for the first penalty of the night. Westbrook gains 4 on 2nd and 9....3rd and 5 coming up. Jason Avant gets another first down, McNabb has not missed a pass. Why don't the Browns ever blitz? Westbrook gets 3 yards and Kornholio is going on and on about Andy Reid being pass-happy. McNabb is rushed and throws it way high of Jason Avant who was open.

"You won't see Aaron Rodgers pummeling McNabb." - Jaws

That's Shaun Rogers.......

On 3rd down McNabb gets a good block from Westbrook and finds DeSean Jackson who gets YACs and is down at the Browns 23!!! They cannot miss a beat right now. Buckhalter picks up 3 up the middle. McNabb has weeks to throw and LJ Smith makes a play!!! Hey!!! He caught the football and gets another first down to the 9. First and goal, Westbrook goes to the left side and is tackled at the 6. McNabb's pass is DEFLECTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No one could catch that ball? NO ONE? Incomplete as two Cleveland Brown players blow a chance at an INT. McNabb is under pressure and rolls out for SMITH!!! Way too tall and the Browns hold.......oh goodness LJ Smith was wide open.

David Akers from 24.....GOOD!

Eagles 10 Browns 3 with :49 left in the 1st

Akers delivers a touchback and the Browns will start at the 20. Jamal Lewis continues to run into a pile and gains just 3. Final play of the first quarter sees Dorsey complete one to Edwards for a big gain to end the quarter.

Eagles 10 Browns 3

Jamal Lewis runs for no gain again to start the quarter. Flash Package FAIL! A loss of 4 and that was just terrible. BLITZ!! Dorsey throws it away and it's time to punt.

DeSean Jackson.....oops he goes nowhere. 10-3 with 13:21 left in the half.

Westbrook gets 3 on 1st down and then McNabb just throws a duck behind Brian on 2nd down. Pressure comes as McNabb fires.....it's CURTIS!! Down at the 38 yard line and once again Westbrook picks up the block to give McNabb enough time to throw it. McNabb rolls out and Hank Baskett for no reason catches it on his ass and loses 3. It's 2nd and 13 and of course Baskett will catch one for 15 in what looks like a zone defense. Westbrook hits the hole hard off of the left side of the line and gets to midfield. Buckhalter gains 2 yards on 2nd down. Holy crap they used split backs and Buckhalter gains 14 on 3rd and short....where was this Eagles team all season long? McNabb fires a rifle down the middle and hits Jackson in the seam inside the 10!!! A fantastic throw and the Eagles are looking to open up their lead. Westbrook was stuffed initially, bounced to the outside and gains 2 as Rogers limps off the field and he may have a stinger.

2nd and goal, McNabb to the end zone!!! Incomplete....why didn't he run? Oh well, 3rd and goal. DeSean Jackson takes the snap on 3rd down and throws it......INTERCEPTED BY JONES IN THE END ZONE!!! What the heck is Andy Reid thinking running a trick play from the 4 yard line. It was a terrible pass and the Eagles are making it hard for themselves.

FIRE ANDY REID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"TK: "McNabb and Westbrook should have called themselves 'flash and dash' a long time ago and Lendale White wouldn't have anything to complain about".

Ummm. It's "Smash and Dash", Tony. Idiot." - Mal

Dorsey is under pressure and throws it incomplete.....Jamal Lewis continues to run into people and gain minimal yardage. The Eagles rush 6 and Dorsey fires it to Edwards who breaks a tackle and gets out of bounds at the 43. Lewis gains 4 yards and that's just a bunch for him tonight. Dorsey's pass is deflected by Dawkins and incomplete.

Dorsey fires.....INTERCEPTED!!!!!!!! ASANTE SAMUEL!!! PICK 6!!!! He jumped the route, the pass was intended for Stallworth and Samuel gets his first touchdown as an Eagle.

4:45 left in the 2nd quarter, Eagles 17 Browns 3

Good point by Tirico for realizing that Samuel pulled a DeSean Jackson. Not too bright are they?

"Just because it didn't work doesn't mean it was a bad play call"-Jaws, defending the trick play on the 4 yard line.

Sure, Jaws, sure, keep on defending your team, and making us actually AGREE with Dr. Kornheiser, who also thought it was a dumb decision. - Yet Another Idiot With a Music Blog

Jaws is uber-irritating tonight.

Wright returns it to the 26, Eagles up by 14.

Dorsey made a nice NFL type throw to Asante Samuel... - Justin

I chuckled reading that.

Browns begin their next disaster and Jamal Lewis got clocked behind the line but pushed forward for a gain of 2. More yards for Lewis......a whopping gain of 3. Trent Cole on the blitz......SACK!!! He just whiffs by Joe Thomas and Dorsey comes off the field limping a little bit. Eagles called timeout with 3:15 as Zastudil punts to Jackson, he runs backwards and loses 1 on the return.

Westbrook picks up 4 yards on first down and here comes the blitz and a sack by Willie McGinest!! The boo birds rain down on the former Patriot as we reach the 2 minute warning.

Eagles 17 Browns 3

"Why do the Dolphins keep winning?" - Tirico

Because they like scoring more points than the other team.

JACKSON!!! He catches it and runs to the Browns 41. McNabb looks deep to Avant and HE CATCHES IT!!! First down inside the 20 yard line and McNabb is just destroying them. Westbrook gains 7 on 1st down.

Timeout Eagles with :47 left.

2nd and 3 at the 10, CELEK TO THE 1!!! Clock at :25 and counting.

Westbrook up the middle and.....he does not get in as the refs took a while to make their call and the Eagles call timeout. 2nd and goal and what will the Eagles do??

They will go for the touchdown......

INTERCEPTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ONE HANDED PICK BY BRANDON MCDONALD!!!! DOWN THE SIDELINES AND STIFF ARMS WESTBROOK AND IS TACKLED INSIDE THE 10!!! THERE IS A FLAG......on the Eagles.

More wasted points and the half is over. FIRE ANDY REID!!

Entertaining and wild stuff, Eagles are dominating but they like to make games difficult.

Eagles 17 Browns 3 at the Half

Monday Night Live Blog - Browns vs. Eagles Pregame

2008-12-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

A Bad News Bloggers first. We've never had a live blog and tonight that will be broken.

Good news is my internet is fine, bad news is I'm freezing and when I stepped outside for 1 hour (as in outside at the park) I swear the wind chill lowered the temperatures to the single digits.

Who: Browns @ Eagles

When: 8:40 PM ET

Why: FIRE ANDY REID!

Network: ESPN

SSR's Prediction: Eagles 30 Browns 14

Feel free to make your picks or keep track of Monday Night Countdown quotes. I'll step out and be back at around 5:15 in the 1st half thread.

Terrell Owens Ruins Ed Werder's Career

2008-12-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

Okay so everyone knows about all the drama and BS circulating around the Dallas Cowboys. NFL fans who are more in tune with what is going on have now heard the post game press conference where Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens attacks ESPN reporter Ed Werder. The clip bellow shows that maybe T.O. wasn't spewing randomness, the fans are taking his side.

Here is Ed Werder trying to do his thing, and one Dallas fan does his best to expose him for what he is worth. This is just funny.

Shoe-Throwing Monday Daily "Linkin' Logs" (12/15/08)

2008-12-15T04:14:00.000-08:00

It'll have to be an abbreviated version today, but I will post the MMBBQ later today.

Someone threw a shoe at the President. We'll post this because of his athletic prowess involved in avoiding not one but two shoes...secret service a little slow on that one eh?
The Cowboys beat the Giants in spite of the TO-Witten-Romo love triangle. So clearly it was Garcia, McNabb, Ed Werder and the driveway's fault for all of T.O.'s transgressions...poor guy, he gets in trouble for everything
0 and 16 is just 2 weeks away. With the Saints and Packers lurking, it seems not only plausible, but probable. By the way if you go to http://www.0and16.com it redirects to the Detroit Lions website...yeah...awesome
In the wake of blowing over $240 million over 8 years to two pitchers, the Yankees look to add a hitter at probably another $20 mil a year.
If you didn't see the Steelers-Ravens game yesterday, you missed some serious controversey. I say "No TD" but they have one more down at the 1 foot line so I'd still surmise the Steelers score...even against the Ravens
And finally, the 10 most surprising developments of week 15, courtesy of EC's DMtShooter.

Sunday Sunday Daily "Linkin' Logs" (12/14/08)

2008-12-14T09:41:00.000-08:00

Well, what have we got here. Some hellacious headlines throughout the world of sports:

The Phillies sign Raul Ibanez for 3 years, $30 million. I can't say I'm thrilled, but I can't say I'm disappointed. Ibanez will probably hit close to 40 points higher than displaced Pat Burrell and may equal his power numbers (Ibanez had roughly 10 homers less but 20 RBIs more). Problem is, Ibanez is only slightly better on defense and again, only slightly faster. Burrell is also almost 5 years younger and seems likely to to regress as much in the coming years.
What the hell is going on in Dallas? Terrell Owens is finally tearing apart the team at the seams. And we all predicted this. With so much on the line, for both the team and Owens's career, I can't believe he would do this. But the feud between him and Tight End Jason Witten wreaks of jealousy and stupidity. Moreover, throwing another QB, Tony Romo, under the bus only proves that he was indeed the problem now and at each previous location, thus vindicating Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb and their accompanying fans. My only question(s) remaining are, what team does Owens retire on and if he would make the hall of game, what jersey would he wear?
Avery's a fallen Star. Well that didn't take long. Word out of Dallas (what a tough place to be right now) is that Sean Avery is not only not being welcomed with open arms, he's not welcome at all. Details of what's next are sketchy. He could be sent down to the minors, traded or bought out after one season. But with all his transgressions, its hard seeing any team swallow his 4 year $15.5 million dollar contract in the new capped NHL. Avery finally talked himself into a hole he cannot get out of.
Goodbye Mo Cheeks. After losing 8 of 10 and starting the season 9-14 with a new star (Elton Brand), Mo Cheeks was canned. I can't blame the Sixers for this one, though it was hardly all on Cheeks (who's playoff squad started slow last year and still finished below .500). The Sixers legend walked out of an Arena that once (well, next to the arena) chanted his name a disgraced coach.
The Yankees strike again with Burnett. This time, it was a 5 year $82.5 million dollar contract for what will probably be their third starter (Sabathia-Wang-Burnett-Chamberlain-Hughes/Kennedy). I thought I remembered Chamberlain being returned to the pen for '09, but I could be wrong. Either way, I believe Kennedy and Hughes could be effective 4 and 5 guys in 2009. If Joba remains the starter, that's a hell of a 1-4, assuming they all stay healthy (and that is a big if for each as time goes by). And while people mock the cash-crazed Yankees who maybed $209 million for last year's non-playoff team, its important to remember that this years projected team is going to be less after $60+ million came off the books and it appears as though close to 40 million will be back on. Unless then sign Mark Teixeira...then all bets are off.
K-Rod sends message to Phils -
"Of course, we're going to try to win the division. Of course, we're going to be the front-runner. Of course, we're going to be the team to beat." -Francisco Rodriguez
What a fraud. Admittedly, Jimmy Rollins made a declaration in 2007 after losing the division to the Mets the previous year, but declaring yourself, a newly minted teammate, the team to beat after your opponent just won the World Series is a bit of a joke. It's ashame the ring ceremony couldn't be held with the Mets in town. Check out thefightins.com look at the Mets threats throughout the years.
Royals sign Farnsworthless. Who would actually pay this guy to pitch? Almost $5 million a year no less. No watch him make the All-Star squad.
Something about the Heisman Trophy? I don't really give a shit...
And finally, a look back at Phillies Rookie Hazing secrets...That's hot...

DSRTSV! - 12/13/08

2008-12-13T19:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of activity today. I've been under the weather, so I've been in bed all day ingesting a cocktail of zinc, vitamin C, Advil and Robitussin. I know there's a ton of stuff between Cunningham vs. Adamek, the Mo Cheeks firing, the Burnett signing and Raul Ibanez (which I was slightly disappointed in), but I just haven't been up to it. I'll do my best to give my thoughts on a sweet opening in tomorrows DLLs if I can't make it out of bed.

Anyway. I know he's out and its kinda pointless with Prop 8 (as the author states) but I just found this video, and its pretty good/entertaining/funny for a nerdy white dude...

DSRTSV! 12/12/08

2008-12-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

A little early today, because I won't have much computer access the rest of the day...

Continuing our Sean Avery-a-thon this week (3rd DSRTSV for him...), I figured I'd post the play(s) that created the "Sean Avery Rule" Personally, I liked the part where Brodeur refused to shake his hand after the Rangers advanced.

Ha, Sean Avery is such a tool

Freedom Friday Daily "Linkin' Logs" (12/5/08)

2008-12-12T06:17:00.001-08:00

Been under the weather, so these things are coming up slow. Let's just take a few minutes to mock the Cowboys before we get to some quick links.

And the Rift Gets Bigger...

I love it...I Love It, I Love It, I Love It. I told you this would happen...and it did.

Boo-muthafuckin'-ya

Goodbye Texas Stadium, We hardly cared about ye. I say burn the bitch down.
T.O. says he's not jealous. Riiiiight.
The Phillies added Raul Ibanez, thus ending the Pat Burrell era...ugh. Not once during Pat's 8 year tenure as a Phil, did I actually think this day would come and I'd miss him; then the 2nd half of last season and this one came and now I'm actually annoyed the Phils let him walk. Weird.
It appears as though A.J. Burnett is about to sign. And my guess is the Yankees. So is Hal Steinbrenners.
There's a new contender for Jake Peavy - The California Angels of...fuck it, its the Angels.
Sean McAdam of the Boston Globe thinks Mark Teixeira's options are pretty much either the Angels or Red Sox. Given those options, I bet he goes Sox, but I don't think you can count out the hometown Orioles or Nationals for the former Ranger.
Donovan McNabb delivers a big F.U. to Andy Reid. Not really, but he certainly decries the Reid Benching of McNabb.
And finally, EC's DMtShooter gives us the 12 signs that the T.O.-Dallas marriage is now on the rocks...

DSRTSV! 12/11/08 - I Know it's late...

2008-12-12T06:11:00.001-08:00

Apologies for not posting last night. I've been down and out with a cold. Anyway, here's a real quick "Avery being Avery"

Douche

MLB Winter Meetings: Who's Dealing?

2008-12-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

The Major League Baseball offseason is well underway by now, and we're just getting into the climax of the winter meetings. A couple of teams have been steady making deals while others are sitting back and watching the action from their chairs.

For one, the New York Yankees are dealing for starting pitching after Mike Mussina's retirement earlier in the offseason. Chien Ming-Wang has been surrounded by injuries the past year of two, so the Steinbremmers must think it's time to go all out. The Yanks have already pretty much wrapped the C.C. Sabathia deal up and put a bow on it for Christmas. But, they have reportedly offered A.J. Burnett a contract as well.

New York's inter-division rivals, the Baltimore Orioles, have also shown that they are ready to step their game up after dealing veteran catcher Ramon Hernandez to the Cincinnati Reds for OF Ryan Freel and two prospects. This shows that Peter Angelos is ready for the younger guys to step up. Getting rid of the 32-year old catcher makes room for the young AA-er, Matt Wieters, who was this past seasons Minor League Player of the Year winner. The 22-year old catcher, a two-time All-American at Georgia Tech, has a great mixture of power and average on both sides of the plate while his big frame (6 foot 5, 230 pounds) makes him an easy target behind the plate.

Believe it or not, this isn't the only move Baltimore has made this offseason. The front office is close to completing a two-year, $6 million deal with former Blue Jay, Dodger, Cub, Pirate and Cardinal shortstop Cesar Izturis. The O's have had major issues at the shortstop position since the end of the Miguel Tejada era. Izturis does not have much power, or even all that much consistency in his eight seasons, but he does have a great glove. That is what they are looking for as of this point. Just someone who can hold the spot and get the job done. Izturis' career fielding percentage (.979) is better than Tejada's MLB career and, like most middle infielders, Izturis has speed.

I'm still not done with the O's. Angelos also finds himself in the middle of the Mark Teixeira talks. He may actually be in the lead, as of right now. They have reportedly offered Teixeira a seven-year, $150 million contract. The O's, as a matter of fact, are also said to be one of the four remaining teams going after Teixeira. The other three teams; Angels, Nationals, Red Sox.

Jake Peavy is not packing for Chicago after all. The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres have called off the deal that would have sent the NL Cy Young winner, Peavy, to Chicago. The multi-player deal was reportedly called-off by Chicago GM Jim Hendry.

Of Saving Phil Hughes and Trading The Melk Man Anyway

2008-12-11T09:05:00.000-08:00

Remember last year around this time: The Twins were shopping Johan Santana to the highest bidder and the Yankees and Red Sox appeared to be the prime contenders. Then the Mets swooped in and acquired Santana for a beavy of prospects and talent...and it still didn't get them into the playoffs.

Anyway, back in late 2007, the Yankees were unwilling to part with two of three pitching prospects: Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian (Mr.) Kennedy. The Yankees responded by declaring Chamberlain untradable (fair enough) and would only package Melky Cabrera, a lesser pitching prospect and either Kennedy or Hughes, but not both.

Apparently, there was a contingent of fans who did not want to see even Hughes traded. Yeah, click that link...there's a "Save Phil Hughes" site. I wonder who has more egg on their faces, the Phil Hughes folks or the Fire Uncle Charlie guy. I go Hughes, because at least the Fire Uncle Charlie guy say a World Championship in the end.

So what did the Yankees keep? Well, they kept Hughes, who went on to pitch 13 games (before injury) with a 6.62 ERA. Kennedy? 9 starts and an 8.17 ERA. Melky Cabrera? 129 games with a .249 ERA, 37 RBIs, 8 Home Runs and just 9 steals.

So why bring this up now? Well, as I mentioned in the links for today, the Yankees appear primed to trade Melky Cabrera to the Brewers for Mike Cameron. But more than a few people suggested that the Yankees trade Melky and sign Cameron...last year. So in the end, the Yankees have the centerfielder they could have had, and have both Hughes and Kennedy as huge question marks. Sure they got Sabathia...but who would you rather have, him or Santana? And at the same price no less (actually less for Santana).

Oh Yankees, when did you stop being so evil and become simply hilarious?

Mets Make Moves Daily "Linkin' Logs" (12/11/08)

2008-12-11T07:02:00.000-08:00

Between yesterday's hijacked K-Rod signing headline (specifically by the Yankees and Sabathia) and today's massive J.J. Putz trade (which probably pissed off a few Fantasy keeper league players), the Mets are easily in much better shape then they were 365 days ago. You could make the argument that Billy Wagner to Francisco Rodriguez is a wash (when comparing last year's Wagner to this year's K-Rod, it seems reasonable, though K-Rod has the edge), but the addition of Putz and possibly the subtraction of Aaron Heilman clearly makes the Mets bullpen so (soooo) much better than last year.

Of course the one thing signing Rodriguez and trading for Putz doesn't do is A) Bring them a World Championship (at least not yet) and B) take the Phillies Championship away. It also shifts the pressure right back on the Mets...again. After the who "team to beat" issue two years ago and then the Johan Santana scenario this year, the Mets created a storm of pressure on themselves to win it (and probably win it all). This year, its just more of the same. That being said, the preservation of three wins over last year (all things holding equal) will certainly give the Mets a much better post season shot. You can point question marks at the end of the rotation: Can Pelfrey continue his success and what will we see out of Brandon Knight and Jonathan Niese? Or you can look at parts of the lineup: What can you expect from the right side of the infield? What can the corner outfielders produce?

The final question mark? What do you get from J.J. Putz. Obviously he has to pass a physical; so its fairly safe to assume he's healthy. But is he okay with being a setup man? Putz has essentially two years left on his deal (this year and a club option for next). So depending on how this plays out, they may be his only two years in Queens.

Oh well, just for shits and giggles.

First off, as the offseason plays out I cannot stress enough how cool this site is. Its called Cot's Baseball Contracts and is a fascinating and elaborate depiction of every team's payroll and each player's contracts to as much detail as the writer can provide. He doesn't claim to be dead on accurate, but pretty damn close. Its well worth a look around and an excellent resource in my opinion.
And the Mets struck back by claiming the headlines over the Yankees acquisition of Mike Cameron in exchange for Melky Cabrera. This trade isn't finalized but appears immenent.
Rumor has it the Orioles and Nationals have both offered Mark Teixeira massive contracts estimated at over 20 million per season. The O's are rumored to offer $150 million + and the Nats $160 million plus. It certainly upts the ante on the deal, as teams like the Red Sox, Angels and Yankees may have to pay more simply because of their location (though both New York and Boston have a slight edge). Again, I believe if the Sox offer enough (perhaps even 170 or 180), they'll get their man, though they might be in a worse position given their current first and third base starters.
It appears as though the Clinton Portis - Jim Zorn dispute was over before it started. Zorn cleared with the media yesteday afternoon. In watching PTI last night, Michael Wilbon brought up an excellent point (and agreed that Portis had a valid point): With players always wanting coaches to be up front and "man up" about these issues, why to Portis go to the media first? Valid point or not, this is no way to go about it.
Via PFT, Looks like the Arena League is still on. For now.
All quiet on the western front as the Dallas Stars have been mum on the Avery Situation. Given the Tom Hicks meeting with his major front office players, I have a feeling this is the end of Avery and the Stars, though they may try to trade him. Still, I'm curious why Hicks doesn't let his management handle this, since the baseball offseason is in full swing and he, y'know, might be needed to write checks elsewhere.
Eric Byrnes for Julio Lugo? Really? Am I the only one who's thinking the Sox would be totally hosing the D-Bags for this one?
I'll start for the Lions...on second thought, maybe not...
Looks like its back to the Tavaris Jackson era in Minnesota.
Meow, T.O. fights back by verbally sparing "She"-Shawn and Emmitt Smith
And finally, Florio over at PFT does some fascinating work. I'm curious how Chad Johnson will be back...y'know, all things considered (its addressed in the article). Anyone else weirded out because this guy demanded a trade only 6 months ago?

DSRTSV - 12/10/08

2008-12-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

At least something cool is happening in Miami. That is to say, here's Dwayne Wade pwning Emeka Okafor.

A Piping Hot Stove Pile of 10 Things I Think Smell Like Shit (12/10/08)

2008-12-10T09:29:00.001-08:00

With Baseball's Hot Stove at full burn and the NCAA Football Bowl Games slate coming to a full boil, we have lots to bitch about and there's at least 10 things that smell like shit...

C.C. You in New York. If you haven't heard already; it appears as though C.C. Sabathia will sign the richest contract for a pitcher in baseball history. This will blow away the previous record(s)...all set by the Yankees anyway. Its looking like 7 years and $160 million or almost $23 million per year. Plus Sabathia is rumored to have an opt out clause after three years (and $69 million) so that he can either seek a new team or reup for maybe even more. With this economy (even though the Yankees seem uneffected), I can't imagine him getting a better deal elsewhere until his career is over.
Mets add K-Rod. On the face of it, this looks like a solid move. And moreover, the 3 years $37 million deal is certainly appetizing for a rich team capable of tossing off a few dead years if they really need to. So what's the hitch? Well, the Angels are rumored to be saving cash for Teixeira or Ramiriz, but I believe the real reason they passed is because after they used up K-Rod for the stretch run, they knew he wasn't going to be worth the cash. Why go from 5 years $75 million to 3 and $37 million ? So while this solidifies the Mets pen beyond the likes of Sanchez or Wagner, it still leaves questions; especially when they'll be contending with the defending World (Fucking) Champions next year.
Porter Defends Burress. Now let's get one thing straight: I'm fine with the 2nd amendment, though I don't own a gun (and wouldn't really buy one save maybe a rifle to go hunting with if I ever became interested). Now Joey Porter went on TV (specifically ESPN's First Take) to defend Plexiglass and his gun. First of all, Plaxico broke the law. There may be an argument that said NYC law violates the 2nd amendment, but the fact of the matter is, the people of NYC (via their legislators) wanted it and its now illegal. So yes, Plaxico broke the law and I believe he should be punished to the extent that anyone with a similar record would. Secondly. Joey Porter? What the shit? If someone's going to rob you, are you just gonna bust out your 9mm and point it back? You're right Joey, I don't know because A) I don't have that kind of cash B) I certainly don't flaunt it (or act like I do) and C) I attempt to avoid those situations in general. Legal or not, I just don't see the value in a firearm, especially when you're going to a club and you've got a few buds surrounding you. A couple of dudes aren't gonna come and stick you up and its not like you're gonna be walking down that dark alley by yourself any time soon. What the hell are you talking about Joey?
The C.C. Salary Simulator. I'm not quite sure there's anything more depressing than this. ESPN created a simple calculator program that, using average salaries and statistics will compare your current salary to his. Depressing to say the least. And in this economy, I can't imagine anyone being to thrilled by the results.
Saying Goodbye to the Wizard. I'm a Phillies fan, but even I marveled at the Wizard, Greg Maddux's success through the years. He quietly dominated a hitting (and steroided) era, and became the winningest pitcher of said era. Baseball (and its fans) will miss him. Oh, and don't forget; Chicks Dig the Long Ball.
Teixeira Sees Sabathia...is he going for a raise? There are quite a few teams that have interest in the second best first baseman in the league (Albert Pujols being numero uno) and the price tag seems fairly close to Sabathia's. And with so many teams rumored to be interested in his services (Nationals, Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees and Angels off the top of my head), its hard to imagine a scenario where there isn't some type of bidding war. The Nats have already offered 8 years and $160 million, which is ideal for Tex because of both the cash and location (his family is in Maryland), but a chance to play for contenders like the Angels or Red Sox cannot be denied. Plus, speaking from experience, a flight from Boston to Baltimore is cheap and easy...not that price will ever be an issue.
Jerry Jones Pries His Foot Out of His Mouth. If you didn't hear what Jerry Jones said about Marion Barber prior the Dallas-Pittsburgh game, you missed a lot. Essentially, Jones questioned Barber's toughness and dedication to be on the field regardless of the toe injury. Jone "backpedaled" yesterday by saying:
“We all know how tough Marion Barber is, but when he had his injury I felt, look, you'd have to shoot him to keep him off the football field,” Jones said. “So I was surprised that we didn't have him. That's not meant to be critical of his toughness. It did come out that way, but fundamentally it was because he is so tough that you would have thought that he could play.”
"old strategy cotton, let's see if it pays off."
Miller gets got. An interesting story out of Buffalo Sabres camp, especially in the wake of Sean Avery's 6 game suspension for a "sloppy seconds" remark. Apparently during a highly contested Sabres game, Ryan Miller, Sabres goaltender, expressed his concerns over the officiating for the game. Apparently, Miller was "asking a questions" regarding the officiating and claims the official told him "to go[fuck] himself."
“To be honest, I was respectful. I asked him a question and he told me maybe I should ‘go [bleep] myself.’ ” - Ryan Miller, Sabres Goalie
Frankly, this is a stunning development, though I am slightly surprised we don't hear about this a bit more often. Its not unusual for the occasional "off the handle" comment, but it certainly is unprofessional. Highlights from tape of the game show a discussion between Miller and the referee and certainly some type of distaste, but its hard to tell what's going on. I'll be anxious to see the response from both the league and official, as the Sabres PR department has no comment.
Portis Vs. Zorn...ding! If you haven't seen this one yet, let me just say, it certainly is a sign of the end of the NFL season for the Washington Redskins. After being handled by the Ravens last Sunday and infighting beginning after said game, its just a sign that this team is now lost after going 6-2 in the first half of the season and 1-4 since. Portis was upset over his lack of attention in the 2nd half of the Ravens game (already down 14 points) and his one single carry in the 2nd half on. In 10 previous carries, Portis had 29 yards total. Hard to see why they'd keep going to him when they needed points. And while Portis complained about a lack of playing time, with his injuries and Ladell Betts practice time (to block) its not hard to understand why Zorn kept Betts in.
And this one stinks for a different reason. Matt Cassel lost his father yesterday. Fortunately, the Patriots were on the West Coast all week, so Cassel simply left Northern California for his home in L.A. I personally can't imagine being age 26 and losing my father, so I think I speak for everyone here are BNB when I say we all send our condolences to the Cassel Family

DSRTSV! 12/9/08

2008-12-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

How about this one. If you missed last night's game, you missed a barn-burner. Check out Antonio Bryant's amazing red zone catch:

Why the Seahawks Should Sign Darren Sproles

2008-12-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

When the season is over and the Seahawks’ season is mercifully finished, look back at the game highlights. If you want to take it further, watch every minute of every Seahawks game played this season (which at this point is a pretty good torture tactic). I’ve watched every game, and I think one of the top problems the Seahawks have, is the supreme lack of a consistent offensive playmaker. I think Josh Wilson can be a playmaker and he’s already made crucial INTs and kickoff returns, the defense has guys that can be playmakers if coached correctly.

The offense? I don’t know where to start. Nate Burleson is the closest thing they have I guess, but there is no other consistent guy on offense that can make a big play downfield. That’s one of the problems in this offense and I hope that Jim Mora and Tim Ruskell realize this; I know I do…..which leads me to my next statement:

SIGN DARREN SPROLES!

The San Diego Chargers running back/special teams return man is an unrestricted free agent after this season. He has had some dazzling performances and is really stepping up as an offensive player since Michael Turner is currently destroying any human being in his path with the Falcons. My reasoning behind signing another running back is simple:

Maurice Morris is an unrestricted free agent (and it’s time for another RB’s style). Morris is going to be a running back that teams like the Denver Broncos would want. As much as I like Morris, his running style is pretty much the same as Julius Jones‘. Morris is going to be 30 next season, Jones will be 28. While Morris has never been a solid NFL starter (and to me he can be a consistent starter), the number of years left in him is less than what Jones has. The Seahawks need 2 different running styles and a better backup. Darren Sproles is more deadly in the open field than any player on the current roster. You can split him out wide and/or let him loose on screen passes. In the running game he has the speed to get outside on off-tackle plays, he hits the hole hard and is an ankle breaker with his quick moves. Most importantly, he has BREAKAWAY SPEED, something that is lacking in the Seahawks. Morris is likely to go, Sproles to me would be a great replacement.
Nate Burleson’s workload (AKA injury risk) is reduced. When your starting wide receiver is returning kickoffs and punts then that’s a recipe for disaster. While Burleson was placed on IR after trying to make a catch in the season opener, it is best that the man Seattle paid $49,000,000 concentrates being a solid wide receiver. Burleson is probably the fastest receiver on this team and is great after the catch. Perhaps the only deep threat for whoever Seattle’s QB is, and his route running has improved from when he first arrived. Darren Sproles replacing Burleson (who began the season returning punts) is a wise move because….well….because of this and this. Sproles becomes the new #1 punt returner, while Josh Wilson and Justin Forsett remain kickoff returners.
Did I mention Sproles is fast? I will say it again, he is fast, tough, can break one for 50 yards at any time….and his size and stature means he really does not need much of a hole to begin with. His play-making ability opens up the offense for play-action fakes, perhaps a release pattern…..oooh I hope this happens. Sproles seems perfect in a single back set running behind Walter Jones and Mike Wahle.

I am pleading for the Seahawks to make an actual splash in free agency. Maurice Morris is going to hit the big 3-0 next season, Darren Sproles is 25 and has a bright future. Sproles is a dangerous offensive weapon that would be crucial in getting this Seahawks offense back to respectability and even greatness. If the Seahawks sign Darren Sproles not only will you have a breath of fresh air, but you will finally have a playmaker that is needed to make this offense succeed.

It’s a slow rebuilding process, but I think at least 1 big offensive splash in free agency is needed, and Sproles is the one.

NFC South Edition Daily "Linkin' Logs" (12/10/08)

2008-12-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

Wowee. A fantastic game last night with the Carolina Panthers exerting their dominance over the Tampa Bay Bucs. Carolina seemed more than up to the challenge with both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart leading the way; both with over 100 rushing yards and two TDs.

What this did only slightly clarified the NFC playoff picture:

The Panthers and Giants clearly have the inside track to Byes in the playoffs by virtue of their 11-2 and 10-3 records, with only Tampa just one win back. Minnesota and Arizona the other emminent division winners (AZ has already captured a spot and Minnesota is three games up with three to play, win one and they're in) are two back on Carolina and three behind New York, they seem likely to stay where they are.

In the wild card, Dallas and Tampa have the inside track here, though Tampa has a game in Atlanta that could be crucial to the NFC Wild card picture. Win here and Tampa is all but assured a spot as they'll face San Diego and Oakland to end their season at home. Atlanta, meanwhile, will have to face the aforementioned Tampa, go to Minnesota in a game they may not mean too much to the Vikings and finish up with St. Louis in a gimme game. Dallas has the toughest road, facing the Giants and Ravens at home before traveling to Philadelphia to face the Eagles, in what could be a play-in game if the Falcons lose at least one more game and both Philly and Dallas win their next two. Philly's road is fairly simple. Beat the Browns on Monday night, Beat the Redskins in Washington and beat Dallas. Either Tampa Bay needs to lose two outta three (not likely) or Atlanta needs to lose one (more likely) and they're in. If Atlanta loses next week, Philly will control their own destiny, as will Tampa Bay.

AGM's Jakeblloyd is talking about the Wolverines. And no, not the football team.
MLBTR has the scoop on a potential Grienke for Francoeur swap
In serious news, the NFLPA and NFL have agreed to a Medicare benefit for retirees. While not huge, its a step in the right direction.
Goodbye Bruschi. PFT is saying he is done for the year...maybe his career?
The sad case of Dominic Raiola and the Detroit Lions. I'd feel bad if he wasn't making millions of dollars.
Wow Steve Young. Balls to your sir, that is one professional move...
EC's DMt gives us the 12 signs your color analyst is a loose cannon.
And finally, Stacey Dales is leaving ESPN...Noooooooooooooooooo

Not the Sharpest Knife of the Bunch

2008-12-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

Derrick Rose must've had an interesting day at work today. The rookie Chicago Bull, according to Yahoo! Sports, missed today's practice because he needed 10 stitches to close a gash in his arm. How he got the gash? Well, apparently he wasn't paying enough attention to what he was doing.

Rose says he was cutting an apple in bed (?!?!) and he got up to get something and when he came back SAT on the knife he had sat down. Wow, ok. Are you sure you weren't doing something else in bed? I don't know of very many people that would slice an apple in their bedroom. Hasn't your mommy always told you to eat your food in the kitchen, or dining room in some cases??

Here's what he had to say about the matter (again, I got the quote and background information from Yahoo.com):

"It was a silly incident," Rose said. "I was cutting up some food and I laid on a knife getting lazy in bed. I went to go get a bottle of water, came back, forgot the knife was there, then sat down and sliced my arm."

Silly goose. I guess your personal chef will have to do all the cutting of apples from here on out, huh?

Rose says he should be able to play against the New York Knicks tomorrow night, fortunately.

Original post by Yahoo! can be found here: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Derrick-Rose-cuts-apple-arm?urn=nba,127593

DSRTSV - 12/8/08

2008-12-08T18:44:00.001-08:00

We'd be remiss if this didn't appear. The unstoppable Trent Cole and an amazing FG block:

The Gauntlet: MMBBQ (12/8/08)

2008-12-08T17:07:00.001-08:00

Today Petey did something that we rarely see in today's MMQBs: He opened his article with a readable diatribe...about football.

He gave his hits, misses and thoughts on the week, but, as always, found some ways to be sensationalist enough to prove that he's still a moron. But hey, a novel concept here, he's going to talk about a myriad of good NFL games to lead off his column.

Someone fire up the grill!

Only the division winner (of the AFC East) will make the playoffs. Flip a coin: I'll take the team playing the best defense: Miami. Incredible. Miami with a home playoff game.

Hmm. Well, let's take a realistic approach. The Jets have Buffalo (a winnable game), @ Seattle (a tough west coast trip) and Miami in what could be a play-in game. The Dolphins have San Francisco (a team playing much better), @ Kansas City (a tough road game, similar to Seattle) and @ the Jets to, as mentioned above, possible decide the division. And the defending AFC Champs (Admittedly Brady-less) are @ Oakland (a tough road game), Arizona (a pushover division champ) and @ Buffalo (just as winnable).

Who are you picking? I admit, New England has a west coast game in a tough environment, but Oakland is still miserable and they're already adjusted to the west coast thanks to a trip to Seattle this week. But Arizona is totally weak at this point, playoff team or not and Buffalo clearly already has a fork in 'em. The Jets have the toughest schedule in my opinion and the Dolphins don't have a clear tie-breaker over the Pats. Still...the Dolphins?!

In the NFC, Petey makes goes big...or he goes home:

Carolina: 9-3 overall (6-3 in NFC)
Dallas: 8-5 (6-4)
Atlanta: 8-5 (5-4)
Philadelphia: 7-5-1 (6-4)
Washington: 7-6 (6-4)
Chicago: 7-6 (5-5)
New Orleans: 7-6 (4-5)

How I see it: I like Carolina, but I don't trust the Panthers now as much as I do Atlanta, which is odd to say with the Falcons coming off a loss in New Orleans. ... The Panthers may have to win two of four against a tough slate to make it. ... I also don't see how Dallas recovers from that absurd loss in Pittsburgh. ... I see Philadelphia winning out (Cleveland, at Washington, winner-take-all with Dallas at home) and Atlanta edging Carolina on a tiebreaker for the other playoff spot.

So let me get this straight. Both Atlanta and Philly are making the playoffs. Well, assuming there are no other ties in the NFL, Philly won't tie anyone (seems reasonable, right?). So they finish 10-5-1 according to Petey. Now Carolina has a tough remaining schedule (Tampa, Denver, @Giants and @ New Orleans) while Atlanta has Tampa, @ Minnesota and St. Louis, which seem possible to go 2-1 in.

Did he really just call the Panthers going 0-4 down the stretch. Given a Tampa victory tonight to keep the Giants honest, I suppose it makes sense...but that's friggin' nuts. Denver's defense is pitiful, the Giants look a little lost with Burress and the Saints? Well, they're great at home, but a week 17 game to keep Carolina home?

We will see Petey. If Philly gets in, I'll be glad to eat crow.

Never Judge a QB until year 7...unless you judge them before:

I don't buy that perception about Romo [not being a big-game quarterback], by the way; I'm simply making the point that if the Cowboys don't make the playoffs, the thread of two straight playoff-opening losses and this horrible interception will begin to write the book on Romo. My other point is that Romo deserves the criticism, but let's let his career breathe before we label him some sort of A-Rod in the clutch.

There is NO WAY you can judge a 28 year old quarterback after 6 years in the NFL (and 3 years starting). Just no way. Of course he did rank said Romo ahead of some Super Bowl winning quarterback just last year...just saying...

Stab the motherfucker!

Wade Phillips sharpens résumé skills. What? Too early for this one? OK. We'll give it a week or two. Am I blaming him? Not at all. But it's not me Phillips has to worry about.

Well, ok then

But what about us?

This game will be dissected for days in Dallas and celebrated like few other Steelers wins ever -- and I mean that, because in neo-natal units across western Pennsylvania, nurses coo babies to sleep by cursing the Cowboys. But the Cowboys played it a little too safe for me in the fourth quarter.

That's such horse shit, everyone hates the Cowboys ... Dallas Sucks

!

What does beating the Giants do?

1. New York Giants (11-2). What a weird way to clinch a division, licking wounds at home while Dallas choked in frigid Pittsburgh. G-men are 19-4 in the last 53 weeks. But one thing they have to be concerned with is how they struggled without the deep threat of Plaxico Burress. And that's not going to change. They've got the formidable, and angry, Dallas secondary to contend with next week, deep in the heart of Texas.

See last weeks "Fine 15"

6. Philadelphia (7-5-1). I know it's only two games, after a succession of bad ones, but this is not a team you want to be playing right now. Not with Brian Westbrook producing 166 yards a game over the last two weeks, not with Jim Johnson's defense playing superbly.

and this makes perfect sense because the Ravens just pasted the Eagles last week 36-7 and the Redskins this week 24-10 and the Redskins beat the Eagles 23-17 in October, ergo, the Eagles are the 6th best team in the NFL to the Ravens 5th. Makes perfect sense indeed.

And Petey with the hook!

"I've heard about the billboards. I don't rush out to pillory myself and look at them.''

-- Bengals owner, president and GM Mike Brown, on the four billboards put up around Cincinnati by a protesting group of fans called whodeyrevolution.com. The group is asking for donations of $18, or $1 for every year of Brown's stewardship of the team, and says on its Web site: "Einstein's famous quote, 'Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,'' should be framed and put above the door to Mike Brown's office.''

Ouch...

Really now?

NFL teams, particularly one of the league's hot teams this season, don't practice like your father's NFL teams did.

No shit. Where'd the leather helmets go?!

The Holiday Sales Pitch:

Lots of good selections out there this year, and I've highlighted nine of them here that I think will be appealing to real football fans.

Yeah, he has a friggin' page dedicated to hocking the books of his fellow colleagues (who dropped him a wad of cash in exchange). That's cute

And of course, our favorite 10 things he thinks he thinks...he thinks...

d. Keith Olbermann on the happenings in the Motor City: "The Lions haven't won since the presidency of James K. Polk.''

What the hell does that even mean? Hasn't won since the Harding Administration...ok, that coincided with the explosion of Ford Motor Corp...but Polk? Am I missing something?

i. I'd worry about that Marion Barber dislocated toe if I were the Cowboys.

Jerry Jones isn't.

j. Marvelous Millen Legacy Dept.: Detroit drafted wide receivers Charles Rogers, Roy Williams, Mike Williams and Calvin Johnson in the top 10 of the draft between 2003 and 2007. Rogers is out of football, and in an Oakland County (Mich.) jail for probation violation. Roy Williams has been traded to Dallas. Mike Williams is out of football. Calvin Johnson looks like he'll be a good NFL receiver. On Sunday, against Minnesota, the following were Detroit's first three receivers: Johnson, John Standeford (up and down from the practice squad much of the year) and Keary Colbert (signed last Monday). What a debacle.

Just keep rubbing it in, I'm sure Detroit fans appreciate it

2. I think the NFL has to take Pro Bowl voting away from fans. It's silly, it's pointless, and it makes a mockery of the game. How can Joe from Klamath Falls vote for three guards in the NFC? I don't even like players voting. The vote should go to 96 people: two coordinators per team one pro scout per team. Then it would really mean something.

Ok, I was up in arms about this, until I read the last two statements. I was concerned Petey would give this to the media, but if you allow some serious professionals to get involved, I actually agree. You get one there Norm!

c. Can you believe the Lions' fourth-and-a-foot call right before halftime by Colletto? Sending Daunte Culpepper behind right guard, into the teeth of the marauding Williams brothers, the best run-stuffing combination at defensive tackle in football? Terrible call, and Culpepper didn't get an inch. What possible logic is there to that call? It's almost a fireable call.

Am I the only one who still realizes Daunte Culpepper is like 6-4, 250. Its a god damned foot, you've got arguably the strongest quarterback in the game and you're 0-12. Why not push it?

e. Why does Rutgers end up in these Single-A bowls every year? There can't be 15 teams in America playing better over the last five or six weeks.

Because they suck ass! When you're 7-5 (4th in the weak Big East) and have losses to Fresno State, West Virginia and Navy how do you expect to make it to make it to a good bowl. And yes, their are 15 better teams; just look at the top 25...and then we'll still find 15 more teams

4. I think this is what I know about the plans for the new United Football League, scheduled to begin play in September on Thursday and Friday nights in, most likely, six markets:

· Two of the possible six franchises still need owners, and in these tough times, that has to be worrisome.

· If Jim Fassel doesn't have an NFL job by February, the UFL wants to hire him to coach the New York franchise. At $1.5 million or $2 million for the season, Fassel could do worse.

· The week after the NFL season ends in February, the league will hold an online poll of fans, asking if they think the league should pursue Michael Vick to play for one of its teams in 2009. If the vote is yes, the UFL will try to sign Vick to play -- presumably while he is under suspension for a year by the NFL after leaving prison on his dogfighting conviction.

· Field goals of 50 yards and longer will count for four points.

· There will be XFL-like locker-room and on-field cameras.

· There will be a female referee.

Ok, that's just kind of interesting. Will the female ref be wearing a bikini?

NFC South Game of the Year (and a recap of Sunday's games)

2008-12-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

I cannot emphasize enough how important tonight's Monday night mtachup is when it comes to the playoff race. Even the casual NFL fan will tell you tonight's game will be a great one. If you are not intrigued by a Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3) and Carolina Panthers (9-3) showdown, then you should not be calling yourself a fan of the NFL.

Carolina may have gotten knocked out by Tampa, 27-3, back in their week six matchup, but they have gone 5-1 since then and DeAngelo Williams is having a career year. The great duo of Williams and rookie RB Jonathan Stewart, out of Oregon, has helped Carolina the whole way, but my vote for comeback player of the year (Jake Delhomme) has backed them up well.

On the other side of the field, veteran QB Jeff Garcia has done a fine job keeping the 12th ranked offense together in close games. In fact, four of the Bucs nine wins have been by a touchdown or less, which includes two overtime wins over Chicago (27-24) and Kansas City (30-27). Might I add that all three of their losses have been by four or less points; 20-24 @ NO, 13-16 @ DEN, 9-13 @ Dallas. As you can see, all three of their losses have come on the road (6-0 at home). But, the game tonight happens to be in Carolina, meaning they are on the road (3-3 on road). That last piece of information obviously points towards Carolina, and adds a little pressure to Jon Gruden's Bucs.

The key in this game will be Carolina's seventh ranked rushing attack game against Tampa's fifth ranked run defense. Both teams will be favoring the run (Carolina is 19th run offense while Tampa's rushing attack is 11th). So expect only around 20 pass attempts for both starting QB's, Delhomme and Garcia.

My pick? Tampa is the obvious favorite; won last meeting and has the third ranked defense in the NFL. But I believe John Fox's Carolina Panthers, led by fantasy stud DeAngelo Williams will upset the Bucs and go on to win two of the last three regular season games to clinch the NFC South. Why not? I picked the Panthers to win the division before the seasons started, why give up on them now?

One thing I know for sure, at this point, is that we are witnessing something great. The NFC South has been having one of their best seasons in a pretty long time. Housing the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award (Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons QB) and home of TWO nine-win teams through 13 weeks. Just last season Tampa Bay won the division easily with nine wins and Atlanta (currently standing at 8-5) was battling for the top pick in the '08 draft (4-12). Their four-win season forced head coach Rick Pettrino to just resign overnight...before the season was even finished.

Prediction: Carolina def. Tampa Bay 35-28. Williams rushes for 130+ yards and 3 TD's.

Morning After Daily "Linkin' Logs" (12/8/08)

2008-12-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

Well, the dust has settled and we've learned a few things this weekend:

The college football "regular season" has come to an end leaving Oklahoma and Florida left as National Title Game entrants. This game has the looks of a dandy, but I think Florida is so superior that this one will, again, be over around the 3rd quarter.
The Fiesta Bowl, pitting the 3rd potential NTG entrant, Texas against Big 10 also ran Ohio State has all the makings of a crap-fest. OSU has no business in a BCS bowl after losing to both USC and Penn State and has been a BCS joke as of late. I don't see Texas winning by less than 10.
The Sugar Bowl does look better though. While I'm slightly unfamiliar with how the BCS system works, its ashame they couldn't put 'Bama againt Texas in what could have essentially been a 3rd place game. Alas, Alabama will be facing Utah in the annual, "We belong here!" game. I just don't see Utah hanging with a tough 'Bama squad
The Orange Bowl sorta represents why the BCS is kind of lame. Because both the relatively mediocre ACC and Big East are BCS conferences, they each get at least one entrant. At least they managed to contain the crapfest to just this one game. It should still be a good game with Cincy finishing on top.
And another that could be a dandy is the Rose Bowl. While it doesn't have the glam of the National Title Game, this bowl looks second best to be given that OSU and Utah make the other two decent bowls look a little sluggish. PSU is a team with real moxy, but USC has all the swagger and talent in the world. This one could be good and it pains me to say, Pete Carroll and his Trojans will close out the season with a win and a National Title Game gripe...

Meanwhile, in the world of professional football:

The Eagles punished the Giants, defeating them 20-14. Those proving the paradigm of the division that any one team can beat any other on any given Sunday. Brian Westbrook strung together 130+ rushing yards, 70+ receiving yards and a pair of TDs to keep the Eagles hopes alive
The Green Bay Packers have officially emploded and with a 24-21 stunning loss to the Texans. Don't blame Aaron Rodgers here, but with the Vikings 3 game lead (by virtue of their win over the Lions), they have all but no shot at making it in.
Fortunately for Packers fans; a Jets loss, coupled with Pats escaping victory in Seattle and a Miami victory over the Canadian National team, has created a 3-way AFC East clusterfuck. Even after asshole Collinsworth declared them the AFC Champions (the Jets that is).
The Ravens downed the 'Skins and all but ended their playoff hopes with the NFC South appearing primed to steal 1 spot and a probable second.
And in typical Tony Romo fashion, the Dallas Cowboys lost a choker to the Steelers in the final quarter. While not a season-ender like the Redskins loss, this certainly forces dallas to make a run in the next 3 games to get in. And it won't be easy because they face the Giants and Ravens at home before traveling to Philadelphia for what could be a potential playoff play-in game.

Just a quick note about the MMBBQ today. It's going to be put up later this evening. I was concerned the links wouldn't make it up today, but they did (lunch hour!). I'll do my best to get my Petey rant up before day's end and sooner rather than later.

A flury of baseball activity: With the winter meetings in vegas in full swing; The Reds traded pitcher Homer Bailey to the White Sox for Adam Dunn replacement Jermaine Dye, The Tigers acquired the Rangers' catcher Gerald Laird, The Yankees are in discussions with Mark Teixeira, Rafael Furcal rejected the A's, The Mets are talking with Frankie Rodriguez, And uppah-dehk-Tek has turned down the Red Sox Arbitration offer.
AA has the update on the "On-Air Dong" seen on Fox last night.
Randy Wolf - MLB Whore.
PFT has the info on Jerruh Jones calling out Marion Barber. Barber missed yesterday's game with a broken toe, to which Jones said (directly from PFT): "He can play with that injured toe. He can play with the soreness and a combination of those things. I see nothing that led us to believe he couldn’t.”
Again, PFT lets us known that the speculating for the Flex schedules the Sunday before Christmas has begun.
DCProSportsBlog has begun the petition for actual Football minds to make decisions in the Redskins front office. Specifically, they want some drafting for the lines. Makes sense to me, but I have to say, their fans still suck ass.
And finally, 10 fascinating facts about the NFL you probably didn't know...and will waste time reading.

DSRTSV - 12/7/08

2008-12-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

It appears to be imminent. With Manny Pacquiao's defeat (soundly) of Oscar De La Hoya last night, he appears to be on a collision course with The one, Ricky Hatton.

This time, Pacman will be the favorite, but it should be a match for the ages:

So get muthafuckin' ready:

Flacco or Ryan?: The Great ROY Debate!

2008-12-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

What do Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan have in common? Many things actually.

Both of these 23 year old rookie QB's have turned their respective NFL teams around in just 12 games this season. Both these guys are rather large, Ryan stands at 6 foot 4 inches, Flacco at 6 foot 6 inches. Both of these guys look like veteran QB's, similar to Brett Favre of the Jets and Kurt Warner of the Cardinals (only difference is neither are quite to the level of HOF status, just yet).

What's even scarier is that the two rookie signal-callers have nearly identical numbers. Both Flacco's Baltimore Ravens and Ryan's Atlanta Falcons currently stand at 8-4 and are in the heart of the wild card race. Go right ahead and take a gander at the numbers

Joe Flacco, BAL, QB- 12 games, 202 for 331 (61%), 2,276 passing yards, 12 TD passes, 9 INT's, 23 sacks, 82.3 QB Rating

Matt Ryan, ATL, QB- 12 games, 203 for 333 (61%), 2,625 passing yards, 13 TD passes, 6 INT's, 13 sacks, 91.2 QB Rating

As you can see, the numbers are pretty similar. But, Ryan gets the edge. Ryan has attempted two more passes than Flacco, yet he has nearly 350 more passing yards than his opponent, Flacco. The QB rating is a great way to measure a QB's production, and Ryan's, thanks to his 13 TD passes and just 13 sacks, is nearly 10 points highers than Flacco's (QB rating). Both Baltimore and Atlanta have pretty balanced attacks when it comes to offense. But, Flacco has more support behind him thanks to Baltimore's stingy defense.

Led by veteran LB Ray Lewis and all-pro safety Ed Reed, Baltimore reps the second best total defense in the NFL right now, allowing just 253.3 yards per game. Against the run, Baltimore is one of only four teams yet to allow over 1,000 rushing yards on the season (along with Pittsburgh, New York (Jets) and Minnesota). While they are second in the League in passing yards allowed per game, 175.1.

The Falcons defense, on the other hand, cannot say the same thing. But, the the overall 22nd best defense in the League of 32 teams have yet to drag Matt Ryan and the offense, ranked sixth best in the league, down.

As far as offensive support goes, both teams have solid running games. The fumble resistant Willis McGahee heads Baltimore's third ranked rushing team, while former LT backup, Michael Turner, has helped Atlanta's second ranked run game with over 1,200 yards on the ground. Ryan has gotten plenty, and I mean plenty, of production from Pro Bowl bound wide receiver Roddy White, this season. Though White, 69 receptions for 1,085 yards and six TD's this season, may be the only noteworthy wideout on Atlanta's depth chart. Michael Jenkins, Atlanta's #2 WR, has hauled in just 34 passes for 520 yards and three TD's for the third place Falcons. Luckily, for Flacco, Baltimore has more consistency lining up wide for him.

The always reliable veteran Derrick Mason has 800+ receiving yards (projected for 1,081 in '08), and the playmaker Mark Clayton have been great targets for Flacco. A healthy Todd Heap would really help this passing attack out, a lot. But, many have forgotten about the rookie RB Ray Rice, who has done an outstanding job running routes (31 receptions for 264 yards, 8.5 YPC) for Flacco.

Rookie of the Year pick??

It has to be Ryan at this point in the season. People thought Atlanta had no chance at all this season. Yes, I know that many people, outside of Baltimore, thought the same thing about Baltimore. But there was certainly a lot more confidence coming from Baltimore's fans, and as of this weekend, Baltimore has performed up to all the hype. But Ryan's numbers are better with less support than what Flacco has gotten in Baltimore.

Other Potential ROY winners:

Matt Forte, RB, CHI- 1,012 yards, 6 TD (4.1 YPC)

Chris Johnson, RB, TEN- 958 yards, 7 TD (4.7 YPC)

My vote for ROY is going to Matt Ryan, Quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons (even though I really don't even have a say in the voting!). Oh well...

DSRTSV - 12/6/08

2008-12-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

As promised, here's the Kevin Garnett - Aptly named "Big Baby" Davis confrontation. It's not really that big of a deal except that...well...Big Baby cries.

Hopefully this video will stay up for a while, but it took me a few searches to find one the NBA hadn't taken down already...fuckin' facists.

Surprise Saturday Daily "Linkin' Logs" (12/6/08)

2008-12-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

Just a quick little Saturday DLL. I don't have much time and I'm going to be MIA most of the day, but I'll try to give you my opinion of the numerous conference title games today.

AGM's Mbuterba discusses the "rivalry" between the Ravens and Redskins.
Antonio Pierce met with NYC officials regarding the Burress incident. As much as Burress has become an issue, I believe that Pierce might be bigger, given his roll on the team (and irreplaceability) and importantance during the playoffs.
Speaking of Pierce and the Giants, it seems Brian Westbrook will be available for the Eagles this weekend. Its probably fair to say, if Westbrook doesn't play, the Eagles are dunzo.
We at BNB would like to wish the best to newly retired Greg Maddux. The Wizard is set to annouce his retirement Monday.
Orenthal James Simspon received roughly 9 to 15 years in jail for his robbery almost two years ago. The story is really about his plea; in which he claims he's "really sorry" and "didn't mean to." Right.
And finally, If you didn't see it last night, Kevin Garnett gave reserve forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis a little "business" during the huddle. Can't blame Garnett here, Davis and the reserves need to keep their head in the game. It gets better, see our DSRTSV!

DSRTSV! 12/5/08

2008-12-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a nice little hockey Daily Somehow Related to Sports Video for ya. Earlier this week, Flyers forward Scott Hartnell tried to stop Tampa Bay's Ryan Malone from scoring...by tossing a glove at him...

Needless to say, it didn't work: