Friday, January 30, 2009

Super Bowl Preview

Well...you knew it was coming..... I won't absolutely blow the roof off this one....that's not why you need me b/c you can get Super Bowl stuff anywhere lol but here's what I got....In bullet form....
  • Larry Fitzgerald is the best receiver in the league....a great teammate (even considering restructuring to keep Boldin even though he really doesn't need to do that)....BUT Pittsburgh is tremendous at taking away the other team's #1 option....he'll get his, but he's not gonna beat them by himself....Boldin better be 100% or they'll just sit on Larry....
  • Hines Ward's injury/recovery is HUGE when regarding Pitt's offense....they just aren't the same team without him being full-strength.... Santonio Holmes is a speed guy who plays off the fantastic possession play from Ward and if he's not there....good luck to them on offense
  • Pitt's defense has been the best in the league all year....they haven't allowed more than 17 points in over 10 weeks....TEN weeks....17 isn't even alot of points! Yes, Arizona's offense is explosive...but they aren't balanced....yikes....
  • I've heard alot made of the special teams battle.....Both of these teams are pretty abysmal in the punting game....but both have quality return-men (Breaston and Holmes)....so I'm going to say its a wash with a SLIGHT edge to Pittsburgh b/c Jeff Reed has made big kicks in games like this and Neil Rackers plays for the Cards so he obviously hasn't lol
  • Troy Polamalu is over-rated.....take a breath....he's a GREAT....not good....but GREAT player....but he's limited in coverage and this isn't the team to be limited in coverage on.... Yes, his instincts are outstanding, but don't let the media hype fool you on his cover skills....he makes plays on the ball...but he isn't Ed Reed in the passing game....
  • Here are my KEYS: Willie Parker..... Arizona's run defense has been above-average all year and Pittsburgh MUST have a running game or their offense stalls (because their pass blocking is flat out horrendous)..... Edgerrin James.... Sense a trend here? Arizona can't throw 40 times and win this game either....He doesn't have to be great...but he can't average 2 yards a carry either..... Special teams.... remember when I just said there was no discernable edge? If somebody TAKES a discernable edge, it nearly always is a game-changer..... and of course....Turnovers.... Kurt Warner CAN NOT turn the ball over....we all know he has fumbling trouble (though he's guarded against it more lately) but they are at a disadvantage in that their defense can't bail them out like Pittsburgh's can...... and last but not least..... Big Ben.....don't forget he was abysmal in their Super Bowl win a few years ago (along with the refs) but he completed nine freaking passes....and he hasn't had the best year....though I attribute most of it to offensive line play, he can't make mistakes either or Arizona's offense can and will punish them......

Prediction time......

MVP: Willie Parker..... call it a hunch if you must.... I think Tomlin and the staff want to keep Arizona at bay and if they get a lead...you'll see the steady diet....plus, it's too easy to pick a QB here

Score (with my point-spread prediction factored at Pittsburgh -7):

Pittsburgh 26, Arizona 17

(and btw, that's the UNDER as well lol....)

Enjoy the spectacle folks....and if you are a gambling person (which I no longer am lol) hit up those insane Super Bowl props!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

1/29: Bullets and a Guest Contribution....

And we're off....
  • Wake takes out #1 Duke....Well, this isn't surprising OR really that relevant...both teams are definitely in the top 8 in the country....Wake wins by 2 at home....let's all make a big deal about Duke choking shall we!? Everyone's losing at least 4 games this year, I'm convinced of that with how balanced the entire country is.....Wake is very, very good....Duke is very, very good.....moving on
  • Raiders hire Tom Cable.....Ladies and gentlemen Al Davis!
  • Josh Smith went 2-10 at the line last night....Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson combined to shoot 7-28....think the Hawks won? sigh...
  • 35 points, 10 boards, 6 assists, 4 blocks.....Kevin's Durant's line last night in their win.....I'm not going to stop posting things like this until he gets more love nationally.....I'll apologize now lol
  • Gerald Wallace, of Charlotte Bobcats fame lol, has a partially collapsed lung suffered in a game....how does that even happen? Get well soon sir
  • Henrik Zetterburg signs a 12 year/72 million dollar deal....YES, this is a hockey mention....and YES this is a ludicrous contract....but hockey is doing this alot more now....like 12-15 year deals to stretch the money out and realllyyyy lock guys up....

And now to a feature I was approached with from yesterday after being berated about lack of tennis coverage....my friend James thought it appropriate to watch the Federer/Roddick match that STARTED at 3:30 am (exactly my point) and did a little writeup (voluntarily lol) as a guest contributor....here you are

  • "Historically, Federer has owned Roddick in the Major tournaments and last night proved no different. Federer dismantled Roddick in a little over 2 hours, 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 This sets up a potential rematch of last years Wimbledon Final between Federer and Nadal. Nadal must first get past Verdasco tonight in the other Semi-Final. Roddick had his usual big serve but had nothing else for Federer. I'm not sure if Roddick choked or if Federer is really that good. Probably a combination of both."

Thanks to James....Super Bowl preview will be up tomorrow

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

1/27: Early morning blogging? wow....what a concept

Coming to you before 8 oclock....miracles do happen...lol
  • Mark Gottfried fired at Alabama....or shall I say "fired" lol...He actually resigned but there's no conceivable way he wasn't fired...and I'm sort of tired of this trend to see these sort of fake resignations...I digress....Decent job over the years by him, but the program has clearly taken a step back (helped by Ronald Steele's chronic health issues, the early departure of Jamareo Davidson, etc.)...Not up in arms
  • Andy Pettitte signs for 1 yr/5.5 million....yes, you may be thinking....didn't he turn down 1 yr/10 million and call it insulting??! Why yes, yes he did.....Way to think it through Andy....in fairness, he has incentives that would take this deal to 12 million, but he (for now) threw 4.5 million in his nearest dumpster....Not a bad 4th/5th starter though...
  • Hines Ward is playing Sunday....if you hear differently, you can choose to believe what you want....but he'll be on the field
  • Marquette holds off Notre Dame....Notre Dame is 12-7.....and still ranked? huh? I guess its the schedule....that said, Marquette (aka the team that has teased for years) looks to be fulfilling its promise for once behind Dominic James (shooting less) and Jerel McNeal.....
  • Speaking of College Hoops...I watched the best player in the country last night in Blake Griffin....he changed every facet of the game on both ends.....No one wants to hit the lane....he's unstoppable on the block...I saw him run a sprint out and catch a badly overthrown pass with an extra gear for a spinning layup....just a man amongst boys.....Your #1 pick ladies and gentlemen (and if he goes to Kevin Durant's team....uhhh watch out....) AND while we're here....His only competition (if there is any) for the #1 spot comes from somebody you may not have heard of named James Harden (from Arizona State) the 2-guard is putting up 22, 6, and 5 and leading his perennial fringe Sun Devils to a 16-3 mark....NOW YOU KNOW!!! (hahaha for you Ryan)
  • The Mountain West commissioner is convinced his league can (and should) get an automatic BCS bid for its champion.....for the record, this isn't going to happen.....but anyone who reads this blog knows how strongly I felt about the Mountain West's up-tick this year (better than Big East, blah blah blah....) so I can't hate too much on this.....Still isn't happening
  • Okay....we get it...Larry Fitzgerald's dad has to battle with his son being a star player and him being a columnist.....I hear you....
  • Just so we're clear...yet again.....Tennis is fairly irrelevant in the national landscape....so unless Federer and Nadal play another Wimbledon final-type match....no mention here, and since matches are played in Australia, no one outside of my friend James and other rabid tennis fans are watching this live....
  • 27 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds....ladies and gentlemen Chris Paul....anytime I can get in my car in the morning and immediately hear a "Billy Knight passed on Chris Paul" mention....almost FOUR years later....Hilarity....
  • While we're here...Greg Oden is looking....good? Yea that...7-7 FG last night....16 and 6 in limited minutes (blowout win)....Just thought you should know
  • 27 first half points for the Hawks last night....twenty....seven....Where have you gone offense? Think people are realizing that the hawks are (gasp) nearly all having career shooting years and it may be time to pull it back a bit expectation-wise? No? okay

More later....

Saturday, January 24, 2009

The 2nd Annual Brad's Sports Fix NBA All-Star rosters....

Title says it all....HERE are my picks (not the actual picks) for the respective 12-man All-Star Teams....First in the East


Starters:
  • PG - (disclaimer, my starting lineups will have actual positions whereas the real ones, for whatever reason, go G-G-F-F-C) - Devin Harris, New Jersey.... Far and away the East's best PG this year so far....22 points and 6 assists per is enough for me to overcome some team shortcomings....especially in a down PG year...

  • SG - Dwyane Wade, Miami.....Shoe-in really...29, 7, and 5 is out of this world, and for my money, he's been the league's 2nd best player (to Lebron) this year....Yes, including Kobe....He's taken them back to the playoff chase, and he edges Joe Johnson

  • SF- Lebron James, Cleveland....umm, do I need to explain? Best player in the game having a historically great offensive season while teaming with a leaps-and-bounds improvement on D....

  • PF- Chris Bosh, Toronto....I'm gonna get pounded for this....yes, his team is in the tank....but he's putting up 23 and 10 and KG's numbers are really not overly impressive...I'll take the flack

  • C- Dwight Howard, Orlando....Let's just say the gap between him and Center #2 is even bigger than the gap between Lebron and the next guy at his spot....

Backup Guards: Joe Johnson (easily the #2 SG and the 3rd best in the league today behind Kobe and DWade), Jameer Nelson (Edges AI because the numbers are comparable and Orlando is hands-down better, and he's the main reason for their improvement), Vince Carter (boy it pains me....but he's the most worthy of the remaining guards....sigh)

Backup Fowards: Kevin Garnett (Absolute shoe-in with Bosh), Danny Granger (Who I would place above Bosh if I was picking just forwards, averaging 26, 5, and 4 this year), and Paul Pierce (having another very good year and they continue to win)

Backup Center: Emeka Okafor (probably the least deserving guy on either side....but having his best year of his career with 59% FG, 14 pts, 11 boards, 1.8 blocks per)

To the west.....

  • PG- Chris Paul, New Orleans- Never a doubt here....A bonafide superstar and the class of his position....no longer a debate with Deron Williams...21, 11 and 3 steals per? Get outta here....

  • SG- Kobe Bryant, LAL- Well, he's Kobe Bryant for God sake....
  • SF- Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas- I'm bending my own rules a bit here....Dirk plays a great deal of the 3 spot on offense because he is a jump shooter by trade....and there is an absolute dearth of small forwards in the West right now....So there it is
  • PF- Tim Duncan, SA- Still one of the best players in the league, fantastic at both ends every single night and the pillar of consistency and fundaments....Man, I love him
  • C- Yao Ming, Houston- 20 and 10....despite what you may think of him, he's definitely the best center in the West when he's out there, and he's played 42 games so far....
Backup Guards: Brandon Roy (best player on a very good team, averaging 22, 5, and 5, etc.), Kevin Durant (Somehow he's listed at guard on the ballot....Averaging a ludicrous 24 ppg at 20 years old and possesses one of the top 5 offensive packages in the L), and Chauncey Billups (leading Denver to the playoff hunt despite the loss of Melo, and putting up numbers to boot)


Backup Forwards: Amare Stoudamire (Not a big fan of his game, but 21 and 8 can't be ignored), David West (I've been underwhelmed by him this season as well...but again, 20 and 7 gets you in as a West Forward)


Backup Centers: Al Jefferson (nothing in the rules against taking 3 centers, and he's really a forward anyway...averaging 22 and 11 and making Minny competitive nightly), and Shaquille O'Neal (initially I scoffed at Shaq getting here...but he's playing very well and the team record when he plays is significantly better than when he doesn't...and again, Jefferson is really a forward, lol)


Well....there it is....no these aren't the 24 best guys in the league (Shaq, David West, Billups, and Okafor wouldn't be there)....but by the criteria they give me, this is what I came up with....Ideally (and I've bounced this off a few people) I'd say they forget the East-West teams thing and literally have captains (at this day and age it would Kobe and Lebron) and literally pick teams of 12 and go at it....No, I didn't make this idea up, but I love the concept....maybe even put like $1 million on the line? Something to get these guys to try....Either that, or make a rule that someone with the last name of "Kidd" "Nash" or "Paul" be on the court at all times for each team....maybe include Deron Williams in that, or Jose Calderon since the 3 of them would probably get tired.....I just need a distributing point guard....I get sick of watching Allen Iverson play point in all-star games lol or Steph Marbury, etc.....Okay, rant over!

Friday, January 23, 2009

A bunch of coaching moves and All-Star starters released

  • Marc Iavaroni fired as the coach of the Memphis Grizzlies.....This won't get the headlines like the NFL moves, but I'll headline with it because I'm intrigued...I can't believe Memphis would let him go in the middle of his 2nd year as if he was expected to win with a roster of twenty-somethings? I don't understand it at all.....Lionel Hollins steps in....Good luck sir
  • Herm Edwards canned.....Mike Shanahan coming in? Well, that's an upgrade if I've ever seen one....Herm has been a joke for years and Shanahan is an above-average NFL HC...Seems simple enough....and I can't hate on a GM-coach combo of Pioli and Shanahan.....Seems highly weird that Shanahan would coach a 3rd AFC west team....that's gotta be a record....EDIT: Adam Schefter of NFL.com reporting this isn't happening...and is staking his career on it lol by what I read
  • Dan Reeves interviews as the OC for the 49ers....Vick a package deal? Reeves definitely interviewed....but there are now rumors flying that they'll be going after Vick when (and if) he gets released....it does make some sense and Vick was exceedingly better under Reeves than he was under Jim Mora and Greg Knapp....but still seems far-fetched to bring Reeves in at his old age and bank on Vick....
  • NBA All-star starters released.....the voting wasn't as patently absurd as usual....Chris Paul ended up passing T-Mac at the gun to take his (deserved) starting spot....Iverson over Devin Harris or Joe Johnson is pretty ludicrous this year....but that's the only one that's glaring....and he's Allen Iverson after all...
That's all I got....seemed like a poignant day to hit on the coaching changes....NBA All-star rosters (as I see them) later...

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

1/20: A few things...

Right to it...
  • Michigan hires former Syracuse HC and Texas DC Greg Robinson as defensive coordinator...in a word, terror....He was abysmal at Syracuse in both recruiting and performance on defense....but he has a pedigree before that I guess? I'm skeptical....
  • Ryan Howard asks for 18 million in arbitration.....18 MILLION!??!?
  • Raise your hand if you AREN'T sick of Roger Clemens? No hands? okay good....go by the wayside please
  • The Super Bowl line is up.....Pittsburgh -7....Typical vegas line trying to get both sides....lotttssss of discussion forthcoming I'd imagine....it is the Super Bowl after all...
  • The Hawks won a game yesterday playing Josh Smith at Center with four guards.....for over 15 minutes (including the last 8 minutes of the game)....that happened.....AND I got to witness (along with Ryan) a battle of 2 of the biggest malcontents in all of the league (Smith and Andrea Bargnani) both post fairly huge lines and still manage to anger both of us immensely....typical...
  • LA and Cleveland played a big time regular season game last night....but the Kobe/Lebron matchup underwhelmed....neither played well.....finals matchup? I think so....
  • The #1 UConn women's hoops team beat #2 UNC AT CHAPEL HILL by 30 points.....they are absolutely incredible....and Maya Moore is a name you should know regardless if you don't like women's basketball
  • Boston embarrasses Phoenix.....the lead was 30+ after 3 quarters....and Phoenix even had the full compliment....Anybody still think Phoenix has a shot in the West?...hmmm......not with the Spurs and Lakers alive and breathing

Sunday, January 18, 2009

The debut....

Well, I'm coming to you live from my iphone (sorry) Ryan....and can't really predict what this will look like at the end....but bear with me (and a likely lack of ellipses)

  • First things first....check out the NFL Championship preview (the post below)....That's obviously the biggest thing going down today....
  • Pitt implodes and loses to Louisville; Pitt finished the game shooting 1-16 including 0-8 threes and pretty much did everything they could to lose; that's to be expected once in a while I guess; but while we're here; there's only one team with a claim to #1 and its Wake Forest but I'm sure Duke will land there despite a loss and Wake's wins over UNC, @BYU, and @ Clemson; but in fairness, Duke looked very good in beating a good Georgetown team yesterday
  • Rams hire Steve Spagnuolo; Somebody had to right? Been hearing his name too much; But that defense has been putrid so he'll likely help a bit
  • Bucs fire Gruden and GM; to hire....Raheem Morris? A career assistant who is currently a DBs coach? Yikes; seems like a bit of a step back wouldn't you say? I don't know the man though, so he could be fantastic as well; the gambles we take
  • Cole Hamels signs for 3 years, 20.5 million; huh? That's all this guy gets? Who would you rather have right now: CC Sabathia or Hamels? I'll take Hamels and I don't think its close; he's getting fleeced here (well, in comparison, he's still rich)

That's all I got; takes a little longer on this thing...enjoy

Thursday, January 15, 2009

NFL Championship Weekend Preview

Well here we are....almost to the finishline of the NFL season....as a courtesy I pretty much have to pick both games against the lines....As a disclaimer, I'm only 57-64-3 for the year....but I ALSO have the guts to post that record....such is life...


  • Philly -4 over Arizona....I didn't agonize about this at all....sites I trust (such as Football outsiders) have this as around a 10 point advantage to Philly....and I CAN'T see them falling victim to what Carolina did in allowing the only guy that can beat them (Larry Fitzgerald) to actually do so....I trust Jim Johnson and his defense to cause some TOs and Donovan will do enough to win on the road with or without Brian Westbrook.....

  • Pittsburgh -6 over Baltimore....Yes, I'm taking both favorites....yikes....I have this sneaking suspicion that "rookie" Joe Flacco rears his head a bit against probably his worst defensive matchup in the league in Pittsburgh in a cold weather game with possible snow in January.....It just doesn't bode well for them....especially when considering the guys on the other side have a ring (think about it, Parker, Ben, Ward....all those guys were on the SB team)....I like a 24-13 type of score here....Flacco makes 2 or 3 mistakes and Pittsburgh pounds them....

Well, this scenario brings the "All Pennsylvania" Super bowl...imagine the hype...lol....But in fairness, this would be the best possible matchup for the NFL whose execs are absolutely CRINGING at the thought of Arizona and Baltimore....except for Ray Lewis potentially being involved in another super bowl week murder....

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Early defections.....surprising returners....and the like

The 2 biggest stories of the day (to me)....
  • Sam Bradford, Heisman trophy winner and lock top-10 pick,....stays in school? I didn't see that coming...McShay, Kiper, and the boys were already penciling him in and I can't see why he's coming back....but I couldn't see why Matt Leinart came back and it cost him 10 spots in the draft....It could do the same thing to Bradford....
  • Marc Sanchez leaves for the NFL....Um, why wouldn't he now? Once Bradford decided to return...Sanchez is now the lock to be the #2 QB taken (i.e. early to mid 1st round) and his stock rises without doing a single thing....Can Mitch Mustain actually make a start at USC? lol My money's on the freshman Matt Barkley beating him out and ensuring Mustain as the biggest bust in recent memory coming out of high school (INCLUDING Rhett Bomar who actually will be drafted semi-high in the draft after relocating to Sam Houston State)

Other stuff....

  • The Cowboys talking about the possible release of TO....well in many people's eyes (including my own), this is about 6 weeks too late....Too much distraction and not enough performance anymore to warrant it....but the downside is...they gave up an absolutely ludicrous amount to get Roy Williams and he was basically a below-average 3rd option for the entire rest of the season.....yikes
  • Um...Jodie Meeks had FIFTY-FOUR (54!) points last night for Kentucky....in a regulation college basketball game...needless to say they won comfortably but any time you break a record held by Dan Issel at Kentucky....that's alot....Last guy I remember (and later confirmed via a search) that hung this many points in a Major Conference was Eddie House dropping 61 at Arizona State almost a decade ago....That's a long time
  • Acie Law, Solomon Jones, Maurice Evans, Flip Murray, and Marvin Williams....that was a 5 that played together for the Hawks in competitive minutes last night....somebody line me up against the wall and end it....please
  • Quick, who is the guy NOT named Lebron, Kobe or Dwyane that is averaging a 4th in the league 26.5 points per game? Answer: DANNY GRANGER....please talk about him amongst yourselves...I can only do so much begging...
  • Brook Lopez has exploded as well...bringing up Lopez/Oden debates......I'll take Lopez from what I've seen so far....and thats not a rash choice....
  • I need somebody....in the media, a casual observer, ANYBODY...to tell me how it's even conceivable that Orlando can have a better record than Boston and be only 0.5 games behind Cleveland after half the year....They have no bench....I get that Jameer Nelson is playing out his mind, they have forwards that pour it in, and Dwight is a man-child.....Oh wait...that's enough now? Oh....I thought you needed a bench....they'll wear down....
  • No more talk (for now) of Kevin Durant's team breaking the loss record....6-33 isn't gonna do it...they're only 2 games behind Washington (ding, ding, ding) for the worst record in the Association....

Okay, enough for now...stay tuned

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

A little Braves talk and more...

Well today's headline(s) for me start with the Atlanta Braves....
  • Derek Lowe agrees for 4 yrs/60 million....wow that seems like a lot to me...but I'd rather have him than AJ Burnett so I can't argue that much....The problem to me is the length....39-year-old Lowe making 15 million in the last year? yikes.....Helps alot for this year though....and coupled with the signing of a certain Japanese import....The rotation now looks like this....
1) Derek Lowe
2) Jair Jurrjens
3) Javier Vazquez
4) Kenshin Kawakami (lol)
5) Glavine/Morton/Reyes OR Hudson when he gets back...

Pretty decent if you ask me depending on how good Kawakami is....
  • Scott Pioli goes to the KC Chiefs....taking over the Carl Peterson role....interested by this move by him but he's in full control out there and I could see why he'd like to do that.....Herm Edwards HAS to be out the door now....
  • Michael Crabtree to the NFL....um, duh?
Sort of a slow day otherwise...but working on my Championship week preview....Looking forward to it

Monday, January 12, 2009

Lots to get to...

Won't waste any time....Here are my nearly-final PICKS standings....Let me break down how I did in bowls....(not even mentioning I went 0-4 along with about 100 other people in the NFL this weekend)....to bring me to....52-60-3 without the bowls

  • BYU +3....loser!
  • TCU -2.5....loser! (at least they won the game)
  • Maryland +2.....winner outright!
  • BC -3.5...loser!
  • GT -4....ouch, loser!
  • Georgia -7.5...winner!
  • USC -9....winner!
  • Florida -3...winner!
  • Miami +8....winner!

So that's a respectable 5-4 in bowls....bringing me to a non-respectable 57-64-3 for the year....shoot me in the head

  • Tony Dungy to retire.....great man, great coach....I can see why he'd walk away, he's set for life and has the ring...but I wish he'd stay....VERY interested to see who they bring in....can't afford to mess with Peyton and co. too much I wouldnt say EDIT: I forgot they had a coach in waiting, good luck to Jim Caldwell in this spot following Dungy
  • Will give a preview later in the week but let's just say I didnt expect Eagles/Cards and Steelers/Ravens....I picked one of those teams lol
  • Josh McDaniels hired in Denver....not shocked.. he's an up and comer lol
  • Somebody saw Marvin Harrison shoot a man....and this is like the 6th story on ESPN.....if this was Chad Johnson or something, it'd be everywhere
  • Wake Forest AND Boston College have toppled UNC's undefeated rumors....too much hype as always...but Wake is undefeated...and worth noting so....
  • The Hawks lost by a combined like 60 points in the last 2 outings....sigh....Al Horford out at least a week too...Let's just say I've reached the point where I'm expecting the letdown lol
  • Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson inducted to the baseball hall of fame....Rickey's an absolute no-brainer as the #1 base stealer ever, the best leadoff man of all time and a top defensive LF....Rice took forever but should've been in 5 years ago...can't argue with the numbers in that era...
  • A man named Kenshin Kawakami is in Atlanta to take a physical for the Braves....No, I have no idea who that is....but I am reading good things....oh, and he's a Japanese starting pitcher...I had no idea

More later, enjoy

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Quick NFL weekend preview, and other stuff

Well one of my final NFL preview editions....let's get to that first.....with the picks...and I'm picking every game! lol
  • Giants -4 over Eagles....Well this line is insanely small based upon the bandwagon potential for Philly and how they tough they played them a few weeks ago....but really? The giants are only a point better than the Eagles? Blasphemy....Balanced attack leads them to victory and a cover
  • San Diego +6 over Pittsburgh....I actually think Pitt wins the game....but 6 is alot for a team who can't run the ball....I think like 23-20 Pitt here
  • Carolina -10 over Arizona....laying 10 with Carolina makes me squirm....but I told myself I'd pick every game and you couldn't pay me to bet Arizona after they gave out that Gatorade bath for a 1st round win lol
  • Tennessee -3 over Baltimore....NO chance I'm taking a rookie on the road against a top 5 defense....none...

To the other stuff....

  • John Smoltz set to sign....elsewhere?!??! This may make alot of Braves fans jump headlong off the wagon....Great signing for a reasonable price tag for Boston if they can get him for 5.5 mill plus incentives....but Frank Wren, sir....you have questions to answer
  • Browns name Mangini head coach.....hmmm.....I don't mind this IF they went after Shanahan and Cowher first lol
  • BCS Title game tonight....and it's like 4th in my rundown....shows where my allegiances are nowadays....Florida by 2 touchdowns by the way....
  • Steph Marbury to sign (possibly) with Boston....If i'm Danny Ainge, I run from this....
  • How in THE WORLD is Brett Favre's retirement talk the LEAD story on a sporting rundown today??! Officially....I can't see who would care about this....I sorta got it last year because he had a very good year....he was ABYSMAL for half the season and they missed the playoffs based solely upon his misery.....go away sir

That's it for now...enjoy!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Bolts over Colts, NBA all-star voting, and more

2 very good games yesterday....but the better of the 2 was the late game....Alot of focus will be on the 2 late penalty calls against Indy (both correct calls btw, but the holding could've been let go)...but I prefer to focus on Darren Sproles being thoroughly un-tackleable (I made that word up just now) and Philip Rivers being outstanding all year even without the benefit of a single above-average wide-out.....For the colts...they were exposed on defense and while Peyton Manning was still Peyton Manning, he wasn't as good as he has been in previous games so the stars aligned for San Diego....and that's a dangerous football team.....are you telling me they couldn't go into Pittsburgh and win? This is the NFL lol

To other stuff....
  • Kevin Martin had 45 for the Kings last night....OFF THE BENCH....granted, he played 37 minutes....but welcome back sir....welcome back
  • and Oh yeah.....the Kings lost.....b/c Danny Granger took over the game with 35 of his own and looks like a legit superstar.....shame he's buried on a bad Pacer team
  • Josh Smith's line from the Hawks win last night against Houston....29 points....2 rebounds....1 assist......huh? 2 boards? 1 dime? Yea, 29 looks good....but there is no more maddening player in the Association than Smith....and I stand by that
  • A Kevin Love Appearance!! My semi-mancrush rears his head with an 18 and 12 last night (in just 22 minutes no less)....it's about time sir....

NBA All-star Voting.....we all know it's sort of a sham how they put this together....but here are a few RIDICULOUS outcomes thus far....

  • Yi Jianlian is THIRD among East forwards....he isn't in the top 5 players on his own team.....
  • Wanna know what Gilbert Arenas (who hasn't played in a game this year), Luke Ridnour (huh?), and Jameer Nelson have in common?....They all have more all-star votes than the 3rd best 2-guard in the NBA in Joe Johnson.....sigh....
  • Bruce Bowen is 7th among West Forwards....huh? He is a shell of his former defensive stopper-self.....and even then, he shouldn't have near the all-star team....
  • Tracy McGrady is currently starting ahead of a transcendent PG in Chris Paul....please put this madness to bed.....Chris Paul is a top 5 player in this league...Tracy McGrady....isn't in the top 20 anymore....
  • Shane Battier and Luis Scola are both on the leaderboard for West forwards.....do people in Houston just sit around and stuff ballot boxes all day and night?

Okay....had to shed some light on some of those farces...lol...enjoy the NFL sunday

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Well, that ended badly....

The end to the magical 2008 season for the Falcons ended with a thud in '09.....predictably the Cards made a big play in the Passing game early....and NOT so predictably they were able to establish a running game and take advantage of a freak fumbled exchange that magically ended up in the hands of Antrel Rolle running full-speed to take the Falcons down.....despite some of the worst game-ending clock management by a WINNING team I've ever seen.....Arizona ran a reverse that lost 10 yards while trying to kill the clock and were just openly winging it down the stretch with a lead....ah well, that game was brutal....but anybody that says they are disappointed by the season should remember that 11-5 and the playoffs were considered COMPLETELY out of the question 4 months ago....Things are looking up

Edit: Somehow I forgot Keith Brooking being thoroughly dreadful throughout culminating in a fantastically boneheaded effort on the late 3rd and 18 that ended the game.....Yes, I know this is one play, but I found myself saying all day, "what the **** is Brooking doing?".....And that, my friends, is a bad sign.....Mercifully, with his cap number and diminishing skills....I think that may be his last play in a Falcons uniform

Utah #1?....

Well...if you've read my blog during the College football season....you've witnessed me pouring love for both Utah and the Mountain West conference in general....I've gone as far as to say the MWC was significantly better than the Big East, a "Big-6" conference....After the Utes 31-17 thrashing of Alabama (IN NEW ORLEANS, an SEC hotbed, no less), people are coming out of the woodwork to suggest Utah should be in the title discussion....oh really? what I've said for over a month? If Utah would've gone 12-0 in the Big East conference this year (an easier feat than the one they did), they would be playing for the BCS title....and since the MWC is, in actuality if not perception, better than the Big East, where are they?....You don't just accumulate undefeated seasons with wins over Pac-10 #2 (and USC killer) Oregon State, a Top 20 MWC team in BYU, a Top 10 team in TCU, and a half-season #1 in Alabama....and not win the national title when there are no more undefeateds....Let's look at the preseason Big East favorite West Virginia's schedule....
  • Games against top 25 teams (pre-bowl): 2....Cincinnati and Pittsburgh vs. 3 for Utah
  • Games against bowl teams: 6.....vs. 5 for Utah
Pretty similar huh? and when you think of how little being a "bowl" team actually means....yea, I'd call that a wash at best...and the point is this...there is a clear bias against the "smaller" conference team here....and it doesn't help that Utah is in the Mountain time zone....Here's the bombshell again....
If West Virginia had run the table, they would have been playing for the National Title as the nation's #1 team.....so WHY wasn't Utah? Bias....pure and simple