Friday, December 31, 2010

12/31: UConn Women, Hoops, etc.

Greetings...
  • The UConn Women's hoops team lost last night... the fact that any women's basketball game could lead this blog says enough, but UConn had won 90 straight games, and had the longest win streak in this history of American collegiate (or pro) basketball... I actually watched about the last 8 minutes here, and Stanford, who also beat them to "start" the streak, looked fantastic, and Maya Moore shot 5 of 15... anyway... congrats to them on the crazy streak... now they go back to being huge, overwhelming favorites to win the title...
  • NBA Check - New-look Orlando looks better and better.... they got 24 and 18 from Dwight Howard, scored 40 points in the 2nd quarter, and hung on for a 9 point win... San Antonio beats Dirk-less Dallas 99-93... Gary Neal (!) led the Spurs in scoring with 21, and the bench chipped in with 42 points total for SA... nice to see Duncan throw up an ultra-efficient 17 and 11 too (on 9 shots)... and Portland gets a great win over Utah behind Wes Matthews' career-high 30 points, and Camby's 20 boards...
  • NBA Injuries - Kevin Garnett will only be out a few weeks... diagnosed with a calf strain and that's great news for Boston... Brandon Roy now out "indefinitely" with knee issues... their GM Rich Cho said it would be "lengthy"... heartbreaking news for Portland fans (yet again)...
  • Bowl Roundup - UNC/Tennessee was a crazy game... I was locked in to TNT hoops, but I managed to catch a recap of the late-game action, and it was... wow? Heart-breaking for Tennessee when you think you have the game won... and Washington pulls the stunner on Nebraska 19-7... I had picked the Huskies as a 2-touchdown underdog, but never thought they'd win it outright... Chris Polk and Jake Locker combined for 250+ rushing yards, and overcame Locker's 5 of 16 passing game (this didn't help his stock)... but NEB's offense was sincerely ineffective...
What to watch for...
  • Hawks @ Thunder - SportSouth 8:00 - Tough road test for Atlanta... and paging Marvin Williams... we'll need you tonight... look for Russell Westbrook to get wherever he wants on the court all night, and ATL will need to dominate inside...
  • Ohio State @ Indiana - 6:00 ESPN2 - An opportunity to see who I think has been the nation's best player so far this year... OSU Freshman Jared Sullinger...
  • Northwestern @ Purdue - Noon ESPN2 - Purdue looked great against Michigan, and this is a talented team even without Robbie Hummel...
  • Kentucky @ Louisville - Noon CBS - Great game here... old school rivals on national TV and the chance to see who looks sleazier between Pitino and Calipari...
  • Minnesota @ Michigan State - 4:00 Big Ten Network - two top-20 teams here, and Michigan State needs to wake up any day here...
And of course, Bowls...
  • South Florida/Clemson - Meineke Car Care Bowl - Noon ESPN
  • Notre Dame/Miami - Sun Bowl - 2:00 CBS
  • Georgia/UCF - Liberty Bowl - 3:30 ESPN
  • South Carolina/Florida St. - Chick-Fil-A Bowl - 7:30 ESPN
Stay tuned for the NFL Preview (posting tomorrow) as I am out of town for the next 36 hours... I'll wrap-up all the bowl action upon return...

Thursday, December 30, 2010

12/30: Hoops and More Hoops...

Greetings... Just so we're clear... the Brett Favre story makes me not want to watch ESPN or read anything about sports on the internet... that's how much I simply don't care... you can read an opinion on that somewhere else lol... Let's get to the action...
  • Coach K notches win #880... Duke pounds a lesser opponent... that's not the story obviously, but Coach K moves into sole possession of 2nd on the all-time wins list... he's the best college coach of my lifetime, and frankly, a model of excellence... big ups to him...
  • This gets its own mention before the NBA bits bullet... Tyreke Evans knocks down a 48-footer at the buzzer to win the game for Sacto... I honestly can't remember a longer game-winner although I'm sure there's been one... was a wild sequence that started with OJ Mayo hitting what should have been the game-winner... and then Memphis standing around during the inbounds... Tyreke heaving it up on an almost-double clutch and burying it... the craziest thing? Rewatch it, and watch Donte Greene's reaction... he's in the Kings warmup, but he's ON THE COURT celebrating before it goes in... how does he know?!?...
  • NBA Box Score Check - Ignored in the previous bullet... but Demarcus Cousins had a breakout game of sorts with 21 and 16 for Sacto... not to mention Zach Randolph putting up a 35/17 in defeat... The Hawks beat up on Golden State on the interior en route to an easy victory... Smith and Horford combined for 43 points and 25 boards and that was the key... my thanks to Larry Drew for actually exposing a team that trots out David Lee and Vlad Radmanovic as post defenders... Kevin Garnett went down in a heap against Detroit leaving most people (me included) to wonder aloud about that knee... but it's being reported that it was a calf injury and is relatively minor.. I hope that's the case simply to see Boston at full-strength down the stretch... Double-Doubles!... Kevin Love (26/14) and Blake Griffin (30/12) keep their streaks alive... Miami scores 66 in the 2nd half to out-distance Houston on the road... Wade was incredible with 45 and 7, and the trio combined for 86 points... 86!... nice to see Aaron Brooks playing and playing well for Houston... they're a different team with him...
  • Georgetown goes down... Notre Dame beats the Hoyas 69-55 despite shooting 38%... I didn't understand John Thompson III's willingness to let the Irish hang around despite their obvious talent disadvantage by continuing to jack up 3's...
  • Oklahoma State 36, Arizona 10... This sticks with the bowl montra of only breaking down games between decent teams... but the real reason I'm mentioning this is to give love to Justin Blackmon... the Oklahoma State receiver put up 9 catches for 117 yards and 2 scores and was the best player on the field... not THAT crazy, right?... well listen to this... Blackmon had 100+ yards and at least 1 TD in EVERY game this season... and broke Larry Fitzgerald's sophomore receiving record... yeah... the kid can play... and yes, I'm 2-0 in Bowl picks! lol...
  • And lastly... Fox News' Tucker Carlson actually dropped the line that Mike Vick "should have been executed" on television... I'm not sure I even need to comment... but that's one of the craziest things I've heard spoken on a "news" affiliate in my life, and he's gotta be suspended/fired... Okay...

What to watch for...

  • Spurs/Mavs - 9:30 TNT - Game of the night by far... the battle for Texas and 2 of the top 5 teams in the league right now IMO...
  • Knicks/Magic - 7:00 TNT - Orlando may score 120 on New York and still lose... this should be entertaining...
  • Kansas State/Syracuse - Pinstripe Bowl (what the...) - 3:20 ESPN - Afternoon football during the week is a great thing... watch for Daniel Thomas' (KSU RB) who is one of the best in the country...
  • Nebraska/Washington - Holiday Bowl - 10:00 ESPN - Jake Locker gets a chance to show what he can do... simple as that...
  • Temple/Villanova - 7:00 ESPN2 - Nice matchup here... Villanova (again) has fantastic guard play...

Enjoy it...

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

12/29: Eagles/Vikes, Pro Bowl, etc.

Greetings all... let's get to it...
  • Joe Webb and the Vikings keep Philly out of the bye... Webb played mistake-free, accounted for 200+ yards, and had a rushing score to put up enough points for Minny... Of course, it helps to have the best running back alive (Peterson went 22 carries for 118 and a score) but it was a revelation that Webb was 1) Not terrible, and 2) Made some plays at big times including a huge stick throw on 3rd down on the final drive... For Philly? Some sparse offense by their standards... Vick got knocked around pretty good and was noticably limping... he was still, at times, spectacular with 320+ yards total offense and 2 scores, but the big plays were non-existent and Minny managed to bundle up Lesean McCoy for the most part... what does it mean? Not a ton.... Chicago clinches the bye and home-field (great for Falcons fans since Philly now has to go on the road), and Philly gets an extra week to rest their guys with a meaningless Week 17 game...
  • The Pro Bowl rosters are out... and I won't break them down, but I'll say this... it's by far the least relevant all-star game... and the fact that it's played before the Super Bowl makes it even less appealing to me... so no, I won't be watching the hour-long roster breakdown... congrats to all who made it including 7 Falcons though...
  • Anybody see that Iowa interception return? I know the policy is to not necessarily break down these bowl games... but that was a special play that ended up being the game-winner... AND started me 1-0 in my bowl picks...
  • NBA Box Score Check - San Antonio is for real... in case you were unaware.. they knock off the Lakers by 15 despite only 2 points from Tim Duncan... that's unbelievable in itself... but the bigger story is how inept LAL looks right now... Kobe shot 8 of 27 and Pau got up only 8 shots... Denver pounds Portland by 18... the Blazers fall back to .500 thanks to their 77-point output.. yikes... Ed Davis... welcome to the association! The Raptors rookie threw up a 17 point, 12 rebound, 3 steal, 3 block effort in Toronto's ROAD win over Dallas... I know Dirk was out... but a helluva win for Toronto... Orlando knocks down 19 threes in beating Charlotte... the big story was Gilbert Arenas... 5 triples, 22 points and 11 assists... that's what they need to see... and finally, Dwyane Wade puts up a 40 and 9 in their home win over New York... the big 3 combined for 76 points and 29 rebounds... they are scary, folks..
  • Purdue uncerimoniously blasted Michigan 80-57 yesterday afternoon on the hardwood... worth noting b/c Michigan had been playing fantastic basketball leading up and were getting some buzz, but Johnson and Moore for Purdue were too much... and Darius Morris (a revelation this year Michigan) shot 3 of 15... done and done... back to the backburner...
  • And a funny story... Wisconsin beats Minnesota 68-60 at home... nothing to see here, right? Just the #24 team in the country beating the #13 team in a nice win... oh... ESPN is running "Wisconsin upsets Minnesota" headlines, which leads me to wonder this... Vegas lines had Wisconsin favored by EIGHT... 8!... Translation: the early-season polls (and really, college hoops polls in general) are largely hilarious...

What to watch for...

  • Warriors @ Hawks - 7:00 SportSouth - Steph Curry comes to town... it'll be entertaining if nothing else...
  • Georgetown @ Notre Dame - 7:00 ESPN2 - a nice top-15 hoops matchup... Georgetown is the more talented team, but going to South Bend is never easy...
  • Jazz @ Clippers - 10:30 NBATV - the Blake Griffin traveling road show... and Utah puts on a nightly clinic of how to run offense... just saying..

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

THE PICKS! - Bowl Edition

Greetings... Readers of this blog know my overall bowl feelings... I think the majority of them are patently absurd... that being said, there are some intriguing matchups, and some decent football to be had... also, this is an opportunity for me to pick games and potentially add to my PICKS record... we'll add these in with my NFL/NCAA picks (48-43-2 at time of this blog post)...
  • Iowa +3 over Missouri... I'm still baffled as to how Iowa managed to lose 5 games... but this is more of a pick against Missouri... still not a believer, and Ferentz has a good bowl record...
  • Oklahoma State -5 over Arizona... OK State will wing the ball all over the yard here... little resistance..
  • Washington +14 over Nebraska... I don't think they win it outright... but this smells like a typical "Jake Locker draft stock up" performance... maybe I'm nuts...
  • Miami -3 over Notre Dame... turmoil in South Bend... talent edge for Miami...
  • Georgia -6.5 over UCF... It pains me to pick them... but AJ Green's national showcase + Aaron Murray (who's very, very good) and the talent edge is too much...
  • Florida State +3 over South Carolina... I really like Jimbo Fisher... and yes, I still don't trust Stephen Garcia at all... they looked like a beaten football team against Auburn too...
  • Northwestern +10 over Texas Tech... just too many points... and Pat Fitzgerald will have them ready...
  • Alabama -9.5 over Michigan State... Not a big believer in Sparty... they are without their best receiver, and Alabama seems angry in everything I read... blowout city...
  • Wisconsin +3 over TCU... I think they're the better team... TCU hasn't seen anything like the 3-headed rushing attack from Wisconsin and the nation's best offensive line... and Tolzien just doesn't make mistakes...
  • UConn +17 over Oklahoma... I really don't like this pick... it's just absolutely insane to see a 17 point neutral field favorite in a BCS game....

And there it is... may throw in picks on the BCS games after the 1st... and definitely will weigh in on Auburn/Oregon... stay tuned...

12/28: Falcons/Saints, etc.

Greetings...
  • Saints 17, Falcons 14 - Well that wasn't so much fun... first, the small picture... Drew Brees threw the ball wherever he wanted to all night long, and while he is still having trouble taking care of the ball, he was able to slip in and out of trouble all night with quick sidesteps and deliver the ball... Matt Ryan wasn't terribly efficient (15 of 29) and generally unimpressive, but he didn't make any mistakes... the real problem offensively was the ineptitude of the running game... Michael Turner rushing 17 times for 48 yards and fumbling on the Saints 1-yard line doesn't present what the Falcons need to win a big game... simple as that... I was impressed by the defense overall, and they obviously made big plays with the Davis pick-6 and the Abraham INT, but with the small caveat of whiffing on 8-9 potential sacks... have to get the QB on the ground if you're going to blitz basically every play against empty sets.... that said, if you told me they'd hold NO to 17? I'd expect a win... anyway... overall? I don't think it means a whole lot... we know what New Orleans is... they can't run the ball, but when you have Brees, you have a chance... and for Atlanta, if they take care of business at home against Carolina, all roads to the Super Bowl go through the Georgia Dome, and it's tough to pick against them there...

Elsewhere...

  • Pitt 78, Uconn 63 - An undervalued matchup of top-10 Big East teams goes to Pitt... they led throughout, and while Kemba Walker got his 31 points... they forced him to take 27 shots to do so... I always enjoy Pitt... Gibbs and Wanamaker are gritty, and they defend like crazy as a unit...
  • NBA Box Score Check - 3 straight wins for Orlando who seems to be coming together... the addition of Ryan Anderson off his injury has really helped (10 and 12 last night), but Turkoglu looks rejuvenated... Minnesota got a blowout win over NO behind Beasley's 30, 9, and 7... he's flying under the radar, but filling it up... what a steal for Kahn... The Hawks cruise in Milwaukee... simple formula... Al Horford played 41 minutes and had 18 and 12 last night... and Josh Powell didn't play... thanks Larry... Dirk Nowitzki went down last night (length unknown) but Dallas gets the win in OKC despite Durant's 28... Break up the Rockets! Back to .500 at 15-15... here they come! lol... Portland edges Utah 96-91 behind Aldridge's 26... nice to see him take on the #1 scorer role... and of course, Double-Double watch!... Blake Griffin with 26 and 14 to keep his steak alive while Kevin Love comes in with a "paltry" 16 and 11 to match... the streaks continue....

What to watch for...

  • Tuesday night... football!?... Vikings @ Eagles at 8:00 on NBC.... doesn't mean a whole lot standings-wise with Philly having clinched the NFC East, but fantasy championships make this a must-see for anyone involved...
  • Lakers @ Spurs - 8:30 NBA-TV - An awesome matchup... LA off back to back home blowout losses, traveling to red-hot San Antonio... and Kobe seems angry...
  • Minnesota @ Wisconsin - 7:00 ESPN2- A really nice big 10 hoops matchup to get conference play kicked off... I love Wisconsin under Bo Ryan...
  • Bowl Games... It's about time that I feel obligated to alert you of decent matchups... West Virginia vs. NC State at 6:30 (ESPN) in the Champs Sports Bowl.... and Missouri vs. Iowa at 10:00 (ESPN) in the Insight Bowl... for the record, I like WV and Iowa...

Enjoy the games...

Monday, December 27, 2010

12/27: NFL Wrap, etc.

Greetings all... let's get to the NFL first...
  • Pats 34, Bills 3 - This game gets a mention for 2 reasons... 1) The Pats clinch the #1 seed in the AFC and homefield throughout... in case you didn't know, the road to the Super Bowl goes through Foxboro.... and 2) Tom Brady set the NFL record for consecutive passes without an interception... I know Vick's been great, but Brady has been fantastic, his team is 13-2, and he didn't miss any games... he's the MVP...
  • Bears 38, Jets 34 - I hope you bet the over... this became an offensive shootout that no one expected, but Cutler made the plays in the 2nd half with 3 25+ yard TD passes, and they overcame 2 defensive TDs for the Jets to win it... the Jets back into the playoffs with the Jags losing, but their defense was semi-embarrassing...
  • Chiefs 34, Titans 14 - The Chiefs win the AFC West with the Chargers loss (we'll get there) and their win... they put up 31 in the first half and it was over from there... one of the best stories this year in the league, and Cassel, Charles, and Bowe have been fantastic...
  • Rams 25, 49ers 17 - St. Louis is one step closer to the NFC West title... the Rams overcame some pretty miserable rushing numbers behind Sam Bradford's 292 yards, and the division will come down to next week's battle with Seattle...
  • Redskins 20, Jags 17 - Heartbreaking for Jacksonville... they waived all parts of the Wild Card chase with this loss, and fall a game behind Indy for the division title... they couldn't get much going on the ground, and somehow, Rex Grossman won on the road... I got nothing...
  • Bengals 34, Chargers 20 - Shocker of the day... Cincy thoroughly laying the wood to the Chargers, and San Diego is out of it... 4 touchdowns for Palmer, and Rivers laid an egg in the worst possible spot...
  • Broncos 24, Texans 23 - One thing to cover here... Tim Tebow was very, very good... THROWING for 300+ yards and rushing for the game-winning score... I know Houston's defense is putrid, but I had to mention this...
  • Colts 31, Raiders 26 - Indy is, once again, in the driver's seat... for the AFC South that is... 3 touchdowns for Manning, 98 yards for Dominic Rhodes (huh?), and they held McFadden to 45 yards rushing... win and they're in next week...
  • Packers 45, Giants 17 - 404 yards... 4 touchdowns... that was Aaron Rodgers line fresh off the concussion, and he was fantastic... the Pack D also showed up, causing Eli to throw 4 picks (3 in the 4th quarter), and holding the G-Men to under 100 yards rushing... GB needed to win their final 2 games, and only a home game with Chicago stands between them and the playoffs... for NYG? They now need to win and have the Pack lose to get in...
  • Bucs 38, Seahawks 15 - Weird game here... Seattle took the field knowing the game meant nothing to them playoff-wise and they played like it... Charlie Whitehurst was... Charlie Whitehurst... but the real story? Josh Freeman throws 5 touchdown passes to cause Seattle to lose their 9th game of the season... they've lost all 9 by 15 points or more... I have no idea... anyway, Tampa keeps their slim playoff chances alive, and now must win in NO on Sunday and get some help...
THE PICKS! 46-42-2 on the year entering...

  • GB -3... Win!
  • St. Louis -2.5... Win!
  • Carolina +15... uh... loss!
48-43-2... a winning week!

Elsewhere in sports...
  • Mike Singletary fired as 49ers HC... let's see... head coach of underachieving team who fires his OC in the first month of the season gets canned? Shocking! Singletary always seemed overmatched to me, and there's no justification for having the best talent in the division and coming in 3rd over and over...
  • The Eagles and Vikings get postponed to Tuesday... a consequence of this? Fantasy super bowls on hold until late Tuesday night... that'll be a scene...
  • Brandon Webb signs with the Rangers... a pretty nice gamble for Texas to snatch the Cy Young winner up on a flier... he's been injury-riddled for 2 seasons, but if they can get him going? A steal... and the risk is low....
  • NBA Check - The Hawks get blown out in the 2nd half, and drop one to New Orleans on the road... I could rant for days here... but I need someone to explain the rationale of burying Josh Smith down the stretch in favor of the Crawford/Bibby combo... oh.. and Al Horford played only 28 minutes... wow... Blake Griffin has 18 straight double-doubles after his 28 and 12 last night... that is staggering.. and the Clips are suddenly playing well having won 4 of 5... and shout-out to Carlos Boozer who dropped a 31 and 11 in the Bulls road win... looks like he's got it going fully now for Chicago...
What to watch for...

  • Saints @ Falcons - 8:30 ESPN - The Falcons are in great position regardless of result here (due to Carolina waiting in the wings in Week 17)... but this is still a huge game for New Orleans, and it'll be a nice atmosphere in the dome... Gotta think Atlanta would like to finish things off right here, and have a walk-through in Week 17
  • Hawks @ Bucks - 8:00 SportSouth - Road back-to-back for Atlanta... not usually the best recipe...
  • Raptors @ Grizzles - 8:00 NBA-TV - Uhh... you can see the Raptors fantastic roster?...
  • Uconn @ Pittsburgh - 8:30 ESPN2 - A top-10 matchup in college hoops that no one will watch... and this kicks off the Big East campaign as well... really, really nice game...

And finally...

  • Independence Bowl - Georgia Tech vs. Air Force - 5:00 ESPN2 - This gets its own mention after some badgering from my friends (shoutouts to Travis and John)... Air Force is a 3-point favorite which kind of baffles me, but I'm going to put that one on GT being without Nesbitt and Hill for this one... These 2 teams are #1 and #2 in the country in rushing, and it'll likely come down to whether or not GT can stop Air Force's QB Tim Jefferson and company... 5 straight bowl losses for the Jackets... I say they break that string...

Enjoy it!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas Viewing Guide!

Greetings all... here's how I'd break down my sports TV watching on Christmas... if I were, uh, not otherwise engaged by family of course...
  • Noon - Bulls @ Knicks - ESPN - Entertaining game between 2 playoff teams in the East... and there's always a chance Derrick Rose could throw up some historic numbers against that putrid Knicks defense...
  • 2:30 - Celtics @ Magic - ABC - A helluva warm-up to the primetime game... Orlando is coming off a waxing of San Antonio, and look to be clicking a bit, but they haven't seen anything like the Celtics defense...
  • 5:00 - Heat @ Lakers - ABC - Lebron, Wade, Bosh, Kobe, Gasol.... all in LA... this has been circled since the schedule came out, and should be very, very interesting... Kobe and Lebron both usually get up for these type of games, but the key IMO is whether Gasol can take full advantage of the sub-standard Heat front line...
  • 8:00 Hour - Here's where the options diverge... Nuggets @ Thunder at 8:00 on ESPN is a nice game, but you may be NBA'd out by then... I won't be, but there are other options.... Cowboys @ Cardinals at 7:30 on NFL Network is a pretty putrid game, but chances are, if you have fantasy implications (cough, me) you'll be keeping an eye on it... and for some reason, if you are a college hoops head? Florida State/Baylor at 7:30 on ESPN2...
  • Late night - 9:30 features Wazzu/Butler on ESPN2 which is a very nice game despite them being unranked... Butler looks much better lately, and Wazzu is an entertaining team these days... and 10:30 gives us Blazers @ Warriors on ESPN... This one gets knocked down a bit by the absence of Brandon Roy, but it looks like Stephen Curry will play, and that will get eyes to the TV....
Don't forget to check out the NFL Preview! Enjoy the games... and Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 24, 2010

12/24: Ohio State, Steelers, etc.

Greetings everyone... Merry Christmas Eve...
  • 5 Ohio State Buckeyes are suspended for the first 5 games of 2011... One of the weirder stories recently simply because they are somehow eligible for the bowl game, but not the first 5 of next season... Terrelle Pryor (their best player), Dan Herron and Devier Posey are 3 of their best offensive players, and while I believe Pryor will declare for the draft now, the other 2 wouldn't be locks to leave... I take personal pleasure in the Bucks being exposed as a Michigan fan, but I honestly don't understand the ruling from an overall prospective, and I ESPECIALLY don't grasp the charge led by ESPN's Mark May in saying they would never be allowed to play the bowl if they weren't in the Big 10... what does that even mean? Does he not realize that Cam Newton, who by all accounts is involved in something much more egregious, was cleared to play in a bowl in the same conference that May mentioned by name?... Anyway... a little bright spot as a Michigan fan....
  • Pittsburgh decimates Carolina... 27-3... not a whole lot to discuss here because Carolina's offense was jokingly bad last night... but I'm still not overly impressed with the Pittsburgh offense, and Ben looks limited....
  • Mississippi State basketball star Renardo Sidney got into a fistfight in the stands yesterday... with his own teammate!... Sidney has gotten Demarcus Cousins comparisons on and off the court, and this doesn't help his stock...
  • NBA Check - That's the Orlando team some expected... the Magic offense was in full gear all night, putting up 123 against the Spurs and running them out of the building... Dwight was Dwight (29 and 14) but the real keys IMO were Arenas (14/6/9 off the bench) and JJ Redick who hit all 5 of his three point attempts to lengthen the lead.... Miami rolls on... remember when they were fighting to stay .500?... 22-9 now, and Lebron and company won on the road without Wade last night... LBJ and Bosh combined for 59 points and that was enough to out-distance a career night from my boy Jared Dudley (33 and 12) and Nash's 18 assists... Do we have a new "worst team in the league" debate? Sacramento is certainly making their case... 7 straight losses to fall to 5-22... and Cousins is making all his skeptics look smart on a daily basis...
  • NCAA Hoops - Austin Freeman is one of my favorite guards in the country... the Georgetown star put up a 24/5/4 last night in their blowout of Memphis... I've never been a JT3 fan, but I love that Georgetown roster... Baylor is crazy talented... but they went down in a heap to Wazzu last night... they are without a floor general, and there are even rumblings of 6'11 freshman Perry Jones drawing more ball-handling duties... that's an interesting thought...
What to watch for... It's a slow day!
  • Hawaii Bowl - Tulsa vs. Hawaii - 8:00 ESPN - Told you it was a slow day... I wouldn't watch this.. but if you need a football fix...
And, um... that's it? There's an unranked college hoops double-header on ESPN2 tonight if that gets you going... but spend this one with the fam... enjoy it... and Merry Christmas...

Thursday, December 23, 2010

NFL Preview Week 16

Greetings all... Let's get to the Week 16 breakdown... Winners in bold...
  • Carolina @ Pittsburgh - Thursday 8:20 - Carolina is putrid... I can stop there, but here's a few more things... Pittsburgh has an elite rush defense against a team that can't throw the ball... Night game in Pittsburgh... Jimmy Clausen on the road... Okay I'm done...
  • Dallas @ Arizona - Saturday 7:30 - I can't pick Arizona... John Skelton isn't as bad as he sounds (so far), but they can't run the ball at all, and their defense is absolutely wretched... don't feel great about Kitna and company on the road out West, but I'll back them...
  • Tennessee @ Kansas City - 1:00 - Arrowhead! I think Charles and Jones get off here, and while Kerry Collins looked okay at home against Houston... this is another animal altogether... plus, Tennessee has nothing to play for and KC is gunning for the division...
  • NY Jets @ Chicago - 1:00 - Toughest game on the board for me... I think the Jets are better than Chicago, but Sanchez on the road is dicey... ultimately, I think Cutler lays an egg here against a quality defense, and they'll bottle Matt Forte up a bit...
  • Washington @ Jacksonville - 1:00 - Rex on the road! He did look semi-competent last week, and the Jags defense is pretty bad on the backend, but I repeat, Rex on the road! Put the caveat down here that MJD may not play in this one, and that's a different team without him...
  • Detroit @ Miami - 1:00 - Picking the Lions on the road sounds insane... until you realize that Miami is 1-6 at home... 1-6! They're 6-1 on the road too... that's crazy... anyway, Drew Stanton (or Shaun Hill if he plays) is frisky, Calvin can get down the field on Miami, and I can smell Chad Henne and the Dolphins offense from here...
  • San Fran @ St. Louis - 1:00 - I can't figure out the Niners QB situation... every time it seems settled, they go the other way... but at any rate, I like the Rams at home generally, and they have the best QB and the best RB in this game... and in this division? Just grab the home team..
  • New England @ Buffalo - 1:00 - Ew... angry Pats team after a sub-standard performance even in their win last week... Buffalo is frisky offensively these days, but they have nothing to stand in the way of the Pats offense... Brady goes off yet again...
  • Baltimore @ Cleveland - 1:00 - Upset of the week... I don't like the way Baltimore's offense has looked recently, Boldin has disappeared, and they can't stop the pass... I'll back Colt McCoy and Peyton Hillis... Lord, help me...
  • Houston @ Denver - 4:00 - What an awful game... 2 of the worst defenses in the league, and 2 coaches who are overmatched... the only reason anyone would watch this is for fantasy... cue the guy who owns Andre Johnson in every league...
  • Indy @ Oakland - 4:00 - Sneaky good game here... Indy looked good at home against Jacksonville, but this is a long trip and they're playing a better defense... that said, Peyton and company should make enough plays to win this one, because I don't trust Campbell (still) and they'll be geared up for Run DMC....
  • San Diego @ Cincy - 4:00 - 3 straight road teams? Yikes... anyway... Cincinnati is so brutal... Palmer is a mess, TO (their best offensive player this year) is out for the year, and Benson should be bottled up by SD's defense... Blowout...
  • Seattle @ Tampa Bay - 4:00 - Tampa beats up on teams that they're better than... Seattle is brutal on the road... Hasselbeck was flat-out awful last week, and I still like what I see from Josh Freeman... it adds up...
  • NY Giants @ Green Bay - 4:00 - If Rodgers plays? I like the Pack... that crippling loss by the Giants last week should put them in the grave and I'd be very surprised if they win on the road here... especially with Eli playing in the elements... good luck with that...
  • Minnesota @ Philly - 8:00 - Easiest pick on the board including Thursday night... yes... if I had to pick one, I'd take Philly instead of Pittsburgh... hilarious... Vick + Joe Webb = glory...
  • New Orleans @ Atlanta - 8:20 Monday - This is tough for me... before last week? I was picking Atlanta for sure.. but then NO lost and this game suddenly meant a whole lot less (Atlanta hosts Carolina in Week 17 for the slamdunk division clinching)... but NO didn't impress me at all doing it, so I'll cautiously take the Falcons at home... but I wouldn't wager on it...
THE PICKS! 46-42-2 on the year...
  • Green Bay -3 over NYG
  • St. Louis -2.5 over SF
  • Carolina +15 over Pittsburgh... That's so high!
Enjoy it...

12/23: Larry Brown, Boise, Celtics, etc.

Greetings all...
  • Larry Brown out as Bobcats coach... there's some confusion as to whether this was a mutual parting or not, but the fact remains, that Larry, who is known as the true basketball vagabond, ends up leaving the job midseason... in fairness to him, it's a brutal roster (thanks MJ!), but they were underachieving compared to the pace they set last year, and while they lost Felton, the drop-off collectively was pretty huge... Paul Silas takes over there and I've always enjoyed him, so he might get it going a bit, but it's a flawed roster, and won't be a playoff team in current form...
  • This Rex Ryan foot fetish story is.... creepy?... that's the word... I'm not sure I care... in fact, I absolutely don't... but it's kind of fascinating to see how this spreads like wildfire...
  • Ohio State's football program is in mini-turmoil with allegations of free tattoos... what!?... Reportedly, several players traded autographs for free tattoos... I don't even know what to say here...
  • Boise State dominates Utah 23-3... I'll break my bowl virginity for this season here... as a general rule, I don't care about bowls at all before the calendar hits January, but this was an intriguing matchup so I gave it a few minutes... Kellen Moore was efficient as usual (28/38, 339 yds, 2 tds), but the story was how bad the Utah offense looked... 200 yards total offense, 10/24 passing... generally impotent...
  • NBA Box Score Check - Boston wins their 14th straight behind Ray Allen's 22...they struggled a bit to beat Philly at home, but they keep winning even without Rondo... The Hawks cruise over Cleveland at home... a balanced attack all night (17 shots Joe, 13 for Horford, 14 for Smith, 11 for Marvin) wore the Cavs down... best news? Josh Powell with another DNP and his minutes going to Horford and Zaza.... San Antonio is 25-3... 25-3! For the "too old" team with the declining legend... I have no idea... and finally... the obligatory Blake Griffin and Kevin Love update... Griffin with 24 & 18 in their home loss, Love with another ludicrous 25 and 19 in the T-Wolves late loss to Utah...
  • NCAA Hoops - Kansas beats Cal by 15 behind Josh Selby's 18 points... the kid is nice... Missouri beats Illinois.... in Champagne no less...that's a nice road win... that's a talented/athletic team... Mich State scuffles... 4th loss of the year, and this time it was at home to Texas... Texas is a young, talented team, but the mystique of all the Spartan experience/toughness is getting marred... I still like them coming down the stretch because Izzo teams peak at the right time, but there's some turmoil...

What to watch for...

  • Spurs @ Magic - 8:00 TNT - Orlando is (obviously) not a cohesive unit yet... but San Antonio is on the 2nd of a back-to-back and they're due to lose.. right? lol...
  • Heat @ Suns - 10:30 TNT - More Heat games! This is bad news for Phoenix... no one wants to try to run with Miami...
  • Georgetown @ Memphis - 8:00 ESPN2 - Really nice college hoops game here... I love Georgetown's guards...
  • Panthers @ Steelers - 8:20 NFL Network - This game means absolutely nothing unless you're in the fantasy super bowl... which I happen to be... throw the ball to Mike Wallace!

Enjoy...

Sunday, December 19, 2010

12/20: NFL Wrap, UConn Women, etc.

Greetings all... First things first... let's wrap-up the NFL Sunday...
  • Philly 38, NY Giants 31 - One of the crazier comebacks in recent memory... Philly was down 21 with 7:28 to go and put up 28 in the final minutes capped by a punt return TD as time expired... Vick was incredible, accounting for the 3 tying touchdowns down the stretch, but the big story was NYG inexplicably punting to Desean Jackson on the final return... no excuse for that, but was a fantastic play by Jackson... Philly all but clinches the NFC East with the 1-game lead plus the tiebreaker...
  • Atlanta 34, Seattle 18 - Welp, I missed on this one... even after Seattle punched them in the mouth with a TD march on the first drive, Atlanta was able to beat up on them (with the help of about 5 different fortunate breaks, but still) for the duration... Hasselbeck was a trainwreck, and Whitehurst wasn't any better... nice win for the Falcons who clinch a playoff spot officially... 8 straight wins including 3 in a row on the road is crazy...
  • KC 27, St. Louis 13 - The Rams are still alive thanks to the Seattle loss, but KC ran all over them with Charles and Jones combining for 188 yards and 2 TDs... This may have been the worst game of Sam Bradford's career thus far, and the NFC West will come down to the final 2 weeks with STL, Seattle, and even San Fran still alive....
  • Indy 34, Jacksonville 24 - The Colts won't die... Manning threw for an efficient 229 and 2 TDs, they got a late special teams TD, and (gasp) even had a running game with Donald Brown going north of 100 yards... MJD was held in check (sub-50 yards rushing) and Indy took care of business...
  • Baltimore 30, New Orleans 24 - Big, big win for the Ravens who go to 10-4, and a crushing loss to the Saints NFC South chances with their 4th loss combining with the Falcons win to put them 2 back with 2 play (and the Falcons playing Carolina in week 17)... Ray Rice was the story with 31 carries for 153, 5 catches for 80, and 2 TDs... he was the best player on the field...
  • NY Jets 22, Pittsburgh 17 - Mark Sanchez didn't kill them, they got a Brad Smith return TD to start the game, and the defense held Pittsburgh down enough to win it... huge bounceback for the Jets in a tough spot on the road, and they are firmly in control of a playoff spot with this win...
  • Oakland 39, Denver 23 - Tim Tebow was surprisingly productive, but the Denver defense can't stop anyone and Oakland took advantage... McFadden and Bush combined for 140 and 2 TDs, and Jacoby Ford went 71 to the house early... Oakland is still alive at 7-7 in the AFC West...
  • NE 31, Green Bay 27 - Closer than the experts thought describes it... Matt Flynn was... competent? And that was really the story... he threw for 251 and 3 TDs to 1 INT (a soul-crushing pick 6... but still), and GB was even able to run the ball with Jackson and Kuhn combining for 120 yards... but NE held them late, Brady was efficient even in an "off" game with 2 TDs and 0 INTs (again!) and they move to 12-2...
THE PICKS! 45-39-2 Entering...
  • Dallas -7... Loss
  • Seattle +7... Loss (but I enjoyed it)
  • NYJ +6... Outright win..
  • NE -13... Loss
Ugly... again... 46-42-2 on the year... must... stay... above... .500...

Elsewhere...
  • The UConn women win their 88th straight game... it's an overblown story IMO in that I don't see the relevance in "tying" the men's record... when.. they... aren't... men?... but that doesn't make it any less impressive... Maya Moore is a transcendent athlete, and the program is crazy... much respect...
  • The Hawks lose in New Jersey... 89-82 Nets... Joe Johnson was pretty horrendous, shooting 4-16, but the bench play (especially that of Evans and Powell) was what lost them the game... Devin Harris got wherever he wanted on the floor all night too...
  • Boston wins their 13th straight... Paul Pierce threw up a triple double (18/10/12) while only attempting 8 shots, they got great production from Nate Robinson (43 minutes, 18 points), and did it all without Rondo...
  • And my favorite line of the day? My man Grant Hill with a 30 and 11 in Phoenix's road win in OKC... outdueled Durant!
Enjoy the day...

12/19: Magic Shakeup, etc.

Greetings all... Don't forget to check out the NFL Preview for Week 15... now let's get to it...
  • The Orlando Magic are... well... not the same squad today that they were on Saturday morning... they made 2 trades... combining to swap Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Mikael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, and their 2011 #1 pick for Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Earl Clark... First of all, I honestly can't remember a "contending" team transforming it's core roster this drastically in one day mid-season.. now that I've said that... let's break it down... I'm in favor of the moves overall simply b/c I am not someone who backs "standing pat" with a team that can't win the title... and they weren't winning it IMO... Rashard and Vince were giving them next-to-nothing, and while the Gortat loss hurts them, if there was ever a team that doesn't need a backup center? It's Orlando... Hilariously, I think Jason Richardson is the best player in this entire trade... that assumes Gilbert is the 2010 version and not the 2004 version... but still... I think the Nelson/Arenas/Redick/Richardson/Turkoglu five-some is better than Nelson/Duhon/Carter/Redick/Lewis and that's what this boils down to... They'll need alot out of Brandon Bass to make this work (not a slamdunk), but I kind of applaud them for taking a shot... I will say this, however... they're going to need to add another warm body up front AND get Ryan Anderson back quickly... their front line currently consists of Howard, Bass, and homeless men....
  • Now, the other two teams... Phoenix takes a small step back IMO... I think J-Rich is the perfect 2-guard compliment to Nash, and while they improve up front with Gortat (who's a nice pick-n-roll partner for Nash), they take back Vince's corpse who I don't think can play well in that system at this point, and further logjam their wing spot with Pietrus... on the bright side? They rid themselves of Hedo, who never made sense to me in Phoenix in the first place (check the NBA preview) and was generally ineffective... at any rate... Free Steve Nash... Washington had to make their move... flipping Gilbert (owed $60+ million for 3 more years) for Rashard (owed $44 million-ish for the next 2 years) makes financial sense because of contract length, and some basketball sense in turning the reins over to John Wall completely, and giving him a semi-adequate wing shooting option... They had to do what they had to do to get rid of Gilbert's albatross contract from the day they won the lottery to take Wall, and they've done that now...
Elsewhere...
  • Zach Greinke to the Brewers? Sources reporting a deal including Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar (the Brewers top major-league-ready prospects in CF and SS) among others for Greinke... seems like a light price-tag to me, but the Royals wanted to move him right away...
  • Tim Tebow to start for the Broncos... Didn't know this at the time of print on the preview... but this makes sense to me... Denver is bad and non-contending... why not play your 1st round pick QB?...
  • NBA Box Score Check - Kevin Love is an animal!... 43 points and 17 boards last night despite falling by 2 in Denver.. I don't know what to even say.... Tony Parker dropped 37 and 9 in an OT win over Memphis... San Antonio is 23-3!... Get out of the way everyone... The Wizards collapsed in a 1-point loss in Miami in their first Gilbert-less game... Nick Young had 30 and Kirk Hinrich had 12 dimes, but they seemed interested in running everything through Andray Blatche... good luck with that... Orlando loses by 8 at home to Philly while dressing exactly 8 guys... defensible loss but Howard threw up a 26 and 20 to try and keep it together... Break up the Clippers! Back-to-back road wins (after starting the season 0-11 on the road) as they beat the Noah-less Bulls behind Blake Griffin's 29 and 12... Derrick Rose is that dude though... 34, 8 and 6 in the loss...
  • NCAA Hoops! - Jared Sullinger may be the best player in America... the Ohio State freshman PF threw up a 30 and 19 on Saturday... Florida beat up on hapless K-State who shot 27% from the field... Frank Martin for COY... lol... Gonzaga shows signs of life! I'm an unabashed Zags supporter, so it was nice to see them win a quasi-road game against #9 Baylor in Dallas.. that's a nice win...
What to watch for (Non-NFL)...
  • Hawks @ Nets - 1:00 SportSouth - Always think crazy stuff happens in these 1:00 tipoffs... anyway, an interesting road test for the Hawks... and I'm quite riveted to see how Joe Johnson looks in game #2 back...
  • Suns @ Thunder - 7:00 NBA-TV - the new Suns roster should be there (and the fans should prepare their Vince chants accordingly), and that's reason enough to watch...
Enjoy the slate...

Saturday, December 18, 2010

NFL Preview Week 15

Greetings all... Please forgive my absence this week... it's been a whirlwind... at any rate... let's get to the (remaining) NFL slate... Winners in Bold...
  • Kansas City @ St. Louis - 1:00 - Tough one off the bat... I think KC is pretty legit... they run the ball with Charles/Jones, Cassel and Bowe have it going this year, and the D is solid... but Cassel is banged up, Bowe has disappeared 2 weeks in a row, and they aren't great on the road... insert Sam Bradford! I like the Rams at home in a close one...
  • Arizona @ Carolina - 1:00 - I have no idea... but when in doubt (and with these QBs? Yikes) take the home team...
  • Philly @ NY Giants - 1:00 - I just think Philly is good... and it doesn't help the Giants case to be playing without Steve Smith (and maybe Manningham), and with Eli Manning playing outdoors... This one likely decides the NFC East, and I have to take Vick...
  • Detroit @ Tampa Bay - 1:00 - Josh Freeman! This is tougher than it looks actually... Tampa's defense is sooooo banged up now... Talib and McCoy, aka their best 2 players, are on IR and they have 3 more starters out here... but I can't back Drew Stanton on the road yet, and Tampa's been good against bad teams
  • Cleveland @ Cincy - 1:00 - See explanation above about Arizona and Carolina... Wow these are 2 bad games...
  • Buffalo @ Miami - 1:00 - This has to be said... What the heck happened to Chad Henne? Let me say this, I didn't think he'd be a great pro coming out of Michigan, but he was fairly solid last year, and this year? Trainwreck... that said, they should be able to run the ball here, and they have the defensive talent to slow Fred Jackson...
  • Washington @ Dallas - 1:00 - Rex Grossman on the road... nothing else to see here folks...
  • Jacksonville @ Indianapolis - 1:00 - Been trying to find a way to pick against Indy here... and I can't... just can't fathom life without them in the playoffs, and they gotta have this one... Don't trust Garrard on the road, and Peyton is getting Collie back just in time too...
  • New Orleans @ Baltimore - 1:00 - New Orleans is good... they've been playing lights-out for weeks on offense, and that shouldn't change here against a Baltimore defense that is very weak on the back-end... Tough game to call here, but Baltimore's performance late last week against Houston can't let me pick them...
  • Houston @ Tennessee - 1:00 - This seems like a classic spot for Houston to lay down.... no other feeling on this one...
  • Atlanta @ Seattle - 4:00 - 3rd straight game on the road (4th in 5 games), great home crowd, trap game with New Orleans on Monday night next week... it all lines up... In case you were wondering, I hope I'm wrong, but there are matchup concerns too (Ryan playing outdoors, etc.)... Can't wait for my friend James to see this...
  • NY Jets @ Pittsburgh - 4:00 - I'm planting my flag with Sanchez... okay, that's not true... but hear me out... Pittsburgh's offense has been flat-out bad in recent weeks, and the Jets D? Dominant... I don't think Miami could've scored a TD in 20 quarters last week, and Big Ben is hobbling around against a blitzing D?... This reeks of 13-10, and I like the Jets now that Polamalu likely isn't there to make a big play for Pitt...
  • Denver @ Oakland - 4:00 - Seems like Denver has laid down, right? Orton has been a trainwreck the last 2 weeks, and Oakland is pretty frisky at home... McFadden goes nuts here...
  • Green Bay @ New England - 8:00 - Was looking forward to this one until Aaron Rodgers was listed as doubtful... Matt Flynn in New England?... Pats 34, GB 13...
  • Chicago @ Minnesota - Monday 8:30 - You're darn right I'm taking Joe Webb at home... lol... actually, I'm taking Adrian Peterson and betting against Jay Cutler in a blizzard... but all is fair...
THE PICKS! 45-39-2 entering...
  • Dallas -7 over Washington... Can't pass up the chance to pick against Rex...
  • Seattle +7 over Atlanta... Taking them straight up... yeah...
  • NYJ +6 over Pitt... See above...
  • New England -13 over GB... Yeah that's alot of points... and it goes without saying I only pick this with Flynn... but if Rodgers is out, count this one...
Enjoy the slate...

Monday, December 13, 2010

12/13: NFL Sunday Wrap!

Greetings all... will likely be shorter than normal today (and sparse for the whole week) due to work constraints... let's get to it...
  • Bills 13, Browns 6 - Why did I start here? Because it was on the top of the scoreboard I was looking at... laughter... anyway, this was ugly football at its finest, but Buffalo made the most plays (cough, one play) and were able to keep Hillis from completely going off... Fred Jackson is a ballplayer for Buffalo too...
  • Lions 7, Packers 3 - Pretty much all you need to know here is Aaron Rodgers got dinged up with a concussion in the 1st half, and Matt Flynn is pretty bad... combine Flynn with a bad running game and it's a disaster... Congrats to the Lions on their first division win in about 2 decades...
  • Steelers 23, Bengals 7 - Carson Palmer is an abomination... He kept throwing the ball to Troy Polamalu, and Pittsburgh's D won this for them... the Steelers offense isn't very good right now though...
  • Bucs 17, Redskins 16 - Graham Gano can't possibly be employed anymore by the Redskins... he missed 2 more field goals of chip-shot variety, and while the botched XP for the loss wasn't his fault, if he knocks one down earlier, they win... Josh Freeman, son...
  • Falcons 31, Panthers 10 - I tweeted this on Sunday night... "I smell Jimmy Clausen from here"... that says enough, right? He is quite bad... and Atlanta dominated even while sleepwalking through the last 35 minutes or so... Classic good team taking care of business type of game...
  • Jags 38, Raiders 31 - Probably the best onfield action all day... Darren McFadden went nuts for Oakland with 3 long TDs, but MoJo, David Garrard and company made the last play when MJD went to the house from 30 yards late in the 4th... Crippling loss for Oakland who played pretty well, but the big story is the 8-5 Jags who everyone (me included) wrote off to start the season... in the driver's seat in the AFC South...
  • Saints 31, Rams 13 - Watch out for the Saints... 6 straight wins and they took care of business against a decent team... Brees is playing more efficiently now, and their defense turned up the heat on Bradford... all roads lead to Saints/Falcons on Dec. 27th for the NFC South title...
  • 49ers 40, Seahawks 21 - #1A in the most shocking result all day category IMO... not that San Fran won... but 40 points?! Alex Smith played (gasp) well for the majority of the day, and they got nice contribution from Dixon and Westbrook... bad times for Seattle, but they are still tied with the Rams for division lead at 6-7...
  • Pats 36, Bears 7 - Domination... New England is the best team in the league, and they seem unaffected by the snow... I made a friendly wager that I didn't think the Bears would go better than 1-3 in their last 4 and this was a nice start... Tom Brady is the MVP, and they can't be rationally picked against for the time being...
  • Dolphins 10, Jets 6 - Remember when I said I could smell Jimmy Clausen? Mark Sanchez is picking up some steam in that category... he went 17 of 44 (wow) with 4 fumbles and an INT... and lost a homegame to the mediocre Dolphins on a day when Chad Henne threw 18 passes and completed FIVE of them as the only QB during the day... I don't know what to think of the Jets... the defense looked like they were back to form (Miami had only 131 yards), but 6 points at home is bad...
  • Cardinals 43, Broncos 13 - #1B in the shocking result category... again... Arizona scored 43 points? with John Skelton?!?!?!... It's kind of funny... they put up 43 with Skelton going 15 of 137 for 146 yards and no TDs... that's impossible right?... Well, Tim Hightower went off (18 for 148), Jay Feely kicked 5 field goals AND ran a fake FG in for a TD, and they got a late defensive score... just how they drew it up... Denver's offense (Orton especially) looked putrid under the new regime too...
  • Chargers 31, Chiefs 0 - It's kind of funny when you think that KC is still in the AFC West lead outright after this beatdown... SD is the better team and I don't think anyone would dispute it, but put an asterisk on this one (a small one at least) because of Brodie Croyle... they clearly didn't trust him... he threw 17 passes in a 31-point blowout, and it changed that offense...
  • Eagles 30, Cowboys 27 - The Desean Jackson show... 4 catches for 210 yards (52.5 yard average!), and that was the difference... Dallas continues to play better, but Philly won a game they probably had no business winning, and that's a good sign if you're an Eagles fan...

THE PICKS! 44-36-2 Entering...

  • NYJ -5.5... Yikes...
  • STL +9.5.... whoops...
  • Pittsburgh -8.5... winner!
  • Seattle +5.5... Jeez...

1-3 week... ugly... 45-39-2 on the year and still up though... Enjoy the day!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

12/11: George Karl, Brandon Spikes, etc.

Greetings all...
  • George Karl wins his 1,000th game... Let me say this... I don't think George Karl is a good in-game strategic basketball coach... his teams don't defend as a general rule, and often underperform to their talent level... done... but 1,000 wins is 1,000 wins and that's a nice accomplishment, his players love him, and he is, by all accounts, a good motivator and relates well to his guys... congrats to him
  • Patriots LB Brandon Spikes suspended 4 games for a PED violation... whoops... he's been playing well (non-coincidentally) and helping to anchor the Pats LB corps... not a huge, huge blow for them, but it certainly doesn't help
  • NBA Box Score Check - Miami wins their 7th straight behind 34 and 9 from Dwyane Wade... most interesting thing about this game? Bill Simmons doing analysis... he did a nice job I thought, and at no point did he say "Momma, there goes that man" a la Mark Jackson... we're all winners... Deron Williams with a 32 and 9 assist performance in a 12-point win over Orlando, Utah is clicking right now... Watch out for the Blazers? 4th straight win overall with their 101-94 win over Phoenix... Brandon Roy with 26 there... This just in, San Antonio is very, very good... 6 guys with 12 or more points, and they pounded the Hawks on the interior all night... Jeff Teague didn't see the court despite Tony Parker getting wherever he wanted on the court at all times... Derrick Rose... MVP candidate?... 29 and 9 last night in their home win over LAL.. he's averaging 25 points and 8 assists on the year... New Orleans has fallen off the cliff a bit... now at 14-8 after a home loss to OKC last night (led by 29 and 10 from Westbrook), definite cause for concern for NO... And another MVP candidate? Amare Stoudemire... 36 and 10 in NY's 7th straight win last night, and he's been going off lately... 26 and 9 on the year and over 30 and 10 in the last 10 games... and I'll end with the obligatory Kevin Love update... 27 and 18 last night in their 10-point win... he's averaging 15.7 rebounds a game...

What to watch for on a non-college football Saturday!?...

  • Heisman Ceremony - 8:00 ESPN - Cam Newton is the odds-on favorite and it'd be a big shock to see anyone else win it... the most interesting thing for me? 2nd place battle between James and Luck...
  • 30 for 30: Pony Excess - 9:00 ESPN - This thing is getting fantastic reviews.. 2-hour long expose on the SMU football program pre-death penalty... must-see
  • Pacers @ Hawks - 7:00 SportSouth - Back to back here for the Hawks, but coming home against a team they should be better then in their own building... this should be a Josh Smith game (Hansborough and McRoberts can't guard him) but his hamstring could be trouble
  • Tennessee @ Pittsburgh - ESPN 3:15- Two top 15 teams... Pitt gets a big test here, and I love them (as per usual)... they grind like few other teams
  • Indiana @ Kentucky - ESPN 5:15 - This game sounds better than it probably is, but Indiana is 7-1 and playing pretty well under Tom Crean... that said, they haven't seen anything like Kentucky's talent...
  • Gonzaga @ Notre Dame - ESPN2 8:30 - Gonzaga is 4-4... 4-4! That's insanity to me, and they certainly aren't favored to win in South Bend... ND is ranked, experienced, and they can out-execute people...
  • Army/Navy - CBS 2:30 - I think it's really interesting how much pub (and ratings) this game still gets... Navy owns the series, but clearly that's not why this game is watched... Big-ups to both sides... maybe Army will pull one out here...
  • T-Wolves @ Bulls - 8:00 WGN - If you hate Cam Newton... Kevin Love and Derrick Rose!

Enjoy it...

Friday, December 10, 2010

12/10: Indy Alive, Cliff Lee, etc.

Greetings...
  • The Colts are breathing... Peyton Manning threw for 319 yards and 2 TDs in the 30-28 win last night that got the Colts to 7-6 and still alive in the AFC South... Tennessee got beaten up early, but came back behind Chris Johnson's 179 total yards and made this competitive, but in the end, too much Manning, and a big-time catch and run from Pierre Garcon in the 4th quarter that led to the Vinatieri clincher sealed it...
  • Cliff Lee has at least one 7-year offer... from the Yankees... that should seal it I'd imagine... unless my man Nolan Ryan has anything to say about it...
  • Jay Bruce signs a 6-year, $51 million extension with the Reds... this is basically the exact same early extension as Justin Upton signed with the D-backs... seems reasonable for a guy with a .950+ OPS in the 2nd half of last season... big-time raw power from this kid
  • NBA Check - Dwight Howard goes for 39 and 15... and Orlando scores 83 points in a 15-point loss? Yikes... the Blazers played pretty well, and basically shut everyone else down... Boston gets a 102-101 win over Philly behind a Rondo-to-KG game-winner... not a good sign? Jodie Meeks leading your team in scoring with 19... and Dallas wins their 11th in a row... Is the LAL/Dallas/San Antonio trio better than the East's "Big 3"?... I say yes...
  • NCAA Hoops - Jared Sullinger drops 40 and 13 for Ohio State... I can't remember the last time a Freshman big had 40 points in a game... that's impressive stuff... Temple stuns Georgetown behind 30 from Ramone Moore...
  • Kyrie Irving may be out for the year for Duke... Obviously a big hit, and I may be crazy here, but I STILL think Duke is the favorite without him... not to the same degree that they were prior to it, but with Smith/Dawkins/Curry I believe they'd still have enough in the backcourt to be considered a contender...
What to watch for...
  • Lakers @ Bulls - 8:00 ESPN - Real nice game here... I have absolutely no idea how LA plans on containing Derrick Rose...
  • Hawks @ Spurs - 8:30 SportSouth - If you want to see an exhibition in execution, watch the Spurs here...
  • Heat @ Warriors - 10:30 ESPN - The game took a hit with the Steph Curry injury... but Bill Simmons is doing color commentary for the game... that's must-see TV for me lol...
Done and done...

Thursday, December 9, 2010

NFL Preview Week 14

Aloha... As always, winners in bold...
  • Indy @ Tennessee - 8:20 Thursday - Must-win for Indy... it seems shocking to think they could be out of the playoffs, but they should already be out of it at 6-6... fortunately for them, Tennessee is in shambles offensively with the Rusty Smith/Kerry Collins duo and I like Indy to bounce back here... I like Peyton to bounce back at least a little bit here, and I still wouldn't bet against him in a night game...
  • Green Bay @ Detroit - 1:00 - I still think GB is the best team in the NFC North... Detroit will be frisky-ish at home, but I can't pick Drew Stanton... He was average in college, and although he showed some signs of life last week, I don't trust him... Aaron Rodgers should have a field day, and whatever running back (Starks, Jackson, Kuhn) should be able to get a decent ground attack going...
  • Oakland @ Jacksonville - 1:00 - Really a Jekyll/Hyde game all around... I have no idea what to expect out of either team from week to week... I think the Jags have an identity now with a commitment to grind with MJD and that'll continue here... basically, I'll default take the home team b/c I still don't trust Oakland at all... are the Jags going to win the AFC South?...
  • Cincy @ Pittsburgh - 1:00 - Cincy is suddenly not as pathetic as they seem... hanging around for several weeks in a row, and being competitive despite their QB... Pittsburgh is another animal though, and they shouldn't have a problem making Cincy one-dimensional, which will turn into the Carson Palmer show... yikes... Pittsburgh by double-figures...
  • Atlanta @ Carolina - 1:00 - Never want to pencil in a road win in the NFL... that's my company line this week... yes, Atlanta is significantly better than Carolina in every phase... we know that... but it's a division game and Atlanta has to play a decent game to win here... I think they will... One caveat? Jonathan Stewart is running the ball extremely well the past few weeks, and they'll need to bottle him up...
  • Cleveland @ Buffalo - 1:00 - I was shocked to see Buffalo was favored in this game... at any rate, the Bills have been competitive for weeks now, and they still have a homefield that isn't easy to play at... the key? Keeping Peyton Hillis from absolutely murdering them... the Buffalo run D is pretty bad, and they'll need to stack the box... I think they can bottle him up (to a point) and Fitzpatrick/Jackson/Johnson will do enough to win...
  • Tampa @ Washington - 1:00 - This was a tough one for me... Tampa still hasn't beaten a better-than-.500 team all year, and I'm not totally sold on them as a road favorite... that said, I hate Washington... McNabb is being forced to try and carry the offense and he isn't that guy anymore, especially without a single above-average target in the passing game... I like Josh Freeman and the Bucs here...
  • NY Giants @ Minnesota - 1:00 - Upset special... the Giants receivers are still banged up, Minny can stop the run, and they've played very well under Leslie Frazier... we forget how much talent is on that Viking roster and how bad Brad Childress really was... NYG has to cause turnovers with Favre or T-Jax to win this one, and while that's exceedingly possible, I think the Vikings win it tight...
  • St. Louis @ New Orleans - 4:00 - I still think it's funny how many people are sleeping on the 9-3 defending champs... Brees is on crazy pace (again) and now his running game is catching up a bit with Ivory's emergence and Bush/Thomas returning... they'll put up points, and I don't think STL can fully match them on the road... it'll be a tight game though
  • Seattle @ San Francisco - 4:00 - Tough one here... Seattle is the better team IMO, but they are so different on the road, and SF is playing better... the deciding factor? Mike Singletary's indefensible decision to start Alex Smith this week... what!? why!?!?... That swung this pick for me... here's looking at you Alex...
  • Kansas City @ San Diego - 4:00 - I was picking SD anyway (I think) but it became a lock when Matt Cassel had an appendectomy this week... Brodie Croyle = Go the other way... The Chargers win and get back in the AFC West race...
  • Denver @ Arizona - 4:00 - The Cardinals are the worst team in the league at the moment... yes, I know Carolina has 1 win... I don't care... Arizona is a disaster... to the point where I'm taking a coach-less team on the road...
  • Miami @ NY Jets - 4:00 - Chad Henne stinks (sorry Michigan fans), the Jets will be extra motivated this week off that drubbing, and they are playing at home... could be an ugly game...
  • New England @ Chicago - 4:00 - Game of the day... tough spot for NE coming off a short week and a potential let-down from that domination... but if there was ever a team to do it, it's the Pats... I still don't fully buy in to Chicago, but this one would sell me a bit..
  • Philly @ Dallas - 8:20 Sunday - Go Cowboys!... That sounds odd... anyway, Falcons fans are in the Dallas camp this week because they (we) are terrified of Mike Vick in the playoffs... Dallas is playing much better under Garrett, but the Dez Bryant injury hurts, and I think Philly can stop the run and make Kitna/Roy Williams/Austin beat them... good luck with that...
  • Baltimore @ Houston - 8:30 Monday - How has Gary Kubiak survived the season?... This was actually a tough pick, and that was the X-factor, but I'm not sure I buy Flacco and the Ravens on the road... their pass D is pretty beat up, and we could be looking at a 150-yard explosion from Andre Johnson on 11 days rest... that said, Baltimore is just better, and they have the better coach....
THE PICKS! 44-36-2 entering...
  • NY Jets -5.5 over Miami - Think they blow them out...
  • St. Louis +9.5. over NO - Don't usually like to take an underdog that I don't think will win, but 9.5 seems like a lot to me...
  • Pittsburgh -8.5. over Cincy - Could be 20+...
  • Seattle +5.5 over SF - Picking them to win outright, but I'll take the 5.5..
Enjoy it...

12/9: Meyer, Cassel, etc.

Greetings all...
  • Urban Meyer resigns as the HC of Florida... not TOO shocking simply because we've seen indications of this (last year) previously, but it still seems a little crazy for a 46-year-old coach to win 2 titles in 6 years and then resign... One note from me... I've seen alot of crapping on him in the post-Tebow era... please don't forget that he won the 2006 title with Chris Leak as his QB and went undefeated at Utah...
  • Matt Cassel had an appendectomy yesterday... and people are reporting he may play this week? That's not going to happen... I'd be shocked/appalled if he did...
  • The Yankees reportedly offer Cliff Lee $140 million... this is only news because I can't see anyone outbidding them at that price...
  • Carlos Pena signs for 1 year/10 million with the Cubs... seems like alot for a guy who hit sub-.200 last year, huh?
  • NBA Check - Miami doesn't lose anymore... 111-98 in Utah is impressive, and LBJ/Wade combined for a cohesive 61 points... best win since the Orlando beatdown early in the year... Andrea Bargnani had a crazy 41 points in New York... and Toronto still lost to the red-hot Knicks... Amare threw up a 34 and 14 for good measure... Ole!... Boston looked dominant in their 105-89 win over Denver... when Ray Allen has it going, they aren't losing to anyone... and lastly, Kevin Durant with an efficient 30 and 11 in a road win over Minny... that probably wouldn't have made it into this space except I needed an excuse to mention Kevin Love's 22-21 game... that's his 5th twenty rebound game of the season, and he's now averaging 20 and 16 for the season...
What to watch for...
  • Colts @ Titans - 8:20 NFL Network - Indy is in big-time danger of missing the playoffs if they drop this one (and they really still are even with a win) but they won't lose here IMO... Peyton's due to get back on track, and Tennessee simply can't score points anymore...
  • Celtics @ Sixers - 8:00 TNT - It's a shame Philly stinks...
  • Magic @ Blazers - 10:30 TNT - Portland will be thankful they have Pryzbilla back when they see Dwight walk in...
  • Georgetown @ Temple - 9:00 ESPN2 - The Georgetown backcourt is fun to watch.. I really like Austin Freeman...

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

12/8: Ramblings...

Not a lot of "big" stories to report... so I'm going with shorter blurbs... there it is...
  • Albert Haynesworth shut down by Washington... suspended for 4 games (aka the rest of the season) basically for insubordination... in other news... Albert Haynesworth is crazy... this is a non-story if he's not the highest paid lineman in the league... but he is? So... yeah... he's nuts and Washington is in a bad spot
  • Dave Wannstedt resigns as Pitt's head coach... kind of surprising, but they clearly underachieved this year, and when looking at his resume today, he's underachieved on the whole there...
  • The MLB Winter Meetings are in full swing... what does that mean? Tons of unsubstantiated rumors and chatter... always entertaining, but nothing of substance has happened yet since the Werth deal...
  • Jimmy V Classic - First of all, the Jimmy V speech still holds up 17 years later... always gets a bit misty in my home... on the court? 4 pretty darn good teams... Kansas was impressive in dismantling a very young Memphis team... the Morris twins are beasts, and Kansas will be scary when Selby gets there to help that backcourt... and Syracuse beats up on Michigan State in the late game... de facto home game for the Cuse as always, but they looked impressive, Rick Jackson is a beast...
  • NBA Check - Josh Smith with a season-high 34 points, and Al Horford with 24 and 10 in the Hawks 15-point win... nice to see Larry Drew make a concerted effort to get Smith and Horford extended touches even if the Joe injury was the impetus... Luis Scola slaps up a 35 and 12 in a home win over Detroit... that's a mismatch all the way around... and it would certainly take you a while to name the leading rebounder for the Mavericks last night... how bout Ian Mahinmi!?!??!? 10 boards off the pine for Dallas in their 105-100 win...
What to watch for...
  • Nuggets @ Celtics - 7:00 ESPN - Denver's been pretty bad away from home... probably a solid Boston win
  • Notre Dame @ Kentucky - 9:30 ESPN - Notre Dame is always really well-coached and that's a veteran unit... nice contrast with the crazy youth/talent of Kentucky
  • Gonzaga @ Washington State - 11:00 Fox Sports - Quietly awesome game if you're a late-night person... Wazzu is fantastically coached by Bennett, and Gonzaga is still pretty talented and always well-prepared under Few... a basketball diehard's dream...

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

12/7: Patriot Domination...

Greetings...
  • The AFC East showdown was, well, not a showdown... the Pats absolutely demolished the Jets from the jump and took their spot atop the AFC... Brady went for 300+, 4 TDs and 0 INT... Green-Ellis and Woodhead combined for around 200 total yards and 2 more scores, and the Jets offense was embarrassing... Sanchez threw 3 picks and ended with a QB rating that looked more like an NBA scoring average... What do we take from this? The Pats are the best team in the league IMO (sorry Falcons fans), but moreso, it's an indictment on the Jets who had walked on water to get to 9-2, and while I don't think they are this bad (clearly), it was ugly...
  • THE PICKS Wrap... Missed on the normal Monday morning column... but I went 2-1 on Sunday (check if you feel led) and now stand at 44-36-2... the kid is hot, son lol...
  • Josh McDaniels fired as the Broncos head coach... a bit of a shocker timing-wise here, but he went 5-17 in his last 22 games, and was embroiled in a spygate scandal akin to the Patriots debacle (which he was there for)... Denver is even trying to fire him "for cause" and not pay him due to the scar they took from spygate II...
  • The Heisman finalists are in... Cam Newton, LaMichael James, and Andrew Luck were the automatics... the 4th? Kellen Moore of Boise State... I was a bit surprised he made it with Boise losing a game, but he had some crazy efficiency numbers, and certainly wasn't the problem against Nevada in their loss... Most importantly? Terrelle Pryor wasn't named a finalist, which would've caused me to write a 1,000 word essay... so that's good...
  • NBA Box Score Check - The Hawks... get a marquee road win?!... In Orlando, no less!... it was a hideous game... 80-74 final score, both teams shot sub-40% from the field, and they didn't take the Magic's best shot... but anytime you can steal one down there in the personal house of horrors, it's a good night... Horford and Smith combined for 35 and 23 in the win... New York has won 10 of 11... coming from 20 down in the first half to beat Minny by 7... Amare had 34 and Ray Felton added 11 assists... for the T-Wolves? Kevin Love had 33 and 15... he's just going off every night now... The Bulls are here to stay?... The new-look Bulls (with Boozer) beat OKC by 9 last night behind Boozer's 29 and 12... OKC looked sluggish until their late run, but got Durant back and that can't hurt...
What to watch for...
  • Memphis vs. Kansas - ESPN 7:00 - Very nice game here... and it's the Jimmy V Classic... must-watch
  • Michigan State vs. Syracuse - ESPN 9:00 - Probably the better of the 2 games (even slightly)... and yeah, I'll say it again... check out the Jimmy V speech...
  • Nets @ Hawks - SportSouth 7:00 - Back-to-back games, and NJ has been competitive this year... still a game you should win at home
  • Warriors @ Mavs - NBATV 8:30 - Entertaining matchup... Steph Curry and Monta Ellis should do whatever they want all night against that defensive backcourt in Dallas...
  • Georgia @ Georgia Tech - ESPN2 7:00 - Not a great matchup talent-wise, but relevant where I live... and Trey Thompkins is worth watching...
Enjoy...

Sunday, December 5, 2010

12/5: Chalk!

Greetings all... in case the title confused you... "chalk" is a term most closely associated with the NCAA tournament when the favored teams win... lol... hence the Auburn/Oregon set-up... I'm a wordsmith... anyway...
  • Auburn destroys South Carolina 56-17... an absolutely ludicrous 400+ yard, 6 TD performance from Cam Newton that absolutely solidifies him as the Heisman Trophy Winner (20+ tds rushing and passing for the undefeated SEC champ? good luck everyone else)... 35-3 dominance after South Carolina scored a TD late in the first half, and this got out of hand to be honest... the Gamecocks just couldn't get off the field defensively and Stephen Garcia couldn't match plays with Cam Newton, because, well, he's Stephen Garcia... pencil in the Tigers for the BCS title game... their opponent?
  • Oregon holds serve 37-20 over Oregon State... the Oregon offense stalled a bit early, but was still able to put 37 points on the road over their rival... I have to believe Lamichael James' 131 yards and 2 TDs will be enough to get him to New York for the Heisman presentation, but the best player on Oregon on Saturday was backup RB Kenjon Barner who went for 133 yards on just 15 carries... the BCS gets the result it wanted with 2 undefeated major conference champs facing off for the title... sorry TCU...
  • Oklahoma wins the Big 12... the 11-2 Sooners clinch a BCS birth beating Nebraska 23-20... Nebraska couldn't seem to get anything going offensively in the 2nd half with Taylor Martinez limping around and making freshman mistakes, and Landry Jones threw for 341 yards to give OU enough offense... stat of they day? Taylor Martinez, 14 carries for -36 yards... yes, college rushing numbers include sacks, but that's unbelievable for a Nebraska quarterback...
  • Virginia Tech wins the ACC... the Hokies run the table for the entire season (admittedly in a down ACC) and it makes you wonder what it would look like if they had just shown up the day they played James Madison... they'd be #3 or #4 in the country, 11-1 major conference champ with 1 loss to Boise... and here's the kicker, Tyrod Taylor would be a heisman candidate... he was great again on Saturday with nearly 300 yards and 4 more TDs... it's another down year for the ACC, but I don't think the Hokies will get embarrassed in their BCS game, and frankly, I'm not sure they won't win the game against anybody they play...
  • Big East champs? UConn... it's almost sad that the Big East gets a BCS bid (okay, it really is sad), but UConn wins the conference on a 52-yard field goal with under 20 seconds left... congrats to them and the positive impact that the BCS money will have on their program... that being said, it's kind of an outrage that a 8-4 team from a pathetic confeence plays in a BCS bowl while 11-1 or 10-2 teams from better conferences get left out... It's the system, folks... but hey, Michigan beat a team that made a BCS bowl! 30-10 even!
THE PICKS! 39-34-2 entering...
  • Arizona -6... Loss (Thursday)
  • Fresno State +5.5... win (outright even)
  • Washington -6... win
  • Nebraska +4.... win!
A nice week at 3-1, and now at 42-35-2 as we kickoff the NFL Sunday...

Elsewhere...
  • Derek Jeter and the Yankees reportedly agree to a 3-year deal worth at least $51 million... we all agree it's an overpayment, but I feel like it's a no-brainer for NY... they print money, and he's worth millions upon millions more to them than anyone else...
  • College Hoops - Duke pulls away from Butler... they put up 49 second half points and win by 12 behind Irving and Smith combining for 45 points... still the team to beat... North Carolina gets a big win.. the UNC/Kentucky game was an exercise in youth on both teams, but there's a whole lot of talent on that court... Tyler Zeller was the difference to me, and he's clearly UNC's best player so far (sorry Harrison Barnes)... Illinois puts 5 guys in double figures and dispatches of a scuffling Gonzaga team... The Zags brought Elias Harris off the bench, and it didn't particularly help... they just couldn't get stops...
  • NBA Box Score Check - The Heat dispatch of Atlanta... not a pathetic effort from the Hawks, but can't let the Big 3 combine for 75 points AND get a subpar game from Josh Smith on the road... one pet peeve (again)? Al Horford playing only 31 minutes despite him dominating throughout simply because of Larry Drew's foul fears... it's getting ludicrous... The T-wolves set a new team record for 3's made and shot 18-26 from distance in dismantling Cleveland... oh... and Kevin Love had 28 and 19... should I just have a "Kevin Love ridiculous stat line" feature every day?... Derrick Rose and the Bulls get a win in OT... Rose put up a 30 point, 11 dime, 6 board, 5 steal performance... and Carlos Boozer made his first real impression of the year with 25 and 9...
What to watch for on Sunday (check out the football preview for a full mark-up)
  • Hornets @ Spurs - 7:00 NBA TV - pretty nice game here... San Antonio is playing fantastically right now....
  • BCS Announcement - 8:15 ESPN - We know who's in the title game... but this will officially put together the other games (i.e. TCU going to the Rose Bowl forces Stanford elsewhere) and give us 5 weeks of mind-numbing discussion...
Enjoy the NFL slate....

Saturday, December 4, 2010

12/4: Lots to cover...

First off... Check out the football previews (look to the right toolbar) for full breakdowns.... Secondly? My apologies for going MIA yesterday... work will do that to you on occasion... Anyway, Here's a quick overview of what's gone down...
  • Alright... Here's my quick Lebron/Cleveland thoughts... 1) That's the best Lebron has played this year... 2) The crowd was insane for a regular season game (first half) but actually not as crazy as I'd envisioned... 3) I'm glad nothing too crazy went down... 4) Cleveland's basketball team isn't very good... I'm not sure what else to say? It was a huge story in the moment simply because it became a "I have to see if anything crazy happens" thing... but that was really it...
  • Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox? Buster Olney and others reporting that the deal is done and they are working on a giant contract extension for him... pretty big news... one of the best 1B's in the game (he plays defense too) and a lefty hitter to stick in that lineup... no-brainer for them... and Youkilis gives them so much versatility that they can just stick him at 3rd full time
  • If you missed it, Arizona State and Arizona played an insane game on Thursday night... the gist of it? Arizona missed an extra point (blocked) to win the game with 10 seconds left... and then missed ANOTHER one (blocked) to tie the game in OT... how does that happen?
  • Philadelphia is better than Houston... that's all I got on the NFL game... Vick won't go away as an MVP candidate either...
  • The Hawks won last night without Joe Johnson... despite being down 20 at one point, the Hawks fought back behind Marvin Williams and Al Horford... it's become a definite trend to see how much better Williams plays (22 last night) without Joe Johnson... I distinctly remember him ripping off 4 straight 20-point games the last time Johnson was out for an extended time... and smartly, LD ran the offense through Horford for the majority of the game... it works..
  • NBA Box Score Check - The Blazers went down in Washington... now 8-11 (4-8 road) and they did this one with Roy in the lineup... cause of concern?... Boston is still the team to beat in the East... 102-94 over Chicago, and while the Bulls looked much better in game #2 with Boozer, they still got beat up when he was on the floor, and Derrick Rose didn't play well.. oh yeah, and KG (20 and 17) ate Boozer up...New Orleans takes their 2nd home loss, this one at the mercy of NY... Amare was great (34 and 10) and exposed David West... It was nice to see Houston put up 127 points led by Kyle Lowry (my boy) with 28 and 12... Starting to think I was right with Dallas at #2 in the West preseason... a 12-point road win in Utah (brutal place to play) and they've won 8 straight.. and finally... San Antonio uses a 36-15 4th quarter to come back and beat Minny... Duncan had 22 and 10 and despite Love's 25 and 18 (jeez, he's good), they managed to put them away...
What to watch for (Football listings on the CFB Preview) -
  • Hawks @ Heat - 7:30 SportSouth - The next team to get a crack at Lebron and company? The lowly Hawks without Joe Johnson... the only way they'll hang around here is pounding them inside with Horford and Smith... has to be the game plan
  • Butler @ Duke - ESPN 3:15 - Butler has disappointed this year, but this is worth watching just to see the rematch...
  • Illinois @ Gonzaga - ESPN 5:15 - The Zags are getting Elias Harris healthy, and both teams have significant talent...
  • Kentucky @ UNC - CBS 12:30 - Gus Johnson is calling the game...
Enjoy it...

Friday, December 3, 2010

NFL Preview Week 13

Nice slate here... As always, winners in bold...
  • Buffalo @ Minnesota - 1:00 - I may amend this if Peterson doesn't go (I think he will), but this was a toss-up to me... Buffalo is playing infinitely better than they were early in the year, and that's a team that can suddenly score points with the Fitzpatrick/Jackson/Johnson trio... for Minny, new coach Leslie Frazier seems to have the backing of the team (and importantly) Favre, and they have more talent here... home + talent = picking minny
  • Cleveland @ Miami - 1:00 - Upset special here... I'm down on Miami (even with Henne) and higher on Cleveland than most... Hillis should run wild (even Forte did for Chicago), McCoy is back and an upgrade over Delhomme, and Miami's not playing for much anymore... oh... and two words... Peyton... Hillis....
  • Denver @ Kansas City - 1:00 - Revenge game for the blowout they took earlier in the year... KC is just better... Bowe is playing out of his mind, they are running wild with Charles (suddenly 2nd in the NFL in rushing) and Jones, and Cassel's numbers have been crazy... I don't trust Denver at all, and especially not in Arrowhead...
  • Washington @ NY Giants - 1:00 - Seems like a pencil-in game for the Giants, but I don't really think so... the Giants receiving corps is decimated with injuries, they can't pick a running back, and it's kind of a mess.... that being said, they are better than Washington on defense, and I still don't think the Skins can score consistently...
  • San Fran @ Green Bay - 1:00 - Green Bay is good... San Francisco isn't... and it kills the Niners to lose their heart and soul in Frank Gore... I wasn't picking them with him, but it's simple math that I can't pick them in GB...
  • New Orleans @ Cincy - 1:00 - Cincy stinks... Carson Palmer stinks... Cedric Benson is back to Earth... and despite having a bunch of great players on defense, they can't stop anybody... and somehow? New Orleans is being overlooked... they're playing better than at any point in the season... and uh, they are the defending champs... Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush are supposedly back, so keep an eye out there
  • Oakland @ San Diego - 4:00 - Good luck picking against San Diego in December... they don't lose.. and especially don't take the Raiders... this is the largest vegas spread on the board (13 points), and it should be... Chargers by a bunch...
  • Atlanta @ Tampa Bay - 4:00 - A nice, nice game here... Atlanta is the better team IMO, but as we say every week, they are a different team at home, and this game is on the road... I really like Josh Freeman, and this could be a classic let-down game for the Falcons who have been told all week how great they are...
  • Carolina @ Seattle - 4:00 - Another bad road team/better home team!... and they get Carolina? It's almost unfair at this point to the Panthers... on the bright side, they played much better last week (St. Pierre!) and suddenly don't look as horrid as they did in previous weeks... that said, Hasselbeck is alive, and until he isn't, I can't take Carolina on the road...
  • Dallas @ Indy - 4:00 - Peyton is scuffling right now... 4 picks against San Diego, and the Colts aren't looking so sharp... so they get the present of getting Dallas at home... in fairness to them, the Cowboys have looked like a different team with Jason Garrett at the helm, but I can't see how you pick Kitna and the boys on the road against a legit opponent... This is Indy's chance to show they are still a semi-contender...
  • St. Louis @ Arizona - 4:00 - I can smell Derek Anderson from here... anyway... Arizona is rivaling Carolina as most inept team right now, and even at home (where they got the doors blown off on Monday) I can't pick them... Quietly (semi-quietly at least), Sam Bradford is playing out of his mind, and putting up one of the most impressive rookie campaigns ever... I think the Rams are the best team in the NFC West right now...
  • Pittsburgh @ Baltimore - 8:00 - Classic coin-flip game... my gut is telling me to roll with Pittsburgh... I trust Ben more than Flacco, and I think the Steelers defense is still better than Baltimore's even with the injuries... the key? Baltimore's pass D is quietly bad, and Mike Wallace will hit a deep ball or 2 here...
  • NY Jets @ New England - 8:30 Monday - Game of the year so far in the NFL... 9-2 vs. 9-2 and another "coinflip game"... comes down to this... New England has Tom Brady, and New England is at home... can't pick the Jets (or anyone else) in that type of spot yet...
THE PICKS! 39-34-2 Pending CFB
  • Cleveland +4.5 over Miami... I think they win outright
  • Green Bay -9.5 over SF... Blowout city
  • Indy -5.5 over Dallas... Peyton makes you remember that he's Peyton on Sunday...
Enjoy the slate!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

College Football Weekend Preview Volume 14

Greetings all... It's "Championship Week" in College football.. not a numerous amount of games, but some good matchups... let's get to it...
  • SEC Championship - Auburn vs. South Carolina - 4:00 CBS - Obvious implications with Auburn's national title hopes on the line here... South Carolina definitely has a chance in the game... they had Auburn on the ropes when they played earlier in the year, Garcia is playing better, and they have a game-changer at RB in Lattimore... Auburn can and will put up points here, but that defense is always susceptible... I like Auburn in the game, but it's not a slam dunk by any means...
  • Civil War - Oregon @ Oregon State - 3:30 ABC - Going head-to-head with Auburn in admittedly not as intriguing of a matchup, but with similar stakes... Oregon has wrapped up the Pac-10 title at worst, but this is the national title shot... Oregon State is having a down year at 5-6, and the Rodgers brothers haven't been able to overcome the shortfalls elsewhere... that being said, the game is in Corvallis, and in this game, nothing would shock me... Oregon wins but doesn't dominate...
  • Big 12 Title Game - Oklahoma vs. Nebraska - 8:00 ABC - No national title implications... but the Big 12 title and automatic BCS berth is enough to get anyone to watch this one... I think Nebraska is the better team, but with Martinez banged up, that makes it a little more even... in the end, I still don't trust Landry Jones (or Bob Stoops) and I can't bail on the Huskers now...
  • ACC Title Game - Florida State vs. Virginia Tech - 7:45 ESPN - Sadly, this one is an afterthought... however, this is the ideal situation (of a bevy of bad ones) for the ACC in that they get 2 marquee teams (and avoid Maryland or NC State) which should help in the ratings department... VT has been the class of the league and has won 10 in a row... they should win this game, but Christian Ponder is very, very good for FSU... worth watching....
THE PICKS! 39-34-2 Entering
  • Arizona -6 over Arizona State... Can't trust ASU on the road... Arizona coming off a tough game against Oregon but clearly the better team
  • Fresno State +5.5 over Illinois... doesn't this seem like a typical Fresno spot? Long trip for Illinois, they have the worse coach (Pat Hill is good)...
  • Washington -6 over Wazzu... Typical Jake Locker game here... he'll get everyone very, very excited about him again...
  • Nebraska +4 over OU... Ludicrous line... flat-out... Nebraska's been better all year and should be at least a pick'em on a neutral field...

12/2: Newton Eligible, Lakers Swoon, etc.

Greetings all...
  • Cam Newton is eligible...er.. ineligible... er... eligible... the NCAA ruled yesterday that he is indeed ELIGIBLE to play as of today, after Auburn very quietly ruled him ineligible on Tuesday... what does it mean? Not a whole lot... other than he's eligible to see the field on Saturday, but this investigation is going to continue until a final verdict... and this isn't it...
  • Joe Johnson out 4-6 weeks with an elbow injury... this should be a riveting case study... both on the "decline" of Joe Johnson, and what the offense will look like without him... in last night's 3 point win over Memphis, Mo Evans started at the 2 (and played well) with Jamal staying in his normal role... I like this model, but the long-term effects will be increased minutes for not only Evans, but definitely Marvin Williams (without a primary backup)... this isn't a "sky is falling" scenario, but treading water for 4-6 weeks should now be the goal...
  • The Lakers have lost 4 in a row... seems... impossible?... 109-99 loss to embattled Houston last night and the champs are scuffling... they are still getting relative production from their current big 3 (Kobe/Gasol/Odom) but Kobe is getting shot-happy, and they just aren't defending like they were early... not cause for too much concern, but they need to get it corrected...
  • NBA Box Score Check - Russell Westbrook is playing out of his mind!... 38/15/9 last night, even in 3OT is impressive just because he led the team in all 3 categories in their 3 point win over NJ... Boston edges Portland 99-95 behind steady play from Rondo and 28 from Pierce... encouraging signs from Brandon Roy from what I saw though... Orlando throttles the Bulls... not exactly a welcome back party for Carlos Boozer in the 107-78 drubbing... maybe a little statement from Orlando?.... Utah has won 7 straight, beating Indiana last night behind Deron Williams' 24 and 16 dimes... Blake Griffin!... He did enough last night to make himself the story rather than the Spurs losing a game (finally)... yes, it was a road back-to-back for SA, but Blake did whatever he wanted all night en route to 31 and 13... Baron Davis returned and really gave the Clips a lift too... 10 dimes in 24 minutes? Wow....
  • If you don't know who Kyrie Irving is... you should... the Duke freshman PG was the best player on the floor last night in Durham... 31 points, 6 boards, 4 assists in Duke's 84-79 win over Sparty... the Blue Devils are so deep that Seth Curry played 7 minutes last night... 7!
  • Jon Gruden isn't going to Miami... that shouldn't surprise anyone... but in this day and age... people NOT doing things equates to news...
  • The Cavs have hired an investigator to look into tampering charges against the Heat... this was inevitable IMO, but why would Dan Gilbert wait 5 months to do it? Doesn't make sense to me...

What to watch for...

  • Heat @ Cavs - TNT 8:00 - Lebron's "homecoming"... this is going to be a madhouse... TNT is taking the pregame/postgame live to Cleveland, and that says it all... on the court? I think Cleveland wins the game actually... they've had this one circled for months... but if Lebron is who we thought he was, he'll come out and play like a man on fire here... not sure if he has it in him though, it's gonna be nuts...
  • Suns @ Warriors - TNT 10:30 - Nothing like following a game with tons of emotion/storyliens with good old-fashioned open-court scoring... this could be in the 130s... that sound you hear will be me screaming "Ole!" at my television...
  • Texans @ Eagles - NFL Network 8:00 - ah, Thursday night football... the noticably unsuspended Andre Johnson needs to go off for them to have a chance, but I like the Eagles in the game... they'll throw the ball all over the yard against that putrid defense...
  • UCLA @ Kansas - ESPN2 9:00 - 2 historic programs matching up... always nice... UCLA is a little down (still) but noticably more talented than last year's team, and seem to be potentially turning the corner after losing Collison, Westbrook, Love, & Westbrook early in a 2 year period...
  • Arizona State @ Arizona - ESPN 8:00 - Pac-10 rivalry football... That sounds nice... Arizona is better... they are playing at home... and I generally don't believe in ASU...

Busy night...

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

12/1: Hoops, Tulo, etc.

Greetings all... not a big "storyline" day yesterday, but some nice game action... let's get to it...
  • NBA First... The Lakers lose their 3rd in a row? Yes, it happened last night in Memphis thanks to Mike Conley's 28 points (carving up Derek Fisher, no doubt)... no time for panic, but they aren't playing at the level they did in their first 10... Timmy D!... Tim Duncan put up his first triple-double since 2006 with 15 pts, 18 boards, 11 dimes in a 20 point road win in Golden State... the Spurs are playing so, so well... Brook Lopez awoke from his early-season slumber a bit last night with 36 points in a road loss to the Knicks... that said, NY continues to play well and are now at a comfortable 10-9 behind Amare's 35 and 9 (and moreso Wilson Chandler's 27 and 11) in the same game... Trouble in Portland? Another road loss last night, this time to a bad Philly team that had no one score over 18 points (Elton Brand)... and Boston continues to beat up on people... a 106-87 thrashing in Cleveland led by Rondo's 23 and 12... he's playing at a crazy level...
  • The Troy Tulowitzki deal guarantees him $157.75 million in the next 10 seasons including 7-years for $134 after his original deal is done... that seems like... alot?... Here are the positives... he plays a premium defensive position (SS) at a very high level... he doesn't have a body type that will decline (i.e. Ryan Howard's atrocity of a contract)... and he's a top-10 position player in the Majors.... Negatives?... Pure length... The fact that they didn't need to lock him up for 3 more years (at least) so basically they bid against themselves to lock a guy up well before they needed to for an exorbitant amount (Huh)... Likely? This won't be a complete disaster... but any time you're giving a 10-year giant contract to a guy who usually doesn't play the full season and will be in his upper-mid 30s by the end (at shortstop)... it's cause for some concern..
  • Miami still wants Jon Gruden... after repeated denials (publicly even)... they still list him as their top candidate... here's a thought... why fire Randy Shannon?... Top 20 recruiting classes 3 years in a row... cleaned up the program... and if he had a healthy Jacory Harris (ever) he'd have probably 5 more wins over the last 2 years...
  • James Harrison fined $25K for a hit on Sunday... yes, the same amount that Andre Johnson got for beating the daylights out of a helmet-less Courtland Finnegan... Yes, I know Harrison is a repeat-repeat-repeat offender and Johnson is, by all accounts, a first-timer who's a great guy, blah blah blah... this still doesn't line up....
  • College Hoops - Georgetown/Missouri was a barnburner... 111-102 in OT and that game was played at a high level all night... Austin Freeman (31 points), Chris Wright, and Jason Clark combined for 79 points from the 3 guard front for GTown... Ohio State got a pretty impressive 58-44 road win despite not shooting well... a nice sign when you win convincingly on the road against a decent team and shoot 32%.... Does anyone still think North Carolina is big-time? They go down again last night in Champaign to the Illini by 12, and all that talent seems misled... especially Harrison Barnes, the consensus #1 pick preseason, who's averaging an ordinary 11 points per game including a 2-9 shooting 8 point effort last night.. I'm underwhelmed... break up the Wolverines!... 69-61 on the road over Clemson (who was a 9 point favorite) and they showed up that Beilein offense we've been wanting to see... I was impressed by freshman Evan Smotrycz who put up 18 and 6... and because I need to shout-out Travis and John... Northwestern throttles Ga. Tech... 91 points and it could've been more... a combination of embarrassing perimeter defense from GT and unreal shooting from NW (12-19 threes) beat up on the Jackets... Glen Rice, Jr. was really the only bright spot for Tech (7-10, 16 points, 6 boards)...
  • Miguel Tejada signs with the Giants for 1 year, 6.5 million... they are really trying to have every aging MLB shortstop at some point... Uribe... Renteria... now Tejada... he was decent enough last year (.269, 15 hr, 71 rbi) but 6.5 million struck me as a lot...
What to watch for...
  • Michigan State @ Duke - ESPN 9:30 - The game of the year so far in college hoops and the headliner of the Big 10/ACC challenge... I'm picking Duke in every game until other notice... but if anyone can beat them, it's Sparty... both teams are deep with talent (veteran talent even, a rarity in CBB) and this should be fun
  • Purdue @ Virginia Tech - ESPN 7:30 - 2 teams who have played below expectations so far... Purdue has 2 marquee guys (Moore and Johnson) and VT is sporting Malcolm Delaney (who has been there for about 9 years)...
  • Grizzlies @ Hawks - SportSouth 7:00 - Is it me or have there been longer stretches without Hawks games this year?... anyway... a chance to see Mike Conley go to work on Bibby and Crawford! lol... I'm kidding... sort of... Joe Johnson is a game-time decision.... interesting if he doesn't go how the minutes get dispersed...
  • Blazers @ Celtics - NBA TV 7:30 - Quality matchup... both teams well coached... with both on a back-to-back it's always interesting to see who shows up...
  • Spurs @ Clippers - NBA TV 10:30 - Spurs playing fantastic... but on the 2nd of a road back-to-back this could be tough spot... yes, even against LAC...
Enjoy it...