Sports Litter

Sports Highlight Videos

2006-09-27T16:25:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let everyone know about a new Sports Highlights website. They have some of the best highlight videos you will ever see. From Reggie Bush to Tiger Woods to David Beckham. These are mvp calibur highlights. So check it out. They add many new videos every day!

http://www.mvpflix.com

Roger Clemens returns

2006-06-05T15:16:00.000-04:00

Roger Clemens has decided to return to the Houston Astros to try to bring them a World Series Championship. The Rocket decided to return last week for a reported $12+ million for half a seasons work.

In my opinion the $12 million is money well spent. Not only does it bring a strong arm to the rotation, but he puts butts in the seats and sell merchandise.

The Astros are one of only a handful of teams who have never won a World Series. The signing of Roger couldn't have come at a better time. The Astros are struggling below .500 right now. With Pujols on the DL, now is the time for the Astros to climb back up.

Slugfest in Houston

2006-04-19T10:23:00.000-04:00

Roy Oswalt was able to earn his 3rd victory in his 4th start of the season. He even helped his cause by knocking in 2 rbi's on a single with 2 outs. With the win, the Astros remain on top of the National League Central.

Morgan Ensberg homered again (twice) for what seems like 4-5 games in a row. He's no David Shelton of Detroit, but he is a man on fire. Ensberg is trying to solidify himself as one of the game's premier 3rd basemen. If he keeps up his pace, he is likely to earn a second consecutive All-Star selection. Ensberg is batting .429 on the season with 6 homeruns and 13 rbis.

The Astros fought off the pesty Brewers last night in a game that surrendered 7 homeruns. With a final score of 13-12 and a total of 32 hits, the Stros managed to hold on a 9th inning Brewer rally to win their 10th game of the season. Preston Wilson dispappointed again last night. He started off so hot, and now has struck out like 8 times in 2 games.

It has been an unusual start for the Astros, who are notorious for their slow starts. The last two seasons they started out in last place and placed in a grave by mid May. It's a little uneasy this year as they've started off hot. Hopefully they won't cool down post all-star break.

Perhaps they're playing hot to prove to the Rocket they still can win. With Backe on the DL again, the Astros are in desperate need of Roger Clemens to step in and dominate. The earliest he can sign with the Astros is May 1st. I would look for them to begin negotiations in the beginning of May, and to have him in a uniform in June.

This is a team on a mission. They are destined to win a World Series. This could be the year.

Sports Litter is back

2006-04-18T09:18:00.000-04:00

After several months off, I feel like contributing to the world of sports once again. I've kept track of the daily stats for this site, and it seems like I have been entertaining nearly 10-15 people a day even when I don't post. I noticed my pagerank is 4. Pretty impressive. Last time I posted it was 0.

There's a lot that's happened since I last posted. The Steelers won the SuperBowl. The Rockets fell off the face of the earth, and now baseball season has started and my Astros are back in first place. No Clemens, no Bagwell... and yet here they are at the top of the division where everyone least expected them. We also have the NFL Draft coming up.

Well, the hard part will be getting the word out that I am back to post. I'll be stopping by my old friend's sites to see how they're doing. Armchair QB, My Opinion, Out of Bounds, Sportszilla, and many more. I guess my goal can be 100 readers by then end of the month. If I remember correclty I had nearly 100-150 consistent uniques a day before I left. Time to get back on the train.

Go Astros!

Sorry Guys

2006-01-10T16:28:00.000-05:00

Sorry guys, but I won't be posting here on sports litter anymore. I am working on a new project that will be many times better than sportslitter.blogspot.com. I will have a new name and my own .com domain not on blogger anymore.

It's taking me more time then I though to make the transfer and build my new site. I will be emailing everyone as soon as the new site is up and ready.

Thanks, and sorry for the inconvience.

Farewell ABC Monday Night Football

2005-12-27T14:40:00.000-05:00

Last night was the last NFL Monday Night Football game to be played on ABC. The New England Patriots beat the New York Jets last night 31-21. The score doesn’t really reflect how the Jets played. They scored a defensive TD in the first half and then some late time garbage points at the end of the game. The first three scores of the game were all defensive TDs, including two Mike Vrabel scores. New England made a strong case last night to prove that they are the team to beat in the AFC, not the Colts.

Starting in the 2006 NFL season next year, Monday Night Football will be show on ABC’s sister, ESPN. Both ABC and ESPN are owned by Disney, so why this move was made I’m still not sure. Don’t worry, ESPN isn’t hogging all the games. Sunday Night Football will be moved to NBC, who hasn’t shown a NFL game in years. Why did the NFL make this move?

Monday Night Football has become a tradition to some families and must watch TV over recent years. Why would the NFL switch MNF to a cable channel that millions of viewers do not pay for? That’s suicide! Isn’t it?

Here’s where it gets tricky. MNF is not as popular as you think. Over the last few years or so, CBS has posted a killer Monday night lineup that brings in more viewers than Monday Night Football. Headlined by Everybody Loves Raymond and 2 and ½ Men. CBS was smart. They played shows that the women would want to see. Raymond and 2 ½ Men appeal to men as well, so when the woman wants to watch them, the husband isn’t likely to say much. Besides he can just Tivo the game, or catch the second half.

If you ask me the NFL is making a mistake. I don’t care how many wives make their husbands turn the tubes off for a half hour, you can’t put Monday Night Football on a cable channel. There are millions and millions of viewers and football fans who do not pay for cable. And now the NFL is taking the tradition away from them. Sure they get to watch NBC Sunday Night now, but it’s not the same. Sunday Night football isn’t a tradition.

Are the Colts Screwed?

2005-12-26T13:08:00.000-05:00

The Indianapolis Colts (13-2) have now lost 2 games in a row. Granted they were playing most of their back-ups the entire game, but nonetheless, they still lost. No team wants to lose. Professional athletes are competitive and want to win every time they step on the field. Tack those 2 losses along with the loss of coach Tony Dungy’s son, and the Colts might be hurting come playoff time.

No team wants to head into the playoffs with 3 straight losses, but that might happen if the Colts lose to Arizona in week 17. They could lose all momentum they had. The Colts secured a first round playoff bye a few weeks ago. With the rest of the starts last week and this week plus a first round bye, the starters are looking at almost a month without having played more than 2 quarters of football. This is not good. Tony Dungy will need to focus on keeping them players conditioned and focuses during their hiatus.

I think a hot team like the Jaguars or Patriots will have a much better shot in the playoffs. There’s no doubt that the Colts were the best regular season team in the NFL (even though Seattle is ranked above them now thanks to Saturday’s win). But the best regular season team, does not necessarily make the Superbowl, let alone win it. It’s all about momentum and the Colts just don’t have it.

The Colts will be pumped, and they will be determined to win when they play their first playoff game in mid January, but will their bodies be able to handle it? The starters will have gone a month without taking a big hit. The will have gone a month without running all game. If the Colts have to face New England or Jacksonville in the playoffs, I think they will lose. Indy will not beat Jacksonville 3 times in one season, and we all know how well Indy does against New England in the playoffs.

Resting players to help recover from injury is one thing, but resting them simply because you don’t want to get them hurt is another. People get hurt in football. It’s part of the game. They could get hurt in practice just as easily as they could in a game. You shouldn’t be resting players 3 weeks before the season ends.

Florida Gators Beat Miami Hurricanes

2005-12-23T08:54:00.000-05:00

Florida Gators (no. 5) men's basketball continued their win streak last night against the Miami Hurricanes 77-67. The Gators extended their win streak giving them a record of 11-0, their greatest start in school history. With a win over Florida A&M on December 30th, Florida will own the claim to best bball team in the state having beat Florida State, Miami, Jacksonville, and Central Florida.

Joakim Noah led the way last night for the Gators with 18 points and 8 rebounds. The Gators now have 5 players avergaing double digits in scoring. That is an unreal stat, especially for the Gators, who in rfecent years have been plagued with hot dogs and me first type players. This is a team that distributes the ball and makes few mistakes.

The Gators did struggle to shoot the ball last night. They came into the game with the NCAA's best game shooting percentage at 54.5% from the field, but shot only 36.8% on the night. Not too bad for a team that shoots a lot of 3-pointers.

It's an exciting time to be a Florida Gator fan. Usually the only thing we have to cheer about this time of yera is football recruiting, which by the way is doing very well this year. Florida should have the number 1 recruiting class in the country. Anyways, this year we have an undefeated basketball team to cheer on. I can't imagine how loud the Rodwy Reptiles are going to be once SEC play starts. This could be a special season for the Gators. I won't get my hopes up too high yet, I mean we have been ranked number 1 a few times in recent years only to see us drop like a rock.

Congrats to the Gators. Next up is Florida A&M on December 30th at 1:00 PM.

Meet Jimmy Smith

2005-12-21T10:24:00.000-05:00

Jimmy Smith #82 is a Pro Bowl WR for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jimmy Smith is perhaps the most under rated receiver in recent years and possibly of all time. You can argue that he is one of the most consistent WR to ever play in the NFL. I'm talking eight 1,000 yard seasons (9 after 100 more yards this season), averaging 7 tds a season, and 80 receptions. Jimmy Smith has been the heart and soul of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the last decade. He remains the only player left from the inaugural season.

This past week against the 49ers, Jimmy Smith caught his 853 reception of his career, moving him to 7th all time. 7th!! That's behind guys like Rice, Brown, Carter, Harrison, Reed, and Monk. Why is it Jimmy Smith gets no love? No one ever mentions his name when they are talking about the top WR in the game. Is it because Jimmy plays for a small market? Is it because he doesn't have flashy touchdown dances? Jimmy Smith is the face of the Jaguars franchise. He always has been and will be for a few more years.

Did you know if you google "Jimmy Smith" an old jazz musician is the first 5 hits that show up. You have to scroll down to find our Jimmy Smith. Wow!

When the Jaguars retire their first jersey in franchise history, it won't be number 8, 71, or 28. It will be #82. Everyone in Jacksonville knows #82. It's a shame if you mention #82 outside of Jacksonville, no one will know who it is.

Jimmy Smith started his career in Dallas. He played 7 games for the Cowboys, probably getting on the field only once. He played for the Cowboys during their Superbowl runs and earned himself 2 rings by sitting on the bench. Jimmy was cut just in time for the Jaguars to pick him up as a number 3 or 4 WR during their expansion year. Jimmy showed flashes of greatness in his first few years as a Jaguar, and finally earned the full-time WR1 spot in 1997. Jimmy was a key to the Jaguars early success and playoff runs. We called him Lightning as he flashed by corners burning them for 60+ yard td catches in 5 straight seasons. Jimmy Smith was one of the most prolific WRs of the late 90s earning several Pro Bowl selections.

Jimmy Smith's popularity seemed to dwindle along with the Jaguars during their salary cap hell. The loss of Keenan McCardell resulted in teams focusing on shutting down Smith. He faced double teams every game, yet still managed to catch 80+ balls and 1000+ yards.

Jimmy Smith has never really been injured as a Jaguar. He's missed a game here or there over his 14 year career, but has never missed significant time. In 2003, Jimmy suffered a set back in his career. Smith had a problem, he was addicted to cocaine. The fans in Jacksonville did not boo him, we did not cast him aside and call him names. We stood by him. We watched him grow and rid himself of his habit. Jimmy was suspended for the first 4 games. The 5th game he came back caught 8 balls and put up 130+ yards. Jimmy is clean now. His problems are behind him. He never left the hearts of Jaguar fans. Everyone wore their #82 jerseys that day.

With the recent drafting of WRs in the first round of the 2004 and 2005 NFL Draft, it seems as if the Jaguars are getting ready to replace Smith. But is he ready to go? I want Jimmy to retire a Jaguar. I don't want to see Del Rio cut a man who is about to put up another 70+ catch 1,000 yard season. If you thought fans didn't want to let go of Brunell, wait till talks of Jimmy being cut/retiring come up. We love Smith and respect everything he has done. Jimmy has never made a fuss about anything. He never complains (except the pass interference calls that seem to happen everytime he misses a catch). He goes out there and does his job. He's respectful to fans and media. He is still Lightning. He is still the face of our franchise.

Pro Bowl selections are being announced today. Will Jimmy be on the list? Not likely. No one outside of Jacksonville voted for him. Jimmy Smith is just an average Fantasy WR to most NFL fans. Smith makes the WR position look so easy. CBs still have nightmares about him. He deserves to be recognized. He deserves the standing ovation he gets every week, not only from Jaguars fans, but he deserves it from all NFL fans. He deserves to have his jersey retired. And most of all, he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

Meet Jimmy Smith, #82, Jacksonville Jaguars.
7th All Time Leading Receiver
2 Time Superbowl Champion
5 Time Pro Bowler
176 Games, 853 receptions, 12170 yards, 67 touchdowns.

Week 17 Houston vs San Francisco

2005-12-20T11:39:00.000-05:00

Should both the Houston Texans and the San Francisco 49ers lose this weekend, we will have two 2-13 teams heading into week 17 battling each other for the NFL's worst record and number 1 draft spot. With Reggie Bush being the likely number 1 pick in the draft, who do you think will land him? Should either the 49ers or Texans lose this week 17 matchup on purpose to land the number 1 pick? Who needs Bush more, the Texans or the 49ers?

My bet is the 49ers will tank this game. They spent their last number 1 pick on QB Alex Smith and will not be able to waste such a top pick on a defensive player. Unless the 49ers are sold on Frank Gore (which I know they can't be), they need to lose this game and get the number 1 pick. The 49ers need a play maker like Bush more than the Texans, who already have a nice backfield with Dominack Davis.

Should the Texans lose this game and end up with the number 1 pick, what will they do? Do they draft Bush and part ways with Davis in the future? Do they draft a quarterback and cut Carr? Carr has hardly been productive in his 4-5 years in Houston. But is it his fault? The Texans have had the worst offensive line you can imagine. Carr might not be the problem. If the Texans do end up with the number 1 pick they might trade down to a team in need of a running back, someone like the Jets, Packers, or 49ers. By trading down they might be able to grab a quarterback like Linehart or Croyle or whoever they want.

There's no doubt the 49ers need this loss more. The quesiton is, do they have the balls to throw the game? Will the coach try to lose? Will he call bad plays and run the wrong schemes? Surely you can't tell your players to not play hard. They are professionals for a reason and should want to win. The 49ers need to think about their future. They've got the QB, they've got a decent 1WR in Lloyd, now they need to grab that playmaking running back. Look for Bush to stay in California and join the 49ers this April.

Rockets Win Late vs. Lakers

2005-12-19T09:22:00.000-05:00

The Rockets have started the season off with one of the NBA's worst records. However, the have won 7 of their last 9 games including a last second victory of the L.A. Lakers last night. About the last second victory last night, McGrady said "I knew it was in my hands, All I had in my mind was to attack the basket. For us to come out and get this win is really big." He was right about one thing, this win is really big.

The Rockets are in dead last in the Southwest Division, even trailing the displaced Hornets. They are 8.5 games behind the Spurs, which is a deficit they will likely never make up. Their goal now should be to win enough games to put them in the number 8 seed in the playoffs. If the Rockets can stay healthy, they can make it. There is still a lot of basketball to be played, and the Rockets are only about 3 games behind the number 8 seed Lakers.

Houston's poor performance at the start of the season is due to their struggles with injuries. Most of their problems coming from the week or two span when Tracy McGrady was hurt. Yao Ming missed his 3rd game of his career last night with a sore toe. And they say Yao isn't tough! Maybe if his toe wasn't the size of my whole foot, he could have played. Regardless of Yao's status, they proved they can win without him. Mutombo might not be the best replacement for Yao, but he comes out with fire and defense. He energizes the team and the crowd.

Tracy McGrady is the Rockets leading scorer with a 24.7 ppg average. That's a number that should rise as the season progresses. McGrady also leads the team in minutes per game, assists per game, and steals per game. It's no secret that the Rockets are contenders with him in the lineup. With everyone healthy the Rockets can make a push for the playoffs. The season is still young and they have something this year they didn't last year, and that's a healthy Juwon Howard.

Lance Armstrong to Stand Trial

2005-12-17T15:53:00.000-05:00

7 time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has been ordered to stand trial in Italy for defaming Filippo Simeoni. It's reported that Lance chased Simeoni during the 2004 race threatening him for testifying in court that Lance illegaly used blood doping to gain a competitve advantage. "The other part of the charge relates to doctor Michele Ferrari, who was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence in October 2004 for sports fraud and malpractice. He has always denied he dispensed illegal substances to athletes and is appealing the sentence." Lance had connections with Ferrari, but cut ties with him after the conviction.

I'm not worried about whether or not Lance is guilty of defaming Simeoni. No one cares about that. If convicted Lance will have to pay some small fine and will get on with his life. The bigger question here is whether or not Armstrong has ever used performance enhancing drugs or methods during his pro cycling career. Armstrong is a cancer survivor and has denied use of steroids or other methods his entire career.

Armstrong has been extremely cooperative when dealing with these political types who like to throw out false acqusations. Lance has said they can test him any day of the week. He was already being tested 30 times a year while he was cycling. They havetaken his blood and urine and saved it in pouches. They've had his blood frozen for 5 years and it still tests clean.

It's my opinion that the French and Italian are a bunch of snobs and are pissed that an American won their race and holds the record for most Tour de France victories. I'm not saying Lance doesn't have the means to cheat. Any athlete with his kind of money can find doctors to create masking agents that block the drugs from showing in the tests. I believe that if Lance is so willing to get tested and will step to the front of the line everytime, that he is clean.

For those of you who don't know, blood doping is a method of extracting your own blood and reinjecting it into your body a day before a race. This will give your body millions and millions of extra red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout your body. It reduces fatigue and allows you to cycle for longer periods of time at higher rates. Blood doping is illegal. It is a little harder to detect because you are using your own blood and aren't putting any foreign substances in your body. The way it is tested is by checking the number of red blood cells in the body. Anything above the normal amount is considered cheating.

Lance is a hero in America. He is given a free pass wherever he goes, and rightly so. I would be shocked and devistated if Lance were to test positive for performance enhancing drugs. He is an idol to millions of people around the world, including the entire cancer surviving community.

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/5168978

Will Roger Clemens Pitch Again?

2005-12-16T13:01:00.000-05:00

Roger Clemens has retired from baseball about as many times as Michael Jordan retired from basketball. This time it's different. Roger finished the 2005 season with the best ERA he's had in his 22 year career, but he also finished the season with tears in his back and sore hamstrings, the same injuries that knocked him out of Game 1 on the 2005 World Series against the White Sox.

Back on December 7th, the Houston Astros declined to offer Clemens salary arbitration, which basically means he is done in an Astros uniform (atleast as a player.. wink wink). Under the MLB rules, Clemens will not be able to resign with the Astros until May 1, one month into the regular season. Roger can however pursue offers from other teams during the offseason. Where would he go if he decides to play? The Rangers (similar to what Nolan did)? Would he go back to Boston or New York where he had some of the best years of his career? If Roger does come back, we have to believe it will be for an American League team so he doesn't have to bat.

Someone needs to tell Roger that it is OK to retire. It's ok for him to enjoy his life and spend time with his family. There is life after baseball. I want Roger to retire, not because I'm a bitter Astros fan, but because I want him to end his career before he really hurts himself.

The best case scenerio in my opinion is for Roger to retire. He should sign on with the Houston Astros in some personnel position like Nolan Ryan. Roger's son Koby is in the Astros minor league system. This will give Roger an opportunity to work with his son, who happens to be a catcher. We all wanted to see Roger pitch to his son one day, but realisticaly it was never going to happen. Koby is still too young to make it to the Majors.

Thank you for the memories Roger, without you the Astros would have never made it to the World Series. You're arguably the best pitcher to ever live. Keep it that way and preserving your legend status by retiring. Will Roger ever pitch again? Only he knows, and by the looks of it he is in no rush of letting anyone else know.

Should the Colts Rest the Starters?

2005-12-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

Should the Indianapolis Colts rest their starters? This question has been debated for a few weeks now. The Colts are still undefeated, but have already wrapped up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Should the Colts rest thier starters to keep them healthy for the playoffs, or should they keep playing everyone while trying to finish the season undefeated? Only one team in the modern era has ever finished a season undefeated, and that of course is the 1972 Dolphins.

Tony Dungy came out today and said he would not play Corey Simon and Cato June in this week's game against the San Diego Chargers. This is a big hit to the Colts defense. Should Tony Dungy play them to try and keep the undefeated streak alive? Dungy has said plenty of times this season their goal is to win a Superbowl, not go undefeated. He doesn't care about the record. Even though only 1 team in the last 33 years has gone undefeated, but something like 20+ different teams have won a Superbowl. In 20 years people won't remember who won the Superbowl in February 2006, but they will remember an undefeated season.

If I were the coach, I'm not sure what I would do. I would probably play all my startes until I had a comfortable lead. I would play to win. If the Colts were losing at any point, I would keep all my starters in. But if they have a 14 point lead going into the 4th quarter, I would rest some of my starters.

As a Marvin Harrison fantasy owner, I hope to God they don't rest him. Harrison has been a fantasy beast the last few weeks. I've got round 1 of the playoffs this weekend and need Harrison! I hope you're bluffing Dungy. Deep down I think you want that undefeated season almost as bad as a Superbowl Ring.

Florida Gator Basketball

2005-12-15T07:19:00.000-05:00

The University of Florida Gators Men’s Basketball team is undefeated on the season with a current record of 9-0. This is coming from a team that was unranked in the preseason. Wins over Wake Forest, Syracuse, and Florida State quickly got them noticed on a national level. The Gators are currently ranked 7th in the AP Poll.

There is nothing stopping the Gators from going undefeated into SEC play. Their next 4 games include Jacksonville University, Miami, Florida A&M, and Morgan State… all of which are winnable games. Florida won’t play their biggest and toughest rival, Kentucky, until February 4th on ESPN2.

This team is much better than last year’s team which was ranked 1 at some point in the season. They improved tremendously on defense and offensive fundamentals. The gators have 5 players averaging double digits in scoring. Corey Brewer leads the way with 14.9 pts per game, followed by Taurean Green, Al Horford, Lee Humphrey, and Joakim Noah. Brewer also leads the team in rebounds with 6.7 per game and steals with 2.5 a game. Lee Humphrey leads the team in 3point shooting with 30 made in 57 attempts for a .526 percentage. I’ve watched Humphrey play many times. In warm-ups he will go nearly to the half court line and start shooting 3s from there and he never misses. The kid has an amazing jump shot.

Many people criticize the Gators for not having a true big man. Noah is listed as a F/C, and even though he is 6-11, he still plays more like a forward. He is not a big presence under the hoop. Our main center and power man is Chris Richard. He is big and strong. He’s not as tall as Noah, but plays more physical. They Gators play with speed and defense which is a great combination. It’s a winning formula. I’m more excited about this season than last year when we supposedly had 3 superstars on our team… two of which turned into duds (Roberson and Walsh).

Bring on the SEC play. I can’t wait to show these fools what’s up.

Week 15 Power Rankings

2005-12-14T14:20:00.000-05:00

Sorry guys I do not have enough time today to post my own comments and my own rankings. If I have time later in the week I'll come back and edit this page to my own liking. But for now I am posting CBS Sportsline's Week 15 Power Poll. I don't see how they moved Houston out of the bottom spot... but other than that it looks pretty good.

POWER RANKINGS
Current
Team

1
Indianapolis Colts
The only way they are stopped from going unbeaten is if they stop themselves, which means shut it down. They won't be stopped in winning their rings. Bank on that.
2
Seattle Seahawks
Boy, do they look good. The Seahawks have been dominant the past two weeks. Still, do we know if they're any good?
3
Denver Broncos
Playing the Ravens close is not a good thing when you're making a playoff push. We'll call that a mulligan.
4
Cincinnati Bengals
They still have designs on the No. 2 seed in the AFC. With a favorable schedule, that's possible.
5
New York Giants
Playing the Eagles is always a challenge for the Giants, no matter how the Eagles are playing. That showed up Sunday. What has to change are the picks Eli Manning is throwing.
6
Jacksonville Jaguars
With three games left against teams that are well below .500, the Jaguars should be a playoff team. If they don't make it, it would be a major meltdown.
7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
That was a huge win on Sunday to vault them into first place. But they can't celebrate long with the Patriots this Saturday.
8
New England Patriots
They're coming. Hard. As their players get healthy, they play better. It's simple, really.
9
Pittsburgh Steelers
They went retro on Sunday with the Bus running over people. That's what they've been missing.
10
Chicago Bears
At some point the offense is going to have to come alive. They can't win all their games with great defense.
11
Carolina Panthers
What the heck was that against Tampa Bay? In a week, they've gone from division leader to the chance they might not make the playoffs. Wow.
12
Dallas Cowboys
That was a heck of a win over Kansas City, a victory that keeps their playoff hopes alive.
13
Minnesota Vikings
That Love Boat seems so long ago now that they've ripped off six consecutive victories. The defense is really playing well.
14
Atlanta Falcons
They play what is essentially a playoff game Sunday night at Chicago. A loss could end their playoff chances.
15
San Diego Chargers
Let's hear it now: They'll be the best non-playoff team we'll see in a long time. As if that matters.
16
Kansas City Chiefs
Their playoff hopes are teetering, but a sweep of their final three will still get them into the postseason. It won't be easy with the schedule they face.
17
Washington Redskins
After two road victories, the Redskins are still in the playoff hunt with key games against the Giants and Cowboys at home left. All you can ask is to be alive down the stretch, and they are.
18
Miami Dolphins
Nick Saban can flat out coach. The Dolphins will be a test for whoever plays them this season -- and really next year.
19
Philadelphia Eagles
Give Andy Reid credit for getting his team to play hard against the Giants Sunday. A lot of teams would have folded it up after what Seattle did to them.
20
Tennessee Titans
It's not going to be pretty with this team, but at least they're still fighting. That's a good sign for the future.
21
St. Louis Rams
Three more games and they will blow this thing up. Count on it.
22
Baltimore Ravens
Kyle Boller is making strides, which is a good thing for the future. Then again, it's about time.
23
Cleveland Browns
They seemed to have found their quarterback of the future in Charlie Frye. That's a good thing as they build for the future.
24
Arizona Cardinals
This may sound funny, but I don't think this team is that far away. If they improve their running game in 2006, they could push for a playoff spot.
25
Buffalo Bills
This is not a good football team right now and heads will roll after the season. It's just a matter of whose heads.
26
New York Jets
They scored a touchdown. They scored a touchdown. Yes, it's been that kind of season in New York.
27
Oakland Raiders
Changing quarterbacks wasn't the answer. So will changing coaches after the season be it?
28
Green Bay Packers
They found a way to win against the Lions, but who doesn't? Samkon Gado is the real deal.
29
New Orleans Saints
They can't wait to get this mess of season over with and find out where they'll play next season. It's been one of the weirdest seasons in NFL history.
30
Detroit Lions
New coach, same results. Wonder if it that would be the same way if the president was fired?
31
Houston Texans
They find new and creative ways to lose games every week. Are they trying to get the first overall pick? Dan Reeves to the rescue.
32
San Francisco 49ers
After what they did in Seattle, they need to fall to the bottom spot. That was putrid. Give them time, though.

Tim Tebow Commits to Florida

2005-12-13T17:40:00.000-05:00

Nease High School quarter back star, Tim Tebow of St. Augustine, Florida, committed to the University of Florida Gators football team late this afternoon on ESPN News. Tebow is the number 1 dual threat high school quarterback in the country. He had his choices narrowed down to Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Southern Cal, and Michigan.

Tebow is fresh off his State Championship with Nease High School. He was earlier named Florida football player of the year, which is voted on by all Florida high school football coaches. Tim Tebow is a home schooled student. He held a 3.5, but scored very poorly on his SATs with an 890. But come on guys, we all know brains smarts don't make great football players. As long as he can read the X's and O's that's all that matters.

Florida already had a top 3 recruting class in the country before the Tebow commitment. This should propel them to the number 1 spot. Things are getting excited for us Gator fans. Tebow fits into Meyer's system perfectly, something Leak doesn't do. Tebow is a threat in the air and on the ground. He should get plenty of reps next season and take over the starting job in 2007.

NFL Playoff Picture

2005-12-13T09:24:00.000-05:00

NFL Playoff Picture

There’s three weeks left in the NFL season. Some teams have locked up playoffs spots and home field advantage already. Others are in a dog fight for the last wild card spot. Anything can happen in 3 weeks. Hell, even the Dolphins still have an outside shot at making the playoffs.

AFC North – Cincinnati Bengals
AFC South – Indianapolis Colts
AFC East – New England Patriots
AFC West – Denver Broncos
AFC WC1 – Jacksonville Jaguars
AFC WC2 – Pittsburgh Steelers

I have San Diego missing the playoffs because they still have to play Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Denver. Kansas City misses the playoffs because they New York G, San Diego, and Cincinnati. The Steelers have the easiest ride into the last wild card slot because they play two NFC North teams to finish the season. The NFC is over rated, and the Steelers shouldn’t have any problem winning 2 of 3 or sweeping.

NFC North – Chicago Bears
NFC South – Carolina Panthers
NFC East – New York Giants
NFC West – Seattle Seahawks
NFC WC1 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC WC2 – Minnesota Vikings

I don’t like the Bears and don’t think they’ll get very far without a quarter back or an offense, but they are winning the division. Atlanta will miss the playoffs because they still play Carolina, Tampa, and Chicago. Now, I have the Vikings getting the WC2 spot, but it may very well change to Dallas. Minnesota is on a roll, but Dallas finishes the season against St. Louis. The NFC Wild Card spots will probably come down to tie breakers.

Should Favre Retire?

2005-12-12T12:38:00.000-05:00

The Green Bay Packers pulled out an overtime victory yesterday over the Detroit Lions. They improved their season record to 3-10, hardly a season you can hold your head up for. Favre threw for 170 yards and an interception in the win. No one is blaming Favre for the Packers' horrible season, but do you think it is time for Green bay to start rebuilding? How much longer can Brett play?

In yesterday's game Favre set the record for most consecutive 3,000+ yard seasons at 14. That's every year he has been a Green Bay Packer. Despite throwing for monster yards yet again, favre is having one of his worst season QB Rating-wise in his career. In 1993, he had a 72.2 rating and in 1999 he had a 74.7 rating. This season (although it is not over, we can hardly assume Favre will finish the season with a higher QB rating than he already has) has a 75.4 rating. Hardly something a future Hall of Famer can be proud of.

Can Favre end his career on such a bad note? Will the Packers force him to resign? What if they want to move on and rebuild with Aaron Rogers? As long as Favre is on the team he will be the starter. He will take a back seat to no one. In my opinion, they will never cut him, trade him, or force him to retire. As long as he wants to play he will be welcome. Now, just because Favre wants to play that doesn't mean it is in the best interest of the club to start him... but they will. Favre is an icon to Green Bay and a living legend to the NFL. He is the defintion of greatness.

I don't want to see Favre keep playing until he can hardly walk. I don't want to see him become nothing. Some players have the ability and bodies to allow them to continue their careers into their 40s. Jerry Rice, Roger Clemens, and Michael Jordan all played past their "prime" and continued to be effective. I believe Favre can be one of those players. He just needs the talent around him to be effective. He can't do it on his own. But if they Packers have so much money tied up in Favre, how can they bring in stud free agents?

Should Favre retire after this season? No, I don't think so. I think he has 1 more year in him.

Colts beat Jags. Remain Undefeated

2005-12-12T09:14:00.000-05:00

I wanted to write about this game last night when I got home from it, but felt it wouldn’t be in my best interest to write a post when filled with so much emotion. I didn’t want the anger to affect my writing. The Indianapolis Colts (13-0) came into the Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4) house and dominated them from minute 1 to minute 59. Manning threw for 300+ yards and 2 tds against what is supposed to be one of the top passing defenses in the NFL. He picked us a part and had his way with us. This was one of the most embarrassing games I have ever been to. After last year’s day after Christmas shutout against the Texans to miss the playoffs, this is right there.

Don’t let the 26-18 score fool you. Until late in the 4th quarter the Jags were only able to put up 3 points. Del Rio wanted to play ball control and pound the ball. That was his game plan and he stuck to it until it was too late. Del Rio is so scared to deviate from his plan. How he managed to get this team to a 9-4 record is beyond me. If you want to play tough pound the ball football, then at least attempt it with the right running back. Del Rio kept rotating in Fred Taylor and Greg Jones. Fred is either A. Hurt or B. Washed up and done. He just isn’t the Fred of old and needs to be released in the offseason.

Turnovers were key in this game. Kyle Brady had 3 fumbles, one of which luckily flew out of bounds. David Garrard had a fumble in the red zone that cost the Jaguars a possible score that would have tied the game. Outside of that fumble, you have to be impressed with the way Garrard plays the game. He ended with a 103 QB rating. He was able to get the ball away before taking the sack. He throws tight spirals that are on the money. He throws soft lobs when he needs to. He’s getting his timing down with the receivers and should improve each and every week.

Jimmy Smith became the 13th player in the history of the NFL to reach 12,000 yards receiving. His great moment was over shadowed by the amazing play of Marvin Harrison. Harrison was able to burn Mathis on every play. Rashean Mathis is supposed to be a pro-bowler this year. His case for the probowl may have just ended has he got embarrassed by Harrison on several occasions. Mathis bit on every move and got lit up for a 70 yards td catch. The Jags defense as a whole got shown up. All week Marcus Stroud was calling people’s houses telling us to “bring the noise”. The players hyped themselves up too much. They came out too hot. They thought they could beat the Colts and punish them on defense. They played soft and too aggressive causing 3 personal fouls on defense, one on Peterson and one on Henderson for shoving someone’s face in the ground. Way to play with honor guys.

I believed in the Jags. I bought the hype. And so did 70,000 other fans that packed into the sold out stadium. We brought the noise, but the players didn’t bring the game. The stadium was down to 40,000 during the 3rd quarter, and then about 30,000 during the 4th when the Jags actually started to play aggressive. Why do the Jags always wait until the 4th quarter to start throwing the ball? They looked amazing late in the game. They looked like a different team. They played with no heart in the first 3 quarters. They need to watch some 4th quarter film and look at what they did right. It’s always too little too late for us. One thing is for sure, I don’t ever want to hear the Jags hype themselves up and talk like they’re actually going to play and win a game that counts. Don’t get the fan’s hope up. Let us be the underdogs. We are much better in that role.

I predict the Jags will lose 1 more game to probably the Texans. We have never swept the Texans.

NFL: Colts vs Jags

2005-12-09T15:17:00.000-05:00

I already predicted the Jags would beat the Colts this weekend, and now I'm going to tell you how they'll do it. In the NFL's biggest matchup of the week, the Jacksonville Jaguars will beat the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 27-17. No, I don't have Biff Tannon's Sports Almanac from Back to the Future, but I do have a gut feeling and that's worth something isn't it?

A Garrard touchdown pass to Ernest Wilford will put the Jags up by 7 after a tied 17-17 halftime score. The Jags defense will dominate the Colts in the second half giving up only 100 total yards and no scores. The Jaguars will make it a 2 score game by kicking a Scobee field goal late in the 4th. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Although don't put too much into my stock... remember I picked Virginia Tech to completely embarass Florida State? Well, I'm still being served a nice plate of crow with that one.

I'm more confident with my pick here. Even without Brad Meester (the Jaguars star center who hasn't missed a game in 6 years and is the offensive line leader), Byron Leftwich (another team captain gone), Donovan Darius (our defensive team leader and all pro strong safety), Nick Sorenson (our special teams captain), and possibly Fred Taylor (our 4th team captain to hit the injury list). Fred Taylor might play this game, he might not. No one really knows what his deal is. I wish he would play though. Fred has a great history with the Colts including a shoulder to the face of Mike Doss and a cleat to his chest as Fred ran over him on his way to a game winning td last year.

Regardless of how many starters the Jaguars have injured, they still have a solid team and will be able to put up points on Indy. What the Jags have now that they didn't have in September is Khalif Barnes. The Jags played Mr. Turnstyle himself Ephrem Salaam. Barnes is a nasty Left Tackle and plays with an attitude. He's a rookie and will be able to hold his own against Freeney. Garrard will give the Colts something they haven't seen yet. They've never faced Garrard and will be pleasently surprised when they watch him sling bullets to our receivers and burn line backers for a 20 yard run.

I can't wait for this game. I've got my tickets ready. I've got my jersey already layed out. Maybe I'll even paint my face. Let's go Jags !!!

I'll end this with the Fred Taylor quote as he ran over Mike Doss

"I'm going to punish him. If he hits me, fine, but if I catch him, believe me, I'm going to get the better shot."

Aaron Brooks Wants to Quit

2005-12-09T09:36:00.000-05:00

News Orleans/San Antonio Saints quarter back Aaron Brooks said “We move one more time and I’m quitting”. What a great message from the quarter back to send his team. Hey Brooks, you’re supposed to be a leader! Not a quitter. No wonder the Saints are in shambles. You can’t blame anymore of this on Hurricane Katrina. Brooks has to step up and take responsibility himself. He is the quarterback. All eyes are on him. He needs to be a leader and bring the Saints some victories.

The Saints can still salvage their season if they win out. They are currently 3-9 and could be 7-9 by the end of the year. Not bad for a team who has had “home” games in 3 different stadiums. Regardless of where they have played (except New York) they are welcomed with cheers and supported by Saints fans. Their terrible season is not a result of playing in a new stadium, it’s a result of poor leadership and the loss of Deuce McAllister, their pro bowl running back.

I don’t know if I have talked about this publicly on the blog or not, but I am in favor of relocating the Saints. This is a franchise that has been around for like 40 years and they have won one playoff game in their existence. It’s time to leave the Big Easy and make a fresh start. This might sound hypocritical to some because I just got done slamming Brooks for wanting to quit. Relocating is not quitting. Relocating is getting a second chance. A new name, new uniform, new stadium, and new fans… it all makes sense for the Saints.

For players who are still bringing in millions of dollars a year, they sure do know how to complain. Instead of whining about how you aren’t living it up at the Plaza or working out in a state of the art facility, why don’t you think about how fortunate you are to be alive. That’s because of your millions of dollars you were able to afford a car ride out of New Orleans and save your lives. I’m sick of people complaining about Katrina. Crap (you know what I mean to say) Happens! Deal with it and move on. Don’t quit! You have to persevere and show your team and your city that you won’t back down when faced with a challenge.

After hearing Brooks say he wants to quit, I would really like him to stick to his word. Bring out Adrian McPherson. He’s got legs and a cannon on his shoulder that’s better than Brooks. Sure Adrian had some off the field problems when he was at FSU, but after watching him at the combine and hearing some interviews, I believe he has changed himself and is ready to lead the Saints. Bye Bye Mr. Brooks. Go home. No one wants a quitter on their team.

Soriano Traded to the Nationals

2005-12-08T09:04:00.000-05:00

You would think that most of my posts would be about football this time of year, but it seems over the past week or so baseball has been dominating the headlines. The latest news is coming out of Washington D.C. where the Nationals traded Brad Wilkerson, Termmel Sledge, and a minor league pitcher to the Rangers for Alfonso Soriano. This season has been packed with blockbuster trades and free agent signings.

Soriano's average was down last season, but he still has power and speed hitting 36 home runs and stealing 30 bags. Soriano was acquired by the Rangers from the Yankees for Alex Rodriguez. I guess they weren't happy with his performance? Or maybe its a money thing with the Rangers.

From ESPN.com

"It appears the Nationals would want him to move to the outfield after losing two outfielders in the deal. Plus, they already have a past All-Star at second base in Jose Vidro, though he was hampered by leg problems last season.

Wilkerson can play all three outfield positions, and will likely be a starter at one of the corner spots for Texas. He can also play first base, but the Rangers already have All-Star Mark Teixeira there.

Sledge was limited to just 20 games last season after tearing his right hamstring off the bone while chasing a ball in the outfield May 2, and hit .243 with one home run. He had a promising rookie season with the Expos in 2004, recovering from a 1-for-34 start to finish with a .269 average, 15 homers and 62 RBI."

The Big Hurt is a Big Free Agent

2005-12-07T21:30:00.000-05:00

There was a period of time during the 1990’s when The Big Hurt, also known as Frank Thomas, was the most feared hitter in all of baseball. The World Champion Chicago White Sox refused to offer the two time American League MVP salary arbitration. Frank Thomas has been hurt for the better part of the last few years, and with the recent signing of Konerko to a huge $60 million dollar deal, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

I remember collecting all the Frank Thomas cards I could find when I was a kid. I’m sure most of you remember the famous Upper Deck card that features Thomas in the dugout flipping the camera the bird. That card was worth like $8.00 back then, I can only imagine what it will be worth now.

Everyone loved Thomas in the 90s. He had his own action figures, shoes, gloves, clothing line… you name it. My buddy named Frank used to actually wear the Frank Thomas cleats when we played Little League. Everyone thought he was the greatest player. 400 homeruns and 3 years a nagging injuries later, we can start striking up the debate of whether or not Thomas should be a Hall of Famer. I guess we can also start talking about whether or not he took steroids during the juiced up era we call the mid 90s.

I’d like to believe Thomas is clean. He was naturally a big dude and used to play football and baseball. I doubt he took steroids, but you do have to wonder why his name was called when Congress did their witch hunt. Now should Thomas be in the hall of fame? I guess that will have to be decided when he retires. I’m sure some team will pick him up to DH for awhile. Maybe the Blue Jays will with the way they’ve been spending money. The Orioles perhaps? Thomas is a borderline hall of famer, but now that he has his ring he might have enough to put him over the top.

Good luck Frank Thomas… wherever you go.

Brian Westbrook out for the Season

2005-12-07T09:52:00.000-05:00

As if the Eagles camp wasn’t a mess already with the T.O. saga and losing McNabb for the season, the Philadelphia Eagles just learned that the injury Brian Westbrook suffered Monday night will be season ending. According to espn.com “An MRI exam Tuesday confirmed Westbrook has a Lis Franc injury, an injury more common in automobile accidents and equestrian sports.”

This coming after Westbrook signed a 5 year extension with $25 million. Westbrook was quietly having a decent season. He would probably have approached 1600 total yards and 10+ total touchdowns. Not bad numbers in my book. Of course numbers don’t really mean much if they don’t help your team win. The NFC champs from last year are just 5-7 in the East this year and likely out of the playoff picture (barring some miracle in which 7 other teams collapse and the Eagles win out).

This is a blow not only to the Eagles but to fantasy owners as well. With the fantasy playoffs approaching in a week, Westbrook owners will be scrambling to find a replacement. Rookie Ryan Moats will likely become the starter for the Eagles for the rest of the season. He won’t have much value because the Eagles totally suck right now, and on top of that he will probably share time with Lamar Gordon.

It’s sad to see the Eagles go down like this, but their reign at the top had to end some time. You can’t make the NFC Championship every year for a decade. That’s what’s great about the NFL… parity. Every year teams are up and down. Everyone has a chance… that is unless you’re the Lions.

Will the Colts Lose?

2005-12-06T13:16:00.000-05:00

The answer is YES. You might be sick of reading all these posts on blogs about the Colts being undefeated, but it is big news in the world of football. I am predicting right now that the Colts will lose the Jacksonville and San Diego. I think they will finish the season with a 14-2 record and home field advantage. The Jaguars, even without Leftwich, Taylor, Darius, and Sorenson (4 team captains all out with injuries), still have a great chance to beat the Colts this weekend.

The Jags are no scared of the Colts. The Jags held Manning to his worst passer rating in years back in week 2. They have beat the Colts in Indianapolis and have the confidence to beat them at home in Jacksonville. This should be an amazing game and I am glad I will be there to watch it.

With a win this weekend for the Jaguars, they will still be in the fight for a division title. Don’t forget the Colts still have to play San Diego and Seattle which are all losable games. If the Colts end up losing those three games and the Jaguars win out, both teams will be 13-3. I’m not sure what the tie breaker will be. It might be victories over common opponents or strength of schedule. I’ll have to look that up.

I honestly believe the AFC Champion will come out of the AFC South. Be it Jacksonville or Indianapolis. If Jacksonville gets some help from San Diego (who will be fighting for a wild card spot and pumped to crush Indy) and Seattle, then we have a chance to win the division.

I’ll have a more in depth look into this weekends Colts vs Jags game later this week. But for now, my prediction is:

Colts 17 Jags 27

Seahawks Embarrass Eagles

2005-12-06T09:06:00.000-05:00

Last night on Monday Night Football (with the whole naiton watching), the Seattle Seahawks absolutely crush the Philadelphia Eagles. It wasn't even close. They made the Eagles look like a Pee Wee team. The Seahawks improved their record to 10-2 (an NFC best) while the Eagles went backwards in the standings to 5-7.

The Seahawks had 3 defensive touchdowns in this game (2 interceptions returned by Dyson and Tatupu) and a fumble returned for a touchdown by Dyson. Dyson ended up spraining his ankle on the fumble he returned for a touchdown, but was able to walk off the field and should be fine. The quesiton has to be asked... are the Seahawks that good or are the Eagles that bad? The Eagles had been on a roll (sort of) without T.O. and McNabb, but man did they hit the wall tonight.

The Seahawks are clearly the best team in the NFC and should have home field advantage rapped up in a week. This is great news for Seattle fans everywhere, but horrible news for fantasy owners! Tonight I got a mild scare when Alexander was taken out after halftime. Luckily he still scored 2 tds in the first half which was enough to put me over my opponent. If the Seahawks rap up home field advantage or start scoring a lot, they will be sitting their starters. Remember last year when Alexander was 1 yard short of the rushing title and Holmgren sat him? Well this year Alexander already has the rushing lead and is shooting for the touchdown record. It'd be awful if they started sitting him and ruined his chances of getting the record. I know football is a team game first and you don't want him to get injured, but records mean a lot too (to everyone except Barry Sanders).

Now the Jaguars did beat the Seahawks in week 1. In fact, we dominated them holding Alexander to about 60 yards rushing on the day.. and that was a day he actually played the whole game. Seattle might very well end up in the Superbowl representing the NFC. BUt who will they play? Jacksonville I hope.

Jaguars Beat Browns 20-14

2005-12-05T09:07:00.000-05:00

The Jacksonville Jaguars extended their record to 9-3 on the season with a victory yesterday over the Cleveland Browns. It wasn't pretty in the first half, but the Jaguars defense managed to keep it close. We made Charlie Frye look like a probowler for a little while, but he quickly came down to earth when the Jags decided to start rushing.

Normally the Jaguars only need to rush 4 players. When you have Spider, Stroud, Henderson, and Hayward on the line, you're looking at almost 1,000 pounds of raw muscle and strength. You know you have an awesome D-line when you can call them by their last names and you know everyone knows who you're talking about. Every one of these guys could make the pro bowl. They are that good.

Mike Peterson was given the green light to blitz on numerous occasions during the game and boy did he take advantage of them. Peterson ended up playing one of his best games this year with a sack and several tackles for a loss. If he doesn't make the Pro Bowl this year then they need to stop letting fans vote.

It's hard to get too excited when you beat the Browns, but a win is a win right? David Garrard didn't play too hot in the first half, but came out firing after halftime. He ended up with 116 yards and 2 touchdowns. Not spectacular but productive enough to win the game. We knew the Jaguars would be running the ball against the Browns. This is shown by Greg Jones rushing for over 100 yards again. As Garrard gets more playing time, they will allow him to open it up and throw the ball. Garrard stats should have been a lot better, closer to 200 yards. Jimmy Smith had a case of the dropsies once again (with Ernest Wilford joining him). He dropped 2 or 3 clearly easy catches that I could have caught. But Smith made up for it with a touchdown catch to seal the victory.

Next week is the true test for Garrard. If you don't live in Jacksonville you probably aren't aware of the quarterback controversy that clouds over this team. Majority of the people here want Leftwich, but a very vocal minority want Garrard to be the quarterback (I might be in this minority). If Garrard beats the Colts, all hell could break loose. If the Jags make the playoffs, will Garrard stay at QB or will Leftwich come back in if healthy? Only time will tell.

Time to eat Crow

2005-12-05T08:58:00.000-05:00

Can anyone please passme my serving of crow? I am man enough to come back on here and post about how I picked Virginia Tech to blowout FSU. I was at the game (and boy was it a cold one). FSU completely dominated VTech for 3 quarters of the game. On offense and defense. The seminole offense still wasn't as potent as it could be, but they were solid enough to put up 27 on a once number 3 team in the country. Florida State 27 Virginia Tech 22.

Don't let the score fool you. The Hokies scored all but 3 of those points in the 4th quarter. They were cursed with dropped passes Saturday night, in what felt like the longest college game ever. The game started at 8:00 and by 12:45 Virginia Tech had about 15 dropped balls. Their receivers (sorry I don't know their names) dropped so many open bombs down the field. The Hokies could have opened it up on FSU.

The Seminoles had a punt return for a touchdown to help pad their lead. The feeling around us in the stadium was that FSU was going to blow this game. They had their warchant going all game until the fourth quarter. Unforuntately, I had to sit in the FSU section and was forced to listen to the same oooohhhhh oh ohhhhh ohhhhhhhhhh ohhhhh ohhh warchant over and over again. Not to mention the idiots behind me kept doing the tomahawk chomp right by my face. All I wanted was for Va Tech to light them up and shut the fans up. Didn't happen.

So there we have it, a 8-4 team winning the ACC Championship and going to a BCS Bowl game to play Penn State. Do we dare write off FSU again in this game? I don't think we can. By listening carefully on the shuttle ride back to the parking lot after the game, I was able to gather that despite the win for FSU, the fans still want Jeff Bowden gone. And he probably will be.

Rafael Furcal to the Dodgers

2005-12-05T07:46:00.000-05:00

Former Altanta Braves shortstop Rafael Furcalsigned a 3 year $39 million dollar deal over the weekend with the LA Dodgers. This is a nice pick-up for the Dodgers and will give them one of the better middle infields in the national league with Kent at second base. I never liked Furcal much, mostly because of his off the field problems (read drinking problems), but I will give him credit for being an amazing player. He has a huge arm and is very fast.

From espn.com “A switch hitter, Furcal batted .284 last season with 12 homers, 58 RBI, 100 runs scored and 46 steals in 56 attempts. He hit .279 with 24 homers, 59 RBI, 29 stolen bases and 103 runs in 2004 and .292 with 15 homers, 61 RBI, 25 steals and 130 runs scored in 2003.”

I’m glad Furcal signed with the Dodgers. The Chicago Cubs were in the running for him, and nearly landed the star. That would have been a huge upgrade for the Cubs and would have caused huge problems for all the other National League central teams.

You have to wonder what the Dodgers will do with Caesar Izturis, their all-star short stop. Caesar underwent surgery on his elbow and isn’t expected to return till mid-season. I hope he can play another position (like third base). Possibly Caesar could move to second with Kent moving to third or first. Too bad they won’t be able to practice position swaps during spring training with Caesar sidelined.

Next up for the Dodgers: hire a manager already!

Marlins Trade Castillo to Twins

2005-12-02T15:05:00.000-05:00

Well the Marlins are at it again. It didn’t take long for them to trade away yet another all-star from their team. This time is was 2nd baseman Luis Castillo. He was sent to the Minnesota Twins for Travis Bowyer and Scott Tyler. Bowyer is a relief pitcher who could become the Marlins closer (like they’ll need one… I can’t picture them being ahead in many games come the 9th inning).

Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Carlos Delgado were the first ones to go. Add Luis Castillo and that is almost every recognizable person on their team. The only remaining player worth a damn is Miguel Cabrera. If I were him I would want out of Florida as well. It’s pointless staying there. Their organization is a joke. I’m not even a Marlins fan and this pisses me off. Maybe if the Astros got in on some of the action I would feel better.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

2005-12-02T10:54:00.000-05:00

The NFL matchup of the week has to be the Bengals at the Steelers. Some might say Dallas at New York is a better game to watch, but I’m an AFC fan so I choose the AFC game. This is a must win game for the Steelers. The Bengals lead the division by a game with 5 games to go. The Steelers have lost 2 games in a row, but a win Sunday will put them in a tie for the division lead (with Pittsburgh owning the tie breaker).

According to espn.com “Roethlisberger said Thursday his right thumb injury "is pretty painful," but he is hopeful it won't severely affect his throwing Sunday in a key AFC North game against the Cincinnati Bengals.” Roethlisberger probably wants this season to end now. He gets banged up week after week, yet still has compiled an 18-2 record in the regular season. He got torched last week against Indy and will not want to get embarrassed again.

Cincinnati should be able to throw all over Pittsburgh. I think their defense is over rated (for example, they were exposed last week by Indy on the first play of the game). Look for the Bengals to open it up in the air. Johnson might get shut down some, but TJ Houshmanzadeh will pick up the slack like he did last week with his 100+ yard 1 td performance.

This is a battle of the future star QBs of the NFL. Who will come out on top? My guess is Carson Palmer and the Bengals. The Steelers just seem to be playing bad ball at the wrong time. The Jags hold the wild card tie breaker over both Cincy and Pitt so it will likely come down to who wins the division. San Diego is playing to well right now, it is my opinion that they will take the 2nd Wild Card spot along side the Jags.

Prediction: Bengals 31 Steelers 20

The ACC Championship Game

2005-12-01T09:18:00.000-05:00

The first ever ACC Championship game will be held this Saturday in Jacksonville at Altell Stadium. The Virginia Tech Hokies will take on the Florida State Seminoles in a battle for the conference title. Now I’m not an ACC fan (the SEC is my conference), but since the game is in Jacksonville and I will be attending the game in the clubs seats (thanks Dad) I felt I should write up a post about the upcoming game.

Can you imagine a team with 4 losses (Florida State 7-4) is playing for a championship? I’m not kidding you either. FSU is playing in this game. They got completely destroyed by Florida last weekend and should feel a similar wrath against the Hokies on Saturday. FSU could possibly end the season losing 4 in a row with a total of 5 losses. Now that probably hasn’t happened since the 70s. What has happened to this team? How can the Atlantic division be that bad? I hope we never see a 4 loss team fighting for a championship again. What a joke it would be if FSU wins.

Virginia Tech has to be pissed about their loss to Miami. Although, even if they had won that game, they would still be ranked 3rd and on the outside looking in, in terms of a national championship. Marcus Vick should be able to lead the Hokies to victory this Saturday. FSU could not contain the pass against Florida, or any team for that matter. They get no pressure on the QB. A situation like this is one Vick can thrive in. If the force him out of the pocket he will get dangerous.

You’ve got to believe the Hokies will manhandle the Seminoles. Being a Gator fan, I hope that they do. Nothing would make me happier than watching the Seminoles get pounded in the dirt and embarrassed in front of 40,000 of their own fans. I’ll be at the game, and I’ll come back on here Monday and let everyone know how it went. Can’t wait to be a part of the first ever ACC Championship game.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 45 Florida State 13

Yah I’m predicting a blowout!!

2005-2006 MLB Free Agents

2005-11-30T16:25:00.000-05:00

With the winter meetings just around the corner, the Major League Baseball hot stove is getting warm. Listed below are some of the top baseball free agents listed by position. I haven’t listed everyone because I don’t have the time to list minor leaguers and players we’ve never heard of.

Starting Pitchers
Tony Armas Jr.
Pedro Astacio
Kevin Brown
Paul Bryd
A.J. Burnett
Shawn Estes
Al Leiter
Kevin Millwood
Matt Morris
Jamie Moyer
Heido Nomo
Kenny Rogers
Jarrod Washburn

Relief Pitchers
John RockerJohn FrancoMike Remlinger
Carlos Hernandez
Mike Stanton
Dennys Reyes
Mark Guthrie
Tim Spooneybarger
Brandon Duckworth
Dan MiceliDanny Graves
Julian Tavarez
Tim WorrellFelix RodriguezPaul QuantrillTom Gordon
Kyle Farnsworth
Chad Fox
Byung-Hyun Kim
Antonio Alfonseca

Closer
Rocky Biddle
Billy Koch
Octavio Dotel
Trevor Hoffman
Jose Mesa
Bob Wickman
Matt Mantei
Ugeuth Urbina
Braden Looper

Catchers
Bengie Molina
Mike Piazza
Ramon Hernandez
Brad Ausmus

First Basemen
Kevin Millar
Paul Konerko
Mike Sweeney
JT Snow
Doug Mientkiewicz
Brad Fullmer
Scott Hatteberg
Tino Martinez
Frank Thomas
John Olerud

Second Basemen
Mark Grudzielanek
Miguel Cairo
Pokey Reese

Third Basemen
Joe Randa
Chris Truby

Shortstop
Alex Gonzalez (FLA)Nomar Garciaparra
Rafael FurcalRich Aurilia

Outfield
Raul Mondesi
Todd Hollandsworth
Reggie Sanders
Jacque Jones
Preston Wilson
Bernie Williams
Carl Everett
Kenny Lofton
Juan Gonzalez
Matt Lawton
Brian Giles
Juan Encarnacion
Jeromy Burnitz

NFL Week 13 Power Poll

2005-11-30T10:14:00.000-05:00

I'm posting my latest power poll. Most of it is based solely on records. But as you will see (Detroit at #30), I do put teams where they belong.

1. Indianapolis Colts 11-0. The only unbeaten team. A strong showing against the Steelers keeps proving they are the real deal.
2. Denver Broncos 9-2. Denver has been #2 behind Indy all season. Their running game stepped up big again on Thanksgiving against Dallas.
3. Seattle Seahawks 9-2. Clearly the best NFC Team. Their offense is outstanding, but their record might be inflated because they played in the NFC West.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars 8-3. Wins over Cincy and Pitt keep them high on the board. Despite losing Leftwich for likely the season, the Jags will keep on trucking into the playoffs.
5. Cincinatti Bengals 8-3. They keep scoring tons of points. They still need a win against a tough team, which they haven't done.
6. Carolina Panthers 8-3. They aren't looking pretty as of late and Delhomme is slipping. Yet somehow they keep winning.
7. Chicago Bears 8-3. It's amazing to see how far da bears have come this season. Something about them still makes me not want to believe. Maybe its their horrible offense.
8. San Diego Chargers 7-4. If there is a hot team in the NFL not named Indy, it's the Chargers. LT can carry this team into the playoffs.
9. New York Giants 7-4. Jay Feely cost the Giants a huge game in Seattle. But they Giants are still good and play in the NFC so anything can happen.
10. Atlanta Falcons 7-4. Warrick Dunn is simply amazing. With Vick running, the Falcons have thge best ground attack in the NFL.
11. Dallas Cowboys 7-4. Tough loss at home against the Broncos on Turkey Day. They just need to get their kicking game together.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers 7-4. This team was supposed to beat the Colts. They got embarrased on the first play of the game. A must win vs. Cincy if they want to make the playoffs.
13. Kansas City Chiefs 7-4. Their defense is stepping up as of late. If only Trent Green was having a normal season they would be much better. LJ is filling in nicely for Priest.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-4. The Bucs have 3 road games in a row coming up. I don't see them coming out victorious. They will need to win 2 or 3 to stay in contention.
15. Minnesota Vikings 6-5. This team keeps climbing the polls ever since Brad Johnson took over. They are only one game out of the wild card race.
16. New England Patriots 6-5. Despite having a less than spectacular season, the Patriots will still make the playoffs because the AFC East is just that bad.
17. St. Louis Rams 5-6. A huge come from behind win vs. Houston with Fitzpatrick at the helm. You could throw anyone into that offense and he can put up nice numbers.
18. Washington Redskins 5-6. On a downward spiral lately. Just when we thought Brunell was having a comeback season, they're pretty much out of it.
19. Philadelphia Eagles 5-6. Not the same team without McNabb. They might be looking at a top 10 draft pick before its all over.
20. Buffalo Bills 4-7. Huge disappointment this season. Don't be surprise though if they end of 8-8. They finished strong last year, and likely will do the same this year.
21. Oakland Raiders 4-7. Was it worth the money and trades to bring in Moss? If they were 2-9 without him, would it matter?
22. Cleveland Browns 4-7. The Browns still have a decent defense, and their running game is coming together. Alas, they are still the Browns and still suck.
23. Miami Dolphins 4-7. Miami was expected to have a bad season. Way to live up to expectations.
24. Arizona Cardinals 3-8. Warner keeps throwing up huge passing numbers and the Cardinals keep losing. Ever heard of defense? Did anyone see Boldin cry on Sunday?
25. Baltimore Ravens 3-8. What can you say about the Ravens? They miss Lewis and Reed.
26. New Orleans Saints 3-8. Do people still feel bad for the Saints? Maybe they should get a couple first round compensation picks in the draft.
27. Tennessee Titans 3-8. Salary Cap hell sucks doesn't it? I have a feeling the Titans will be down there for a couple years.
28. Green Bay Packers 2-9. Why would Favre want to come back to this mess? I'm sure he would rather be hunting and fishing then getting embarassed week after week.
29. New York Jets 2-9. I think they should just tank it the rest of the season to try and get the number 1 pick in the draft. They could use Bush or Linehart.
30. Detroit Lions 4-7. I know they have 4 wins, but after watching that Thanksgiving day game and the firing of Mooch, I couldn't put them any higher.
31. San Francisco 49ers 2-9. I'm just gonna skip writing about them because I don't have much to say about teams as bad as this
32. Houston Texans 1-10. At the bottom where they've always been and always will be.

The Madden Curse

2005-11-29T17:48:00.000-05:00

I know this post is a little outdated, but it’s something I’ve been meaning to write about. I’m sure by now, all sports fans know what the John Madden Curse is. In case you aren’t familiar with the NFL or video games, I’ll fill you in. In the past years, anyone who has graced the cover of an EA Madden video game has been cursed with injuries. Madden 2006 cover boy, Donovan McNabb, suffered an injury several weeks ago to add to the long list of injury ridden cover boys.

It all started with then stud Titan’s running back Eddie George. He was named to the cover of Madden in 2001. George came off an amazing 1999 season in which he led the Titans to the Superbowl. There were high hopes for George, but alas, the curse hit him. George was struck with nagging injuries, and never ending toe turf, that plagued him for the rest of his career.

Rising star Daunte Culpepper graced the cover of Madden 2002. He was a scrambling running and passing touchdown machine. No one could stop Daunte in his prime. We all know what happened to him this year, but that’s not from the curse. Culpepper started only 11 games in his 2001 season after suffering a season ending injury in a game against Da Bears.

Marshall Faulk was one of the most prolific running backs to ever play the game. He could run with great speed, catch with soft hands, and break away for a td from any part of the field. 2000+ total yards and 20+ tds was the norm for him, that is until he was on the Madden 2003 cover. Injuries struck again causing him to miss 6 games.

Michael Vick is arguable the most entertaining player in the NFL. Everyone tunes in to watch Vick run and throw. That’s why EA put him on the cover of Madden 2004. He had high hopes and Superbowl dreams coming into the 2003 season. Surely the Madden Curse wasn’t real. The injuries were just a coincidence, right? Wrong. Vick broke his leg in a preseason game early in the 2003 season.

Ray Lewis was named to the cover of Madden 2005. Now this is where it gets tricky. Lewis didn’t get hurt last year like he was supposed to. He did miss 1 game, but that can hardly keep the curse going. Ray Lewis did however get hurt this year. He has only played in 6 of 11 games, and is still on the bench.

So the curse lives up to its name for 5 years, injuring 6 NFL Superstars. Who will be next?

Billy Wagner to the New York Mets

2005-11-29T10:31:00.000-05:00

So what are the Mets thinking trying to buy every free agent out there? Haven’t they learned anything? Buying players does not win championships, especially ones that clash with teammates. Billy Wagner was the latest addition to the Mets star studded roster. Wagner finished last season with a 1.51 ERA and 38 saves. Great stats for a closer, especially one that can throw 100+ MPH.

I didn’t want to make a post on Billy Wagner because of what happened down in Houston when he was a member of the Astros. Like all players he started whining and complaining and wanting more money. Houston wouldn’t give it to him, so they traded him to the Phillies. Now the New York Mets signed another former NL East player to a 4 year, $43 million dollar contract.

I am just waiting for this Mets team to implode like they did this year. They are spending sooooo much money. It looks like the Yankees are running this team like a puppet master. I guess the Mets are just pissed that they had a bad season after signing Pedro and Carlos Beltran. I don’t watch a lot of Mets games, so I can’t tell you how many games were blown because of the closer.

Wagner is a great pick-up for the Mets despite the amount of money they paid for someone who is 34 years old. He can help them win now, which is what they’re looking for. I still believe that filling your roster with home grown fundamentally sound talent is the key to prolonged success (see Braves, Astros, and A’s). Buying every all-star available has been proven to win you games, but not championships. The Yankees won all their rings with real talent, before they started going crazy on the free agent market.

What’s the odds Manny Ramirez signs with the Mets now? They would have one nasty looking line-up. Still, the Braves will probably come out of the East on top. All these personalities on the Mets will be just like when the Lakers signed Malone and Payton.

Colts Still Undefeated

2005-11-29T09:51:00.000-05:00

The Pittsburgh Steelers got it handed to them last night on Monday Night Football by the Indianapolis Colts. The final score was 26-7. I was way off in my score prediction, but hit the nail on the head when I predicted the Colts to beat the Steelers. The Colts are now 11-0 and the ’72 Dolphins are shacking in the fins as they watch a dominating Colts team cruise through the remainder of the season.

It wasn’t the Colts offense that was so impressive last night, it was their defense. They held the Steelers under 200 yards of total offense and only 1 touchdown, a Hines Ward catch. Roethlisberger suffered his first defeat on the road where he was 9-0 prior to last night’s game. Maybe the injury is getting to him, but Big Ben just doesn’t seem like the dominating QB he was last season. He was all anyone could talk about, but now some of his mystique is wearing off.

Edgerrin James had another big game for the Colts. He is second in the league in rushing, only behind Seattle’s Shaun Alexander. James has been the key to the Colts success this season. It would be a shame if they don’t resign him (sarcasm). I have a ton of respect for James and what he has been able to accomplish after destroying his knee a few years ago, but as a Jaguar fan I would love to see him out of our division.

Kudos to the Colts for keeping their undefeated season alive. They’ve got Tennessee next, which should be an easy win for the Colts, but watch out for the Jags on December 11. I hope it’s cold down here. I want to see how Manning and his perfect Colts can play in cold outdoor weather.

Monday Night Football

2005-11-28T14:33:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for some football?!? A real Monday night party!! Have you been looking forward to this game tonight as much as I have? The undefeated Indianapolis Colts will host the feisty Pittsburgh Steelers. Big Ben is coming back for the Big Spotlight. How could he miss this game? Will the Steelers knock the Colts off their pedestal? Will the ’72 Dolphins get drunk tonight as they watch their record hold for one more year? My guess is no.

The Colts are hands down the best team in the NFL. They are one of the best teams I’ve seen in a long, long time. Everything is clicking for them. They are running on all cylinders. There hasn’t been an Indy game that has been boring to watch. Maybe some of you thought the 10-3 game against the Jaguars was boring, but since I’m a Jag fan I was glued to the TV every second. The Colts are what the NFL is meant to be… and that’s entertainment. The Colts put on a show every time they step onto the field and we can expect a show tonight.

Do the Colts play every Monday night? Seems like it. The key to the Steelers winning this game is to run the ball and eat up the clock. The Colts will try to score early and then keep pressure on Ben forcing him to throw. Edge will get his share of carries as the Colts try to keep Pittsburgh off the field. The Steelers can throw the ball, but they are much more effective on the ground. They will need to force a couple turnovers in order to stay in this game. Look for Pittsburgh to score a defensive touchdown off of a Manning interception.

I’m predicting a relatively high scoring game. Something along the lines of 34-27, with the Colts ultimately winning. The Steelers are good, but not good enough to beat Indy in the dome. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ll be rooting for Pitt the whole time. I need Indy to lose a few more games in order for the Jags to have a shot at a division title. Probably won’t happen, but a guy can dream can’t he? Keep your eyes on the TV at 9:00, and don’t forget to check back here in the morning.

Michael Irvin "pipe belong to friend"

2005-11-28T10:12:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, Michael Irvin, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and current ESPN analyst, was pulled over for an outstanding speeding ticket and arrested on possession of drug paraphernalia. What this means is that Irvin was speeding and probably doing drugs because he thinks that being a NFL star means you are above the law. Irvin was a key part to the 3 Dallas Cowboy Superbowls in the early 90s.

I’m sure you all know Irvin’s history with drugs. This comes as no surprise because most users stay users. It is very hard to get clean. According to espn.com, “Irvin told The Associated Press late Sunday the pipe belonged to a friend of 17 years who left a Houston rehab center and came to Irvin's house in Carrollton for Thanksgiving. Irvin wouldn't reveal his friend's name.” How many times have we heard this “the pipe belonged to a friend.” Why is it that superstar athletes always carry around drugs and pipes and guns for their friends? If their friends are the thugs using these drugs, why can’t they carry them? You have to be a complete moron to carry stuff like this for your friends when you are on TV and constantly in the spotlight. That is why I don’t believe Michael Irvin.

Do these celebrities think the general public is stupid? Carmello Anthony had this issue like two years ago with carry weed for a friend in his personal backpack. Yah right. Rafael Palmiero got steroids in his system, but he doesn’t know how it got there. Yah right. Irvin said, “It's a situation that is not as it seemed. I know the type of demons they have to fight and I am going to help them, because it's the only way I can keep them from getting to my family.” If you’re going to help them, then why are you carrying crack pipes in your car?

None of this makes sense, because it is full of lies. I am calling for the firing of Michael Irvin. I can’t stand him on TV anyways. I’m not sure if this will hurt his chances of getting in the Hall of Fame or not.

Jaguars QB Byron Leftwich Out

2005-11-27T22:26:00.000-05:00

Jacksonville Jaguar's Quarterback Byron Leftwich will be sidelined at least a month with a broken ankle. Byron suffered the injury on the first passing play of the game today v.s the Arizona Cardinals. "He's got a crack in the ankle," coach Jack Del Rio said after his team's 24-17 victory. "The best-case scenario is about a month out, depending on how quickly he heals, and it could be worse. We just won't know until we see how the injury heals."

Byron is very injury prone and us Jaguar fans have come to expect him to miss some time during the season. Being a hard core Jag fan, the news of Leftwich's injury does not bother me. The Jags have a gem in back-up quarter back David Garrard. The rest of the nation doesn't know much about him, but Garrard could be starter for probably 6 teams in the NFL right now. Garrard weighs in at about 240 and 6'2 and about 4% body fat. The man is all muscle. He is fast and has a cannon for an arm. Tom Coughlin drafted him to be Brunell's replacement, but when T.C. was fired, Garrard was moved to the bench.

Leftwich has been average this year with roughly a 89 QB rating. He did score 7 touchdowns in his two games prior today and was finally starting to show signs of greatness. The injury he suffered today would likely sideline a normal QB for a year, but Leftwich is the toughest quarterback in the NFL and might be able to come back quicker. An ideal scenario would be Leftwich coming back in time for the playoffs.

Gerrard played well today for someone with little NFL Starting experience. He ended the day 12 of 26 with 115 yards passing and 61 yards on the ground with 1 touchdown. But most importantly, he did not turn the ball over and was not sacked. That's the beauty of having a mobile quarter back, something the Jags haven't had since Brunell's early days. Garrard has the ability to get out of the pocket and throw on the run. A roll out was never in the playbook with Leftwich taking the snaps.

The Jaguars have a very easy schedule remaining and should be able to secure a Wild Card birth without Leftwich. The Jags still face Cleveland, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Houston, and Tennessee. All remaining jaguar games are winable. The Jags had high hopes of dethroning the Colts as the last remaining undefeated team, but with the injury to Leftwich that might not happen.

But like I said earlier, Jaguar fans should not be bummed about the news. Garrard is more than capable to lead this team. He showed signs of what he can do with a 16 yard touchdown run on the opening drive. With Fred Taylor hopefully returning next week, the Jaguars should be OK as they focus more on the running game. I will still predict the Jags to drop 2 of our remaining 5 games ended the season with an 11-5 record and a Wild Card birth.

Fantasy Football Picks Week 12

2005-11-25T16:12:00.000-05:00

Since I don’t usually post on the weekends, unless something awesome happens in college football, I’m going to post some of my fantasy football picks for week 12. Some sleepers, some locks. My team is 6-5 and fighting for a play off spot. I am playing the team in first place in my division this week and a win for the Mini Ditkas (my team) would put me in first place. I know we already had 2 games on Friday, but most of the fantasy players are going Sunday. Hopefully none of you started Kevin or Julius Jones

Quaterback lock of the week – Payton Manning. Can’t go wrong with this pick. Monday night vs. the Steelers. Should be a shootout.

Quarterback sleeper of the week- Byron Leftwich. Had 4 touchdowns last week vs. Tennessee and plays an equally bad team in Arizona. Zona likes to run it up, so look for Leftwich to put it in the air often.

Running back lock of the week- Larry Johnson. Everyone scores on New England this year. Johnson should be good for 140 yards and 2 tds. Anything less is unacceptable.

Running back sleeper of the week- Ciatrick Fason. He’s been getting the goaline carries in Minnesota and has already racked up a few td’s. The Vikings are playing Cleveland this week and should be able to pound the ball on them. Fason is an awesome back, and might get the rock 10+ times.

Wide Receiver lock of the week- Steve Smith. I could put him in as the lock every week. The man has never disappointed. No tds last week for him, but he still got the yards.

Wide Receiver sleeper of the week- Reggie Brown. He’s been a nice pick up since T.O. left, but hasn’t put up a 100 yard game yet. This could be the week as the Eagles face Green Bay and that mess of a defense.

Well there you have it. Sorry I didn’t pick Defenses, Tight Ends, and Kickers. It’s all hit or miss with them. For me, I’m going with the Minnesota Vikings this week for Defense. I will also be starting Randy McMichael (yikes!) at Tight End because I have no other options. My kicker has been Tynes, not too flashy but solid.

Good luck to everyone looking to make the playoffs. Root for me because I need to money!

Florida State vs. Florida

2005-11-25T07:59:00.000-05:00

One of college football biggest rivalries, Florida State vs. Florida, is set to kick off this weekend. According to Forbes magazine, Florida State vs. Florida is the best college football rivalry in the last 9 years. Both teams hate each other. Every player looks forward to this day since they signed their intent letter. Despite the intense history between these two teams, something just doesn’t seem right. The magic is not in the air this year.

Both teams are 7-3 and barely making the top 25 list. Florida State is still a lock for the ACC Championship game (the first one ever, being held in Jacksonville). FSU has lost 2 in a row, and could very well lose 5 in a row, which hasn’t happened since like the 70s. Florida State is an underdog heading into the Swamp this weekend. With a loss here, another loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game, and possibly another loss in a Bowl game… it’s not looking good for Seminole fans.

The Gators are coming into this game 4 pt favorites, and should win because of the home field advantage. Despite the poor record, no shot at an SEC Championship, and an awful Bowl game, Florida fans will still come into the Swamp and scream their asses off. They don’t call the Swamp the hardest stadium to play in for nothing. It will be loud and hostile. Florida won last year at FSU, and will look to reclaim their home this Saturday. FSU’s last win in Gainesville came in 2003 with a lot of controversy. The refs were absolutely horrid blowing about 5 fumble calls among others. Urban Meyer needs to win this game more than Bowden needs to win his. Only 3 times in the history of the Gators has a coach beaten Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida State all in the same year. Meyer has a chance to make history with a victory over Florida State. Not to mention, the Gators haven’t lost at home all year, which is something Zook failed to accomplish.

Why have these two powerhouse football schools suddenly been on the decline? Is it due to poor recruiting? Is it because Florida has had 3 different coaches in the last 5 years? Is it because other schools in the conference are finally catching up. Teams that used to be at the bottom during the Spurrier days are now coming back. LSU, Auburn, and Alabama to name a few. While these teams rise, Florida and Tennessee are falling. Can we attribute FSU’s poor record to the simple fact that they play in a real division now with real opponents? They’ve always play Miami every year, but now you have to throw in Virginia Tech and Boston College. Winning in the ACC won’t be easy anymore.

My prediction: Florida 28 Florida State 17

Terrell Owens Suspension Upheld

2005-11-23T14:47:00.000-05:00

Arbitrator Richard Bloch ruled against Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens this afternoon. Despite early rumors flying around this morning from Newsday, Owens will remain suspended the 4 games and kept inactive the remainder of the season. Newsday reported that Owens won the fight and would have his suspension reduced to two games and ultimately released by the Eagles. Whoever came out with that report needs to get fired.

Owens will still get paid for the remaining games after his suspension is served. I hope he has enough money to buy his family christmas presents. I wonder if someone should set up a Terrell Owens Fund to provide gifts and canned food for him and his family. Surely Owen's lifestyle can not be maintained with this 4 game pay cut.

Sorry for the way you've been treated T.O. You are a great entertainer. People tune in to watch you, and thats what the NFL is all about. Entertainment. You will be given every opportunity to make a living next season. Some team will pick Owens up. Miami perhaps. Seattle or San Diego might use him. Who knows. This should be the last T.O. post for the remainder of this season. If you want more up to date info on T.O. you can always visit his website www.terrellowens.com

Mets to Acquire Delgado

2005-11-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

Breaking News just came in reporting the New York Mets have reached a deal with the Florida Marlins to acquire Carlos Delgado. The Marlins will send the Mets Delgado and $7 million in return for Mike Jacobs and pitcher Yusmeiro Petit. Delgado hit .301 with 33 homeruns and 115 rbi’s last season for the Marlins.

This is just another step in the conspiracy theory of the Marlins getting out of Florida. They just signed Delgado last year, and now they are paying 7 million to get rid of him. Delgado could have signed with the Mets last season who offered him a contract with a no-trade clause. Why sign a guy, keep him for one year, then trade him to a division rival! You aren’t supposed to make trades like this to division rivals. Man the Marlins are going to be bottom feeders for a long time now.

The Marlins are up to no good this off season. Thank god they don’t have any fans or some one might actually care about what’s going on. This is like the third time Marlins management has done something like this. They just trade away their whole team. Is Dontrelle Willis next? Will they trade him to another division rival like the Braves? What is going on here? Perhaps Miguel Cabrera will be traded to the Washington Nationals for a couple single A short stops.

Now this deal isn’t final yet, but it will be soon enough. Can anyone who is a Marlins fan (if they exist) please explain to me why this is happening. Are they just showing the city of Miami that they aren’t putting up with this? Are they showing the size of their balls? If they want a new stadium, they need to acquire players to make them competitive, not players that will make them younger and less experienced.

Thanks for Football

2005-11-23T07:53:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for all the things we have. We should be thankful for the food on the table, our health, our family and friends, and the internet access you have on the computer (after all, without that you wouldn’t be visiting my site). Every Thanksgiving us football fans are blessed with two recurring things, and no I’m not talking about Grandma’s runny stuffing. I am talking about NFL Football!

Every Thanksgiving we are blessed with the Detroit Lions (which is not so much of a blessing this year and really hasn’t been since Barry Sanders left) and the Dallas Cowboys. The Detroit Lions will take on the Atlanta Falcons in this year’s early game at 12:30 PM EST. The Dallas Cowboys will host the Denver Broncos in the later game at 4:15 PM EST. It’s clearly the later game that will draw the most interest. My family generally starts eating around 3:00 PM, so I should be good to watch most of the Cowboys game. Real quickly, I’m going to share my picks and thoughts with you about our two games tomorrow.

Having never lived in Dallas or Detroit, I can’t really express to you how big this game is to fans of those two teams. My most clear description is an episode of Home Improvement when the Taylor family was invited to the Thanksgiving Lions game. It was a big deal to them, and they had turkey, stuffing, and potatoes, at the stadium. Not sure if that is TV or reality. Detroit always plays tough on Thanksgiving and should put up a good match against the Falcons. Do we know who is starting at quarterback for the Lions yet? I love the guessing games. The Lions offense is a mess, especially their running game. Kevin Jones has been a huge disappoint especially as of late because of the Lions weak schedule. Atlanta lost a tough one to Tampa Bay last week (who always seems to have their numbers) and should be pumped to get back on track. Atlanta is on the outside looking in at this point and need to put some wins on the board. Game 1 pick – Atlanta 31-21

The Denver Broncos have been steaming rolling as of late and are clearly the number 2 team in the league. Dallas is no slouch either having won 3 in a row. I’m thinking this will be a low scoring game. Denver has a tough defensive line that should be able to put pressure on Bledsoe all day. Bledsoe is a pocket passer and is less effective when pressured. Both teams have great running games, with the edge slightly going to Denver. The combo of Julius Jones and Marion Barber seems to be working (yah I know it sucks for us fantasy players when teams use a rbbc). Denver is not as effective when playing on the road, and might have trouble playing Astroturf. One of our two Thanksgiving teams has to win on Thanksgiving. Game 2 pick – Dallas 17-10

Florida Marlins to Relocate?

2005-11-22T15:33:00.000-05:00

It’s no secret the Marlins have had horrendous attendance records despite winning two World Series in the past 10 years. Hispanic people love baseball don’t they? It doesn’t make sense that a city full of Cubans can’t sell out a baseball game. Marlins President David Samson is fed up saying the club will “explore the relocation of the Marlins”. He thinks the Marlins will try to stay in a Florida market, but I don’t see that happening.

The Marlins have wanted a new stadium since the day they became a franchise. They’ve been sharing a stadium with the Dolphins since 1993. It’s not like there isn’t enough money in South Florida. It’s not like there aren’t enough people. Baseball in Florida just doesn’t seem to work (see the Tampa Bay Devil Rays). In a state where the game can be played year round and a state that produces many pros, it just doesn’t make sense that a pro team can’t survive. Do they really think a new stadium will cure attendance problems? It won’t. The sure fire way to increase attendance is to win, right? That’s not the case in Miami.

"This does not mean that the Marlins are necessarily leaving South Florida," Samson said. "It does, however, mean that we're going to seriously explore all of our options, including those in other markets. As part of this process, I do anticipate that will be engaging in discussions with other cities."

I think the Marlins should just leave Florida all together and move to a city that will support them. Are they looking at moving to West Palm Beach and trying to bank in on the growing geriatric population? How about the tourist market in Orlando? No cities in Florida can house this team. So you ask what cities can support a Major League Baseball team? I’ll run down the top 5 contenders.

1. Portland
2. Las Vegas
3. Oklahoma City
4. Memphis/Nashville
5. New Orleans (just kidding)

You would think Vegas would be an attractive market, but there’s no way MLB will associate itself with the gambling that goes on in Vegas.

Tim Duncan's Afro

2005-11-22T13:03:00.000-05:00

Does anyone want to place bets on how big Tim Duncan’s afro will get? I know he’s had longer hair before, but it’s starting to grow out of control. Cut your hair Duncan! You’re starting to look like Robert Horry. That is not a look to be proud of. Can Duncan grow his afro as big as Ben Wallace or Dr. J? I doubt he has the balls to do it. Maybe it is unseasonably cool in San Antonio this year and Tim needs the extra head warmth. It almost looks like he has one of those Russian fur hats on his head.

Don’t let the picture fool you. His afro is already bigger than that. Just turn on NBA Fastbreak and watch some highlights. I say he grows it all through the holiday season and into mid January. I’ll say he shaves the afro around January 10th. What say you?

College Basketball (Texas, Kentucky, and Florida)

2005-11-22T09:20:00.000-05:00

West Virginia’s men’s basketball team has no one to blame but themselves for their loss yesterday to No. 2 ranked Texas. I don’t want to hear excuses about a foul that should have been called on the last play of the game. WV lost because of their miss free throws. Here’s a team that needs to recruit the guy on that commercial who made some 5,000+ free throws in a row. Even if the ref would have called a blocking foul as Gansey went up for what seemed to be an open lay-up, odds are he would have missed the free throws. Texas snuck out with a win last night and will face Iowa tonight in the Guardian’s Classic Final.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (No. 18) of course reached the final tonight by beating the No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats. I didn’t watch any of this game but the last minute (isn’t that pretty much the only minute you have to watch in all bball games?). Kentucky is always a good defensive team, but it look like they were outmatch against the Hawkeyes. I don’t want to get to off topic, but being a Gator fan has instilled a certain hatred for the Kentucky basketball team. Why is it no one can ever pronounce the names of the players on their team? Patrick Sparks is the only one you can say, and he’s the player I can’t stand the most. Does this guy think he’s the $%@ or what? Constantly running around like a little gnat and throwing up 3s. Wait till you coming to Florida!

Speaking of Florida Gators basketball, guess who finally got some respect? The Gators went from unranked to 15th in the coach’s poll and should see similar jumps in all other polls. Their next game is at home vs. FSU. FSU has a decent basketball team, but in no way can they match up against the Gators. Look for Florida to keep moving on up.

And about the picture... Even though I hate Kentucky Basketball, I will post a picture of Ashley Judd whenever given the opportunity.

Red Sox/Marlins Trade

2005-11-22T00:34:00.000-05:00

Late Monday night the Boston Red Sox acquired Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell from the Florida Marlins in exchange for shortstop Hanley Ramirez and two pitching prospects. When I first heard this I was in my car listening to the radio. The radio show host said something along the lines of “Red Sox trade Ramirez for Beckett and Lowell”. I was like “Holy Crap! That’s the biggest blockbuster of the off season”. Too bad it turned out to be Hanley Ramirez and not Manny. Oh the tricks that host played on me.

The Red Sox won big time in this trade. I don’t know what it is about the Marlins and their constant fire sales. Every year they dump big name players. Why did they sign Delgado last season only to destroy their pitching this off season. Losing AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett is going to crush the Marlins. Now I’m not an ESPN Insider so I am not sure of the reasoning behind this deal. I can only imagine that it is to clear up cap room. Maybe the Marlins are after some one this year. Too bad there are no big name pitchers on free agency.

There is no way the Marlins can compete next year in the already tight NL East. The Red Sox, however, have bolstered their rotation by adding Beckett and improved their lineup with Lowell. Lowell struggled last season only hitting 8 homeruns, but he is usually a lock for 20 hrs 80 rbis and a .280 avg. With the added protection from the Boston lineup (assuming they don’t lose Damon and Manny), Lowell should have a productive year.

picture taken from espn.com

Are Running Backs a Premier Position?

2005-11-21T13:33:00.000-05:00

There was a time when the running back was the premier position on a football team. The time to say that RBs are no longer a premium is now. Over the past few years we have begun to see the trend. A trend of running backs being the product of a system rather than producing numbers on sheer talent. Of course there are always exceptions to every rule and trend; Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk, and Ladanian Tomlinson are our modern exceptions.

Denver is the prime example of how a system can make any back look good. Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, and Tatum Bell have all performed exceptionally well in the past years under the Shanahan offensive system. You could plug Kevin Jones in there and he would rush for 1500 yards and 15 tds. Seattle and Kansas City are a few more examples. Shaun Alexander is a good back, and probably one of the best backs in the league, but playing behind the Seattle offensive line inflates his stats. Just look at the holes Walter Jones can open up for Alexander. Any running back can fit through one of those holes. The Seattle line makes Alexander look so much better than he really is. Kansas City, even without Roaf, can produce insane rushers. Dee Brown, Larry Johnson’s back up, could rush for 5 yards a carry if given the opportunity.

Every year a new crop of RBs comes out of college and into the NFL. These backs are just as talented as the ones already there (except the few exceptions). What makes a running back appear better is not how fast his 4.0 time is, it’s how well he fits into the system. The system is more important than the player you put in it. That’s why I am saying running backs are no longer a premium. The days of taking a running back number 1 overall should be over. Last years draft was flooded with running backs and they all went high too. In my opinion high draft picks should be spent on defense.

Today’s running backs need to have something that RBs of old didn’t necessarily need, and that is soft hands. Running backs must be able to catch the ball out of the backfield in today’s NFL. Tomlinson and Faulk are the perfect examples of what a running back of the future will possess. Speed, vision, and hands.

Quarterbacks and receivers have always been a premium in the NFL. QBs are usually the highest paid players, and solid WRs are very hard to come by. Each team can have 2,3, or 4 WRs on the field at one time, but they will only have 1 back at a time. Have great WR depth is much more important than having RB depth. Any capable back can step on the field and run through a hole. The RB market is saturated and should see a decline in value within the next few years.

image taken from nfl.com

Tony Stewart Wins the Cup Title

2005-11-21T10:25:00.000-05:00

I am not a big NASCAR Fan by any means. In fact, this is my first post regarding NASCAR since I created my blog. The only race I ever watch is the Daytona 500. I suspect I am not alone when it comes to this either, but I wanted to write a quick post about Tony Stewart in case I have any racing fans reading. No. 20 deserves this much after what he has accomplished on the track.

Tony Stewart won his second Cup Title this weekend (is it still called the Nextel Cup or is it the Sprint- Together with Nextel Cup). It’s nice to see some excite from the world of NASCAR, a sport which features its main events at the beginning of the season instead of the end. Tony Stewart stuck it out Sunday at Homestead and can now be considered one of the elite drivers.

"I couldn't be any prouder of Tony," Zipadelli (Tony Stewart’s Crew Chief) said. "That's probably the biggest thing -- this kid's been through the ups and downs but he's matured and we won this championship because of him. Because of his attitude. Because of his winning ways, his efforts. He can win in any car out there and we're just proud to be a part of it."

image taken from nascar.com

Week 11 Fantasy Football MVPs

2005-11-21T00:26:00.000-05:00

Now I know there is still the Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers Monday night match-up, but does anyone honestly think someone on one of those teams will surpass any of these player’s stats? No, I didn’t think so. This weeks NFL Fantasy MVPs are:

QB- Drew Brees’ performance with 339 yards passing, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions wins the quarterback fantasy MVP award for week 11. Sure they were playing Buffalo who has one of the worst defenses in the league. I swear they give up 30+ every game. On a team when Tomlinson is the featured touchdown machine, Brees managed to post up 4 on his own without the help of LT. Runner Up – Byron Leftwich 258 yards and 4 total touchdowns.

RB- Larry Johnson put up a show against Houston (but doesn’t everyone?). Johnson rushed for 211 yards, caught for 6 more yards, and ran in 2 touchdowns. Do we really expect anything less from Johnson? Priest put up sick numbers and now Johnson has taken over. Kansas City just knows how to run the ball. Johnson made some swift cuts and what was more impressive is his longest run of the night was only 30 yards. Runner up – Mike Anderson 129 total yards and 3 touchdowns.

WR- Chad Johnson almost reached the 200 yard mark with 189 yards receiving and a touchdown. Too bad his amazing performance didn’t amount to a Bengals win. Johnson almost has 1000 yards on the year which will lock him in for his fourth consecutive 1000 yard season. CJ is quickly becoming the best WR in the NFL. Runner Up – Jerry Porter 142 yards and 1 touchdown.

TE- Dallas Clark wins this one easily. He put up career numbers with 125 yards and a touchdown. This is about the first week in the last five that Gates hasn’t won the MVP award. Clark was targeted by Manning like 10 times this game. If Clark didn’t have that mustache it would be much harder to root for him. Runner Up – Antonio Gates 77 yards and 1 touchdown.

Colts Remain Undefeated

2005-11-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

The Indianapolis Colts remained the only undefeated NFL team by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 45-37. Peyton Manning had a huge game comprised of 365 yards and 3 touchdowns. I was a tad bit upset to see that none of his td’s and very few of his yards were thrown to Marvin Harrison who just so happens to be a member of The Mini Ditkas, my fantasy football team. Harrison has been somewhat of a disappointment from a fantasy perspective this season. It’s hard to complain when a WR has 8 touchdowns, but he only has 624 yards, including the 9 yards he caught on Sunday. 9 yards for my number 1 wide receiver. Why do the colts throw to Wayne so much? Is Wayne really that much better than Harrison or is Marvin getting double and triple teamed?

The Colts have a tough remaining schedule. They still have Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Seattle, and San Diego, all of which are playing some good football. The Colts could potentially win all 4 of these games, but odds are they won’t. So who will beat the Colts? Which lucky team will ruin their undefeated season? Will it be the upstart Jaguars? The high powered Chargers? Or the NFC’s best Seattle Seahawks. My bet is on the Jaguars and Steelers. I figure the Colts will end their season with a 14-2 record and home field advantage in the playoffs. This very well could be their year to win the Superbowl. With the big game being played in a dome, you have to figure the Colts have a huge advantage if they win home field throughout the playoffs.

Palmer put up a good fight against the Colts, but it wasn’t enough to pull out the win. Chad Johnson had an insane day, and will probably mark a check under the “No” column on his famous list. Cincy is such a fraud. 7-3 and their 3 losses are from the Jaguars, Steelers, and Colts. Every team they have beaten has a losing record and most of them are like 3-7 or 2-8. It’s pathetic how everyone has jumped on the Bengals bandwagon, and for what? They like the new fancy uniforms? They like watching Chad Johnson’s touchdown dances? The Bengals suck. There is nothing new about them this year except a more mature quarterback and an inflated record.

Terrell Owens Hearing

2005-11-18T16:26:00.000-05:00

Former/Current Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens reports to his arbitration hearing this morning to discuss his future this season. Owens and the player’s union are arguing that he should be release outright and become a free agent. Apparently his 4 game suspension seemed a bit steep to Owens and Co. This all boils down to money. Owens is worried that every game he misses is money not in his pocket. The Eagles want some of his signing bonus back for violating a clause in his contract. Who will win? We should know soon.

Is Owens really that bad of a guy? He speaks the truth and runs his mouth. The truth is hardly ever popular, but it is always better than lying. If McNabb were in an interview and someone asked if the Eagles would be a better team with Jerry Rice in his prime, do you think McNabb would say no? Put yourself in T.O.’s shoes. He may be a jackass in the locker room, but when it’s game time he is a prized steed. The question always asked is, does talent always win over character? In most cases it does. But is T.O. really a bad team mate?

I’m sure the quarterbacks have a love/hate relationship. He turns their 10 yard throw into a 60 yard touchdown. He makes quarterbacks look good. But is this talent enough to cause management to look away when he is being a jackass? In the Eagles case, no it wasn’t. Is T.O. really a bad teammate? Would you rather have a murderer on your team or someone who runs their mouth? Leonard Little has 2 DUIs under his belt and manslaughter. No exactly a model teammate if you ask me. But where was the uproar from St. Louis management? Ray Lewis killed someone too (he wasn’t convicted, but neither was O.J.) and now he is a superstar in this league. Since when did murder become tolerable and being a loudmouth intolerable?

The list can go on and on about drug users and players with domestic violence charges on their record, but the question still remains … is T.O. really a cancer? Is he that bad of a teammate? I hope the arbitrators side with T.O. just because he is a great entertainer and that’s what the NFL is. He didn’t kill anyone. He isn’t coked up. Let the Eagles cut him, and let T.O. get on with his life.

Florida Gator Basketball

2005-11-18T09:30:00.000-05:00

The Florida Gators continued their win streak last night with a victory over 18th ranked Wake Forest. The Gators notched their first “big win” of the season in a year that was supposed to be sub-par. If you are new to my blog, you will soon realize that a lot of my posts will cover Gator Basketball (I am UF Alumni hard at work). If you don’t follow Gator ball, then hopefully you will learn a few things by reading my posts.

Lee (1st round New York Knicks), Roberson (who knows where?), and Walsh (also fell off the face of the earth?) all either graduated or left early to the NBA draft last year. They were the Gators Big 3. High expectations last year led to huge disappoint in their early NCAA Tournament departure. And an early NCAA departure led to the Gators not being ranked. True men’s basketball fans know the Gators are still a solid team. Defense will be our specialty this season. Without the inconsistent hot dogs Walsh and Roberson, the Gators can concentrate on playing fundamentally sound basketball.

Chris Richardson is not the offensive threat that Lee was, but man can he fill the pain. Richardson is a big man that can grab the boards and throw down a nasty dunk. Adrian Moss (Randy’s cousin who looks just like him minus the dreads) is a defensive beast. He is the windex man when it comes to cleaning the glass. He also has that feisty attitude that Randy has. Moss usually ends up with 4-5 fouls every game, and he does not back down from a fight. His energy and enthusiasm drive this team. Taurean Green, Lee Humphrey, and Corey Brewer make up the guards and small forwards. Humphrey is a 3 point machine. He is automatic from beyond the arch. Now, if you follow basketball you have probably heard of Corey Brewer. I swear the man has glue on his hands. Steals and forced turnovers are his game. Corey is a high energy player that loves to run up and down the court. There is no slack in his game.

Now that the Gators don’t have their ball hogs this year, I can see them going further in the NCAA Tournament. They are still a very young team. Moss is the only senior. This could be a Cinderella year for the Gators, but more than likely it will be next year.

picture taken from alligator.org

Georgia Tech Placed on Probation

2005-11-17T15:45:00.000-05:00

What is it with major universities and breaking NCAA laws? Now I know that every school probably uses some illegal recruiting methods or tried to persuade professors to give the players “extra time” for assignments, but for a university like Georgia Tech to field academically ineligible athletes is just plain stupid. Isn’t GA Tech known to be a top tier academic school? Surely it is no Harvard or Yale, but it has to be better than most public state universities.

Georgia Tech was placed on probation by the NCAA for 2 years. I hope they weren’t planning on going to the NCAA tournament and possibly the Final Four this year. What a joke college sports has become. It pisses me off that people who can hardly read can be accepted into college just because they play sports. College athletes have tutors and mandatory study time. How can they not maintain academic eligibility. I don’t know what the minimum GPA is, but I’m sure it’s low.

Now I love college sports, but this is just embarrassing and it’s happening everywhere, not just Georgia Tech. The majority of students do work hard in school and their respective sports and because of a few slackers their college athletic careers might be ruined. This is a bad situation for any school. You lose scholarships, recruits, and current athletes might transfer out.

Shame on your Georgia Tech. Shame on you!

picture is taken from alamoflag.com

Houston Astros Offseason

2005-11-17T10:42:00.000-05:00

What do the Houston Astros need this offseason to reach the big game again and actually win it. Getting swept in front of the whole world to a team that hasn’t won a World Series in a 100 years is quite embarrassing. What if the Astros had a big bat in their lineup to give Berkman some protection? What if Manny Ramirez had that Astros Star on his hat in 2006. What will it take for the Astros to finally win?

People who follow the Astros will tell you that owner Drayton McLane only puts up enough money to make the team competitive. He has said it time and time again. He won’t spend the big bucks. It’s time for Drayton to open his wallet and go get someone.

The Astros have a wonderful farm system. Guys like Lidge, Oswalt, Backe, Burke, Taveras, Lane, Everett, Ensberg are all home grown boys. Every one of them was brought up to the big leagues in the Astros farm system. You can’t win a World Series solely on farm talent, just look at the Braves. You need to bring in free agents that fit in your system.

It’s every Astros fan’s dream to see Adam Dunn come play for Houston. He is a native of Houston and will be a Free Agent after this 2006 season. The Astros have some excellent minor league pitching talent that they can package to the Reds for Dunn near the trade deadline. If the Reds are out of contention, they will need to trade Dunn, because odds are he will file for free agency and sign with the Astros anyways. Better get something for him now while you still can. Item #1: Adam Dunn.

Do the Astros need a new catcher? You either love or hate Ausmus. Some rave about his defense and game management abilites while others loathe his lack of production at the plate. This guy grounds into a double play every game and he has a noodle for an arm. Frank Thomas could steal a base on Ausmus. Benji Molina and Ramon Hernandez are both free agents this offseason. It’s time to bring in a replacement for Ausmus. Item #2: Ramon Hernandez.

With the status of Roger Clemens uncertain, the Astros will need to find another starting pitcher. They had the best rotation in baseball (that is up until the World Series). The Astros have enough young pitching. Andy is our oldest SP and he is only 31 or 32. Someone like Millwood, Morris, or Loaiza might be a good fit for this club. Of course we can always dream of getting A.J. Burnett, but that won’t likely happen. Item #3 Matt Morris (only if Clemens retires).

There you have it. That’s what the Astros need to start winning some playoff games. Sure they can be competitive with what they have, but they can’t be champions. If the Astros need anything it is a big bat. Enter Adam Dunn.

Jaguars vs. Titans

2005-11-17T09:22:00.000-05:00

Here comes the most heat rivalry in Jaguar’s history. These teams have hated each other since the Titans were the Houston Oilers. The Jaguars got their first ever franchise win over the Oilers back in 1995. The rivalry intensified when in 1999 the Jaguars went 14-2 in the regular season losing both games to Tennessee. The two teams eventually met in the AFC Championship in Jacksonville. How could one team beat another 3 times in the same year? I remember it was only like the first or second time it had ever happened. The Jags dominated everyone that season, everyone that is, except the Titans.

Tennessee leads the series 12 games to 8, but this year the tables have turned. Last years Jaguar victory at Tennessee marked a new era. Now the Jaguars are on the rise and the Titans are going through cap hell. How does it feel? The Jaguars will be pumped to play this game on Sunday. Stroud is a beat when he plays against the Titans. Not to mention it is somewhat of a homecoming for Henderson, so he should put on a nice show for the crowd.

There won’t be any Fred Taylor this weekend, but I’m not as worried as I used to be. When Fred said he wasn’t going to play it pretty much meant that we were going to lose. But things are different now. The Jaguars have Greg Jones who is a manchild. When given the rock he performs. He is not flashy like Fred. He doesn’t dance like Fred. But what he does is get consistent and tough yards, which is something Fred couldn’t do. I can’t count the last time Greg was given the ball on 3rd and 1 and he didn’t convert.

Jimmy Smith is also listed as questionable. He should play. Apparently he tweeked his hammy in practice Wednesday, hopefully this isn’t just an excuse to bench him. Even if it was, I’m not too worried about this situation either. Wilford and Jones have proven they can handle the load. If only Leftwich could be a little more accurate with his throws. I am looking forward to seeing Pacman Jones. I guess he’s been somewhat of a bust early on, but has been performing on special teams.

Prediction: Jaguars 28 Titans 14

Priest Holmes

2005-11-09T14:30:00.000-05:00

Rumors are spreading rapidly that Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes may announce his retirement as early as Thursday. This is a huge blow to the Chief’s organization and the sports community in general. You won’t find a classier player than Priest Holmes. It’s sad to see his last few seasons riddled with injuries and now he may have suffered a career ending injury just two weeks ago.

It’s all speculation at this point. No one knows anything for sure, except Priest himself. There are reports coming out saying he’s not going to miss any time, there are reports saying he’s done for the season, there are reports saying he will retire, and then there are reports saying his injury is not career ending. We probably won’t know the truth until Friday. But most likely Priest will miss the rest of this season. ESPN is reporting under their breaking news that Priest will likely miss the rest of the year.

It is said that he has seen several spinal, neck, and head doctors in the past week or two getting different opinions. As far as I know, Priest has a lump on his spine that can cause paralysis if further injured. Priest was knocked out of the Chiefs game vs. Oakland two weeks ago in a helmet to helmet hit.

There should be a press conference later today with more information. Like I said, most of what is going around today came from a non-credible source this morning. But rumors are flying and reports from sources like Fanball, Rotoworld, and ESPN make this story seem more real. Regardless of what happens to Priest, I wish him the best. Like I said, Priest is one of the classiest players in the NFL. He is a team first player, not a ME first player. Did anyone hear Priest complain when Vermeil announced he would split carries with Larry Johnson? Priest has the respect of every player and every fan.

Sorry I didn’t post the last few days. I have been very busy at work. We have some special events coming up this weekend.

College Football

2005-11-07T13:23:00.000-05:00

There were a lot of college football upsets this weekend. Some of the more notable ones were FSU losing to NC State, VaTech losing to Miami, and Arizona destroying UCLA. Not to mention the Gators almost lost to a pitiful Vanderbilt team. And don’t tell me that Vandy has a good QB in Cutler. It doesn’t matter. They are still Vandy and they still took Florida into double overtime. How did Florida beat Georgia again?

It’s looking more and more like it will be USC vs Texas in the BCS Championship game. And that’s how it should be. The question to ask now is what happens if one of them loses and the rest of the top 5 win out? Does Alabama go to the championship with their undefeated season? The AP Poll has Miami ranked 3 and Alabama ranked 4. Would Miami go to the championship against undefeated USC even though Alabama is undefeated? These are tough questions that I hope don’t come up. Let’s see Texas vs USC. That’s the game everyone wants to see.

Listed below is this week's AP Top 25. I don't see how Virginia Tech gets dropped back all the way to 8. That's a little much don't you think?

AP Top 25
RANK
TEAM
RECORD
PTS
LAST

1
Southern Cal (57)
9-0
1617
1

2
Texas (8)
9-0
1568
2

3
Miami
7-1
1452
5

4
Alabama
9-0
1450
4

5
LSU
7-1
1328
6

6
Penn St.
9-1
1271
10

7
Notre Dame
6-2
1201
8

8
Virginia Tech
8-1
1147
3

9
Georgia
7-1
1097
11

10
Ohio St.
7-2
1076
12

11
Oregon
8-1
943
15

12
Florida
7-2
905
13

13
Texas Tech
8-1
753
16

14
UCLA
8-1
693
7

15
Auburn
7-2
680
17

16
West Virginia
7-1
677
18

17
Florida St.
7-2
605
9

18
TCU
9-1
536
20

19
Wisconsin
8-2
438
14

20
Fresno St.
7-1
410
21

21
Michigan
6-3
372
22

22
Colorado
7-2
312
25

23
Louisville
6-2
242
24

24
Georgia Tech
6-2
109
NR

25
Northwestern
6-3
82
NR

Tracy McGrady

2005-11-07T13:12:00.000-05:00

HOUSTON -- Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady will miss three weeks because of back spasms, coach Jeff Van Gundy said.

McGrady hurt his back in practice Friday when he landed awkwardly after a baseline layup, trainer Keith Jones said. The injury is a recurrence of a back problem that plagued McGrady when he played in Orlando, Jones said.

Jones said McGrady went to the hospital on Friday night and tests showed the injury wasn't as serious as it's been in the past.

"All that structural stuff was good," Jones said. "This is more of a compression injury and basically a bruise around the spine -- not the spinal cord, but the spine itself."

www.espn.com

Well I just got done posting about how well I feel the Rockets will play this year and guess what happens. McGrady goes down with a back injury and will be sidelined for 3 weeks. This is the type of injury that could linger too. The Rockets will not win many games without Tracy. He is their go to man, their main scorer, their leader. The Rockets lost to the Hornets Saturday and now sit alone in last place in their division. Sure it’s only been two games, but I think this is a sign of things to come. Without McGrady the Rockets are doomed.

The Houston Rockets

2005-11-04T09:41:00.000-05:00

Tracey McGrady and the Houston Rockets started off their season with a win over the Sacramento Kings last night. Jon Barry led the team in scoring; that won’t happen very often especially for someone who doesn’t start and only plays about half the game. Regardless of who was the scoring leader, the Rockets put up points on the board. The scoring was spread around with everyone on the team scoring at least 2 points except Bowen, who was held scoreless. McGrady had 23 and Yao Ming had 22. This is the type of scoring the Rockets need to be successful. They have to spread the ball around more.

I know I’ve said this before (although it’s my first time saying it on this blog), but I think this is the year for the Rockets. If everyone can stay healthy, they can challenge the Spurs for the top spot in the west. They would have last year had Juwan Howard not missed so much time. Yao Ming and Howard both put up some nice rebound numbers, especially on the offensive side. The Rockets need Yao to be more aggressive. Everyone has knocked him and the organization for being so soft. They have Patrick Ewing for a coach and they still can’t toughen him up. This has to be the year for Yao to break out. I mean he’s still only 25 so he has some time. But we’ve been patient long enough. It’s time for Yao to get aggressive and start throwing some bows. He looks so goofy out there on the floor. There’s no question he is a threat on offense, he just needs to step up his defensive game. Blocks aren’t good enough, we need boards!

My bold prediction of the year – The Rockets win the West !

picture is from bballone.com

Charlie Weis

2005-11-03T11:17:00.000-05:00

Who has the largest coaching contract in college football? Not Bob Stoops, or Bobby Bowden, or Steve Spurrier, or even Pete Carroll. The answer to the question is Charlie Weis. I’ve been waiting awhile to write a post on Charlie Weis, coach of Notre Dame football. What in the hell has Weis done that warrants getting the fattest contract in the history of NCAA football? Am I missing something here? Have the Fighting Irish even beat any worthy teams? No they haven’t.

How does a school give a rookie coach 40 million dollars? He hasn’t even proved himself. Notre Dame didn’t even want him last year when they fired Ty Willingham. And now he is the 40 million dollar man. Unreal. I hope Tennessee beats the crap out of Notre Dame this weekend. The Vols aren’t really good this year, but they are still a tough SEC team. They got beat up by teams like LSU, Florida, and Alabama. They didn’t lose any cream puff games. And now they are going up to South Bend with blood in their eyes.

I hate Tennessee (because I’m a gator fan), but man do I hope they destroy Notre Dame.

And does anyone else think Charlie Weis looks like Aguado from Ace Ventura?

The Steelers

2005-11-03T11:05:00.000-05:00

Big Ben Roethlisberger will be out this Sunday vs. the Green Baby Packers. Ben underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the knee injury he sustained a few weeks ago. He aggravated the injury Monday night in a game against the Ravens. "Everyone that watched the game and knows how I play could tell there was something on my knee," Roethlisberger said. "I didn't feel as mobile. We took it off at halftime and taped it and it felt a lot better. If I can go without a brace, I'm going to do it."

I’m glad that Ben has finally decided to have surgery on his knee. He can’t just keep going out there every week and taping it up. Part of what makes Ben a great quarterback is his ability to get outside the pocket and complete a pass. With an injured knee he won’t be as mobile and will be prone to getting sacked. In the Monday night game Ben threw for a career high 30 times. Is that unbelievable or what? Big Ben threw for a record 30 times. I bet in college he would throw the ball 30 times in a half, and now look at him. He still maintains a high passer rating though and a high winning percentage. I guess you don’t need to be the best passer to be the best QB.

The Steelers have decided to go with Charlie Batch as their QB this week. I guess they didn’t like what they saw in Maddox when he played the Jags a few weeks ago. Batch can’t be any worse can he? I mean he hasn’t played in like 4 years. But then again, the Steelers are playing the Packers this week. What a lucky break that is. They could field Kordell Stewart at QB and probably still win the game. Look for the Steelers to run the ball 50 times this weekend. Batch just needs to keep his cool and not make any mistakes. But then again they are playing the Packers. He could make 5 mistakes and the Steelers would still win by 20 points.

When asked about the future, Big Ben said "I understand that everyone always worries about longevity and a long career and this and that, but I'm living for this year right now. So, no, we'll see what we can do for this year."

2005-11-02T10:11:00.000-05:00

The NBA Season has begun

Last night was the opening game of the NBA Season where the Sacramento Kings took on the Oklahoma City Hornets. Quick question… do they have hornet in Oklahoma? Anyways, the Hornets romped the Kings 93-67. Ouch! I have to admit that I did not watch the whole game, but from what I saw, the Hornets looked good. This is a team that sucks every year (especially since they were moved to the West). Being in the same division as Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio is not good for anyone. But the Hornets stood strong. Perhaps it was the crowd that got them so pumped up. Oklahoma City is known for its college basketball. If they can bring that atmosphere to the pro court, they might have one of the biggest home court advantages out there.

Another question I have to ask is why did the court, jerseys, and shirts all say Oklahoma City Hornets? Are the Hornets there to stay? In the NFL, the Saints kept their New Orleans name even though they are playing in San Antonio. Why did the Hornets change? Well this might be a sign that they are going to stay in Oklahoma City for good, providing they sell a lot of tickets and show good fan support. New Orleans is a wreck. It is a shame that they are going to lose both their professional franchises due to a hurricane. Maybe the owners were looking for a way out. Benson of the Saints, has said time and time again he wants to stay in New Orleans, but I have a feeling the NFL will force him to sell to Los Angeles.

Here’s to an awesome basketball season. I wonder if there will be any fights this year? I wonder how good the Pacers will be having all their players for a full season. I wonder how good my Rockets will be? Will they ever make it past the first round of the playoffs? They haven’t since Hakeem left. And the only two championships they won lately were the two years Jordan was retired. Come on Yao! Show that you’re worth that number 1 pick.

2005-11-01T09:22:00.000-05:00

The Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings have been on a roller coaster ride of a season. They started out awful with Culpepper throwing like 15 interceptions in 3 games. They were 1-4 at one point, and were spotted by the public eye doing some things not meant to be done in public. Yes I’m talking about the sex cruise. Has this team gone a week without being under the spotlight? Mike Tice is going to get canned after this year (unless he wins a Superbowl). Their running game is the only part that is working for them, and that’s not saying much. Their receivers suck, including Nate Burleson who managed 1000+ yards and 8 tds last year. They signed veteran substance abuse user Koren Robinson to their roster. I mean they get rid of one problem (read Randy Moss) and brought in five more.

As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Vikings this season, news came out yesterday that Daunte Culpepper blew out his knee and is done for the year. He tore everything in there, ACL, MCL, and PCL. He’ll need season ending surgery to repair his knee. Enter Brad Johnson at QB, a veteran who has Superbowl experience. Can he lead this team to the promise land? Hell NO he can’t. Brad Johnson is the only QB to ever throw a touchdown pass to himself ! I laugh every time I see that video clip.

The Vikings are a wreck. They are lucky they play in the NFC North. Chicago is on a roll winning 3 games in a row, but that won’t last. It can’t. The Bears don’t have a quarterback either. The Packers won’t win anything. So that leaves the Lions. The Lions are just a mess as the Vikings, except without all the negative press. This division is wide open. Don’t be surprised if the winner is 8-8 this year.

picture is copyright of graphics.jso.com

2005-11-01T09:13:00.000-05:00

Theo Epstein and the Boston Red Sox

From espn.com

BOSTON -- At 31, boy wonder Theo Epstein was ready to step out on his own.

The Red Sox general manager walked away from his hometown team on Monday, stunning Boston and the baseball world just one year after helping the franchise win its first World Series championship since 1918.

"I gave my entire heart and soul to the organization," Epstein said in a statement. "During the process leading up to today's decision, I came to the conclusion that I can no longer do so. In the end, my choice is the right one not only for me but for the Red Sox."

Epstein will continue working for a few days to assist in the transition and prepare for the offseason. The Boston Herald, which first reported the news on its Web site, said the Yale graduate has told associates that he might leave baseball or at least take a year off.

The Dodgers, Phillies and Devil Rays have GM openings, but none has a $120 million payroll to match the one Epstein was given in Boston.

Once the youngest GM in baseball history and still the youngest to assemble a World Series champion, Epstein was reportedly offered about $1.5 million a year for a three-year extension. That was quadruple his previous salary but still short of the $2.5 million the Red Sox offered Oakland's Billy Beane in 2002 before hiring Epstein.

In case you are not a hard core baseball fan, let me fill you in. Theo Epstein is a young Yale graduate. He is pretty much a nerd who followed sabermetrics, which is a method of calculating a players effectiveness by using statistical formulas. Not many other GMs use this method, Billy Beane and Paul DePodesta are a few who do. For more information on sabermetrics, pick up the Basbeball Abstract by Bill James or Moneyball. Epstein is probably one of those performance oriented perfectionists. He achieved his goal by winning a World Series and now he has nothing left to do. He might feel bored and needs a new challenge. I’ve got a challenge for him. Go to the Devil Rays and try to build a championship team. Instead of having 120 million to work with you can have 25 million. If Theo needs a challenge, it can’t get tougher than that.

2005-10-31T12:04:00.000-05:00

NFL Running backs, Florida Georgia Football, Pro Bowl

This weekend in the NFL was amazing from a fantasy perspective. So many players put up huge numbers, especially the running backs. In a week that did not feature two of the NFL’s top three rushers, Edgerrin James and Shaun Alexander, eight different running backs broke the 100 yard barrier, and about 3 or 4 others were above 90 yards. Both Barbers, Fred Taylor, Steven Jackson, Ronnie Brown, Mike Anderson, Kevin Barlow, and Willis McGahee all rushed for over 100 yards. It was a very impressive weekend and it’s at times like these when I wish I had Direct TV.

I was at home watching the Jaguars vs. the Rams. The first quarter was exciting, from a Jaguar’s fan perspective, but after that it went all down hill. Steven Jackson manhandled the Jags rushing for nearly 180 yards and having another 20 in the air. It’s quite pathetic the Jaguars could not put up more than 21 points against the worst defense in the NFL. It’s quite pathetic the Jaguars allowed Jamie Martin to throw an 80 yard bomb to Kevin Curtis. It’s quite pathetic that the Jaguars receivers drop so many freaking balls. Sure their stats look good on paper, but unless you were watching the game you don’t know the truth. Jimmy Smith has lost it completely. He has stone hands like you’ve never seen before. For someone who is number 10 on the all-time catch list, he sure doesn’t show it. Ernest Wilford put up huge numbers for the Jaguars but had a key dropped ball that was in turn intercepted by the Rams. That interception resulted in the go ahead touchdown by Steven Jackson.

Fred Taylor seems to have his step back. Although he struggle in the 2nd half, it was not his fault. The Rams knew the Jaguars passing game is suspect at best, so they stuffed the box. The offensive line couldn’t open holes and Fred had no where to go.

In other NFL news, Green Bay lost again. Brett Favre threw 5 interceptions. There is no way the Bengals defense is that good. I am convinced the Packers WRs are just that bad. Houston finally got on the board with their first win. How big of a blow is that loss for Cleveland? Houston might get on a roll now. They face Jacksonville next week where they always seem to step up and win.

I was at the Florida vs. Georgia football game Saturday. I had the luxury of sitting in a skybox for the first time. It was awesome. All the food and drinks you can eat, a spectacular view, and a room divided between Gators and Dawgs. The Gators seemed to dominate in the first quarter. Why they abandoned the run when it was working so well is beyond me. Meyer has got to figure this offense out. They were completely shut down for 3 quarters. I can completely understand why Georgia fans hate the Gators so much. Every year we ruin their season. It has to get frustrating.

It’s Pro Bowl Voting time. Click the NFL.com link below to cast your vote for your favorite players. Some AFC likely Pro-Bowlers are Palmer, Edge, Chad Johnson, Stroud, and Rashean Mathis. Some NFC likely Pro-Bowlers are McNabb, T.O., Steve Smith, Alexander, and Bryant Young.

www.nfl.com

2005-10-28T09:25:00.000-04:00

College Hoops and Virginia Tech

USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Preseason Poll for College Hoops

Rank
School (first-place votes)
2004-05 record
Points
2004-05 final ranking
1.
Duke (28)
27-6
767
7
Outlook: Blue Devils could return to top of Atlantic Coast Conference and contend for national honors behind experienced group led by Fs Shelden Williams and Lee Melchionni and Gs J.J. Redick and Sean Dockery. Youth will be served with high school All-Americans C Eric Boateng, F Josh McRoberts and G Greg Paulus aboard. Opens: Nov. 14 vs. Boston University in Preseason NIT (ESPN2, 7:30 p.m. ET).

2.
Connecticut
23-8
692
17
Outlook: Status of G Marcus Williams (suspended) could determine how well Huskies do in Big East, but they're solid elsewhere with Fs Josh Boone and Rudy Gay, Ed Nelson, Denham Brown and Hilton Armstrong and G Rashad Anderson. Opens: Nov. 18 at Pepperdine (ESPNU, 11:30 p.m. ET).

3.
Texas (2)
20-11
683
NR
Outlook: As long as F LaMarcus Aldridge is healthy and F P.J. Tucker is eligible, Longhorns should be much improved from last season's 9-7 Big 12 record. G Daniel Gibson provides steady floor leadership, and F Brad Buckman is solid. Opens: Nov. 15 vs. Sacramento State in Guardians Classic.

4.
Villanova (1)
24-8
644
13
Outlook: After heartbreaking loss to North Carolina in the Sweet 16, Wildcats return with a loaded lineup, featuring Gs Allan Ray, Randy Foye and Mike Nardi. But 'Cats received serious blow with F Curtis Sumpter's knee injury. Health of F Jason Fraser also must be watched. Opens: Nov. 18 vs. Stony Brook.

5.
Michigan State
26-7
632
4
Outlook: After looking up at Illinois in Big Ten all season, Spartans got hot at right time and drove to Final Four. C Paul Davis and Gs Maurice Ager, Shannon Brown and Drew Neitzel hope to lead return trip. Opens: Nov. 19 at Hawaii.

6.
Oklahoma
25-8
617
20
Outlook: Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout help lead dynamic frontcourt, and G Terrell Everett came into his own last season. Sooners should again be in thick of Big 12 hunt and are threat to go very far in March. Opens: Nov. 19 vs. Samford.

7.
Gonzaga
26-5
540
18
Outlook: Ronny Turiaf is gone, but Bulldogs will be looking to make up for last season's early NCAA ouster behind Fs Adam Morrison and J.P. Batista and steady point guard Derek Raivio. Opens: Nov. 18 vs. Idaho.

8.
Louisville
33-5
536
3
Outlook: Coming off first Final Four appearance of Rick Pitino era and heading into Big East play, Cardinals should be strong again behind F Juan Palacios, G Taquan Dean and 6-11 Kansas transfer David Padgett. Palacios (ankle) and Padgett (foot) have been hampered by injuries, however. Opens: Nov. 19 vs. Tennessee-Martin.

9.
Arizona
30-7
532
6
Outlook: Channing Frye and Salim Stoudamire have departed, meaning Gs Hassan Adams and Mustafa Shakur and F Ivan Radenovic are among those who have to step up. Expect Wildcats to be more balanced as they strive for Pac-10 honors. Opens: Nov. 21 vs. Kansas in Maui Invitational at Lahaina, Hawaii (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET).

10.
Kentucky
28-6
511
5
Outlook: Eligibility issues surrounding C Randolph Morris notwithstanding, Wildcats should again be Final Four threat behind Gs Rajon Rondo and Patrick Sparks and deep cast of youngsters who gained valuable experience a year ago. Opens: Nov. 13 vs. South Dakota State in Guardians Classic (ESPNU, 8 p.m. ET).

11.
Boston College
25-5
484
19
Outlook: Eagles started 20-0 a year ago but went out in second round of NCAAs. Fs Craig Smith and Jared Dudley and G Louis Hinnant lead deep, veteran team that should be immediate contender in first year in ACC. Opens: Nov. 18 vs. Dartmouth.

12.
Memphis
22-16
354
NR
Outlook: Tigers look like class of new-look Conference USA and could go deep into March behind talented cast that features F Rodney Carney and G Darius Washington. Opens: Nov. 15 vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Preseason NIT.

13.
Stanford
18-13
331
NR
Outlook: Return to good health of G Dan Grunfeld (knee) is key for Cardinal. PG Chris Hernandez and F Matt Haryasz will be that much more effective if Grunfeld's all-around game is back in force. Opens: Nov. 19 vs. UC-Irvine.

14.
Alabama
24-8
295
NR
Outlook: Kennedy Winston and Earnest Shelton depart from last season's NCAA team. If Crimson Tide are to rise in Southeastern Conference, big years will be needed from Fs Jermareo Davidson and Chuck Davis and PG Ronald Steele. Opens: Nov. 15 vs. Miami (Ohio) in Preseason NIT.

15.
West Virginia
24-11
265
12
Outlook: After narrowly missing Final Four trip, Mountaineers should be major factor in Big East behind sharp-shooting C Kevin Pittsnogle, G J.D. Collins and F Mike Gansey. Opens: Nov. 12 vs. Louisiana-Monroe in Guardians Classic.

16.
Syracuse
27-7
210
21
Outlook: Level of success for Orange probably will depend on development of C Darryl Watkins and F Terrence Roberts, who will be called on to do a lot more after departure of All-America F Hakim Warrick. G Gerry McNamara returns for his final season, and freshman G Eric Devendorf is one to watch. Opens: Nov. 8 vs. Bethune-Cookman in 2K Sports Classic (ESPNU, 8 p.m. ET).

17.
Illinois
37-2
201
2
Outlook: Last season's runner-up will miss Gs Deron Williams and Luther Head but welcomes back G Dee Brown and C-F James Augustine. This team will be young in spots and quality depth might be issue, but freshman F C.J. Jackson is one to watch. Opens: Nov. 18 vs. South Dakota State.

18. (tie)
UCLA
18-11
190
NR
Outlook: Coach Ben Howland's rebuilding job starting to bear fruit. Bruins return four starters from last year's team that made NCAA tournament and could be ready to take the next step behind Gs Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo, F Josh Shipp (temporarily sidelined by hip surgery) and C Michael Fey. Opens: Nov. 15 vs. New Mexico State in Preseason NIT (ESPN2, 10 p.m. ET).

18. (tie)
Wake Forest
27-6
190
11
Outlook: All-America point guard Chris Paul left for the NBA, and Fs Vytas Danelius and Jamaal Levy have also departed. C Eric Williams and G Justin Gray are mainstays returning to retooled team that still should be able to make some noise in ACC. Opens: Nov. 10 vs. Mississippi Valley State in 2K Sports Classic.

20.
Iowa
21-12
176
NR
Outlook: With veteran cast, including Gs Jeff Horner and Adam Haluska and F Greg Brunner, returning from last season's NCAA team, Hawkeyes hope to take next step in Big Ten. Consistency was issue last season, but experienced roster should help there. Opens: Nov. 14 vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore in Guardians Classic.

21.
Maryland
19-13
167
NR
Outlook: Terrapins disappointed in NIT bid last year, but this is veteran team that should make run for NCAAs. Fs Nik Caner-Medley, Travis Garrison and Ekene Ibekwe and Gs Chris McCray and Mike Jones all have plenty of experience. Opens: Nov. 18 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson.

22.
Indiana
15-14
153
NR
Outlook: Hoosiers could be heard from in Big Ten with four starters returning, including F D.J. White, 2005 Big Ten freshman of the year. Also coming aboard are two solid transfers from Auburn, F Marco Killingsworth and PG Lewis Monroe. Opens: Nov. 18 vs. Nicholls State (ESPNU, 6 p.m. ET).

23.
Iowa State
19-12
118
NR
Outlook: Cyclones qualified for NCAAs for first time in four years by knocking off some Big 12 royalty in waning weeks of last season. Behind Gs Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock, they should be back in mix for league honors. Opens: Nov. 20 vs. Mountain State (W.Va.).

24.
George Washington
22-8
109
NR
Outlook: Best news in offseason was that Fs Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Mike Hall pulled out of NBA draft. Their return, along with that of G J.R. Pinnock, could mean best season in a long time for Colonials. Opens: Nov. 23 vs. Kennesaw State.

25.
Nevada
25-7
88
NR
Outlook: Wolf Pack again look like team to beat in Western Athletic Conference and have good inside-outside balance with F-C Nick Fazekas and Gs Ramon Sessions and Kyle Shiloh leading eight returning letter-winners. Opens: Nov. 19 vs. Sacramento State.

Duke is number 1 and rightfully so. I was surprised to see a top 25 poll without Florida in it. In fact, I searched all over espn.com and found only 1 expert who put Florida in the top 25. They did lose their top 3 starters, but they had nice depth last year. Chris Richards and Adrian Moss can fill the inside nicely. Brewer is a defensive specialist and Humphrey can shoot the 3 ball. The Gators went 24-8 last year, and I see them improving. They lost 2 streaky hot dogs to the NBA Draft (by the way, Walsh and Roberson went undrafted).

In college football news, Marcus Vick and Virginia Tech romped Boston College last night 30-10. This huge victory however, will not be enough to move them into the top 2. Texas or USC has to lose or else Virginia Tech will be the odd man out. According to ESPN, “Tech now needs a take-notice victory Nov. 5 here against Miami, and then a similar flexing of the muscles in the ACC title game -- preferably against Florida State for power-rating reasons. Right now, Texas' 35-point victory over No. 10 Texas Tech stands out more than Tech's 20-point victory over No. 13 BC. You can debate whether the Red Raiders deserved their ranking -- but you can also debate whether the Eagles deserved theirs. Tech needed a clean kill and didn't get it.”

On a side note, I read in an article that Marcus Vick is 8-0 as a college starter, and combined with Michael Vicks record as a college starter, the brothers have a total record of 28-1. That is insane. Marcus still has one more year left in college (I think). But one can imagine if he will be his draft class’s top pick just like his brother. In comparison, the Manning brothers had a combine college record of 63-19.

So did anyone else like the new uniforms Tech was sporting last night? I thought Nike did a nice job in creating a new and fresh uniform look. Each sleeve had a different color. The Gators will be wearing the new uniforms Saturday afternoon against the Bulldogs. One sleeve will be orange and the other will be blue. I am usually a fan of the classic uniforms. Give me the blue pants and white jerseys they wore in that national championship game. But, I am kind of excited about seeing the new uniforms.

I guess I better give out my prediction. Florida 24, Bulldogs 20.

2005-10-27T10:13:00.000-04:00

White Sox and NFL Power Poll

The White Sox won the World Series in record fashion. Winning 8 playoff games in a row to seal the deal. They played hard. Their pitching was amazing (or maybe the Astros offense is just that bad) and their hitting was very solid. They differentiate themselves from the Astros because they are able to put up runs when it matters. The Astros manage to chase sliders and strike out when the game is on the line.

I’m not going to get into the bad umpire calls, conspiracy theories about MLB wanting all teams who haven’t won in 80s to win a title, or how the Astros fan needed to interfere with that foul ball Uribe dove into the stands for. The White Sox simply just outplayed them in all aspects of the game. Every hitter in their lineup has the potential to hit the ball and drive in runs. The Astros can’t say that. Only Taveras and Berkman can hit the ball on a constant basis.

What does the future hold for the White Sox? A repeat in 2006? Perhaps, but not likely. I don’t see their pitching holding up again like it did this year. Guys like Freddy Garcia and John Garland are just not that good. They all had career years at the same time. They all came together to win a championship. That’s what it takes. What will happen to the Astros next year? If Clemens retires (for good this time), the Astros will be hurting at starting pitching. They will still have a solid 3 with Oswalt, Pettitte, and Backe. They will need to acquire someone in the off-season. In my opinion Bagwell is done. As much as I love him and would hate to see him retire like this, I feel his time is done. He just can’t hit anymore. He will be back next year because he is due like 17 million. No way does he retire with that on the table. He can’t throw, can’t hit, and isn’t the leader he once was.

The Power Rankings after Week 7: From NFL.com
POWER RANKINGS
Current
Team

1
Indianapolis Colts
The offense is starting to show signs of really coming to life, which isn't a good thing for the rest of the league. You know they're eyeing the Patriots in two weeks.

2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Chris Simms era begins Sunday for the Bucs. Is it here to stay if he plays well? We think it is.

3
Philadelphia Eagles
They can't run the ball, but with that defense and the short passing game they are still one of the better teams. At some point, though, they have to try and run it. Don't they?

4
Atlanta Falcons
They're winning games, but doesn't the passing game need to get better if they are to get to the Super Bowl? It sure feels that way.

5
Pittsburgh Steelers
They are a much different team with Ben Roethlisberger. That much we know. Winning the way they did at Cincinnati says a lot about this team.

6
New York Giants
The offense is impressive, but that defense has to play better in the next 10 games if they are to be a playoff team. Eli Manning is the real deal.

7
Denver Broncos
Blowing a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead to the Giants will sting for a while. Now they get the tough Eagles this week at home. That won't be easy.

8
Jacksonville Jaguars
They close out the year with a tissue-soft 10-game schedule. If they don't get to 11-5, it will be a major failure.

9
Seattle Seahawks
It wasn't pretty, but give them credit for finding a way to beat the Cowboys late Sunday. At 5-2, why do you get the feeling that this team still isn't clicking?

10
Washington Redskins
Mark Brunell has 12 touchdown passes against two interceptions. Who was it that said he was done last year?

11
Cincinnati Bengals
The Steelers taught them a valuable lesson Sunday, which was come back and see us when you're ready to play a physical game. They looked overmatched.

12
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys flat out blew a game they should have won Sunday. Drew Bledsoe should know better than to make that throw he made late in the game.

13
Kansas City Chiefs
Doing what they did in Miami considering the circumstances was impressive. They will face a testy San Diego team on the road this week. A victory would tell a lot about the Chiefs.

14
New England Patriots
The bye week was probably a good thing for the Patriots as they prepare to face Buffalo this week. Look for the Pats to make a big push the next month and take over the AFC East.

15
Carolina Panthers
Coming off the bye week, the Panthers should start to make a real push in the division. They do have to play better on defense.

16
San Diego Chargers
This might be the best 3-4 team we've seen in a long time. The Chargers got no favors from the schedule-maker and it might cost them a playoff chance.

17
Chicago Bears
Don't look now but the Bears are tied for first in the division. The defense was dominant against the Ravens.

18
St. Louis Rams
Mike Martz will miss the rest of the season, and that has to impact this team. Jamie Martin rallied the Rams against the Saints, but now he faces a good Jaguars defense.

19
Detroit Lions
Jeff Garcia is 1-0 as a starter, even if he didn't do a lot. The coaching staff got its way in benching Joey Harrington.

20
Oakland Raiders
They gave LaMont Jordan the ball and he responded with a big game. That needs to happen more if they want to get back in the playoff hunt.

21
Buffalo Bills
That was an ugly performance at Oakland. This is another team that does not give its feature back the ball enough. Willis McGahee should get more carries.

22
Miami Dolphins
That early-season success looks like a long time ago now. But this is what we expected from the Dolphins in the first place. The talent isn't there yet.

23
Baltimore Ravens
Anthony Wright can't make the plays to win for this team. And the opposing defenses know it, which is why they load up against the run. Did you ever think they'd be yearning for Kyle Boller to come back?

24
Arizona Cardinals
This is a team to watch in the next 10 games. They're not out of the playoff race either.

25
Minnesota Vikings
They may have saved their season with that long Paul Edinger field goal. Now if they can stay away from those boat cruises they might have a chance to win the bad NFC North.

26
New York Jets
So much for Vinny Testaverde getting the passing game going. This team is headed for a long, long season.

27
Cleveland Browns
It might be time to go to Charlie Frye at quarterback. All of sudden, Trent Dilfer can't make any plays.

28
New Orleans Saints
How much more can go wrong in a season? Now the officials get them two games in a row? They'll soon be counting the days until the end of this season.

29
Tennessee Titans
Steve McNair is hurt again, which sucks the life out of this young team. Nothing against Billy Volek, but McNair is the heart of the Titans.

30
Green Bay Packers
They've had so many injuries on top of their bad start that it's going to be tough to recover. It's not who's hurt, but who's healthy?

31
San Francisco 49ers
There are going to be a lot of days like they had against the Redskins for this team. The key will be how well Mike Nolan holds them together.

32
Houston Texans
They don't even try to pass anymore because of their bad offensive line. Maybe it's the only way to keep David Carr alive.

2005-10-26T10:33:00.000-04:00

Chicago White Sox, Florida Georgia, St. Louis Rams

Once again I am starting my post off talking about the Chicago White Sox. Outside of the 5th inning in yesterday’s game, Roy Oswalt and the Astros dominated the Sox. I’m not sure what happened to Roy in the 5th, giving up 6 hits and 5 earned runs. That is not like him at all. You have to give credit to the White Sox. They have an unbelievable lineup. They didn’t sweep Boston and manhandle the Angels by luck. The White Sox are good, and they deserve to be up 3 games to 0 the way they’ve been playing.

The Astros are the king of leaving men on base. Nothing irritates me more. Burke stepped up again with a solid plate appearance and drawing the walk. He stole second base on a wild throw back, and the very next pitch he stole third! What a way to set up a win. Biggio gets walked and the Astros have runners of first and third with 1 out. At this point, I knew the Astros were going to win. I could just feel it inside. I was on the edge of my seat as Willy Taveras came to the plate. He had like a .400 postseason batting average. All we needed was a sacrifice bunt or a sacrifice fly. That’s all we needed to win the game. Taveras strikes out, which I thought was ok. At least he didn’t ground into a double play. Berkman, the Astros most feared hitter is coming up next. I figured we still had a chance. The White Sox were smart and pitched around Berkman to get to Ensberg. With the bases load and 2 outs all the Astros needed was a hit. Any kind of hit would win the game. I was not thrilled with the matchup at the plate, they don’t mix well. The way Ensberg hits with that open stance and the way El Duque pitches, you could just see a strikeout coming.

Congrats to the White Sox. They are one game away from a World Series Championship. Game 4 is tonight with Brandon Backe on the mound for Houston and Freddy Garcia going for Chicago.

Late October is a special time of year. Not because of the fall weather or Halloween, it’s because of the annual Florida vs. Georgia football game. One of college footballs biggest rivalry games is set to kick off this Saturday in Jacksonville at Alltel Stadium. Pregame festivities kick off tomorrow night followed by the world largest outdoor cocktail party on Friday night at the Jacksonville Landing. If you are a college football fan and have not experienced this game and its partying, you need to buy a ticket and head down here asap. It’s the most fun atmosphere you can imagine. It’s a BCS Bowl Game in October.

With Georgia’s QB Shockley hurt and unable to play Saturday, most people would pick the Gators to win. They are favored by a touchdown or so. I want to pick the Gators, being an alumni of UF means I will root for the Gators. The only problem is I am not sold on Urban Meyer’s offense. No one is. You can’t argue the fact that the Gator defense is solid, but what you can argue is if this option offense will work against Georgia. It should be a good game. The winner generally goes on to win the SEC East, so it’s a big game. Go Gators !!!

From espn.com

ST. LOUIS -- A day after announcing he'd miss the rest of the season with a heart infection, St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz harshly criticized team management and said he didn't know if he could coexist with the team's president of football operations.
Jay Zygmunt, the team's second-highest ranking official, stopped a representative for Martz at the door of the coaches' booth during Sunday's game against the Saints. The representative, team director of security Dan Linza, had been trying to bring a cell phone to offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild so Martz could talk to him from his home.
Zygmunt brought Linza to team president John Shaw, who decided against having an "open phone line" in the booth.

The confrontation brought to a head once again the team's front office power struggle. Martz has long been at odds with Zygmunt and general manager Charlie Armey, and he told radio station KSLG that he didn't know whether he and Zygmunt could coexist if he returned to coach the team next year.

"That's a personal question that I'm not really prepared to answer," Martz said. "There is a lot of history there. From a business standpoint, yes. From a personal standpoint, I don't know. There have been just too many things that have happened."

Trouble is brewing in St. Louis. Their team is on a downward spiral. With Bulger and Holt injured, they are at a lack of talent depth. Don’t be surprised if Martz doesn’t come back next season to coach the Rams.

2005-10-25T10:59:00.000-04:00

World Series Game 3, BCS Standings, Green Bay Packers

Power hungry Bud Selig wants to roof open in tonight's World Series game. During the regular and postseason (except the World Series), the Houston Astros make the decision on keeping the roof of Minute Maid Park open or closed. But in the World Series, the decision is made by the baseball commissioner.

Baseball is full of conspiracy theories. Just browse any team’s message board and you will see plenty of them. Could this be another conspiracy in the making? Is Selig secretly rooting for the White Sox? Does everyone outside of Houston really hate the Astros? Odds are the roof will be open tonight. The Astros had the second best home record in all of baseball (53-28). “But their winning percentage when the roof is open is only .577 (15-11) -- versus .684 (39-18) when it's closed (counting the postseason). ‘Bottom line,’ said manager Phil Garner on Monday, ‘is that I think that with it closed, it does generate a lot of noise and it's a lot of fun. And I think that we play for that. We play for that excitement, and that noise -- it helps a little bit.’" (espn.com)

The weather could play a factor in deciding if the roof stays closed or is opened. Temperatures are supposed to drop into the 40s tonight in Houston (which is about as cold as it gets all year). I’m not sure if rain is in the forecast, but if there are any clouds you can expect the Astros to make a hard push to keep that roof closed.

The Astros have their ace on the mound tonight, Roy Oswalt. He will be facing a tough and determined John Garland. This is a must win for the Astros, in fact, all 3 games in Houston are a must win. Both teams have put up a fight, and the first tow games ended within the last inning of two. This has been an exciting series. It’s time to even things up.

I just wanted to mention quickly that Texas has over-taken USC in the BCS Poll for the number 1 spot. Don’t get this confused with the AP Poll. I don’t know exactly how the BCS computer figures out the rankings, but I’m sure it has to do with quality of wins. It has to be based on the rankings of a team’s opponents; otherwise USC would still be number 1. How can a team who hasn’t lost in 29 games not be number 1? It doesn’t make sense to me. I’m not saying USC would beat Texas in a game, but I am saying that USC deserves to be number 1 in every poll.

In NFL news, Green Bay Packer’s running back Ahman Green is out for the season. Every year it seems like Favre loses someone close to him, whether it be is father, brother, whoever. No one faces hardships like Brett Favre. This year, he hasn’t lost any relatives, but he has lost a good portion of his football family. Walker, Furgeson, Green, and Davenport are just a few of the Packers that have succumbed to injury. Will Brett be able to bring this team back? They are 1-5 I believe and at the bottom of the division. The Packers are in a world of hurt. If this continues I don’t see Favre coming back next season. Some people might think he wouldn’t want to end his career on such a bad note like this, well, who say’s it can’t get worse next season.

2005-10-24T10:29:00.000-04:00

White Sox, Bengals, and College Football

I have to start off today’s entry talking about the Chicago White Sox. I’ll admit that over the course of the season I maybe saw one White Sox game, so other than highlight’s I had no idea what this team was made of. You have to be impressed with the way they are playing. Before the playoffs I had never heard of guys like Joe Crede and Bobby Jenks. Crede can flat out play. His defense is one of the best for a third baseman I have seen since Rolen, and on top of that he can hit. He just has a knack for spectacular plays. Bobby Jenks didn’t pitch as well last night as he did Saturday. Everyone was calling me Saturday night asking “who is Bobby Jenks?” My reply, “I don’t know”. How is it so many people went all season without ever hearing about Bobby Jenks. He threw about 3 or 4 pitches in a row that topped 100. He made Bagwell look like a single A player.

Last night’s game made me very angry. I almost got into a fight with my girlfriend over this game. She was getting on my case for being so negative about the Astros performance. When they gave up the Grand Slam, I lost it. Curse words were flying every which way. She kept telling me to stop being so negative and to have hope. My response, “You don’t know what it’s like. I’ve seen this all before. I know how it’s going to end.” Despite wanting to turn the tube off, I decided to finish the game. The Astros manage to get runners on 2nd and 3rd in the top of the 9th and guess who comes up to the plate, my favorite Astro Jose Vizcaino. At this point I thought we were doomed. Why Mike Lamb didn’t PH I don’t know. I closed my eyes and listed to Jose crack a 2 rbi double to left field. It was a miracle I thought. Maybe the Astros were destined to win. With Lidge coming in to pitch it was on to extra innings, or so I thought. I don’t know what is wrong with Lidge. The last two games he’s pitched in he has given up huge bombs to end the game. At the end of the game I didn’t say anything. I felt like saying “I told you so,” but I didn’t. There are times in games when a fan can just feel what’s going to happen. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

I felt like writing two or three paragraphs about the officiating in the playoffs. I’m really starting to think baseball needs instant replay. There have been bad calls in every game of every series. So much more than last year or the year before that. Last night Jermaine Dye got away with a free base. Usually everyone calls am umpire blind, but in this case he was deaf. How the home plate ump did not HEAR the ball hit the bat, I don’t know. It makes a completely different sound when a ball hits a player and when it hits a bat. I could tell from my living room just by listening to it. Not to mention the way the ball came off the bat. At that angle there’s no way it hits his hand. Unbelievable.

If you look up the word “pretenders” in the dictionary, you will likely find a picture of Carson Palmer and the Bengals. I can’t believe how many people jumped on this bandwagon when they were 4-0. The five teams they have beaten all have losing records, and the two losses they have are both from teams with winning records. This is the definition of a pretender. When they face solid competition they fail. It’s hard to say if the Bengals will make the playoffs. They have a very soft schedule but still have to play Indy, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and KC. The Jags do have the tie breaker over the Bengals so should both teams end up 10-6, the Jags will be in and the Bengals will be at home.

First, I want to say I was waaayyyy off when I predicted Texas Tech to beat Texas. The longhorns just demolished the Red Raiders. It was looking pretty good in my favor after the first couple of series, but things quickly turned around. Looks like Texas vs USC in the championship game. No one can argue against the fact that these two teams are the best in the nation. After watching Texas, I would go as far as to say they can beat USC in a championship game. With no major upsets this weekend, the polls didn’t change much. I’ll get the AP Poll up later today. Georgia’s QB Shockley will likely miss next week’s game against Florida. This is a huge blow for Georgia in what is their biggest game of the season. Alabama beat Tennessee late in the 4th quarter due to a Tennessee fumble in the end zone. Croyle is really showing himself off this year. He’s getting a lot of hype and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s solidified himself as a top QB in the 2006 Draft.

2005-10-22T09:20:00.000-04:00

World Series Game 1 and NFL Fantasy Picks

When Roger Clemens signed with the Astros, he made it clear that his only reason for continuing his career was to bring his home town a championship. Well Roger, here's your chance. Making his eight World Series start tonight, the Rocket will face off against the White Sox's Jose Contreras. No baseball player prepares himself better than Roger. Tonight's game will be played in the windy city where temperature will drop to the low 50s. That is quite a different from playing in the 90 degree heat of Houston. "I don't really care," Clemens said. "I think the only time that I have a problem on the mound or on the golf course is when there's too much wind. I can handle the hot and the extreme heat, and I don't mind if it's freezing cold -- just have to keep your body ready. "

I wonder if the Yankees are kicking themselves in the rear for letting Jose Contreras go. If he was going to ever play in a World Series, it was supposed to be for the Yankees. Never did Cashman think Jose would carry the White Sox this far. But that is what Contreras was brought to the Big Leagues for. For Contreras to win tonight he doesn't need to shutout the Astros, he just needs to keep it close. Clemens does not have the stellar postseason ERA that he had during the regular season. The White Sox will put up runs on him, and it will be Jose's responsibility to keep the game close.

The Astros will need to force Contreras out of the game early and get to the White Sox bullpen. Their bullpen has virtually no pitching practice in weeks. They will be too rested. Roger's job should be to allow only two runs in six innings. Then the Astros can bring in Qualls, Wheeler, and Lidge to help close the game. Prediction Astros 5, White Sox 3. (come on, did you really think I would pick the Sox's to win?)

Time to get in some NFL Fantasy picks for the week. Sure we already had one game, and if you had Priest then you should be off to a nice start heading into tomorrow's games.

QB- Brunell has been the hot hand lately, and this week he's going against the 49ers. He should put up some nice numbers (assuming they don't get too far ahead).

RB- Clinton Portis is my pick here. No I'm not going to pick all Redskins. If Washington gets up early, they will pound the ball.

WR- Brandon Jones could put up big numbers. With Bennett out, Volek will have no other WR option to throw to.

TE- Ernie Conwell is playing the Rams this week. They have given up 150+ yards and 2 tds to TEs in the past 3 weeks. He's got the match-up. Play him.

K- Lindell is kicking against an Oakland team that might put up a lot of points. If this turns into a high scoring affair, Buffalo will be kicking field goals.

DEF- Chicago is quietly putting up solid numbers for a defense. They are playing the Ravens so expect two interceptions and some sacks.

2005-10-21T09:01:00.000-04:00

Texas Tech vs Texas, NFL Friday Night, Superdome

Two undefeated team, both 6-0 and 3-0 in the Big 12 south. Number 2 ranked Texas will take on number 10 ranked Texas Tech in a battle that will prove who the most dominant team in Texas is. The Red Raiders are leading the Big 12 in almost every offensive category, while the Longhorns are leading the Big 12 in almost all defensive categories.

The Longhorns are led by Heisman hopeful Vince Young who is a threat from the air and on the ground. Texas has the edge over the last six meetings, winning five of them. Hodges, the quarterback for Texas Tech, does have almost double the offensive passing stats of Vince Young with a 71.6% completion rate, 2461 yards and 22 tds. There's no question the Red Raiders love to pass the ball, but will they be able to against a tough Texas secondary?

I'm going to pick Texas Tech to win this game. Not because their offense is so good, not because they are an underdog, but because I can't picture Texas going undefeated. They have to lose at least one game, and why not lose to Texas Tech. A huge Big 12 match-up that should light up the scoreboard. Texas Tech 35, Texas 31.

Are you ready for some football ?!? A real Friday Night Party !!! Wait.. what? A friday night party? That's right. Due to hurricane Wilma threatening the Florida coast, the NFL has decided to move the Kansas City vs Miami game up to tonight. They NFL really had no other options because both teams already had their bye weeks. What a way to start off the weekend, four straight days of quality primetime football. I have to pick Kansas City to win this game. Miami's defense gets a lot of hype but I'm not buying it. Priest Holmes will run wild and look for Trent Green to finally get it going in the air. Both teams will be playing on short rest, but I'm predicting a relatively high scoring game. Something in the 30s to something in the 20s.

From CBS Sportsline.com

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Superdome officials say the stadium should be largely cleaned up from Hurricane Katrina and ready for the New Orleans Saints to play at least some of their games there in 2006.

The announcement Thursday came as San Antonio officials said they were working Saints owner Tom Benson to keep the team in Texas. The state must also respond to the team's assertions that its state-owned practice facility has been rendered unusable by damages caused by federal agencies in the weeks following the Aug. 29 storm.

The Superdome, severely damaged by high winds, should have a temporary roof in place within 10 days, said Doug Thornton, regional vice president for SMG, which manages the stadium. An environmental assessment of its interior -- damaged by rainfall through holes in the roof and its use as a shelter for evacuees -- should be finished by Dec. 1, he said.

"We're working to make the Dome ready for the next season," Thornton said at a meeting of the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District Commission, the state board that oversees the Superdome.

Well, it looks like the Saints owner wants to keep the team in New Orleans rather than exploring the options of moving them to San Antonio or L.A. I'm not sure if this is a good thing for the NFL or not. The Saints desperately need a new stadium, not a dinged up 1960s dome with a temporary roof.

Well, that's all the time I have for today. It's Saturday tomorrow but I should still be able to post. Look for a post on the World Series preview and some NFL Fantasy predictions.

2005-10-20T10:07:00.000-04:00

The World Series, Baseball News, and Teddy Bruschi

Last night will forever be remembered as one of the greatest sports moment I have ever seen. The Astros 5-1 victory over the Cardinals is a significant moment in my life. Ever since I was a young boy playing little league, I looked up to certain Astros. From legendary players such as Nolan Ryan and Mike Scott to the faces of the franchise Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. I have collected Astros memorabilia, cards, autographs, hats, you name it.. I have it.

Never has an organization wanted something more than the Astros wanted a World Series appearance. The NLCS Championship win last night is the greatest accomplishment in the history of the Houston Astros. I have followed the Astros my whole life. Being born in Houston comes with a certain pride, and part of that pride is a love of the Astros. No matter how many times they suffered first round playoff losses, we have come back the next season ready to compete. The Astros are one of baseball's top 5 winningest franchises in the last decade. It is an amazing feeling to watch a team who has struggled for so long in the playoffs to achieve their goals, to be given an opportunity to go down in baseball history. The Astros are 4 wins away from the World Series Championship. Something they have never experienced. There is something special about this season. Clemens looking to give his hometown a championship, Biggio and Bagwell looking to play in their first World Series, and so much more.

The White Sox are the toughest competition the Astros could have faced. They have pitching that rivals Houston's and an offense that is slightly more potent. If the Astros can dominate defensively like they have, I honestly feel like they will win it all. If watching Houston win a NLCS could make me feel so good, I can't imagine what a World Series championship will do. Yankees and Cardinal fans are spoiled by all their rings. It will be exciting to watch a World Series with teams who haven't been in over 44 years. All I can say is thank you for giving it your all and good luck in the World Series.

In other baseball news, Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone has decided to leave Atlanta and join the Baltimore Orioles organization. This is a huge blow for Atlanta and an amazing pickup for Baltimore. Leo Mazzone can be given credit for creating one of the most dominating pitching teams in the last 15 years. He helped create guys like Maddux, Smoltz, and Glavine. He turns average pitchers into studs. "From 1992 through this season, the Braves ranked first or second in the NL in ERA in every year but two." ( from espn.com) The Braves will miss him. 2006 could be the first time in like 14 years the Braves don't win the NL East.

What can be said about Teddy Bruschi? The man suffered a stroke, and is back on the practice field with the New England Patriots. It's not unheard of for strokes to actually kill people, and Bruschi is ready to play football. The doctors cleared him to play, but I am still hesitant to say he can return to form. Do linebackers get gun-shy? They are the ones doing the hitting, but you can't help but wonder if he remembering the stroke will cross his mind while on the field. "I have no type of reservations," Bruschi said Wednesday before practice. "I think I've done ... everything that I had to do to make sure that my confidence level is high for when I need to stick my face in there. I'm going to stick it in and I'm going to stick it in hard." Bruschi is a class act, a model NFL player, and in some ways a hero. Could his return be the inspiration the Patriots need to get back on track? Even if he doesn't play for 8 more weeks, his leadership in the locker room and on the sideline might propel this team back to their winning ways.

The picture is copyright of ESPN 2005.

2005-10-19T16:12:00.000-04:00

NFL Power Poll Week 7

Well, it's Wednesday and my week 7 Power Polls are posted. Enjoy the new rankings. Some of the biggest jumps are the Falcons and Ravens. Biggest drops are Steelers and Patriots

1. Indianapolis Colts 6-0. The only unbeaten team. They just keep pounding away
2. Denver Broncos 5-1. Broncos are one of the most balanced teams in the NFL.
3. Tampa Bay Bucs 5-1. Tampa lost Griese, but their bye is coming at the perfect time.
4. Cincinatti Bengals 5-1. They keep beating bad teams. Here come the Steelers
5. Jacksonville Jaguars 4-2. A solid defensive effort. Nice record going into the bye.
6. Atlanta Falcons 4-2. Warrick Dunn is quietly having an amazing season.
7. Dallas Cowboys 4-2. I like their new spread offense. Bledsoe still has a cannon for an arm.
8. Philadelphia Eagles 3-2. McNabb's hurting and McDougal is done, but the NFC is still awful.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers 3-2. Big Ben is coming back to revive this team.
10. Seattle Seahawks 4-2. Alexander blew up again in prime time. Sign him long term now !
11. Carolina Panthers 4-2. Delhomme went down, but Weinke stepped up for the win.
12. San Diego Chargers 3-3. Tomlinson threw for another td. This guy is the best.
13. New England Patriots 3-3. Injuries are killing them for once. Whats wrong?
14. Washington Redskins 3-2. Brunell keeps airing it out, and they play SF this week.
15. New York Giants 3-2. If they want to win, they've got to give the ball to Tiki.
16. Kansas City Chiefs 3-2. Priest got it going finally.
17. Buffalo Bills 3-3. They are finally starting to click with Holcomb at the helm.
18. St. Louis Rams 2-4. Bulger is hurt, but will likely play next week.
19. Detroit Lions 2-3. When will Harrington be benched? Is it soon?
20. Miami Dolphins 2-3. Dolphins got wrecked in a Sunshine State matchup
21. Cleveland Browns 2-3. What can you say about the Browns? Bring out the brown bags
22. Baltimore Ravens 2-3. Give the ball to Taylor please. Lewis just isn't right.
23. Chicago Bears 2-3. A solid defensive effort and another good game by Thomas Jones.
24. New York Jets 2-4. Curtis Martin exploded, but it wasn't enough
25. Tennessee Titans 2-4. they lost Bennett for an extended period of time. Down they go.
26. New Orleans Saints 2-4. Antwain Smith showed up, but the rest of the Saints didn't
27. Oakland Raiders 1-4. Randy Moss got hurt, this spells trouble of the Raiders.
28. Green Bay Packers 1-4. Coming off a bye week the Packers will be ready to win.
29. Arizona Cardinals 1-4. Let's see how well they do after thier bye.
30. San Francisco 49ers 1-4. Did anyone expect them to be any higher?
31. Minnesota Vikings 1-4. No Moss = no playoffs. 1-4 in the worst NFL division. That's bad
32. Houston Texans 0-5. Year after year the Texans continue to suck. Win #1 isn't coming soon.

2005-10-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

NFL News, Yankees, NLCS Game 6

Just before the NFL Trade deadline yesterday, The Tampa Bay Bucs offered a draft pick for former SF 49ers quarterback Tim Rattay. When I first saw this, I immediately pictured Rattay being the starter (in reality he will be thier number 3). Thank God I forgot the Bucs had Chris Simms. If you didn't know, Tampa has lost QB Brian Griese for the rest of the year with an ACL injury (atleast I think it was his ACL). I'm not sure Simms is the type of quarterback a 5-1 Bucs team can turn to. He has limited playing experience and hasn't shown much of anything when given the opportunity. The Bucs were already a run first team, and they may be forced to run the ball even more. Hopefully Cadillac will be healthy enough to go come week 8 (Tampa is on bye this week).

In other NFL news, Big Ben Roethlisberger will start this weekend vs the Bengals. He will not be 100%, but the Steelers have no choice. Maddox looked horrendous last week vs the Jags. This looks like a must win game for the Steelers who have fallen a game and a half behind the Bengals. Am I the only one that thinks the Bengals are pretenders. Their schedule has been a joke so far, except when they played the Jags (and lost). Palmer is an awesome QB, but I still think the Bengals are a year away from making a serious push in the playoffs.

QB Marc Bulger's status still remains unknown, however, I think he will play. Martin didn't look all that bad (he was playing against the number 1 defense in the NFL), but Martin is not the type of QB that can lead the Rams to victory. The Rams should consider themselves lucky that they play in the NFC where any team still has a chance. The NFC is a joke compared to the AFC.

In baseball news, Yankees Manager Joe Torre will return next season. Yankee fans should be jumping up and down in the streets. Without Torre, they would not have won the division, and would not have made the playoffs. When the Yankees were looking awful, it was Torre that helped turn them around. His resume speaks for itself. "It makes me feel very good. It really does," Steinbrenner said. "He's a good man. I like him. I understand him. I understand what he's after. I'm very happy to have him." Way to go George! I think every team in the Majors would be very happy to him him too.

The Naitonal League Championship Series Game 6 is on tonight. The Astros have another shot to win with Roy Oswalt on the mound. Oswalt (if you can't tell by now) is my favorite Astro. In my opinion, he is the best pitcher in all of baseball. If you watched game 2 and watch tonight, you will see what I mean. If the Astros have any shot of making it to the World Series, it will happen tonight. If Oswalt can't win the game and the cardinals force a game 7, then goodbye Astros. What's that you say? Roger Clemens will take the mound in a possible game 7? That does sound pretty good, but you know what, the Astros had Clemens on the mound in game 7 last year and they still lost. It has to get rapped up tonight. The Cardinals are too good at home to lose two games in a row at home. It won't happen. Tonight is the night.

2005-10-18T10:04:00.000-04:00

Ditka, Baseball, NFL

Folks this is a special day. It only comes around once a year. I'd like to take this moment to wish Coach Ditka a very happy birthday. In honor of what Coach Ditka did for da Bears, specifically in 1986, I want to post an excerpt from a Superfans skit from Saturday Night live.

"Alright, we're talking here, live from Ditka's, in the heart of Chicago, Illinois. The city of big shoulders, and home, of course, to a certain football team, which has carved out a special place in the pantheon of professional football greats. That team, which is known the world over, as.. Da Bears! "

"As for my prediction.. at game's end, uh.. there will be two teams of contrasting moods heading off da field, my friends. One gloom, one gleeful. The gleeful, of which be.. Da Bears! It's too easy, now the real question...Now, did God create Da Bears, and make them superior to all teams? Or is he simply a huge fan, and Ditka made them superior to all other teams? "

Thank you Ditka for all the great memories you have giving us football fans. Happy Birthday big guy.

Now on to other sport news. The NLCS, which should have been over last night. There's a reason Brad Lidge is nicknamed "Light's out". He's supposed to come in the 9th and be "Light's out". For the first two outs he was. Then that annoying pest Eckstein came up to plate and fought Lidge off for a single to left field. Then everything unravled from here. Edmonds walks, and here comes Albert "I'm really 34 years old because I am huge and balding" Pujols. Anyone who thinks this guy is really 26 or 27 years old is kidding themselves. All Astros fans could feel it in their hearts. Lidge was rattled. You could just feel Pujols was going to punish them. And of course he hits a 3 run shot to win the game.

Sure the Astros had a shot to tie up up in the bottom of the 9th, but with Vizcaino and company up to bat, it was a a done deal. Should Astros fans still feel confident? Last year we went to St. Louis up 3-2 and lost in game 7 with Roger on the mound. This series looks like it will come down to the same thing. A game 7 with Roger on the mound. Roy is an amazing pitcher and will likely only give up 2 runs, but with the Astros pathetic offense, 2 runs will probably win it.

The Colts won again in blowout fashion. Of course, losing Bulger for 3 quarters didn't help the Rams. Jamie Martin threw 3 picks to help solidify the Colts victory. All reports are showing Bulger's xrays are negative and he should be ready to go next week. Steven Jackson had an awesome game last night, as did Edgerrin James. James is a free agent next year and would be foolish to leave Indy. Likewise, Indy would be foolish to let Edge go. He is the foundation of that offense, not Manning and not Harrison. The Colts are a very tough team right now the way their defense is playing. Manning no longer needs to throw for 300 yards and 4 tds. This team looks like a championship team. If they get homefield advantage, they could go very deep into the playoffs. And with the Superbowl being played on turf in Detroit, this could be their year (jinx).

2005-10-17T18:55:00.000-04:00

St. Louis Cardinals vs Houston Astros

The Houston Astros take on the St. Louis Cardinals tonight for the chance to win their first National League Championship. Andy Pettitte will be on the mound for the Astros. He will be facing potential Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter. Carpenter got the best of Pettitte in Game 1, but that was in St. Louis. The Astros have one of the best home records in the MLB, and I would imagine they are playing tonight with the roof closed. I believe the Astros are something like 48-17 with the roof closed this year. The Cards won't be able to handle the noise.

Tonight my boys can bring it together. They can accomplish what no other Astros have ever done before. If they win tonight, I promise no matter how many times Vizcaino grounds into a double play, I won't complain. This is a special team. Imagine what could have ben accomplished all those years had Jimy Williams not been the manager. But those days are over. I suspect the Astros management will give Garner a nice fat contract after this season is over.

I am asking, no I am begging the Astros to please come away with a win tonight. Put into our hearts what so many other teams have felt. Biggio and Bagwell deserve this. They are border line hall of famers right now, but with a win tonight and a possible World Series win, the names Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell will be enshrined next to the greatest players of all time.

This picture is copyrighted by www.photofile.com

2005-10-17T09:06:00.000-04:00

Major League Baseball, Wie, NFL, NCAA

Before the season started, it was the Chicago Cubs that were being predicted to go deep into the playoffs. After all, their pitching is the best in the league right? Wrong. The cubs will have to wait another year for their shot at baseball glory. It is, however, another Chi-town team that has made it to the World Series. The White Sox have pulled it off. Their first appearance since 1959, and a shot at their first title since 1917. We ended World War I, had a depression, entered and finished World War II, went through an Elvis period, Hippy movement, Disco dance fever, the invention of TV, computers, and the internet. So much has happened since the White Sox have won a World Series. It seems like it was only 12 years ago when Kevin Costner heard the words "If you build it, they will come". The infamous black sox scandal will probably be brought up 20 times during the World Series. Maybe the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson can help the White Sox similar to the way Christopher Lloyd helped the Angels in Angels in the Outfield.

I can't write my daily blog post without mentioning the Astros. I don't know what I will do to fill up space once baseball season is over. The Astros pitching once again dominated the Cardinals. I was very impressed. Our offense is still struggling, but with this year being and AL World Series, the Astros will get to add another bat to their lineup. Another killer bee perhaps? Can Bagwell DH all game? Am I getting ahead of myself? With a win tonight the Astros will make the World Series for the first time ever. I know it's a little sad. It has taken them quite a long time. But I feel the magic in the air.

You might want to mark this post down, because you won't likely see this happen again. Yah that's right. I'm going to talk about Michelle Wie two posts in a row! I know, I know. I promised not to write about women sports. I hope this doesn't turn you away from reading my future posts. I just wanted to quickly mention Michelle Wie's disqualification. Wie tried to cheat by dropping her ball a foot closer to the pin. With all the cameras on her, did she really think no one would notice. What's wrong Wie? Can't win an event on your own talent? You have to cheat? This girl is like 6' tall and can drive over 300 yards. Has anyone checked her for steroids? You learned a valuable lesson in your first event as a pro. Don't cheat.

Well Sunday has come and gone and with the exception of tonight's game, all my free time this week will be spent looking forward to next week's games. There were a couple stories to note. Pittsburgh got it handed to them by the Jaguars Defense. Sure Big Ben wasn't playing, but neither was Fred Taylor. Mathis stepped up huge to end the game on an interception returned for a td. I hope Chad Johnson was watching. If you didn't know who Mathis was last week, I'm sure you do now. In other NFL news, New England lost again. Thank goodness they playing in a bad division. They still are the favorites to win their division. Tomlinson and Alexander proved why they are the top 2 running backs in the league. It's a wash if you try to pick one over the other. Alexander blew up on prime time TV and would have ended up with 180 yards and 5 tds if they didn't pull him with like 12 minutes to go. And Tomlinson keeps getting tds. What is it now, like 18 games in a row? I wouldn't be surprised if he went all season with a td in every game. I'll take this post as another opportunity to bash the Texans. Please go 0-16. Even if they do end up with the 1st overall pick, what will they do? Carr doesn't seem to the be problem in Houston. Would they take Lienhart? Or would they trade down and increase their number of picks?

Gators lost. Noles lost. Notre Dame lost. What are the odds that for two years in a row the SEC has an undefeated team on the outside looking in? Auburn last year, and possibly Georgia this year. Florida has a bye week coming up, but there's no way they will be prepared enough for what Georgia will bring to the table in Jacksonville. USC won't lose. They are a lock for another spot in the championship game. Both Texas and Virginia Tech will need to lose in order for Georgia to get a shot. Could this be another reason why college football needs a playoff format? I'll wrap this post up with the AP's College Football top 25. I grabbed this list from ESPN.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex

NCAA Football AP Top 25 Ranking.

1. USC (57) 6-0 1,617
2. Texas (8) 6-0 1,566
3. Virginia Tech 6-0 1,495
4. Georgia 6-0 1,426
5. Alabama 6-0 1,306
6. Miami 5-1 1,278
7. LSU 4-1 1,201
8. UCLA 6-0 1,085
9. Notre Dame 4-2 1,020
10. Texas Tech 6-0 1,007
11. Florida State 5-1 1,003
12. Penn State 6-1 854
13. Boston College 6-1 809
14. Ohio State 4-2 798
15. Oregon 6-1 665
16. Auburn 5-1 644
17. Tennessee 3-2 581
18. Florida 5-2 575
19. Wisconsin 6-1 549
20. West Virginia 6-1 379
21. TCU 6-1 249
22. Michigan State 4-2 223
23. Virginia 4-2 161
24. Fresno State 4-1 100
25. California 5-2 89

2005-10-15T11:01:00.000-04:00

Throughout the season, I don't pay much attention to the American League. First off, it just doesn't seem like real baseball with their lack of fundamentals, designated hitter, and high payrolls. Or maybe it's a non stop ESPN coverage of the Yankees and Red Sox. I've only written like 5 posts and I'm sure my readers can tell by now I am not a fan of the east coast bias. However, the White Sox have shown me something. They can pitch. I almost forgot they had the 2003 AL Cy Young winner. Contreras, Buerhle, and Garland are something special. They have stepped up huge when asked. My only gripe is Guillen allowing his pitchers to go so deep into games. Why not let the bullpen warm-up and take care of business. After all it is the job of a closer to close games. In a series when Garland may be needed twice, why risk having him throw 118 pitches and go the distance. Paul Konerko might be seen as the real hero of the White Sox, but it is their pitching that scares me. Of course in my mind, if the White Sox make it to the World Series and they have to face the Astros, they will get dominated by Clemens, Pettitte, and Oswalt.

It is Saturday and football is finally on. Football that matters anyways. Sure we have embarrassing games on during the week like NC State, but it's Saturday, and we have USC vs Notre Dame. We have the Gators and the Noles and the Longhorns. Saturday is a glorious day for sports fans everywhere. In fact, I'm going to keep today's entry short because it's already after 11:00 and College Gameday is on. I can't wait to watch Corso. This man cracks me up. Has there ever been a week he hasn't picked FSU to win? What a homer.

Since we've got the NFL coming on tomorrow, and I know most of you probably play fantasy football, I'm going to list some of my sleeper type picks/good starts of the week.

QB- Has Peyton Manning ever been considered a sleeper pick? Well with the way he's been sucking this year, I think he warrants a spot on my list. This might be the week he returns to form (ya he had a nice 4 td game a few weeks ago, but I'm looking for consistency)
WR- Joe Jurevicous showed what he can do last week when given an opportunity to play in a starting roll. Seattle is playing Houston this week and will likely put up some points against the leagues worst team. I'm going to that this opportunity to bash Houston again. Has there ever been a team to roll with the same awful coach for so long. They've never had a winning season. With all those top 5 draft picks you'd think they could get some players on that squad.
RB- Priest Holmes is my RB pick. Once again, a first rounder shouldn't be mentioned, but Roaf is finally coming back and Priest will light it up.
TE- Troupe has scored 3 tds so far this season. McNair is looking his way more often. I had the pleasure to watch Troupe in college and let me tell you, he is a stud. He will be a fantasy stud by the end of the year.
K- Scobee will likely get a couple field goals. He nailed two 50 yarders last week. Pittsburgh should keep Jacksonville out of the endzone forcing them to kick field goals.
DEF- Gotta go with Seattle this week. They're playing the worst offense and worst team in the NFL.

If I remember correctly, in my first post I mentioned that I wouldn't talk about women sports. Michelle Wie is an exception in this post because I wanted to rant about how I'm still not impressed. So she just turned pro and shot a 65 and might win a tournament this weekend, her first as a pro. That's great and all, but guess what.. She's still 16 and still hasn't won anything important. I don't want to hear about how Wie can play against men on the PGA Tour because you know what, she can't. After Michelle wins 6 Majors or so, then maybe she can a have a shot. But when the undisputed best woman golfer in the history of the game Annika Sorenstram can't even compete against the men, Michelle can't either. I don't want her taking up a man's spot in a tournament just because she might draw a crowd. She may draw a crowd on Thursday and Friday, but come the weekend she will be packing her bags back to Hawaii. That's all the time I have to write about Wie.

2005-10-14T10:15:00.000-04:00

Chris Burke, USC vs Notre Dame, and Cheerleaders

How clutch is Chris Burke? In case you haven't been watching the NLCS, let me fill you in. A 25 year old rookie, who is playing out of position, has managed to put up Reggie Jackson type numbers. Ok, no one is ready to call him Mr. October yet, but 10 years down the line who knows. Every team has their post season hero. Last year the Astros had Beltran, the Red Sox has Damon, and the year before that the Marlins had Pudge. In 8 post season at bats Burke has hit in 5 of them including 2 home runs, a triple, and 4 rbis. Welcome to the Killer Bee's Mr. Burke.

Don't let Burke's performance last night fool you on who the real star of the game was. Roy Oswalt dominated the Cardinals. His only bad pitch was a solo shot giving up to Pujols. Oswalt is the best young pitcher in all of baseball. Back to back 20 win seasons, a career ERA sitting around 3.00, and the nastiest stuff you have ever seen. He can throw a 97 mph fastball and then throw a 67 mph curveball on the very next pitch. Roy doesn't get the respect of the media or fans that he deserves, but I guarantee that if you ask the players who has the best stuff in the NL, you will hear Roy's name an awful lot.

On to college football. There are plenty of good games going on this weekend. Of course the one everyone is aware of and everyone will be watching, USC vs Notre Dame. As much press as this game is getting you would think it was the National Championship. Will Notre Dame step up for this game? Probably. Will the step be large enough to over take USC? Probably not. USC is just that good. There is no other team out there with 6 possible Heisman candidates on their roster. As much as I don't like USC, you have to admit they are the best. Charlie Weis will get his players ready and they will put up points, but it won't be enough to beat the Trojans. Another top game of the week is UF vs LSU. Urban Meyer has got to start scoring some points. The Gator offense has got to start clicking. Leak has been banged up and their running game isn't what it should be. LSU has a solid defense and a potent offense. They have 20 more first downs than the Gators and have played two fewer games. Prediction: Gators win by 7. And what would a blog on sports be without talking about ACC football. Florida State vs Virginia is the ACC's top game. But you know what? I detest FSU and refuse to donate anymore blog space to their athletics.

And now on a more serious note, from ESPN and the AP:

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. -- A man who was fatally shot by police was part of a botched conspiracy with two other men to kidnap and kill a Jacksonville Jaguars cheerleader and steal her Mercedes, police said on Thursday.

Police were investigating Jamie Lee Williams, 22, who was shot and killed on the beach on Tuesday after he pointed a gun at a Jacksonville Beach police officer, when they found out about the kidnapping plot, said Neptune Beach Police Chief David Sembach.

The men targeted the woman because one of them used to live in the apartment above her and knew she drove a Mercedes, with a vanity tag which read, "The Roar," which is the name of the Jaguars cheerleading squad, Sembach said.

The name of the cheerleader was withheld by police.

"We're pleased she is safe and that the police are handling this situation," said Dan Edwards, a spokesman for the Jaguars.

Link to full story http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2190588

This story hits close to home for me. I'm from Jacksonvisaddens it sickens me to think that there are some degenerates out there that plot to kill a celebrated member of society. Our cheerleaders provide us with entertainment every week for very little pay. They do it because it is their passion. They want to make the games more exciting for us fans. No one should ever be put in a situation like this. She handled the situation perfectly. By screaming and yelling she called attention to herself and successfully scared off the armed robbers. Cheerleaders deserve the utmost respect from us fans. I never thought it could be a dangerous position. I'm sure they are targeted by jerks and bars and clubs, but to be confronted by armed robbers who plotted to kill you, that's just unbelievable. To the cheerleader who suffered through this, I want to say we are all happy you are safe, and will be cheering you on during the next home game.

2005-10-13T12:02:00.000-04:00

I'll be quick to admit defeat in my prediction for the Astros vs. Cardinals game. I never expected the Astros to sweep St. Louis, let alone win the first two games away. If the Astros can come out of there 1-1, they have a good chance of winning this series. Although, we all remember they were up 3-2 last year and ended up losing. Maybe if the Astros didn't have to put Jose Vizcaino in the lineup we might have a chance at winning. Has this guy ever hit the ball out of the infield. I swear he is batting .000 when the game is on the line, and probably .070 when there is a runner on base. This guy is the opposite of Mr. October. Jose shall now be known as Mr. Groundsoutober.

Ok, that last line was lame and I know it, so let's move on to something more interesting. The blown call last night in the Windy City. How much was this ump paid off to make that call. Did anyone else notice that huge money bag in his locker? Why didn't they ask him about that big brown sac with a Dollar sign on it. You can't point at a batter and say "You're out", and then let him run to first base and reverse the call! Do we need instant replay in baseball? The ball did not hit the dirt. But even if it did, if the umpire points at the batter and says "You're out", then guess what, the batter is out. Doug Eddings is now the most infamous umpire of the 21st century. Don't make a fist with your hand and say "You're out" and then let the runner stay on first base. I think the whole world knew Chicago was going to win that game after a call like that. It always happens. So the AL series is tied 1-1 and they are going to Anaheim. Let's hear those thunder sticks roar.

College Hoops made its first news splash of the season. Duke's Coach K was selected to coach the 2008 USA Olympic Basketball team. Coach K is a great coach, probably one of the best college coaches ever. But I'm not so sure he is the right fit to coach NBA thugs. Sure there are thugs in college ball, but they aren't rich thugs with massive egos. I will say that over half the Olympic team with have either A) not gone to college at all or B) never earned a degree in their 2 year college stint. I can't see kids who never experienced college hoops, listening to a college coach. College basketball is different than Pro basketball. The defensive schemes are different, the players are different. Our Olympic basketball team has been a joke for years. Bring back the Dream Team.

Ricky is back!! Yup, that's right. Ricky the tree smoking hippy is back. I heard he was pissed at all the media types and bloggers for constantly ripping him about his weed habit. Apparently he gets tested like twice a week, but I have a feeling that won't stop Ricky from being Ricky. This is a guy who hasn't carried a football in a real NFL game since December 2003. That's a long time to go without being hit. Sure he played in the preseason this year, but no one hits 100% in preseason games. Ronnie Brown looked impressive last week. Do the Dolphins even need Ricky back? I think they do. He adds an explosiveness to the offense that Brown just doesn't have. I'm still going to pencil the Dolphins in for 6 wins. Ricky will help them, but by no means is he the savior of South Florida.

2005-10-12T16:07:00.000-04:00

Every Wednesday I will post my NFL weekly Power Poll. This poll is my opinion. I don't watch every game so don't argue with me that Cleveland should be 2 spots higher. They are where they are because based on what I've seen that is where they belong.

1. Indianapolis Colts 5-0. Obvious choice for number 1. The only unbeaten team
2. Pittsburgh Steelers 3-1. Let's see how well they do with Big Ben hurt.
3. Denver Broncos 4-1. They've beat some solid teams in Jax and Washington.
4. Tampa Bay Bucs 4-1. Without Cadillac they would be lower, but he is back this week.
5. New England Patriots 3-2. Injuries are killing them for once.
6. Philadelphia Eagles 3-2. McNabb is banged up, but the NFC is still awful.
7. Washington Redskins 3-1. Only loss so far came to a good Broncos team.
8. Cincinatti Bengals 4-1. Exposed for what they are by the Jaguars.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars 3-2. Finally stepped up in prime time to win a game.
10. New York Giants 3-1. Can Eli carry them all season? No, but Tiki can.
11. Dallas Cowboys 3-2. I like their new spread offense. Bledsoe still has a cannon for an arm.
12. Atlanta Falcons 3-2. They still won without Vick, but I don't see that trend continuing.
13. Carolina Panthers 3-2. Steve Smith is becoming an elite WR in this league.
14. Seattle Seahawks 3-2. With injuries to their WR core Alexander will need to step up.
15. Kansas City Chiefs 2-2. Roaf is coming back. Time for KC to start scoring again.
16. San Diego Chargers 2-3. A bit disappointing, but they are still a solid team.
17. St. Louis Rams 2-3. Monday night against Indy could spell trouble for Bulger.
18. Buffalo Bills 2-3. They are finally starting to click with Holcomb at the helm.
19. Detroit Lions 2-2. Wow, they beat Baltimore. When does Garcia come back again?
20. Miami Dolphins 2-2. Ricky the tree smoker is back. Lets see how "high" the Dolphins get.
21. Cleveland Browns 2-2. Without Edwards Dilfer will be forced to throw to Bryant. Ewww.
22. New York Jets 2-3. The Jets are done in my opinion. Too much hype for old man Vinny.
23. Tennessee Titans 2-3. McNair still has it, but no one else does. Welcome to salary cap hell.
24. New Orleans Saints 2-3. Duece is out for the year. Watch the Saints fall.
25. Oakland Raiders 1-3. Randy is still a stud, but their defense is still awful.
26. Minnesota Vikings 1-3. No Moss = no playoffs. 1-3 in the worst NFL division. That's bad
27. Baltimore Ravens 1-3. Their defense showed signs of life last week. We'll see...
28. Green Bay Packers 1-4. See Vikings above. Brett can't do it alone.
29. Chicago Bears 1-3. A solid defense can not carry this team, nor can a rookie QB.
30. Arizona Cardinals 1-4. Warner going down really hurt this team. Division champs? Nope.
31. San Francisco 49ers 1-4. Did anyone expect them to be any higher?
32. Houston Texans 0-4. Year after year the Texans continue to suck. Win #1 isn't coming soon.

There you have it folks, my first Power Poll. I may rank teams different than professional sites.
I rank it how I see it. I try to stick teams with similar records near each other. Some sites will put a 1-4 team way up at spot 19 or something. I don't think that's fair to teams with 2 wins (even iff those wins came from NFC North teams). I don't like having Cincy that high because they have played god awful teams, and actually lost to the first decent team they faced. But at 4-1 they belong in the Top 10.

2005-10-12T13:10:00.000-04:00

Ok so it's been awhile since I last posted. Like I said, I am new to this and have been rather busy at work. So I've finally found time to post. It is baseball time. Last week I was coincidently home sick during the first game of the St. Louis Cardinals vs San Diego Padres. I think I would have rather stayed at work than watch that pitiful display. The Padres talked all week about how well they could perform in a short series. They had the spotlight on them and a chance to prove the baseball world wrong. Did they step up? No. They got swept. How embarrassing was it for Padres fans everywhere to show up to work the next day? They had their chance, and got swept. They were a bad team all season, and were a bad team in the playoffs.

Well, the Red Sox lost and the Yankees lost but you know what... I don't care. I'm sick to the east coast bias in baseball. For once we have two championship series without an east coast team. What is ESPN and MLB going to report about? During the broadcast are we going to have to listen to Joe Morgan talk about what Jeter had for breakfast or what the Red Sox nation will do next season? I'm sick of the east coast bias in baseball. I'm also tired of hearing about Big Papi (David Ortiz) and how he should be MVP. No DH should ever be MVP. If you just sit in the dugout and wait 3 innings before you have to move your fat self off the bench, you are not worthy of being a Most Valuable Player.

Enough of that. It's time to focus on what's good in baseball.. The Houston Astros. The most fundamentally sound team in the league. A team where pitching comes first, solid defense second, and hitting third. A team that is built to win, and built to win now. Sure the Cards are good, but they are missing a lot from last year's team. Eckstein is not a solid replacement for Renteria and Rolen is still sidelined. However, Edmonds is still trolling centerfield and will likely rob a homerun or two to make this an interesting series. The Astros have all the making of a championship team. Look for Bagwell to pull a Kirk Gibson and give Houstonians their first World Series appearance, and ultimately, their first World Series win.

Also, I heard on the radio that the Minnesota Vikings had a sex orgy party on a yacht. Are you kidding me? A team that is 1-3 in the worst division in the NFL spent their time having three ways with prostitutes on a yacht. Wow. Instead of going over game film and preparing for next week's game, the Vikings felt it would be best to relieve their sexual tensions. If Mike Tice has a job at the end of the year I will be surprised.

2005-09-29T18:08:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Sports Litter Blog. It is my intention to present to you my personal opinion on the world of sports. I named my blog Sports Litter because what you will find here is random sports junk (or litter if you will). I am not a professional writer, in fact I haven't written anything of this proportion since English 101 in college. I will share with you my views on sport issues or events happening around America. Sorry ladies, but if you are looking for in depth commentary on the performance of WNBA stars then you have come to the wrong place. I won't get started on how I feel about ice skating or ribbon twirling. So, unless you're searching for information on Anna Kournikova and her next photo shoot, I suggest you move on to the next blog. I mean no disrespect to female athlete's and their fans, it's just in my best interest (and yours) if I write about sports I am knowledgeable in.

I am here to talk about sports (read: College Football, NFL, MLB, and NBA). The main spectator sports will be my focus. Of course I won't hesitate to talk about Mickelson choking or Agassi being one Grand Slam away from Shady Pines retirement community in Miami (hang it up already and save face). You will find my weekly power polls for the NFL, and the NBA. I will try not to be a homer, but if you catch me putting the Jaguars ahead of New England, please call me out on it.

I hope this first post gives you a sense of what's to come. This is my first and only blog so it may take time for me to feel 100% comfortable with how everything works. Feel free to suggest topics of discussion or send me your comments on my opinion. I will post reader comments every week and then rip your views a part for the whole world to see. So if you've got something to say, bring it on. But for now, enjoy the Sports Litter.