Make sure you read all the college football previews from this week:
Big Ten / Pac Ten
Big Twelve
ACC
Big East / Mountain West
SEC
NFL previews coming soon.
Plus, I'm sure Josh will say something about the Rutgers opening game as soon as he cleans himself up.
And maybe I'll get around to writing about watching the Cubs in a playoff race.
The Sherman Ave. Block Party - feel the excitement!
Friday, August 31, 2007
SEC Preview
There is nothing better than SEC football. I am not the biggest college football fan but I am jacked myself to be inside an SEC stadium this Saturday afternoon. The conference is deep as it always is when you consider some of these things; maybe the best coach Steve Spurrier at South Carolina, perhaps the best player is Andre Woodson the QB at Kentucky, one of the top 3 or so running backs is BenJarvis Green-Ellis at Ole Miss and the best receiver is Earl Bennett is at Vanderbilt.
EASTERN DIVISION
Whoa nellie, I am a big believer of Mark Richt and his 2007 squad down between the hedges, and the main reason why is Mathew Stafford, the sophomore starter for the Georgia Bulldogs. I think Stafford has what it takes to be an elite QB in the country and I think he will show that this year. The coaching staff was unsure of the offensive line but they seem to have sured that up especially with JUCO transfer Scott Haverkamp which gives them a solid right side. The Dawgs certainly don't lack depth in the backfield with seniors Kregg Lumpkin and Thomas Brown, blocking full back Brannan Southerland led the team in TD's with 10. Junior Mohammed Massoquoi is the top target for Stafford, but look for the QB to spread the ball around to TE Tripp Chandler and WR Sean Bailey. Defensively they have moved to more of a speed attack taking oOLB MArcus Howard to end and Brandon Miller into the Middle linebacker spot. If they get solid coverage from the secondary they will be tough to beat. Lastly, they have the best kicker in the league Brando Coutu who can win a game by himself. The schedule is balanced with South Carolina and Auburn coming to Athens and going to Alabama and Tennesee and of course the neutral site game with Florida in Jacksonville.
Gainesville has turned into Titletown USA over the last 2 years in college sports, but they may come to end this football season (and basketball season for that matter). This season the Florida Gators will have to start winning without the fabulous recruits of Ron Zook. They only return 6 starters off of last years team and most notably only one on defense. Gone are Brandon Siler, Jarvis Moss and Reggie Nelson, they will have to rely on newcomers like Brandon Spike at LB, Jermaine Cunningham at DE and two freshman cornerbacks. The offense also has a slew of new starters. The most notable is at QB were the ever hyped Tim Tebow gets his chance to run Urban Meyers spread offense. Tebow will be behind some new offensive lineman and has inexperienced RB with Kestahn Moore and Mon Williams. They have big playmakers on the outside with Andre Caldwell and the versatile and dangerous Percy Harvin. The Gators have a tough 22 days stretch in late September early October where the play Tennessee, at Ole Miss, Auburn and at LSU. Having four straight SEC games like that is never easy; include a trip to Jacksonville to play Georgia and having to go up to Columbia to take on Spurrier and South Carolina (who had Florida beat last year except for three blocked kicks by Jarvis Moss) and the Gators could have a tough defense of their national title.
The Ole Ball Coach believes he has a team that can compete for the SEC championship, and he may be right. The South Carolina Gamecocks come in to this season full of promise after finishing last year strong and returning their starting QB, entire backfield and 9 starters on defense. Fifth year Senior Blake Mitchell is the starting QB (don't be fooled by his game 1 suspension for class attendance) for good reason, while starting most of the first two seasons for Spurrier Mitchell has completed 61.2% of his passes(the best for any returning SEC starter). His favorite target Sidney Rice departed for the NFL but Junior Kenny McKinley is ready to step up his role and the Gamecocks have a core of young receivers who were all highly recruited including JUCO transfer Larry Freeman and Freshman stud Chirs Culliver. The defense which was stout last season, giving up only 18 ppg., is lead by All American candidate MLB Jasper Brinkley, he is flanked by his twin brother Casper at WLB and Sophomore standout Rodney Paulk. The line brings back most of its sacks from last year and adds depth with a solid freshman class. The defensive backfield has big play potential but struggles to tackle especially corners Captain Munnerlyn and Carlos Thomas. Spurriers team is talented but the schedule is brutal with road contests at Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and Arkansas.
Recently the Tennessee Volunteers have fallen on hard times, at least for a program of their stature. Offensively they return QB Erik Ainge who sometimes looks spectacular but all too often looks average. He lost his top target to the NFL so Coach Fullmer will turn back to his ground game where they will use tailbacks LaMarcus Coker and Arian Foster to control tempo. The line is a definite weak point and may not be able to protect the fairly immobile Ainge. On the other side of the ball the Vols have playmakers at linebacker with Jerod Mayo and Rico McCoy. The defensive line gives some cause for concern with underachivers like Demonte' Bolden and Antonio Reynolds and the defensive backkfield is young. It seems like Fullmer doesn't have a stronghold on his players like he used to and with the improvements at South Carolina and Georgia it is an automatic for the Vols to bein the running every year.
Coach Rich Brooks saved his job last season by taking the Kentucky Wildcats to their first bowl victory in 22 years. Brooks has a high powered offense at his fingertips, starting with All American candidate Andre Woodson at QB. Teh numbers on Wodson are astounding; 162 consecutive passes without an interception, bet TD/INT ratio in SEC history, and 3500 yards and 31touchdowns last season. Woodson has all his top weapons back, wideouts Kennan Burton (and All SEC candidate), WR Dicky Lyons, TE Jacob Tamme and RB Rafael Little; with all that the Wildcats will be able to score points. The defense returns 8 starters to a unit that often struggled to stop teams from scroing on the big play. Senior LB Wesley Woodyard is the anchor of the defense, and along with Braxton Kelley and Johnny Williams they form a solid linebacking core. The defensive line has struggled to put pressure on the QB last year and that will force the young corners to step up their game and become playmakers. The Wildcats have the ability to pull off some upsets like they did last year but not enough to sustain a climb to the upper part of the division.
Much like Kentucky the Vanderbilt Commodores have at least brought themselves to a level of respectability, they are not an automatic 30 point win anymore. The talent in Nashville is up all across the board most notably at receiver where the SEC's best Earl Bennet resides. Throwing him the ball is dual threat Junior QB Chris Nickelson who led the team in rushing last year. He will need help from the running backs if the Commodores want to win some games, Bennett and him cannot do it alone. Last season the Commodore defense struggled especially giving up the big play. The defensive line will need to apply pressure on the QB with end Curtis Gatewood to help a young secondary. Linebackers Jonathan Goff and Marcus Buggs provide good senior leadership.
WESTERN DIVISION
This preview was written mostly before the LSU Tigers swatted the Mississippi State, but in case you weren’t sure how good they were they beat a conference opponent by 45 points. The Bayou Bengals are talented, but some will point to their inexperience. And yes on offense QB Matt Flynn is starting for the first time really, RB Keiland Williams is only a Sophomore, and WR’s Early Doucet & Brandon LaFell weren’t “starters” last season. But this unit is talented, Doucet has All-American potential and behind a massive and experienced line LSU will be just fine. The main reason they will be fine is because the defense is too darned good. Up fron they have the best defensive player in the country in Glenn Dorsey, they have all their linebackers back and have two Senior CB’s, Chevis Jackson & Jonathan Zenon. A very favorable schedule where the toughest road game is at Alabama provides LSU with an open invite to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game.
After the Tigers who knows where this division can go, but I like the Arkansas Razorbacks. Well let’s be honest, I have a huge man crush on Darren McFadden. Junior QB Casey Dick has a firm grip on the QB job, not looking over his shoulder and he has the two leading rushers in the SEC lining up behind him. There is some rebuilding to be done on the offensive line but Dick has a big weapon on the outside in Marcus Monk. They lost a bunch of defensive starters but senior MLB Weston Dacus and CB Materral Richardson anchor the returning starters and they should be pretty strong. An early season match-up at Bryant-Denney stadium may decide who take second in this division.
Down on the plains Tommy Tubberville is convinced he has a really good this team this year, but his Auburn Tigers don’t have me convinced. On offense Brandon Cox is back for a third campaign under center and he has receiver Rod Smith to throw to again this year. But the Tigers have to replace the entire offensive line and have a new set of running backs. Tailback Brad Lester has seen time as a backup but now the job is his to carry the ball 25-30 times as a game. On defense the Tiger have a strong defensive line with end Quentin Groves and a solid secondary. The linebacking core was hurt through graduation, if they can find replacements they could keep themselves in games. Unfortunately the tigers have to go to Fayettnam, Gainesville, and Athens.
Nick Saban rides into Tuscaloosa as the savior, but again he is not Bear Bryant. The Alabama Crimson Tide return a slew of starters on the offensive side, but a new defense could kill Alabama down the stretch. Quarterback John Parker Lewis returns with his offensive line in tact and his top two targets seniors Keith Brown and DJ Hall to throw too. Look for sophomore Glen Coffee to get the nod at running back but junior Jimmy johns will get plenty of carries. On defense they basically only bring back one player on the front seven, end Wallace Gilberry. The secondary is experienced and should give the team some good coverage, considering the fact that they only had 13 sacks as a team last year the pass rush will need to improve if they want to win games this season.
There are two teams that I think play football in Mississippi but they stink beyond words. Seriously both these programs are in the absolute toilet, and honestly for Ole Miss I couldn’t be happier. They had a solid coach who was winning them games and taking them places, David Cutcliffe, and they fired him for no reason.
LSu versus Georgia for the SEC Championship in Atlanta, and I just don’t see LSU losing. Take the Bayou Bengals and I say put them in the title game against Southern Cal.
EASTERN DIVISION
Whoa nellie, I am a big believer of Mark Richt and his 2007 squad down between the hedges, and the main reason why is Mathew Stafford, the sophomore starter for the Georgia Bulldogs. I think Stafford has what it takes to be an elite QB in the country and I think he will show that this year. The coaching staff was unsure of the offensive line but they seem to have sured that up especially with JUCO transfer Scott Haverkamp which gives them a solid right side. The Dawgs certainly don't lack depth in the backfield with seniors Kregg Lumpkin and Thomas Brown, blocking full back Brannan Southerland led the team in TD's with 10. Junior Mohammed Massoquoi is the top target for Stafford, but look for the QB to spread the ball around to TE Tripp Chandler and WR Sean Bailey. Defensively they have moved to more of a speed attack taking oOLB MArcus Howard to end and Brandon Miller into the Middle linebacker spot. If they get solid coverage from the secondary they will be tough to beat. Lastly, they have the best kicker in the league Brando Coutu who can win a game by himself. The schedule is balanced with South Carolina and Auburn coming to Athens and going to Alabama and Tennesee and of course the neutral site game with Florida in Jacksonville.
Gainesville has turned into Titletown USA over the last 2 years in college sports, but they may come to end this football season (and basketball season for that matter). This season the Florida Gators will have to start winning without the fabulous recruits of Ron Zook. They only return 6 starters off of last years team and most notably only one on defense. Gone are Brandon Siler, Jarvis Moss and Reggie Nelson, they will have to rely on newcomers like Brandon Spike at LB, Jermaine Cunningham at DE and two freshman cornerbacks. The offense also has a slew of new starters. The most notable is at QB were the ever hyped Tim Tebow gets his chance to run Urban Meyers spread offense. Tebow will be behind some new offensive lineman and has inexperienced RB with Kestahn Moore and Mon Williams. They have big playmakers on the outside with Andre Caldwell and the versatile and dangerous Percy Harvin. The Gators have a tough 22 days stretch in late September early October where the play Tennessee, at Ole Miss, Auburn and at LSU. Having four straight SEC games like that is never easy; include a trip to Jacksonville to play Georgia and having to go up to Columbia to take on Spurrier and South Carolina (who had Florida beat last year except for three blocked kicks by Jarvis Moss) and the Gators could have a tough defense of their national title.
The Ole Ball Coach believes he has a team that can compete for the SEC championship, and he may be right. The South Carolina Gamecocks come in to this season full of promise after finishing last year strong and returning their starting QB, entire backfield and 9 starters on defense. Fifth year Senior Blake Mitchell is the starting QB (don't be fooled by his game 1 suspension for class attendance) for good reason, while starting most of the first two seasons for Spurrier Mitchell has completed 61.2% of his passes(the best for any returning SEC starter). His favorite target Sidney Rice departed for the NFL but Junior Kenny McKinley is ready to step up his role and the Gamecocks have a core of young receivers who were all highly recruited including JUCO transfer Larry Freeman and Freshman stud Chirs Culliver. The defense which was stout last season, giving up only 18 ppg., is lead by All American candidate MLB Jasper Brinkley, he is flanked by his twin brother Casper at WLB and Sophomore standout Rodney Paulk. The line brings back most of its sacks from last year and adds depth with a solid freshman class. The defensive backfield has big play potential but struggles to tackle especially corners Captain Munnerlyn and Carlos Thomas. Spurriers team is talented but the schedule is brutal with road contests at Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and Arkansas.
Recently the Tennessee Volunteers have fallen on hard times, at least for a program of their stature. Offensively they return QB Erik Ainge who sometimes looks spectacular but all too often looks average. He lost his top target to the NFL so Coach Fullmer will turn back to his ground game where they will use tailbacks LaMarcus Coker and Arian Foster to control tempo. The line is a definite weak point and may not be able to protect the fairly immobile Ainge. On the other side of the ball the Vols have playmakers at linebacker with Jerod Mayo and Rico McCoy. The defensive line gives some cause for concern with underachivers like Demonte' Bolden and Antonio Reynolds and the defensive backkfield is young. It seems like Fullmer doesn't have a stronghold on his players like he used to and with the improvements at South Carolina and Georgia it is an automatic for the Vols to bein the running every year.
Coach Rich Brooks saved his job last season by taking the Kentucky Wildcats to their first bowl victory in 22 years. Brooks has a high powered offense at his fingertips, starting with All American candidate Andre Woodson at QB. Teh numbers on Wodson are astounding; 162 consecutive passes without an interception, bet TD/INT ratio in SEC history, and 3500 yards and 31touchdowns last season. Woodson has all his top weapons back, wideouts Kennan Burton (and All SEC candidate), WR Dicky Lyons, TE Jacob Tamme and RB Rafael Little; with all that the Wildcats will be able to score points. The defense returns 8 starters to a unit that often struggled to stop teams from scroing on the big play. Senior LB Wesley Woodyard is the anchor of the defense, and along with Braxton Kelley and Johnny Williams they form a solid linebacking core. The defensive line has struggled to put pressure on the QB last year and that will force the young corners to step up their game and become playmakers. The Wildcats have the ability to pull off some upsets like they did last year but not enough to sustain a climb to the upper part of the division.
Much like Kentucky the Vanderbilt Commodores have at least brought themselves to a level of respectability, they are not an automatic 30 point win anymore. The talent in Nashville is up all across the board most notably at receiver where the SEC's best Earl Bennet resides. Throwing him the ball is dual threat Junior QB Chris Nickelson who led the team in rushing last year. He will need help from the running backs if the Commodores want to win some games, Bennett and him cannot do it alone. Last season the Commodore defense struggled especially giving up the big play. The defensive line will need to apply pressure on the QB with end Curtis Gatewood to help a young secondary. Linebackers Jonathan Goff and Marcus Buggs provide good senior leadership.
WESTERN DIVISION
This preview was written mostly before the LSU Tigers swatted the Mississippi State, but in case you weren’t sure how good they were they beat a conference opponent by 45 points. The Bayou Bengals are talented, but some will point to their inexperience. And yes on offense QB Matt Flynn is starting for the first time really, RB Keiland Williams is only a Sophomore, and WR’s Early Doucet & Brandon LaFell weren’t “starters” last season. But this unit is talented, Doucet has All-American potential and behind a massive and experienced line LSU will be just fine. The main reason they will be fine is because the defense is too darned good. Up fron they have the best defensive player in the country in Glenn Dorsey, they have all their linebackers back and have two Senior CB’s, Chevis Jackson & Jonathan Zenon. A very favorable schedule where the toughest road game is at Alabama provides LSU with an open invite to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game.
After the Tigers who knows where this division can go, but I like the Arkansas Razorbacks. Well let’s be honest, I have a huge man crush on Darren McFadden. Junior QB Casey Dick has a firm grip on the QB job, not looking over his shoulder and he has the two leading rushers in the SEC lining up behind him. There is some rebuilding to be done on the offensive line but Dick has a big weapon on the outside in Marcus Monk. They lost a bunch of defensive starters but senior MLB Weston Dacus and CB Materral Richardson anchor the returning starters and they should be pretty strong. An early season match-up at Bryant-Denney stadium may decide who take second in this division.
Down on the plains Tommy Tubberville is convinced he has a really good this team this year, but his Auburn Tigers don’t have me convinced. On offense Brandon Cox is back for a third campaign under center and he has receiver Rod Smith to throw to again this year. But the Tigers have to replace the entire offensive line and have a new set of running backs. Tailback Brad Lester has seen time as a backup but now the job is his to carry the ball 25-30 times as a game. On defense the Tiger have a strong defensive line with end Quentin Groves and a solid secondary. The linebacking core was hurt through graduation, if they can find replacements they could keep themselves in games. Unfortunately the tigers have to go to Fayettnam, Gainesville, and Athens.
Nick Saban rides into Tuscaloosa as the savior, but again he is not Bear Bryant. The Alabama Crimson Tide return a slew of starters on the offensive side, but a new defense could kill Alabama down the stretch. Quarterback John Parker Lewis returns with his offensive line in tact and his top two targets seniors Keith Brown and DJ Hall to throw too. Look for sophomore Glen Coffee to get the nod at running back but junior Jimmy johns will get plenty of carries. On defense they basically only bring back one player on the front seven, end Wallace Gilberry. The secondary is experienced and should give the team some good coverage, considering the fact that they only had 13 sacks as a team last year the pass rush will need to improve if they want to win games this season.
There are two teams that I think play football in Mississippi but they stink beyond words. Seriously both these programs are in the absolute toilet, and honestly for Ole Miss I couldn’t be happier. They had a solid coach who was winning them games and taking them places, David Cutcliffe, and they fired him for no reason.
LSu versus Georgia for the SEC Championship in Atlanta, and I just don’t see LSU losing. Take the Bayou Bengals and I say put them in the title game against Southern Cal.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Big East Preview and a brief preview of something called the mountain west
I have been assigned the Big East Conference Preview. The Big East is difficult for me because of my Rutgers bias but I will do my best.
The BIG EAST is special because of its star power. There are 4 legit Heisman candidates and one in waiting. It is probably the most wide open of the BCS but don't mistake that uncertainty for weakness. The BIG EAST boasts three of the top 15 teams in the nation and any of them could be vying for the national title with the right breaks along the way. Don't let the anti-east bias fool you, the BIG EAST has consistently beaten top BCS teams during the season and has a superb bowl record since the exodus of Miami, BC and Va Tech. Commissioner Tranghese and the member ADs should be commended for their deft selections of USF, Cincy, and Louisville. The influx of these schools coupled with the awakening of the sleeping giant known as Rutgers has served to transform an afterthought into a formidable league deserving of its BCS automatic bid.
On to the teams:
The inconsequential
Syracuse - Greg Robinson is on the hot seat at the helm of maybe the worst Syracuse era of my lifetime. The Orange have lost their recruiting base in NJ and seen Orange targets Ray Rice, Courtney Greene and Brian Leonard transform Rutgers into a force to be reckoned with. Robinson will depend on the qb Andrew Robinson to develop quickly otherwise Daryl Gross may not be very patient and change course
UConn - Nothing in sports makes me happier than seeing the Mets lose. Second on that list is seeing the Huskies lose. I can't stand UConn, I hate their campus, I hate their school, I even hate their entire state. Randy Edsall deserves a lot of credit for delivering UConn into 1A football and taking them to a bowl with the likes of Dan Orlofsky. Unfortunately for him, he has not been able to sustain that success and faces The Huskies have a chance to emerge from the doldrums of last season on the back of Donald Brown, a big bruising back from NJ who torched Rutgers and Pittsburgh. UConn has also pinned its hopes to JUCO All American QB Tyler Lorenzen, and to save you a few minutes on Google he is no relation to the hefty lefty and future starter for the NY Giants Jared Lorenzen. UConn has a chance to get rolling opening up with Duke Maine and Temple.
Trap Games
Pittsburgh - Pitt is a tough read. They lose their top offensive player in Tyler Palko and top defensive player in HB Blades as well as top special teams player Darrelle Revis. They also lost their top returning wide receiver Derek Kinder to an injury in camp. These losses will thrust Lesean McCoy a true frosh and former Miami commit at RB into the spotlight. The best receiver they return is Teaneck's own Odderrick Turner, son of former Giant Odessa Turner. Wannestadt has done an excellent job recruiting and will return Pitt to prominence but they are most likely a year away.
Cinncinnati - Rutgers learned last year that Cincy is no push over. With an easy out of conference schedule, a new QB transferred in from Wake and an All Big East Defensive Tackle Terrill Byrd, a mediocre season which can be used by Brian Kelly to jump to the Big Ten is not out of the realm of possibilities. Note that they have both Louisville and WVU at home.
The Comer
South Florida - Don't hold the school's apparent inability to read a map (USF is in Tampa, nowhere near the south of florida) against them. They are for real. Jim Leavitt has built a rock solid program from the ground up and in ten years has his team positioned to enter the top 25 and stay. He boasts a future Heisman candidate at Quarterback Matt Grothe and the best secondary in maybe the nation lead by Trae Williams. This is a team that in the past two years beat Louisville and West Virginia and last year came within a 2 pt conversion of sending the Rutgers game into overtime. This team may suffer from being on everyone's sleeper list, but if they are able to make good on their promise the BIG EAST is solidified as a true power conference. They will be tested early on as they travel to Auburn in week 2.
BCS Worthy
West Virginia - Top 5 Talent and a Top 5 coach. Rich Rodriguez is one of the top coaches in the land and is finally receiving his due after his flirtation with the Crimson Tide. WVU boasts two legitimate Heisman candidates in RB Steve Slaton and QB Pat White. The Mountaineers are buoyed by their spread offense and immense speed. They can run and score with anyone inthe country and have high powered Noel Devine entering the backfield. They lost All American Center Dan Mozes to graduation and the key will be how easily he is replaced and the line is fortified. The key will be how strong the defense is and can they weather a rematch of last years triple overtime game vs. Rutgers in Piscataway.
Louisville - The Ville boast a Heisman caliber quarterback and an arsenal of weapons on both sides of the ball including two huge and talented receivers in Harry Douglas and Marco Urrutia which helped the Ville to a top 5 ranking nationally in several team offensive categories. Bobby Petrino did anything but leave the cupboard bare for Steve Kragthorpe who showed his recruiting skills by getting Matt Simms to keep his commitment and convincing Brian Brohm to stay for one more year. They should coast through an easy first 9 games before going on the road to play WVU and USF then a final matchup at home with Rutgers. .
Rutgers - the Cinderella story, the darlings of the nation, all the sudden NY media's favorite team to cover. This past weekend 3 separate NY stations ran Rutgers preview shows. Rutgers has recently signed a deal with MSG for a plethora of cross promotional activities, a clear sign of how far The State Univ of NJ has come. Now they have to back it up between the lines. Don't be suckered into the theory that last year was a fluke. Schiano has been building to this point for several years. Last year was their second straight bowl appearance and they are in line for a third and a possible BCS bowl bid. last year they were a poor officiating call or an end zone drop or a 53 yd FG away from the BCS and a matchup in Tampa. Were they disappointed? yes but the the squad showed deft maturity in easily dispatching Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl. This year's team returns several all american candidates including DT Eric Foster, K Jeremy Ito, S Courtney Greene (potentially the highest draft pick on the team), 2 NFL Tackles in Jeremy Zuttah and Pedro Sosa and a heisman candidate running back Ray Rice. The maturation of Mike Teel at the end of 2006 is a harbinger of the potential success of the offense this year. Teel will be equipped with significant weapons at the receiver spot to keep defenses honest. Look for a breakout year from Kenny Britt a 6'4" receiver who made noise first vs. Louisville and has shown a penchant for making big catches. He is complemented by 5'9" Tim Brown with blazing 4.3 speed who provides a deep threat just ask WVU and K State. The question marks on this team are Middle Linebacker, Tight End and Secondary depth. Rutgers graduated 2/3 of its linebacking corps. It relies on a defense that is predicated on reads and swarming reaction lead by the Mike linebacker. Rutgers thought it had its man in Ryan D'Imperio but a broken leg will sideline him for at least the first few weeks. With the graduation of its top two TEs, a school who has graduated several to the NFL is now without an experienced TE. It shouldn't effect the passing game but may stifle the run game especially when teams load up in the box to stop Rice. Expect this team to get on a roll but don't overlook games against Maryland and South Florida early in the season. The Maryland game will be a good barometer for the season ahead.
Mountain West - If anyone can post all the teams in the Mountain West I will do a preview. Must do so w/o cheating and looking it up. Briefly, the Air Force and BYU are down this year as BYU graduated its QB and is waiting for the offspring of Jim McMahon, Steve Young or any of the Detmers to be of college age and the Air Force is still adjusting to the post Fisher DeBarry era. On a side note, I wonder if it is harder for the academies to recruit while the war is going on. Everything I have read says take the Horned Frogs of TCU. So I will do that, plus they are the Horned Frogs.
On a final note Andy Pettitte is a straight up MENSCH, I hope he gets the recognition he deserves. Not sure if the Yanks make the postseason but Brian Cashman deserves a tremendous amount of credit. Here is a guy whose job is clearly on the line and he has still endeavored to take the best long term approach for his team rather than gambling everything on this year. He can run my team anytime.
If you haven't, go see the new Bourne movie, its the best of the action sequels of the summer and may be the best movie I've seen this summer.
A quick Mike Vick note
Here is the thing with Vick. I did not buy his apology at all. My major qualm was his use of the word immature. He did not condemn his acts as vile, despicable, grotesque but claimed they were immature. The use of the word immature leads you to believe that its just a phase he will grow out of. I would have liked to see him apologize to all of the animals he destroyed and maimed and all of the ones who will be euthanized due to his behavior. While both crimes, I think the comparisons to Leonard Little are clearly off base. What Leonard Little did was clearly more morally reprehensible, however, it was not a carefully crafted plan executed to perfection. Little made a mistake, paid his debt to society and the NFL. Vick planned to establish a dog fighting kennel, established a dog fighting kennel and performed horrific acts upon the dogs for years, not one night. Maybe Little should have or should still receive a harsher punishment than he has, but that does not mean Vick should be treated with more leniency.
The BIG EAST is special because of its star power. There are 4 legit Heisman candidates and one in waiting. It is probably the most wide open of the BCS but don't mistake that uncertainty for weakness. The BIG EAST boasts three of the top 15 teams in the nation and any of them could be vying for the national title with the right breaks along the way. Don't let the anti-east bias fool you, the BIG EAST has consistently beaten top BCS teams during the season and has a superb bowl record since the exodus of Miami, BC and Va Tech. Commissioner Tranghese and the member ADs should be commended for their deft selections of USF, Cincy, and Louisville. The influx of these schools coupled with the awakening of the sleeping giant known as Rutgers has served to transform an afterthought into a formidable league deserving of its BCS automatic bid.
On to the teams:
The inconsequential
Syracuse - Greg Robinson is on the hot seat at the helm of maybe the worst Syracuse era of my lifetime. The Orange have lost their recruiting base in NJ and seen Orange targets Ray Rice, Courtney Greene and Brian Leonard transform Rutgers into a force to be reckoned with. Robinson will depend on the qb Andrew Robinson to develop quickly otherwise Daryl Gross may not be very patient and change course
UConn - Nothing in sports makes me happier than seeing the Mets lose. Second on that list is seeing the Huskies lose. I can't stand UConn, I hate their campus, I hate their school, I even hate their entire state. Randy Edsall deserves a lot of credit for delivering UConn into 1A football and taking them to a bowl with the likes of Dan Orlofsky. Unfortunately for him, he has not been able to sustain that success and faces The Huskies have a chance to emerge from the doldrums of last season on the back of Donald Brown, a big bruising back from NJ who torched Rutgers and Pittsburgh. UConn has also pinned its hopes to JUCO All American QB Tyler Lorenzen, and to save you a few minutes on Google he is no relation to the hefty lefty and future starter for the NY Giants Jared Lorenzen. UConn has a chance to get rolling opening up with Duke Maine and Temple.
Trap Games
Pittsburgh - Pitt is a tough read. They lose their top offensive player in Tyler Palko and top defensive player in HB Blades as well as top special teams player Darrelle Revis. They also lost their top returning wide receiver Derek Kinder to an injury in camp. These losses will thrust Lesean McCoy a true frosh and former Miami commit at RB into the spotlight. The best receiver they return is Teaneck's own Odderrick Turner, son of former Giant Odessa Turner. Wannestadt has done an excellent job recruiting and will return Pitt to prominence but they are most likely a year away.
Cinncinnati - Rutgers learned last year that Cincy is no push over. With an easy out of conference schedule, a new QB transferred in from Wake and an All Big East Defensive Tackle Terrill Byrd, a mediocre season which can be used by Brian Kelly to jump to the Big Ten is not out of the realm of possibilities. Note that they have both Louisville and WVU at home.
The Comer
South Florida - Don't hold the school's apparent inability to read a map (USF is in Tampa, nowhere near the south of florida) against them. They are for real. Jim Leavitt has built a rock solid program from the ground up and in ten years has his team positioned to enter the top 25 and stay. He boasts a future Heisman candidate at Quarterback Matt Grothe and the best secondary in maybe the nation lead by Trae Williams. This is a team that in the past two years beat Louisville and West Virginia and last year came within a 2 pt conversion of sending the Rutgers game into overtime. This team may suffer from being on everyone's sleeper list, but if they are able to make good on their promise the BIG EAST is solidified as a true power conference. They will be tested early on as they travel to Auburn in week 2.
BCS Worthy
West Virginia - Top 5 Talent and a Top 5 coach. Rich Rodriguez is one of the top coaches in the land and is finally receiving his due after his flirtation with the Crimson Tide. WVU boasts two legitimate Heisman candidates in RB Steve Slaton and QB Pat White. The Mountaineers are buoyed by their spread offense and immense speed. They can run and score with anyone inthe country and have high powered Noel Devine entering the backfield. They lost All American Center Dan Mozes to graduation and the key will be how easily he is replaced and the line is fortified. The key will be how strong the defense is and can they weather a rematch of last years triple overtime game vs. Rutgers in Piscataway.
Louisville - The Ville boast a Heisman caliber quarterback and an arsenal of weapons on both sides of the ball including two huge and talented receivers in Harry Douglas and Marco Urrutia which helped the Ville to a top 5 ranking nationally in several team offensive categories. Bobby Petrino did anything but leave the cupboard bare for Steve Kragthorpe who showed his recruiting skills by getting Matt Simms to keep his commitment and convincing Brian Brohm to stay for one more year. They should coast through an easy first 9 games before going on the road to play WVU and USF then a final matchup at home with Rutgers. .
Rutgers - the Cinderella story, the darlings of the nation, all the sudden NY media's favorite team to cover. This past weekend 3 separate NY stations ran Rutgers preview shows. Rutgers has recently signed a deal with MSG for a plethora of cross promotional activities, a clear sign of how far The State Univ of NJ has come. Now they have to back it up between the lines. Don't be suckered into the theory that last year was a fluke. Schiano has been building to this point for several years. Last year was their second straight bowl appearance and they are in line for a third and a possible BCS bowl bid. last year they were a poor officiating call or an end zone drop or a 53 yd FG away from the BCS and a matchup in Tampa. Were they disappointed? yes but the the squad showed deft maturity in easily dispatching Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl. This year's team returns several all american candidates including DT Eric Foster, K Jeremy Ito, S Courtney Greene (potentially the highest draft pick on the team), 2 NFL Tackles in Jeremy Zuttah and Pedro Sosa and a heisman candidate running back Ray Rice. The maturation of Mike Teel at the end of 2006 is a harbinger of the potential success of the offense this year. Teel will be equipped with significant weapons at the receiver spot to keep defenses honest. Look for a breakout year from Kenny Britt a 6'4" receiver who made noise first vs. Louisville and has shown a penchant for making big catches. He is complemented by 5'9" Tim Brown with blazing 4.3 speed who provides a deep threat just ask WVU and K State. The question marks on this team are Middle Linebacker, Tight End and Secondary depth. Rutgers graduated 2/3 of its linebacking corps. It relies on a defense that is predicated on reads and swarming reaction lead by the Mike linebacker. Rutgers thought it had its man in Ryan D'Imperio but a broken leg will sideline him for at least the first few weeks. With the graduation of its top two TEs, a school who has graduated several to the NFL is now without an experienced TE. It shouldn't effect the passing game but may stifle the run game especially when teams load up in the box to stop Rice. Expect this team to get on a roll but don't overlook games against Maryland and South Florida early in the season. The Maryland game will be a good barometer for the season ahead.
Mountain West - If anyone can post all the teams in the Mountain West I will do a preview. Must do so w/o cheating and looking it up. Briefly, the Air Force and BYU are down this year as BYU graduated its QB and is waiting for the offspring of Jim McMahon, Steve Young or any of the Detmers to be of college age and the Air Force is still adjusting to the post Fisher DeBarry era. On a side note, I wonder if it is harder for the academies to recruit while the war is going on. Everything I have read says take the Horned Frogs of TCU. So I will do that, plus they are the Horned Frogs.
On a final note Andy Pettitte is a straight up MENSCH, I hope he gets the recognition he deserves. Not sure if the Yanks make the postseason but Brian Cashman deserves a tremendous amount of credit. Here is a guy whose job is clearly on the line and he has still endeavored to take the best long term approach for his team rather than gambling everything on this year. He can run my team anytime.
If you haven't, go see the new Bourne movie, its the best of the action sequels of the summer and may be the best movie I've seen this summer.
A quick Mike Vick note
Here is the thing with Vick. I did not buy his apology at all. My major qualm was his use of the word immature. He did not condemn his acts as vile, despicable, grotesque but claimed they were immature. The use of the word immature leads you to believe that its just a phase he will grow out of. I would have liked to see him apologize to all of the animals he destroyed and maimed and all of the ones who will be euthanized due to his behavior. While both crimes, I think the comparisons to Leonard Little are clearly off base. What Leonard Little did was clearly more morally reprehensible, however, it was not a carefully crafted plan executed to perfection. Little made a mistake, paid his debt to society and the NFL. Vick planned to establish a dog fighting kennel, established a dog fighting kennel and performed horrific acts upon the dogs for years, not one night. Maybe Little should have or should still receive a harsher punishment than he has, but that does not mean Vick should be treated with more leniency.
ACC Conference Preview
The expansion of the ACC was looked at with an awkward eye by many because of the dominance that FSU and Miami had shown for the 20 or so years leading up to 2004. People thought most years it would be a two horse race but the ACC has turned more enigmatic than that. Last years champion was usually bottom feeder Wake Forest and that forced a slew of coaching changes to be made. New coach’s at Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Boston College, and three of the hotter seats in the country this year belong to Al Groh at Virginia, Tommy Bowden at Clemson and Ralph Friedgen at Maryland.
ATLANTIC DIVISION
In the Atlantic Division the Florida State Seminoles are beginning to show some signs of being back amongst the elite teams in the country. They have an experienced QB in Drew Weatherford and a brand new offensive coaching staff, including Jimbo Fisher one of the best coordinators in the business. They still have a stifling defense returning seven starters off of last years team that yielded only 90 rushing yards per game. Two sophomores could become big stars this season. End Everrett Brown will be the lead pass rusher and Rover Myron Rolle could emerge as the most dominating defensive back in the country, think Troy Palamalu. The Noles have a hard September going on the road to play Colorado and Clemson and home contests with UAB and Alabama should provide an early test to have them prepared for the conference season.
New coach Jeff Jagodzinski inherits a supremely talented Boston College Eagles squad. He has 16 returning starters off of a 10-3 squad last season, including the best QB in the ACC Matt Ryan, leading rusher LV Whitworth, leading receiver Kevin Challenger, most of their depth on the front seven. They will miss the playmaking ability of Senior Linebacker Brian Toal who will red-shirt this season after off seasons shoulder surgery. Matt Ryan is tough as nails and is a proven leader. Even without Toal the defense will still be among the nation’s elite. Kevin Akins can rush the passer from the outside and CB DeJuan Tribble is a shut down corner. Ryan is adjusting to Coach Jagodszinski’s west coast NFL style playbook and the offense may be a little rusty especially opening up with three consecutive ACC games, Wake Forest, NC State and at Georgia Tech. The Eagles will have to win at least one of their ACC road games and the most likely candidate is at Byrd Stadium in College Park, if they can do that they can challenge Florida State for Atlantic Division supremacy.
Tommy Bowden is feeling the heat literally and figuratively (12 days of camp had over 100 degree temperatures) these days up in Death Valley. The Clemson Tigers only return 10 starters total but they have a good mix of players who have experience especially on defense. They return their line backing core and both junior safeties, Michael Hamlin & Chris Clemons, who are solid playmakers. Offensively there are more questions especially at the QB position where the two guys competing for time have thrown a total of 20 balls in college football. However those QB’s have a variety of weapons at their disposal. Junior Tailback James Davis is among the nation’s best, receivers Aaron Kelly and Rendrick Taylor have experience on the big stage. Then Clemson may have one of the best tandem of homerun threats with halfback CJ Spiller and speedy wideout Jacoby Ford; any time either one of these guys touch’s the ball there is electricity in the air. Tommy Bowden usually does a great job when his back is against the wall (he is college footballs Wayne Fonts, Rasputin if you will) and this season he is certainly on the hot seat after failing to meet expectations the last two seasons. Last season also ended with a disappointing home loss to rival South Carolina and then getting beat down but traditional cellar dweller Kentucky in the Music City Bowl. The schedule sets up for the Tigers with all their tough contests coming to Death Valley; Florida State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and Boston College.
Defending champion Wake Forest Demon Deacons returns a slew of starter off of last year’s squad. Included in that bunch are QB Riley Skinner and playmaking wideout Kenneth Moore. Offensively Wake looks to be improved with a healthy Micah Andrews, who was supposed to be their starter last season. Defensively they lost most of their secondary and their pass defense was soft. They struggle to put pressure on the quarterback and with two new corners that could pose some problems. Last year everything bounced the Deacons way, how else do you explain winning the ACC even while losing to conference home games? The schedule is more difficult and the conference improved, it will be tough for the Demon Deacons to repeat.
Just outside the nations capital the Maryland Terrapins are trying to capitalize on last season 9 win campaign. After the loss two year starter Sam Hollenbach Coach Friedgen will have to look to inexperienced veteran Jordan Steffey to lead the Terps. Luckily he has some weapons including tailbacks Lance Ball & Keon Lattimore and star wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey. The offense may sputter though because new QB’s have trouble with Friedgens complicated offense. On defense the Terrapins return all four linemen and Will linebacker Erin Henderson. The only problem is that last year’s defense stunk, so returning starters don’t excite me.
New Coach Tom O’Brien has walked into a complete disaster, luckily he knows this and there are low expectations for this season. The best thing O’Brien did for the NC State Wolfpack was bring in defensive coordinator Mike Archer from Kentucky to try and stop people from running up the score on the Wolfpack. Archer will institute a bend but don’t break defense mainly because he has a top quality returning safety in Miguel Scott and a solid defensive line. Senior tackle Demario Pressley can get to the QB and Sophomore Willie Young is looking to follow in the footsteps of Manny Lawson and Mario Williams. Archer’s unit will need to be stellar because between the starting QB and top returners at RB and WR the Wolfpack bring back 12 total TD’s from last season. Don’t worry Raleigh; at least you don’t have Chucky the Chest anymore.
COASTAL DIVISION
Frank Beamer is about the only guy that doesn’t have to worry about having anyone named Vick around. This season the Virginia Tech Hokies are poised for another run at a national title. Defensively they are among the best in the country. The have the best defensive backfield maybe in the last 20 or so years in college football. Linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi wreak havoc all over the field and behind them are two shut down corners in Brandon Flowers and Macho Harris and safety DJ Parker is a 3 year starter. On the line they have three returning starters and 4 seniors who will be in the rotation. On offense QB Sean Glennon continues to impress with his decision making. He has a variety of weapons to choose from, with returning tailback Brandon Ore who scored 16 touchdowns last season and senior wideouts Josh Morgan and Eddie Royal. The Hokies have a tough early road game down on the Bayou but in conference only really have one challenging road game at Georgia Tech; this team has a chance to go undefeated.
Chan Gailey's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would seem to be weakened through the loses of All American Calvin Johnson and four year starter Reggie Ball, but that might not be the case. Offensively they have 4 returning lineman, the best fullback in the conference in Mike Cox, tailback Tashard Choice who led the ACC in rushing last season, and WR James Johnson who caught 39 balls and 7 TD's last year along side Calvin Johnson. Junior signal caller Taylor Bennett had a solid spring in Gailey's offense and redshirt FR Demaryius Thomas has Calvin Johnson type talent. Defensively they have to become stronger up the middle and with returning MLB Phillip Wheeler and SS Jamal Lewis, a top flight NFL prospect, they should be. The defense has some more depth this year and if they can play consistent they will win games because the offense has a chance to put points on the board. They couldn't ask for more from the schedule as they get Virginia Tech and Boston College in Atlanta.
Down in the hills of central Virginia Coach Al Groh has reason to be smiling. The Virginia Cavaliers return a ton of talent from last seasons 5-7 campaign (4-4 ACC), a total of 18 starters. Offensively QB Jameel Sewell will be the key along with the offensive line that bring back all 5 starters. Together they are growing as a unit and they have a talented trio of running backs with Cedric Peerman and redshirt freshman Keith Payne and Raynard Horne. The offense won’t have to be spectacular because the defense was top 20 in the country last season and this season is no reason to think otherwise. At the ends Chris Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald may be the best tandem in the country. Al Groh's 3-4 scheme causes confusion and Inside Linebackers Jon Cooper and Antonio Appleby are the main reason for that. The need to find consistent coverage on the outside but the defense will keep them in enough games and they can pull of some upsets and maybe challenge Georgia Tech for 2nd place.
Here is my crazy pick but I think Butch Davis is going to start the turnaround for the North Carolina Tar Heels real fast. I believe Davis is itching to start winning again after his disaster in Cleveland and lord knows the Tar Heels can't win soon enough, and he has started that culture change early in his time on campus. Davis hit the recruiting trail hard and with plenty of positions open he could start up to 8 true or redshirt freshman. Redshirt freshman TJ Yates has won the QB job and sophomore Richie Rich won the job at tailback, but freshmen Anthony Elzy and Johnny White will get plenty of carries. Yates has plenty of receivers to throw too including Hakeem Nicks and Joe Daily both of whom had productive 06 campaigns. The defense maybe a little bit of a concern especially on the line where starting positions are up in the air. The secondary could cause a bevy of turnovers with the return of Trimane Goddard and young brash corners Jermaine Strong and Kendric Burney. Look for the Heels to be the spoiler for some people.
This isn't your fathers Miami Hurricanes anymore. Longtime Defensive Coordinator Randy Shannon has taken over as head coach and I don't know what good that will do. Miami has had discipline and behavior issues and with Shannon it won't be much different. Also the talent is there like it has been. Junior Kirby Freeman has just beat out incumbent QB Kyle Wright. Freeman went 2-2 down the stretch last year but still has more INT’s than TD’s in his career, luckily he will be behind a veteran offensive line, but the wins may be hard to come by. Tailback Javarris James is solid and receivers Lance Leggett and Darnell Jackson are steady but not spectacular. On the other side of the ball the Hurricanes do have a bonified star in Calais Campbell at defensive end and returning MLB Glenn Cook is solid. The secondary was weak least season but returns all four starters. The Hurricanes have a brutal schedule going to Oklahoma, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Boston College.
Duke......ha ha. I am actually not going to waste anyone’s time. Okay I will do a quick breakdown for the Duke Blue Devils. Their leading rusher last season had 388 total yards. As a team they averaged less than 3 yard per carry. They lost their only quality defensive player cornerback John Talley. The return a kicker who made 3-10 field goals last year and missed 5 PAT's. Never mind all of that, think about this, they play at Virginia, Navy, Miami, Florida State, Notre Dame, and North Carolina.
Finally the ACC gets a title game they can sink their teeth into, Virginia Tech vs. Florida State. Two strong defenses and solid offense’s, I would take the Hokies in a close one because of special teams which always seem to push the Hokies over the top.
The expansion of the ACC was looked at with an awkward eye by
ATLANTIC DIVISION
In the Atlantic Division the Florida State Seminoles are beginning to show some signs of being back amongst the elite teams in the country. They have an experienced QB in Drew Weatherford and a brand new offensive coaching staff, including Jimbo Fisher one of the best coordinators in the business. They still have a stifling defense returning seven starters off of last years team that yielded only 90 rushing yards per game. Two sophomores could become big stars this season. End Everrett Brown will be the lead pass rusher and Rover Myron Rolle could emerge as the most dominating defensive back in the country, think Troy Palamalu. The Noles have a hard September going on the road to play Colorado and Clemson and home contests with UAB and Alabama should provide an early test to have them prepared for the conference season.
New coach Jeff Jagodzinski inherits a supremely talented Boston College Eagles squad. He has 16 returning starters off of a 10-3 squad last season, including the best QB in the ACC Matt Ryan, leading rusher LV Whitworth, leading receiver Kevin Challenger, most of their depth on the front seven. They will miss the playmaking ability of Senior Linebacker Brian Toal who will red-shirt this season after off seasons shoulder surgery. Matt Ryan is tough as nails and is a proven leader. Even without Toal the defense will still be among the nation’s elite. Kevin Akins can rush the passer from the outside and CB DeJuan Tribble is a shut down corner. Ryan is adjusting to Coach Jagodszinski’s west coast NFL style playbook and the offense may be a little rusty especially opening up with three consecutive ACC games, Wake Forest, NC State and at Georgia Tech. The Eagles will have to win at least one of their ACC road games and the most likely candidate is at Byrd Stadium in College Park, if they can do that they can challenge Florida State for Atlantic Division supremacy.
Tommy Bowden is feeling the heat literally and figuratively (12 days of camp had over 100 degree temperatures) these days up in Death Valley. The Clemson Tigers only return 10 starters total but they have a good mix of players who have experience especially on defense. They return their line backing core and both junior safeties, Michael Hamlin & Chris Clemons, who are solid playmakers. Offensively there are more questions especially at the QB position where the two guys competing for time have thrown a total of 20 balls in college football. However those QB’s have a variety of weapons at their disposal. Junior Tailback James Davis is among the nation’s best, receivers Aaron Kelly and Rendrick Taylor have experience on the big stage. Then Clemson may have one of the best tandem of homerun threats with halfback CJ Spiller and speedy wideout Jacoby Ford; any time either one of these guys touch’s the ball there is electricity in the air. Tommy Bowden usually does a great job when his back is against the wall (he is college footballs Wayne Fonts, Rasputin if you will) and this season he is certainly on the hot seat after failing to meet expectations the last two seasons. Last season also ended with a disappointing home loss to rival South Carolina and then getting beat down but traditional cellar dweller Kentucky in the Music City Bowl. The schedule sets up for the Tigers with all their tough contests coming to Death Valley; Florida State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and Boston College.
Defending champion Wake Forest Demon Deacons returns a slew of starter off of last year’s squad. Included in that bunch are QB Riley Skinner and playmaking wideout Kenneth Moore. Offensively Wake looks to be improved with a healthy Micah Andrews, who was supposed to be their starter last season. Defensively they lost most of their secondary and their pass defense was soft. They struggle to put pressure on the quarterback and with two new corners that could pose some problems. Last year everything bounced the Deacons way, how else do you explain winning the ACC even while losing to conference home games? The schedule is more difficult and the conference improved, it will be tough for the Demon Deacons to repeat.
Just outside the nations capital the Maryland Terrapins are trying to capitalize on last season 9 win campaign. After the loss two year starter Sam Hollenbach Coach Friedgen will have to look to inexperienced veteran Jordan Steffey to lead the Terps. Luckily he has some weapons including tailbacks Lance Ball & Keon Lattimore and star wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey. The offense may sputter though because new QB’s have trouble with Friedgens complicated offense. On defense the Terrapins return all four linemen and Will linebacker Erin Henderson. The only problem is that last year’s defense stunk, so returning starters don’t excite me.
New Coach Tom O’Brien has walked into a complete disaster, luckily he knows this and there are low expectations for this season. The best thing O’Brien did for the NC State Wolfpack was bring in defensive coordinator Mike Archer from Kentucky to try and stop people from running up the score on the Wolfpack. Archer will institute a bend but don’t break defense mainly because he has a top quality returning safety in Miguel Scott and a solid defensive line. Senior tackle Demario Pressley can get to the QB and Sophomore Willie Young is looking to follow in the footsteps of Manny Lawson and Mario Williams. Archer’s unit will need to be stellar because between the starting QB and top returners at RB and WR the Wolfpack bring back 12 total TD’s from last season. Don’t worry Raleigh; at least you don’t have Chucky the Chest anymore.
COASTAL DIVISION
Frank Beamer is about the only guy that doesn’t have to worry about having anyone named Vick around. This season the Virginia Tech Hokies are poised for another run at a national title. Defensively they are among the best in the country. The have the best defensive backfield maybe in the last 20 or so years in college football. Linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi wreak havoc all over the field and behind them are two shut down corners in Brandon Flowers and Macho Harris and safety DJ Parker is a 3 year starter. On the line they have three returning starters and 4 seniors who will be in the rotation. On offense QB Sean Glennon continues to impress with his decision making. He has a variety of weapons to choose from, with returning tailback Brandon Ore who scored 16 touchdowns last season and senior wideouts Josh Morgan and Eddie Royal. The Hokies have a tough early road game down on the Bayou but in conference only really have one challenging road game at Georgia Tech; this team has a chance to go undefeated.
Chan Gailey's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would seem to be weakened through the loses of All American Calvin Johnson and four year starter Reggie Ball, but that might not be the case. Offensively they have 4 returning lineman, the best fullback in the conference in Mike Cox, tailback Tashard Choice who led the ACC in rushing last season, and WR James Johnson who caught 39 balls and 7 TD's last year along side Calvin Johnson. Junior signal caller Taylor Bennett had a solid spring in Gailey's offense and redshirt FR Demaryius Thomas has Calvin Johnson type talent. Defensively they have to become stronger up the middle and with returning MLB Phillip Wheeler and SS Jamal Lewis, a top flight NFL prospect, they should be. The defense has some more depth this year and if they can play consistent they will win games because the offense has a chance to put points on the board. They couldn't ask for more from the schedule as they get Virginia Tech and Boston College in Atlanta.
Down in the hills of central Virginia Coach Al Groh has reason to be smiling. The Virginia Cavaliers return a ton of talent from last seasons 5-7 campaign (4-4 ACC), a total of 18 starters. Offensively QB Jameel Sewell will be the key along with the offensive line that bring back all 5 starters. Together they are growing as a unit and they have a talented trio of running backs with Cedric Peerman and redshirt freshman Keith Payne and Raynard Horne. The offense won’t have to be spectacular because the defense was top 20 in the country last season and this season is no reason to think otherwise. At the ends Chris Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald may be the best tandem in the country. Al Groh's 3-4 scheme causes confusion and Inside Linebackers Jon Cooper and Antonio Appleby are the main reason for that. The need to find consistent coverage on the outside but the defense will keep them in enough games and they can pull of some upsets and maybe challenge Georgia Tech for 2nd place.
Here is my crazy pick but I think Butch Davis is going to start the turnaround for the North Carolina Tar Heels real fast. I believe Davis is itching to start winning again after his disaster in Cleveland and lord knows the Tar Heels can't win soon enough, and he has started that culture change early in his time on campus. Davis hit the recruiting trail hard and with plenty of positions open he could start up to 8 true or redshirt freshman. Redshirt freshman TJ Yates has won the QB job and sophomore Richie Rich won the job at tailback, but freshmen Anthony Elzy and Johnny White will get plenty of carries. Yates has plenty of receivers to throw too including Hakeem Nicks and Joe Daily both of whom had productive 06 campaigns. The defense maybe a little bit of a concern especially on the line where starting positions are up in the air. The secondary could cause a bevy of turnovers with the return of Trimane Goddard and young brash corners Jermaine Strong and Kendric Burney. Look for the Heels to be the spoiler for some people.
This isn't your fathers Miami Hurricanes anymore. Longtime Defensive Coordinator Randy Shannon has taken over as head coach and I don't know what good that will do. Miami has had discipline and behavior issues and with Shannon it won't be much different. Also the talent is there like it has been. Junior Kirby Freeman has just beat out incumbent QB Kyle Wright. Freeman went 2-2 down the stretch last year but still has more INT’s than TD’s in his career, luckily he will be behind a veteran offensive line, but the wins may be hard to come by. Tailback Javarris James is solid and receivers Lance Leggett and Darnell Jackson are steady but not spectacular. On the other side of the ball the Hurricanes do have a bonified star in Calais Campbell at defensive end and returning MLB Glenn Cook is solid. The secondary was weak least season but returns all four starters. The Hurricanes have a brutal schedule going to Oklahoma, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Boston College.
Duke......ha ha. I am actually not going to waste anyone’s time. Okay I will do a quick breakdown for the Duke Blue Devils. Their leading rusher last season had 388 total yards. As a team they averaged less than 3 yard per carry. They lost their only quality defensive player cornerback John Talley. The return a kicker who made 3-10 field goals last year and missed 5 PAT's. Never mind all of that, think about this, they play at Virginia, Navy, Miami, Florida State, Notre Dame, and North Carolina.
Finally the ACC gets a title game they can sink their teeth into, Virginia Tech vs. Florida State. Two strong defenses and solid offense’s, I would take the Hokies in a close one because of special teams which always seem to push the Hokies over the top.
The expansion of the ACC was looked at with an awkward eye by
The Big 12 Conference Preview
Since the end of the Tom Osborne era in Nebraska and the ushering in of the new millenium you can go ahead and pencil in Texas or Oklahoma and you have a pretty good shot at being right. However, over the last couple of seasons some new teams have begun to emerge in America’s heartland led by some of the most intriguing coach’s in the college game today. Bill Callahan is now at the helm of Osborne’s Cornhusker squad, and though we still know very little about him his success so far at Nebraska has proven that he will be a mainstay in the collegiate game long before he goes back to the NFL. Down in Stillwater coach Mike Gundy is a relative unknown throughout the country but he has tried to continue the successful groundwork that Les Myles was laying down before he bolted to LSU. Gundy’s team will be experienced and bring back one of the nations top offenses to Stillwater. Lastly, over in the LoneStar state the always controversial Dennis Franchione has his Aggie squad poised and ready to take the Big 12 title this season.
NORTH DIVISION
Chase Daniel is poised and ready to lead the Missouri Tigers back to the top of the Big 12. Daniel last season replaced Brad Smith one of the most productive QB’s in the country and he lead Missouri to another winning season and the eight ranked offense in the country. Well Coach Gary Pinkle is smiling because he brings back 98% of his yards from scrimmage and 4 starting lineman. With a solid core of kickers, Jeff Wolfert set a school record with 18 field goals, and a superb offense it is up to the defense to step up for the Tigers. Leading the way will be Nose Tackle Lorenzo Williams and leading tackler MLB Brock Christopher. The Tigers should be off to a flying 4-0 start before the Cornhuskers come calling, that is the pivotal game that will decide the North division and it is in Columbia.
After reclaiming there spot atop the northern division last year everyone is ready to anoint the Nebraska Cornhuskers champs again and viable for a national championship shot. I am not drinking the kool aid. They come into the season with a new QB though Sam Keller has experience from his days at ASU, but this kid is not the leader you want. Basically at ASU when the going got tough, Keller bailed. They don’t have any real game breakers on the outside but are lead by a solid running back tandem of Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn. Defensively teams should be most apt to run on the young inexperienced defensive line. Returning linebackers Bo Rudd and Corey McKeon make the solid plays but the rest of defensive backfield is experienced but not great. I think this team is very beatable especially if you rattle the quarterback, plus Bill Callahan is still the coach and he is a moron.
The rest of the Big 12 North is substantially weaker than Missouri and Nebraska, and the next team back is the Kansas State Wildcats. True Sophmore QBJosh Freeman showed a lot of promise last season, but his decision making needs to improve. down the field he has a big time target in Jordy Nelson who needs to become more of factor int he red zone only catching 1 TD pass last season. The offensive line is inexeprienced and they dont have a lot of talent at tailback, returner Leon Patton had just 600 yards on the ground. The defense is switiching to a 3-4 scheme and depending on All Big 12 end Ian Campbell to be able to switch to and outside backer. Teh Wildats will need a huge preformance from Freeman this eason if they want to compete.
The reclamation project in Boulder continues after two of the biggest jokes in college football ruined this once proud program (thanks Rick Neuheisal and Gary Barnett). Let us remember Dan Hawkins was the guy who built that program up in Boise from scratch and now his Colorado Buffaloes may soon show some life in the Big 12. The major problem for the Buffs is at Quarterback where they will start Freshman Cody Hawkins, son of the coach. They have some playmakers back on offense, most notably Hugh Charles who is a speedster in the backfield. On the outside they Patrick Willaims and Alvin Barnett who are both solid targets for the young QB, but his line may struggle to give him time. On defense the Buffs proved to be solid against the run last season with linebacker Joradn Dizon. The secondary should be imporeved retruning three starters including CB Terrance Wheatley.
Things are still looking bleak over in Lawrence for the Kansas Jayhawks. Last season they were more competative than they have been in the past five or so seasons, but they lost a lot on offense, inclduing three line starters, their best reciever and the Big 12's leading rusher. Combine all that with an uncertain QB situation and it may make for along year in Lawrence. And to think offense is Kansas's strong point, with a defense that finished last int he nation in pass defense. Unfortunately things don't look much better with an inexperienced defensive line and only one defensive back returning. Going .500 again this season would be successful for Caoch Mangino.
If you thought things were bad in Lawrence Coach Gene Chizik is staring a possible 1-3 in season for his first year Iowa State Cyclones. This like analyzing Duke, there is just not much to talk about. Chizik knew this would be an uhill battle so he brought in a large group of JUCO players to try and help them stay competative. Offensively the Cyclones do have two good players, QB Bret Meyer is multi talented and wideout Todd Blythe has the ability to make big plays. Defensivly Will Linabacker Alvin Bowen lead the country in tackels per game but outside of that they dont have much. Most of the defense will be comprised of JUCO transfers, inthe defensive backfield they have only one senior on the 2 deep roster. Any wins would be good for this team.
SOUTH DIVISION
Down in Norman Coach Bob Stoops has another superb defense to go to war with. The Oklahoma Sooners have always had the ability to control the game with their defense and it usually starts with their secondary, this seaso n is no different. Corners Reggie Smith and Marucs Walker can cover anyone in the country and safety Nic Harris plays the run and pass equally. With that being aid this leaves the front seven the ability to go after the QB and track the runners down in the backfield. JUCO MLB Mike Reed could be the next great linebacker in Stoops program and defensive end Alonzo Dotson has great pass rush ability. On the offensive side of the ball the Sooners need to settle on a quarterback and it looks like it will be Junior Joey Halzle. Up fron they return 4 offensive linemena nd running back Allen Patrick hd 4 100 yard games in place of Adrian Peterson last season. Their receiving core is deep and full of playmakers lead by All American candidate Malcolm Kelly who had 900 yards and 10 TD's last season. the Sooners have a favorable schedule with their toughest road game maybe being at Tulsa not even in the Big 12, like most years it will come down to fall afternoon in Dallas Texas at the Red River Shootout.
Most people have the Texas Longhorns penciled in as the champs of the division because of the outstanding freshmen campaign of QB Colt McCoy. However there are a few things working against the Longhorns. Yes McCoy returns and has a hugely talented receiving corp including Limas Sweed, but who is going to run the ball and more importantly who is going to block? Along the front Texas lost its thre interior lineman and running back Jamaal Charles productionahas actually gone in reverse in his career. If they can blokc and Charles can finally step up McCoy will be able to put up some points and he will need to. LAst season the Longhorns gave up 24 or more points 5 times last season including being shredded by the pass. Having said all that they lost their entire defensive backfield and have no real pass rushers. Up front they have two solid takcles who can stop the run in Derek Lokey and Frank Okam, but not much else. They have to play Oklahoma obviously and go on the road to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M andI just don't see them winning all those games.
The state of Oklahoma may rule ove the Big 12 this year because down in Stillwater the Oklahoma State Cowboys have a very talented young squad. Bobby Reid leads a high octane offensive attack that is as lethal on the ground as in the air. His favorite target in the air is the best receiver in the country Adarius Bowman who caughty 60 balls last season.Also Artie Woods and Anthony Parks have emerged as legit targets for Reid. The line is solid returning their two tackles and center and RB Dantrell Savage racked up 800 yards and an Independence Bowl MVP trophy. The Pokes will put points on the board agaisnt anyone this season. Defensively they return 8 starters including a trio sophmores; linebackers Chris Collins and Patrick Levine and Safety Andre Sexton were all Freshmen All Americans last year. Along the front line DT Tonga Tea is an All Big 12 candidate and they have their returning sack leader Nathan Peterson back. The defense will be improved and the high octane offense will have the Pokes riding high. In the season opener the travel down between the hedges to take on Georgia and they also have road games at A&M, Nebraska and Oklahoma, look for 2 upsets from those 4 games.
Many people think this is Coach Franchione's year to bring the Texas A&M Aggies back to the top. The Aggies have an experienced squad coming back including Jun ior QB Stephen McGee. McGee threw 12 TD's last season and rushed for over 600 yards while only throwing 2 INT's. He has a favorite target in Earvi Taylor and Tight End Martellus Bennet. They will have a revamped line for the big hoss Jovorskie Lane to run behind adn that will be key to their success. On the other side of the ball linebackers Misi Tupe and MArk Dodge are soldi seniors and the backfield is anchored down by Junior Safety Devin Gregg. The Aggies striek me as solid but not spectacular on either side of the ball, and I don't knwo if they can just overwhelm any opponents. The key mathcup will be on October 6th, while most of the nations eyes are focused on the TexasState Fairgrounds, when the Aggies take on Oklahoma State in College Station.
Listen we could beat our heads against a wall all day long and try and analyze a Mike Leach coached team, but at the end of the day we can use this summary for the New Mexico State Aggies where Hal Mumme coach's, Leach's mentor. This is what will happen for the Texas Tech Red Raiders this season; a whole lot of points, a defense which causes turnovers but can't stop the run, one upset and two teams will beat them that Tech is more talented than. QB Graham Harrell played impressively in his first season at the helm, but he lost most of his receiving weapons and his line. Returning leading running Shannon Woods is suposedly buried on the depth chart but he will emerge during the season. Again defensively the secondary is strong and will be ball hawking, but the front seven is mostly new and undersized.
Also, Baylor plays in the Big 12.
At the endof he season I see Oklahoma matching up against Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game. Oklahoma will play a slow down football game and frustrate the Tiger offense eventually winning 16-7................BOOMER SOONER!!!!!!!!!!!!
NORTH DIVISION
Chase Daniel is poised and ready to lead the Missouri Tigers back to the top of the Big 12. Daniel last season replaced Brad Smith one of the most productive QB’s in the country and he lead Missouri to another winning season and the eight ranked offense in the country. Well Coach Gary Pinkle is smiling because he brings back 98% of his yards from scrimmage and 4 starting lineman. With a solid core of kickers, Jeff Wolfert set a school record with 18 field goals, and a superb offense it is up to the defense to step up for the Tigers. Leading the way will be Nose Tackle Lorenzo Williams and leading tackler MLB Brock Christopher. The Tigers should be off to a flying 4-0 start before the Cornhuskers come calling, that is the pivotal game that will decide the North division and it is in Columbia.
After reclaiming there spot atop the northern division last year everyone is ready to anoint the Nebraska Cornhuskers champs again and viable for a national championship shot. I am not drinking the kool aid. They come into the season with a new QB though Sam Keller has experience from his days at ASU, but this kid is not the leader you want. Basically at ASU when the going got tough, Keller bailed. They don’t have any real game breakers on the outside but are lead by a solid running back tandem of Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn. Defensively teams should be most apt to run on the young inexperienced defensive line. Returning linebackers Bo Rudd and Corey McKeon make the solid plays but the rest of defensive backfield is experienced but not great. I think this team is very beatable especially if you rattle the quarterback, plus Bill Callahan is still the coach and he is a moron.
The rest of the Big 12 North is substantially weaker than Missouri and Nebraska, and the next team back is the Kansas State Wildcats. True Sophmore QBJosh Freeman showed a lot of promise last season, but his decision making needs to improve. down the field he has a big time target in Jordy Nelson who needs to become more of factor int he red zone only catching 1 TD pass last season. The offensive line is inexeprienced and they dont have a lot of talent at tailback, returner Leon Patton had just 600 yards on the ground. The defense is switiching to a 3-4 scheme and depending on All Big 12 end Ian Campbell to be able to switch to and outside backer. Teh Wildats will need a huge preformance from Freeman this eason if they want to compete.
The reclamation project in Boulder continues after two of the biggest jokes in college football ruined this once proud program (thanks Rick Neuheisal and Gary Barnett). Let us remember Dan Hawkins was the guy who built that program up in Boise from scratch and now his Colorado Buffaloes may soon show some life in the Big 12. The major problem for the Buffs is at Quarterback where they will start Freshman Cody Hawkins, son of the coach. They have some playmakers back on offense, most notably Hugh Charles who is a speedster in the backfield. On the outside they Patrick Willaims and Alvin Barnett who are both solid targets for the young QB, but his line may struggle to give him time. On defense the Buffs proved to be solid against the run last season with linebacker Joradn Dizon. The secondary should be imporeved retruning three starters including CB Terrance Wheatley.
Things are still looking bleak over in Lawrence for the Kansas Jayhawks. Last season they were more competative than they have been in the past five or so seasons, but they lost a lot on offense, inclduing three line starters, their best reciever and the Big 12's leading rusher. Combine all that with an uncertain QB situation and it may make for along year in Lawrence. And to think offense is Kansas's strong point, with a defense that finished last int he nation in pass defense. Unfortunately things don't look much better with an inexperienced defensive line and only one defensive back returning. Going .500 again this season would be successful for Caoch Mangino.
If you thought things were bad in Lawrence Coach Gene Chizik is staring a possible 1-3 in season for his first year Iowa State Cyclones. This like analyzing Duke, there is just not much to talk about. Chizik knew this would be an uhill battle so he brought in a large group of JUCO players to try and help them stay competative. Offensively the Cyclones do have two good players, QB Bret Meyer is multi talented and wideout Todd Blythe has the ability to make big plays. Defensivly Will Linabacker Alvin Bowen lead the country in tackels per game but outside of that they dont have much. Most of the defense will be comprised of JUCO transfers, inthe defensive backfield they have only one senior on the 2 deep roster. Any wins would be good for this team.
SOUTH DIVISION
Down in Norman Coach Bob Stoops has another superb defense to go to war with. The Oklahoma Sooners have always had the ability to control the game with their defense and it usually starts with their secondary, this seaso n is no different. Corners Reggie Smith and Marucs Walker can cover anyone in the country and safety Nic Harris plays the run and pass equally. With that being aid this leaves the front seven the ability to go after the QB and track the runners down in the backfield. JUCO MLB Mike Reed could be the next great linebacker in Stoops program and defensive end Alonzo Dotson has great pass rush ability. On the offensive side of the ball the Sooners need to settle on a quarterback and it looks like it will be Junior Joey Halzle. Up fron they return 4 offensive linemena nd running back Allen Patrick hd 4 100 yard games in place of Adrian Peterson last season. Their receiving core is deep and full of playmakers lead by All American candidate Malcolm Kelly who had 900 yards and 10 TD's last season. the Sooners have a favorable schedule with their toughest road game maybe being at Tulsa not even in the Big 12, like most years it will come down to fall afternoon in Dallas Texas at the Red River Shootout.
Most people have the Texas Longhorns penciled in as the champs of the division because of the outstanding freshmen campaign of QB Colt McCoy. However there are a few things working against the Longhorns. Yes McCoy returns and has a hugely talented receiving corp including Limas Sweed, but who is going to run the ball and more importantly who is going to block? Along the front Texas lost its thre interior lineman and running back Jamaal Charles productionahas actually gone in reverse in his career. If they can blokc and Charles can finally step up McCoy will be able to put up some points and he will need to. LAst season the Longhorns gave up 24 or more points 5 times last season including being shredded by the pass. Having said all that they lost their entire defensive backfield and have no real pass rushers. Up front they have two solid takcles who can stop the run in Derek Lokey and Frank Okam, but not much else. They have to play Oklahoma obviously and go on the road to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M andI just don't see them winning all those games.
The state of Oklahoma may rule ove the Big 12 this year because down in Stillwater the Oklahoma State Cowboys have a very talented young squad. Bobby Reid leads a high octane offensive attack that is as lethal on the ground as in the air. His favorite target in the air is the best receiver in the country Adarius Bowman who caughty 60 balls last season.Also Artie Woods and Anthony Parks have emerged as legit targets for Reid. The line is solid returning their two tackles and center and RB Dantrell Savage racked up 800 yards and an Independence Bowl MVP trophy. The Pokes will put points on the board agaisnt anyone this season. Defensively they return 8 starters including a trio sophmores; linebackers Chris Collins and Patrick Levine and Safety Andre Sexton were all Freshmen All Americans last year. Along the front line DT Tonga Tea is an All Big 12 candidate and they have their returning sack leader Nathan Peterson back. The defense will be improved and the high octane offense will have the Pokes riding high. In the season opener the travel down between the hedges to take on Georgia and they also have road games at A&M, Nebraska and Oklahoma, look for 2 upsets from those 4 games.
Many people think this is Coach Franchione's year to bring the Texas A&M Aggies back to the top. The Aggies have an experienced squad coming back including Jun ior QB Stephen McGee. McGee threw 12 TD's last season and rushed for over 600 yards while only throwing 2 INT's. He has a favorite target in Earvi Taylor and Tight End Martellus Bennet. They will have a revamped line for the big hoss Jovorskie Lane to run behind adn that will be key to their success. On the other side of the ball linebackers Misi Tupe and MArk Dodge are soldi seniors and the backfield is anchored down by Junior Safety Devin Gregg. The Aggies striek me as solid but not spectacular on either side of the ball, and I don't knwo if they can just overwhelm any opponents. The key mathcup will be on October 6th, while most of the nations eyes are focused on the TexasState Fairgrounds, when the Aggies take on Oklahoma State in College Station.
Listen we could beat our heads against a wall all day long and try and analyze a Mike Leach coached team, but at the end of the day we can use this summary for the New Mexico State Aggies where Hal Mumme coach's, Leach's mentor. This is what will happen for the Texas Tech Red Raiders this season; a whole lot of points, a defense which causes turnovers but can't stop the run, one upset and two teams will beat them that Tech is more talented than. QB Graham Harrell played impressively in his first season at the helm, but he lost most of his receiving weapons and his line. Returning leading running Shannon Woods is suposedly buried on the depth chart but he will emerge during the season. Again defensively the secondary is strong and will be ball hawking, but the front seven is mostly new and undersized.
Also, Baylor plays in the Big 12.
At the endof he season I see Oklahoma matching up against Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game. Oklahoma will play a slow down football game and frustrate the Tiger offense eventually winning 16-7................BOOMER SOONER!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
College Football Preview, Part 1
Welcome to the Sherman Avenue Block Party college football preview! We’ll be covering most of the major conferences, and you can expect in depth analysis, informed insight, and highly opinionated opinions.
Well, you can expect all that when Kris, aka The Innovator, posts about college football. Not so much from me.
I’m the least likely candidate to kick off the Sherman Avenue Block Party college football previews. My relationship to college football is as a casual fan. Let me briefly explain how I got there:
1) Nature
Like all the writers here, I grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York City area. Teaneck is not a college football town, and New York is not a college football city. There are no local colleges that play high-level football. Teaneck High School was much more of a basketball school than a football school (no offense if you’re reading this, Mssrs. Elegbe and Wellington) so we did not have a natural allegiance to a college where our town-mates went to play.
2) Nurture
My parents did not go to colleges with big college football traditions. Nor are my parents sports fans. So there was no college team I was raised to root for.
3) Personal Experience
I went to Indiana University. Not a football school in the slightest – Indiana earns its reputation as a basketball state. It also isn’t much fun rooting for a team that routinely got beat handily and embarrassingly by other Big Ten schools; so most IU students simply didn’t pay attention.
4) More Personal Experience.
During my sophomore year at Indiana, I worked for a catering company that provided dinner for the football team in a room under the stadium Monday through Thursday nights. I had to set the room up, then work behind a buffet line serving, then do some dishes. They got this dinner service the whole year, not just during the season.
It was quite the crap job, but it was solid money for only three or four hours a night, close to where I lived (my apartment was only a couple blocks from the stadium), and the lady that ran the room let us take all kinds of free food home, so my grocery bills were minimal.
During my sophomore year, the football team was beyond awful. They were losing by huge margins, and I’m pretty sure they lost the homecoming game to Michigan 38-0. Yet a lot of these guys were beyond assholes, walking around super-fucking-cocky like they were somebody. Not all of them, mind you, but a majority of them. In my mind, shouldn’t they have been apologetic, humbled by their inarguable failure and with their status as embarrassments to the student body? In their minds, no, I guess not.
The coach was fired after the dismal season. The new coach they brought in to bring some degree of glory to the program was a man named Cam Cameron.
Just looking at him, you could tell that Cam Cameron was a smug, arrogant motherfucker. He looked like the kind of guy that doesn’t tip the valet after parking his Jag for him. The kind of guy that wouldn’t look out of place at some WASP-y yacht club wearing topsiders and a blue blazer. The kind of guy that probably drinks vinegar and water he’s such a douche.
One day, as I’m standing on the buffet line serving food, just doing my job, Cameron comes up to one of the linebackers that I’m serving. Here’s the exchange:
COACH CAMERON
You going to be going to class, Jabar?
LINEBACKER
Oh, yeah, coach. You know me.
COACH CAMERON
Because if you don’t, you know, we’ll have you working back there.
He said that like I wasn’t standing right there.
But I was in fact standing right there. And I didn’t take kindly to the insinuation that only dumb non-class-going people would end up working in food service.
I mean, the nerve of this guy, insulting my intelligence to my face? Like I wasn’t obviously a student who wasn’t lucky enough to have the thing I was good at warrant a free admission to college, so I had to work to help pay my bills. Like I wasn’t vastly more likely to succeed at the thing I was at college for than this group of guys who wouldn’t even sniff the CFL once their eligibility was up.
So later on I complained to the lady that ran the room. She was cool, though she was one of those kind of crazy white trash ladies that if I saw her on Springer it wouldn’t have shocked me. She complained loudly, and it ended with Cameron writing us an apology letter.
But fuck an apology letter. And fuck him. I carry grudges.
(And by the way, it pleases me to no end that he is now the coach of my most hated NFL team, the Miami Dolphins. It’s like a two-for-one sale at the Hate Store. After he got booed for drafting Ted Ginn, Jr. I smiled for a week.)
My point is, I am not deeply invested in college football. And without that level of investment, I can’t bring myself to follow it too closely. Plus I find the quality of play inferior to that of the NFL.
Not to say that I ignore college football. I do look at the scores for the top 25. I do watch some games when I’m home on Saturdays. I try to catch the big exciting match-ups, your Texas-Ohio States, your USC-Notre Dames, and so on. SEC football intrigues me because of the insanely passionate fan bases. The atmosphere at college games can be really exhilarating, even watching on TV. The history and long-standing rivalries also are fun to follow – watching season-long storylines develop and unfold, weaving intricate narratives and causing such emotional response from so many people.
So there it is. I pay attention, but not that closely. I’m a causal college football fan. And here is a casual college football fan’s preview of the Big Ten and Pac Ten conferences.
BIG TEN
Michigan and Ohio State will most likely be the best teams in the conference, and be vying for a national championship. That’s how it pretty much always is.
Penn State might be okay, depending on how senile Joe Paterno really is. But they typically field a good team. Though if their running back is good, it’s probably best not to draft him into the NFL, as he will suck (look under Enis, Curtis and Thomas, Blair.)
Wisconsin will probably have a really good offensive line, and win a bunch of games early on, then they will lose a game they shouldn’t have lost, because they almost always seem to do that. All of their games will be unwatchable, as all sports programs at the University of Wisconsin are boring yet effective.
Iowa and Michigan State might be pretty good or might suck horribly, sometimes in the same game.
No one cares about football at Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, or Northwestern, unless you go/went there, and even then, maybe.
Fuck Indiana football.
You want a prediction? Hold on, let me get a coin. (flips coin) Michigan wins the Big Ten. Why not?
PAC TEN
I defy any casual college football fan to name all the schools in the Pac Ten without consulting the Internets.
USC is in the Pac Ten. They’ll probably be good again, though one day someone will have to explain to this Jets fan how Pete Carroll can be a genius head coach
UCLA is in the Pac Ten. Sometimes they are okay at football for a basketball school – every once in a while they get a great QB they ride for a while. This year? I don’t know.
Cal is in the Pac Ten. People usually predict Cal will be better than everyone thinks. Then they aren’t.
Then there’s a whole bunch of other Pac Ten teams that can be okay occasionally, like Oregon, or Washington, or Arizona State, or Oregon State. Arizona usually isn’t much of a football school (and you know it, Matt.) Neither is Stanford or Washington State. At most, maybe two of these teams will be worth watching for more than a minute or two.
If there are any other schools in the Pac Ten, I don’t care about them. Are they even on TV ever?
USC most likely wins the conference, unless this is the year Cal decides that exceeding expectations is much more fun than not meeting them.
And there you have it, the casual fan’s preview of the Big Ten and Pac Ten conferences.
We’ll be posting college football previews this week, and NFL previews next week. So look out for it!
Well, you can expect all that when Kris, aka The Innovator, posts about college football. Not so much from me.
I’m the least likely candidate to kick off the Sherman Avenue Block Party college football previews. My relationship to college football is as a casual fan. Let me briefly explain how I got there:
1) Nature
Like all the writers here, I grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York City area. Teaneck is not a college football town, and New York is not a college football city. There are no local colleges that play high-level football. Teaneck High School was much more of a basketball school than a football school (no offense if you’re reading this, Mssrs. Elegbe and Wellington) so we did not have a natural allegiance to a college where our town-mates went to play.
2) Nurture
My parents did not go to colleges with big college football traditions. Nor are my parents sports fans. So there was no college team I was raised to root for.
3) Personal Experience
I went to Indiana University. Not a football school in the slightest – Indiana earns its reputation as a basketball state. It also isn’t much fun rooting for a team that routinely got beat handily and embarrassingly by other Big Ten schools; so most IU students simply didn’t pay attention.
4) More Personal Experience.
During my sophomore year at Indiana, I worked for a catering company that provided dinner for the football team in a room under the stadium Monday through Thursday nights. I had to set the room up, then work behind a buffet line serving, then do some dishes. They got this dinner service the whole year, not just during the season.
It was quite the crap job, but it was solid money for only three or four hours a night, close to where I lived (my apartment was only a couple blocks from the stadium), and the lady that ran the room let us take all kinds of free food home, so my grocery bills were minimal.
During my sophomore year, the football team was beyond awful. They were losing by huge margins, and I’m pretty sure they lost the homecoming game to Michigan 38-0. Yet a lot of these guys were beyond assholes, walking around super-fucking-cocky like they were somebody. Not all of them, mind you, but a majority of them. In my mind, shouldn’t they have been apologetic, humbled by their inarguable failure and with their status as embarrassments to the student body? In their minds, no, I guess not.
The coach was fired after the dismal season. The new coach they brought in to bring some degree of glory to the program was a man named Cam Cameron.
Just looking at him, you could tell that Cam Cameron was a smug, arrogant motherfucker. He looked like the kind of guy that doesn’t tip the valet after parking his Jag for him. The kind of guy that wouldn’t look out of place at some WASP-y yacht club wearing topsiders and a blue blazer. The kind of guy that probably drinks vinegar and water he’s such a douche.
One day, as I’m standing on the buffet line serving food, just doing my job, Cameron comes up to one of the linebackers that I’m serving. Here’s the exchange:
COACH CAMERON
You going to be going to class, Jabar?
LINEBACKER
Oh, yeah, coach. You know me.
COACH CAMERON
Because if you don’t, you know, we’ll have you working back there.
He said that like I wasn’t standing right there.
But I was in fact standing right there. And I didn’t take kindly to the insinuation that only dumb non-class-going people would end up working in food service.
I mean, the nerve of this guy, insulting my intelligence to my face? Like I wasn’t obviously a student who wasn’t lucky enough to have the thing I was good at warrant a free admission to college, so I had to work to help pay my bills. Like I wasn’t vastly more likely to succeed at the thing I was at college for than this group of guys who wouldn’t even sniff the CFL once their eligibility was up.
So later on I complained to the lady that ran the room. She was cool, though she was one of those kind of crazy white trash ladies that if I saw her on Springer it wouldn’t have shocked me. She complained loudly, and it ended with Cameron writing us an apology letter.
But fuck an apology letter. And fuck him. I carry grudges.
(And by the way, it pleases me to no end that he is now the coach of my most hated NFL team, the Miami Dolphins. It’s like a two-for-one sale at the Hate Store. After he got booed for drafting Ted Ginn, Jr. I smiled for a week.)
My point is, I am not deeply invested in college football. And without that level of investment, I can’t bring myself to follow it too closely. Plus I find the quality of play inferior to that of the NFL.
Not to say that I ignore college football. I do look at the scores for the top 25. I do watch some games when I’m home on Saturdays. I try to catch the big exciting match-ups, your Texas-Ohio States, your USC-Notre Dames, and so on. SEC football intrigues me because of the insanely passionate fan bases. The atmosphere at college games can be really exhilarating, even watching on TV. The history and long-standing rivalries also are fun to follow – watching season-long storylines develop and unfold, weaving intricate narratives and causing such emotional response from so many people.
So there it is. I pay attention, but not that closely. I’m a causal college football fan. And here is a casual college football fan’s preview of the Big Ten and Pac Ten conferences.
BIG TEN
Michigan and Ohio State will most likely be the best teams in the conference, and be vying for a national championship. That’s how it pretty much always is.
Penn State might be okay, depending on how senile Joe Paterno really is. But they typically field a good team. Though if their running back is good, it’s probably best not to draft him into the NFL, as he will suck (look under Enis, Curtis and Thomas, Blair.)
Wisconsin will probably have a really good offensive line, and win a bunch of games early on, then they will lose a game they shouldn’t have lost, because they almost always seem to do that. All of their games will be unwatchable, as all sports programs at the University of Wisconsin are boring yet effective.
Iowa and Michigan State might be pretty good or might suck horribly, sometimes in the same game.
No one cares about football at Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, or Northwestern, unless you go/went there, and even then, maybe.
Fuck Indiana football.
You want a prediction? Hold on, let me get a coin. (flips coin) Michigan wins the Big Ten. Why not?
PAC TEN
I defy any casual college football fan to name all the schools in the Pac Ten without consulting the Internets.
USC is in the Pac Ten. They’ll probably be good again, though one day someone will have to explain to this Jets fan how Pete Carroll can be a genius head coach
UCLA is in the Pac Ten. Sometimes they are okay at football for a basketball school – every once in a while they get a great QB they ride for a while. This year? I don’t know.
Cal is in the Pac Ten. People usually predict Cal will be better than everyone thinks. Then they aren’t.
Then there’s a whole bunch of other Pac Ten teams that can be okay occasionally, like Oregon, or Washington, or Arizona State, or Oregon State. Arizona usually isn’t much of a football school (and you know it, Matt.) Neither is Stanford or Washington State. At most, maybe two of these teams will be worth watching for more than a minute or two.
If there are any other schools in the Pac Ten, I don’t care about them. Are they even on TV ever?
USC most likely wins the conference, unless this is the year Cal decides that exceeding expectations is much more fun than not meeting them.
And there you have it, the casual fan’s preview of the Big Ten and Pac Ten conferences.
We’ll be posting college football previews this week, and NFL previews next week. So look out for it!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Mark Teixera, Funny stuff
Yes Marty Met I am making a Braves post, but just check these videos out.
First of all this video is well done, well played and well sang. Two Braves fans made a MArk Teixera Tribute song when Braves traded for him.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lDHjGrbXiD4
Then they got invited to sing it at the Braves Live TV show and are even going to perform it at a game later this week.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXRVTJaYPZw&NR=1
Enjoy, it is amusing.
First of all this video is well done, well played and well sang. Two Braves fans made a MArk Teixera Tribute song when Braves traded for him.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lDHjGrbXiD4
Then they got invited to sing it at the Braves Live TV show and are even going to perform it at a game later this week.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXRVTJaYPZw&NR=1
Enjoy, it is amusing.
Friday, August 24, 2007
I'm just saying
OK, let me start by saying that Michael Vick needs to spend some time in a federal penitentiary somewhere for his actions.
Dog-fighting is illegal in all 48 states in the Union and I'm sure those Alaskans wouldn't look too kindly on it. Maybe on a far, far Hawaiian island you can get away with it, but not on the mainland.
The point is it's wrong, it's bad, it's against the law. That is not at debate.
Vick has pleaded guilty and will serve time, admitting to killing dogs in 'inhumane' ways like strangling, drowning and electrocution.
There's a voice over my ear reminding me that there are child molesters running free that get less air time than a superstar QB who's already gotten off with a obscene gesture to his Atlanta fans, that was caught with a bottle he shouldn't have had at the airport and according to his biological father, was deeply into dogfighting as a youth...
But I digress...
The main problem that America seems to have is with the video of dog fighting and after listening to Michael Wilbon on PTI on Friday afternoon, it's also the fact that he admitted to killing dogs.
Once again, I'm not saying he shouldn't do time or that what he did was OK, but where's the outcry for these 53 dogs that will be euthanized?
Yeah, I understand that because they've been trained to fight, they should be put to sleep, but the suggestion of the same animal rights groups who have picketed against Vick.
But here's my question: Since it seems to be OK to kill the dogs if you do it somewhat kindly, would Vick be in as much trouble if he used an alcohol pad and a needle?
Dog-fighting is illegal in all 48 states in the Union and I'm sure those Alaskans wouldn't look too kindly on it. Maybe on a far, far Hawaiian island you can get away with it, but not on the mainland.
The point is it's wrong, it's bad, it's against the law. That is not at debate.
Vick has pleaded guilty and will serve time, admitting to killing dogs in 'inhumane' ways like strangling, drowning and electrocution.
There's a voice over my ear reminding me that there are child molesters running free that get less air time than a superstar QB who's already gotten off with a obscene gesture to his Atlanta fans, that was caught with a bottle he shouldn't have had at the airport and according to his biological father, was deeply into dogfighting as a youth...
But I digress...
The main problem that America seems to have is with the video of dog fighting and after listening to Michael Wilbon on PTI on Friday afternoon, it's also the fact that he admitted to killing dogs.
Once again, I'm not saying he shouldn't do time or that what he did was OK, but where's the outcry for these 53 dogs that will be euthanized?
Yeah, I understand that because they've been trained to fight, they should be put to sleep, but the suggestion of the same animal rights groups who have picketed against Vick.
But here's my question: Since it seems to be OK to kill the dogs if you do it somewhat kindly, would Vick be in as much trouble if he used an alcohol pad and a needle?
Thursday, August 23, 2007
In the News
How is that Michael Vick thing working out for everybody? Good good, glad to see he was worth all the millions the Falcons spent on him. I mean it’s not enough that he was only a .500 QB now he is a thugged out criminal. Hey, Falcons good job trading that Schaub guy for a bag of peanuts, I hope he takes the Texans to the playoffs.
Not much more one can say on the Michael Vick story. I know we haven’t been around really to blog about for awhile, but what can you say. At the end of the day he is guilty of an absolutely despicable and heinous crime and I hope he goes to jail for a few years. Then when he comes out of jail I don’t really see anyone giving him a shot again in pro football, well as long as Al Davis isn’t still around.
Okay we have to at least touch on this 30 run thing here by the Texas Rangers. First of all how terrible are the Orioles, they gave up 30 fucking runs, but the Yankees can’t beat them if their lives depended on it. The most amazing part of the entire game is that in a 27 run blowout (not even sure if that is an appropriate word) some dude for Texas actually got a save. Huh? How is this again? Well according to the save rule, if you pitch a scoreless final 3 innings you automatically receive a save. Really, even if your team is out to a 27 run lead? Clearly something has to be done about this rule.
I heard a really cool interesting story last night on the radio. In Detroit politicians are trying to destroy historic Tiger Stadium which has stood for about 10 years as a landmark even though the Tigers no longer play there. Well once politicians announced their plans to do so Ernie Harwell (legendary Tigers Broadcaster) stepped in and is trying to do something to prevent the demolition. He has put together a group of investors who want to keep the park open. They have proposed playing minor league and amateur baseball games there as well as holding gospel concerts. In addition they want to turn part of the stadium into various museums. One museum would be the Detroit Music Museum; known worldwide as the birthplace of Motown the city of Detroit has a rich musical tradition. The other museum would be one of baseball memorabilia of which Mr. Harwell himself has said he would put up his entire collection which is valued at over $4 million. Harwell’s feelings are that here in America we have no sense of tradition and history and that we are quick to tear down old buildings. Rather we should be more like the European brethren that most of us came from and keep alive the treasures that we have. Imagine if the Romans had just torn down the Coliseum or the Greeks the Parthenon, what kind of history would we have to celebrate?
In the midst of all the terrible news in athletics an actually tragedy happened just last week in Houston Texas. Former prep superstar turned NBA journeyman Eddie Griffin’s life ended tragically, suddenly and violently. It speaks to the culture we have raised especially in the sport of basketball where we may be pushing kids to far who aren’t ready to grow up and accept adult responsibility for various reasons. Here on ESPN.com JA Adande does a much better job of exploring this issue than I can: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=EddieGriffin&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos3
Lastly, on a much happier note, be prepared. That’s right folks, I gotst me bloggin shoes on. We will be doing some in depth NFL and college football previews over the next few weeks as well as highlighting our fantasy football league. So stay tuned and be amused.
Not much more one can say on the Michael Vick story. I know we haven’t been around really to blog about for awhile, but what can you say. At the end of the day he is guilty of an absolutely despicable and heinous crime and I hope he goes to jail for a few years. Then when he comes out of jail I don’t really see anyone giving him a shot again in pro football, well as long as Al Davis isn’t still around.
Okay we have to at least touch on this 30 run thing here by the Texas Rangers. First of all how terrible are the Orioles, they gave up 30 fucking runs, but the Yankees can’t beat them if their lives depended on it. The most amazing part of the entire game is that in a 27 run blowout (not even sure if that is an appropriate word) some dude for Texas actually got a save. Huh? How is this again? Well according to the save rule, if you pitch a scoreless final 3 innings you automatically receive a save. Really, even if your team is out to a 27 run lead? Clearly something has to be done about this rule.
I heard a really cool interesting story last night on the radio. In Detroit politicians are trying to destroy historic Tiger Stadium which has stood for about 10 years as a landmark even though the Tigers no longer play there. Well once politicians announced their plans to do so Ernie Harwell (legendary Tigers Broadcaster) stepped in and is trying to do something to prevent the demolition. He has put together a group of investors who want to keep the park open. They have proposed playing minor league and amateur baseball games there as well as holding gospel concerts. In addition they want to turn part of the stadium into various museums. One museum would be the Detroit Music Museum; known worldwide as the birthplace of Motown the city of Detroit has a rich musical tradition. The other museum would be one of baseball memorabilia of which Mr. Harwell himself has said he would put up his entire collection which is valued at over $4 million. Harwell’s feelings are that here in America we have no sense of tradition and history and that we are quick to tear down old buildings. Rather we should be more like the European brethren that most of us came from and keep alive the treasures that we have. Imagine if the Romans had just torn down the Coliseum or the Greeks the Parthenon, what kind of history would we have to celebrate?
In the midst of all the terrible news in athletics an actually tragedy happened just last week in Houston Texas. Former prep superstar turned NBA journeyman Eddie Griffin’s life ended tragically, suddenly and violently. It speaks to the culture we have raised especially in the sport of basketball where we may be pushing kids to far who aren’t ready to grow up and accept adult responsibility for various reasons. Here on ESPN.com JA Adande does a much better job of exploring this issue than I can: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=EddieGriffin&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos3
Lastly, on a much happier note, be prepared. That’s right folks, I gotst me bloggin shoes on. We will be doing some in depth NFL and college football previews over the next few weeks as well as highlighting our fantasy football league. So stay tuned and be amused.
In the News
How is that Michael Vick thing working out for everybody? Good good, glad to see he was worth all the millions the Falcons spent on him. I mean it’s not enough that he was only a .500 QB now he is a thugged out criminal. Hey, Falcons good job trading that Schaub guy for a bag of peanuts, I hope he takes the Texans to the playoffs.
Not much more one can say on the Michael Vick story. I know we haven’t been around really to blog about for awhile, but what can you say. At the end of the day he is guilty of an absolutely despicable and heinous crime and I hope he goes to jail for a few years. Then when he comes out of jail I don’t really see anyone giving him a shot again in pro football, well as long as Al Davis isn’t still around.
Okay we have to at least touch on this 30 run thing here by the Texas Rangers. First of all how terrible are the Orioles, they gave up 30 fucking runs, but the Yankees can’t beat them if their lives depended on it. The most amazing part of the entire game is that in a 27 run blowout (not even sure if that is an appropriate word) some dude for Texas actually got a save. Huh? How is this again? Well according to the save rule, if you pitch a scoreless final 3 innings you automatically receive a save. Really, even if your team is out to a 27 run lead? Clearly something has to be done about this rule.
I heard a really cool interesting story last night on the radio. In Detroit politicians are trying to destroy historic Tiger Stadium which has stood for about 10 years as a landmark even though the Tigers no longer play there. Well once politicians announced their plans to do so Ernie Harwell (legendary Tigers Broadcaster) stepped in and is trying to do something to prevent the demolition. He has put together a group of investors who want to keep the park open. They have proposed playing minor league and amateur baseball games there as well as holding gospel concerts. In addition they want to turn part of the stadium into various museums. One museum would be the Detroit Music Museum; known worldwide as the birthplace of Motown the city of Detroit has a rich musical tradition. The other museum would be one of baseball memorabilia of which Mr. Harwell himself has said he would put up his entire collection which is valued at over $4 million. Harwell’s feelings are that here in America we have no sense of tradition and history and that we are quick to tear down old buildings. Rather we should be more like the European brethren that most of us came from and keep alive the treasures that we have. Imagine if the Romans had just torn down the Coliseum or the Greeks the Parthenon, what kind of history would we have to celebrate?
In the midst of all the terrible news in athletics an actually tragedy happened just last week in Houston Texas. Former prep superstar turned NBA journeyman Eddie Griffin’s life ended tragically, suddenly and violently. It speaks to the culture we have raised especially in the sport of basketball where we may be pushing kids to far who aren’t ready to grow up and accept adult responsibility for various reasons. Here on ESPN.com JA Adande does a much better job of exploring this issue than I can: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=EddieGriffin&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos3
Lastly, on a much happier note, be prepared. That’s right folks, I gotst me bloggin shoes on. We will be doing some in depth NFL and college football previews over the next few weeks as well as highlighting our fantasy football league. So stay tuned and be amused.
Not much more one can say on the Michael Vick story. I know we haven’t been around really to blog about for awhile, but what can you say. At the end of the day he is guilty of an absolutely despicable and heinous crime and I hope he goes to jail for a few years. Then when he comes out of jail I don’t really see anyone giving him a shot again in pro football, well as long as Al Davis isn’t still around.
Okay we have to at least touch on this 30 run thing here by the Texas Rangers. First of all how terrible are the Orioles, they gave up 30 fucking runs, but the Yankees can’t beat them if their lives depended on it. The most amazing part of the entire game is that in a 27 run blowout (not even sure if that is an appropriate word) some dude for Texas actually got a save. Huh? How is this again? Well according to the save rule, if you pitch a scoreless final 3 innings you automatically receive a save. Really, even if your team is out to a 27 run lead? Clearly something has to be done about this rule.
I heard a really cool interesting story last night on the radio. In Detroit politicians are trying to destroy historic Tiger Stadium which has stood for about 10 years as a landmark even though the Tigers no longer play there. Well once politicians announced their plans to do so Ernie Harwell (legendary Tigers Broadcaster) stepped in and is trying to do something to prevent the demolition. He has put together a group of investors who want to keep the park open. They have proposed playing minor league and amateur baseball games there as well as holding gospel concerts. In addition they want to turn part of the stadium into various museums. One museum would be the Detroit Music Museum; known worldwide as the birthplace of Motown the city of Detroit has a rich musical tradition. The other museum would be one of baseball memorabilia of which Mr. Harwell himself has said he would put up his entire collection which is valued at over $4 million. Harwell’s feelings are that here in America we have no sense of tradition and history and that we are quick to tear down old buildings. Rather we should be more like the European brethren that most of us came from and keep alive the treasures that we have. Imagine if the Romans had just torn down the Coliseum or the Greeks the Parthenon, what kind of history would we have to celebrate?
In the midst of all the terrible news in athletics an actually tragedy happened just last week in Houston Texas. Former prep superstar turned NBA journeyman Eddie Griffin’s life ended tragically, suddenly and violently. It speaks to the culture we have raised especially in the sport of basketball where we may be pushing kids to far who aren’t ready to grow up and accept adult responsibility for various reasons. Here on ESPN.com JA Adande does a much better job of exploring this issue than I can: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=EddieGriffin&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos3
Lastly, on a much happier note, be prepared. That’s right folks, I gotst me bloggin shoes on. We will be doing some in depth NFL and college football previews over the next few weeks as well as highlighting our fantasy football league. So stay tuned and be amused.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Holy Cow you huckleberry
Yankee nation mourns for the Scooter today. My recollections of Phil Rizzuto are solely as a broadcaster. From the age of 5 the summers of my youth were spent watching Mattingly and Winfield and listening to White and Rizzuto. I still believe that part of my love of baseball can be traced back to those days and is built upon the purity and honesty brought to the game by the Scooter every day. One of my earliest baseball memories is Phil Rizzuto day in 1985. He was our Harry Caray, he was the guy in the Money Store commercials. My lasting memory is of his Hall of Fame speech. I'm sure you can find it online, take the time to watch it, it is worth it. If we can all lead lives as fulfilling as the Scooter and still be gracious to the end we would all be better off.
May he rest in peace
May he rest in peace
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Here's My Note, Teach
As Kris mentioned below, I've been working on a new show that has kept me from posting recently.
The show opened this weekend.
It is called "National Flag Burning and Alternative Lifestyle Awareness Day: The Musical"
I co-wrote it, co-produced it with my production company The Disciples of Clyde, and am a co-star in it.
It is a political satire musical, a comedy with songs. It takes place in the year 2012, in an America that has become ultra-liberal, including George W. Bush, who was elected to two more terms as president. The story follows a disillusioned young man who joins up with a band of conservative rebels to try and take the country back. He gets sent on a mission to infiltrate the New York Times, but ends up falling in love with the daughter of the liberal media mogul he's trying to fight.
The show is a lot of fun, and very absurd. If any of our readers are in Chicago, come on out to see it! Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm at Stage Left Theater (3408 N. Sheffield Ave.)
www.DisciplesofClyde.com
The show opened this weekend.
It is called "National Flag Burning and Alternative Lifestyle Awareness Day: The Musical"
I co-wrote it, co-produced it with my production company The Disciples of Clyde, and am a co-star in it.
It is a political satire musical, a comedy with songs. It takes place in the year 2012, in an America that has become ultra-liberal, including George W. Bush, who was elected to two more terms as president. The story follows a disillusioned young man who joins up with a band of conservative rebels to try and take the country back. He gets sent on a mission to infiltrate the New York Times, but ends up falling in love with the daughter of the liberal media mogul he's trying to fight.
The show is a lot of fun, and very absurd. If any of our readers are in Chicago, come on out to see it! Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm at Stage Left Theater (3408 N. Sheffield Ave.)
www.DisciplesofClyde.com
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
BARRY LAMAR BONDS
After I wrote my little piece on Bonds yesterday my brother Keith calls me up and asks do I really think Bonds is the greatest player of all time? Better than Ruth and Cobb and Musial and Mays and Aaron and A-Rod. And the answer is still a resounding yes. Though we didn’t have time to have a full discussion about why, one of the initial arguments my brother happened to bring up was that of Bonds batting average and where it ranks. Well as I said to him comparing eras in baseball becomes more and more difficult by the day.
The problem with comparing the different eras is all of them have inherent advantages and disadvantages. I will still argue until the day that I die that leaving Black and Hispanics out of baseball for the first 70 years of the history of the game is a way more egregious act than using steroids. Now I have gone back and forth about this with many people and the argument always comes back to this, taking steroids was a committed act and leaving Blacks and Hispanics out was an omitted act. Well I don’t necessarily agree with that, it was agreed upon by major league owners at the time that nobody would sign a Negro player, that sounds pretty deliberate to me. Now I know that the deliberate part of the act was by the owners not specifically the players, but it was still a direct act to keep a segment of the population out of the game. Plus I know how good Blacks and Hispanics have proven to be over the course of baseball history, nobody has still been able to show who took performance enhancing drugs, when they took them, and how much do they indeed help. Now I am not burying my head in the sand saying I don’t think people did them, but until someone can truly come up with a quantifiable analysis that tells me how much a certain type of steroid can help, I can’t really worry about it when comparing players.
What is my point in all of this? Well that the best way you can compare eras is looking at how people fared against their contemporaries, and in the end the cream of each generation will rise to the top.
So now we get back to what my brother was asking about, Bonds average. But my immediate comeback before I even looked it up to see where he stands amongst the collective group, I stated that in the post World War II era (the colorization of baseball) the batting averages on a whole are way down. Done are the days of a group of players hitting .330+ for a lifetime. I went back and checked it out, and indeed I am pretty smart. It took post WWII players and saw where Bonds ranked. He ranks 227th overall, but post WWII he ranks 61st. Now you might say, hey fat man, that isn’t that good, and yes it is true that Rusty Greer has a higher lifetime average, but let’s take a look inside the numbers. Ted Williams leads this generation of baseball with a .344 average, if you go down 20 points to .324 you find Joe Dimaggio ranking 9th on the list. So in a 20 point span there are only 9 players. Now take the #10 hitters, Kirby Puckett and Derek Jeter at .317 and go down only 19 points to Barry Bonds at .298 and you have 50 players in that group. So yes, while he is 61st overall he is only 19 points away from being in the top 10, in which there are a group of 50 or so players between him and the top 10.
Now this is about to be a statistician’s wet dream coming at you, so put on your thinking caps. I am going to tell you how many times Bonds finished in the Top 10 in a myriad of offensive categories, which will help prove my point. Also in the first set of parentheses I will put the first year he finished in the Top 10 in that category and the last year, so you can also see that he has accomplished these feats throughout his entire career. And lastly in the second set of parentheses you will see a number which represents how many times he finished in the top 10 of that category during “non-roid” years. According to Game of Shadows (the Holy Bible of Bonds life) the roid years are 1999-2003.
13 times Bonds has finished in the Top in the voting for NL MVP, winning 7 of them. (1990, 2004) (9)
6 times he has finished in the Top 10 in batting average, winning 2 batting titles. (1992, 2004) (3)
16 times he has finished in the Top 10 in slugging percentage, leading the league 7 times. (1988, 2007) (12)
17 times he has finished in the Top 10 in runs scored, once leading the league. (1987, 2004) (13)
17 times he has finished in the Top 10 in On Base percentage, leading the league 10 times (1988, 2007) (13)
12 times he has finished in the Top 10 in Total bases, leading the league once. (1988, 2002) (9)
5 times he has finished in the Top 10 in doubles, never leading the league. (1989, 1998) (5)
3 times he has finished in the Top 10 in triples, never leading the league. (1987, 1998) (3)
15 times he has finished in the Top 10 in the league in Homeruns, leading the league twice. (1988, 2007) (11)
10 times he has finished in the Top 10 in RBI, leading the league once. (1990, 2002) (8)
9 times he has finished in the Top 10 in stolen bases, never leading the league (1986, 1998) (9)
18 times he has finished in the Top 10 in At bats per HR, leading the league 8 times. (1988, 2007) (13)
Think about this, Bonds is 32nd on the all time steals list. If you add up the homerun totals from the number 2 guy on that list, Lou Brock, to the number 10 guy, Honus Wagner, they are still 7 homeruns short of Bonds. Of the base stealers ahead of Barry Bonds only 9 of them even have triple digit homeruns, and the closest to him is Ricky Henderson at 297. Only 6 of the 500 HR club guys have even stolen 200 bases and, Barry has 514.
And now to end it all with the peace de resistance, the greatest random stat Tim Kurkjian ever came up with, in 2004 Barry Bonds set the record for walks in a season with 232, that is 29 more than the 203 that Shawon Dunston had in his 18 year career.
The problem with comparing the different eras is all of them have inherent advantages and disadvantages. I will still argue until the day that I die that leaving Black and Hispanics out of baseball for the first 70 years of the history of the game is a way more egregious act than using steroids. Now I have gone back and forth about this with many people and the argument always comes back to this, taking steroids was a committed act and leaving Blacks and Hispanics out was an omitted act. Well I don’t necessarily agree with that, it was agreed upon by major league owners at the time that nobody would sign a Negro player, that sounds pretty deliberate to me. Now I know that the deliberate part of the act was by the owners not specifically the players, but it was still a direct act to keep a segment of the population out of the game. Plus I know how good Blacks and Hispanics have proven to be over the course of baseball history, nobody has still been able to show who took performance enhancing drugs, when they took them, and how much do they indeed help. Now I am not burying my head in the sand saying I don’t think people did them, but until someone can truly come up with a quantifiable analysis that tells me how much a certain type of steroid can help, I can’t really worry about it when comparing players.
What is my point in all of this? Well that the best way you can compare eras is looking at how people fared against their contemporaries, and in the end the cream of each generation will rise to the top.
So now we get back to what my brother was asking about, Bonds average. But my immediate comeback before I even looked it up to see where he stands amongst the collective group, I stated that in the post World War II era (the colorization of baseball) the batting averages on a whole are way down. Done are the days of a group of players hitting .330+ for a lifetime. I went back and checked it out, and indeed I am pretty smart. It took post WWII players and saw where Bonds ranked. He ranks 227th overall, but post WWII he ranks 61st. Now you might say, hey fat man, that isn’t that good, and yes it is true that Rusty Greer has a higher lifetime average, but let’s take a look inside the numbers. Ted Williams leads this generation of baseball with a .344 average, if you go down 20 points to .324 you find Joe Dimaggio ranking 9th on the list. So in a 20 point span there are only 9 players. Now take the #10 hitters, Kirby Puckett and Derek Jeter at .317 and go down only 19 points to Barry Bonds at .298 and you have 50 players in that group. So yes, while he is 61st overall he is only 19 points away from being in the top 10, in which there are a group of 50 or so players between him and the top 10.
Now this is about to be a statistician’s wet dream coming at you, so put on your thinking caps. I am going to tell you how many times Bonds finished in the Top 10 in a myriad of offensive categories, which will help prove my point. Also in the first set of parentheses I will put the first year he finished in the Top 10 in that category and the last year, so you can also see that he has accomplished these feats throughout his entire career. And lastly in the second set of parentheses you will see a number which represents how many times he finished in the top 10 of that category during “non-roid” years. According to Game of Shadows (the Holy Bible of Bonds life) the roid years are 1999-2003.
13 times Bonds has finished in the Top in the voting for NL MVP, winning 7 of them. (1990, 2004) (9)
6 times he has finished in the Top 10 in batting average, winning 2 batting titles. (1992, 2004) (3)
16 times he has finished in the Top 10 in slugging percentage, leading the league 7 times. (1988, 2007) (12)
17 times he has finished in the Top 10 in runs scored, once leading the league. (1987, 2004) (13)
17 times he has finished in the Top 10 in On Base percentage, leading the league 10 times (1988, 2007) (13)
12 times he has finished in the Top 10 in Total bases, leading the league once. (1988, 2002) (9)
5 times he has finished in the Top 10 in doubles, never leading the league. (1989, 1998) (5)
3 times he has finished in the Top 10 in triples, never leading the league. (1987, 1998) (3)
15 times he has finished in the Top 10 in the league in Homeruns, leading the league twice. (1988, 2007) (11)
10 times he has finished in the Top 10 in RBI, leading the league once. (1990, 2002) (8)
9 times he has finished in the Top 10 in stolen bases, never leading the league (1986, 1998) (9)
18 times he has finished in the Top 10 in At bats per HR, leading the league 8 times. (1988, 2007) (13)
Think about this, Bonds is 32nd on the all time steals list. If you add up the homerun totals from the number 2 guy on that list, Lou Brock, to the number 10 guy, Honus Wagner, they are still 7 homeruns short of Bonds. Of the base stealers ahead of Barry Bonds only 9 of them even have triple digit homeruns, and the closest to him is Ricky Henderson at 297. Only 6 of the 500 HR club guys have even stolen 200 bases and, Barry has 514.
And now to end it all with the peace de resistance, the greatest random stat Tim Kurkjian ever came up with, in 2004 Barry Bonds set the record for walks in a season with 232, that is 29 more than the 203 that Shawon Dunston had in his 18 year career.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Musings, analysis and perspectives
Well like the dog days of summer so this blogs trudges merrily along. Dan I know has been busy with his new show, Martin is busy with fatherhood and family life (which in the summer includes vacations and such), Josh has been working his tale off at his new job, and as for myself it has been a long summer of some work, a few trips and lots of DeBlasio family get togethers (for good and for bad). Also this blog focuses mainly on sports and July is just a slow time. So slow, the mother ship of sports (ESPN) did some contest of popular athletes called who’s Now, of which I watched religiously but still have yet to figure out what it was measuring. But now sports gets going in full swing, and some of the first punches thrown were here in Columbia South Carolina where the Old Ball Coach came out firing (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2962823). From here on for the next few months expect plenty of chatter here on the Sherman Ave Block Party. The only thing I would like to say to my readers is we the writers really and truly appreciate comments on what we write, it lets us know that the readers are indeed reading and enjoying what they read, and generally boosts our egos.
For today I am going to be verbose and spit game on a variety of subjects. First we will take a look at The Simpsons Movie and The Bourne Ultimatum. We will also analyze the big NBA trade from last week. And lastly our national pastime has given us a weekend to remember with numbers like 755, 500 and 300 (not the overrated movie).
This summer was one of the most anticipated summers in movie history. Mainly it was because the movie going public is a bunch of robots that go and watch the same movies over and over again. This summer could be known as the sequel summer when you consider the amount of redundant sequels that bombarded the theatres: Spider Man 3, 28 Weeks Later, Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, Ocean's Thirteen, Hostel: Part II, The Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Rush Hour 3. I can't say I am totally immune, because I saw the Oceans movie and Shrek, plus I was anxiously awaiting the Bourne Ultimatum. And then I usually hate remakes as well but am looking forward to Halloween and 3:10 to Yuma (but both those are classics). And with all this trash the two best movies I have seen this summer are Ratatouille and The Wind that Shakes the Barley. But I digress from the two most recent films I have seen, both of which I have seen twice. First is The Simpsons Movie, one which was way too long in the making. As we know I am a Simpsons freak, but the quality of the show has dipped significantly since Season 14 (2002-03). Let's say the movie was adequately funny. Meaning that it was not like the classic episodes which we fell in love with, but it certainly had its moments. In typical Simpsons fashion Homer has some ridiculous premise that puts his family and the town of Springfield in eminent danger. Of course he then redeems himself and saves the day along with Bart. Basically it was an extended version of any one of a million episodes. Unfortunately the movie fell short in a few cases. The most notably was that The Simpsons for so long has relied on its secondary characters to help add humor and substance to the show. However, in the movie the town of Springfield was just one big mob instead of the brilliant characters we have come to know and love like Ned Flanders, Milhouse, Lenny & Carl, Moe Szylak, Reverend Lovejoy, Principal Skinner, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief Wiggum, C. Montgomery Burns, Grampa, etc. Where were these characters? Instead we had some Government guy who was a rip-off of Hank Scorpio and a random love interest for Lisa that disappeared faster than Chuck Cunningham. The movie also lacked on other Simpsons essential and that was the singing. I have forever wanted to see a Simpsons musical and thought the movie may bring us a few new numbers to hum along with The Monorail Song, Flaming Moe's and The Stonecutters Theme. Alas, the movie had its laughs but certainly lacked the overall quality that the show was known for in its earlier years.
Now I did buy into the sequel craze a little myself, with my anticipation of The Bourne Ultimatum. I am not much of an action/thriller movie guy most of the time, but the Bourne series has caught my fancy, for a few reasons. Most of the action is not over done with super CGI effect, I think the movies have a plot and are well written and I enjoy the acting of Matt Damon. After saying all that, the third installment kind of veers away from the things I liked about the first 2, but for some reason it kicked serious ass. This was a movie that “had me on the edge of my seat.” The action from beginning to end was non-stop. The plot was a little confusing, and Jason Bourne had maybe 15 lines in the entire movie. The reason he spokes so little was he was too busy kicking peoples asses, and I loved every second. This movie was in no way as good as the first one, but it was much better than the second installment in the series. Obviously like most things it sort of leaves an open door for a sequel, but then again so do all of these all of these movies. If you are a fan of the Bourne series go see this film, the very end really did have people cheering and snickering which I usually hate at movies.
I have taken a week or so to truly analyze and mull over the big NBA trade involving Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. I did not want to jump the gun and start planning parades down Yawkey Way in Boston just yet, so like a good meal, I let it settle in my stomach and digest for awhile. Well okay, maybe you can start planning some parades, this team is stacked. Think about it, you have three legit All-Stars on a team, all of whom are known for being a bit unselfish, in this day and age in the NBA. Ray Allen will be the perfect compliment for players like KG and Pierce. While in Seattle and sometimes being the only player on the team worth a darn (sorry Danny Fortson & Reggie Evans) he led the league in 3-pt percentage. Now with two guys who can score on the block and take it to the hole Allen will be left open for more 3’s than he can possibly imagine. Let us not forget that these players are also terrific defenders, all three of them. The one thing this does do is it helps balance out the power in the conferences. If Dwayne Wade comes back healthy and the Cavaliers do anything in the off season to improve their squad this now gives the Eastern Conference 6 teams who can actually compete; Heat, Cavs, Bull, Pistons, and Celtics, with other young teams like Toronto and Orlando knocking on the door. It will be weird to see KG in the Kelly green but it will also be exciting.
“Just when I thought that I was out, they pull me back in.” Baseball always does this. Amidst all the problems in baseball, including Allan H. “Bud” Selig, we have just had a two week stretch that is not soon to be matched in any sport. It really started off with induction weekend a few weeks ago in Cooperstown where two of the all time great players and great people were enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Both Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken set different marks for excellence but did so in the same manner. They were hard working dedicated professional’s who would have been successful insurance salesmen, business entrepreneurs, as well as they were baseball players. As we like to say in sports, they did it “the right way.” On the heels of their inductions we started focusing our sites on three more special ball players and their career achievements.
Tom Glavine has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for the last twenty years, and now he joins a list of all time greats to prove it. Overshadowed sometimes on his own team because of two of his more dynamic pitching mates Glavine shined throughout the 90’s for the Atlanta Braves winning 20 games 5 times between 91-00 (for the record that is 2 more times than Maddux and Smoltz). His signature moment came in the 1995 World Series pitching the Braves to a series clinching game 6 victory. Through it all Glavine has remained the consummate professional and just produced winning season after winning season. In 21 years on the hill his ERA has only been over 4.00 6 times, which is remarkable in this era. I truly believe Glavine will be the last 300 game winner, I don’t see the circumstances where that will change.
A-Rod hit his 500th home run this past weekend, whoopty damn doo. Okay, I like A-Rod but this was just a statistical inevitability. The guy just mashes the ball. By the time we settle the controversy over what to do with the 500th home run ball A-Rod will be streaking past the 600 home run mark. But seriously folks, it is truly amazing what this young man has accomplished. At only the age of 32 he already has a mark that most players can’t even dream of reaching and he has a solid 8-10 years of baseball left in him. In all likelihood he could pass Barry Bonds before Julio Franco retires. We should celebrate this achievement by A-Rod but I know most Yankee fans would like to see this team reach the post season and get something done this year, then we can really celebrate (screw the Mets).
Lastly, Barry Lamar Bonds the greatest player ever to lace up the baseball spikes. He is about to pass in a pantheon of greatness the likes of which we may never see again. I won’t go to long into Barry’s accomplishments because then we will get the boo birds out here with their asterisk and all of their evidence of how Barry crucified the Lord and drowned babies and killed puppies. This I know, Barry has been the best ball player in the game since 1991 and all the haters have done little to slow him down. He is about to pass the great Hank Aaron and I will be front and center leading the applause and the kudos to this great baseball player. Now I will discuss the elephant in the room, steroids. Let us remember that the pitcher who Barry hit his 755th home run off of has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs more than Barry has. Also, as Dan once pointed out why are we so self righteous about what our athletes do, but don’t give a damn what kind of people our politicians are. And lastly, if Bonds were so vilified and nobody wanted to see him break the record why are all his games being shown on TV, everyone talking about his at bats the next day around the water cooler and lastly, why have the Giants, who have the 26th best record in all of baseball, played in front of 27 consecutive sell out crowds, including 16 road games? HINT: The answer is not Pedro Feliz
For today I am going to be verbose and spit game on a variety of subjects. First we will take a look at The Simpsons Movie and The Bourne Ultimatum. We will also analyze the big NBA trade from last week. And lastly our national pastime has given us a weekend to remember with numbers like 755, 500 and 300 (not the overrated movie).
This summer was one of the most anticipated summers in movie history. Mainly it was because the movie going public is a bunch of robots that go and watch the same movies over and over again. This summer could be known as the sequel summer when you consider the amount of redundant sequels that bombarded the theatres: Spider Man 3, 28 Weeks Later, Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, Ocean's Thirteen, Hostel: Part II, The Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Rush Hour 3. I can't say I am totally immune, because I saw the Oceans movie and Shrek, plus I was anxiously awaiting the Bourne Ultimatum. And then I usually hate remakes as well but am looking forward to Halloween and 3:10 to Yuma (but both those are classics). And with all this trash the two best movies I have seen this summer are Ratatouille and The Wind that Shakes the Barley. But I digress from the two most recent films I have seen, both of which I have seen twice. First is The Simpsons Movie, one which was way too long in the making. As we know I am a Simpsons freak, but the quality of the show has dipped significantly since Season 14 (2002-03). Let's say the movie was adequately funny. Meaning that it was not like the classic episodes which we fell in love with, but it certainly had its moments. In typical Simpsons fashion Homer has some ridiculous premise that puts his family and the town of Springfield in eminent danger. Of course he then redeems himself and saves the day along with Bart. Basically it was an extended version of any one of a million episodes. Unfortunately the movie fell short in a few cases. The most notably was that The Simpsons for so long has relied on its secondary characters to help add humor and substance to the show. However, in the movie the town of Springfield was just one big mob instead of the brilliant characters we have come to know and love like Ned Flanders, Milhouse, Lenny & Carl, Moe Szylak, Reverend Lovejoy, Principal Skinner, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief Wiggum, C. Montgomery Burns, Grampa, etc. Where were these characters? Instead we had some Government guy who was a rip-off of Hank Scorpio and a random love interest for Lisa that disappeared faster than Chuck Cunningham. The movie also lacked on other Simpsons essential and that was the singing. I have forever wanted to see a Simpsons musical and thought the movie may bring us a few new numbers to hum along with The Monorail Song, Flaming Moe's and The Stonecutters Theme. Alas, the movie had its laughs but certainly lacked the overall quality that the show was known for in its earlier years.
Now I did buy into the sequel craze a little myself, with my anticipation of The Bourne Ultimatum. I am not much of an action/thriller movie guy most of the time, but the Bourne series has caught my fancy, for a few reasons. Most of the action is not over done with super CGI effect, I think the movies have a plot and are well written and I enjoy the acting of Matt Damon. After saying all that, the third installment kind of veers away from the things I liked about the first 2, but for some reason it kicked serious ass. This was a movie that “had me on the edge of my seat.” The action from beginning to end was non-stop. The plot was a little confusing, and Jason Bourne had maybe 15 lines in the entire movie. The reason he spokes so little was he was too busy kicking peoples asses, and I loved every second. This movie was in no way as good as the first one, but it was much better than the second installment in the series. Obviously like most things it sort of leaves an open door for a sequel, but then again so do all of these all of these movies. If you are a fan of the Bourne series go see this film, the very end really did have people cheering and snickering which I usually hate at movies.
I have taken a week or so to truly analyze and mull over the big NBA trade involving Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. I did not want to jump the gun and start planning parades down Yawkey Way in Boston just yet, so like a good meal, I let it settle in my stomach and digest for awhile. Well okay, maybe you can start planning some parades, this team is stacked. Think about it, you have three legit All-Stars on a team, all of whom are known for being a bit unselfish, in this day and age in the NBA. Ray Allen will be the perfect compliment for players like KG and Pierce. While in Seattle and sometimes being the only player on the team worth a darn (sorry Danny Fortson & Reggie Evans) he led the league in 3-pt percentage. Now with two guys who can score on the block and take it to the hole Allen will be left open for more 3’s than he can possibly imagine. Let us not forget that these players are also terrific defenders, all three of them. The one thing this does do is it helps balance out the power in the conferences. If Dwayne Wade comes back healthy and the Cavaliers do anything in the off season to improve their squad this now gives the Eastern Conference 6 teams who can actually compete; Heat, Cavs, Bull, Pistons, and Celtics, with other young teams like Toronto and Orlando knocking on the door. It will be weird to see KG in the Kelly green but it will also be exciting.
“Just when I thought that I was out, they pull me back in.” Baseball always does this. Amidst all the problems in baseball, including Allan H. “Bud” Selig, we have just had a two week stretch that is not soon to be matched in any sport. It really started off with induction weekend a few weeks ago in Cooperstown where two of the all time great players and great people were enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Both Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken set different marks for excellence but did so in the same manner. They were hard working dedicated professional’s who would have been successful insurance salesmen, business entrepreneurs, as well as they were baseball players. As we like to say in sports, they did it “the right way.” On the heels of their inductions we started focusing our sites on three more special ball players and their career achievements.
Tom Glavine has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for the last twenty years, and now he joins a list of all time greats to prove it. Overshadowed sometimes on his own team because of two of his more dynamic pitching mates Glavine shined throughout the 90’s for the Atlanta Braves winning 20 games 5 times between 91-00 (for the record that is 2 more times than Maddux and Smoltz). His signature moment came in the 1995 World Series pitching the Braves to a series clinching game 6 victory. Through it all Glavine has remained the consummate professional and just produced winning season after winning season. In 21 years on the hill his ERA has only been over 4.00 6 times, which is remarkable in this era. I truly believe Glavine will be the last 300 game winner, I don’t see the circumstances where that will change.
A-Rod hit his 500th home run this past weekend, whoopty damn doo. Okay, I like A-Rod but this was just a statistical inevitability. The guy just mashes the ball. By the time we settle the controversy over what to do with the 500th home run ball A-Rod will be streaking past the 600 home run mark. But seriously folks, it is truly amazing what this young man has accomplished. At only the age of 32 he already has a mark that most players can’t even dream of reaching and he has a solid 8-10 years of baseball left in him. In all likelihood he could pass Barry Bonds before Julio Franco retires. We should celebrate this achievement by A-Rod but I know most Yankee fans would like to see this team reach the post season and get something done this year, then we can really celebrate (screw the Mets).
Lastly, Barry Lamar Bonds the greatest player ever to lace up the baseball spikes. He is about to pass in a pantheon of greatness the likes of which we may never see again. I won’t go to long into Barry’s accomplishments because then we will get the boo birds out here with their asterisk and all of their evidence of how Barry crucified the Lord and drowned babies and killed puppies. This I know, Barry has been the best ball player in the game since 1991 and all the haters have done little to slow him down. He is about to pass the great Hank Aaron and I will be front and center leading the applause and the kudos to this great baseball player. Now I will discuss the elephant in the room, steroids. Let us remember that the pitcher who Barry hit his 755th home run off of has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs more than Barry has. Also, as Dan once pointed out why are we so self righteous about what our athletes do, but don’t give a damn what kind of people our politicians are. And lastly, if Bonds were so vilified and nobody wanted to see him break the record why are all his games being shown on TV, everyone talking about his at bats the next day around the water cooler and lastly, why have the Giants, who have the 26th best record in all of baseball, played in front of 27 consecutive sell out crowds, including 16 road games? HINT: The answer is not Pedro Feliz
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Trivia Time
I figured what the hell, right? We all like sports and there is nothing better than discussing sports trivia. So from time to time I will come up with little 10 questions quizzes just to test the knowledge of our readers. Here is the first one (Matt, feel free to cheat I really don't care):
QUIZ 1
1) Who was the first player in any sport to have his number retired and what number was it?
2) Who was the first QB to throw 30 touchdowns in an NFL season?
3) Where did Venus Williams and Andre Agassi both win their first Grand Slam?
4) Who won the first ever Rose Bowl? BONUS: What year was it played?
5) Of the 12 players on the 1992 Dream Team how many of them were voted to the NBA’s Fifty Greatest team?
6) Who Am I? I began my Major League career as a shortstop in 1974 at the age of 18. I played my entire career for one team, where I earned two MVP awards. I retired with 251 home runs, 1406 RBIs, and 271 stolen bases and over 3,000 hits. I was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999.
7) Name the college? (I give you 3 athletes from various sports who all attended the same college). Tim Lincecum, Detlef Schrempf, Corey Dillon
8) Joe Carters walk off homerun in the 1993 World Series was a three run blast, what two hall of famer’s (or soon to be Hall of Famers) where on base?
9) Who set the NHL Rookie record for goals in a season, Wayne Gretzky, Teemu Selanna or Brett Hull?
10) George Foreman TKOed Smokin Joe Frazier in January 1973 to win the heavyweight championship. What city did this fight take place in?
Kingston, Jamaica
London, England
Nassau, Bahamas
BONUS: How many times was Frazier knocked down in 2 rounds?
QUIZ 1
1) Who was the first player in any sport to have his number retired and what number was it?
2) Who was the first QB to throw 30 touchdowns in an NFL season?
3) Where did Venus Williams and Andre Agassi both win their first Grand Slam?
4) Who won the first ever Rose Bowl? BONUS: What year was it played?
5) Of the 12 players on the 1992 Dream Team how many of them were voted to the NBA’s Fifty Greatest team?
6) Who Am I? I began my Major League career as a shortstop in 1974 at the age of 18. I played my entire career for one team, where I earned two MVP awards. I retired with 251 home runs, 1406 RBIs, and 271 stolen bases and over 3,000 hits. I was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999.
7) Name the college? (I give you 3 athletes from various sports who all attended the same college). Tim Lincecum, Detlef Schrempf, Corey Dillon
8) Joe Carters walk off homerun in the 1993 World Series was a three run blast, what two hall of famer’s (or soon to be Hall of Famers) where on base?
9) Who set the NHL Rookie record for goals in a season, Wayne Gretzky, Teemu Selanna or Brett Hull?
10) George Foreman TKOed Smokin Joe Frazier in January 1973 to win the heavyweight championship. What city did this fight take place in?
Kingston, Jamaica
London, England
Nassau, Bahamas
BONUS: How many times was Frazier knocked down in 2 rounds?
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