Happy 1st Birthday

To our 42" Aquos LCD Hi Def TV. It's been a great year, buddy. I look forward to a wonderful 2008 with you. See you in 5 minutes!

16 and OH

This catch was the greatest regular season play I can remember. I lost it. Literally went bazerko when Moss hauled this in, one play after dropping the ball. Unforunately, it was just me and Scooter, watching (Scooter = my daughter's musical toy that scoots across the floor)

Champs Sports Bowl MVP

The selection of Matt Ryan is not very exciting and way too predictable, plus take away the 2 longer TD's and the rest of the game was 20 for 45 with 150 yards.

Jamie Silva would have been a decent choice with 2 picks, a few nice punt returns, and a decent amount of tackles.

However, MY selection for the Game MVP is Rich Gunnell. 2 big scores that we REALLY needed, both on great catches, and overall lead the team in both catches and yards by a landslide.

Bowl Game Update - Erik vs. Scott

We didn't post our picks, so you'll have to trust us. Through last night: Erik is 4-3 ATS and and 4-3 against the total. That gives him 8 points. His first wild card pick was Central Michigan, and that did not pan out.

Quick sidebar: What is on the line is a gift at the Maryland gift store (if I win) or the BC gift store (if he wins) with a 20 "jelly beans" limit, we've selected each game, the over/under in each game, and then chose 3 wild cards where you need to select an underdog to win outright. You get bonus points based on the line. Fact: This is a kick ass pool that I want to break out next year to the masses (legally for no money). Each game and o/u = 1 point, each BCS game = 2 points and the championship game = 3 points.

So, anyway, Erik has 8 points.
I, have 6 points, as I have gone a brutal 1-6 ATS, but 5-2 against the total.

I'll give you the games through the weekend and come back Sunday with an update for the New Years Eve and New Years games:

Me:
ASU +3, O62
BC -4, O56
Houston +4.5, O60
Maryland +5, O48 - Maryland is my first wild card for 5 points
Wake -2.5, U48.5
C Florida -3, U57
Penn St. -5, O51.5
Colorado +3.5, O52 - Colorado is my second wild card for 4 points

Erik:
ASU +3, O62
BC -4, O56
Houston +4.5, O60
Md +5, U48
UCONN +2.5, O48.5
Miss St +3, O57
PSU -5, O51.5
Bama -3.5, U52

Erik's last two wild cards are Fresno and Georgia Tech. My other one is a biggie: Ball State

1991 Skins

So Simmons puts Mark Rypien in the good QBs from the 90s group in his column today. But a few months ago, he refused to put the 1991 Skins on his top teams of the past 25 years because "come on, its Mark Rypien". Which is it dude? The 91 skins started 12-0, and were 14-1 and sat everyone the last game, and they steamrolled through the playoffs and Super Bo, as Joe Jacoby would say. If that wasnt one of the best teams of the past 25 years, then i dont know football. They SHUT OUT 3 TEAMS in SEPTEMBER. How often has that ever happened.

1991 Skins

Whatever, this rant is over. Why am I even mad about this.

Go Away

Now he's going to try to steal Pioli...

By the way, LOL at this picture.

The First Annual All Mitchell Team

This team is loaded.

SP - Roger Clemens
SP - Andy Pettite
SP - Kevin Brown
SP - Denny Neagle
SP - Paul Byrd
CP - Eric Gagne
Other Relievers - They're all the same. We'll take Josias Manzanillo because you have to have a random Latin reliever if you want to be successful. I'll take Rocker from the left side, and former Red Sox prospect Paxton Crawford can be our long reliever

The starting lineup

CF - Nails Dykstra
2B - Brian Roberts
LF - Barry Bonds
SS - Miguel Tejada
1B - Mo Vaughn
RF - Gary Sheffield
DH - Jason Giambi
3B - Ken Caminiti (dead guys count)
C - Paul Lo Duca

Notice the L-S-L-R-L-R-L-S-R action going on there. I feel like Francona. You can't match up your lefty specialist on us, god dammit! We'll make you pay. And you know what, just try to bring in your lefty specialist to get Giambi out, I'm countering with Troy Glaus!

Bench:
OF - David Justice
IF/OF - Chuck Knoblauch
PR - Nook Logan
1B - Raffy Palmeiro
3B - Troy Glaus
C - Greg Zaun (seems like a solid back up catcher)

Dagger

thanks Dad

Quote that might have happened

"Hey, its Butros Butros Bross!"
- Menschel, Denton Hall, 1997

Classic Quotes

"Yea, I'll take a dozen beers."
-Boltz, Denton Hall, 1997

Why?

Rocky McIntosh = torn ACL, torn MCL, out for this year and most if not all of next year. If you're scoring at home, that is the 3rd defensive starter the Skins of have lost not just for 2007, but likely most or all of 2008 as well -- McIntosh, Carlos Rogers, Sean Taylor (RIP). In the case of Rogers, he sucks so I'm not losing any sleep over it. Taylor is a whole other situation. But McIntosh turned into a Grade A linebacker in his first year as starter. Add in the QB, starting tackle and starting guard going down w/ season ending injuries earlier this year, and this is turning into a nightmare. At least we have a lot of cap room coming up this year......

The Racist Shopper

So the salesguy at Olympia Sports must totally think I'm racist. (note: he is African-American, I am not)

He comes to help me and I'm looking at a Wes Welker (strike 1) jersey for my nephew. I tell him I want a Small, but I can't get this one because there is a stain on it. He helps me look through.

Salesman: I have Moss in a small!
Erik: Eh... I don't want to get Moss (strike 2). I don't know if he'll be on the team next year.
Salesman: Oh Moss? He'll DEFINITELY be on the team.
Erik: Well he only signed a one year deal, so....

Then I sorta find out that the Welker small is a size 4, and the Moss small is a size 8. No idea, I know. Call me when my non-existent kids are in Jr High I might then have an idea about these number sizes. Anyway, I'm playing through and discover a Welker jersey that is a Medium aka size 5-6. Lookie here. So we compare and do determine the medium is smaller than that Moss Small/Size 8. So I'm a little thrown off but I'm a quick learner so I think I can pull off this Welker.

Finally I ask, "Got any Brady?"

And there's strike 3 folks. Welker, okay Moss, no. Brady, okay. Hmmmmmmm. But really, my nephew wouldn't know anyone besides Brady. He's 3. So they didn't have Brady so I got the Welker. If I find a Brady somewhere I can return this. Welker is cool, but will the kid have any idea - who knows. Moss,I swear I'm being truthful about concerns he will sign somewhere else next year. He is playing so well, that his market value will skyrocket and when do the Pats ever shell out for that? I don't remember Welker's deal but I hope there's a few years on it. He'll be around.

I was tempted to throw out one more name to cover my tracks like "Got any Randall Gay jerseys?" but I paid the man and was on my way.


ps Amazing they didn't have Brady. They must just be out. I'd almost expect them to have no player besides Brady. I saw Welker & Moss, Bruschi, Maroney, and Adalius Thomas in various non-small sizes. I hit two different Olympia's, a Foot Locker, a Kids Foot Locker, a TJ Maxx, and a Marshalls.

And There Go The Cowboys!!

Looking like a Packers - Patriots rematch

You're Welcome, CJ

Old Lady car accident witness

Pretty funny cell phone call:


http://www.chumfm.com/MorningShow/bits/march24.swf

Forecast

sorry Pennsylvania...

Craig

Nice 36 points & 8 boards for Craig Smith tonight vs the Wiz!

Wu-Tang Clan

Released Eight Diagrams today, which sounds like it will probably be their last, judging by the amount of complaining about each other they have been doing since recording was finished. So in honor of that, my top 40 Wu-Tang tracks of all time are below. Only rule was it had to be an original Wu-Tang or solo album (none of the offshoot groups, which I like but are an acquired taste). In no particular order:

Ain't Nothin' Ta Fuck Wit -- Wu-Tang Clan
C.R.E.A.M. --Wu-Tang Clan
Can It Be All So Simple -- Wu-Tang Clan
Da Mystery Of Chessboxin' -- Wu-Tang Clan
Protect Ya Neck --Wu-Tang Clan
Shame On A N*gga -- Wu-Tang Clan
Fast Shadow -- Wu-Tang Clan
For Heaven's Sake -- Wu-Tang Clan
Heaterz -- Wu-Tang Clan
Triumph -- Wu-Tang Clan
Visionz -- Wu-Tang Clan
The Abduction -- Wu-Tang Clan
Shaolin Worldwide -- Wu-Tang Clan
Third World -- Wu-Tang Clan
N.Y.C. Everything -- RZA
Criminology -- Raekwon the Chef
Glaciers of Ice -- Raekwon the Chef
Guillotine (Swords) -- Raekwon the Chef
Incarcerated Scarfaces -- Raekwon the Chef
Verbal Intercourse -- Raekwon the Chef
Brooklyn Zoo -- Ol' Dirty Bastard
Damage -- Ol' Dirty Bastard
Snakes --Ol' Dirty Bastard
Bring The Pain -- Method Man
Dangerous Grounds -- Method Man
Mr. Sandman -- Method Man
Party Crasher --Method Man
Release Yo' Delf --Method Man
Suspect Chin N*ggas -- Method Man
Apollo Kids -- Ghostface Killah
Assassination Day -- Ghostface Killah
Black Jesus -- Ghostface Killah
Daytona 500 -- Ghostface Killah
Fish -- Ghostface Killah
Winter Warz -- Ghostface Killah
Wu Banga 101 -- Ghostface Killah
Duel Of The Iron Mic -- Genius/GZA
Shadowboxin' -- Genius/GZA
4th Chamber -- Genius/GZA
Liquid Swords -- Genius/GZA

Fact: Bill Walton is Amazing

Not going to go into all the reasons here, but if you don't like Bill Walton, there is a good chance I don't like you. This was posted today on the MD board by "Wisconsin Terp":

"I mentioned in my report from Kansas City that I ran into Bill Walton outside the entrance to the college hall of fame induction. I talked to him for about a minute and asked him to sign a business card for my store Sunshine Daydream to hang on our wall of fame at the store. He pulled out one of his business cards, said to email him and he would send some good stuff for the store.

reply email:

Thanks, Happy Thanksgiving, I’ll get something out to you next week as I’ve been on the road since early Oct, all the best, Aiko !!! Aiko !!!! BW

Box came today:

1) Autographed full size basketball

2) Autographed record breaking walton gang Sports Illustrated cover.

3) Autographed Grateful Dead Hall of Honor poster

4) Autographed sheet with a picture of all of his S.I. covers

5) Autographed Celtics picture sheet

6) Autographed UCLA picture sheet

7) Autographed 2007 NBA finals program

8) Autographed legends of baketball luncheon program"

It's Time for My Annual Review...

of the NFL QB situation. Let's rank 'em 1 to 32, shall we. You'll notice a disturbing trend after the top 8 to 10. My ranking system is based on my eyes and opinions only, and in what I would want in a QB.

1 - Brady
2 - Manning
3 - Romo
(I don't think we can debate the top 3)
4 - Favre
5 - Big Ben. Not what I'm looking for when it comes to accuracy and handling the elements, but he's clearly a "cerebral" quarterback and a leader. I'd choose him over the next guy.
6 - Palmer
7 - Hasselbeck
8 - Brees
9 - Garrard. I like this guy. What's not to like about a guy who doesn't throw interceptions. That said, I'm ready for him to win a big game that would elevate him. They've lost twice to the Colts this season, though in fairness, he got knocked out of the first game.
10 - Garcia. What's not to like about this guy. He's sort of like Roethlisberger in a way. It's not prototypical, but it gets the job done.
11 - Jason Campbell. I don't hate him. I like what he brings to the table
12 - Kitna. This is where it's starting to get dicey...
13 - Eli Manning. See what I mean. It's starting to get into serious "meh" category. We've reached the point of the list where I can't see these guys ever winning a Super Bowl.
14 - Jay Cutler. I suppose he's got upside. Seems to be improving.
15 - D. Anderson. Who knew?
16 - Bulger. A terrible season
17 - P. Rivers. Ugh.
18 - Schaub. I don't know.
19 - McNabb. It's safe to say that next season he'll either be out of a starting job or even further down this list. He's a mobile QB who can't move.
20 - V. Young. I'm not seeing it. He only has 7 TDs this season. That's not good.
21 - K. Clemens
22 - The Warner/Leinart situation. It'd be higher if it were Leinart, and we were convinced he might be good. But it's lower because Warner is like 50.
23 - T. Jackson. At least he's a guy you can point to as a starter in the NFL. The rest of this list gets very ugly.
24 - JP Losman/Trent Edwards. Well, they're not killing their team, I guess.
25 - The Falcon situation. At least they'll be getting Brohm or Matt Ryan, which automatically moves them up the list.
26 - The Raider situation. We haven't seen Future Bust Jamarcus Russell yet, so this situation is actually better than...
27 - The Cheifs situation. Brodie Croyle?? Damon Huard?? Seriously??
28 - The Ravens situation. Kyle Boller? Troy Smith? Steve McNair?? We're polishing turds at this point.
29 - The Bears. Rex Grossman at least was a starting QB for a Super Bowl participant. This just shows you what I think of the Bears when I rank the Ravens and Chiefs ahead of them. Yikes. You could argue the 23 through 27 teams, and I probably wouldn't argue back.
30 - The Panthers situation. I don't even know what this situation is. I've got to assume Delhomme's days are pretty much over. That leaves them with what? David Carr? Some other guy...?
31 - The Dolphins situation. Cleo Lemon, John Beck, Cleo Lemon, John Beck, Puke in my mouth.
32 - Alex Smith. The 49ers are hopeless, and we Pats fans salute their ineptitude.

National High School Hoops Festival recap

Went to the National High School Hoops Festival on Sunday to watch a few games, specifically St. Frances with Maryland commit Sean Mosley, and the American Christian/Patterson matchup of the nation's #2 and #3 prep teams. The tourney was held in the boonies of PG County, at Wise HS, which had easily the best gym I've ever seen at a high school. The gym, which holds 5,000 people, was easily better than the Smith Center at GWU or the gyms at American Universtiy or Towson or Catholic U.


The first game pitted St. Frances (Baltimore) against Paul VI (Northern VA). The game itself was pretty worthless, with the refs calling it really tight and Mosley picking up his 4th foul in the third quarter. He ended up with 14 pts on some assorted mid range jumpers, threes, and free throws. It doesn't help that the rest of the team is pretty terrible, with the exception of their freshman point guard Ronald Williams. The guy is only about 5'7", rail thin with floppy dreads, but he was everywhere, finishing in the lane, grabbing boards in side, blocking shots, throwing his body around. If he grows he could be a big time recruit, but even if he doesn't the worse case scenario would be a guy who ends up tearing up the A-10 or the MAC.

Other than that, there wasn't much interesting about the game. Mark Karcher is now an assistant for SFA. Terps assistants Chuck Driesell and Joe Harrington were there watching Mosley. Someone needs to tell Harrington the old man jeans, rumpled golf hat, and windbreaker look isn't impressing any 16 and 17 year old brothers. If you're going to recruit look the part. Not to mention, he looked dazed as hell walking around the gym, like he needed help finding the bathroom.


Sean Mosley

Second game between American Christian and Patterson was equally terribly reffed. At one point there were four 5-second dribbling violations in 8 possesions, which was too bad because both squads were stacked. American Christian had Tyreke Evans, a 6'7" small forward and the #6 overall player in the nation according to Rivals.


Tyreke Evans

I actually was underwhelmed by his overall game. His handle is sick, and he can finish like swimwear but his shot is pretty much garbage, or at least it was against the Patterson zone. His left hand is high up on the ball, and he falls away in a Vince Carter routine on every shot. Having said that, he had a couple sick drives, and ended up with 33. The backcourt was made up of Jeremiah Kelly (DePaul commit) and Lamont "Mo-Mo" Jones (Louisville commit). Jones banged a three of the bat and proceed to begin talking shit to the Patterson bench non-stop. The game also featured the always classic move of two different AC players taking instructions from random brothers in the stands, during the middle of a play. Most impressive player on the floor was probably Courtney Fortson from Patterson, point guard, about 5'11" with long dreads, who I believe ended up with 30 points. He is headed to Arkansas next year, and was putting down reverses and throws off the backboard in warmups like it was his job. Patterson won 99-95 in overtime.

NBA shorts

The NBA is the only major professional sport where the athletes wear shorts. And for some reason it is impossible to find NBA style shorts in stores. Rediculous. There's 50,000 knockoff jerseys but 0 shorts in every store.

So then if you go the official route, its $109. How can anyone honestly charge $109 for a pair of shorts. Its the same from NBA.com or from Dicks Sporting Goods. I mean $109 for shorts that are no different from any generic lacrosse shorts that run $18.

Thoughts and Questions

- I love when there is a huge fight in the world of boxing. All of a sudden, you start reading about the "Fight of the Year" and of course, I'm a huge sports nut, but my first reaction was "Who is Hatten? Is he white?" I know nothing about boxing, just like most people know nothing. But it just takes one big, huge card to make all the "fight experts" to come out of the woodwork. All sorts of people have an opinion all of a sudden, like they've been watching boxing every week for the past 15 years on Showtime. Please. What happened was, HBO comes out with what is probably an intersting documentary on the big fight, they make it a weekly show based on their training regimens, and then all of a sudden Joe Boxing is explaining how Floyd Mayweather is the best pound for pound fighter in the world. And you know what? How would I know? How does he know? How does anyone know?

- Isiah Thomas will keep his job for the time being. Next, we'll hear he's getting a raise.

- Eric Gagne, $10 million for 1 year from the Brewers. That's more annually than Tom Brady, and to put that in perspective even further, Eric Gagne really, truly sucks. What would he have earned if he was good? A-Rod money? Honestly, what kind of ship are the Brewers running over there? They don't have any low salaried top prospects who could fill that role? Save your money, and spend it wisely.

- Eric Gagne could conceivably make more this season than the entire Florida Marlins.

- You gotta love the Pats. They say all week how they could care less about what Anthony Smith said. All the comments from the Patriots were following the company line: "We do our talking on the field, not through the media." Or my favorite: "Who is Anthony Smith?" What a numbskull. And you know the Patriots were dying to remind him at every single opportunity yesterday.

- By my count, professional Boston baseball, football and basketball teams have lost a total of three games since my daughter was born. I'm not counting game 3 of the ALCS, since she was born after Dice-K gave up the homer to Kenny Lofton. The Sox lost Game 4, and the Celtics have run off 16 of 18, with their two losses being in overtime and the other by one point (both on the road).

- Dwight Howard, NBA MVP. He's what Shaq was 10 years ago. Except, not fat.

- NBA #1 picks since 1996:
2007: Greg Oden - Jury is still out.
2006: Andrea Bargnani - Nice player, but the beneficiary of a pretty soft class. Certainly not a guy that stands out as a #1 pick, and is currently putting up 12 and 4.
2005: Andrew Bogut - meh. 12 and 8. Solid pro, just not a guy that stands out as a #1 pick.
2004: Dwight Howard - Amazing
2003: Lebron James - Amazing. Just needs his version of Scottie Pippen
2002: Yao Ming - Great
2001: Kwame Brown - Bust
2000: Kenyon Martin - I wouldn't say bust, but I wouldn't exactly say he's lived up to the hype.
1999: Elton Brand - Amazing. How does Chicago trade him?
1998: Michael Olowakandi - Awful
1997: Tim Duncan - Hall of Fame
1996: Allen Iverson - So good, he can skip practice.

Final tally: 6 hits. 2 misses. 1 meh. 1 incomplete. 2 decent foreign whiteys. Pretty good #1 picks overall.

In comparison, let's look at football.
2007: Jamarcus Russell - TBD
2006: Mario Williams - I lean towards "meh."
2005: Alex Smith - Terrible
2004: Eli Manning - Definitely Meh.
2003: Carson Palmer - Certainly worthy
2002: David Carr - Horrible
2001: Mike Vick - Jail
2000: Courtney Brown - Who?
1999: Tim Couch - GROSS
1998: Peyton Manning - Hall of Fame Bound
1997: Orlando Pace - Worthy

Now, let's look at baseball.
2007: David Price - TBD
2006: Luke Hochevar - TBD
2005: Justin Upton - Sky rocketed to the majors this season
2004: Matt Bush - Can't say with any certainty, but I dont think it's working out so well.
2003: Delmon Young - Tampa just traded him. 2nd in Rookie of the Year Voting, though. Plenty of potential and upside. Plus, he's the Dmitri's little bro.
2002: Bryan Bullington - Huh? Who?
2001: Joe Mauer - Off to a good start, though certainly injury prone. I believe he has a batting title, which is damn good for a catcher
2000: Adrian Gonzalez - A starter
1999: Josh Hamilton - After a career derailed by drugs, finally made it to the majors last season and had a nice season as a 4th outfielder. NOT WORTHY of #1, though.
1998: Pat Burrell - Starter. Decent player, not anything to get excited about.
1997: Matt Anderson - What, who?

What's this all mean? I guess, what we've found out is that the NBA is as close as anything to getting between a productive player and a star. Football seems to be a disaster, and baseball #1 picks are pretty much as reliable as not getting blown up in Iraq.

Inside the Peach Bowl selection process

Interesting article here on ESPN on what goes into the process, the debate over BC vs. Clemson, etc.

Calhoun

Jim Calhoun got ejected in the UConn/Northeastern game last night. Two technicals in the 2nd half. Clearly it must have been the refs fault his team was struggling with the Huskies, and not anything to do with the players. There's no way he would coach poorly, no way he would recruit poorly, and no way his players wouldn't not respond to his berating and general douche-baggery. Clearly its the refs and clearly being an asshat on the sideline until you get tossed was the answer. This guy is a peach.

The Marlins

So, after dealing the last two pieces of their 2003 World Series championship team, the Marlin payroll for 2008 is projected to be $8 million. Goodbye, M-Cab and D-Train, hello Andrew Miller, Cameron Mayben, and Mike Rabelo! How do you market this team?

"Come see the future stars of some other team! And it might rain, too!"

The following players made more during the 2007 season than the projected 8 million dollar payroll that the Marlins will employ this season (courtesy of USA Today):
Yankees: Jason Giambi, A-Rod, Jeter, Posada, Abreu, Damon, Matsui, Mussina, Pavano, Pettitte, Clemens, Rivera = 12
Red Sox: Papi, Manny, Drew, Clement (!!!!!), Lowell, Lugo, Schilling, Varitek. As a wild card, I will include Dice-K, since the Sox spent $51 million just to speak to him. Interestingly, Beckett did not make $8 million. 9 Red Sox.
Mets: Beltran, Delgado, Pedro, S. Green, Wagner = 5
Angels: Anderson, Vlad, Cabrera, Colon, Escobar = 5
White Sox: Buehrle, Contreras, Garland, Konerko, Thome, Vazquez = 6
Dodgers: Furcal, Nomar, Kent, Lowe, Schmidt = 5
Mariners: Sexson, Beltre, Ichiro, Washburn (LOL!!), Jeff Weaver (double LOL) = 5
Cubs: Lee, A. Ramirez, Soriano, Zambrano = 4
Tigers: Ordonez, Pudge, Sheffield = 3
Orioles: Tejada = 1 (it should be noted that these guys made more than 5+: Danys Baez, Kris Benson, Gibbons and Ramon Hernandez. Oy!)
Cards: Carpenter, Edmonds, Isringhausen, Pujols, Rolen = 5
Giants: Bonds, Zito, Matt Morris = 3
Phils: Burrell, Garcia, Rollins = 3
Astros: Berkman, Lee, Oswalt = 3
Braves: Hudson, A. Jones, C. Jones, Hampton (14 million), Renteria, Smoltz = 6
Blue Jays: Glaus, Burnett, Wells, Halladay = 4
A's: Kendall, Kotsay, Piazza = 3 (3 shitty players, too)
Twins: Hunter, Johan = 2
Brewers: Sheets = 1
Reds: Dunn, Griffey, Milton = 3 (seriously, eric milton)
Rangers: Millwood, Padilla, Texeira = 3
Royals: M. Sweeney = 1
Indians: Sabathia = 1
Padres: B. Giles, Maddux = 2
Rockies: Helton = 1
D Backs: R. Johnson = 1
Pirates: No one
Nationals: No one - but, Nick Johnson managed to make 5.5 million.
Devil Rays: No one

In total, the grand total of individuals who made more than the projected 2008 Marlin payroll: 97

What did I learn here? I learned there are a lot of shitty general managers in baseball who spend a ton of money on shitty players. No team spent better than the Indians and Diamondbacks last season. When your payroll is 60 million, you can't afford to have 20-30% of your payroll be dead weight.

Freshmen guard ranking

1. Eric Gordon
2. OJ Mayo
3. Derrick Rose

Rose looks very uncomfortable in a half court slow down game tonight. Mayo looks a little better. Gordon can score at will they way either of them can't either by yanking someone w/ his handle or bombing threes. Have not seen Bayless from Zona yet but his stats are bazilly.

Future Patriot

Quote of the Day

"If the Red Sox get Santana," said an executive of one NL team that's grateful to be in the other league, "they might be the best team in the history of the frigging universe."

What the quote should say is:

If the Red Sox get Santana without dealing Jacoby Ellsbury, then Theo Epstein should get a plaque in Cooperstown immediately.

According to espn.com, the Twins have asked for Jon Lester's medical records. The deal on the table is:
Lester, Coco Crisp, Justin Masterson, and Jed Lowrie for Johan.

Let's see. We would be sad to see Lester go, true. Could we survive that loss? Uh.. yea. We would be dealing Crisp, but keeping the better player in Ellsbury. And then dealing two top prospects, which... well I mean, it's Johan Santana. I hope they become superstars, much the way I hope Al Jefferson becomes a 10 time all star with the Timberwolves.

That city is great. Kevin Garnett, Papi Ortiz, Randy Moss, and now very potentially the greatest left handed pitcher in the universe.

Johan Santana, Josh Beckett, DiceK, Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Clay Buchholz.

Boston 1
The World 0

Craig Smith's deal + $11 Million

Analyze these Timberwolves contributions:

Theo Ratliff
26.7 min
8.2 points
4.5 rebounds
$11,666,666 per year

Craig Smith
17.4 min
8.4 points
4.2 rebounds
$687,456 per year

Smith makes 5% or what Ratliff makes. Or take Craig's deal and add $11M. Did Ainge give him that deal? Must have been before Danny. $11 million more for 3 inches and 2 blocks a game.

Your newest Washington National

Elijah Dukes

(voicemail he left his girlfriend last year)

"Hey, dawg. It's on, dawg. You dead, dawg. I ain't even bulls-------. Your kids too, dawg. It don't even matter to me who is in the car with you. N-----, all I know is, n-----, when I see your m-----f------- a-- riding, dawg, it's on. As a matter of fact, I'm coming to your m-----f------ house."

She also says Dukes called her and told her to check her cell phone.

He sent a text message with a photo of a handgun, she said.

Strength of Schedules!

Why should you have a tough schedule? What's the point? The pollsters look at wins and losses. Please see: The Ohio State and Kansas

You can dive deeper at
http://teamrankings.com/ncf/27powerratings.php3
But here are some facts:
- The first team in the top 15 of SOS with a non-losing record is Miss. State at 6-5.
- The BCS team with the highest SOS is Georgia at 44.
- Ironically, Missouri is 38, while the team they basically man handled on a neutral site, Kansas is 106. One Zero Six. Out of 119.

The rest of the BCS teams:
Va Tech 52
Illinois 54
LSU 57
WVU 60
USC 61
Oklahoma 66
The Ohio State 75
Kansas 106
Hawaii 119. Out of 119.

Worst OOC schedule ever

BUCKEYES
What is their S.O.S. since the Big Ten wasn't that strong either?

Here are the non-league games:

home vs Youngstown State
home vs Akron
at Washington
Kent State

What a disappointing year since you can't even be mad at Ohio State for playing this schedule, it got them in the title game as the Top Seed WITH A LOSS.

Move the Chains tonight.

What is the deal...

With NFL coaches who don't know the rules? That is inexcusable that Joe Gibbs called two timeouts in a row, forfeiting 15 yards, and giving Rian Lindell a 36 yard game winning field goal instead of a 51 yarder.

And, if you are to believe Peter "Talks out of both sides of his mouth" King, Coach Gibbs had no idea of Gregg Williams's planned tribute to Sean Taylor to play the first snap with 10 guys on the field. Wow. How is Gibbs not made aware of this?

I know they lost yesterday to the Colts, but the team that would put some thought of fear into me as a Pats fan, is the Jags. The way they control the ball and hit, they make for a good road team and a team that should be able to handle the cold/bitter January weather in New England.

P.S. - I know of the "you can't call two timeouts in a row" rule because of Madden (the video game). I've tried that maneuver before when times were desperate. Except in the world of Madden, they ignore you trying to call two time outs in a row. In real life, it costs you a playoff spot.

I got nuthin'

Quick: Name one player on Oregon State.

vs Michigan State in the Champs Sports Bowl

That's what I hear. Michigan State. Didn't know they were bowl eligible. At least if they had Jeff (C) Smoker I could have something to look forward to.

Clemson to Chik Fil A

..over BC. supposedly Swofford offered to guarantee 17,500 BC tickets sold, and offered Clemson some $ not to take the bid, but to no avail. Not sure how I feel about this. In a just world the bowls would take the teams in order. At the same time, why is the ACC commish offering to pay one school not to go in place of another. I understand the whole "traveling well" thing with schools is a catch-22 -- get picked for good bowl games and your fans will travel, but you only get picked for good bowl games IF you travel well. But should the ACC be spending $ on behalf of one school and not the other 11?

Scheyerface

You may or may not remember that I inadvertantly started the "Scheyerface" phenomenon last year, by posting a thread on the MD pointing the idiotic faces this douche makes. Well, long story short one of the posters on the MD board was in the same hotel as Duke for the Maui Invitational. Among other things, he posted Scheyerfaces all over the hotel (in the crappers etc):



but the capper was this:

"I made a deal with my wife in advance that if we happened to run into Scheyer during our vacation, she would HAVE to take a picture of me with him as I made the face. Even though she wanted no part of it, she recognized the importance of the mission if we were given the opportunity.

So after checking out and passing krzithead in the hall, we walked out the doors to the parking lot to drive to the airport. But there was a vehicle blocking the walkway outside the door......A bus.....Dook's team bus!....and the players were just about to step off of it!

This was a thing of beauty. A perfect alignment of the stars. I got out my camera and handed it to my wife. "Oh no, oh no!" she said as she realized the task about to be dealt to her.

Then I saw Scheyer and knew what I had to do. As soon as he stepped out, I said "Jon, can I get a quick picture?"

He looked around and said, "uhhh..." trying to come up with an excuse and eventually said "OK".

26 out of 35

26 out of 35 topics on the Maryland message board right now are re: WVU. Most of the "things more clutch than WVU....", "hide the couches," or "Rich Rod = awful gameday coach" variety.

In all seriousness, that is one of the bigger sellouts ever. Thank god.

Pretty awful if true...(#21)

Latest news out of Miami says there's been two confessions in the Sean Taylor murder, and according to Miami police "they were certainly not looking to go there and kill anyone."

Pretty awful result....it would have been a lot easier to swallow if it was someone he screwed with or some payback for something dumb he did. By all the accounts the guy had turned his life around. Sure, his buddies are going to say that and stick up for him, but I thought it was pretty revealing over the past week how many good things "random" people had to say about him. He never talked to the press, so we never really knew anything about him. Ross Tucker, a practice squad lineman wrote short piece about him on Fox Sports. Pete Kendall, who just came to DC in August, talked about how Taylor would talk to his kids after practice, and how hard his kids were taking it. John Hall and Cory Raymer, guys who haven't even been on the team for a year or so coming back and bringing their kids to talk the team and coaches.

Guys like that who I figured he didnt associate with, or the same reporters who he refused to talk to when he was here, were barely able to keep it together.

I don't think you'd see any of this type of response if (when) it was Pacman Jones. Maybe I'm wrong. But I dont think you'd see Jason Witten saying what a good person he was. He had some legal troubles when he first came into the league, but I think its pretty safe to say he didnt have anything like this coming.

Say what you want about the U, but its been a pretty rough stretch for them....Pata, Everett, Taylor.

Championship Saturday 10-Pack

Following the footsteps of my co-hort, Erik, I'll throw 10 games at you myself. I've finally climbed up to .500 (at last glance) and now I'm going to finish it off with a bang.

Navy -14 vs. Army - 5 STAR LOCK OF THE WEEK!! How is Army going to stop this attack? The QB with the crazy name will probably run for 200 and throw for 100. Navy by 4 tuddies.

USC -19.5 vs. UCLA - Look at this. A real conference without a conf. championship game that is STILL playing games. Ohio State sits on their ass for three weeks, climbs in the polls, and yet if I remember correctly, USC was playing every bit as early as Ohio State was this season. Sick system they got in college football. Oh and USC is finally peaking... UCLA is going to get crushed.

West Virginia/Pittsburgh Over 58.5 - First of all, I think WVU scores 59 points by themselves. Second of all, WVU is all about doing whatever they can to impress voters and make sure they are in that national championship game. I expect them to win by something like 73-28.

Hawaii -14 vs. Wash. U - Look. Washington is done. They had their 10 seconds of fame when they almost knocked off USC. Now, they're going to Hawaii to party, drink some mai tais, and get crushed by a team that will do whatever they can to get into a BCS. Yes, clearly, I like the big faves this weekend.

Miami of Ohio +3 vs. Central Michigan - Mac Championship. I don't know.

Tulsa +7.5 vs. Central Florida - Conf. USA Championship. I don't know. Not a lock of the week!

BC +4.5 vs. Va Tech - ACC Championship. On the one hand, you have the Va. Tech revenge factor. On the other hand, you have Sean Glennon at QB.

LSU -7 vs. Tennessee - SEC Championship. Am I the only one who hates Eric Ainge? Also, note to the NCAA - can we not keep stats in overtime in college football? It screws everything up. Now, it shows that Ainge threw 7 TDs last week, but he had 4 OTs in which to do it. That doesn't make any sense at all. Those OTs are shootouts because the defenses are so tired.

Oklahoma -3 vs. Mizzou Big 12 Championship. I expect a ton of points, and I expect that OU will be more physical and eventually wear down Mizzou. Plus, this will just add to my frustration that Ohio State will play for a national championship, and they haven't played a game since Clinton was in office.

Stanford +13.5 vs. Cal - The band is on the field!! The band is on the field!! (Kabloooooooey as he trucks the trombone player!!!)

College Football Week 14 - Erik's Picks

Giving 10 games this week -- because I said so. I might win all 10, too!

Boston College +4.5 over Virginia Tech. GO EAGLES for ACC CHAMPS!

Navy -14 over Army. Middies too strong.

Tennessee +7.5 over LSU. LSU is soooo overrated.

Oregon State PICK 'EM over Oregon. Post-Dixon Ducks are miz.

USC -20 over UCLA. USC is still nasty.

BYU -15.5 over San Diego State. Total guess.

Stanford +13.5 over Cal. I like the dog in the rivaly.

Mizzou +3 over Oklahoma. Tigers won't choke.

Hawaii -14 over Washington. Huskies can't keep up in a shootout.

Arizona State -7 over Arizona. Cake.

GO EAGLES!

Just wishign good luck to the BC Eagles against the Hokies this Saturday. Neutral crowd & better weather - sounds good to me. Get me to the Orange Bowl!

11-1

For .500!!

Here we go! 5 picks, lets get to .500. And for not doing lock of the week twice in a row, I'll get you three locks for this week.

UCONN +18 @ WVU - I've seen WVU struggle vs. Louisville in a big thursday night main event. With a BCS berth on the line, I have to think UCONN stays within 18

Mizzou +1.5 @ Kansas - I think Mizzou is actually the superior team and I see Mizzou pulling off the upset in Kansas.

Auburn -4.5 vs. Alabama - Alabama sucks. Here's your lock of the week #1

Florida State +14 @ Florida - Florida defense actually sucks and I can see FSU making this a bit interesting, especially since Florida isn't playing for a BCS game (to my knowledge). Lock of the week #2

Boston College -13 vs. The U - Miami is gross. They've mailed it in. BC needs this in case they lose next week. Lock of the week #3

College Football Week 13 - Erik's Picks

The Antiques Road Show, folks!

Miami +14 over @Boston College
Virginia Tech -3.5 over @Virginia
Georgia -3.5 over @Georgia Tech
Tennessee +3 over @Kentucky
Oregon -1.5 over @UCLA

Catching up on Week 11 & 12 Results

Scott got lucky in that Cincy back door cover. Bunk I say (two game swing since we both took it, going opposite ways). Also he didn't do L.O.W. the past two weeks.

Erik Week 11: L W W W W
Scott Week 11: L L W W W

Erik Week 12: W W L W L
Scott Week 12: W W L W W


Erik Cumulative Record: 27-32-1
Scott Cumulative Record: 29-30-1, L.O.W. 5-4

ACC / SEC Challenge

Big weekend for the reputation of the ACC. Four good matchups are happening between ACC & SEC schools. Its a foregone conclusion across the nation that the SEC is the best league and the ACC is one of the weaker BCS conferences. But those opinions can dynamically change with a few positive results in non-conference play.

FSU at Florida
Georgia at Georgia Tech
Clemson at South Carolina
Wake Forest at Vanderbilt

The ACC is SUPPOSED to go 2-2 in these games. I'm challenging these teams to go 3-1. Rival games should bring out the best in you, so GT and FSU have that chance to step up their level of play. 3 out of 4. Can it be done?

You boys like Mex-eee-ko?

Super Troopers definitely gets funnier every time you see it. It started as a C+ and now its an A-.

College Football Week 12 - Erik's Picks

Florida State -7.5 over Maryland
UConn -20 over Syracuse
NC State +6 over Wake Forest
Boston College +9 over Clemson
West Virginia -6 over Cincinatti

Last Second Week 12 Picks!!

The Ohio State -3.5 @ Michigan
Cincinatti +6 vs. West Va.
Duke +7 @ Notre Dame
BC +9 @ Clemson
Wake -6 vs. NC State

Barry

One thing about this Barry situation, I think its pretty gay that its a Federal thing. MLB allowed it to happen, then there is a witchhunt for things that happened back in the past and the US Govt is involved.

I dislike him a human being, so I'm glad he's caught and likely won't ever play again, but I think its stupid that he was put in the situation of having to testify in a grand jury in the first place. You can't lie in that situation, but he's just as doomed if he tells the truth.

(So if your freshman dorm allowed you to drink beers, so you did it every weekend because that's the thing to do and who cares since no one is getting caught. Then 10 years later they came back and make you testify to underage drinking and you'd lose your job and be in trouble with the cops if you did it.)

But its MLB's fault. Why doesn't every employee of Major League Baseball have to go to jail for facilitating the atmosphere of 1988-2002?

Anyway, Uncle Sam - fix healthcare, the economy, the amount of money being spent in Iraq, and the volume of greenhouse gasses instead of wasting time on professional baseball.

So Long Barry....

HAHAHAHAHAHA. Finally.

And I immediately heard Stephen A. Smith angrily complaining that this is a black/white issue. No, Stephen, it's a "this guy is an arrogant lying and cheating prick who lied in court to a federal judge" issue. Sorry, San Fran. You been supporting a fraud all these years.

A few thoughts

- How has Phil Martelli never progressed into a nice Big East or Big Ten coaching gig. Seems like a great guy, a knowledgeable teacher & coach, and the kind of coach your fan base would be proud to support. St Joe's is lucky to have him.
- Jon Scheyer era - no thanks, just graduate or something.
- The most falsified stat line in the history of the NCAA is Sean Williams with 7 blocks against the Maryland Terrapins in December 2006. He was closer to 27 blocks than 7. My best guess is 19 blocks.
- Is Tom Brady still "Probable: Shoulder" even coming out of a bye week. Maybe I'll look this week.
- The Eagles need Jo-Lonn Dunbar and we need him now.
- Losing or winning vs Maryland actually didn't make a difference in getting to the Orange Bowl. If BC beat Maryland and Miami (11/24) and lost to Clemson, they'd be sitting home. If they beat Clemson, but lose to Miami in addition to losing to Maryland, they're in the ACC Championship Game. The kicker is that if they technically finish 2nd or 3rd in the league, they'll be chosen 5th or 6th in the pecking order. That loss could be the difference between Peach Bowl and Boise.
- Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrine, Eddie House, James Posey, etc are all playing pretty good basketball. Lets hope the team doesn't become too star-centric as the season goes on. Success will come from utilizing role players.
- Is Miami (OH) and Akron playing for the 2nd straight night right now? Is this Deja Vu? I thought I saw them playing last night.
- Matt Ryan fell off the Heisman radar pretty quickly. Thank god BC lauched that lame Mattyice.com site.

NBA - Did You Know?

Here are some interesting tidbits from the first two weeks of the season:

- Kevin Martin of the Kings is 4th in scoring at 26.8 ppg.
- Chris Kaman of the Clippers leads in rebounding at 16.5
- Ray Allen of the Celtics is 2nd in FG% at 63.16%. Sick, considering he is a 2-guard.
- Former BC Eagle, Craig Smith, is 4th in the same category at 61.91%
- Two Celtics are in the top 5 in steals per game, Garnett (3.33) and Rajon Rondo (3.33)
- The Miami Heat are collectively shooting 62.25% from the line. That's disgusting. On the flip side, Dallas shoots it like they get paid millions of dollars to do a job, at 88.89%.
- Nobody shoots it better from WAY DOWNTOWN than Toronto, who is hitting 47% of their threes. No one is worse than the Wiz, who are hitting 25% of their threes.
- League leader in fouls per game: Kirk Hinrich. Bet you didn't know that.
- Rookie scoring leaders: Durant (21.7), Yi (11.8), Jeff Green (10.4), Horford (8.8), some guy named Jarmario Moon on the Raptors (7.3). There is a good reason the Sonics are 0-5. I'm not sure it's a great thing for your team's success to have two guys in the top 5 rookie scorers.

College Football Week 11 - Erik's Picks

@Duke +14 over Georgia Tech - GT can stink something awful sometimes

Kentucky -3.4 over @Vanderbilt - Do it for Colonel Sanders

Air Force -3 over @Notre Dame - What reason do we have to think ND can do anything well?

Florida -6.5 over @South Carolina - Smelly Mitchell? NO, the Gators.

Kansas -6 over @Oklahoma State - What reason do we have to doubt the Jayhawks?

This Week's Picks!

I think we're on week 11, but I've lost count. 22-27-1, I'm told. Okay, let's try to get to the break even point:

Wake Forest +9 at Clemson
Cuse +16.5 vs. South Florida
UCLA +7 vs. Arizona
Wisconsin +2.5 vs. Michigan
Maryland +6.5 vs. BC

It's a dog eat dog world out there!

KILL ME!

Gimme Gimme
Gimme
Gimme Gimme mooooore
Gimme Gimme
Gimme
Gimme Gimme

Week 10 Results: Scott 75%, Erik 25%

Both picked up our first pushes of the year, and in different games!

UConn 38 Rutgers 19 COVER
Maryland 13 North Carolina 16 Push
Nebraska 39 Kansas 76 Did Not Cover
Arkansas 48 South Carolina 36 COVER
Florida 49 Vandy 22 COVER
Scott for season: 22-27-1, L.O.W. 5-4

Wake Forest 16 Virginia 17 Did Not Cover
Nebraska 39 Kansas 76 Did Not Cover
Troy 34 Georgia 44 COVER
Alabama 34 LSU 41 Push
Ball State 20 Indiana 38 Did Not Cover
Erik for season: 20-29-1

This Play

This play... By that guy.... ummmm....

Things I'd do differently if it were me in charge...

1. Andre Callendar says hello, I'm pretty good, let me run the ball a couple of times. Memo to Steve Logan - even FSU is going to pick it off a few times if you throw on every single down. I'm sure Erik has some thoughts on this.

2. I would not have been the guy who signed Michael Finley to a contract that is paying him $20 million this year. Today's Globe has the list of the highest paid players. And Finley is #2, right after Garnett. I can't get over that.

Agent "Zero Chance He Can Tell The Future"

Gilbert Arenas' guarantee:
"Right now I’m telling the Boston fans: You guys are going to lose. It’s not going to be a victory for Boston. You might as well just cheer for me, because Boston isn’t winning in Boston for the season opener. I’m sorry.”

Boston Celtics 103, Washington Wizards 83

Arenas:
40:14 Minutes
5-20 FG
0-5 3Pt FG
3 Assists
4 Turnovers

My Daughter vs. Scaia

Both like to drink
Both pass out after drinking
Both make hilarious comments at all times (granted one is incoherent, and in 2 week old language)
Both burp and then make a face like "oh yea, that felt good"
Both will fall asleep anywhere, be it a couch, a bed, the floor, a chair, the counter, or the car.

Best name in coaching?

For the last two weeks I've been thinking that the best name in coaching is clearly Bud Foster, the D-Coordinator for Virginia Tech. I mean, this guy named after two beers! A+

Picks and Stuff!

Alright, so the picks aren't going so great. I'm saving up my wins for bowl season, anyway. Erik doesn't know this yet, but each bowl game counts double, and the BCS games count triple.

A lot has happened in the 2 and a half weeks since we had our daughter. Off the top of my head:

- She was born minutes after Dice K gave up a 2 run gomer to Lofton. I mean, the timing couldn't have been more perfect... I was fed up with the game anyway.
- 2 weeks later they won their second World Series of my lifetime, in convincing form. Ironically, it was the first of my daughters lifetime. Weird to think of it that way.
- The Pats rolled over both the Dolphins and the Redskins. Both games were interesting to the media, only because they've now decided that the Pats are winning games by too many points, now. I don't know, you figure it out. Apparently, millionaire football players supposedly have hurt feelings because they suck at their job.
Are the Pats running up the score? Hell yea, they are running up the score. And I love it. More, more, more, I say.
Note to the national media frauds: You haven't seen running it up yet. Tune in on December 14th when Belichick is calling for onsides kicks with a 60 point lead. You guys will love that.
- BC won a miraculous road game last Thursday. This weekend is the prototypical BC letdown game vs. a team they should beat. I sense something different, though. In years past, you'd chalk this up as a loss against an inferior opponent because so much was at stake. This year? They have better coaching, and way too much senior leadership.
- Joe Torre didn't waste any time. It will take about 3 months before we can definitively say one way or the other whether Joe Torre actually makes a difference to wins and losses. Was it the great mastermind, Joe Torre, all these years, or was it the 200 million dollar sqaud all these years? I've always found Torre to be a good guy, despite his Yankee ties, but I've also always thought he is a horribly overrated manager when it comes to managing a bullpen. Torre loves wearing guys out by July - that's partly due to bad bullpen depth, and partly due to Torre not seeing the bigger picture that the season is 6 months long and you'll need these arms fresh in September (see: Francona, Tito).
- Oh yea, and of course, the debut of KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce tonight. Good god. Even Steven A. Smith is on board, proclaiming the Celts will win the East. I haven't heard one of those "YOU CAN'T TRADE BIG AL JEFFERSON NO MATTER WHAT" in months. Where did all those people go? Does anyone remember that we had Al Jefferson?
Week 10 picks:
UConn -2 vs. Rutgers - UConn continues to win big games, and this will be their second straight game in front of their home crowd with the Big East on the line. I find 2 points to be pretty favorable against a team that lost at home to Maryland

Maryland +3 at UNC - Wow, that's insulting. Fridge should be on the chopping block just for being a 3 point dog to the Tar Heels. Yikes.

Nebraska +20.5 at Kansas - I'm not buying a 3 TD win here.

Arkansas -5.5 vs. South Carolina - "They" tell me to take home unranked favorites vs. ranked teams. "They" have been right on this theory but then they have been wrong. Unfortunately, "they" leave me to fend for myself on every other game.

Florida -15 vs. Vanderbilt - I don't know. I used to think Florida was really good.

College Football Week 10 - Erik's Picks

What does it matter what I pick anymore? Flip a coin. OK, I'll stick to my guns and bet games I think will happen, even though I really should go the opposite way of everything I think. Here we go:


Wake Forest -1 over @Virginia - Riley Skinner vs Howie Long's kid

Nebraska +18.5 over @Kansas - If this were the 1990s, it'd be Nebraska -39

Troy +16.5 over @ Georgia - Troy can score and they played some BCS teams toe to toe. Georgia letdown after UF game.

Alabama +7 over @LSU - Nick Saban voodoo dolls in the Bayou won't be enough

Ball State +6.5 over @Indiana - Big crowd travelling from Muncie to Bloomington. Letterman's team holds strong.


Author's note: I did everyone a favor and didn't jinx y'all with UMD over UNC pick. Thank me Sunday.

Oh, by the way

By the way, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series 4 nights ago. This blog rocks!!! Fresh content everywhere.

Anyway... Yay!

Week 9 Results: Scott 20%, Erik 40%

Illinois 28 Ball State 17 - Did Not Cover
Minnesota 10 michigan 34 - Did Not Cover
Texas A&M 11 Kansas 19 - Did Not Cover
Florida 30 Georgia 42 - Did Not Cover
Ole Miss 3 Auburn 17 - COVER
Scott for Season: 19-26, Lock of the Week 4-4

South Florida 15 UConn 22 - Did Not Cover
West Virginia 31 Rutgers 3 - COVER
Kentucky 14 Miss State 31 - Did Not Cover
Kansas 19 Texas A&M 11 - COVER
Washington 41 Arizona 48 - Did Not Cover
Erik for Season: 19-26

My Quest for .500

In my quest to finish the season over .500, I'm looking to go 4-1 this week at the very least.

Illinois -14 vs. Ball State: Finally a breather for the Fighting Illini. They've been playing with a lot of heart this season, and I like them to win big here.

Minnesota +23.5 at Michigan: I'm not convinced yet. Let's take the points here.

Texas A&M +3 vs Kansas: Love the home dog here, and College Station should be loud and crazy

Florida -8 vs. Georgia: I'm still not convinced that Florida isn't the best team in the country. THIS IS MY LLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK OF THE WEEK

Mississippi +18 at Auburn: Again, I'll take the points - people are pretty high on Auburn but this has the feel of an "oh shit" game.

College Football Week 9 - Erik's Picks

South Florida -4.5 over @UConn - Assuming UConn doesn't return a fair catch for a TD.

West Virginia -6 over @Rutgers - I want the Church Lady (Dana Carvey) to yell, "Slat-on!!"

@Kentucky -14 over Mississippi State - Last time I checked, Miss St was awful and Kentucky was awesome. Fill me in if things have changed.

Kansas -3 over @Texas A&M - I can get behind a guy like Mark Mangino knowing the spread and covering.

@Washington -4 over Arizona - This is the week the Huskies get their 1st conference win. They're sched has been brutal but Jake Lockler is good.

Results & Standings after Week 8

Don't want to type it up, but I have

Scott Week 7: L L L W W
Scott Week 7 Lock of the Week: W
Scott Week 8: L W W W L
Scott for Season: 18-22, Lock of the Week 4-3

Erik Week 7: L L W W L
Erik Week 8: W W W L L
Erik for Season: 17-23

BC/VT rant

The First 56 Minutes
I was appauled at the refusal to try to run the ball by BC. Considering the weather conditions especially, its a no brainer. Callender and Whitworth are great backs, and 4-Year starters. The rare instances they did run, they were very successful. But then they'd immediately call 2 or 3 straight passing plays and have to punt. Even if you planned to rely on Matt Ryan, every possession proved that the passing game was not working and the running game had a chance. Frustrating as hell and my opinion of the coaching staff dropped after this game because of that. This theme overshadowed everything else that happened in the game.
Eddie Royal's non-TD. What is the point of instant replay if they get it wrong after looking at the replay. And the personal foul taunting penalty on Scafe? Suspect job by the officiating crew most of the night.


The Last 4 Minutes
Matt Ryan was great in the last two drives. So were the receivers. Robinson and Challenger were huge -- getting open, making big catches, and taking big hits and holding on to the ball in tough conditions. Gunnell made a great TD catch. Callender, on his winning TD, and Challenger on his sideline catch, both did a wonderful job and continuiing to move and breaking off routes as Ryan scambled to buy time. What an exciting ending and what a relief. BC was the underdog and won on a Thu night in Lane Stadium vs the #8 team. That is an accomplishment. Don't tell my doctor about the tequila shot we did. Shhhh!

MVP: Ryan's heroics are fun, but in order
1. BC Punter Johnny Ayers - AMAZING night. Best performer on the field bar none.
2. Jo-Lonn Dunbar. 12 tackles. The stud of the defense came through all night.
3. Matty Ice.

Additional Thought
The onside kick worked. Football is a funny game. To have a great season you need a few balls bounce your way. BC was in some regards lucky to win and at the same time they earned the win by making big plays at the end.

Sharpe

How come Sterling Sharpe fell off the face of the earth? He was on TV after his retirement, when Shannon still played. Then Shannon went to TV and Sterling was no where to be found. And his name is never mentioned when talking about good receivers. Why is that? Did he kill someone?

Actual Joe Morgan quote

from the beginning of the game 7 radio broadcast last night that i heard on my way home from hoops:

"there have only been five seven games in the ALCS of history"

what????

Week 8 picks!

Colorado +4 vs. Kansas. Remember when Colorado used to be a national power?
Alabama pick em vs. Tennessee. Remember when both these schools used to be top 10.
USC -17.5 @ Notre Dame. Remember when Notre Dame used to be....ah, nevermind!
Michigan State +18.5 vs. The Ohio State. I don't know... tOSU, a little overrated as the #1 team in the nation. 18.5 seems like a lot against one big ten team that can actually move the ball.
Illinois +1.5 vs. Michigan. Michigan couldn't stop a wide open attack with a fast quarterback several times this season. I expect that Juice gives them trouble again

College Football Week 8 - Erik's Picks

Kansas (-4) over @COLORADO
@INDIANA (+7 ½ ) over Penn State
Michigan State +17 over @OHIO STATE
@LSU (-10 ½ ) over Auburn
@SOUTH CAROLINA (-13) over Vanderbilt

Gagne vs Drew

Who ya got? Seriously, what would happen if Eric Gagne were pitching to JD Drew? Would there just be 100 pitches, with lots of foul balls, and no out made, no hit or walk made? Would JD Drew strike out on a wild pitch but make it to first so the out doesn't get recorded?

Reaction to ranking

(Warning: unorganized thoughts, bad writing, and taking you all over the place)

I guess maybe its time to check in again with some boring talk to cleanse my mind and nerves.
BC: #2 Coaches, #3 AP, #3 BCS, #2 CBS Sportsline. So South Florida did leapfrog, and that's ok. We held off OU. But the rankings on Oct 14 don't mean anything, but keep winning and things can handle themselves. BC has no chance at the Title Game as a 1-loss team. So win out and there's a shot. Lose once -- then it doesn't matter how many losses if you win the division because the division winner plays in the ACCG, and the ACC Champ plays in the Orange Bowl regardless of record.
So that's the mental approach. Everything is beyond the Eagles' control except the Ws. Just win as many games as you can.
I'd love to see BC finagle some top recruits, but that just never happens. They're ranked #2/#3, but their recruiting class will be ranked #40. And then those recruits will become a Top 20 team. Its like a broken record.
Teams like Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Miami , NC State will suck and pull in Top 15 recruiting classes. And besides Miami, those kids will probably never win a bowl game.

Anyway, back to the games: #1 Ohio State has plenty of tough games left (by big Ten standards) and they really haven't played a juggernaut yet. South Florida has an easier road. I think they play Rutgers, Cinci and Lousville still. Mike Tranghese will probably fix the games to prevent BC from moving up. I still think LSU, Oklahoma, or any of the Big 12 & SEC Championship Game winners will have too much media hype and will pass any Big East or ACC Champion for the Title Game appearance.

Checking in early

Checking in a few hours before the BCS standings come out. LSU loss! Cal loss!!! Kookie stuff. BC has a legit shot of being #2 in the AP & Coaches poll. I don't think South Florida jumps BC. Oklahoma could, after beating Mizzou. No one else was that impressive. So then we get to see how the computers treat everyone. I'm sure BC's strength of schedule took a big hit by playing Notre Dame. That's right, ND. You're biggest contribution to college football is now hurting your opponents' S.O.S. Thanks for being sweet.

Maryland Midnight Madness running diary

Good look at jerseys - Booth, Cliff Tucker, and Adrian Bowie



Good look at the back of the jerseys



Shane Walker, Braxton Dupree, and Dino Gregory along the back

Terps in new unis this year. Close to the style that Ohio St wore last year. Tighter tops, baggier shorts. No more yellow and black pattern on the neck....though now its running down the middle of the back..and there are swatches on the back. Honestly, the jerseys dont look so hot. The shorts look solid. Our uniforms were fine the way they were, but I think this change came from Nike. What are you gonna do. Red versions look pretty strong. HOWEVAH...rumor on the street is that there is gold alternate version in the vault. If that comes out...all bets are off.

10pm: Johnny Holiday doing intros. Freshman first, starting w/ Adrian Bowie, wearing #22. Braxton Dupree next. #4. Looking very thick (pause)....maybe a little overweight. Huge arms though. Dino Gregory next..#33....looking pretty well done. Big lips. Nice funky dunks. preferred walk-on David Pearman is next...#23. He is extreeeemely rare. we are 3 for 3 on funky dunks so far. Cliff Tucker next...#24. Looks pretty athletic. Shane Walker coming down now (all guys coming down through the stands)...wearing #2. I hope he doesnt hurt himself trying to dribble. It just took 4 minutes for him to get down the stairs. I still haven't heard him talk, but I am praying he has a British accent (he's from England.) Dunk complete. Jerome Burney coming down now. Freshman last year but he redshirted after injuring his leg. There are what sounds like 3-10 NP girls screaming maniacally for him. He almost missed the dunk. He's 6'10"...lets just forget this happened.

10:02: Big cheer for Eric Hayes. He just went up and flushed w/ two hands. You have to like that from your 6'3" white PG.

10:03: Milbourne coming down. He looks jacked.

10:04: General Greivis coming down. I think he's singing. And he's doing the biggest SP thus far tonight.

10:05: Dave Neal comin...ah forget it.

10:06: Boom getting a huge reponse. The Fro is out of control. OOC. He just did the Arsenio Hall "woop woop" fist pump....and promptly botched a cradle dunk. Still love Boom.

10:07: Gist coming out last. Huge ovation.

10:08: some staff guy named Kenny Beaver just walked out to utter silence. Tough when Beaver can't even get an ovation from 22,000 college kids.

10:09: Gary chant

10:10. shot of Gary driving a Lamborghini around campus, wearing his ring. bah!!! shot of white kids dressed as duke and UNC nerds..what is this...

10:11: Bah!! Boom just jumped out and scared them, and did what can only be described as one of the top 10 happy go lucky NPs of all time.

10:12: Gary drives out on the court in a yellow Lamborghini...to some hip hop song. Gets out and give it the fist pump (love the fist pump).

10:15. Gary giving speech about MD b-ball history. Talks about Lefty inventing Midnight Madness. Just gave props to the cheerleaders and gymkana (...?)

10:17: stat just flashed: with wins over Davidson, High Point, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest, and North Carolina, the Terps swept the state of North Carolina (suck it) for the first time since 1932.

Lineups:
RED
James Gist
Eric Hayes
Adrian Bowie
Braxton Dupree
Dino Gregory
Jerome Burney


WHITE
General Greivis
Boom Osby
Landon Milbourne
Shane Walker
Cliff Tucker
Dave Neal


10:19: Hayes immediately w/ a sweet feed to Dupree, followed by a 3 by Gist, followed by a dunk for Dupree. Dupree looks like a load inside.

10:21: Dunk by Greivis, but red is dominating right now. Bowie is very active (as in high school) and Dupree is running the floor well so far.

10:22: Cliff Tucker looking very active as well. Couple boards...floater in traffic....put back. He looks like a solid 3 right now.

10:24: Red is killing white right now. I think Bowie might have 8 points already. He is out in front on every break.

10:25: Burney has a few buckets, but I can't really tell what his theme is. He has a shaved head. Seems to be moving around alright. I dont think he has much of an offensive game though. Hopefully he can give us a live body inside on D and the boards. He has an athletic build.

10:27: why are the walkons in already?

10:28: Milbourne looks very atheltic. Couple of real nice dunks and moves in traffic. Couple good boards. I haven't even noticed Dino Gregory yet. Not sure what his deal is.

10:29: Shane Walker looks more promising than when I saw him in high school (when he was average at best). Right now he looks like an athletic 6'10" dude who can run and jump. I guess him and Burney are pretty much clones.

10:30: Burney just took a 3. If anyone was watching, I hope you enjoyed it, because I dobut we'll see that again over the next 4 years.

10:31: And thats it....best play was probably a sweet alley oop from Hayes to Gist. After seeing them in full force, the jersey's aren't that bad. The whole back thing is kinda weird, but my guess we are used to it by January 1.

10:33: Well, that was fairly worthless. But I dont blame them. No one got hurt, and we saw them run around. I dont know what the deal w/ Gregory was, but I'm not sure if he played. Looks to me like the battle for the starting 3 spot will be between Milbourne and Tucker, with Milbourne having a big edge. He looks jacked and athletic, and he has a year under his belt. I would not be totally suprised to see us go w/ a three guard lineup of the General, Hayes, and Bowie at times. Esp against a team like Duke that generally used a guy like Demarcus Nelson (6'3") at the 3. Bowie is tailor made to cover Nelson.

Looking at the schedule, my completely biased prediction is: 8-1 by the time we hit BC on 12/9. The way the CBE Tourney bracket its, assuming we get past the 2 scrub teams we play at Comcast, we'd play UCLA...most likely the preseason #1 in the nation. IN addition, we play VCU in the BB&T Classic. There are then 7 more cupcakes games before the ACC slate. So the overall, the five hardest OOC games are UCLA (probably) in St.Louis, VCU (Eric Maynor) at Verizon Center, Illinois at Comcast in the ACC / Big 10 "Challenge", Charlotte in Charlotte, and Holy Cross at Comcast. That is 4 losable games outside of UCLA, which leaves us somehwere between 11-5 and 15-1. Lets call it 14-2. I dont see us losing to Illinois or Holy Cross at home. We dont lose home nonconference games. Charlotte is way down. BC and VCU feels like a split.

Now, without going into detail, just eyeballing the teams in the ACC, the way the games on are schedule are set up, etc.....I'm going to go with 11-5. Split with Duke, loss to UNC, loss to NC State...2 random losses. 25-7 seems pretty crazy for a team that lost 3 starters and 4 seniors and huge chunk of the scoring and rebounding...but thats the way college is these days. Freshman and sophomores carry top teams all the time now. Anyway, I would put the absolute floor at 21-10. But something tells me General Greivis would never let that happen:

"When you are a freshman, you never forget. This jersey means so much to me. Losing that game was like losing a family member."
-The General, on last season's tourney loss to Butler.

"I love when the crowd is on me. They were trying to make me mad. They were talking about the president of Venezuela. I love it. It was so nice. I've got three more years, and it's going to be fun. They might be worried about me now."
-The General, after putting 13, 12 and 9 on Duke at Cameron.
_

Vince Young

No person in the world is a better NFL Quarterback and worse Fantasy quarterback than Vince Young. He's the king of that role.

Bowl Eligible

Boston College
Cincinatti
The Ohio State
Arizona State
LSU
Hawaii

College Football Week 7 - Erik's Picks

Clearly I know nothing. So how 'bout these Bad Larries?

@Wyoming -3.5 over New Mexico
Wiconsin +7 over @Penn State
Missouri +12.5 over @Oklahoma
Virginia Tech -14.5 over @Duke
@Virginia -3 over UConn

Some Thoughts...

One day you are going to wake up and instead of worrying about where your next beer is going to be, you are going to worry about where your future son or daughter is going to go to day care. True story! It will happen. One day, you and your wife who has been pregnant for 37 weeks and will do anything to have the baby sooner rather than later, will go to a day care. And at that day care, you may find that the woman who is running the show is using the following words on the telephone: Shit. Crap. I'LL CALL YOU BACK. (The capital letters signify that she was raising her voice). Then you will look at your wife and you will both acknowledge the fact that this is probably not the place you want your baby to go.

Then you will tell your friends this story and they will look at you like you have 4 heads because they have no idea what the hell you are talking about. But, the story is important. Because whether it's a year from now, 5 years from now or 10 years from now, you're going to be sitting there watching NLCS game 1, and then you are going to get off the couch and start mapquesting your way to a Day Care, because you aren't exactly positive where it's located.

The ironic thing is this. It didn't hit me that my life is about to drastically change when my wife showed me the pregnancy test thing and it had a + sign. It didn't hit me when we were in Las Vegas, and she couldn't have a glass of wine at dinner to celebrate our first anniversary. It didn't hit me when we got our first baby presents, and it didn't hit me when I came home from work to find the dining room table covered with baby toys and clothes.

But it hit me the moment I stepped into a day care center. That's the moment when you realize there might be something more important than whether or not the Sox win the Series or the Pats go 19-0 (they will).

BAH!!!! Ok, I feel like we need a picture of a naked woman on this site ASAP!

Let's get to some sports thoughts:
- Does anyone else find it insulting when national media try to take the other side of the Patriots vs. Opponent Du Jour and try to rationalize how the Pats might lose? Here's the deal, fellas. We go through this every week, but I'll remind you one last time. You won't win. You will lose, and lose badly, and the writer who wasted his time with his 2000 word article about how Tony Romo might become a STAR on Sunday will be long forgotten. But keep trying, I guess, if it gives you something to give to your editors...

- The Sox. Could there be a longer lay off? This is going to be a tough series... I don't feel overly confident at all. I wish I had more thoughts on this series. I guess if I were to point at one thing, actually two key ingredients, it's the bullpen and it's the success of Dice-K. These games are going to be close. It's going to be in the hands of Okajima, Delcarmen, Timlin and Papelbon. Unfortunately, on the other side, Perez and Betancourt are as tough as it gets. The downfall for the Tribe however is their closer, Joe Borowski. I predict he blows at least one game in this series, and that could be the deciding factor.

- As far as Dice is concerned, he NEEDS to step up in game 3. Right now, he's in line to get the ball if there is a game 7. Do we feel good about this?

- Are there a bigger bunch of fraud fans then those that support the Diamondbacks? If you didn't watch, last night, Justin Upton wiped out Kaz Matsui at second base breaking up a double play. Only, it was clearly illegal. Upton slid into second then barrelled into Matsui's legs out of the basepaths. The ump made the correct call and awarded a double play. Next thing you know, bottles are flying onto the field. What is this, Philadelphia? Aren't you guys supposed to just be happy you got this far?

Week 5 picks, 13-17, 3-3 lock of the week:

Purdue +5.5 @ Michigan
Wisconsin +6.5 @ Penn State
Iowa State +16.5 vs. Texas
Kentucky +10 vs. LSU
South Florida -11 vs. Central Florida (LOCK OF THE WEEK)

Couple other random thoughts for the upcoming weekend:

- Mark Sanchez gets the ball for USC. Look for a QB controversy after he wins by 30
- Louisville was a pre-season favorite to win the Big Least. They are now 9.5 point underdogs to Cincinatti. My friend Andrew points out that 5 to 7 years from now we will learn that Louisville was part of the biggest point shaving scandal in NCAA history. I don't think I disagree with him...
- The Colt Brennan Show is on tonight. Unfortunately its right up against Game 1. Maybe we can convince Chris Mann to give Erik the clicker so we can watch some college football during commercials.
- Speaking of Chris Mann, stay tuned for the Diary of Bachelor Party 6, coming soon to a blog near you (this blog).

Week 6 Results

Today's agenda:
- Week 6 results, overdue.
- Random Thoughts
- Week 7 picks

Week 6 results:
Scott
11-14 on the season, 3-2 lock of the week:

Illinois -2 vs. Wisconsin WIN
Kansas State -3.5 vs. Kansas LOSS
Georgia -1 at Tennessee LOSS
Maryland +4 vs. Georgia Tech WIN
Purdue +7.5 vs. Ohio State (LOCK OF THE WEEK) LOSS

Bowling Green +20 over @Boston college LOSS
Miami -7 over @ North Carolina LOSS
Wisconsin +2.5 over @Illinois LOSS
Wake Forest -7.5 over @Duke LOSS
@Kansas State -3 over Kansas LOSS

So where does that leave us? 2-3, isn't what I'm looking for, so I move to a very shaky 13-17 on the season.

Erik entered the weekend at 12-13, and he has dropped to 12-18.

Great article on BC

Click to link:

Great Article

I want to touch it

Mike Mota?

What's the deal with Jose Mota? Seriously, though, what IS the deal? What is he doing for anyone? He sounds so uncomfortable talking to the camera. And his sentences are so choppy. He looks and sounds like Mike Carey:



"Terry Francona thought... about putting Big... Papi in at first base, but decided that he should decide not to. That was the Manager of the Red Sox' decision. To leave the other player in."



"Offsides... number 25............. (thinking).... DEFENSE (huge violent point). 5 yards, repeat....... 2nd down."

Disclaimer 1: I love Mike Carey, I don't know what to think of Jose Mota.
Disclaimer 2: Those quotes are obviously made up.

Just in case the Browns thought it was a good idea to show up Sunday

Friday = Thoughts and Picks!!

It's Friday!! Wow, never thought I'd get to this point this week. But we've made it.
















Some thoughts before I get to my picks of the week:

- I have a degree in Sports Management. I need to apply to the NHL and fix this mess. Honestly, I had NO IDEA that the season started this week. I thought they were still playing exhibition games. Who knew? No one talks about it, no one knows about it, and no one except your die hards would know who Sidney Crosby is, even if he was sitting on your couch. It's a rhetorical question, but what is Gary Bettman doing over there? It's a joke. First of all, there are too many teams, too many replaceable Euros, and little to zero successful marketing of the sport. It was less than 5 years ago that I never missed a Bruins game. Now, I could care less. What was different 5 years ago? What was hockey like in the mid-90s? That's what hockey needs to be now - because everyone in the northeast watched hockey in the mid-90s. 10 years later, they've run the sport into the ground, and at this rate, within 5 years we'll all be able to name more Major League Lax players than NHL players. Sad, but true. Unless of course, the NHL reads this blog and contacts me. I've got a million and one ideas to save the sport (and yes, fighting and goons are prominently involved - much like they were when hockey was awesome).

- The Yanks got blown out last night. I love that, obviously. But at the same time, wouldn't you basically bet the farm on Andy Petitte tonight? Questions leading into game 2: Will A-Rod fold like a cheap tent? And if so, can we shut up once and for all about him coming to Boston. Will Cleveland's young guys continue game 1's dominance throughout the rest of the post season? And finally, who in the hell were these pitchers the Yankees trotted out there after the Wanger last night? I still don't remember that first reliever's name. He made their 25 man squad??

- Dice K tonight. This is what spending 100 million plus is all about. Honestly, though, I'd be content with 6 innings and 3 runs. I'm not looking for a repeat of Beckett here.

- Speaking of Beckett, is this guy incredible, or what? What a horse. He finished a game in 2.5 hours, nevermind the fact that each break between innings took 10 minutes.

- Speaking of commericals. What's your favorite Frank TV commercial? What's your favorite Sonic commercial (I'd go with the bacon cheddar steak extra long sub roll where they interview each other in the car). I've never been or seen a Sonic, yet their commercials dominate the airwaves up here. And I love their marketing strategy. "We're Sonic. Come here and die of heart failure. Go to Subway if you want to be healthy."

- Okay, I've stalled long enough. Picks time.

11-14 on the season, 3-2 lock of the week:

Illinois -2 vs. Wisconsin
Kansas State -3.5 vs. Kansas
Georgia -1 at Tennessee
Maryland +4 vs. Georgia Tech
Purdue +7.5 vs. Ohio State (LOCK OF THE WEEK)

College Football Week 6 - Erik's Picks

I like some road teams this week.

Bowling Green is better than Army and UMass.
Butch Davis won't beat his old 'U'
Arrelious Benn is great, but the #5 team in the nation is getting 2.5.
Duke is still Duke. Wake is coming off a bye and is a team known for their pride and effort.
Mark Mangino eats a lot of cupcakes. And that is what the Kansas schedule has been full of. K-State has beaten Texas and is at home.


Bowling Green +20 over @Boston college
Miami -7 over @ North Carolina
Wisconsin +2.5 over @Illinois
Wake Forest -7.5 over @Duke
@Kansas State -3 over Kansas

More like "Skip this program"

Remember that time someone somewhere turned to one of the ESPN networks and said, "Cool! Skip Bayless is talking!!"



I don't either.

Week 5 Results: Scott 60%, Erik 20%

Rough week for Erik. All the favorites losing outright. A favorite can't cover when they lose outright. But I won't take it personally. The entire college football landscape was shaken up with zany upsets, so 1-4 sounds right on a week like this.


Scott 11-14, Lock of the Week 3-2
Southern Miss 16 Boise State 38 Did Not Cover
Florida state 24 Alabama 14 COVER
Iowa State 17 Nebraska 35 COVER
Idaho 20 Hawaii 48 Did Not Cover
Maryland 34 Rutgers 24 COVER

Erik 12-13
West virginia 13 South Florida 21 Did Not Cover
Army 37 Temple 21 COVER
Penn State 20 Illinois 27 Did Not Cover
Clemson 3 Georgia Tech 13 Did Not Cover
Alabama 14 Florida State 21 Did Not Cover

6 auwn!!ldak1!;?}hsK~ 6

Okay, this is now just silly. #6 in the coaches poll. SIX. #7 in the AP poll. I like BC as much as the next guy, but the truth is they looked terrible against UMass and looked uninspiring against Army in the past two weeks. And the three games before that they beat ACC team, which have been nothing flashy. So this ranking is definitely wrong. Teams ranked lower are clearly better than BC (Gators, for one).

But its exciting. I love it. Get on the phone and recruit your ass off, Coaching Staff of BC. Send those text messages. Mail those blue chippers photocopies of the polls. Get commitments!

And as crazy as this ranking is, its hard to go lower without losing. The Eagles are not ruled out of the BCS Title Game. People will lose. USC & Cal. When they play, someone will lose. BC could jump (#5 by default). Ohio State & Wisconsin. When they play, someone will lose. BC could jump (#4 by default). This is getting nutty right?

BC first and foremost has to take care of themselves and win games. It'd be nice if they looked impressive in the process, but wins are the big thing. Playing:
Bowling Green (3-1)
Notre Dame (0-5)
Virginia Tech (4-1)
Florida State (3-1)
Maryland (3-2)
Clemson (4-1)
Miami (4-1)

No game on that slate is un-winnable. And those records you see are not good indicators of how everyone has played. Take care of business, and 2007 could take BC to far and exotic places.

Division Champs (for once!)

So the Red Sox finally won a division. That took long enough. Yikes. Dumb Yanks had won 9 straight divisions. The O's before that. Then the Yankees again, the the Sox in 1995. We were in high school.

It was impressive to see them go wire to wire. Who does Boston play, California?

Anyway, here are some cool photos. We'll get in to the "haven't done anything yet, Belichick wouldn't have this" theme later. Who has the funnier Please? Dice-K or Papi?