By the way, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series 4 nights ago. This blog rocks!!! Fresh content everywhere.
Anyway... Yay!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
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
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
Friday, October 26, 2007
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
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?
Sunday, October 21, 2007
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????
"there have only been five seven games in the ALCS of history"
what????
Friday, October 19, 2007
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
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
@INDIANA (+7 ½ ) over Penn State
Michigan State +17 over @OHIO STATE
@LSU (-10 ½ ) over Auburn
@SOUTH CAROLINA (-13) over Vanderbilt
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
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.
Friday, October 12, 2007
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.
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
@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).
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.
- 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.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
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.
"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.
Friday, October 5, 2007
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)
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)
Thursday, October 4, 2007
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
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.
I don't either.
Monday, October 1, 2007
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
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
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