Necessary Roughness

Jersey Girl Of The Day

2010-09-17T10:57:00.002-04:00

Texas Tech Girls will be ready for the Longhorns this weekend!

Funny Friday

2010-09-17T10:53:00.000-04:00

The Mets are hiring!

If I were a betting man...

2010-09-17T10:47:00.003-04:00

Texas is -3 @ Texas Tech in a night game and Coach Tuberville’s first B12 home game. This will also be Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert's first big road start and it’s at night! Although I do believe Texas is the better team and has the edge on defense, look for Texas Tech to not just cover, but win this night game at home!

Take Tech and the experience at QB of Taylor Potts at home!

Remember the last time these two faced off in Lubbock?

Texas is -3 @ Texas Tech in a night game and Tuberville’s first B12 home game. This will also be Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert first big road start and it’s at night. Although I do believe Texas is the better team and has the edge on defense, look for Texas Tech to not just cover, but win this night game at home!

Take Tech and the experience at QB of Taylor Potts at home!

Remember the last time these two faced off in Lubbock?

Leave The Bills Alone

2010-09-17T10:33:00.000-04:00

“ In my case, I do push the limits, so I can't scream too loudly. But you wonder how many people go to games because of characters like me. I think I add to the experience. ”

-- Buffalo Bills fan Ken Johnson on being told by NFL to move his tailgate
The NFL does not like Ken Johnson of Buffalo, NY!

This team has not made the playoffs since 1999 and has had a very tough decade of heartbreaking football. Tailgating is the main attraction since the on field product is sub par - to say the least.

Looks like the No Fun League is now going after the most famous Bills tailgater. Here is what they have an issue with:

Welcome to 2010

2010-09-17T10:26:00.000-04:00

Michigan joins the new milleniuim with their uptempo Rich Rod offense and now decides its not 1927 anymore and will add lights to their stadium. Welcome Wolverines, nice to have you join the new century.

The Big House is getting lights on a permanent basis.

Michigan's Board of Regents on Thursday approved a $1.8 million proposal to add permanent lights to Michigan Stadium. The lights will be used for Michigan's hockey game against Michigan State on Dec. 11 as well as Michigan's first night football game against Notre Dame on Sept. 10, 2011.

Michigan also can use the lights for late-afternoon games rather than bringing in temporary lights that create traffic problems around the stadium.

"It's going to be better for our fans in the stadium and those watching the broadcast," athletic director Dave Brandon told the Associated Press. "It'll lead to less wear and tear on our newly renovated stadium and over time, it will be a financially good decision, too."

This is a no-brainer, folks. Night football is a huge hit in the college ranks, and Michigan has been lagging behind. Brandon knows it, and so does head coach Rich Rodriguez.

The Big Ten seems to be warming up to more and more night games, although the league remains reluctant to play in prime time after Nov. 1.

I wouldn't expect Michigan to play a ton of night football right away. Then again, Brandon is a progressive guy, and he sees what Michigan has been missing all these years.

This never gets old!

Say Hello To The Sanchize

2010-09-14T11:55:00.000-04:00

Week one:

10 for 21 (47.6%)

74 Yards

56.4 QB Rating

Why is Rex talking about getting better? I thought he already pro-claimed this team the Superbowl champs? Interesting how the tone changes after just one game.

It took just a few hours of football to have the New York media turn on this Jets team, after just one game, and actually begin to question what was thought to be the best defense since the 85 Bears. Being a New Yorker, and hating the Jets, makes today a very fun day!

Raspberry What?...Iced Tea!

2010-09-10T17:03:00.002-04:00

Best Shirt Ever?

Jersey Girl Of The Day

2010-09-10T16:53:00.003-04:00

Penn State has quite a task on its hands to travel down to Bama and pull off the upset. As a PSU fan, I am not sure they can do it, although I am more confident now than I was prior to see Rob Bolden last weekend.

Should PSU lose, at least they have some great sites to see down there:

If that doesn’t pump you up…this will!

"They don't call it the Amazing Race For Nothing"

2010-09-10T16:43:00.000-04:00

But I Can't Even See Straight!

Who Really Is The Best Tennis Player Ever?

2010-09-09T10:20:00.001-04:00

14-7 Overall Head to Head

6-2 Head to Head in Majors

Do those numbers look like someone who owns the other? I would say so.

Many say Roger Federer is the best player ever, which I would agree with for the most part, however Rafa Nadal has a case to be right there, and be able to surpass him with time.

Rafa is 5 years younger and should he win the US Open, he will be ahead of Rogers pace for Major Championships at this age.

Roger may be the most complete player ever, but his “Superman” has a very strong dose of Kryptonite in the air. Like no other dominant player of his time (Pete Sampras, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods pre Thanksgiving 2009) Roger Federer faces an opponent who really has his number like never before.

One other edge you can add to the list above is that Rafa beat Roger, on grass, at Wimbledon for his first (of two) Wimbledon championships. Roger won his only French Open vs. Robin Soderling, not Rafa Nadal. Rafa did lose to Soderling that year in the French, however Roger is yet to beat Rafa on his best surface, at a major.

Here is a complete breakdown of head to head stats as of today, September 9, 2010. As you can see, Nadal owns pretty much every H2H stat:

• All matches: Nadal 14–7

• All finals: Nadal 12–5

• Grand Slams: Nadal 6–2

• Grand Slam finals: Nadal 5–2

• Best of five sets: Nadal 8–3

• Masters Cup: Federer 2–0

• Masters Series: Nadal 7–3

• Masters Series finals: Nadal 6–3

• Clay courts: Nadal 10–2 (best of five: Nadal 6–0)

• Hard courts: 3–3

• Grass courts: Federer 2–1

This is not to say Rafa is better than Roger…yet, however it does show how great Rafa really is, since at the end of the day, we can all agree Roger is probably the best all around player, ever! With time though, and barring injury, Rafa can close the gap, and maybe pass Roger since in the end, it all comes down to Major Championship where Roger has a “Major” edge: 16-8.

If I were a betting man...

2010-09-09T09:30:00.001-04:00

I would take the Saints tonight -6 at home against old man Favre. Last year in the NFC championship game the Saints really put a beating on Brett, enough so that he considering retiring....um AGAIN!
The reigning Superbowl Champs have won 9 consecutive opening games the following year and look for the Saints, with a raucous home crowd behind them, to continue the streak and cover the 6 points.

Jersey Girl Of The Day

2010-09-03T12:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Labor Day weekend!

In the biggest game of the weekend, a "home" game for the Hokies, take Va Tech +1.5 for the Monday Night match-up vs. Boise State.

Enjoy the games!

US Open Fun

2010-09-03T09:51:00.005-04:00

Who says things don't get rowdy at a tennis match?

Boys Will Be Girls, Girls Will Be Boys

2010-09-02T16:29:00.004-04:00

Welcome To The Big Ten Nebraska...Now Stop Talking Smack

2010-09-02T15:29:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the Big Ten Nebraska, looks like you’re talking $#!T already and it’s a little pre-mature, don’t you think?

“Penn State as a crossover game? I’m not that thrilled. PSU is an aging football dynasty with nasty, vulgar fans. When Nebraska traveled to Happy Valley in 2002, “Jersey Shore” broke out in Beaver Stadium.”

Not sure what you mean by aging football dynasty because remind me when the last time The Cornhuskers won their conference or qualified for a BCS game, but it’s ok, we are excited to have a classic program join our conference and make The Big Ten the best conference in the nation.

Oh Nebraska fans, here is a reminder of what happened when your 8th ranked squad came into our house back in 2002. Say hello to Larry Johnson and a 40-7 blowout. We can’t wait to have you back!

Everyone Needs a Festival

2010-09-02T14:58:00.000-04:00

Could we have a new X Games event on our hands?

This weekend marks the first EVER Unicycle Festival....GET EXCITED! According to AOL News, "Attendees will witness skilled unicyclists in freestyle and trials demonstrations -- performing stunts through an obstacle course, much like a BMX rider or skateboarder might do on two or four wheels."

Look for this 3 day event this weekend in Brooklyn. Don't let hurricane Earl stop you!

Here is a trick for you to learn before you head over to Brooklyn this weekend.

With the first pick in my fantasy draft....

2010-09-02T11:40:00.002-04:00

With all this talk, kid better deliver! I made you my first overall pick in my fantasy draft! Don’t let me down now CJ.

I don’t want to be doing this during the season:

Same Ol' Andy Roddick

2010-09-02T10:46:00.000-04:00

At some point, and that point may be now, we have to give up on waiting for Andy Roddick to turn the page and win a second major. This is a kid who turned 28 the other day and still lets his emotions get the best of him on the court. In a time when we see 2 of the best ever in Nadal and Federer who have shown to be class acts on the court, Andy has been unable to learn from the best.

Last night, a couple ticky tack foot fault calls really got Andy all flustered and again he began to berate the referee. We have seen Roger Federer go off on a ref in the past (see below) however Roger does it in a classier way, and most of the time ends up winning (although this example below is a time when he lost). For Roger, getting riled up doesn’t get the best of him like it does in Roddicks case.

We have seen Andy Roddick play a classic five setter at Wimbledon against Roger Federer, and we have seen him lose in the first and second round at the US Open in the last few years. Roddick is still, at 28, trying to learn who he is and become a consistent tennis player.

MLB does its best WWE impression

2010-09-01T23:39:00.000-04:00

Fast forward to the :37 second mark and watch Nyjer Morgan lose his mind then get laid the F out!

Story Link

Say Hello To Our New Starting QB

2010-09-01T23:30:00.000-04:00

In an unprecedented move for Joe Paterno, he has elected to start the first true freshman quarterback in an opening game for the Nittany Lions. Not only is Joe telling us that this kid must be special, he also showed he still is ahead of the game by waiting to announce the decision just a few minutes before the announcement of the Big Ten divisions was released. By doing so, he redirected the spotlight away from his new young starting quarterback.

Knowing the schedule that is in store, Bolden must have really shown these coaches something great that allowed him to jumped three other quarterbacks in only a few months; he enrolled earlier this summer.

Expect to see all the quarterbacks get action this weekend, but at least we now know who has the edge and who the coaches see as the future....as of now!

Here is an extensive High School Highlight reel for Robert Bolden:

US Open Warm Ups....

2010-09-01T17:33:00.001-04:00

Rafa warms up for The Open with.........Bar Rafaeli.

Here's a better look at Bar:

If I were a betting man...

2010-09-01T17:11:00.000-04:00

We are going to start a new segment here on Necessary Roughness called...If I were a betting man...

With college football ready to kick off, we don't promote wagering here, however here is one line to really consider...If YOU are a betting man!

Auburn o/u 8.5 wins: You have to take the over here! This is a team with that ended 2009 extremely strong, almost beating Alabama, returns 15 starters (4 on the O-Line), will have Flordia transfer Cameron Newton at QB and has a very favorable SEC schedule (LSU, Arkansas and UGA all at home). Look for them to potentially beat out Alabama in the SEC West!

Jersey Girl Of The Day

2010-09-01T12:02:00.002-04:00

With the Matt Leinart rumors swirling, here is our Jersey Girl of the day! Matt's baby mama with a little carbon copy of him!

Who is the better athlete, the mom or the dad?

Is ESPN Jumping the Gun?

2010-09-01T11:59:00.001-04:00

ESPN likes to break stories but is not always right. Here is one example today:

The Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders and New York Giants have had discussions about trading for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart, league sources tell ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

However, Bills website writer has this to say:

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on his twitter account that the Bills were one of three teams that have discussed trading for Arizona QB Matt Leinart along with the Raiders and Giants. That report is erroneous.

Buffalobills.com has confirmed that the Bills have not had any discussions with the Cardinals in regards to Matt Leinart and aren’t anticipating any in the future. The report is simply not true.

I have no issues with ESPN trying to be first, but lets make sure to check the facts! Who is right?

2010 PSU Pump Up Video

2010-09-01T09:44:00.001-04:00

Penn State 2010 Season Preview

2010-08-31T17:41:00.001-04:00

Welcome to my third annual Penn State Football, game by game analysis. This will be an interesting year with one of the nation’s toughest road schedules, while featuring a young inexperienced quarterback, no matter who gets most of the snaps this year. Penn State will be the first school in the BCS era to face 3 teams that won a BCS game the previous year! On top of that, all three games will be on the road, and on top of that, they play Alabama who won the National Title in 2009. In addition, Joe Paterno enters the year just 6 wins shy of 400, and Evan Royster enters his senior season just 481 yards shy of the all time rushing mark at Penn State set by Curt Warner. With that said, let’s begin.

Game 1 vs. Youngstown State

The Penguins face a similar situation to Penn State this year breaking in a new quarterback while having a very tough road schedule. Coming off a 6-5 record in 2009, The Penguins hope to compete this year and get back to the D1AA playoffs (Bowl Subdivision). Week one at Penn State is not the ideal place to break in a new quarterback.

For Penn State this should be a glorified scrimmage, and in some ways may be easier than playing their own scout team. All signs point to Newsome getting the start here, but expect to see Robert Bolden and Matt McGloin get a lot of snaps. I really expect Robert Bolden to eventually take over the starting job based on what the scouts and inside sources are saying. He has definitely shown to be the most ready and talented of the three (Paul Jones has been Red Shirted).

Look for the staff to test out a few various formations and offensive lineman positions, but not too much as to keep some new additions to the playbook a secret for their big week 2 match up at Alabama.

Penn State wins this game easy.

Final Score: 41-10 Penn State goes to 1-0.

Game 2 @ Alabama

The toughest road schedule in the nation begins on September 11 @ Alabama. Alabama does lose a lot on defense from their National Title team, but we know that Nick Saban has done a great job recruiting so the holes should get filled. On offense they return their entire backfield and a quarterback who has never lost a game since middle school. I venture to guess this year they lose a game somewhere along this schedule (look for the Auburn game at the end of the year?!?!).

For Penn State, this game will be a rude awakening after their week one sleeper. Expect the Alabama defense to make the quarterback (whoever it may be at that point…Bolden hopefully) throw the ball to win the game. I do expect a couple big plays from Evan Royster, but for the most part, the running game will be diminished for Penn State.

The Nittany Lions will lose this game; however will they show that their defense is still strong even if they have lost a lot of key players since 2009. In the end the defense will be worn down by being on the field too much. I also expect this game to be very pivotal in the quarterback decision. Kevin Newsome will show that he is not ready to be a throwing quarterback while Robert Bolden shows that he can deliver the ball, along with being able to run when needed. I believe this game Bolden begins to separate himself from the other two as the future starter.

In what will be a better game than some may think; Alabama wins this game 20-10. Penn State moves to 1-1.

Game 3 vs. Kent State

After an emotional loss at Alabama, expect Penn State to come out a bit sluggish against an inferior Kent State team. Kent State is a talented team, and returns most of their starters. Barring injuries, which halted any potential this team had in 2009, Kent State should have a solid year and be near the top of the MAC conference.

This talent will show early in the game as The Golden Flashes take advantage of a sluggish Penn State squad. In the end, Penn State will wake up and just be too much for this Kent State team, which will gain some great experience in this road match up as they enter conference play.

Look for a big game for Evan Royster, following a tough match up against the Alabama front the previous week. Penn State will really show off their running game in this match up and the offensive line should start to gel here.

After an early scare, Penn State wins this one easy, 30-14 and moves to 2-1.

Game 4 vs. Temple

In its final warm up before Big Ten play, Penn State will face its second consecutive MAC opponent, this time it’s the Temple Owls, an in state “rival.”

Temple will be a tougher opponent than Kent State as they feature an outstanding running back in Bernard Pierce who will really test this in experienced Penn State Linebacker group. This is a team looking to get to that elusive 10 win season (9-4 in 2009) and this could be their year. Al Golden has done a great job instilling his inner Joe Paterno since arriving at Temple in 2006, and has shown improvement with his on field product every year.

This game will be more competitive than Penn State fans are used to seeing against Temple, who has become a common opponent the last few seasons. This is a team with experience and a team that should not be intimidated by the Beaver Stadium crowd, as they have been here before.

Penn State will be in for a battle throughout the day and will find that Robert Bolden can throw to win. Look for a big day in the air for Bolden and his receivers as Penn State comes back from a deficit to win this game in the fourth quarter 21-17. Penn State moves on to 3-1.

Game 5 @ Iowa

Since my freshman year at Penn State in 2000, I have seen just ONE Penn state victory over the Hawkeyes, and that came in 2007. Iowa has been a thorn in Joe’s side for many years now, and has helped ruin what could have been more successful seasons in 2002, 2008 and 2009. Luckily Iowa was off the schedule in 2005, that year Michigan played the spoiler!

Back to 2010 where Iowa returns most of its players from the team that won the 2010 Orange Bowl against ACC champions Georgia Tech. This is a team that does not win big or pretty but they win, mostly through their defense. They boast a solid offensive line, and maybe the best defensive line in the nation. They also have a quarterback who is prone to making mistakes, and last year was bailed out time and again by his defense.

I do expect Iowa to be very good this year. However, I do not think they can continue the way they played last year. Although they do return some weapons on offense, especially their senior wide out Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Ricky Stanzi will need to be much improved for this team to repeat what they did last year. Coming in with expectations is very different than being under the radar.

With that being said, Penn State will enter this night game as solid underdogs. This young team will have grown up fast through its first 4 games, with a road test in Alabama and a couple of gutsy wins against solid, but inferior opponents. I expect Penn State to go after the secondary of this Iowa defense, which although is solid, it is the weakest link of the defense. This should help open some of the run game up and allow for a well balance game out of the Penn State offense, which many don’t expect to see this year.

The Penn State defense is very strong, and its secondary is a strength, and will find a way to force Stanzi into a couple costly mistakes.

Look for a classic Penn State/Iowa match up and in the tradition of the underdog playing the spoiler, I am calling for the upset here.

Penn State wins this one 17-14, shocking the nation and putting itself in the mix for the Big Ten title. Penn State moves to 4-1 and gets near the top 10 in the rankings.

Game 6 vs. Illinois

Again, coming off an emotional game, Penn State shows they have a habit of starting out sluggish and look for an early scare from Illinois.

This is a team that has lost a lot of contributors from last year’s squad, which was not very good on either side of the ball. Familiar names like Juice Williams and Arrelious Benn are no long there and fresh faces will have a tough time this year, especially on the road. Ron Zook is coaching for his job this year so I do look for some inspired play, however this team will not be able to compete in the deep Big Ten this year.

Look for the early sluggishness to wear off, and Penn State will realize that they are in the thick of it for the Big Ten crown and eventually win this game going away, 27-10.

Note: Evan Royster passes Curt Warner in this game to become Penn State’s all time leading rusher.

Penn State moves to 5-1.

Game 7 @ Minnesota

Penn State enters this game with a chance to give their legendary coach his 400th win against a team that has lots of new faces on the sideline, and on the field.

The Golden Gophers face an uphill battle this year with a new offensive staff and nine new starters on defense. They do return their all time passing leader in Adam Weber, but will that be enough to do any damage in the Big Ten? I doubt it.

Penn State, coming off an easy home win and ready to get their coach his 400th win, will not be sluggish here. (Feels like just yesterday I was there to see Zach Mills lead Penn State to a come from behind victory at home against Ohio State in 2001 and give Joe Paterno his 324th win, passing Bear Bryant….how time flies). Penn State’s defense should be way too much for the inexperienced offense, and Penn State’s running attack is going to gash up the young Minnesota defense. Look for another easy win for Penn State getting Joe his 400th, unfortunately this one is on the road.

33-13 Penn State moves to 6-1.

Note: Joe Paterno will be carried off the field. Brace yourself for the ESPN “look back” at some of Joe’s most classic victories, his career etc…It may even be overload for a Penn State fanatic like myself….on second thought, that stuff never gets old!

Game 8 vs. Michigan (Night game, Halloween eve, ruled not an official White Out game…but we know better!)

For Michigan, this year is very important. This team will either take a step forward and show they are growing under Rich Rod, or they do not show much progress, meaning Rodriguez may be out at the end of the year. They have two early chances to prove where they stand with a home game against a strong UConn team, and then travel to South Bend to play Notre Dame. I say they split these two with a loss coming at Notre Dame.

Moving forward, Michigan should have a nice start to the season and enter this match up against Penn State at 5-2, with its other loss coming against Iowa. The Wolverines are a team with lots of talent, but also lots of youth making it hard for them to succeed on the road.

Like PSU, they have a 3 headed race at the QB position. Denard Robinson has shown lots of improvement in this offseason, while Tate Forcier has shown that he is not quite who we thought he was early last year. Also look out for freshman Devin Gardner who is bigger than the other two at 6’5 225lbs, and enrolled early so he could be a pivotal player in this quarterback race.

I do believe that Rich Rodriguez will make a bowl game this year and have a strong team; however a night game in Happy Valley will be too much for them.

The Penn State crowd and defense will cause multiple turnovers and Evan Royster will have a big game in his last “White Out”. Robert Bolden continues to get the majority of the snaps, however I do believe that Newsome, and even McGloin may still see some play time, even at this point in the season.

Penn State wins this one big 31-14 and moves to 7-1 and remains around the top 10 in the rankings.

Note: Remember the days when Penn State couldn’t beat Michigan? Not so much anymore! This will be 3 consecutive wins vs. The Wolverines!

Game 9 vs. Northwestern

Northwestern has become an extremely well coached team under Pat Fitzgerald and their spread offense has always given Penn State trouble. Dan Persa took over last year when Mike Kafka got hurt and gained some valuable experience and now returns to lead The Wildcats. He will also have his top wide out from last year in Drake Dunsmore.

Northwestern does lose some key pieces along the defensive front and one of its three Linebackers from last season which will cause some problems against strong running teams like Penn State.

The Nittany Lions will use Royster plenty in this game to take advantage of these loses which will allow them to control the clock. Look for Penn State to avoid its usual hangover following a big game and control this game early.

Penn State wins 27-13 and goes to 8-1 entering its match up against Ohio State, who will be undefeated - at this point.

Game 10 @ Ohio State

Ohio State enters this game with 2 key wins on the season, at home against Miami and on the road against Wisconsin. Penn State will be the first of another tough two game stretch where they will travel to Iowa after this game.

They Buckeyes will be looking to gain ground on the top ranked Crimson Tide and a win against Penn State would help this cause, giving them three key wins by November 13th. If they win this game, they may even jump Alabama who will be facing an inferior Mississippi State team at home on this date; we all know how the voters vote on a “What have you done for me lately” basis.

Terrell Pryor showed during the Rose Bowl that he can win at the collegiate level. This is his year to show that he can be the leader of a team that has very high expectations. All the pieces are in place. The offense returns 9 starters and the defense, which has shown to reload every year, returns 6.

Penn State will be ready for this game given its two tough road tests already. This team should be all grown up by this point in the season.

As with most of the Penn State/Ohio State match ups, this will be a defensive battle for most of the game. I expect the game to be close through the first half, but Ohio State, being at home and having the edge at quarterback (at this point) will win this game 24-13. Look for a key Penn State turnover in the fourth quarter.

Penn State drops out of the top 10 and moves to 8-2. Look for Ohio State to claim the top spot in the rankings upon winning this game.

Game 11 @ Indiana

This game will take place at Fed Ex field in Maryland, and is a home game for The Hoosiers, but this is a region Larry Johnson Sr. owns in recruiting.

Indiana has not been a very good football program in the Big Ten and things don’t look to be any different this year. On defense they only return 4 starters which will most likely allow too many points for the offense to recover from. The offense does return 8 starters and boasts some big wide outs that will give some opposing corner backs issues, but not enough to do any damage in the Big Ten.

Penn State wins this game easy with a well balance attack; 31-16.

Penn State moves 9-2 entering the last game of the season.

Game 12 vs. Michigan State

Entering this game, Penn State will be in alone in second place in the Big Ten with just one in conference loss, to Ohio State. Penn State will control its own destiny here for the at large bid for the Rose Bowl. (Ohio State will get the nod for the National Title game being undefeated).

Michigan State will return 7 starters on each side of the ball, so this is a team with lots of experience. 4th year Head Coach Mark Dantonio is excited about finally getting some of his own players into key positions on the team. Michigan State is always a competitive team in the Big Ten and is very capable of being the spoiler.

Many think this will be Joe Paterno’s last year as head coach, just based on his health and appearance at Big Ten Media Day. His contract does run through 2011, but all know Joe doesn’t care about contracts.

Expect this to be an emotional and close game. I would not be surprised if Penn State blows this game, as they have been known to lose one game a year to an inferior opponent and based on these projections, this has not happened yet. With that being said, I am going to give Penn State the win here in a game that goes the distance! Penn State wins its last game of the season 24-20 and moves to 10-2, earning a bid in the Rose Bowl against Pac Ten champions Stanford! (USC will be the unofficial Pac Ten Champions, but given the sanctions against them, Stanford, the two seed, will get the Rose Bowl nod.)

Penn State wins the 2011 Rose Bowl – 34-21…Joe Paterno gets carried off the field for the second time this season….is this the last time ever?!?!

Summary:

I am going against the grain here and being extremely positive, however I see a 2005 aspect to this team, being under the radar and with the quarterback being a question mark, but having potential. Like in 2005, the wide receivers are very talented, although in 2005, we didn’t know that going into the season, this year we do! On top of that, this team has solid veteran leadership in Evan Royster and Stefen Wisniewski, and depth at every position on defense. The Nittany Lions will be hungry to win for Joe Paterno who is obviously nearing the end.

The Rest of the BCS Games:

BCS National Title Game: Ohio State (Big Ten) vs. Nebraska (Big 12)

*Nebraska’s last game as a member of the Big 12 will be for the National Title against The Big Ten Champions Ohio State, a team they will be facing on a yearly basis starting in 2011. Nice story for ESPN to run with.

All State Sugar Bowl: Auburn (SEC) vs. Texas (At Large)

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: UConn (Big East) vs. TCU (At Large)

Discover (no longer the Fed Ex) Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech (ACC) vs. Alabama (At Large)

*The Alabama at large pick will cause some controversy as Florida will be SEC East Champs. (Auburn and Alabama are both in the SEC West). However, after the loss to Auburn in the SEC Championship game, Florida will have two loses, one of which is a regular season loss to Alabama on October 2. Alabama, in the tougher SEC West, along with the head to head win will get the bid over Florida.

I Told You So....

2010-05-27T18:02:00.002-04:00

Like I said, I called this one in March. This was me last night watching as Lee was announced the winner, although I was a little bit happier and a little less animated:

American Idol Finale - I told you so!

2010-05-26T13:51:00.002-04:00

It’s been almost 12 weeks since this performance but let me remind you that it was on this night that I said Lee DeWyze would be the one to beat. Let’s see if he pulls it out tonight but either way, this kid is gonna sell some records.

More evidence that Lee is good, although many want to knock season 9’s singers:

I Spy...THE STANLEY CUP

2010-04-15T15:31:00.000-04:00

In honor of the playoffs, (playoffs?!?!?!) here is an NHL post:

The NHL doesn’t have much going for it, however the one great thing is the championship trophy the NHL awards, AKA – The Stanley Cup, AKA Lord Stanley. Of the four major sports, this is the one trophy that is passed from team to team as they win, and each player on the winning roster gets their name engraved on the trophy. Usually, each member of the winning team gets to spend some “alone” time with the trophy and here are some pictures of where the Stanley Cup has been. Probably more places than any of us have traveled:

It has been on a boat, in a shower, at a party, on a cliff, on display in a pool, in a dressing room, in bed (multiple times), in a pool, on a beach, in a shopping cart, held a baby, licked, kissed and humped by many (including Hayden Panettiere – pictured below), in a hospital, in the white house and even as a measuring device for Mini Me (you must be this tall). Its currently in the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins – see Jersey Girl below.

Hayden:

And just for kicks, here is a Jersey Girl:

Jersey Girl Of The Day

2010-04-15T13:36:00.000-04:00

Big Ben Needs To Grow Up

2010-04-13T11:42:00.000-04:00

So about Big Ben, a topic I have avoided and not really read enough to know details about, however after some reading, I think NFL has every right to suspend him. I am a big fan of his as an NFL player, and respect and root for the Steelers (sometimes) as a great NFL franchise. I was on the fence at first about how this should be handled by the NFL, but now thinking about it, I feel that he is an employee of the NFL and has now had 2 incidents (3 if you count his motorcycle accident) where his judgement does not seem right. The guy obviously does not know how to act in the proper manner given who he is. Reading details about the case makes it weird to hear there is not enough evidence, when some of this below seems pretty obvious. This all seems very shady to me.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/sports/football/13roethlisberger.html?src=mv : The woman was eventually driven to the hospital by friends, and an emergency room doctor and two nurses examined her. Bright said that they noted a superficial laceration, bruising and slight bleeding in her genital area, but that everything else was normal and that the doctor could not say definitively that the bruising was from any kind of trauma or sexual assault.
The doctor and nurses collected a standard rape evidence kit. Initial testing found male DNA, although the emergency room doctor found no evidence of semen, Bright said. Further testing was done, but he said a DNA profile could not be obtained because the sample was so small.
“Every case must be viewed in the context of its circumstances,” Bright said. “Here, the overall circumstances do not lead to a viable prosecution. We are not condoning Mr. Roethlisberger’s actions that night. But we do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes.”

I believe that the defense probably told the girl that her entire sexual history will be exposed and basically put her in a position where taking money and shutting up was the safest easiest route to take. This is a terrible situation and Ben is a total moron who needs to grow up. He seems to have some of Tiger's issues with a sense of entitlement.

Updated Tiger Commercial

2010-04-09T14:45:00.001-04:00

This Is The Best He Could Do?

2010-04-07T14:19:00.002-04:00

REEAALLLY?!?!

Ouch! For a guy who seems athletic and is pretty good on the basketball court, this was just pathetic!

American Idol/Kara DioGuardi Recap

2010-04-07T13:49:00.000-04:00

Here are your top 2, and last night was not even close:

Here is the funny moment of the night discussing Lee's use of the bag pipes. Great response by Lee to Simon.

As for Kara, she looked top notch last night, and kept down the annoying comments.

As for the worst moment of the night - Siobhan does it again with her tears after singing Across The Universe and discussing why the song has meaning to her. I didn't buy it, sorry. Check the six minute mark below:

The Champ Is Here...

2010-04-06T14:21:00.000-04:00

iPad Drops On Saturday - Just Ask Greg Packer!

2010-04-01T17:17:00.002-04:00

ENGADGET.com: Greg Packer, we salute you. Sure, the weather in New York City is a lot finer now than it was back in the sweltering summer of 2007, but we still feel the need to tip our hat to someone who'd camp out three whole days at Apple's Fifth Avenue store (read: "The Cube") for an iPad. Tipster Tom dropped in the image after the break at around 3:15PM ET yesterday, and after a short nap in Penn Station, Mr. Packer is freshened up and holding down his spot yet again. We aren't anticipating iPhone-esque lines this coming Saturday, but considering that new pre-orders aren't being fulfilled until April 12th or later, we reckon this guy is following that whole "better safe than sorry" thing to a T. Check out a brief video captured on the streets (thanks, Zoltan Kaprinay!) by tapping that 'Read More' link, and head on over to Switched if you'd like to relive a similar interview from the iPhone campout.

We'll leave you with a few choice quotes from Mr. Packer on why exactly he's doing such a thing for such a product:

Question: "So, nobody took your place?"

Packer: "No, nobody... nobody."

Question: "So, you are the first one?"

Packer: "So far, yep yep!"

Question: "So you're going to be the first one to buy one, also?"

Packer: "Yep, yep!"

Question: "Do you have any number?"

Packer: "Huh?! Yes, yes. Well, first come, first serve! They don't give you a number, you queue up for a number."

Question: "Do you have something in your bag, to eat or drink?"

Packer: "Just mainly a change of clothes. Nothing to eat, nothing to drink."

Question: "Why do you want [the iPad] so desperately?"

Packer: "Because... it's like a mini laptop! I mean, you just... you know, click it on, just like you click the iPhone on. And you don't have to open it up, and you know, go through, you know, go through everything. "

Question: "So, you need to have it?"

Packer: "Yes! "

Thank you Greg Packer for so thoroughly explaining why you NEED the iPad, because…you know….it’s not a laptop…you know…you just touch it…you know.

Apple’s new toy the iPad comes out on Saturday. I have had several posts about this product (check the side bar for iPad) and am obviously looking forward to it. This guy has beat everyone to it though! He is ready to go on THURSDAY outside of the Apple store in NYC. He looks like the last person I would think is the first guy on line today, and was the first guy on line in 2007 for the iPhone. Sorry to stereotype, but he does not look like a Techie!

I knew I should have set up shop on Wednesday!

Lane Kiffin: The Bad Guy I Root For

2010-04-01T16:48:00.000-04:00

Source for all quotes and information is Andy Staples latest article on Si.com.

Like him or not, Lane Kiffin knows what he is doing when it comes to getting the best talent. As far as his coaching skills, we are still waiting to see more, although his one year at Tennessee cannot be deemed a failure at all.

I am very opposed to hypocritical views. I will be the first to poke at someone who may have inconsistencies in their opinions when discussing various issues. “How can you like this in situation A, but opposed the same thing in situation B.” I have been known to use that line a lot.

Today, I admit that I am doing what I oppose with the Lane Kiffin situation.

In many ways, Kiffin is what I deem as “wrong” with coaching, especially when you look at some coaches in college basketball. I do not like how the coaches bounce around for money, recruits just follow the coach, and the universities are all at the mercy of the coaches decisions. I get very angry when coaches leave and a school and it’s athletic department are left to deal with a mess that the former coach left behind, ie: Coach Cal leaving Memphis with potential sanctions in store and wins being vacated. This affects the school as a whole, it’s athletics programs, it’s fans, its reputation while the coach moves on to greener pastures for more money. This happens in football, but much less since it takes much more time to develop a winning football program vs. basketball program.

Lane Kiffin is that guy in college football. He talks a lot, he recruits well, although his methods have been questioned on several occasions, and he hasn’t shown loyalty to any team or program, other than USC. He really left Tennessee is a sore spot, again leaving for greener pastures while the school is left to clean up the mess. On top of all that, he has a total of 33 games experience as a head coach, with just 11 wins and left both of his jobs under bad terms.

Wow, I really make a case for why NOT to like Lane Kiffin.

With all that being said, I root for Kiffin and hope he succeeds. There is something about him that I really enjoy. I like his confidence, I like his attitude, I like his understanding of the world we live in and what it takes TODAY to get the best players to come to your school.

I like that he adjusts his style of all of the above traits, based on his job.
"There's a specific plan for whatever job you take," Kiffin said Tuesday. "You don't treat them all the same. Like I said when I got here, there's a specific plan for here. That's to coach football and recruit players. We don't really need to do anything else. ... We have a high level of interest from recruits around the country. We don't need to go out and gather that attention to help us in recruiting."

That sounds to me like a shot at Tennessee and being the second fiddle (or 3rd, or 4th) to Florida. Kiffin needed to play into the hype machine. He needed to make brash comments, and predict wins and target Urban Meyer. What 18 year old would pick Knoxville vs. Gainesville, given the weather is better in Florida, the girls are prettier in Florida, and The Gators are winning every year with an established coach in Urban Meyer. Lane needed to create a hype around the program that has been lacking with the previous coaching staff. Lane needed to establish himself and at Tennessee, he had to do it differently than he would (or now is) at USC. At USC he is back to being the FIRST fiddle and doesn’t need to use those same, “low-ball”, tactics.

Lane Kiffin is liked by his players. Did you see the reception he received when he got to USC. Matt Barkley could not look happier. Matt Barkley was recruited by Kiffin and knows his style and personality.

As for his actual coaching style, he already is more disciplinary than Pete Carroll.

All lines had to be touched on sprints. All snaps had to be perfect. Fumbles were punished immediately.

"The attitude has changed," quarterback Matt Barkley said. "I've said it before. It's just a little more -- not dedication -- but being on task. It's more disciplined now. It starts with the coaching staff. The tempo starts with them."

Obviously the old staff had its way and it worked. However, maybe those few losses to teams that were inferior over the Carroll years reflected that “relaxed” style of coaching. Maybe those games could have been won had the coach been a bit more disciplinarian in his methods. Not to say Kiffin is Bear Bryant, but he is obviously more strict than Carroll. Those few wins could have been the difference in one of the best programs in the last decade, to THE best program of the last decade. A couple of those losses resulted in USC not making the National Title game, while obviously being one of the best two teams at the end of the year.

Any potential NCAA sanctions will not be enough to hinder much of USC’s future based on the talent they have already recruited over the years. Like Staples says in his article: If Kiffin is worried about an NCAA hammer smashing his program, it didn't show Tuesday. And let's be honest: the NCAA doesn't have much in its toolbox to do serious damage to a program. The worst it can do is ban the Trojans from postseason play for a season or two. Even significant scholarship cuts would hurt less at USC, which still would have its pick of recruits and would remain extremely competitive provided coaches chose wisely when doling out their limited grants-in-aid. More than likely, the committee will make USC vacate a bunch of wins, which means nothing to the guy who must coach the Trojans going forward. It's a toothless punishment. Last year, the NCAA made Alabama vacate some wins from the 2005 season. After the penalty was announced, I checked YouTube, and Tyrone Prothro still caught that ball to beat Southern Miss that year.

Time will tell how Kiffin does at USC, but given the talent he has, the recruiting skills he owns, the staff he has assembled, and the location of USC, I would not bet against Lane Kiffin succeeding at USC, very quickly.

As to why I am rooting for him, again I am being that hypocritical person I dislike, but maybe it’s just more evidence as to Lane Kiffin’s ability to recruit and win over talent. He even has a stubborn Penn State fan like myself on his band wagon.

And now for some additional reasons to root for Kiffin:

Duke Hatred is "So 2006"

2010-04-01T11:40:00.000-04:00

Looks like Stewart Mandel read my article below and then made his own argument as to why the Duke hatred is unwarranted, and as he says, “it’s so 2006.”

With guys like Seth Curry and Kyrie Irving, expect to see Duke back here next year, and the argument of being un-athletic and too white (which in some cases just seems a bit like reverse racism to me) will be completely irrelevant.

So you say you hate Duke. You always root against them. You consider it a crime against humanity, not to mention a conspiratorial act by CBS, that Mike Krzyzewski's team reached this year's Final Four. You can't wait to root against the Blue Devils when they face West Virginia on Saturday, though you fully expect the refs to do whatever possible to ensure they advance.
Dude, you're such an outdated cliché.
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/stewart_mandel/03/30/duke.anti.hate/index.html?eref=sihp#ixzz0jraU00Tr

Say Hello To Your Sixth Final Four In 12 Years

2010-03-29T15:57:00.000-04:00

Is This The Baby Faced Coach Who Will Out Izzo Tom Izzo?

2010-03-29T15:55:00.000-04:00

New York Times: “He’s calm and collected, but he’s fiercely competitive,” Tracy Stevens said. “He’s always thinking about how he can beat you.”

Brad Stevens is a believer in statistical analysis, which after heavily influencing baseball is making its way into basketball. At home, he pores over statistics almost as much as he does film in preparing game plans. He refers to the 6-foot-3 forward Willie Veasley as his team’s Shane Battier, the Houston Rockets player whose role as a facilitator is not often reflected in box scores but has made him a darling of the statistical set.

The result is a team that is not gifted athletically and starts only two players taller than 6-3 but that could outrebound Kansas State by 12. And force Syracuse into 18 turnovers. And hold each regional opponent to a season-low point total, neither reaching 60 points.

The contract, whose terms Butler, a private university, does not divulge, was extended last year through 2016. “It’s somewhere between seven years and lifetime,” Collier said.
That commitment may be tested in the weeks to come. Stevens will surely be a target of bigger programs, just as the coaches were who preceded him — Collier (Nebraska), Thad Matta (Xavier and then Ohio State) and Lickliter (Iowa).
Stevens has been coy when the subject of his future comes up. There may be jobs in which he is more likely to return to the Final Four or make more money, but Butler is home.

Is Brad Stevens, at 33 years old, the guy who is going to maximize HIS talent more than the expert at maximizing talent? Butler has obviously been the smaller and less talented team on the court in at least its last 2 match ups. However, they are now running into the best tournament team of the last 15 years, with coach Tom Izzo who has his Spartans in their 6th final four in that span. Stevens is brining Moneyball to the NCAA and looks to be doing a great job at it.

Let’s hope that last line of this article (clips of it pasted above) is true and Stevens does not turn into a coach who just jumps around. Maybe he can make Butler, a school in the state that invented basketball, a powerhouse program from a mid major conference! Wouldn't that be different.

Why Do We Hate Duke So Much and Why We Are Wrong

2010-03-29T14:10:00.001-04:00

So the evil Dukies are in the final four. They are the only number 1 seed to get there and the emotions are running high and people can’t wait to see Duke go down.

What is it about Duke that people hate so much. If anything, they are a lot like these little guys who did well this year who develop solid teams because they don’t get the one and done guys. Duke is just that, but get the McDonald’s All Americans, who then stay all 4 years and develop into a TEAM rather than a team like Kentucky which obviously has more talented players, but was not a team the way Duke, Butler, Northern Iowa, Cornell (which graduates 9 seniors). The difference between teams like Northern Iowa and Cornell vs. Duke, is that given the fact that Duke brings in top tier talent out of high school, they are competitive every year. It may take Northern Iowa and Cornell another few years to get back as they now need to develop and rebuild into a team again.

Duke does not have its most talented team ever, but has a resilient defensive team that plays hard and dominates the boards. They were always a 3 point shooting team, and lived and died by the 3 the last several years. Well now they got big boys in the middle who can make sure they get second chances and don’t need to die by the three the days they aren’t going in.

In these “down” years since 2004 when they made their last Final Four appearance, Duke has lost to teams like UConn, Michigan State, LSU, West Virginia, and Villanova. Only in 2007, when they lost to VCU did Duke lose to a non-basketball powerhouse. They have not missed the tournament since 1995, which was the year Coach K took 12 games off due to health reasons, proving just how great a coach he is and how much he means to this program.

Speaking of Coach K, people hate on him as well, however he is the only Coach, with his way style of play, that was able to get a bunch of NBA superstars to finally learn how to play as a team and win the Gold Medal and bring American Basketball back to being known as the best! Why would anyone in America hate on him so much. We glamorize all other coaches for bringing teams success, and this is a man who brings his university success and helped restore success to the American Basketball program. Each of the players on that gold medal team had great things to say about Coach K and his style which helped them win.

Duke is a school of 6400 undergraduate students, which has a top 10 education of all National Universities, and has a tuition near $40K. This limits the pool of players that Coach K can pick from in an extraordinary fashion. He is not coaching at a school with 40,000 students that has mediocre standards and cost around $20K. He needs to really pick his players wisely and really coach them into his style which has proven to be a winning style.

Duke has never been accused of any cheating either. Other schools have coaches who have a history of cheating, yet they are glamorized and the media would be thrilled to have them in the final four.

At the end of the day, the hatred toward Duke is actually a self fulfilling prophecy. Duke is hated because they are elitist (which is pretty subjective) and the fact that they are on TV all the time and people feel networks give them preferential treatment. Well you know why they are on TV all the time, because all you people who hate them, can’t wait to tune in to root against them! There are more people who tune in to root against than those who root for them (don’t have actual numbers but just given that they are one school, which not a huge alumni base, it’s pretty obvious). What this means is all the people who hate, tune in and watch, driving up the ratings which is what the networks really care about at the end of the day.

Being polarizing is what makes us love/hate Duke and until that stops being the case, all you haters can keep complaining that Duke is everywhere.

April 4th Can't Come Soon Enough

2010-03-25T14:37:00.000-04:00

While we're on the topic....Nick Swisher does well for himself:

Buy Low, Sell High

2010-03-25T11:17:00.000-04:00

The Exchange Bar & Grill in the Gramercy, New York (3rd Ave) is taking drunks on an economics crash course. They will set their prices based on the demand for the drink or the food you are ordering. The prices will fluctuate in .25 cent increments and have a 4 dollar swing (2 bux each way).

So you want a Guiness. Well the price is set at 6 bux, but obviously on March 17th the demand is probably going to jump so it will go up to 8 bux. However on July 4th, Guiness is a bit heavy so the price will most likely drop to 4 bux. Same idea goes for food.

So imagine going to a bar and looking at a ticker behind the bar that is scrolling prices of drinks and food which change as demand goes up and down for each particular item on the menu. Welcome to the drunk version of the NYSE (NY Stock Exchange), although I am sure many on the floor of the NYSE are probably drunk too, given the way the stock market has been the last few years.

2010-03-24T17:42:00.000-04:00

NBC – As we’ve mentioned once or twice, quarterback Tim Tebow’s habit of openly expressing his religious beliefs could potentially rub folks the wrong way, especially in a locker room of grown men who choose to keep their beliefs to themselves, who don’t share his beliefs at all, and/or who only want to hear “God bless” after they have sneezed. We’re told that Tebow already has gotten a taste of the resistance he might face at the next level. At the Scouting Combine, the Wonderlic exam is administered to players in groups. The 12-minute test is preceded by some brief instructions and comments from the person administering the test. Per a league source, after the person administering the test to Tebow’s group had finished, Tebow made a request that the players bow their heads in prayer before taking the 50-question exam. Said one of the other players in response: “Shut the f–k up.” Others players in the room then laughed.

For someone who is not a Gator fan, I am a big Tebow fan and am hoping he does well. I support the fact that he is religious and wears that on his sleeve. I am not against him always thanking god because he genuinely comes off like a kid who lives by what he says (as far as we know). He does do many good things off the field and is the type of athlete we need more of in terms of being a role model for kids.
With that being said, he needs to know there is a time and a place for these things. The eye black, the post game comments, that’s all good. However in a room of grown men who may or may not agree with your beliefs, that’s a bit much. Not everyone is a Christian and I think he is being a big ignorant/naïve is he thinks what he is doing is the “right thing”. He is going to need to ease up on this kind of stuff if and when he gets to play big boy football where he is dealing with men twice his age at times.

Tim - Keep up the hard work, the off the field charity work but lighten up on the spreading of the gospel to everyone along your path!

With that said, sources have confirmed that Lucy Pinder is not Tebow’s girlfriend as we all thought for a while, but she always comes up when you Google Tim Tebow so it’s a layup to post these pictures…again.

Starbury In China

2010-03-24T14:05:00.001-04:00

(Reuters) - Former NBA All Star Stephon Marbury, the highest profile American import to China's domestic league, said he would return to the country after a hugely popular stint with Shanxi.

Where was THIS stuff when he was playing in the NBA. Also how about the Chinese playing some T-Pain: Apple Bottom Jeans during the basketball game. Communist country really moving forward huh?!?!

Fantasy Baseball 2010

2010-03-24T11:26:00.000-04:00

Fantasy Draft is done. Time to sit back and watch HUGHES YOUR DADDY dominate my fantasy league. A little too many Sox and Phillies for my taste but moves will be made in order to ensure I finally win some money from fantasy baseball. Also various Yankees and former Yankees are scattered through-out, which may need some tweeking as well.

Can't wait to be the guy to have Stephen Strasburg on my team when he starts to dominate the NL by early summer....I hope I am right!

Any chance Zambrano is back to 2005-2008 form, or am I just living in the past?

HUGHES YOUR DADDY

5 Chase Utley, Phi 2B

20 Matt Holliday, StL OF

29 Derek Jeter, NYY SS

44 Josh Beckett, Bos SP

53 Joey Votto, Cin 1B

68 Victor Martinez, Bos C

77 Shane Victorino, Phi OF

92 Michael Young, Tex 3B

101 Chad Billingsley, LAD SP

116 Francisco Cordero, Cin RP

125 Johnny Damon, Det OF

140 Jason Bartlett, TB SS

149 Chipper Jones, Atl 3B

164 John Danks, CWS SP

173 David Aardsma, Sea RP

188 Hideki Matsui, LAA DH

197 Kevin Slowey, Min SP

212 Carlos Zambrano, ChC SP

221 Stephen Strasburg, Was SP

236 Brett Gardner, NYY OF

245 Aaron Harang, Cin SP

260 Conor Jackson, Ari OF

269 Coco Crisp, Oak OF

284 Randy Wolf, Mil SP

293 Melky Cabrera, Atl OF

American Idol/Kara DioGuardi Recap - Top 11

2010-03-24T10:59:00.000-04:00

So overall last night was pretty bad with only a couple good performances. These kids seemed like they were probably hooking up and/or drinking too much this past week and not really thinking about Tuesday night. On a side note, I think we should get to see their life in this "house" they are in the whole time. Make it a real world type situation. FOX will need something next year when Simon is gone.

Obviously the front runner has to be Crystal Bowersox who everyone loved. She may get a little boring on the guitar everyweek, but she will sound the best on an album. Although Kara, who looked great last night as always, (4:55 mark) annoying as always, said exactly what I was thinking, she needs to try to put the guitar down.

Simon may not agree, but I think its more of a tough love thing because he obviously likes this kid on a weekly basis.

Kara, delivered the best feedback for Lee, although in her annoying way of doing so (4:10mark).

Not a fan of this song, but Lee did a great job and is the male frontrunner:

As for the girls, its obvious Sioban has been the favorite but her yelling at the end of each song sucks and I am not a fan and finally Simon gave it to her (4:30 mark) (not in that way!). Also, between her awful way of talking and her look last night, she sucks...I would vote her off. I mean we all know that unless the girl is amazing, she has to be somewhat pretty and Sioban is pretty much none of the above. Sorry!

Ke$ha On American Idol - Disaster

2010-03-18T13:01:00.000-04:00

How absurd was this performance. Sometimes I wish Simon was allowed to judge the "real" artists who grace this stage. I would venture to say that all of the top 12 are better singers, and probably could do a better job performing then Ke$ha last night. This was a complete disaster, and looked totally un-organized.

Do you think this is how Simon would react?

17 Days Of St. Pattys - Happy St. Pattys Day

2010-03-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

American Idol/Kara DioGuardi Recap - Top 12 Week 1

2010-03-17T16:48:00.000-04:00

So after the first week of the top 12, everyone is raving about Siobhan Magnus who I thought was quite annoying to listen too. She was borderline yelling at the end. She is not attractive, her hair was a mess, her uni with that dress and combat books was borderline disastrous. See for yourself and don't buy into the hype.

Here is the frontrunner and a guy who can actually sell records and we can enjoy hearing on the radio, as Kara said a few weeks ago. Lets get behind Lee Dewyze.

As for Kara, she could not stop talking about how each singer did or did not CONNECT with the song, and delivered the actual message of the lyrics.

This is something that has irked Simon over the last few weeks and a great exchange happend here, starting at the 4:25 mark when she starts with her annoying delivery as always and then at 4:31 she really gets into the WAR aspect of the song. Watch Simons face during Kara's rant, and then he delivers the line of the show at 4:55 - "Do you want him to come on stage with a tank or something?"

Once again Kara proves she lookes better not speaking. See below:

Tourny Analysis: South Region

2010-03-17T12:58:00.001-04:00

So I have been waiting all week to post my brackets analysis, but I obviously had to wait for that pivotal play-in game to end before I do my full analysis. Now that we have that out of the way, here we go.

South:

In what is deemed the easiest bracket for its one seed – Duke, look for The Blue Devils to capitalize on this and show this is not your JJ Redick Duke team that had no size. This team is big, and rebounds and plays stout defense. CBS will be happy with Dukes road to the final four which should also boost the ratings as Duke generates the highest TV ratings of all college basketball programs.

Upsets: Not that an 8-9 is much of an upset, but look for The Pitino’s as the 9 seed to move past Cal. Another 12-5 match up where the 12 will move on, and I expect Utah State to do some damage in this tournament. The 13-4 match up here has a Sienna team that has tournament experience against a Purdue team that has checked out since Robbie Hummel's injury. Look for a 12-13 match up this weekend in the South bracket.

Sweet 16: Duke will face a hot Utah State team, but being Duke with just 4 losses all year, all on the road will find a way to slow Utah State and move on to the elite 8. The sexy pick so far by most “experts” has been Baylor, and I expect them to get here, but Villanova, although a little sluggish down the stretch, still has experience, leadership in Scottie Reynolds, and coaching in Jay Wright, thus they will move on to the elite 8 over Baylor.

Elite 8: Last year it was Nova who ran Duke off the floor, blowing them out 77-54. This year, Duke has 3 legit scorers, size, and experience and will pay back for last year. Duke moves on to the final 4 – its first since 2004.

Winner: Duke

Regional Jersey Girl:

Tourny Analysis: West Region

2010-03-17T12:56:00.001-04:00

West Bracket:

This is the Syracuse bracket and they control what can happen here. Syracuse, at one point could have been the top overall seed. They are now coming off of 2 straight losses and probably playing without Arinze Onuaku for the first weekend. This may not be a problem for the first game, but the second round they will face a Florida State team that may take advantage of this injury. Basically, this brackets outcome is riding on which Syracuse shows up.

Upsets: Look for both the 12 seed, UTEP and the 11 seed Minnesota to come out and win their first round match ups. UTEP should also face Vandy in the second round, so look for UTEP, a 12 seed in the sweet 16.

Sweet 16: Syracuse will find a way to get here and face UTEP. At this point they should have Onuaku back and I expect Coaching and talent to prevail here. Syracuse moves on. Kansas State has shown all year that they are a solid defensive team and should move past Pitt and into the elite 8.

Elite 8: Syracuse, again assuming Onuaku is healthy and they are back to mid season form, which I expect will happen, will move past Kansas State in what should be a classic elite 8 match up – expect an overtime game here!

Winner: Syracuse

Region Jersey Girl:

Tourny Analysis: East Region

2010-03-17T12:54:00.000-04:00

East Bracket:

This is an interesting bracket which has the youngest team in the tournament in Kentucky, which has also been a top 2 team all year (along with Kansas), and the hottest team in the tournament, fresh off a Big East tournament championship – West Virginia.

Upsets: Two double digit seeds will move on from the first round here – the annual 12-5 match-up upset begins with Cornell over Temple along with 11-6 match-up which will have Washington move past Marquette. You have to go with the hot teams and both of these teams are peaking at the right time.

Sweet 16: Kentucky playing Wisconsin is a match up that could go either way. Wisconsin should give Kentucky lots of problems with their slow style of play and may force a young Kentucky team into playing a game they are not used to. The safe bet here is Kentucky, but don’t be surprised if this well coached Wisconsin team upsets Kentucky. As for the New Mexico – West Virginia match up, this will be two of the hottest teams playing each other and New Mexico’s inexperience will be a factor here and WVU will win this game moving on to the elite 8.

Elite 8: Kentucky will be coming off a tiring game against Wisconsin, while West Virginia is continuing its hot streak. Look for WVU to shock Kentucky and win this game big.

Winner: WVU

Region Jersey Girl:

Tourny Analysis: Midwest Region

2010-03-17T12:53:00.000-04:00

Midwest Bracket:

This is the most talented bracket of the 4 and includes 8 coaches who have final four experience. However, this is the most straight forward bracket being so top heavy.

Upsets: No real upsets here, take the higher seeds to move on in the first round.

Sweet 16: Look for 2 great match ups with Michigan State facing Kansas, and Georgetown facing Ohio State. These are 4 of the most successful teams of the last few years, with 4 elite coaches who have Final Four, or National Title experience.

Elite 8: I see Kansas moving past Georgetown to win this bracket. Georgetown has come together as of late and looks poised for a run, but Kansas has too much talent and experience here.

Winner: Kansas

Region Jersey Girl:

Tourny Analysis: Final Four

2010-03-17T12:51:00.002-04:00

Final Four:

Kansas will be facing Syracuse and Kansas has shown all year they are the deepest, most talented, most experienced team in the nation. They are looking to establish Bill Self, and this senior class into legend status winning 2 National Titles in 3 years. Look for Kansas to win this match up – big!

West Virginia will have the best player on the floor in Da’Sean Butler, but Duke has the best 3 player combo, maybe in the nation, in Scheyer, Singler and Smith, who average 53.7 points per game for Duke. Throw in Brian Zoubek who has been dominant on the boards and I see Duke finding a way to move on in this game and finally slowing down WVU run that started in the Big East tournament.

Finals:

Both teams have depth, coaching and experience. Kansas has the better talent. If you want the safe bet, go with Kansas. If you want to take the more risky route, and try to win your bracket – which I am doing – go with Duke. Most people will have Kansas and Duke is probably one of those teams many will want to have checked out early. Duke is my pick and coach K will get his fourth national title and first since 2001.

Winner:

Duke

With The Fifth Pick In My Fantasy Draft....

2010-03-14T12:22:00.001-04:00

Now with spring training heating up, Matt Kemp is being featured on E Online about Rihanna meeting his family! This is not something I want to see from my potential first round pick in my fantasy baseball draft.

Unless he is being treated by Derek Jeter for how to handle the media when you working your way through the Maxim Top 100, I think Matt Kemp needs to focus on his baseball.

I am planning on taking Matt Kemp with the 5th pick in my draft (please leave comments on the side bar for your thoughts on Kemp over Utley), however all this publicity he is getting due to his relationship with Rihanna is making me concerned.

I think we have seen a history of players who jump from a potential superstar to being THE superstar on their team and then get derailed a member of the opposite sex. In this case, his relationship brings some excess baggage as well:

Here is some evidence already :

Despite RIHANNA’s new romantic relationship with baseball stud MATT KEMP, stunned pals say she’s still reaching out to singer CHRIS BROWN, the evil ex who beat her to a bloody pulp – and Kemp’s furious! “Ri feels like she won’t truly heal” until she can renew some kind of friendship with Brown, said an insider. “Rihanna still talks to Chris. There’s some kind of need there, still.” As for Kemp, he’s angry because he’ll be away for spring training, and can’t monitor Rihanna’s activities. “Matt has a temper,” said a friend. “He knows people who are friends with Chris, and they’ve told him that if he ever sees Rihanna on the street, he’d better run the other way.” — National Enquirer

On top of all this, Matt Kemp himself does not have a clean record with women. He apparently had a restraining order placed on him by his ex-girlfriend. This matter has since been solved and dropped, however this may not fare well for his relationship with Rihanna, (since she attracts men who abuse women) which in turn may not fair well for The Hughes Your Daddy Fantasy Baseball team.

What have we come to when my fantasy baseball research goes from Rotoworld.com to E Online?

This was also an excuse to post some pics of Rihanna, including the one above in her amazing uni she wore to the superbowl fan jam.

Jersey Girl Of The Day - Cheer Up Ducks Fans!

2010-03-13T11:11:00.000-05:00

Yes, you may have handed the Pac 10 title to USC for the 2010 Football season because your football players do not know how to control themselves, but at least you have girls that look like this:

And this girl who according to Busted Coverage is named one of the hottest girls of the Pac 10 (I'm sure they have a ton of prospects) and happens to be a Ducks Cheerleader.

Wes Welker Injury Confirmation

2010-03-13T10:40:00.002-05:00

As reported here yesterday, less than one hour after the cited source from http://bigrips.wordpress.com/, Wes Welker does in fact have a rotator cuff injury that he is dealing with, in addition to the torn ligaments in his left knee.

This story has been confirmed by Patriots insider Mike Reiss.

We are now in a world where the world wide leader is citing a blog as its source! Who says blogs don't break news?!?!

Here are some other links confirming this story:

Boston.com
Boston Herald
Scout - Fox Sports
WEEI

This is great news for blogs everywhere!

Who's Hotter?

2010-03-12T15:39:00.000-05:00

Which plastic beauty is hotter - Jwoww vs. Heidi Montag - VOTE ON THE SIDE BAR!

Mike Leach Post Game

2010-03-12T15:23:00.000-05:00

This video is getting lots of press for the way Leach talks to his players. I mean to me this is not that bad. There is nothing that crazy here. Although he curses alot, I'm sure there are many worse things done by coaches out there who yell and scream and freak out.

Leach doesn't even really yell, he just curses...A LOT!

Rememeber this? I mean this is at the media, but I would love to see coach Gundy go off on his players.

"I'm a man! I'm 40!" That is one of my favorite all time lines! (2:25 mark for those who want to see that top moment in coaching rants)

This gets good at about the :40 second mark.

Back to Leach - obviously there are other ways to win than to berate your players in this way and threaten their living situation - coaches do win without doing this.

All in all, Leach has some solid points in his rant about forget yesterdays accomplishments and don’t settle. Its also interesting that he called out older players about THEIR individual performance, and not about the TEAM. He says, CRABTREE made that play, HARRELL made that play etc. Coaches usually are all about team team team but his makes each individual more accountable for himself so to me that is the most interesting part, and the best take away from this rant.

Let me know your thoughts on the side bar.

17 Days Of St. Pattys - Day 11

2010-03-12T15:12:00.000-05:00

Wes Welker Out For The Season?!?!

2010-03-12T14:43:00.001-05:00

According to some inside sources, Wes Welker was treated at mass general hospital a few weeks ago for a follow up and because his shoulder was hurting him, unrelated to his knee injury, and after some tests, they found that he has a torn rotator cuff, which would mean he is done for 2010.

Come back to Necessary Roughness for an update as more info comes in.

Source: my source was connected to http://bigrips.wordpress.com/
My post was at 2:43 pm his was at 1:45pm.

The House That Ruth Built Comes Down

2010-03-11T17:44:00.000-05:00

This is a sad sight to see the classic stadium come down. Many great MLB moments have happend in the old, now non-existing Yankee Stadium - including 16 World Series clinchers, 9 of which were won by the Yankees. Hopefully the new stadium will continue to bring great moments like it did in its first season.

17 Days Of St. Pattys - Day 11

2010-03-11T15:48:00.002-05:00

American Idol/Kara DioGuardi Recap - Week 3

2010-03-11T11:43:00.001-05:00

Michael Lynche stole the show last night with this performance, but KARA, stole it from Michael by being in tears after Lynche was done singing. She was sooooo moved that she was in tears. At the 2:13 mark you can see her turning away as she is crying. At the 3:00 minute mark Kara keeps up with the over dramatic performance, and says how amazing Lynche was, while holding back tears. She even said, and I quote, “it speaks to a woman who has no kids."

Really Kara?!?! As I always say, she looks great.....when she is not speaking, or in this case crying.

I think Simon was probably dying to grill Kara for her performance. He held back since he took some shots at her earlier in the show.

Derek Anderson Has No Bitter Feelings Toward Cleveland...

2010-03-10T09:52:00.000-05:00

Although players should not stoop the fans level, this is the best parting shot at a city by any player that I have heard.

“ The fans are ruthless and don't deserve a winner. I will never forget getting cheered when I was injured. ... I hope and pray I'm playing when my team comes to town and [we] roll them. ”

This could be the tweet of the month....if it was on twitter!

As with all of these statements, Anderson then pulled back and revised it:

"I said some things to Jeff Schudel earlier that I regret. Those of you who got to know me personally from covering the Browns over the past five years, know this was out of character for me. I wasn't taken out of context, but I was speaking out of my frustration after my career with the Browns came to a close.

"I had some great times playing in Cleveland, especially during the 2007 season, and I met some great people and made many lifelong friends along the way. I'm looking forward to starting a new chapter in my life."

One problem with all of this that Anderson may not get a chance to stick it to the Browns because...um...well...HE SUCKS!

Good luck Derek and nice way to leave a city. I'm sure the Browns fans have similar feelings toward you as well.

American Idol/Kara DioGuardi Recap - Week 3

2010-03-10T09:35:00.001-05:00

So in week 3 the girls were all less than stellar, but Kara was on her A game. Kara had one of her best performances of the season. As always though, her best look is with her mouth shut!

Here is Did Benami with one of the two best performances of the night. Check out Kara at the 3:15 mark to her her top performance so far.

Here is the 2nd best performance of the night:

My girl Katelyn Epperly was not on her game. She looked awkward and not into it, especially after last weeks awesome Coldplay performance. Again, go to the 3:05 mark for Kara.

Check back tomorrow for the final week 3 vote on Kara!

17 Days Of St. Pattys Day - Day 9

2010-03-09T10:33:00.002-05:00

Enough With The Special Notre Dame Treatment

2010-03-09T09:39:00.000-05:00

Hopefully Maryland makes Notre Dame pay for this:

ESPN.com: Notre Dame and Maryland will play at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., on Nov. 12, 2011, the Irish announced on Monday.

The game continues Notre Dame's plan of playing one off-site "home" game per year.

ND will be the home team in Maryland?!?! ND thinks this displays their POWER and PULL around the country to do stuff like this but really this is advantage to Maryland having an away game not far from the school. Hopefully, all MD fans come out for this and MD dominates.

The first such game was held last year against Washington State in San Antonio.

The Irish will play Army in Yankee Stadium this season and are scheduled to play Arizona State at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in 2013.

Schools need to stop granting this to ND. They are not who they think they are anymore.

Joe Paterno Award

2010-03-05T14:49:00.000-05:00

ESPN.com: Penn State coach Joe Paterno has won more games than any coach in FBS history. It seems only natural that a coaching award is named for him.
The Maxwell Club of Philadelphia will announce later Friday that the Joseph V. Paterno Award will be given annually to a head coach who "preserves the values that Dad has brought to the game," Scott Paterno said Friday.
The club created the Maxwell Award, its selection of the nation's outstanding college football player, in 1937, and added the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the best defensive player, in 1995. The club will present the 2009 Maxwell to Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and the 2009 Bednarik to Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh at a dinner Friday night in Atlantic City.

The criteria for the Paterno Award, which are still being developed, will focus more on the overall impact the coach has had on the sport, his players and the community, going beyond the wins and losses of that particular season.
"It isn't all about the greater glorification of Joe," Scott Paterno said. When the club presented the idea to Joe Paterno, Scott said his reaction was, "Don't make me out to be a saint."

What a great idea for an award that goes to a coach who does good beyond the game and not just in Wins/Losses. This has been Paterno's vision his entire career. Joe Paterno has done so much for central Pa. in his 60 years of being a resident, assistant coach, and head coach. He has made the University what it is now, and he has helped to shape so many lives, beyond football.

Great to have more recognition for the Greatest College Coach Of All Time!

17 Days Of St. Patty's - Day 5

2010-03-05T14:37:00.002-05:00

American Idol/Kara Dioguardi Recap - Week 2

2010-03-04T16:48:00.000-05:00

New feature will be starting here at Necessary Roughness and that will be a quick breakdown of American Idol along with a recap of Kara Dioguardi, who drives all of us crazy in different ways. I think she looks awesome, however I get so annoyed when she opens her mouth to speak. I am sure many agree with the second part of this statement; she has an annoying delivery when she breaksdown the contestants.

Well this week on Tuesday for the guys she looked a little questionable because of her hair being all big and puffed out. However, last night...Kara was on point! In the first video below, check out Katelyn Epperly perform and then when you get to the 5:50 mark, we get to see the exact definition of my previous statement: I think she looks awesome, however I get so annoyed when she opens her mouth to speak.

Leave your thoughts below on Kara.

So how about the singers? Week 2 is in the books and just the eliminations are left. After watching this week I think we have a frontrunner for the guys - Lee Dewyze, and a darkhorse for the girls.

For the girls, yes, everyone loves Siobhan Magnus and Crystal Bowersox, but my darkhorse Katelyn Epperly. After this performance last night along with the fact that she is easy on the eyes, I think she has a good shot here.

Again, get to the 5:50 mark and check out Kara.

See my 2 best from last night below.

Lee Dewyze:

How Awesome Does This Look?

2010-03-04T14:26:00.002-05:00

Real World XXIII: Washington DC - MTV Shows - RW/RR Challenge: The Ruins - MTV Shows

17 Days Of St. Patty's Day - Day 4

2010-03-04T13:24:00.000-05:00

Bud Selig Messes Up Again

2010-03-04T09:52:00.000-05:00

Sources told CNBC that Yankees players recently received a letter from the Major League Baseball Players Association that informed them that there was mistake in the calculation of the World Series championship share.
By virtue of winning, the Yankees divided up $21.2 million. Originally, the Yankees awarded 46 players and coaches full shares, making the full share a record $365,052 (12.25 partial shares were also awarded.)
But the letter told those who had full shares that three people (two trainers and a player) were not allocated their proper share. The result? Those who received full shares are now being asked to pay back approximately $10,000 each.

How would you like getting this type of letter in the mail from your employer? Seems to me that MLB and Bud Selig makes way to many mistakes and cannot run the organization it's responsible for in a very efficient and fair way.

I think, we should write a letter to Bud Selig about getting our money back for all the merchandise that was sold when all those Home Run records were being broken. He was raking it in during those years!

Take a look at these stats:

SELIG SALARY

A historical look at the annual compensation for MLB Commissioner Bud Selig

2007 $17.470 million $461,540 $422,590 $18.35 million

2006 $14.515 million $400,999 $140,603 $15.06 million

2005 $14.500 million $82,843 $20,184 $14.60 million

Source: MLB tax filings

THE COMMISSIONERS

GROUP EXECUTIVE TOTAL COMPENSATION

MLB Bud Selig $18.35 million

NFL Roger Goodell $11.2 million

NBA David Stern $10 million (est.)

NHL Gary Bettman $5.59 million

PGA Tour Tim Finchem $4.8 million

That does not look fair to me that Selig makes more than any other Commissioner! While the MLB keeps making mistakes and is struggling with its sales and ratings outside of NYC and Boston, Bud keeps getting raises - that does not seem right to me.

Goodell and Stern are both doing a much better job than Selig, don't you think.

Hangover Free Beer

2010-03-04T09:37:00.000-05:00

Tonic.com: Upping the dissolved oxygen content of alcoholic beverages helps us pick up the metabolic pace, allowing a much faster return to sobriety, and could lead to fewer accidents and morning hangovers.

Who doesn't want some hangover free beer. This sounds excellent. There are several articles out today about this new study, one of which is linked above. However, one negative here is that this will also return us to SOBRIETY faster! Who wants that? Don't we all drink to get drunk?

I would love beer that won't make me hungover, but if I am not going to get drunk, I may as well drink O'Doul's.

Vote on the side bar on your thoughts!

Jersey Girl Of The Day

2010-03-03T15:03:00.000-05:00

In my article about how to fix the NHL, I may have eliminated the Phoenix Coyotes from the NHL but a picture like this may make me reconsider! Yes, that Jersey is painted on!

Matsui Will Be Missed

2010-03-03T14:54:00.000-05:00

New York Times“You hear about the professionalism, you hear about the talent level, you hear about how he prepares,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. “When you see it first-hand, it just validates everything that’s said about him.”
Scioscia added, “I think when a guy like Derek Jeter says he’s the most professional guy he’s played with in his career, that statement says it all.”

The Yankees may have gotten younger by not resigning Matsui, but the have lost a class act player who, of all things, actually apologized to fans when he got hurt in 2006. No other athlete has ever done that, and no athlete may ever do that again.

He has been a pivotal member of the Yankees roster for 7 seasons and has contributed to many memorable moments.

He came with a bang in 2003 and became the first Yankee to hit a grand slam in his first game at Yankee Stadium. He went out with a bang in the 2009 World Series - batting.615 (8 for 13) with 3 home runs and 8 RBI, including a World Series record-tying 6-RBI performance in Game 6 - and the MVP Award.

As Scioscia states above, to be so highly regarded by someone like Jeter means something must be great about Hideki Matsui.

He will be missed.

New York Times — Hideki Matsui wrapped his fingers around his lips, making a megaphone with his left hand. In a deep voice that needed no translation, he bellowed a sound he did not hear often in seven seasons with the Yankees: “Booooooo!”

Matsui was guessing how the crowd would react at Yankee Stadium next month if the Yankees bestow a championship ring on a visiting player. The Los Angeles Angels, Matsui’s new team, are the first visitors to the Bronx this season, with a three-game series starting April 13.

“I don’t know what it’s going to be like,” Matsui said through his interpreter, Roger Kahlon, after an Angels practice at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Tuesday. “It’s kind of weird, because I’ll be wearing a different uniform. Will I be part of the ceremony? I don’t know if we’re all supposed to be wearing casual clothes.”

I can assure Hideki that no one will "Booooo!" him when/if (and he SHOULD be awarded at the stadium out of respect for what he has done as a Yankee) he is awarded the ring at Yankee Stadium as a member of the Angels.

Ocho-Cinco Keeps Growing His Brand

2010-03-03T13:30:00.000-05:00

So if you have not heard yet, you will soon, that Chad OchoCinco will be on Dancing With The Stars this season. By doing so, he will not get back to football until late May, thus missing some off-season workouts.

Well when you do this, the No Fun League is sure to go after your pockets!

Chad will be fined 250K for missing these practices. Child Please!

It may cost him 250K now, but he just keeps growing his brand in the mainstream and growing his potential endorsements. Good for Chad! Keep up the good work.

For more entertaining OchoCinco news, be sure to follow him on twitter. He is by far the most entertaining tweeter out there. LINK

17 Days Of St. Patty's Day - Day 3

2010-03-03T13:20:00.002-05:00

What Canadian Stole Sid's Gear

2010-03-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

TORONTO (AP) -- Some very special pieces of Canadian Olympic hockey equipment are missing.
The gloves and stick used by Sidney Crosby to score the winning goal in Canada's gold medal victory over the U.S. at the Vancouver Winter Olympics on Sunday are unaccounted for, Hockey Canada said Tuesday night.

I always think about this when the players toss all their stuff after a dramatic finish like we saw on Sunday. Who gathers all the gear and makes sure its returned to each player? Looks like this "gatherer" had other thoughts in mind this time. I am sure Crosby's gear can really help out this guys bank account should he hold on to it for a while then try to sell it.

The Investigation is ON!

In other news, I think I am setting a record for NHL posts in one week!

Duke > UNC Again

2010-03-02T09:49:00.000-05:00

Michael Jordan took on Bobcats rookie Gerald Henderson - Duke Alum - in two games of H-O-R-S-E on March 1. The Rookie beat the Legend 2 straight times!

Wonder what MJ will plot as a revenge - we all know he hates losing and likes to stick it to people, just check out his HOF speech below!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3 - Here he takes some shots at the much lesser Bryon Russell

Stay Classy MJ!

17 Days Of St. Patty's Day - Day 2

2010-03-02T09:38:00.000-05:00

NHL Needs To Learn From The Olympics

2010-03-01T18:15:00.001-05:00

Let me start by saying I am not a Hockey fan. However, I am a sports fan. I can watch almost any form on competition on TV, even if it is not known as Football, Baseball or Basketball.

These last 2 weeks have shown, again, that I will watch two people dance on ice if it is judged and a winner is rewarded. I will watch old women playing shuffle board on ice with brooms...for hours at a time. I will watch a 50K cross country race where nothing happens until the final 400 meters.

However, I will also watch, and be extremely passionate about Hockey. I do not remember being this passionate about Hockey since playing NHL '94 on Sega and being told I cannot play with the Kings since Gretzky was unstoppable! (I used the Blackhawks because Roenick was equally as unstoppable) - except every four years during the Olympics, with this year, as with most being the most passionate of all.

As I watch these games, I feel as though I like Hockey (begrudgingly) and almost tell myself that maybe I will try watching the NHL. Can this passion for the Olympics carry over? Maybe I can align myself with the local team and try to root for them. I live in the NYC area so I have 3 teams to pick from with a very loyal and passionate fan base for each.

I would argue watching Hockey, when its a big game, is more exciting than watching Baseball or Basketball.
Wait, can Hockey really be third on my list after Football and Baseball? It sure felt that way this past week!
So what can the NHL do to keep me coming back to hockey after these last two weeks.

Well to start, the issue in America is not Hockey, the issue is the NHL itself and how poorly it's run. The NHL needs a complete overhaul in order to get me, and other non hockey/sports fans who felt passionate about the Olympics, come buy its product.

Here are my steps to making the NHL a better product for all of us. (If you listen to Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio, he touched on some of this, however I have broken it down, expanded on it and added my own thoughts on what would make this be a "Watchable" league).

1. Cut down the teams from 30 to 16, maybe 24 MAX! By reducing the teams, you heighten the level of talent, which is what made the Olympics so exciting and WATCHABLE, and you keep it to the regions and cities that care the most. Nashville, Carolina, Phoenix, I am sorry if you live there and are a fan, as a whole, these are not Hockey towns - the list below proves it. The true Hockey fans will follow the sport where ever it goes. The key is to get the casual fan, which the NFL has perfected.

According to Forbes, here is a list of the most profitable NHL teams as of 2009:

Toronto Maple Leafs *

New York Rangers *

Montreal Canadiens *

Detroit Red Wings *

Philadelphia Flyers *

Boston Bruins *

Chicago Blackhawks *

Dallas Stars

Vancouver Canucks *

New Jersey Devils

Pittsburgh Penguins *

Minnesota Wild *

Los Angeles Kings

Anaheim Ducks

Colorado Avalanche

Calgary Flames *

Ottawa Senators *

Tampa Bay Lightning

San Jose Sharks

Washington Capitals

Carolina Hurricanes

St Louis Blues

Buffalo Sabres *

Edmonton Oilers *

Columbus Blue Jackets

Florida Panthers

Nashville Predators

New York Islanders

Atlanta Thrashers

Phoenix Coyotes

Going off the list above, here are the cities/states that get teams in no particular order. The list is based on either cities that have a profitable team, a passionate hockey fan base, or a combo of the two.

New York (1 Team), Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota, Vancouver, Calgary, Quebec (yes they get a team back), Edmonton, Winnipeg.

You may point out the Edmonton and Buffalo are not very profitable so why are they on the list. Well, I have kept them due to their passionate fan bases. Buffalo for example is a city that loves their Sabres (as much as their Bills - maybe more since they are more relevant) and a team that has been winning (while the Bills of the NFL can't even make the playoffs).

2. If you noticed a pattern above, all of my "saved" teams, are evenly distributed between the U.S. and Canada. Yup, you guessed it, make two conferences. One being the USA and one being Canada.

USA: New York (1 Team), Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota
Canada: Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto,Vancouver, Calgary, Quebec (yes they get a team back), Edmonton, Winnipeg

Although this will not be a true USA vs. Canada set up as the players of the NHL are all international and are mixed (Sid the Kid would stay in Pittsburgh - don't worry Pens fans), this still creates a rivalry that fans can get passionate about and support. This will create a USA vs. Canada feel. Years down the line we can discuss what country has won more Stanley Cups over the years. We do this in the NFL with AFC and NFC, it would just be much more relevant here given the regional loyalty.

3. Cut the season down from 82 games to 43 (I'll explain why 43 in step 4) games and make the season go from October through March - 6 month = 2 games a week per team. This will create a greater sense of urgency for each team, and create more of an "EVENT" feel for each game, comparable to the NFL with every week feeling like a holiday - but yes on a much smaller scale since this is still hockey and we are still in America. However, in Canada this could create an NFL feel for their games, since each game will be twice as important.

4. The schedule, now that its cut down, would be similar to the MLB set up where you play your league (or conference in this case) much more often than you play the opposing conference. Thus, you get to 43 games by playing the other 7 teams in your conference 5 times (35 games), creating a best of 5 against every team (not in order but overall for the season you have a 5 game series), and then you play every team in the other conference just ONCE (8 games).

Every team will be somewhat familiar with the opposing conference, however when they meet for the Stanley Cup, there will be a feeling that these teams are not familiar with each others style of play outside of the game tape. Here we bring in the football aspect of breaking down film of two non-familiar opponents and how they match up. Makes for some great TV!

5. The standings will be similar but slightly altered. Every game is worth 3 points. Win in regulation, you get 3 points. Win in overtime, you get 2 points, and the loser gets 1 point. I set it up this way because to me it does not make sense that currently if you win in regulation, you get 2 points and the loser gets 0, however in overtime the winner gets 2 and the loser gets 1. I believe every game should be worth the same number of points, and winning in regulation should be more greatly rewarded than winning in overtime.

6. Regular season games will be 5 on 5, 4 on 4 in OT with a shootout - if necessary. However in the playoffs, it's 5 on 5 all the way through, with unlimited overtimes. That is the fairest way to show who is the best team. Shootouts do not determine the best team.

7. Since the the labour dispute in 2005 where a full season was lost, attendance figures for the NHL has returned. This is because no one can argue that the NHL is great in person. Fans and non-Fans alike enjoy seeing the game live. However, TV audience has dropped off significantly, a lot of that has to do with ESPN's decision to drop the league from its schedule.

The NHL is currently on mostly on Versus and also on NBC. Versus is distributed in 75 Million Households ,while ESPN is in 99.1 Million Households (both as of the end of 2009 - out of a total of 115 Million TV Households per Nielsen Data). This equates to a 21% greater distribution on ESPN than on Versus. This is a major problem for making the sport more visible and easily accessible. Again, this is all about reaching the casual fans. The Hockey fanatic will follow the league and the sport where ever he/she can get it.

As an example of what this means, last June, game three of the Stanley Cup, which matched up two of the most loyal NHL fan bases (Pittsburgh and Detroit - both teams that make my cut) was the highest rated program on the networks history, which was a 2.6 National Household rating. This equates to the percentage of viewers against the total household base.

Now on ESPN, during the same month of June, The College Baseball World Series match up of LSU vs. Texas, (two extremely loyal fan bases, however both smaller markets than the NHL team above) scored a 2.1 National Household rating.

That difference in rating equates to about 20%, which is almost exactly the amount of the difference in households between the two networks.

By being on ESPN, the NHL would naturally expand its viewership, and then by implementing some of the changes I lay out above which would generate more interest in the league. Combine the two and the NHL would expand its viewership due to the greater distribution, and generate more viewership with its new set up. Huge success right off the bat.

As may have noticed, I keep referring to the NHL as the problem, because again, I do not believe Hockey is the problem here.

However, how does the NHL get the attention of the World Wide Leader - ESPN.

What needs to happen is the NHL needs to change its format now while its still on Versus, which will increase its viewership on the current network. This will then allow them to keep setting records ratings on Versus, which will then allow the league to have more leverage during negotiations with ESPN.

Currently, in certain time slots where NHL used to air, ESPN now airs Bowling, which at times has generated better ratings than NHL used to. ESPN has nothing against the league, it is just airing what the viewers want - and the viewers have spoken, they don't want the NHL in its current state.

That does not mean they don't want Hockey, as shown by the Olympics.

I am not old enough to remember the 1980 Olympics, since I was not alive! However, many who were will tell you that was a sports moment that they remember exactly where they were when they heard or saw it happen. It may be the only sports moment that generates that feeling.

Think about the moments that you remember exactly where you were when they happened. Most may be tragic moments like 9/11. As for sports moments, there are not that many, and a Hockey moment may be the most common one for most Americans.

What the NHL needs to do is find a way to replicate that feeling of Olympic Hockey. The overhaul laid out above should be a decent starting point.

Lebron to LA is a Perfect Fit

2010-03-01T14:54:00.000-05:00

AOL Fanhouse: The NBA's summer of 2010 has been easy money for sportswriters, and has been for quite some time now. With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and a whole host of others being available on the free agent market at the end of this season, writing about rumors and possible combinations of which players may end up where has been the simplest way to both fill space and increase page views, all by doing nothing more than speculating on the future.
But this most recent rumor? The one from Roland Lazenby that suggests LeBron James has begun to make it known to the Lakers that they are his destination of choice next season? Now, at this very moment, things have officially gone too far.

I don't care if these rumors are true or false, I believe this would be a perfect fit for both parties involved. I don't want to break down how possible or not this is but just the idea is perfect. The Lakers have a superstar in Kobe Bryant who is nearing the end of his career. Lebron is a guy in his prime who could take over as the leader and keep this team atop the west as Kobe begins to deteriorate.

Next, the discussion has been Lebron needs to be in a big market, which I do not really agree with, however LA is the premier market in the NBA. New York can claim they are number one, but LA and even Boston are ahead of LA in my mind. As far as media coverage, yes New York may have more, but in terms of star power, which is what Lebron is going for, nothing matches LA.

Again, I am not getting into the exact detail of breaking down how this would work financially, but I do believe if there is a way, this is THE best place for Lebron to go, should he leave Cleveland, which I repeat, I don't think he should do.

Shaq Injury Is A Blessing For The Cavs

2010-03-01T14:44:00.000-05:00

SI.com INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal had surgery on his injured right thumb Monday and the Cleveland Cavaliers say he will be out up to 8 weeks.
O'Neal was examined Sunday by specialist Dr. Thomas Graham at the National Hand Center in Baltimore. Graham performed the surgery.
The recovery timeline means O'Neal may not be ready by the time the NBA playoffs start April 17. The Cavaliers acquired O'Neal last summer with an eye toward the postseason, after Dwight Howard and Orlando eliminated Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals.

O'Neal has played well for the Cavaliers, averaging 12 points and 6.7 rebounds in 53 games.
He injured the thumb Thursday at Boston when his shot was blocked by Glen "Big Baby" Davis with just over 7 minutes left in the first half.

This LSU on LSU (Big Baby and Shaq are both LSU alums) crime may be a blessing in disguise for Cleveland.

Shaq has been playing very well for the Cavs during this season and this "rest" he will now get could be pivotal to the teams success deep in the playoffs. Cleveland already has the best record in the league and should finish in the top 2 in the east with or without Shaq. However, the miles on Shaq's body would mean that by playoff time, his production may drop from what he has been doing so far this season - 12ppg, 6.7 rb and clog up the middle. When the games slow down in the playoffs, Shaq presence, along with experience is a key for the Cav's success. In addition, he is a key to their success against the Magic and their big man Dwight Howard.

Shaq missing 6-8 should help the Cavs once they get into the 2nd and 3rd round of the playoffs. He will be well rested and his body will be ready for the final month of the playoffs. He can even skip the first round when the Cavs play the 7 or 8 seed and the team will benefit from his return against the elite class of the east.

17 Days of St. Pattys Day - Day 1

2010-03-01T11:22:00.000-05:00

Ryan Miller Doing Well For Himself

2010-02-23T18:15:00.000-05:00

So now that Ryan Miller is a moderately household name due to his performance as the USA Goalie against Canada, I wanted to do some more research on him (since I am not a hockey fan and don’t know much about him). I found some good info, including that he plays for the only team that knows how to win in the city of Buffalo (and I can say that being a Bills fan). However, the best info is pictured below. Miller continues to prove that Hockey players get some high quality girls:

Carrie Underwood, Hilary Duff, Elisha Ann Cuthbert

And now here is Noureen DeWulf.

Leave me some feedback on what you think of Millers lady.

Still Bitter

2010-02-23T17:45:00.000-05:00

Never knew you could win a platinum medal? Maybe in Russia, people can pass silver for platinum?

Obviously Russian Ice Skater Evgeni Plushenko is still bitter about winning silver. He feels he was robbed. I say, if you have a problem, maybe you should reconsider being in a sport where your win is based on a subjective vote. (Wait but I love College Football?!?!).

I think we all agree he didn't deserve to win just because of one quad spin jump or whatever he did. From my untrained Ice Skating eye, he did not look as clean as Evan Lysacek.

LA Times: Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko shouldn't feel too bad about losing to Evan Lysacek -- after all, he supposedly won the first platinum medal ever awarded at the Olympic Games.

Well, that's according to Plushenko's website, which displays a mocked-up platinum medal next to the gold he won in Torino in 2006.

In other news, remember Nastia Liukin of the USA Gymnastics team that won Gold in 2008? Well see below for a reminder. She is apparently Evan Lysacek's lady. She may be 20, but she could pass for 12! Thoughts on Nastia?

2003 ALCS Hero Retires

2010-02-23T14:20:00.000-05:00

I think all sports fans remember where they were for Aaron Boone's 2003 11th inning walk off home run in game 7 of the ALCS against the Red Sox. As Yankee fans we were overjoyed, as Red Sox fans, well they thought the curse would never end (how wrong were they).

Aaron Boone will be retiring, and joining the ESPN Baseball team of analysts.

Any chance to post these pictures must never be passed up. Enjoy!

Jason Whitlock Does His Thing

2010-02-18T18:23:00.001-05:00

Here is an article Jason Whitlock posted about Tiger Woods. Read it if you would like then come back and get why I think Whitlock completely disagree with him.

First of all, why does Whitlock ALWAYS bring up race:
Armed with the supposition that this brown-skinned golfer has irreversibly harmed an attractive, blonde-haired, blue-eyed white woman, much of the sports media have turned Elin Nordegren into Natalee Holloway and reached for ratings and relevancy by traveling the route paved by Nancy Grace.

He had more racial stuff at the end of the article again twisting race into a non racial issue.

He then calls out Herm Edwards and Rick Reilly. He takes a shot at Reilly for trying to get attention from Bill Simmons fans:

ESPN killed sports journalism. It hired, overpaid and showered our best and brightest with fame, turning many of them into jig-dancing clowns unprepared to insightfully examine the sports world they allegedly cover.

What this tells me is Whitlock has his own agenda against the world wide leader. Sorry you’re at Fox sports which is not even on ESPNs radar and your articles don’t get nearly the hits that Simmons or Reilly do. Don't accuse others of an agenda when you obviously have your own.

Moving on to the actual point of this article which I don’t know if it was just a way to deliver his own racial agenda as always.
For me this is not about the fact that everyone does this so it's not as big a deal. He brings up what Phelps did along with other athletes. I think we all get that many athletes cheat, but people are held to different standards given where they are in the hierarchy of life. The Vice President can get away with more than the President. I can get away with more than my boss, who can get away with more than our CEO.
Tiger was THE (and will still be but has lost ground) top athlete in the world. He makes it seem like WE ARE CRAZY for being outraged. Well, no we are not because Tiger created this image for himself. I wouldn’t be as shocked if this was John Daly. Tiger did this to himself by creating an image that was completely not who he is, then getting to the top of the mountain where his expectations are greater and then showing the world that his image was a fraud. That is what happened.

Please don't insult me by bringing in the fact that Mick Jagger bedded so many people as a comparison. Mick Jaggers IMAGE is on that concept along with being a singer. He is a rock star, that’s what makes them who they are. They have different standards. Tiger was (made himself look it to us at least) a clean cut family man with kids dedicated to his sport. I think the only part of that that was true was the dedicated to his sport aspect.
He says this:
We're outraged and stunned that Tiger has had a dozen alleged affairs. The typical rock or movie star is laughing and/or questioning Tiger's sexuality if the golfer limited himself to a number below 50 since marriage and 500 in his post-puberty lifetime.
Don’t make me feel bad for how I perceive Tiger now after what HE did. This is the truth now and we were lied to for 14 years, not vice versa. His fans are the victims here don’t make it seem like TIGER is the victim just because others do this so it's ok.

Just because others do it doesn’t make it right. Again Tiger has higher standards than the regular man or the regular athlete for that matter.

John Saley is quoted in this..JOHN FREAKING SALEY "You play golf to drink with your boys, smoke cigars and talk about (sex)," former NBA player John Salley told me Wednesday. "And now we're surprised that a golfer was having sex. We think Tiger is the only one. Why are we treating Tiger like he's elected to public office? He plays golf, man."

Tiger likes to keep a distance from rest of the tour players because he doesn’t want to let them feel like he is one of them. He wants them to fear him because he is above him. Well if you want be perceived as being greater than the rest, act like it. What Whitlock is doing here is making him seem like he is just another man, when we know Tiger's goal was not to be - JUST ANOTHER MAN - although he proved to be just that.

Whitlock also states: Somehow we think our job is to uphold the myths, protect the squeaky image of the games and trash the competitors whose failings (steroids) show the public what the games truly are (a staged performance for profit).

Once again, Tiger created his own squeaky clean image. I know, and we all know that these people are just men who all do "wrong" things and make mistakes. However this backlash is Tiger Wood's fault. He created his "false" image and he, Tiger Wood's failed his image. He lied to us.

Julia Mancuso

2010-02-18T12:23:00.000-05:00

Who's Hotter: Lindsey Vonn vs. Julia Mancuso

2010-02-18T12:07:00.000-05:00

So last night these two ladies place 1 and 2 in the downhill skiing. The interaction between the two seemed chilled at best. I really don't think Julia likes Lindsey very much and seemed bitter to me. They have been skiing against each other and it seems like Lindsey always wins, which is not good for Julia's ego, and we all know that girls can be very catty. Well I think Julia has one thing going for her over Lindsey and that is, she is hotter.

What do you think....VOTE ON THE SIDE BAR

JULIA

LINDSEY:

Duke Lacross Accuser Has Her Own Issues

2010-02-18T11:45:00.000-05:00

The Daily Caller: Durham police arrested Duke lacrosse accuser Crystal Gale Mangum, 33, late Wednesday after she allegedly assaulted her boyfriend, set his clothes on fire in a bathtub and threatened to stab him.

Authorities charged her with attempted first-degree murder, five counts of arson, assault and battery, communicating threats, three counts of misdemeanor child abuse, injury to personal property, identity theft and resisting a public officer.

Full story: Duke lacrosse accuser charged with attempted murder, arson :: WRAL.com

More evidence (as if we needed anymore) that Ms. Mangum has a questionable character, and that her accusations against the Duke Lacrosse team were false. If you need more evidence to prove that they were indeed false, you should read "It's Not About The Truth" which is co- written by the former coach of the Duke Team.

In the early hours of March 14, 2006, a group of Duke University lacrosse players got in an altercation with two strippers they hired for a party; afterwards, one of the strippers placed a call to 911 that set off a campus-shaking rape case that would captivate the national media. A number of parties, including District Attorney Mike Nifong, lined up to characterize the defendants as "a bunch of hooligans" before charges against the three indicted players were finally dropped, half a year later. In this riveting book, sports author Yaeger (Turning the Tide) and Mike Pressler, then-head coach of the Duke lacrosse team, present a fast-moving account of the 13 months that tore apart the university and the town. Looking at all aspects of the case, including Durham's troubled racial history and profiles of the Nifong and Duke president Richard Brodhead, Pressler and Yaeger find plenty of blame to spread around-including the "self-perpetuating monster" of media coverage, the university administration that took "some of the worst actions...against the Duke lacrosse team"-but Pressler, the tale's sacrificial lamb, avoids a bitter or accusatory stance. Instead he adds color and insight to Yaeger's rigorous, efficient investigation; for anyone who got caught up in the story, this is a must-read.

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bill Plaschke vs. Lindsey Jacobellis

2010-02-17T15:42:00.000-05:00

LA Times: Remember how four years ago in Turin, Italy, Jacobellis blew a gold medal when she attempted a trick on her final jump, eating snow and finishing second? Remember how she was criticized for putting snowboard style ahead of gold-medal substance?
Well, on Tuesday, she finished with another trick, clutching her board during the final jump of her disqualified run, finishing her eventually fifth-place Olympic performance with something called a "truck-driver grab."

What Lindsey did this year is not the same as in 2006. This year she had already lost and was just coming down the course on her own and figured she would just have some fun. She was already out of the running for a medal.

“I was just having fun,” she said. “Since everyone was waiting for me to come down, they’d be watching, so I figured I’d have some fun and show them I still have a deep passion for the sport.
“It’s unfortunate the rest of the world only sees this race and four years ago. So I don’t have a great track record for the general public.”

This below is from 2006 when she was in the lead for the gold medal and did this:

After the semifinals, unlike virtually every other Olympian in the world who has just competed in a medal event, she walked past several dozen media members waiting and shouting for her in the snow beyond the finish line.
Not only didn't she stop, she didn't even look, pointedly walking away from the kinds of folks who ripped her four years ago, folks who she believes will never understand the culture of her game.

Officials from the U.S. Olympic Committee, who refreshingly demand accountability from their athletes, coaxed her back into a news conference, but it wasn't easy.
"I found all my friends and family. . . . I was anxious to go see them. . . . I had the doping control. . . . I kind of wanted to get all that done with," Jacobellis explained of her media snub, even though she could have finished her mandated interview in five minutes.

In its 12th year at the Olympics, snowboarding continues to grow in ways we never imagined. It is now officially a bratty kid who is convinced we will never understand it.

Plaschke goes on to say: If you're the best snowboard cross racer in the world, the real trick here is to turn that ride into gold. It is the one trick Lindsey Jacobellis has not yet figured out.

What is his problem with this girl. She messed up in 2006 (her own fault) and fell in 2010, both years as the favorite. Why does Bill feel the need to grill her. Would it make him feel better if she spoke to the media right away? He attacks both her and the sport in this article. Is his issue with the sport of snowboarding or with Lindsey for snubbing the media?

“I feel OK, though,” Jacobellis said. “Sometimes you can’t control the things you want to.”

As opposed to 2006, she didn’t try to make any excuses. At first, after the Turin Games, she said she grabbed the board to stabilize herself. Eventually, she admit to styling, and then she started to cry. She made a mistake back then and didn't make the same mistake again. I guess Plaschke doesn't see it that way.

Watching that makes me, and probably most fans really like this girl. She seems like a cute, fun girl who is also a great snowboarder. Also makes me feel for her even more and the way she suffered defeat yesterday.

These are US Athletes, they are not getting paid for their participation in these games and they are out there on the world stage. In my opinion, these 2 weeks we should just support them and cheer them on.

Other than not winning, or even placing, Lindsey Jacobellis did not do anything in these 2010 Olympic games to get criticized this way.

Lindsey is in black on the left.

Not To Beat A Dead Horse But...

2010-02-17T11:35:00.000-05:00

Mr. Kerry J. Byrne has written a great article to prove by Manning is not the greatest, and may be far from it, quarterback of all time.

Link:

One interesting bit from the article linked above:
5

That’s the number of times in the past eight seasons that Manning has played with a defense that ranked in the top eight in scoring. The Colts were No. 8 in the NFL in scoring defense in 2009. The Saints, for their part, ranked No. 20 in scoring defense.

The 2005 Colts ranked No. 1 in scoring defense; the 2007 Colts ranked No. 1 in scoring defense. Neither team won a playoff game.

But blaming the defense is the old crutch of the excuse-makers. For example, you probably didn’t know that Dan Marino twice played with the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL. It doesn’t fit the storyline of the heroic gunslinger victimized by the bad defense.

Same goes for Manning: Noting that he’s spent half his career playing with a Super Bowl champion-caliber defense doesn’t fit the storyline.

This Is How They Stretch In China

2010-02-16T12:23:00.000-05:00

If this is how they win the gold then more power to them.

You may need to watch this a few times so you can focus on her first, then on him.

JoePa Without Glasses?

2010-02-12T13:22:00.000-05:00

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State coach Joe Paterno may not need his trademark thick-rimmed glasses any more.

A team spokesman said Thursday the 83-year-old Hall of Famer had vision surgery last month after the Capital One Bowl.

JoePa attended a medical charity function earlier Thursday. He told Fight On State, a Web site that covers Penn State football, that he had been having trouble reading the last six months, so he visited a Philadelphia eye doctor he had known for decades.

Paterno says he still feels funny without glasses, so he had a set made with similar frames but much thinner lenses. He wore those glasses to the charity event.

Paterno had long been known for pacing the sideline during games wearing rolled-up khakis and his smoky, Coke bottle-thick glasses.

Joe Paterno better make sure to get the same glasses with thinner lenses if that is necessary. He cannot, after 50+ years roam the sideline with a different look. He got to where he is with glasses and as a fan, I will not be able to live with Joe Paterno sans glasses. I will blame every loss, every bad thing that happens to the program after this change on the change itself.

From what I gather, Joe will get glasses that are thinner becuase he feels funny with out any glasses so thank God for that.

Bear Bryant and his houndstooth hat, Red Auerbach and his Cigar, Tom Landry and his Fedora, Joe Paterno and his glasses, just a few of them memorable pictures sports fans have etched in their brains.

You never change a good thing!

Douglas Beats Tyson Anniversary

2010-02-11T18:20:00.000-05:00

Today marks 20 years since Tyson lost to James Buster Douglas. I recall sitting on the floor watching this match and being so upset that Iron Mike Tyson was going down to a virtual unknown. This to me has to be one of the greatest upsets of all time (VOTE FOR YOURS ABOVE) along with the beginning of 2 men who fell fast, and hard after this match.

Douglas was a 42-1 underdog and only 1 sports book took the bet in vegas. Jeremy Scaap of ESPN posted a great article disputing some myths about this fight, along with a great clip about where Douglas went after that fight and his fall from grace.

Check out the Schaap article linked above and here is the video from ESPN:

Here is another clip from ESPN classic last month:

Big Ten Plus Texas = Domination

2010-02-11T17:30:00.003-05:00

A source with ties to the Big Ten said that while most people’s attention has been trained on the conference stealing Missouri, the Big Ten has engaged in “preliminary exchanges” with a much bigger fish from the Big 12.
“There have been preliminary exchanges between the Big Ten and Texas,” the source told the Journal-World on Wednesday. “People will deny that, but it’s accurate.”

This is potentially huge news and would make the Big Ten even more powerful than it currently is. The Big Ten is already the most powerful major football conference based on its school's enrollment, its stadiums, and its biggest fan bases in the country, and having the most winningest programs in the country.

The addition of Texas would give the Big Ten 2 of the top 3 most profitable programs, and 6 overall in the top 20. With Michigan currently sitting at 11, and its stadium expansion underway, Michigan will be back in the top 10 giving the Big Ten 3 in the top ten, and with Texas that would be 4.

The current Forbes list of most profitable college football programs looks like this as of 12.31.2009:

1. Texas Longhorns

Team Value: $119 million
Profit: $59 million

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Team Value: $108 million
Profit: $38 million

3. Pennsylvania State Nittany Lions
Team Value: $99 million
Profit: $50 million

4. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Team Value: $93 million
Profit: $49 million

5. Alabama Crimson Tide
Team Value: $92 million
Profit: $38 million

6. Florida Gators
Team Value: $88 million
Profit: $41 million

7. Louisiana State Tigers
Team Value: $86 million
Profit: $39 million

8. Ohio State Buckeyes
Team Value: $85 million
Profit: $36 million

9. Georgia Bulldogs
Team Value: $84 million
Profit: $45 million

10. Oklahoma Sooners
Team Value: $83 million
Profit: $40 million

11. Michigan Wolverines
Team Value: $81 million
Profit: $34 million

12. South Carolina Gamecocks
Team Value: $80 million
Profit: $37 million

13. Tennessee Volunteers
Team Value: $78 million
Profit: $29 million

14. Auburn Tigers
Team Value: $70 million
Profit: $30 million

15. Southern California Trojans
Team Value: $68 million
Profit: $33 million

16. Michigan State Spartans
Team Value: $57 million
Profit: $28 million

17. Arkansas Razorbacks
Team Value: $56 million
Profit: $20 million

18. Texas A&M Aggies
Team Value: $52 million
Profit: $22 million

19. Wisconsin Badgers
Team Value: $48 million
Profit: $17 million

20. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Team Value: $47 million
Profit: $18 million

As for winningest programs as of 1.24.2010:

1. Michigan: 877-304-38

2. Texas: 845-321-34

3. Notre Dame: 837-291-42

4. Nebraska: 837-341-41

5. Ohio State: 819-308-53

6. Alabama: 813-316-43

7. Penn State 812-351-43

8. Oklahoma: 796-305-53

9. Tennessee: 783-333-55

10. USC: 774-307-54

The Big Ten has 3 of the top ten, which is tied with the Big 12 for most teams in the top 10. The addition of Texas would give the Big Ten the top 2, with 3 in the top 5, greatly shifting the power towards the Big Ten, where as currently its pretty even.
People may think that Texas does not make sense due to location, but as the article states above (link) location is no longer an issue like it was back when these conferences were set up as travel is no longer a problem.

Austin, Texas airport is one of the top 50 busiest in the country, ahead of every airport that a Big Ten school is near, except for Chicago which is right near Northwestern. Austin Airport is on par with Pittsburgh National Airport; just as an example of another major city that is on the same level, obviously Pitt is a Big East school.

This move would also open up Big Ten recruiting to an entirely new region giving the Big Ten the state of Texas, along with surrounding state that Texas has pull in like Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Kansas, Colorado, and several more as Texas is a national program. It would cause every school in the Big Ten to get better players, which means better football programs, which leads to the best conference.

Texas in the Big Ten would also create the most intriguing match ups in the country, and still allow for a Texas Oklahoma match up. Think about the games you would get on national TV with:

Texas, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin etc...

Even Notre Dame could join in the fun with these match ups as they regularly play Big Ten schools.

This would also create a domino effect throughout the College Football world. The Big 12 would need to go after another school. Would that be TCU in Texas? Maybe Boise State? Would they go after Arkansas, which would then affect the SEC.

Although Pitt, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Syracuse or Missouri make the most sense for the Big Ten, Texas would be the most powerful move. As a Big Ten fan, I am all for this move and hope it goes through.