Sunday, December 23, 2007

If the BCS Is So Great ....

My first comeback to someone who defends the BCS is "if it is so great, then why are they the only sport to have a setup like that?"  Usually I get no answer. 

In leu of that, I'm gonna set up the NFL postseason the same sort of way:

SUPER BOWL (Glendale, AZ):  Patriots vs Colts
HOME DEPOT BOWL (Atlanta):  Cowboys vs Packers
SPRINT BOWL (Pasadena):  Jaguars vs Chargers
FED EX BOWL (Miami):  Redskins vs Buccaneers
ELECTRONIC ARTS BOWL (Houston):  Steelers vs Seahawks
REEBOK BOWL (San Diego):  Giants vs Titans

Sunday, December 16, 2007

2007 Was The Worst Sports Year EVER!!!!

               

It is fitting that the end of 2007 saw the Mitchell Report bring on a firestorm of roided up players.  This has been a really bad sports year all the way around ... and may be known as the Year Or The Roid.  Look at the bad crap that happened this year:

*Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's record and everyone felt dirty by it.

*Barry Bonds gets indicted by the Feds for lying to 'em.

*Super Bowl XLI was played in a soggy Dolphins Stadium ... most likely the worst conditions ever in a Super Bowl.

*The NBA Finals?  A 4-game sweep.

*The World Series?  A 4-game sweep.

*The BCS Championship game?  Florida blew out Ohio State

*The Final Four?  Florida soundly beat Ohio State.

*With all the doping in the Tour de France, did anyone actually finish the race?

*Sean Taylor was murdered.

*The only big NFL story (that could be considered good) is the New England Patriots quest for perfection.  Yet, they are stained by SpyGate, fair or not. 

*Michael Vick's life explodes when he pleads guilty to dog fighting.  Not only did it ruing the career of one of the NFL's most marketable stars, the details of the case were troubling and gruesome ... and opened up a can or worms for this underground culture that involves athletes.

*The New York Knicks suck on the court ... and in the court. 

*NBA official Tim Donaghy is charged with betting on ... and possibly fixing ... NBA games.

*Wrestler Chris Benoit kills his family ... then himself.

*NCAA Football has about 8 teams that may deserve a shot at a national championship ... but only two will get a chance to prove it.  And one isn't the only undefeated team out there (Hawaii)

*Marion Jones must give back medals after her doping surfaced.

*The NFL's much hyped trip to London was a dud.

*The Don Imus v Rutgers women's hoops team deal.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Should the NFL Have "Rivalry Games"?

There are rivalry games in NCAA football between regional teams who aren't conference affliated.  So why not do that in the NFL?

I know, I know ... the NFL has a pretty sweet scheduling system now and yada, yada, yada.  I agree with you that the logistics would kinda suck.  But let's do it just for fun:

Redskins-Ravens:  You gotta have the battle of the Beltway.

Giants-Jets:  Maybe they could play for a Big Apple Trophy or something.

Cowboys-Texans:  Two franchise who share the same state and little else.

Eagles-Steelers:  We can call this the STEAGLES GAME after their brief merger during WWII

Buccaneers-Jaguars:  Jags get the nod over the Dolphins because of the northern Florida thing.  Can we get them to play in Orlando?

Rams-Chiefs:  Show Me a better game!

Niners-Raiders:  The Bay Area Classic may one day actually be one.

Cardinals-Chargers:  The two Southwestern teams get to tangle.

Bears-Colts:  Not just because of the whole Super Bowl XLI thing, though it helps. 

Panthers-Titans:  As I drive through the Great Smokies, I get to hear both Carolina and Tennessee games on the radio.  That's all I got.

Lions-Browns:  It could be a bit catchy.

Falcons-Dolphins:  The Second Biggest Outdoor Cocktail Party, this is not.

Seahawks-Broncos:  Okay, not much here ... but someones gotta join these two pieces together

All that leaves the Packers, Saints, Vikings, Patriots, Bills and Bengals as outsiders.  So ... let's just do this:

Packers-Patriots:  Packers represent the old time greatness of a franchise;  the Patriots represent the nu skool of that.

Saints-Bengals:  If you think about it, it does make sense.  Both are the laughingstock of their conferences over the past two decades.  And they can have fights over WHO DEY and WHO DAT.

Vikings-Bills:  Um ... and there you have it!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Ha Ha! You Stupid BCS Backers

I've always said on this blog that the BCS is a joke.  The BCS works just fine when teams are undefeated.  But what happens when #1 and #2 lose at season's end?  What happens when the Big XII and SEC champion are ranked LOWER than teams that didn't even make those conferences championship games? 

PLAYOFFS!

Okay, my playoff formula would look like this:

ACC:  Virginia Tech
Big East:  West Virginia
Big XII:  Oklahoma
Big Ten:  Ohio State
Pac-10:  Southern Cal
SEC:  LSU

There are six teams.  The best non-BCS school gets it in my playoffs ... which would be Hawaii.  Then, five at large teams:  Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Florida and Arizona State.

12-Arizona State at 5-Virginia Tech (11:30p)
10-Hawaii at 7-Oklahoma (3p)
9-West Virginia at 8-Missouri (6:30pm)
11-Florida at 6-USC (10pm)

1-Ohio State vs Missouri/West Virginia winner in Columbus, OH
4-LSU vs Virginia Tech/Arizona State winner in Baton Rouge, LA
3-Kansas vs USC/Florida winner at Lawrence, KS
2-Georgia vs Oklahoma/Hawaii winner in Athens, GA

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Greatest Coaching Press Conferences Ever

Dennis Green's "The Bears Were Who We Thought They Were" speech

Jim Mora's "Playoffs" speech.

Mike Gundy's "I'm forty" speech

Hal McRae Tearing Up His Office

John Chaney's "I'll kill ya!" rant

John L. Smith walking off the field

Jim Boeheim defending Gerry McNamara.  "Not 10 f'n games!"

Friday, November 16, 2007

R.I.P. Joe Nuxhall

                                      Joe Nuxhall

CINCINNATI -- Joe Nuxhall, who was the youngest player in major league history and the beloved "old left-hander" on Cincinnati Reds radio broadcasts, died overnight following a bout with cancer, the team said Friday. He was 79.

Nuxhall's health problems multiplied in recent years but couldn't keep him away from the game or the broadcast booth for long. He had surgery for prostate cancer in 1992, followed by a mild heart attack in 2001.

The cancer returned last February, when Nuxhall was preparing for the Reds' spring training in Sarasota, Fla. The broadcaster called some games last season even though his left leg was swollen by tumors. He was hospitalized again this week.

He retired as a full-time radio broadcaster after the 2004 season, the 60th anniversary of his historic pitching debut.

Nuxhall and play-by-play announcer Marty Brennaman described the Big Red Machine's two World Series titles in the 1970s, Pete Rose's return as player-manager and then banishment for gambling in the 1980s, and another World Series championship in 1990.

Nuxhall's place in baseball lore was secured the moment he stepped onto a big-league field. With major league rosters depleted during World War II, he got a chance to pitch inrelief for the Reds on June 10, 1944.

No one in modern baseball history has played in the majors at such a young age -- 15 years, 10 months, 11 days old. He got two outs against St. Louis before losing his composure, then went eight years before pitching for the Reds again.

"When you think of all the individuals that played at the major league level and you're the youngest in the history of the game and in the Guinness Book of Records, it does make you in awe of it," Nuxhall said on the 50th anniversary of his debut.

He got the chance purely by chance.

Nuxhall grew up in nearby Hamilton, Ohio, and was still too young to shave when the Reds were looking for wartime replacement players. They came to see his father, Orville, who pitched in a Sunday league in Hamilton.

"My dad could throw hard," Nuxhall said. "They were really scouting him. Almost by accident, they found me."

Nuxhall was big for his age -- 6-foot-3, around 190 pounds -- and could throw 85 mph. The Reds offered a contract, and Nuxhall's parents let him join the team when junior high classes let out in 1944.

He spent most of the time watching from the bench, assuming he'd never get into a game. The Reds were trailing Stan Musial's St. Louis Cardinals 13-0 after eight innings on June 10, 1944, when manager Bill McKechnie decided to give the kid a chance.

Nuxhall was so rattled when summoned to warm up that he tripped on the top step of the dugout and fell on his face in front of 3,510 fans at Crosley Field. He was terrified when it came time to walk to the mound.

"Probably two weeks prior to that, I was pitching against seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders, kids 13 and 14 years old," he said. "All of a sudden, I look up and there's Stan Musial and the likes. It was a very scary situation."

Nuxhall walked one and retired two batters before glancing at the on-deck circle and seeing Musial. Nuxhall unraveled -- Musial got a line-drive single, and the Cardinals scored five runs as the young pitcher lost his ability to throw a strike and failed to get another out.

"Those people that were at Crosley Field that afternoon probably said, 'Well, that's the last we'll see of that kid,"' Nuxhall said.

The Reds sent him to the minors. Eight years later, he was back with the Reds, picking up on a career that eventually got him into the team's Hall of Fame. He spent 15 of his 16 big-league seasons with the Reds, going 135-117 before his retirement in 1966.

A year later, Nuxhall started doing radio broadcasts, describing games in a slow-paced, down-home manner that caught on with listeners. Brennaman became the play-by-play announcer in 1974, and the "Marty and Joe" tandem spent the next 28 seasons chatting about their golf games, their gardens and some of the biggest moments in franchise history.

Brennaman made the broadcasters' wing of baseball's Hall of Fame with his blunt, outspoken style; Nuxhall rarely produced controversy with his folksy manner.

They had one high-profile moment together. Both were summoned to commissioner Bart Giamatti's office in 1988 because of their on-air comments after Rose bumped umpire Dave Pallone and was ejected. Angry fans threw debris on the field for 15 minutes as Brennaman harshly criticized the umpire.

Nuxhall became more critical as his broadcasting career wound down. He created a stir in 2001 by suggesting on the air that Barry Larkin was no longer capable of playing shortstop. Larkin, the team captain at the time, replied that he was hampered by injuries.

Just as Brennaman is known for his "This one belongs to the Reds" proclamation after a win, Nuxhall developed a signature signoff. He concluded postgame interviews by saying, "This is the old left-hander, rounding third and heading for home," a saying that is illuminated across the top of the Reds' administration building.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Calling the Bengals' Shots

          

I'd like to take this time to give a shout out to those who think I'm an idiot for things I say. No, I don't get everything correct, but I did peg this Bengals season thus far. Not all these things are a direct blast at me. So, let's take a gander at some of the criticism I've received.

From Cincy Jungle about me asking if it was too late to save the season:

Sportz Assassin -- I can't tell you how much I love fictitious names from those that provide commentary and opinion -- wonders if it's too late to save the season? Let's get one thing out of the way. We're heading into week #4. It's early.

I understand SA's points. But the first three games is hardly a forecast for this team. Not because we're heading into week four. This team just has several things not going their way. Additionally, the other lesser-known weapons will return and the soften schedule in the second half, will gain confidence and a rhythm. As long as the Bengals can weather the storm in the first half of the season, I really believe they'll make a great run for a wild card spot. I ain't giving up yet.

Some of his reasoning was health, schedule, cohesiveness and wildcard. I did agree with the schedule and wildcard ... but they've since gone out the window. I hate the health and cohesiveness issues since all 32 NFL teams have some sort of problems at those points. Even the might Patriots and Colts have been hit by these things.

Over at the Bengals Brigade, I was taken to task about if Rudi Johnson's job was in trouble. Oh, and I asked that in July:

He says that the drafting of Kenny Irons could mean that Rudi would be the secondary back in a shared backfield. Yes, Rudi's yards per carry were down last year but I think some of that was due to the line getting used to playing together.

The Bengals will still need Rudi as a workhorse and I believe he can play even better this year. By the way, I noticed a comment on the Sportz Assassin's website from someone who said the only people needing to worry about their job were Chris Perry and the Sportz Assassin.


I'm still here and Rudi's job is being questioned. Sure, it isn't Irons that is doing that [he blew out his knee in the preseason] but Rudi's injury opened the door wide open for Kenny Watson, who is taking advantage of it. Watson, like Irons, gives the Bengals the opportunity to break off a big run ... something Johnson hasn't been able to do. In fact, the Brigade later admits "the offense seems to be running ok and if Kenny Watson can continue to play well the rest of the season, he only makes them more dangerous."

Even on my own blogging, I get taken to task. During my
water cooler chat over a month ago with Bengals fans, I asked if Chad Johnson should be dangled as trade bait for some defensive help.

William: No way!!! Chad and TJ are essentially the franchise ... along with Carson [Palmer] and Rudi [Johnson]. Next year the rookies and free agents will have a little more experience. The Bengals must recruit better proven defensive players.

Tom: Chad and TJ are Cincy icons (like Pete Rose). They won't deal Chad 'cause he puts the 'flash' on the 'stripes'. They won't drop TJ until his contract is up and he asks for what he's worth. And no defensive player worth his salt would play for a team notorious for being soft.


Boy, has this taken an about-face. Both are now more willing to deal Ocho Cinco [as are more local Bengals fans that would care to admit] and the boo-birds have rained down a bit.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Never Mind The Colts-Pats ... What a Week 9!

This was a wild Week 9 in the NFL.  Wild!

*Okay, the Pats beat the Colts, meaning that New England still roams with a 9-0 record and has won AT Indianapolis and AT Dallas ... the two "other" best teams in the NFL.  Looks like 16-0 is a possibility. 

*Two records were broken in the Chargers-Vikings game.  First one was the Bolts' Antonio Cromartie returning a missed FG attempt for a 109 yard TD.  There can never be a longer play in NFL history ... unless they screw with the field.  And that was about 109 yards, 2 feet and 11 inches.  Dude caught the thing as it went just inches from hitting the crossbar. 

Next one was the 296 rushing yards from Adrian Peterson ... an NFL record.  He's only really been named the absolute starter for three weeks or so and he's already breaking NFL records.  He has played just 8 NFL games and is already over 1,000 yards!

*Do you want an NFL quarterback?  Wait.  Look at the top passers of yesterday:  Tony Romo, Matt Hasselbeck, Tom Brady, Brett Favre and Jon Kitna.  All weren't really big time draft picks.  Drew Brees trumped them all ... but was a free agent because the Chargers dealt for high pick Philip Rivers.

*The Bengals are sitting at 2-6.  Who woulda thunk it?  Or that Chad Johnson's mouth would've led him to getting smacked by an opposing safety?  Okay, that was a bit more expected.

*The NFC flexed their muscle this week.  The Vikings crushed the Chargers; Packers slid by the Chiefs;  The Lions blew out the Broncos; Saints rolled over the Jaguars.  All those were matchups against teams fighting for playoff berths ... and the AFC's best shot was the Amazin' Browns popping Seattle in overtime.

*Speaking of the Browns, they are 5-3.  Yes ... they are 5-3!

*The Redskins won their 2nd overtime game this season.  The wins:  over the Dolphins and Jets ... a combined 1-16.  Still, they are 5-3 and entering a huge NFC East weekend.  The five wins match Washington's total from last year.

*We all have confirmation that David Carr sucks.  Steve Smith fantasy owners might go over to Carr's home and talk him into a GQ career.  I mean, dude spends more time with his hair and tidy gloves than he does seeing what's going on.  Since Vinny Testerverde isn't playing ... see what Drew Bledsoe, Jeff George, Tim Couch or John Elway are doing.

*It was interesting that the week that had the battle of the unbeatens also featured a bye for both of the league's winless teams.

*Every week goes by and Marty Schottenheimer's free agency value goes up.  Good call San Diego in canning him and bringing Norv Turner in.  The Chargers gave up over 550 yards to a team that was quarterbacked by Tavares Jackson and Brooks Bollinger yesterday and had a rookie running back. 

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Navy Beats Notre Dame: Fire Charlie

       

Navy beat Notre Dame yesterday for the first time since 1963 when Roger Staubach was running things for the Naval Academy.  The next 43 years saw 43 losses for Navy ... which was the longest dominance a team had over another.

Well, that's over.

Navy beat Notre Dame, 46-44 ... at Notre Dame Stadium ... ending that run.

Notre Dame is now 1-8.  They've lost for the first time to Navy since 1963.  They've lost five games at home ... the most in program history.  They lost to USC, 38-0, a few weeks back. 

Good thing he's not Ty Willingham or he'd be gone.  No wonder Urban Meyer wanted no part of this.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Agent Zero Pounds Kobe

              

Gilbert Arenas is a different cat.  That's why he has the stones to say this to SI.com:

"I don't understand that . I don't understand a player like him sometimes.''

"One, you want to get traded because you don't like your team, you don't think your team's good enough.  But any team you go to, they're going to have to get rid of a whole bunch of players for you, which basically puts you back in the same situation -- just in a
different city. I don't know how a player doesn't see that. If he just doesn't like the organization, then I understand that. But you hear the Chicago rumors: If they had to get rid of Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, [Andres] Nocioni -- that's your whole nucleus. Now you're stuck with Kirk Hinrich, you, Joe Smith, 'Kim Noah, Ben Wallace. That's great defense, but offensively you're going to be doing the same thing you were doing before."

"So it's like your situation is not changing. Unless somebody's going to trade you a one-for-one player, he's not going to be in a happy situation there either."

"I've never seen [Michael] Jordan act like that. I didn't even see AI [Allen Iverson], when he was going through them bad days, you know? They were always talking about trading him, and he was like, 'If they trade me, they trade me; if they don't, they don't; but this is my city.' And I don't understand how Kobe doesn't feel that about L.A. --
it's his city.''

"With the Lakers, he's always going to have the opportunity to attract players. A free agent is willing to go to a Laker uniform. Everybody wants to go to L.A. -- KG would want to go there.  Jason Kidd would want to go there. Jason Kidd is up next season, right? He's a free agent [in 2009]. Why don't you wait? Maybe he'll just come over there. You never know.''

Famous Chicks Who Were NFL Cheerleaders

                     

In doing some research for The Fanhouse, I stumbled upon a list of NFL cheerleaders who when on to bigger, better things.  Enjoy.

Teri Hatcher [actress]:  49ers
Lisa Guerrero [sports reporter]:  Rams
Jenilee Harrison [actress, Three's Company]:  Rams
Tiffany Fallon [2005 Playmate of the Year]:  Falcons
Stacy Keibler [WWE]:  Ravens
Charisma Carpenter [actress, Buffy]:  Chargers
Sarah Shahi [actress, L Word]:  Cowboys
Jill Marie Jones [actress, Girlfriends]:  Cowboys
Kristin Holt [TV personality, G4's Cheat! and Poker Night]:  Cowboys
Kiana Tom [fitness shows]:  Raiders
Tatiana Anderson [Fitness host]:  Broncos
Anjelah Johnson [comedienne]:  Raiders
Kristianna Nichols [1992 Mrs. America]:  Redskins

By the way, didja know:

*Buffalo's cheerleaders are called the "Buffalo Jills"?
*New Orleans are called the "Saintsations"

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Choose Your Own Adventure ... A-Rod Edition

Alex Rodriguez

As a blogger for the Fanhouse, I get to be part of some of the best group of sports bloggers on the internets and privy to the behind the scenes of how they do what they do.

One of the finest blog readings I've come across is this:  Choose Your Own Rodventure: The Saga of Alex Rodriguez - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

If you are over the age of 25, you remember those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books.  You had a story, read a few pages, then a fork in the road comes up and you must choose to take one path or the other.  You then go to the page of the choice you picked and continue on to the story and come upon another decision.  And so on.

Please, read the link above, as it is the same sort of deal.  You choose Alex Rodriguez's adventure through free agency.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Sportz' Halloween Ideas

Bengals owner Mike Brown [left] can go as comedian Don Rickles.

Lakers owner Dr Jerry Buss [left] can go as Rip Taylor.

Knicks center Zach Randolph [left] could go as Eddie Winslow from Urkel.

Monday, October 29, 2007

In Wake Of San Diego Fires ... Why Isn't the NFL Prepared?

While the fires in Southern California were raging ... in a non-important issue that arose was where the San Diego Chargers were to play their home game.  Arizona?  Texas?  Los Angeles?  Where?

What entered into my mind was the fact that the question was asked at all.  Why aren't there plans in place in every NFL city to be able to move a game for whatever reason.  Any reason at all.  Why doesn't a nearby city or stadium have an "emergency NFL kit" to host these games in an emergency.

Two years ago, the horrifying events of Hurricane Katrina forced the New Orleans Saints to move their home games to East Rutherford, NJ ... Baton Rouge, LA ... and San Antonio, TX.  Again, I know that football isn't the most important subject, but the discussion of what is to happen to them would be limited if there was already a city that was ready to roll if something happened to their own venue.

Dolphins, Jaguars, Buccaneers:  The three Florida teams should all have some sort of deal with either Orlando's Citrus Bowl or share each other's stadiums.  There is also the home stadiums of Florida, Florida State or U of Miami.  Have something ready.

Bears:  Da Bears went down to Champaign when Soldier Field was being renovated.  I'm sure they'd be willing to host again in a pinch.

Giants, Jets:  Maybe down to Philadelphia? 

Patriots:  Head up to BC's stadium up on Chestnut Hill.

Vikings:  This is a tough one since there really isn't anywhere to go.  Maybe down south to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa?

Packers:  Miller Park in Milwaukee could house a football field, right?  If not there, then Madison, WI.

Saints:  We've already seen that Baton Rouge did a good job hosting N'Awlins.  If not there, than San Antonio is still there. 

Cowboys, Texans:  Sure, once the new Texas Stadium is built ... these two stadiums will look indestructable.  However, the Alamodome in San Antonio would be available or any of the big colleges [Texas, Texas A&M, Rice Stadium] would be fitting.  Heck, there may be some high schools with big enough stadiums.

Redskins, Ravens:  These two, I'm sure, could share their stadium if something horrible happened.  However, if both are being used that Sunday ... RFK is still standing there ready to roll. 

Steelers:  How about traveling up to Penn State?

Eagles:  They could go down to Baltimore or up to East Rutherford.

Bills:  Maybe travel over to Syracuse?

Bengals, Browns:  How about Ohio Stadium in Columbus? 

Panthers:  Carolina could move their games back to Clemson [where they played their inagural games], Raleigh's Carter-Finley Stadium or down to Columbia, SC. 

Titans:  If they gotta get out of Nashville, I'm sure that they could go to Knoxville and "borrow" their crib for a moment.  If not there ... then maybe Memphis' Liberty Bowl.

Lions:  Head over to The Big House in Ann Arbor.  Oh, here is a question out of ignorance:  is the Silverdome still there?

Broncos:  Well, Colorado State could host them. 

Seahawks:  If Qwest Field is down ... then Husky Stadium for UW would be a match made in heaven ... just like it was before Qwest was born.

Rams, Chiefs:  These guys could share stadiums with each other in a pinch.  If they are already booked ... them maybe Lincoln, NE? 

Colts:  They could head up to Notre Dame Stadium ... Purdue ... Bloomington.

Niners, Raiders:  Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto ... just as they had to after the 1989 earthquake.

Cardinals:  Sun Devil Stadium is still there.  So is Chase Field.  Or they could travel down to Tuscon.

Chargers:  Wouldn't the Rose Bowl or LA Coliseum be open?

Falcons:  If the Georgia Dome is down, maybe they could play between the hedges at UGa?  Or maybe Ga Tech's stadium?

Monday, October 15, 2007

Isn't It Time For a College Football Playoff?

Usually I wait a bit longer to go into my "college football playoff" rant ... but it is a perfectly legit question right now. 

First off, I was praying to God that either Cincinnati or UConn were going to go undefeated.  I wanted to see if the voters and BCS computers would reject a team from a BCS conference that won every game from the National Championship Game.  Virginia and Louisville prevented that from happening.  Oh, well.  South Florida still holds my dream!

Still ... how great would a playoff be?

Of all the BCS conferences, you can really only say that Ohio State is the easy squeezy champion.  The SEC, ACC and Big XII have championship games they must navigate though [more on that later] while USC and Cal must face off in the Pac-10.  The Big East?  Who the heck knows. 

As for the three conferences with title games ... they have an extra beast of a matchup to go through to get to the bowls.  Will Oklahoma have to face Colorado again?  Boston College could get tripped up.  We'd all love a LSU-Kentucky rematch ... but is it fair that the Wildcats would have to beat LSU TWICE to get to a BCS title game???  Especially when USC and Cal face each other just once.

Every year I have my trusty dusty BCS playoff system ... and I'm debuting it again tonight.  It includes 12 teams ... with the six BCS champs invited ... the highest ranked non-BCS team ... and the five highest BCS ranked schools regardless of conference. 

ACC:  Boston College
Big Ten:  Ohio State
Big XII:  Kansas
SEC:  South Carolina
Pac 10:  Arizona State
Big East: South Florida
Non BCS: Hawaii
Wildcards:  LSU, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, Oregon, Virginia Tech

My playoff would look like this:

1-Ohio State vs 8-Arizona State/9-West Virginia
4-LSU vs 5-Oklahoma/12-Virginia Tech
2-South Florida vs 7-Kentucky/10-Oregon
3-Boston College vs 6-South Carolina/11-Hawaii

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Okay ... Can The ACC Give Up This Charade

As I look at the ACC football standings, Florida State and Miami are sitting in 5th place in their respective divisions. 

So, why are still seperating them into new divisions?

The reason the divisions are in ATLANTIC and COASTAL format were to ensure that we will see tons of Miami-Florida State matchups, in Jacksonville no less!  In two ACC Championship games, this matchup has never happened and Miami hasn't made an appearance. 

Let's ditch the current format and set 'em up right:

ATLANTIC:  Clemson, Duke, Ga Tech, NC State, UNC, Wake Forest
COAST:  Boston College, Florida State, Maryland, Miami, Virginia, Va Tech

Monday, September 24, 2007

My Favorite NON-NFL Helmets

Charlotte Hornets [WFL]

Detroit Drive [Arena]

Chicago Fire [WFL]

Detroit Wheels [WFL]

Honolulu Hawaiians [WFL]

Memphis Grizzlies [WFL]

Philadelphia Bells [WFL]

Southern Califronia Sun [WFL]

Arizona Wranglers [USFL]

Baltimore Stars [USFL]

Portland Breakers [USFL]

Orlando Thunder [WLAF]

Birmingham Bolts [XFL]

Charlotte Rage [Arena]

Denver Dynamite [Arena]

Miami Hooters [Arena]

Memphis Pharoahs [Arena]

New England Steamrollers [Arena]

New Orleans Night [Arena]

Iowa Barnstormers [Arena]

Colorado Venom [NIFL]

Daytona Beach Thunder [WIFL]

Cincinnati Sizzle [NWFA]

Tuscon Inferno [WSFL]

Miami Sharks [Any Given Sunday]

Good Luck, Jamie Mottram

    

Good luck to Jamie Mottram, as he leaves AOL for Yahoo!.  Jamie leaves his baby, AOL's Fanhouse ... which I blog for ... to make Yahoo! Sports blogging world into a power. 

Anyone who knows me knows I kiss no one's butt.  But I will say that Jamie has been quite a visionary with Fanhouse.  A novel idea of having a large media outlet combine the internets best sports bloggers and letting them do their thing.  In the 13 months since Fanhouse launched, sports news outlets [including ESPN] have really taken to bloggers themselves.  However, the Fanhouse has a diverse stable of bloggers who cover a variety of sports from the view of the fans of the teams ... not just "journalistic blogging" of the same couple of people covering everything. 

Personally, I'm proud of what Jamie has done.  I remember meeting him via this very blog here as both of us are Redskins fans.  These AOL blogs begat PIGSKINBLOGGERS which was a combination of blogs from each NFL team [I contributed the Redskins].  That blog became quite popular and begat PIGSKINBLOGGERSLIVE ... a radio show where the NFL bloggers would call in and talk football.  And, believe me, it was raw.  Jamie and his cohorts hosted it and a small amount of bloggers [including me] called in.  And who knows how many people actually listened? 

That, eventually, did gain some run and turned into SPORTSBLOGGERSLIVE when the NFL season ended.  That show blew up into bloggers, athletes, coaches and media members chiming in on a variety of sports topics.  It was a show that someone like me could get interviewed on something right after Peter King and before Seth Davis. 

The show was shut down waaaaaaaay too soon ... but did usher in FANHOUSE, which still stands today and is an excellent legacy for Jamie at AOL.

Good luck, man, and thanks for all you've done.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Which 2-0 Teams Are Legit?

Every year, I look at the 2-0 and 0-2 teams in the NFL season and wonder if this is just a lucky/bad start or if it is a harbinger of things to come.  I mean, 2-0 teams have crashed and burned while 0-2 teams have made the playoffs.  Which are legit ... which are flukes ... and which are on the fence?  So, let's have a look, shall we?

2-0

PATRIOTS:  Well, they've done nothing but blow out the Jets [their biggest threat in the AFC East] and the Chargers [one of the other AFC contenders] thus fulfilling everyone's belief that they will bowl over the conference and win a 4th title.  Oh, and now they have a huge chip on their shoulder.  LEGIT.

COLTS:  Indy doesn't lose in September ... and they still haven't.  Actually, they have been pretty impressive.  They blew out the Saints and beat [while struggling] against the Titans.  Did you expect anything else?  LEGIT.

TEXANS:  How about them Texans?  Houston has looked really good coming out of the gate, blowing up the Chiefs and Panthers.  The running game has been on point and Andre Johnson has been a freakin' stud.  With the Jags and Titans struggling a bit ... the door is open for them to push for a playoff spot.  LEGIT.

STEELERS:  Pittsburgh has picked up where they left off in 2005 ... just with a new attittude.  Big Ben has thrived in the revamped offense.  They only thing is they beat the Browns and Bills, which isn't supposed to be tough.  Let's see how this turns out.  ON THE FENCE.

BRONCOS:  This one is pretty tough.  Denver needed a hurry up field goal to beat the Bills ... and an overtime field goal to beat the Raiders.  That really doesn't look too good.  Still, this is a team that can challenge for the AFC West and has already won two close games, showing poise.  LEGIT.

COWBOYS:  America's Team has had their offense on point thus far ... but the defense hasn't been as good as advertised.  They let the Giants walk over them and the Dolphins, despite all their offensive woes, did nearly the same.  Dallas must get that side of the ball together if they think this will be anything more than an NFC East race.  ON THE FENCE.

REDSKINS:  Washington's defense has been outstanding so far ... and the offense has been fairly effective.  However, Miami and Philly have all sorts of issues and the Skins have a hellacious schedule coming up.  FLUKE.

PACKERS:  Green Bay, like Washington, has been beating up on teams with some issues.  The Packers have done so with an emerging defense, a stable of no-name backs and Brett Favre's arm.  Will this continue?  Well, will find out in the next month when G-Bay takes on a tough section of schedule.  ON THE FENCE.

LIONS:  Beating Oakland and Minnesota doesn't get me too giddy.  Let's see how they fare against the upcoming schedule before I jump on this bandwagon.  FLUKE.

NINERS:  Hmm, the Niners, Cowboys and Packers are all 2-0 [plus OJ is in legal trouble] so we must be back in 1994, eh?  This Niners team is built on tough running and a very potent defense.  They also have a pretty favorable schedule.  LEGIT.

Monday, September 17, 2007

"LEAVE BILL BELICHICK ALONE!!!"

Big ups to my fellow AOL FANHOUSE-er Larry Brown for finding this video.  I love things that mock two things that have nothing to do with each other until you bring them together.  If you don't understand, ask a teenager to tell ya.

Hat tip:  Larry Brown: Leave Bill Belichick Alone!!! - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Does Belichick's Punishment Fit His Crime?

           

In the heat of this "Patriot Gate" going on, the main question is if the $500,000 fine to Bill Belichick, $250,000 fine to the Patriots and possible loss of draft picks is too harsh or too easy on everyone involved.  Does the punishment fit the crime?

We ask because we have no idea the nature of the crime.

All we as fans know is that someone working for the Patriots was caught on the Jets sideline videotaping their defensive coaches.  We know that this guy has been caught before ... and we know that Belichick knew this was going on.

Other than that, we have no idea what is going on.

How was this film used?  Who knew this was going on?  Who saw the film?  Were the Patriots knowingly breaking NFL rules or were they ... as Belichick says ... misinterpreting the rules?

We may never know.

What we do know is that the Commish thought enough to slap down the hefty fines and take away draft picks ... especially since it is believed that Roger Goodell did target New England as a team treading on infringement of these rules.  Belichick and the Patriots are saying nothing but "sorry".

I'm sorry, too.  Sorry to say that the organization owes us more than that.  They, at least, owe their fans an explanation to the integrity of their actions.  After all, these are the Patriots that everyone loved because they were nice guys that did it the right way.  Doing it the right way means owning up to your mistakes and telling the people who support you that you failed them.  Every Pats fan who proudly wears Patriots gear must now endure the tag of CHEATERS for quite some time.  Every other team is thumbing thru their film to see if the Pats had anyone taping them during games.

Apparently, this isn't new.  Eric Mangini, who worked under Belichick, knew to look for this guy.  Former Pats offensive coordinator Charlie Weis gave a chuckling denial of knowledge of anything. 

Maybe as time goes on, we will get the truth.  Until then, the fine and the loss of draft picks is a start.  But if there is an investigation that these films that were taken were used to cheat during games ... I'm all for forfeiting games.  That's something that will be hard to prove and I'm sure that it is a can or worms no one wants to open right now.

But rest assured: if this comes up again ... there will be hell to pay.

 

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

This Dude Picked 15 NFL Games CORRECTLY!!

This guy picked 15 games correctly in Week 1 of the NFL season.  The 16th game?  He didn't pick it, since he was "too close" to the Titans-Jags game so he threw it out.

Why Don't We Have TWO Monday Night Games All The Time??

                         

In the two years that ESPN has had Monday Night Football, the season opener has seen two games ... while the rest of the season sees just one game. 

But why not two?

I mean, we see those double header baseball, basketball and hockey nights.  That allows us to check out the Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Sonics, Lakers, Canucks and Sharks.  With a limited amount of West Coast teams ... we won't do it every week.  But we certainly can for most of the season.

Week 1:  Ravens-Bengals, Cards-Niners
Week 2:  Redskins-Eagles
Week 3:  Titans-Saints. Browns-Raiders
Week 4:  Patriots-Bengals, Chiefs-Chargers
Week 5:  Cowboys-Bills
Week 6:  Giants-Falcons, Panthers-Cardinals
Week 7:  Colts-Jaguars, Rams-Seahawks
Week 8:  Packers-Broncos, Saints-Niners
Week 9:  Ravens-Steelers, Texans-Raiders
Week 10:  Bills-Dolphins, Niners-Seahawks
Week 11:  Steelers-Jets, Titans-Broncos
Week 12:  Dolphins-Steelers
Week 13:  Patriots-Ravens, Browns-Cardinals
Week 14:  Saints-Falcons
Week 15:  Bears-Vikings, Colts-Raiders
Week 16:  Packers-Bears, Broncos-Chargers

Now, I used the normal rules that no team can be on ESPN more than three times ... and using the same Monday games already scheduled.