SportsHaven

The Most Overrated Player In The Game?

2006-05-04T21:05:00.000-05:00

A recent poll of major league players conducted by Sports Illustrated has found that Derek Jeter won the plurality vote among his peers as the most overrated player in baseball. Ouch. Following Jeter in second and third place, respectively, were Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez. This has, obviously, outraged the ESPN talking heads (what with Jeter being the Golden Boy of baseball and all). However, if you follow the distinguished history of the Yankees, you find names that lead from one great era to another, which include Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Jackson..........ect. Although the talking heads are quick to add Jeter's name to the end of that list, does anyone actually believe he brings the same thing to the table as those legends? (With that said, if Jackson were to play today, he would be hated Bonds style, and not revered as a legend). Of course he doesn't belong. Jeter was lucky enough to come in as a rookie, be guided by veteran leadership, and taught how to win. The same could have happened to any other player had he come up in the Yankees organization at that time with similar talent. You want to tell me Nomar Garciapparra wouldn't have won those rings had he been in the same situation? Alex Rodriguez if he had come up with the Yankees as shortstop? Hell, Edgar Renteria or Rafael Furcal?

Allow me to finish before anyone hops on their "Yankee Hater" horse. This is the bottom line: In my years of watching baseball, I have seen two great shortstops. The first is Cal Ripken, Jr. If any of you Jeter-lovers take issue with that, then you are arguing against yourself, since Ripken displayed the same leadership qualities as Jeter, but put up better numbers without being surrounded by $200 Million of talent. The second is Ozzie Smith. If you take issue with that one, then you don't appreciate baseball.

So, there you have it. The top two. And, if you intend to argue, please don't bring up the "playoffs clutch" issue...........Bernie Williams has better numbers than Jeter in the playoffs. But, hey, give Jeter his due for doing the best he can while everyone is watching. After all, isn't that why Carlos Beltran got a big contract?? (Wait, wasn't he second on this list?).

NFL Draft Review and Rants

2006-05-01T21:59:00.000-05:00

Well, I pretty much bombed on my draft preview, but that doesn't meet I don't get to slam on everyone's picks, does it? Let the fun begin..............

Houston Texans: Alright, I am tired of the ESPN talking heads attempting to justify this pick. I've heard the arguments, which includes, but is not limited to: "Houston needed to fill a need on defense. They're in a division with Peyton Manning, and the Steelers have shown that you have to get to him to win." Enough. Just stop it. If all you are looking to do is "fill a need," then you TRADE DOWN. You think the Saints wouldn't have given up at least one draft pick to take Reggie Bush first if the Texans hadn't announced their agreement with Williams? I'm not sure I've seen a front office mess up the first pick that badly in awhile. Not only did the Texans' fans not get the hometown hero, they missed out on the best player in the draft. I hope they enjoy the next coming of Courtney Brown. With that said, the Texans did well with their second pick. Ryans will be an immediate starter and impact player on defense (unlike Williams).

New Orleans Saints: Christmas comes early for some.............not that they didn't deserve it.

Tennessee Titans: I'm a Titans fan and was thrilled with the Young and White picks, but what is going on with McNair. Why is the management treating this guy like someone who wandered off of the street? (Warning: Rant Coming). Steve McNair is the face of the franchise, and has, literally, given his body in order to help this team win. He played when he couldn't sleep the night before because his back hurt too bad, and still came out and put up good numbers and solid leadership. I cannot understand the disrespect that has been shown to McNair this offseason. I do understand that his cap number this year is $23 Million, but I'm also sure he's willing to come off of that. The management needs to understand that the Titans aren't going to be competing for the AFC for 3-4 years, so why not pay McNair some reasonable salary and let him tutor Young? The situation is too far gone now, I'm sure..........but it is a sad commentary on the organization when Eddie George finishes his career watching from the Dallas sideline, and McNair finishing as a Raven. Too bad Wychek already retired, or they could have let him go to the Colts. (End of rant).

San Francisco 49ers: Many accolades have been given to their pick of TE Vernon Davis. Isn't it worth noticing, however, that this was only considered a good pick because Alex Smith is horrible? The "talking heads" are, essentially, saying that Davis was a good pick because Smith can't throw the ball down the field. This leads to the question: How much are the 49ers hating Leinart not coming out last year? If he was the QB of that team this year, the 49ers would have traded for Javon Walker with their 2nd round pick, and traded down in the first round to get someone like DeAngelo Williams to recover said pick. That would have led to someone such as Chad Jackson being drafted as the 2nd wide receiver. How the tide turns.

Denver Broncos: Alright, I've heard every draft "talking head" praise their draft and I've had enough. Jay Cutler WAS NOT a good pick at #11. The consensus is that he'll be able to learn behind Plummer for a year or two. What is he going to learn here...........how to throw 4 interceptions in big games??? Cutler should be a decent quarterback, don't misunderstand, but this guy is not the next coming of Palmer, Manning, or (uggh) Brady. If Denver thought they got John Elway, Jr., then they're sorely mistaken. I've watched him for 4 years in the SEC, and he doesn't have it.

NFL Draft Preview

2006-04-27T20:01:00.000-05:00

The NFL Draft is less than 48 hours away, and I would hate myself Saturday morning if I didn't put up a Preview post. With that in mind, I am now adjusting my Mel Kiper, Jr. wig, which has been accessorized with 4 1/2 cans of hair spray in order to achieve the entire look. I have also broken out the dictionary to make sure I am completely familiar with words such as "upside", "wing-span", "footwork", and "intangibles." In addition, I have practiced pronouncing players' names with an "a" in front. For example, the Eagles would do good to get A Ernie Sims with their first round pick. That gets on my nerves to no end, but these are the things that go into a proper NFL Draft Preview.

1. Houston Texans. The Pick: Reggie Bush, RB, USC. I know Vince Young is a hometown hero here, but the new coach of the Texans seems satisfied with David Carr's abilities. Carr better have a good year in 06, because the "If we had drafted Vince Young" statements won't be far behind if he bombs. With that said, you cannot pass on the most dynamic player in the draft (by far). If the Texans actually do choose DE Mario Williams, the rest of the league will commence pointing and laughing.

2. New Orleans Saints. The Pick: Mario Williams, DE, NC State. I'm not sold on Mario Williams at all, but his showing at the scouting combine has him flying up the draft board. Personally, I think the Saints made a mistake in signing Brees as opposed to drafting a QB here. In any event, Williams is the definition of "upside", as the draft pundits like to say. He has been compared to A Julius Peppers, but this may be the first "bust" to come from this draft.

3. Tennessee Titans. The Pick: Vince Young, QB, Texas. A couple of days ago, while listening to sports radio, I found that Jeff Fisher, coach of the Titans, was being interviewed. In response to a question about which QB he liked the most at #3, he said Jay Cutler. Luckily, he started laughing right before I grabbed hold of the steering wheel and veered my car off of the interstate. The debate here is actually between A Matt Leinhart, and A Vince Young. If the pick is, indeed, Young, then look for the Titans to immediately offere Steve McNair an extension for a year or two. Although Leinhart is more polished, Young is, by far, the better playmaker, and the Titans need all the playmakers they can get.

4. New York Jets. The Pick: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia. The consensus top Offensive Lineman in the draft. Trememdous "upside," good "footwork," and good "wing-span." The early speculation was Leinhart going to the Jets, but that would give them an obscene chunk of their cap-room going to QB's with them paying Pennington through the nose. They could also trade down for A Jay Cutler if the right offer is made.

5. Green Bay Packers. The Pick: A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State. Don't have much to add to the A.J. Hawk pick. Only saw him play a couple of times, but looked impressive against the Texas Longhorns with several tackles and an interception. With Favre coming back, they could look to A Vernon Davis to give him another weapon, but they have to address the defense at some point.

6. San Francisco 49ers. The Pick: Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland. Supposedly a better TE prospect than Kellen Winslow was a couple of years ago. He started shooting up the draft boards after combine since he's 6'7" and still runs in the 4.4-40 range. He also thinks very highly of himself, saying that he's better than Antonio Gates and Jeremy Shockey. That should get his bell rung a couple of times early in the season.

7. Oakland Raiders. The Pick: Matt Leinhart, QB, USC. The fall of Leinhart should end with the Raiders, who have be QB's by the likes of Aaron Brooks, Kerry Collins, and a battered Rich Gannon in recent years. Although they may look at A Michael Huff, Leinhart is too good to pass up at #7. In addition, he'll have Jerry Porter and Randy Moss as weapons at WR, which should fit well with those he had at USC.

8. Buffalo Bills. The Pick: Broderick Bunkley, DT, Florida St. Okay, I'll admit it, this came straight from ESPN.com. I have no idea who this guy is and had never heard of him before the 756 draft previews in recent days. I guess he's good. Whatever.

9. Detroit Lions. The Pick: Chad Jackson, WR, Florida. (Just kidding, but wouldn't this be the greatest moment in Draft history if the Lions took a WR for the FOURTH straight year?? I wouldn't put it past Matt Millen.) The Real Pick: Micheal Huff, S, Texas. The consensus top DB in the draft gives Texas their second pick in the top-10. Good coverage guy, plays the run well, "great motor", "good instincts." Okay, I'm running out of things to say as we near the end..........

10. Arizona Cardinals. The Pick: Ernie Sims, LB, Florida St. With James in the backfield, Boldin and Fitzgerald at the WR positions, and the top-2 QB's off the board, the Cards go defense and pick up A Ernie Sims after watching him fall a couple of spots. I also wouldn't be surprised if they traded down a couple of spots to grab A Jay Cutler, since this could be a slight reach for him.

Most Perplexing Early Entry: Cornell Johnson, RB, Indiana State. See how this grabs you. A I-AA running back who, as a Junior, plays in 6 games and rushes for negative yardage in two of those games. Rated as the 54th best running back on the board. Someone is giving this kid EXCELLENT advice.

Comings and Goings of the NFL

2006-04-26T21:28:00.000-05:00

Coming (back): Brett Farve. I'm not sure what to think about this one. Everyone enjoys watching Favre play, if only as a result of his "shoot from the hip" mentality and his toughness. What is the best that could possibly result from this, though? A miracle of all miracles would have Favre leading the Pack to 9-7 and MAYBE squeaking into the playoffs as a result of the horrible division. Even that's a long shot, at best. The worst (shuddering) could resemble a Willie Mays-esque performance when he went to the Mets and stumbled in the outfield. I'll be the first to argue that any competitor like Favre has earned the right to determine when he walks away from the game. (Interjection here. That MJ bit with the Wizards never happened. It just didn't.) Competitors like those have simply earned the right. (Interjection. The Seattle Sonics is the only team Gary Payton ever played for, period.) If a person such as Favre has played his entire career with one team, and wants to give it one more go, then who are we to argue? (Interjection. Majic Johnson, did not, and I mean, DID NOT, return to the Lakers in 1994). Well, after that impassioned plea, I can't understand anyone disagreeing.

Going: "Sticky Icky" Ricky is heading back to his roots, or at least the roots of marijuana plants. He's out for the 06-07 season after testing positive for illegal substances. (My money is on the cream and the clear after seeing his frail physique when he first returned last year. I actually thought he, at some point, was going to fall face-forward onto the ground from the sheer weight of his beard). The big question is this: Is his career over? He already stated that he wants to return in 07, most likely from his four children and enourmous debts. It's funny how a millionaire pothead ends up, essentially, in the same position as the ones you knew in college who dropped out after one year. My feeling is this: If you honestly believe Ricky Williams is going to go the entire year away from football and not smoke a joint, then there's a luxurious ocean-front condomenium I have for sell in the Birmingham area.

NBA MVP Reaches Sham Status

2006-04-26T19:54:00.000-05:00

Recent reports have indicated that Steve Nash will, once again, walk away with the MVP honors this year when it is announced in two weeks. If this does, in fact, occur, then the word "sham" comes to mind. I was in agreement with Nash winning the award last year after turning the Suns around, but he was simply outshined by too many people to take it again this year. Therefore, I'll list my personal top five for the award this year:

5) Dwayne Wade: (Stats - 27/ppg; 6/rpg; 7/apg; 2/spg). Wade will, in all likelihood, win multiple MVP's during the course of his career. He's explosive on the offensive end and plays decent defense, but he still doesn't take command of the games when they are on the line. The Heat's horrible record against the Pistons demonstrates that he isn't quite at the point where he can put the team on his shoulders on a consistent basis. In addition, shooting 17% from 3-point range in the 2-guard slot (especially when you have a dominant center who sees double-teams) is horrible. This isn't to say he won't continue to get better.........Jordan had this same type of game in his younger days before he learned to shoot.

4) Steve Nash: (Stats - 19/ppg; 4/rpg; 10/apg). Nash gets all the accolades for keeping the Suns at the #2 Seed in the Western Conference after Amare Stoudamire went out with an injury. Here's the thing though: Steve Nash would get lit up for 30 points by Bob Smith at the local YMCA in a pickup game. As a matter of fact, this guy would be a defensive liability in the WNBA and all 4 fans in attendance would notice that in about 42 seconds. This is the reason he's as low as he is. I'll give him his due, however. He does make his teammates much better on the offensive end of the floor, it's just too bad that the Suns would need Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutumbo (all in their defensive primes) to even be adequate on the defensive end with him on the floor.

3) Dirk Nowitzki: (Stats - 27/ppg; 9/rpg; 3/apg). Nowitzki finally had the chance to be the unquestioned star on the team after the departures of Nash, Finley, and Walker. He stepped up, and was probably the MVP at midseason. In addition to him being a 7-foot power forward who shot 40% from 3-point land, he actually learned how to post up smaller opponents this year. In addition, he managed to find his way into the lane and figured out how to grab the rebounds. The Mavericks probably would have gone from having the second-best record in the Western Conference to having the 5th or 6th best without him. The only thing left for Nowitzki is to get much stronger on defense. It's inexplicable for a seven-footer to not average 3 blocks a game. Geez, no wonder the Mavericks never won anything with him and Nash together. They were like the Indianoplis Colts of the NBA.

2) LeBron James: (Stats - 31/ppg; 7/rpg; 7/asg; 2/spg). There is absolutely no telling what the Cavs' record would have been had they not had LeBron on the roster this season. Awful, Laughable, and just plain Disturbing all come to mind. This guy is 21 years old, and could, legitimately average a triple-double over the course of a season as some point. I will be shocked if he doesn't end his career with 5 or more MVP's, but it's not his time this year. He still needs to improve defensively and play tougher.

1) Kobe Bryant (AKA "The Black Mamba"). (Stats - 35/ppg; 5/rpg; 5/apg; 2/spg). You can call Kobe all the names you want, but the question to ask here is "Where would the Lakers be without him?" The answer would be dead last in the Western Conference and a franchise that not even Majic Johnson would claim. He may be a ball-hog who thinks about himself first and his teammates second, but I'm guessing he figured out that's what he had to do after realizing Smush Parker and Kwame Brown were going to start. In addition to his historic number of shots taken, however, he is a legitimate 1st Team Defensive Player. He may lack in certain areas, but effort isn't one of them. If you go by the potential record-differential with, and without a certain player, to choose the MVP, as I do, then Kobe has got to be it. ***On a side note here, can you imagine what Kobe's going to against Nash and the Suns during the rest of this series?? One of these games, he's going for 148 points, 112 rebounds, 71 steals, and 1 assist. No telling what he'll do in the second half of that game.

Someone Forgot To Set A Screen For The Lacrosse Team

2006-04-18T22:58:00.000-05:00

Well, two indictments have been handed down in this case, as of Tuesday. I have refrained from commenting on this, simply because of the ridiculous coverage this has already received. That is not to say that the accusations, if true, are deplorable, but this has been a media blitz since the "perfect storm" of cirumstances has arisen. The cirumstances include, racial tones, entitlement issues, athletic programs, sloppy DA work, and a "name" program.

Hmmm......Sports mixed with legal issues with a political backdrop. I had to comment.

This case presents several curious circumstances, which are as follows:

1)Entitlement vs. Lower-Middle Class. Suffice it to say that the average tuition at Duke University is $44,000, while the median income in Durham, NC is $43,000. Most will claim that this is a classic example of the "OJ" syndrome, in that the rich will get off. As Bill Plasche stated, "I saw him walk in with his preppy jacket on." This shows that this pendulum swings both ways.

2)Political Posturing. The DA in this case has made an absolute laughing-stock of himself to the legal community. Every time he has had to act as a responsible servant of the public, he has shamelessly promoted himself. The is most exemplified by the fact that he sought DNA samples of 46 Lacrosse players, when the alleged victim positively identified two. Shoddy police work to say the least, and political pandering in its most obvious form. Let us not forget this DA is up for reelection in two weeks. Something isn't quite right with that.

3)Flat-Out Evidence. Listen, I believe something happened to this girl, and I believe it was deplorable. In addition, I will be the first to say that all the evidence is NEVER released to the press. However, with what I've seen so far, I can't help but conclude the DA is going to prosecute this case until his reelection. He claims that 80% of rape cases are not aided with DNA evidence. Allow me to be the first to inform you that, in order to obtain those statistics, he found it proper to include cases BEFORE DNA evidence was available.

In summary, I think these LaCrosse players may have done the crime with which they are charged. If you are to stereotype, LaCrosse players have a terrible repuation (probably because they know they're not going to make millions in professional leagues), which is only aided by the 46 charges of Duke players since 1999. However, this investigation is a sham, the media coverage has obliterated any semblance of a fair trial to which the alleged victime is entitled, and if the DA is reelected, it will be poor representation of the legal community.

A Lot of Minors = A Major

2006-04-13T22:26:00.000-05:00

Ok. The sports scene since the Masters has been rather dull. But, there have been a number of lesser-stories impacting sports, so I'm incorporating them all into one post.

Story #1: (If you're not a Bama/UT fan, skip this one). Logan Young was recently murdered? Logan Young recently had a slip and fall and passed away? Am I the only one what is curious about why it took 6 hours to identify a body because he suffered a slip and fall? As friend noted: Inside information has a report of leftovers from 24 Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and size 52 underwear were found at the scene.

Story #2: I like watching the NFL Draft as much as the next guy, but I can't take much more of Mel Kiper. If a nuclear bomb landed directly on the city in which he was located, his hair would be the only thing left. And it would be in perfect condition.

Story #3: As little as I address the NBA in this space, this is worth note. LeBron James hurt his ankle in a meaningless game against the Pistons yesterday. They have the #4 seed locked up, but the coach is playing him when they're 21 points down at the end of the 3rd quarter. Sounds like (cough, cough) Prothro.

Story #4: I read a column in The Tennessean recently that proclaimed Bruce Pearl had recruited something similar to the "Fab Five." Listen..........just stop. Quit. This is like Vanderbilt football claiming a top recruiting class because they beat Tennessee last year. UT may be good at basketball for a few years, BUT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO WIN IT ALL. Stick to Fat Phil, UT fans. (as disheartening as that may be). If anyone thinks UT will compete with Florida (if they return their starters) or Bama next year, then the Orange-colored sunglasses must be on clearance.

Where Have You Gone (Old) Phil Mickelson??

2006-04-09T23:10:00.000-05:00

I spent the entire day Sunday watching the Masters unfold. Around noon, or maybe one o'clock, I was thinking "Wow, this is going to be exciting when Phil puts one into the drink and Freddie/Tiger/Vijay takes over and challenges him." This has what made watching Mickelson play during the majors so much fun. You never knew if his drive was going to land in the middle of the fairway, or cause cars to swerve out of the way on I-59. That situation, much to my shock, never unfolded. Phil Mickelson, that's right, PHIL MICKELSON, had the lead in the last round of a Major, and aboslutely throttled the competition. While Tiger was making a late charge, and you know Phil knew what was happening, Phil knocked it stiff at the Par 3 16th. This isn't the old Phil anymore.

The question to ask is how did Phil change? Why is it that he didn't make that crucial mistake that everyone expected? The answer could be this: All he needed to do was win one, just one, Major. After he won his first won, he's 3 for 9. Maybe he's not the old Phil anymore who chokes as soon as someone comes within 2 strokes. Or, maybe he is. But he wasn't on Sunday, and the proof, they say, is in the pudding.

Let's take this moment to take a look at the "Big Five," because I'm not sure that qualifies anymore. Tiger and Phil are in, without a doubt. Ernie Els may actually have seen his best days after aging in years while trying to come back from knee surgery. Vijay Singh, while still very competitive, just doesn't have the age to agree with competing in many more Majors. Retief Goosen is still a legitimate threat, but he never makes a charge. He always seems to hang on when everyone else falls off.

Allow me to introduce you to the Big Two: Tiger and Phil. It should be fun.

Ramblings From Round 3 Of The Masters

2006-04-08T22:44:00.000-05:00

I know, I know.........there's been a lot of "Ramblings" posts lately. This is what happens when you can't muster conherent thoughts. On to the Ramblings!!!

There are three things certain in life, and we all know two of them: Death and Taxes. Allow me to introduce you to the third: Phil Mickelson blowing a 3 foot par putt when he's within 2 shots of the lead. This isn't a likelihood, it's a certainty.

Chad Campbell got out to a spectatular start on the first two holes of Round Three, going Birdie-Birdie. Then he remembered he's Chad Campbell and went Bogey-Bogey. It's pleasing when mediocore golfers find their place.

It's amazing how Tiger seems to always, and I mean always, creep up the leaderboard on Saturday. For instance, he was -1 on the round and, but had lost ground and was 7 shots back. He birdies one more hole on the front nine, and he's 3 back. Inexplicable.

It's good to see Vijay's putter betraying him yet again. It's a reminder than everything in the world is as it should be.

As for my Chris DiMarco prediction: No comment.

I like the lengthening of Augusta National. It gives me hope that, one day, the leaders may be teeing off next to my apartment in Alabama soon.

Listen, I'm a Tiger Woods fan. Let's go ahead and get that out of the way. But is there a funnier sight in sports than him thinking a ball is going in the hole, getting halfway through the fist pump/chase and then it not going in? This is fun. It's like watching Jason Giambi's eyes getting big watching a fastball coming down the middle, before he realizes he's not on steroids anymore. Fun Times.

That's it for the Ramblings for Round Three. A half-ass effort for a half-played round.

Ramblings From Round 1 Of The Masters

2006-04-06T23:32:00.000-05:00

General and sometimes incoherent ramblings from Round 1 of the Masters follow: Enter at your own risk.

That DiMarco pick was a typo. I meant to type Goosen. Am I the only person who can understand how bad typewriting skills can result in that? Damn.

Good to see nothing has changed with David Duval. At this point, I'm taking the local Club Pro to beat him on 36 holes. This reminds me of Willie Mays with the Mets. Please, give up.

Tiger and Sergio are tied at Even (5 shots back) after Round 1. I'm taking bets on anyone who has Sergio making a charge. Please. Anyone at all.

With that said, I'm taking absolutely no bets on Tiger making a charge.

Vijay Singh with the opening round lead = Vigay Singh finishing 5th. Vijay's putter is about the same as A-Rod in October..........need I elaborate?

The favorite guy to see hanging around the leaderboard? It's got to be Freddie Couples. Class act there.

The worst guy? Is there anyway just to completely prevent Ben Curtis from competing in Majors. This is worth an effort.

The worst guy #2? Who in the hell is A. Oberholser? I can stomach a no-name winning any other tournament than the Masters.

56 Stands

2006-04-06T21:37:00.000-05:00

Well, the hitting streak by Jimmy Rollins was put to an end by Jason Marquis and the St. Louis Cardinals. It lasted 38 games, which although amazing, fell short of even the National League Record of 44 games. You can count me among those who are glad that Rollins didn't break DiMaggio's mark (allow me to toss the cynic hat on for a moment). There is something that just troubles me about average, or even good (in Rollins case) players breaking records set by legends of the game.

In case you were wondering, this also means that I was absolutely pulling against McGwire breaking the single-season home run record in the Summer of '98. Yup, I one of those two guys. And, yes, this also means that, if I had been alive, I probably would have pulled against Maris, although I applaud the torment he went through to achieve that (it probably, single-handedly, ruined his career). The thing about McGwire breaking that record was this: He simply wasn't a good baseball player. He was shameful on defense (even at first base), couldn't run the bases, and hit for a horrible average. If not for the steroid-induced years of 98-2000, he wouldn't even bother fielding phone calls to find out if he was initiated into the Hall of Fame.

With that said.....I would have been in more support of Rollins than McGwire. He plays solid defense and runs the bases well. At least he's more of a complete player, but, still, I'd take DiMaggio every single day.

The Masters Preview

2006-04-05T20:38:00.000-05:00

You knew I couldn't let The Masters get started without a preview getting posted on SportsHaven. This is, quite possibly, my favorite sporting event of the year that doesn't involve Alabama Football in one way or another. Really, though, does it get any better than Tiger chipping in on the 16th last year, or Phil Mickelson absolutely destroying the back 9 in 2004 to win his first major (albeit, followed by an utterly embarrassing leap for joy on number 18)? How about Nicklaus winning his last major tournament in 1986, when he was all but done on the PGA Tour. Also, I don't remember exactly when it happened, but you know there was an epic Greg "The Shark" Norman collapse thrown in there somewhere. You couldn't make this stuff up. With that said, I'll take a look at the top contenders and make my pick (which is subject to change every hour, on the hour, until Sunday evening).

Tiger Woods : Obviously, you have to start with the man who is going for his 5th Green Jacket at age 30. With the changes made to Augusta this year, about 65% of the field is automatically eliminated as contenders to win. With that said, the efforts to "Tiger-Proof" these courses only enhances his chances to win, since the shorter-hitters are all but done. Good strategic move by Hootie there. The bottom line is this: If Tiger keeps it in the fairway off the tee, which is never certain, then he has an 80% chance to win any tournament he enters. However, his father's illness may play on his mind this week, despite his ability to focus while on the course.

Phil Mickelson: Mickelson will be storming into Augusta this week after a thirteen shot victory at the BellSouth Classic last weekend. So that's good news, right? No. The person who wins the tournament never, and I mean never, wins the Masters the following week. He should make a good showing here, probably a top-5, but he's not walking away with another Green Jacket.

Vijay Singh: Singh was the most dominant player in the world during Tiger's swing reconstruction, but he may be getting a little up in years to keep that pace up. If you drop the ball 190 yards away from the pin in the middle of the fairway, I'm taking Vijay 6 days out of the week and twice on Sunday to get it closest to the pin. The problem therein lies in Vijay being in the middle of the fairway at 190 yards. He's losing distance off the tee and has become erratic. I would be surprised if he was a factor on Sunday.

Chris DiMarco: The token runner-up who everyone was rooting for the past two years knows he can win, and he knows he can play with Tiger if need be, as evidenced by his final-round 68 last year. He may not win another tournament for the rest of the year, but he'll be on the leaderboard come Sunday.

Pick to Win: Chris DiMarco

Others to Watch (because I can't cover everyone): Ernie Els (not 100% after knee surgery yet); Retief Goosen (always dangerous, but seems to be falling off a bit); Adam Scott (Europe's best chance); Sergio Garicia (just threw him in here to ask "what the hell happened???")

NCAA Championship and Opening Day Ramblings

2006-04-04T22:12:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhh. It's the beginning of the (possibly) Best Week In Sports this year. Just to make a quick point right out of the chute here: Wireless Internet is the greatest thing to hit law school in its history, and, quite possibly, will contribute to the downfall of the modern legal system. This allowed me to watch the Red Sox and Braves on opening day, all the while completely ignoring whatever was being said in class. Love it. Let me repeat.....LOVE IT. Ok, with that said, time to look back at yesterday's events.

The NCAA Championship Game

You'll notice that I didn't include in that title the world "men's." As far as 90% of the country is concerned, college basketball ended well before the women's game tipped off tonight. I'm not a sexist here, I'm a realist. With that said, here's the complete game summary of the game from last night: "yawnnnnnnnn." When was the last time a championship game was so utterly boring that didn't involve the letters NBA in the answer? I didn't even pay attention to the second half. Considering how exciting the rest of that tournament went, that game absolutely provided a "dud" in every sense of the word. It's like a movie that has a great plot with an aboslute horrible ending. You want to ask for your money back, you NEED to ask for it back, but you enjoyed it so much in the middle that you felt bad about it. Oh well. The highlight of the night was obviously Noah winking and blowing a kiss to the UCLA cheerleaders. Florida couldn't have embarrassed UCLA any more than that if they checked the mascot into the game with 8:00 to go. Anyway, a sub-par game to say the least. I'm bored just writing this.

MLB Opening Day

Random thoughts and ramblings:

Barry Zito is about 4 starts away from attaining the ever-coveted Derek Lowe status: You win a Cy Young and then casually glide into #3 starter status. The logic behind the A's moving Hudson and Mulder while keeping Zito still eludes me. That's like the 93 Bulls deciding "You know, I think I'll move Jordan and Pippen, but we need to hang onto Bill Wennington."

The Yankees lineup reads like this: One-hole: Johnny Damon. Two-hole: Derek Jeter. Three-hole: The Cream and the Clear. (With a B-12 shot available to pinch hit).

While on the subject, the Yankees starting rotation looks like this: #1: Randy Johnson. #2 Mike Mussina. #3 The Fountain of Youth.

While still on the subject, the Yankees will win the AL East.

Has there EVER been a team like the Mets who spent so much to under-achieve? I know they won yesterday, but they ALWAYS make assinine decisions. Tom Glavine in a long-term contract? Pedro to a long-term deal? Beltran to a deal based on postseason alone? This is why they won't win the NL East.

You have to love every move the Dodgers make. They absolutely LOVE to have the best team on paper. Nevermind that half their squad will be on the DL by May. All they need to do is trade for Griffey, Jr. and they'll go 162-0 on ESPN 2K6 on Playstation 2 (if injuries are turned off).

While on the subject, was anyone else shocked that Nomar would start the season on the DL? Him and Grant Hill have got to be best friends by now.

I read on ESPN how people are underestimating the Marlins this year. Apparently, according to this person, many are expecting the Marlins to lose 110 games, but he thinks they'll only lose 90. Bold prediction there.

I wonder if Satan has contacted Chris Carpenter about their deal yet? He's obviously confirmed it with Pujols recently.

The Best Week In Sports??

2006-04-02T20:23:00.000-05:00

Now that March Madness winding down, with the last game on the slate for Monday, it's natural to go into a bout of depression that only massive amounts of Prozac may be able to counteract. However, it may be prudent to put a hold on a trip to the pharmacy (at least until next week) considering the lineup of sports in the next 7 days. Now, in determining whether a week qualifies as a candidate for the best week in sports, there are some guidelines to consider. We'll call these "The Guidelines to Consider." Pretty catchy.

(1) There Must Be Three Major Events In Three Major Sports. Some comments to this one: (a) Women's sports do NOT count as major sports. I'm sorry, they just don't. (b) The Kraft-Buick-General Motors Invitational does NOT count as a major event for golf purposes. (c) Hockey is not to be considered. (d) Pool and Bowling are not sports. (d) The only NASCAR event that counts is the Daytona 500.

(2) The Events Must Span A Period Greater Than Four Days. Comments: If the sporting events all occur within one day, or over 2 or 3 days, it's not a "best week." It's a good run which should be celebrated at your local sports bar.

(3) A Sports Bar Trip Is Mandatory. Comments: (a) If you can't round of up two friends who are enticed enough to visit a bar, then you have failed to properly consider Guideline #1. (b) A 30 minute visit to a sports bar during your lunch hour doesn't count, and you should be summarily outcast by your friends if you try to argue that it does. (c) The chances that your are experiencing a "best week in sports" doubles if you eat two meals at the same bar without leaving. (d) A trip to Vegas fulfills this requirement under any and all circumstances.

(4) Gambling Is Not A Prerequisite, But It Helps. Comments: (a) Contacting your bookie is not required. Bets between friends count and are encouraged. (b) Bets under $5 are pathetic and a waste of time. (c) Wagers involving any amount of beer fulfill this requirement, even if the actual value of the beer may be under $5. Strangely, a $3.00 beer is worth more than $5.00. Don't ask me to explain this, it just is.

There you have it. Those are the rules. In consideration of these, this week is, at the very least, a front-runner in the argument. MLB's Opening Day occurs on Monday, the NCAA Championship is Monday, and The Masters runs from Thursday thru Sunday. Very impressive. That's three major sports spanning 7 days. SEVEN DAYS!!! Needless to say, SportsHaven will be churning out the posts this week (while I'm not at the sports bar drinking and gambling with friends).

The Book on Bonds

2006-03-28T20:34:00.000-06:00

I know, I know. It's yet another steroid posting on SportsHaven. Anyone tired of reading about this is free to quit reading now. However, I have found the publicity given to the recently-published book (written by two newspaper columnists) to be wildly out of proportion to the contents therein.

What these writers have, essentially, done is to combine every newspaper article, rumor, and nugget of public knowledge into a hardcover book, for which they will charge $24.95. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with this idea, as it is frequently done with public figures. What is curious is WHY this is news. Was there actually a soul outside of San Fran that was still in denial about Bonds using steroids? Does the size 11-3/4 cap size not convince anyone that can be convinced? How about the size 72 waist with 2% body fat? This is akin to someone releasing a book on the Clinton administration, after which CNN begins their nightly newscast with the headline "Clinton DID have sexual relations with that woman!!"

If someone could please tell me how in the world this book provides "news" please feel free to fill me in on this. I'm utterly confused. With that said, I hope everyone will now wait in eager anticipation as SportsHaven begins work on a book explaining the startling revelation that the Earth does, indeed, revolve around the Sun and debunking the long-believed theory that the Earth is flat. I feel a Pulitzer in my future.

Proud Owner of a Bracket With One Team Left Post

2006-03-26T20:05:00.000-06:00

This is the time when I really wish I had decided it would have been a good idea to invest in a scanner. That way, I could actually scan the beaten up, torn, wrinkled, and, generally, destroyed condition of my bracket right now into the computer and accompany it with this post. Oh well. You'll simply have to imagine tip-off times scribbled into the margins, circles, giant X's over three final four predictions, and random expletives next to UCONN, Texas, and Ohio St. Oh yeah, let's also not leave out that interesting buffalo sauce/beer/cigarette smell that has attached itself to the paper as a result of 20 hours in a sports bar the first two days. With that said, it's time to take a look at the Final Four.

George Mason (#11 Seed) vs. Florida (#3 Seed). I hate trying to analyze this game. George Mason, single-handedly, destroyed one region of my bracket. For this crime alone, I should wish them a 108 point loss in the Final Four while Florida shoots 112% from the floor. The counter-argument would go something like this: "You have to love a cinderella in the Final Four!! Don't you?!?!" My argument back looks like this -- "No, you don't, and shut up." (This is the point where you may notice me grinding my axe with GM.) On the other hand, there's Florida, who I am sworn to despise (along with Tennessee and Auburn) as an Alabama fan. So the verdict goes like this: I'm voting strictly on party lines as an SEC fan, for the simple fact that they were considered a weak conference this year and now have two of the four teams left. So for, what seems like, the 1,297th consecutive time, I'm going against George Mason and I'll probably hate myself tomorrow for it (for the 1,297th consecutive time). Florida takes it 72-67.

UCLA (#2 Seed) vs. LSU (#4 Seed). The battle of the capital letters!! I'm giddy. Anyway, I'm just not sold on UCLA yet. They disposed of Belmont easily, of course, but then had to survive a late three by Steele from Alabama to avoid overtime. They followed this by happily watching Gonzaga implode in the final three minutes with Adam Morrison missing his last four shots that would have sealed the game. Follow this with the Memphis game. I'll give them credit for taking out the #1 seed, but I could count on one hand the number of people that had Memphis even making it that far. (Personally, I had Kansas taking them out. Smart move. I hate Bradley.) When it comes right down to it, I can't see UCLA being able to handle the frontcourt combo of Davis and Thomas from LSU. (I should insert here that I had LSU over Duke. I'm proud of that one, but you have to be when you only have one team left.) So, I'm going with the SEC once again here which will provide an all-SEC championship game. Final Score: LSU 69 UCLA 63.

There you have it. The official picks. You can now feel confident about calling your local bookie and putting money on these games. You can also feel confident that, given my track record so far, both legs will be broken when you don't pay your local bookie the day after these games are played. Good times all around.

Ramblings While Watching the NCAA Tournament

2006-03-25T20:18:00.000-06:00

Ok. I know it's been awhile since my last post, but what can I say. I'm lazy as hell. Oh well. This post consists of observations, curiosities, and (mostly irrelevant) commentary while watching the regional finals of the NCAA Tourney. On to the post.........

It was just last April that I annointed Carnell Williams the proud owner of the most idiotic quote in recent memory when he unleashed the following statement in response to (teammate) Ronnie Brown being drafted ahead of him: "You can tell Ronnie he may have won the war, but the battle isn't over." A true classic to say the least. That Auburn education will come back to haunt you every time, but he may have been bettered by the reaction of Glenn Davis (center for LSU) after their upset of Texas today. Upon being asked for his thoughts on the win, Davis managed the following insight: "It was a great win, but we have tape-worms in the belly. (insert long, awkward pause by person interviewing Davis here.) We want to keep eating." I have nothing to say here. I can't upstage that.

Just out of curiosity..........What exactly does it take for a show to be promoted as the "#1 New Hit Comedy on Television?" I recently saw the "New Adventures for Old Christine" being promoted in this fashion. If you search enough surveys, couldn't ANY show carry this title? Was this according to people ages 34-35 who live in Central Wyoming? Completely irrelevant to the tournament. I'm just curious.

This Memphis-UCLA game is a comedy of errors. There is no one on the floor who could make an open 15 foot jumper. Not a single person. Stupid turnovers, bricked jumpers, missed free throws. This is like watching a car wreck occur over the span of 2.5 hours. Eerily reminiscent of the NBA. Maybe they should televise JJ Redick coming off 19 screens to get a wide open look. Oh, wait, he's not playing anymore. Nevermind.

You have to love this gem from one of the announcers: "Memphis has got to be frustrated." You think?? They're shooting 3% from the floor. Nice call.

NIIIICCCEEEE. The Sonic commercial with the "REJECTED!! Don't you bring that weak tot action to your mouth. You got strong to the hole your don't go at all" just came on. Gets me every time.

Very Nice. CBS has a commercial promoting the Final Four with Peyton Manning blatantly reading the following from Cue Cards: "I'm looking forward to basketball in Indy." That's it. That's the commercial. I'm glad they kept that room warm though. That 5 seconds was long enough for Peyton to toss 3 interceptions if room temp was below 40 degrees. Kudos to CBS though. There's nothing like Peyton's sterling personality to carry a commercial.

Ok, I could go on forever, but I'm sure everyone's tired of mindless rambles. Enjoy to Final Four, and GO HUSKIES.

Time To Catch Up

2006-03-03T22:08:00.000-06:00

Well, alot has happened in the Sports World since the last post. Time to cathc up on all the happenings. Some of these I noticed myself, while others were brought to my attention by friends and colleagues.

Item #1: NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. If this continues much longer, I will be nothing but amazed. The NFL, players and owners, have to realize that they own the golden goose right now. The reports have the two sides 4 percentage parts away from each other on revenue sharing. While that may not seem like much, each point is worth $500 million dollars. Those who claim that a lockout and/or strike won't hurt the NFL that much like to point to the NHL and MLB. They point to the fact that 70% of the NHL teams have 90% sellouts this year and that MLB is, attendance-wise, back to it's level pre-strike. What they fail to mention, however, is that the NHL may, in all likelihood lose every franchise south of the Mason-Dixon line as a result of the lockout, and it took a steroid-infused 1998 season of McGwire and Sosa for MLB to return. The NFL needs to realize that they can't risk their status as the premier sport in the United States, and that a good deal means both sides walk away unhappy. The owners aren't prepared for an uncapped year in 2007, and the players don't want to see 100 or more people lose jobs as a result of the lowered salary cap this year. A deal will get done.

Item #2: Vince Young's Wonderlic Score. When I saw this headline, I rolled my eyes and thought "Don't tell me they're making a headline out of a Wonderlic score now?" Then I saw the score.....he made a 6. That's right, a 6 out of 50. The last person who made a 6 on this test was Frank Gore, a running back, but he came from Miami, so that's almost a given. A FREAKING 6?!?!?! This is akin to someone not getting those 20 free points for getting their name and the date right on the SAT's. I will say, however, that I don't believe this signifies Young's capability of success in the NFL. What this says to me is this: Young cannot, and I mean CANNOT, come out of the draft and immediately start. He'll need a year or two under a Steve McNair or an Aaron Brooks (as scary as that may be for Saints' fans) in order to learn the system and find his way.

Item #3. Jay Cutler's Soaring Stock in the Draft. Alright, enough already. I have heard people argue that Cutler should be mentioned in the same breath as Young and Leinhart as potential top-5 draft picks. If the Titans draft Cutler, I will immediately resign as a Titans fan and begin rooting for the absolute worst team in the NFL (hello, 49ers) for no other reason than to protest. I have watched him play for 4 years in the SEC at Vanderbilt (albeit, he had no talent around him, but still) and he couldn't manage to get the program to a bowl game. How hard is it to make it to a bowl game anymore???? It's almost impossible not to go, and Vandy hasn't been for 22 years. I don't care how talented he is. I don't want someone who can't squeeze 6 wins out of a college program as my 1st round draft pick.

Item #4: JJ Redick. I recently had a friend inform that they actually heard an announcer say the following statement during a Duke broadcast: "When you talk about the best players ever to come out of the ACC, JJ Redick has to be in the discussion." As a result of this statement, it may be awhile before my next post, as I may incur brain damage from repeatedly beating my head against the wall. Thanks.

The Unintentional Comedy Post

2006-02-17T23:02:00.000-06:00

Wow, I am cranking out these posts like crazy the last few days. I need a breather...........

A couple of items of, albeit, local interest were brought to my attention from a reader and friend recently. After initially determining that I would not address these topics, they have rated just too great on the UCR (Uninentional Comedy Rating) to bypass. (If you do not understand this scale, please visit Bill Simmons' site, located in the sidebar).

Story #1: Freddie Kitchens Gets Hired by the Tuna. Freddie Kitchens, known throughout Bama Nation, has ascended from the bottomless pit that is Mississippi State and has managed to find himself employed with the Dallas Cowboys. I have, absolutely, no clue what meaningful purpose Kitchens can provide to a coaching staff, since his tenure at Bama was (I can't believe I'm reliving this just to post something) painful to watch at best. Fortunately, however, Bama will no longer have to cope with the dynamic duo of Croom/Kitchens at Miss. St. in the SEC West. Let's take a moment for the sigh of relief. Ok, that's good. With Kitchens working with the Tuna, and Ryan Leaf coaching quarterbacks at West Texas, then there is only one sign left for the apocolypse. If Brian Burghdorf proceeds to enjoy gainful employment with the Patriots, after which Brady throws 869 interceptions in one season, then the end is near.

Story #2: "S: The Coach." Ok.......memo to all Bama fans. Stop this, just quit. After this was brought to my attention, I actually shook my head at my fellow Bama fans (and this is not something that is easily accomplished). I'm sure everyone remembers the bumper stickers: "W: The President". Well, some in this area have found it a rather entertaining idea to place stickers on their cars that read: "S: The Coach" (As in Mike Shula). This practice is utterly indefensible and I plead to all Bama fans to resist this temptation. The simple fact that these stickers have found their way to ANY car in the Birmingham area disturbs me greatly. Let's stop the epidemic. For God's sakes, we're not Auburn fans people.

Verbal Jabs of the Week!!

2006-02-16T19:53:00.000-06:00

There have been a number of subtle, and no-so-subtle, jabs originating from various sources aimed at various targets this week, so I'm going to sum them all up in one post here.

Jab #1: Vijay Singh. I actually feel bad for not seeing this one coming. Really, this guy had gone far too long without pulling some sort of stunt that aggravated everyone else on the PGA Tour. A couple of weeks ago, at the FBR Open in Phoenix, Singh was paired with Phil Mickelson for the first two rounds of play. After being consistently out-driven on just about every hole by Mickelson, Singh apparently took exception. Baffled that anyone could actually hit a golf ball further than himself, Singh requested the PGA Tour to "inspect" Mickelson's driver. Of course, no violations were found, and Singh, once again, managed to make himself look like an ass. As I stated previously, I am not surprised this came from Vijay. My only surprise was that such a great period of time passed between this and his previous request to have Tiger's driver inspected. This also comes on the heels of Vijay complaining to Master's officials about Phil leaving spike marks on the greens during last year's tournament. The only thing left to look forward to is every player on the Tour bum-rushing Vijay WWE-style as he finishes a round on the 18th green.

Jab #2: Ozzie Guillen. I'm not even sure if this qualifies as a jab, as it is more comparable to actually calling someone out. In a recent interview, Ozzie found it prudent to say the following things about A-Rod and Nomar:

"Alex was kissing Latino people's asses," Guillen, who's fromVenezuela, said in the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated. "He knew he wasn't going to play for the Dominicans; he's not a Dominican! I hate hypocrites: He's full of [expletive]," Guillen told Sports Illustrated. "The Dominican team doesn't need his ass. It's the same with [Nomar] Garciaparra playing for Mexico. Garciaparra only knows Cancun because he went to visit."

While I understand the underlying themes in what Ozzie was trying to say (and rarely take exception to a good old-fashioned A-Rod bashing) this was similar to toeing the line, and then proceeding to long-jump, track and field style, to see how far over you can get. Fortunately for Ozzie, A-Rod will do his usual act and respond in a manner similar to the following: "I understand that he was upset about me not playing for the Dominicans, and I appreciate his feelings. While I do not agree with the manner he chose to address the subject, I harbor no hard feelings." Puhhh-lleeeaaazzzeee. If Ozzie really wants to step to the plate, let him send a zinger Roger Clemens' way, and then wait to see if the Rocket has a pitch "get away" from him and go sailing into the White Sox dugout at 98 mph. This would be right up there with the Nolan Ryan butt-whipping given to Robin Ventura.

Jab #3: Bryant Gumbel. Ahhhh. There is just, simply put, no better time than during the Olympics, deemed to be a somewhat "word unifying" event, to toss the proverbial racial component into the mix. Gumbel has apparently protested and boycotted any viewing of the Winter Olympics on the following grounds:

"So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention."

So, apparently, no sport without adequate representation from all racial descents can be considered to represent the best the world has to offer in that particular sport. I really find myself so astonished that a respected member of the media would utter such an incomprehensible statement that I can't offer an opininion on this, which is rare. Thanks goes out to friend and fellow blogger Publius Rendezvous for the heads up on this story, and check out the link for further commentary.

Mindless Ramblings of a Sports Fan in February

2006-02-12T20:45:00.000-06:00

This is the result of a sports fan being relegated to living between the Super Bowl and March Madness:

I noticed the Winter Olympics are going on in Italy. While there are few events I find interesting for the Winter version of the Olympics, it leaves me wondering: I realize that the Summer Olympics should, by its name, should be played during the summer, but, please, can we not find a warm climate to fill the void between the Super Bowl and March Madness in two years? This would be greatly appreciated.

Anyone catch that reporter in Pittsburgh referring to Antwan Randle-El as Willie Parker? That was great stuff. The last time I saw anyone get a reception that cold, I was in a bar after a few too many.

I woke up at 9:00am this morning waiting for noon to roll around (the usual NFL kickoff time around here) in anticipation of a football game. Upon realizing that none were forthcoming and that my options included "Never Been Kissed" and "Flip This House!", I immediately went into a state of denial and continued to stare at the TV Guide for two hours.

During a telephone call recently, I was immediately informed that the person on the other end was witnessing a tape delay version of a women's basketball game, after which I was instructed to not divulge the final score. Yes, this is the life of a sports fan in February.

Does anyone else find themselves anticipating a "star" player of the Arena Football League appearing on NBC on Saturdays right now? Oh........yeah, me neither...

Ok, in light of the Winter Olympics -- Does anyone else find the sport of "curling" ultimately un-entertaining without it bearing its rightful name of shuffleboard, during which no less than three beers can be present for a proper game to continue?

Since I realize the Winter Olympics will not last forever, which means I will not be able to achieve sports entertainment watching "cross-country skiing" to my heart's content, I have found something that can appease me. While I normally do not watch the NBA, I find myself drawn to Laker games in order to determine whether Kobe (aka, the "Black Mamba") will actually hoist 120 shots (40 above the norm) in order to chase Wilt's record of points scored in a game. Is Vegas running odds on this? If not, can someone find out why not?
On a side note: When Kobe does hoist 120 shots in one game, will Lamar Odom finally lose it and grab a folding chair from the bench -- after which he will commence beating Kobe WWE-style so he can play too? Is this situation not worth follwing?

In conclusion....I have actually begun to read sports articles concerning the report date for pitchers and catchers for MLB. Lord, take me now.........I'm ready. (But, if you can drop me off for March Madness and College Football season, that would be fantastic.)

There you have it, the life of a sports fan in February.

Steelers/Refs Take Super Bowl XL

2006-02-07T20:33:00.000-06:00

Sorry this Super Bowl review took so long to get up, but I just awoke from the semi-coma I was placed into by the game. There were approximately three exciting moments produced by the game itself (Antwan Randle El, Herndon's Interception, and Ward's catch at the three yard line), which were heavily outweighed by the exciting officiating. The Seahawks were victims of just about every call that could have gone either way (and some that were just flat wrong), but they played horribly too, so you can't blame the refs for the entire game. With that said, I'll add just a few notes from the game:

THE GAME

Although I was pulling for the Seahawks to win, there is one good thing about this outcome. While Jerome Bettis is a good guy, I never want to have to endure a "Jerome Bettis returning home" storyline for 2 solid weeks again. Bettis is a good player, but, please, this isn't exactly John Elway winning the final game of his career. I have an idea.....if the media, in all of their creative genius, can think of only one thing to discuss for two straight weeks, then please, for all our sakes, just give it up.

The Jerramy Stevens storyline for this game turned into high comedy. While Stevens spent the weeks prior to the game saying how sad it was that Bettis would retire without a Super Bowl victory, he backed his bold statements by dropping 4 out 6 passes thrown his way. Finally, solid proof that karma does exist. Mr. Stevens, please take your seat next to "Fred Ex" and he may be able to show you how to dislodge the foot from your mouth. For your convenience, I believe Mr. Ex may be found playing in NFL Europe now.

Did I really hear one of the announcers say that Roethlisberger and Hasselbeck were the two most poised QB's he had seen in the Super Bowl? Someone save me from football announcers.....it's getting out of hand.

Did everyone enjoy Tom Brady flipping the pre-game coin? I can hear the Patriots fans now -- "That is the GREATEST coin flip I have ever seen!!"

How about Bill Belichek with this gem of insight during the pre-game: "The team that plays the best is going to win." Priceless, just priceless. Unfortunately, since both teams played like crap, not even this benign statement could add stock to Belichek's "genius".

If anyone starts comparing Ben Roethlisberger to Tom Brady, I'm going to throw up. I can only take one of these guys.

THE COMMERCIALS

You know, I've heard that this was one of the worst commercial years for the Super Bowl in history. But, what can you say? At least the advertisements fit it well with the game itself. If I didn't have a Coors Light and a burger that weighed in at about 4.6 pounds, then I would have been convinced I was watching the Motor City Bowl instead of the Super Bowl (I think it's the Motor City Bowl, but, really, who cares anyway?). Now it's time to take a look at the best and worst of the commercials:

Best: I'll have to go with the FedEx commercial as the best of the night. Is there anything funnier than someone absolutely punting an animal when you know it's not real (hold on, PETA's on the phone)..........ok, I'm back. That was great -- flashback's to Anchorman and "That's How I Roll."

The second and third place goes to Bud Light -- whoever runs these marketing departments should be paid more money than just about anyone in the country. The Grizzly Bear spot was great, and reminded me of what my friends would probably do to me. In addition, the "praying to the magic beer wall," was comedy at its best.

Honorable Mention goes to Michelob Ultra "When Light Beer Goes Dark." I almost fell off of the sofa -- "You think you're open???? Now you're CLOSED!" That was great.

Worst: This involves too many commercials to mention, but I'll bring out the Burger King commercial as an example. I saw where they spent $4.8 million on that commercial, after which I had no desire to go to Burger King. As Bill Simmons put it: "Do these people really believe the core audience of the Super Bowl also attends musicals every weekend?" Who was their target market here? After watching that commercial, I have officially wasted 45 seconds of my life that I will never get back.

Well, there you have it. Another end to another season. Is there any way I can just go to sleep until March Madness gets here??

National Signing Day

2006-02-01T23:10:00.000-06:00

Although this may not register with the casual sports fan, National Signing Day carries a great degree of significance with die-hard college football fans. The following are the team rankings, listed by teams of interest.

1. USC Trogans -- Yeah, like this was going to go any other way. The rich get richer.

2. Florida Gators -- The Urban Myth and Florida have managed to land the number one prospect in the country and the number one duel threat QB in the nation in Tim Tebow. Tebow should fit perfectly into Meyer's system, and might add legitimacey to his high profile hire in the next few years.

4. Georgia Bulldogs -- Everyone believes Georgia will face a downslide after Shockley left. Everyone forgets that Richt is possibly the best recruiter in the SEC.

5. Texas -- Vince Young is a huge loss. The 'Horns might rely on their defense more than their offense in coming years with the additions of Jones and Kindle. They are major additions to a team that didn't really need many.

8. Notre Dame -- Damn.

10. Auburn -- Damn, again. WR Tim Hawthorne made a huge difference to Auburn's class.

11. Alabama -- Andre Smith, the number 2 recruit in the country absolutely made Shula's third class. In addition, Alabama landed Terry Grant, the Mr. Football of Mississippi, at RB. The only trouble with this will be the overload at running back. You can't turn down a recruit like that, but they had already received a commit from Mike Ford, a five-star recruit. So, the depth chart at RB come spring will be: Darby, Johns, Coffee, Upchurch, Ford, Grant. That's pretty deep and maybe too deep. It was also good to land QB McElroy, who was a steal from Texas Tech.

23. Tennessee -- This rivals only Tennessee's final ranking (was there one anywhere) as Fulmer's worst performance as the head coach.

The Role of the Fan

2006-01-26T21:33:00.000-06:00

Recently, I read an article by Gene Wojciechowski (I think I spelled that right) making arguments why fans don't have free reign when they purchase their tickets. While I fully appreciate that some fans are nothing but obnoxious and ignorant after a few too many, I'll take issue with a few of his points:

Dude, my ticket pays their salaries. So if I'm dipping into my wallet, I'm ripping into the players and coaches.

Cranking up the crudity just because you bought a sports ticket makes as much sense as putting a 10-spot in the collection plate and continue to berate the priest.

Did this guy really compare berating a priest on Sunday to berating a $10 million athlete? Does this actually make sense, or am I missing something? I guess that's why all the hecklers sit in the balcony on Sundays, so the priest can't get to them. That's just assinine.

But without me, there is no team.

Yeah, the teams love your money. In some cases, ticket sales support player payrolls, especially in the NHL, where the television contracts pale in comparison with, say, the massive NFL broadcast rights fees. And, yeah, the 3.1 million fans who came to Wrigley Field last year provided much of the revenue necessary for a payroll that reached nearly $90 million.

Even in cases where this doesn't happen, and the television contracts support the team. I wonder how long those television contracts last when teams have no attendance whatsoever (just ask the Florida Marlins). One thing obviously is necessary for the other, so looking at the last link in the chain is overlooking the obvious. Again, this makes no sense.

We're the 12th Man. Our team needs us.

Your team needs you to spend lots of money and disrupt the other team's snap count. That's it.

Those 12th Man banners and flags are wonderful, they really are, but let's get something straight: You're not the one who knocked Nick Goings into the land of CAT scans; that was Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu. And safety Troy Polamalu and the Steelers didn't need the 12th Man's help as they won three consecutive road games to reach the Super Bowl.

Can I get a review of won-loss records at home versus won-loss records on the road here? All this argument does is make the average fan believe he is completely worthless. That's a prime example he gave about the Steelers though.......Those three road wins in the playoffs happen how often again? I think the last time was the 1999 Titans. 5 years ago you say? Dumb.

I picked out the most assinine points of the article for this post, but he does make some decent points amidst the stupidity. Check it out for yourself. Gene Wojiechowski (Did I spell that right?).

Conference Championship Games

2006-01-20T22:25:00.000-06:00

It's Conference Championship time, and also time to put my stellar 4-4 playoff prediction record to the test. I'm on the verge of flipping a freaking coin for these games, because way too much thought is going into this to be 4-4 (ok, not that much thought, but still).

Seattle (-3.5) vs. Carolina: Shaun Alexander should be thrilled that Petyon Manning is in the league right now. Otherwise, you could be hearing about the "Shaun Face." He's averaging a career 3.3 ypc in the playoffs, and has begun the speculation that Steve Smith should have been the MVP with his Seahawks winning without him last week. With that said, however, I think he's going to take the criticism to heart and step up this week. Even if he doesn't have an outstanding game, the Seahawks have shown they can win without him even on the field. Could the Panthers win without S. Smith on the field -- NO. Smith should be involved in double coverage the entire game, and the Seahawks won't get caught up in the Bears' arrogance of believing they can cover him 1-on-1. The simple fact is this: You can contain anyone if you plan enough defense around him. The Seahawks know that the Panthers can't win without Smith, so they'll take him out of the game, for the most part (Still give him 7 catches for about 90 yards though). The lack of a running game will hurt the Panthers more than most think, and, for some odd reason, John Fox has been labeled a coaching genius, which he doesn't deserve yet. Give Alexander 125 and 2 TD's on the ground, with Hasselbeck in there for 215 yards and TD in the air. The Hawks win.

Prediction: Seahawks 24 Panthers 17

Broncos (-3) vs. Steelers: This game is a complete tossup. The Steelers would be favored if this wasn't being played at Mile High. At first glance, you look at the QB's, neither of which I'm all that excited about. So, next you look at the running backs. You have Mike Anderson, who probably would average about 50 ypg in any system but Denvers and Jerome Bettis (Does anyone else think that he personally requests his jersey to be air-dried, because the dryer "shrinks it?" In taking from Bill Simmons, is this not a miracle that he even fits into this thing after stretching it out before letting it dry? If he had any significant role, this is also where Denver RB Ron Dayne would fit.) I'll say these two cancel each other out. I think the WR's, in Lelie, Smith, and Ward, Randle El also cancel each other out. So, all you are left with is the home field advantage, and a gut feeling that Pittsburgh's "well of luck" has got to run dry at some point. Therefore, I'll take the Broncos (I should note, however, that a friend of mine has made a very good point: Plummer is dying, and I mean dying to the point where he's a coke addict looking for a fix, to have a 4-Interception game. It's either happening here or in the Super Bowl). Be warned.

Prediction: Broncos 23 Steelers 20

So, there you have it. Obviously, the SportsHaven picks have been about as valuable as Confederate Money the last couple of weeks, but, what can I say, I try.

Were The Patriots A Dynasty??

2006-01-17T21:47:00.000-06:00

This is a question that will surely be debated during the coming weeks and the time leading up to next season. In order to answer that question, it is only fair to compare the current Patriots to the past dynasties from football:

The 1970's Steelers: As difficult as it may be to compare different eras of the same sport, I'll give it a run from the skill positions. You have Terry Bradshaw, winner of 4 Super Bowls and HOF'er versus Tom Brady, the winner of 3 Super Bowls (so far) and future Hall of Famer. In something that may surprise some of those who know me, the edge goes to Brady for the following reason. Offensive Weapons: The Steelers had Franco Harris, John Stallworth, and Lynn Swann, among others. That obviously aided Bradshaw greatly in his HOF career. In comparison, the Patriots have a revolving door that now consists of David Givens, Ben Watson, and Corey Dillon. Advantage: Pittsburgh. Finally, you look at the defenses. The Patriots have leaned on their defense considerably in recent years, but I refuse to go against the "Steel Curtain."

QB: Brady over Bradshaw.
RB: Harris over Dillon/Antwain Smith.
WR: Stallworth/Swann over Troy Brown/David Givens.
Def: Steelers.

Alright, the Patriots are 0-1 so far, so, onto:

The 1980's 49ers: I guess we'll start where we were last time. As much as the media fawns over Tom Brady as being a Joe Montana clone, he has yet to reach that status (although he is making a run at it). If you give me one game I have to win, I'm taking Montana over Brady, hands down. As for offensive weapons, it's almost comical. John Taylor, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, ect, ect, ect. I will, however, give the Patriots the advantage on defense despite Ronnie Lott's imposing presence at safety. The Patriots play too good of team defense to be downgraded too far, so:

QB: Montana over Brady.
RB: Craig over Dillon/Antwain Smith.
WR: Taylor/Rice over Brown/Givens.
Def: Patriots.

So, the Patriots are 0-2, but I'll make room for one more dynasty, and it'll be a toss-up between the current Patriots and the 1990's Cowboys. Only one gets in.

Tom Brady is so similar to Troy Aikman it's almost scary. Both were/are great game managers, despite not having the highest level of talent. Both are winners, and you would like either to have the ball with 2 minutes left and down by 4. The advantage, however, will go to Brady, since Aikman simply had more weapons to work with. The "Weapons" category is obviously no competition, but the Patriots to get the edge on defense, so:

QB: Brady over Aikman.
RB: Smith over Dillon/Smith.
WR: Irvin/Harper over Brown/Givens.
Def: Patriots.

So, it is the inevitable tie. And the tiebreaker goes to.......the Cowboys. That is not based on my simple belief that the Cowboys of the '90s would beat the Patriots 4 out of 7, but rather on the simple fact that the Cowboys had another "great" team with which they had to compete year in and year out: Steve Young and the 49ers. The Patriots have had no such consistent competition (if you count the Colts, that's just wrong). So, there you have it, the Patriots have work to do to be considered a dynasty.

For More Thoughts On This, See Bill Simmons.

NFL Playoffs -- Round 2

2006-01-12T20:03:00.000-06:00

Well, it looks like I pulled off a 2-2 record straight up and 3-1 against the spread in Round 1, so I guess I can live with that. Speaking of Round 1, who's thinking C. Palmer is going on the the second play from scrimmage? That knee injury was nasty too -- torn ACL, MCL, and a dislocated kneecap, which injured the cartilage in the area. With that said, on to Round 2:

Seattle (-9.5) vs. Washington: I wonder, out of 10 games, how many times a team will win gaining 132 total yards, as Washington did last week. If they repeat that performance against Seattle, this game could get ugly. Shaun Alexander isn't Cadillac Williams, and Matt Hasselback isn't Chris Simms. On the other side of the coin, however, Seattle has been notoriously bad in the playoffs, and are generally inexperienced in big games. Between LaVar Arrington and Sean Taylor (who should be suspended for this game), the Skins will slow down the passing game, but Alexander will get his usual 125 on the ground for the Seahawks to pull it out. The spread is too high on this game, however, considering the defense of the Redskins, and the fact that they are the hottest team in the NFL at the moment.

Prediction: Seattle 28 Redskins 20

Denver (-3) vs. New England: This line baffles me. I could understand the Pats being a dog on the road if they weren't playing so well right now. If anyone wants to let their money ride on the right arm of Jake Plummer, then be my guest. I realize that he has seemed to "turn the corner" this year with the lack of bad decisions all season, but the playoffs are completely different. It's a tough call whether to hitch my wagon to Jake Plummer or the Patriots (lol), but I think I'll take the Patriots for one more week.

Prediction: Patriots 24 Broncos 20

Colts (-9.5) vs. Steelers: Well, first of all, the Colts win this game. I'm not convinced there is anyone that can go into the RCA Dome and beat the Colts when they are running at full strength. On top of that, Joey Porter has decided to accuse the Colts of "playing it soft" (ok, sometimes they do), and that is the last thing that needed to come out of Pittsburgh. The only part of this game I remain unsure of is whether the line is too large. On a gut feeling, I'll say the Colts cover, and this game is thoroughly uninteresting.

Prediction: Colts 31 Steelers 17

Chicago (-2.5) vs. Panthers: I've heard some talk coming out of Chicago this week about the Panthers being "overrated." They're not, but they are inconsistent. That is what makes this game a tough call. There is simply no predicting which Panthers team is going to show up for the game. If they don't come out on all cylinders offensively, the Bears defense will make them pay for it. The gut feeling for this game is a low scoring affair with the defenses trading punches. Look for Steve Smith and co. to put up just enough points to win as a result of turnovers. Also, Ken Lucas may have a big game defensively against the Bears and "still-rusty" Rex Grossman.

Prediction: Panthers 16 Bears 10

Marcus Vick.............

2006-01-10T21:13:00.000-06:00

In the latest turn of events, Marcus Vick has been arrested for "allegedly" pulling a gun on three teenagers at a Virginia McDonalds. In a long line of bad decisions, most likely a direct result of enjoying his brother's money as if it was his own, Vick has finally been dismissed from the Virginia Tech football team. In response to this, Vick stated: "It's no big deal, baby......I'll take my talent to the next level." Although Va. Tech fans may be upset that their football team may suffer next year, how can you begin to feel sorry for this guy? He had the talent, and opportunities, and most importantly, the Vick NAME. This is right up there with Maurice Clarett, although I do believe that Vick will get drafted and stick around the NFL for a few years on potential alone. So, with that said, it's the "5 Things Going Through Marcus Vick's Mind When He Pulled A Gun At McDonalds."

5) Yo, man, that 10 year old just straight cut in line.

4) What kind of bullsh*t toys do you give away with these Happy Meals?

3) I am thoroughly displeased with the condition of your restrooms and would like to file a formal complaint...........BANG!

2) What the hell do you mean I can't play on the slides?

1) Hey homie, I said no pickle on that double-cheese.......punk.

NFL Playoffs -- Round 1

2006-01-06T19:46:00.000-06:00

Well, now that college football has ended, it will be upon the NFL Playoffs to entertain sports nuts through the end of January. Everyone better enjoy it while it lasts, as Feb. is always a horrible sports month. So, bring on the predictions and previews of the games this weekend:

Steelers (-3) at Bengals: The first round playoff games are hard to figure out this year. There are not obvious picks, and just about all of them land in the "flip a coin" realm of predictions. The line on this game, however, astounds me. The last time these two teams squared off, the Bengals were handing the loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh, so how can they be the dogs at home? Pretty much the only reasoning I can come up with is the Bengals' woeful recent history and their lack of experience in playoff games (well, I guess that isn't such a bad reason to be a 3 point dog at home). Nonetheless, if you want me to pick between Roethlisberger/Parker,Bettis/Ward vs. Palmer/C. Johnson/R. Johnson, I'll take the latter. Take the points and the Bengals.

Prediction: Bengals 28 Steelers 24

Redskins (-2.5) vs. Buccaneers: I'm not sure where to start with this one. It's the battle of two teams, neither of which has a prayer in the world of making the Super Bowl. In the battle of playoff mediocrity, however, you take the mediocre experience over the mediocre youth. Out of the quarterback, running back, and number one wide receiver positions, the only experience advantage leaning towards the Bucs is Joey Galloway over Santana Moss. There's about as much chance that I'm hitching my wagon to Joey Galloway as there is on a QB new to the playoffs (Chris Simms). In addition, Cadillac Williams is simply hit or miss, and you're never quite sure what you're going to get from him. The only thing giving the Bucs a chance is their vaunted defense, but not even D. Brooks, R. Barber and co. will save them this week.

Prediction: Redskins 20 Buccaneers 17

Patriots (-7.5) vs. Jaguars: Although the Jags have the definite potential to pull the upset here, it is almost impossible to pick against the defending world champions in Foxboro. The Jaguars just don't have enough offense to keep up in this one despite a Pats defense that has been suspect all year long. So, the pick to win is the Patriots, but the spread is high. Despite that, however, anyone who has attempted to make a living the last few years betting against the Pats is either homeless or has some serious credit issues. Pats to win the game, and the spread.

Prediction: Patriots 27 Jaguars 17

Giants (-2.5) vs. Panthers: This could be the toughest game to call out of the bunch. Eli Manning, after a great start, has begun to show that he really is a 2nd year quarterback with bad decisions, and even worse looking interceptions. On the other side, Jake Delhomme is an enigma who looks like Tom Brady on some days and Anthony Wright on others. The Giants hold the definitive edge at RB with Tiki Barber, but the Panthers have Steve Smith, who could possibly win this game by himself. He's capable of going for 175 yards receiving and a punt return for a touchdown any given Sunday. This is going to be low-scoring, and possibly ugly, game, so I'll take Jay Feely (that's right, the same guy who blew 3 game winning field goals against the Seahawks) to win this game in the 4th quater. The Giants win the game, and Panthers win against the spread.

Prediction: Giants 16 Panthers 14

So, there you have it. The predictions for Round 1. Whether it's 0-4, 2-2, or 4-0 (yeah, right) for me during the first weekend, I'll be back to predictions for Round 2.

Trojans Get Hooked

2006-01-05T17:34:00.000-06:00

Wow. In what was truly one of the best college football games I have ever seen, Vince Young provided perhaps the most amazing performance ever turned in during a national championship game. After watching Young play the first three and a half quarters, was there any doubt in anyone's mind that he would take them down the field for the game-winning touchdown after Texas's defense held USC on 4th and 2? I've heard several issues being discussed in the last day pertaining to this game, so I'll take a look at a few of those.

Vince Young's NFL Possibilities: I'm not sure anyone has ever risen their NFL draft stock in a single game as much as Young managed to do during the Rose Bowl. Many draft experts are speculating that he has risen from the 7-9 spots to as high as the first pick in the draft. (The first pick, by the way, belongs to the Texans, and Young would do amazing things for ticket and merchandise sales.) The next question would be: Should he go? I can't even fathom a reason for Young to come back to school next year. His draft stock isn't going to rise any higher, and he, single-handedly, won the Rose Bowl and National Championship for the Longhorns. I guess, if there is a valid reason for coming back, it could be his desire to win the Heisman Trophy, for which he would be the front-runner next year, and his simple love of college football, which he has repeatedly stated. The early gut feeling from SportsHaven, however, is that Young will be playing on Sundays next year.

Did USC Give The Game Away, or Did Texas Win It: I heard this issue being discussed earlier, and find it utterly incomprehensible for anyone to argue that Texas did not absolutely win this game. Doubters will point to Bush's ill-fated lateral attempt, the bone-headed coaching decisions by Carroll, or the failure of the review booth to look at Young's lateral, where his knee was clearly down. However, USC came into this game riding a 34 game winning streak with everyone declaring them college football's next great dynasty. In addition, they enjoyed home field advantage in the Rose Bowl. The Texas defense stepped up when it mattered, holding USC's vaunted offense on 4th and 2 with the game on the line and Young made every big play he was called upon to make. Anyone who find themselves claiming that USC gave this game to Texas must be residing the the southern part of California.

Finally, congratulations to the Texas fans. I was pulling for them and was happy to see them put a limp into USC's swagger that they have enjoyed for the past two seasons. Although I believe Young will be NFL-bound next year, best of luck to you into retaining his services for his senior season.

Bowl Reviews

2006-01-03T21:15:00.000-06:00

Time to take a look back at some of the better bowl games thus far. The Rose Bowl Preview will arrive shortly in a separate post.

Cotton Bowl: Alabama 13 Texas Tech 10: This was a great game. A great offense vs. a great defense. There was a great deal of talk about how Texas Tech might hang 50 on Bama during this game, but the old line held true: A great defense will beat a great offense. I'll offer a few things I noticed during the game for review purposes. Anthony Madison has been questioned a great deal during his time at Alabama, as has Ramzee Robinson. However, those cornerbacks absolutely stepped up when they were called upon to play man to man coverage. Neither got burned the entire day. That's a great job, and I am particularly proud of Madison, since this was, most likely, the last competitive football game he will ever play.

Charlie Peprah and Roman Harper will be missed like no other on this team this year. They laid the hard hits on the receivers coming over the middle, which eventually led to the receivers simply looking for a place to dive in the second half after catching the ball.

What else can you say about the Defensive Player of the Game, DeMeco Ryans? Much like Shaun Alexander, he has left an eternal mark on the university and its fans.

It was nice to see Keith Brown step up in D.J. Hall's absence. However, his numbers should have been bigger barring an overthrow by Croyle. It's hard to know about Croyle. Does anyone else get the impression that his eyes get as big as golf balls when he sees a receiver open downfield? That's the only way to explain those overthrows he's had all year to wide open receivers streaking downfield. With that said, however, no one should downplay the importance he's had to the program. He committed to Bama when Franchione was here and we were running the option, despite the fact that he didn't fit that system at all. He's been through three coaches, two injuries, and remained as the face of the program for the last couple of years.

Finally, what can you say about Jamie Christenson? I don't know if I can take two more years of those heart-stopping kicks. Give the guy all the credit in the world, but 15/24 on the season just won't cut it. Those wounded ducks aren't going to fly through the uprights for two more years.

One thing about Texas Tech here. Cody Hodges limped onto the field with a torn ligament in his right knee to lead them to their only touchdown of the game. A fifth year senior who most likely has no future in football limping onto the field for his final game. Even Bama fans had to be impressed. Kudos to Hodges.

Gator Bowl: Florida 31 Iowa 24: Chris Leak has spent his entire junior year being an enigma. He played mediocre all year during SEC play, yet made a few great throws during the Gator Bowl. Strange. Also on this subject of the Gator Bowl, did anyone else witness, quite possibly, the worst call in the history of bowl games here? Iowa recovered an onside kick while down by seven, but the referees claimed Iowa to be offside, despite the fact that the guy was onside by a yard at least. Where the hell do they find these guys?? I'm almost convinced that was the same guy from the UT/Florida game last year that blew the personal foul call and he was just making up for it.

Peach Bowl: LSU 40 Miami 3: What a trainwreck for Miami here. I don't have a great deal to say about this game, because the score tells the whole story. The only question left to ask is this: Is Miami, after 20 years of being considered a perennial Top 10 Team, no longer in the national spotlight? It may not be as far away as you may think.

Holiday Bowl: Oklahoma 17 Oregon 14: Alright, we had California last year, and Oregon this year both complaining about being left out of the BCS, and both got their butts handed to them in the Holiday Bowl. Raise your hand if you're tired of Pac-10 teams complaining about their absence of at-large BCS berths, and subsequently being pounded by lesser teams. If you're going to whine about it, at least step up to the plate when it's game time.

Capital One Bowl: Wisconsin 24 Auburn 10: LMAO. I have no idea what to say about this game. You think Auburn may have listened to their own hype a little too much the past few weeks perhaps? (That was a rhetorical question).

Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State 34 Notre Dame 20: Are you kidding me? And here, according to the media, Charlie Weis was the second coming of Bear Bryant and Knute Rockne. With 30 some odd days to prepare, Notre Dame got steamrolled like an old, beat up, (and over-hyped), car. Let me make this simple for Notre Dame fans: Brady Quinn is not Joe Montana, Charlie Weis is not Knute Rockne, and Tyrone Willingham did just as well as Weiss his first year. In addition, Weiss will be gone in 3 years to the NFL, so brace yourself ND fans. Notre Dame is fraud who sneaks into the BCS based on their tradition and being an independent.

What Did I Miss?

2005-12-15T20:45:00.000-06:00

Alright, finals are behind me, so it's time to catch up on all the sports stories that occurred in my month-long absence.

The T.O. Debacle: My absence commenced during the early stages of this comedy. In retrospect, T.O. has got to be one of the worst teammates in the history of sports. I'm glad the arbitrator stood his ground and, hopefully, taught T.O. a lesson, which is, that the world does not revolve around his existence. So, apparently, the rumors are that he will be traded. My advice to the GM of the Eagles? Trade him to Baltimore, which is the one place he didn't want to go when he left the 49ers. It would serve him right to be catching (or trying to) balls from Kyle Boller. He thought Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb were bad? lol. On the other hand, who would even WANT to trade for this guy? If you're 2-14, this would be akin to getting rid of the Bird FLU to catch the Plague.

The Heisman Trophy Race: Race? What Race? They might as well have carved Bush's likeness into the trophy itself, it was such a forgone conclusion. Vince Young deserves alot of attention for the season he's had, but Reggie Bush is absolutely the most explosive and entertaining college football player to watch since Gino Torretta (just kidding). Actually, if I could even conjure a comparison, it would be Desmond Howard. Let's hope his NFL career turns out better.

The Rose Bowl: Is there any doubt that the two best teams in college football will be playing in the Rose Bowl this year? The poundings that USC and Texas put on UCLA and Colorado, resptively, were ridiculous. The early prediction from SportsHaven? USC 38 Texas 30.

The NBA Tips Off: Whatever.

SportsHaven On Forced Vacation

2005-11-17T23:06:00.000-06:00

Well, law school finals have begun to rear their ugly heads, so SportsHaven will be on vacation until further notice. I'll guess around December 15, so Roll Tide and Thanks for Visiting!

Showdown in T-Town

2005-11-11T22:24:00.000-06:00

It's time for the strech run in the college football year with three unbeatens vying for a spot in the BCS Championship Game. The top 3 teams are all in action this week, with Texas running a scrimmage game against Kansas.

#3 Alabama vs. #5 LSU. Okay, as usual, here goes the breakdown with the big games:

When Alabama Has The Ball: I have heard all the national media saying how Alabama just isn't the same without Prothro, and, statistics don't lie, because they aren't. The absence of Prothro, however, does not fully explain Bama's struggles on offense recently. All you have to do is look at the numbers: Darby has piled up about 272 yards rushing the past two games; DJ Hall set an Alabama record with 10 receptions in two consecutive games since Prothro went down; With the exception of MS St., Croyle has been his normal, top 10 quarterback in the country, self. Alabama has been piling up the yards, but just tanks in the red zone for some reason. Don't expect Bama to solve their problems against LSU, absent some big plays from the wide receivers (where you have gone, Keith Brown?). If anyone saw the Tennessee game, then you saw Alabama get dominated on the line when they were on offense. LSU's line is better. Advantage: LSU

When LSU Has The Ball: LSU has a playmaker at QB, in JaMarcus Russell, RB, in Addai, and too many to name at wide receiver. Let's look at them one at a time. Russell is an outstanding talent, possibly the most talented QB in the SEC. However, he likes to throw the ball to the wrong colored jersey when he gets pressured and gets nervous. Both of those are going to happen Saturday. Russell hasn't experienced an atmosphere in his career like he will in Bryant-Denny on Saturday. Expect at least 1 INT, and maybe two. Addai has been piling it up on the ground all year. Alabama hasn't allowed a 100 yard rusher all year. Mr. Addai, meet Mr. Ryans, Mr. Simpson, and Mr. Roach. Expect about 70 yds, 0 TD from Addai. The wide receivers could be trouble. Bama is sixth in conference in pass defense. They live and die by the big play, which, as said earlier, should occur a couple of times against Russell. Advantage: Bama.

Special Teams: Brandon Brooks is returning kickoffs and punts for Bama. Skyler Green, the most dangerous athlete in college football, behind Reggie Bush, is doing the same for LSU. Advantage: LSU.

Intangibles: Alabama is 9-0, they're playing at home, and LSU has won the last three matchups. Huge motivation factors here. Adavantage:
Bama.

Game Prediction: When the game is such a close call, then you go with the better QB. Croyle is a 5th year senior, and knows big games. Russell is a mistake-prone sophmore. Alabama 16 LSU 14

Hmmm......

2005-11-09T22:33:00.000-06:00

Ok, I don't usually call out things heard via the national media on this blog, but I couldn't resist this one. A summary of Jim Rome's take on the polls is as follows:

Memo to Alabama Fan:

Stop crying about the AP having you ranked below Miami. The idea is to vote for the better team not the team with the better record. There isn’t a person outside of Tuscaloosa who doesn’t think Miami is better than Alabama. Not after seeing the Canes go into Blacksburg and hammer Virginia Tech. Not after seeing your boys struggle against Ole Miss and Mississippi St.

I’ll give you props for being unbeaten, but the fact is, the Tide doesn’t scare anybody and hasn’t since stud Tyrone Prothro went down three games ago. You’ve scored one offensive TD since that happened and none against a Mississippi St. team that hasn’t won a game in conference all year.

You’re living on the edge and it’s going to come back to bite you just like Arizona did to UCLA. Beat LSU and Auburn and then I’ll listen to your argument. Until then, you should be ranked behind Miami and instead of complaining about it you should be writing thank you letters to the voters who didn’t put you behind Penn St. because they’re better than you too.

First of all, did Rome just compare Bama to a Pac-10 team?!?! That could be the most insulting part of the entire rant. Also, Bama fans shouldn't be whining, because Bama is ranked AHEAD of Miami in the BCS, which is what matters. I'll take the "only scored one TD in three games" argument more seriously when Bama's defense doesn't give up anything but one TD in SIX games. Listen, the truth is, Jim, Bama does what it takes to win. The offense sucked it up against Tennessee, but took it down the field when they needed to, much as they did against Ole Miss. I'm not making the argument that they are the best team in the country, but to down-play them is a mistake. I realize the Prothro injury has hurt the offense tremendously, but, while everyone is basking in Pac-10 offense, people forgot that defense wins championships and offense wins Heisman Trophies.

On a final note: "You should be happy you aren't ranked behind Penn St." This is a statement that has resulted from someone who has obviously not watched a Penn State or Bama game all year. I, admittedly, pull for Penn St. when they play because I, generally, like the traditional powers, but Penn State would not score a TD against Bama. That argument is assinine.

Pack Your Bags

2005-11-07T19:51:00.000-06:00

In a far overdue move, the Eagles have finally let T.O. know that he doesn't own the team. As much fun as it is to watch TO play the game, this guy is a complete ass. He thought he owned Philadephia after his gutty performance in the Super Bowl, but I guess he failed to realize that Donovan McNabb is an institution in Philly. In truth, all the man does is watch his own back. Before going to the Eagles, he did nothing but exclaim how great a QB McNabb was. After losing in the Super Bowl, he blamed McNabb. After starting 4-3, he said they would be undefeated with Brett Favre. I know that some team will pick this guy up after the season is done, but, if nothing else, at least he got what was coming to him for one season. Really, if he can't get along amicably with Jerry Rice, is there any hope for the man?

The College Football Preview

2005-11-04T19:08:00.000-06:00

Ahh......Saturday is right around the corner. This season is going by too fast.

#3 Virginia Tech vs. #5 Miami. Wow. Who would have thought the occasion would ever arise when Alabama fans were actually pulling for the Hurricans of Miami. Well, believe it or not, that time is here. Miami has to clear Va. Tech out of the way for Bama to have one less obstacle to the elusive Rose Bowl this year. Well, if you've read this far, then you're probably thinking "This guy's a Bama fan, so he'll pick Miami to win." You'd be right on both counts, as I am a Bama fan, and I am picking Miami to win, but one does not lead to the other, as I do my best to leave bias out of my predictions. This game, to me, comes down to two variables. Virginia Tech has looked great, while Miami has looked ordinary. However, looking ordinary is a direct result of Miami having the best defense in the country, which tends to lead to dull games. On the other hand, Virginia Tech has Marcus Vick, a truly dynamic player and game-changer. The bottom line, however, is that I just don't believe Marcus Vick has the experience to beat a defense like Miami's at this point in his career. He is used to running wild on every team he plays, so I think he will make some mistakes when he finds he can't run out of trouble against Miami.

Game Prediction: Miami 20 Virginia Tech 14

#4 Alabama at Mississippi St. Ok, Bama fans. Not much to say about this game. The only danger here is Jerious Norwood, who is one of the best running backs in the SEC. Alabama has shown somewhat vulnerable to the run against Tennessee and Arkansas, but Norwood just isn't going to get it done on Saturday. MS St. has a redshirt freshman playing QB, so look for eight, or possibly nine, in the box alot to stop the run. Actually, I won't even try to analyze this game. MS St. is horrible, possibly the worst in the SEC, and Bama's going to win. Let's just keep everyone healthy.

Game Prediction: Alabama 38 Mississippi St. 6

#8 Notre Dame vs. Tennessee: I know many people are thinking: "Why in the hell would he pick this game to preview?" Well, the answer is this: You DO NOT sleep on Tennessee. They came to Tuscaloosa and almost pulled off the upset. That was not because Bama played poorly. Tennessee, traditionally, gets up for big games, as do all power teams from the SEC. (See, e.g., Miami of 2003). Brady Quinn is going to have a massive headache on his hands from UT's defensive line, which is the best in the country, which is going to injure his Heisman hype. There are two conditions I am placing on the game prediction. If Tennessee still had Jason Allen at CB and Gerald Riggs at RB, then I would be picking them to pull the upset. But, they don't. So.....

Game Prediction: Notre Dame 17 Tennessee 13

You're OUT..........Of Your Mind

2005-11-03T20:03:00.000-06:00

According to a recent news release, Rep. Jeff Roorda (D-Barnhart), plans to introduce legislation taxing umpires and game officials for the income they earn while in Missouri. The tax, entitled the "entertainer and athlete tax", is usually levied against out of state residents who earn money in Missouri for events such as baseball games and concerts. According to Mr. Roorda:

"Seriously though, I think it's good public policy. Referees and umpires play a critical role in the outcome of this game and are part of the entertainment experience."

Okay, I will concede that umpires are a part of the entertainment experience. But, seriously, check the title of this tax again: Entertainer and Athlete Tax. When is the last time you saw a game on the schedule, and said "OOHhhh, Bob Smith is calling balls and strikes for this one. I HAVE to see this!"

Mr. Roorda, I understand that the entire state of Missouri are collective die-hard Cardinals fans since Marshall Faulk got old and Kurt Warner forgot to renew his deal with the devil, but surely politicians have better things to do with their time than go after an umpire of a baseball game.

Also, thanks to Publius Rendezvous for the heads up on the story.

Weekend Recap

2005-10-30T21:29:00.000-06:00

#4 Georgia 10 #16 Florida 14. This game truly had to be one of the most boring games to watch on the SEC schedule this season. Florida came out early with a 14-0 lead, while the rest of the game simply tested how devoted you are to watching SEC football. However, allow me to be the first to congratulate Florida on the win. It was a classic SEC game, as most seem to be this year, with Florida taking an early lead and Georgia being unable to mount the comeback. Welcome to the SEC, Urban. Thoughts and Comments:

There are two injuries that programs in the SEC can't handle this year: Alabama cannot lose Brodie, and Georgia cannot lose Shockley, as evidenced by 22 straight running plays during the cocktail party.

Chris Leak is an engima, no doubt about it.

Am I the only one that is tired of the media phrasing these types of SEC rivalries as examples of pathetic offenses? I am truly sorry if the SEC showdowns don't match up to the 42-38 Pac 10 excitement, but the Pac-10's idea of defense went out the door with dinosaurs, and everyone knows it. I'm sorry we don't have crap defenses in the SEC so it's more exciting for the media.

If UCLA plays Bama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, or Auburn, then I'll take the the SEC teams and give the points, thanks.

#4 Alabama 35 Utah St. 3. This game went about as we expected. No big news. DJ Hall set a record, getting more than 10 catches in two consecutive games, but we still had the fumbles on the kick returns. That's going to be trouble against LSU and Auburn. This game was mainly about getting some experience to the young guys, so job acccomplished.

#25 Tennessee 15 S. Carolina 16. It looks like the 'Ol Ball Coach didn't miss the friendly confines of Neyland Stadium one bit. There was one telling sign of UT, and their team this year. I am very familiar with UT and their patterns, so, when they got the ball with 2 minutes left in the game, I simply assumed they would drive down the field for the winning field goal. This is not the UT team that anyone recognizes. Thoughts And Comments:

How bad as Fulmer's past couple of weeks been? Loss to Bama and to Spurrier? Wow.

Does this UT squad remind anyone else of the '02 team. That's the one where the ego's out-weighed the talent and they finished the season unranked.

No one should take this as S. Carolina's "return" to the SEC. Spurrier did a great job in hostile environment, but it will be 3 years before they have a prayer at the SEC East Crown.

The Cocktail Party Preview

2005-10-28T21:39:00.000-05:00

#4 Georgia vs. #19 Florida. This game caught me off guard when I saw the Georgia, the leader of the SEC East and undefeated, was a four point dog to Florida. Georgia is going to be sporatic on offense, to say the least, now that Shockley is out for the game. However, they've done an excellent job all year of mixing the pass with the run. They don't really have a standout running back, as it's been more of a run by committee approach. All the backup QB has to do in this game is not lose it for Georgia. He doesn't have to make plays for his team, he just has to avoid making plays for Florida's defense. On the other hand, Florida remains an engima. The battle of wasting the most talent on the offensive side of the ball still rages between Florida and Tennessee. I understand that Urban Meyer has a system that he likes to run, but you have got to make adjustments for your personnel. Chris Leak, an outstanding quarterback, mixes with this system like oil and water. Don't get me wrong, however, the loss of Shockley will make this a close game, as I'm not convinced it would be with him playing.

Game Prediction: Georgia 17 Florida 13

#5 Alabama vs. Utah State: I don't have a great deal to say about this game. Alabama needs to come into this game and get their offense going against a weaker opponent. They have yet to find their rythem since Prothro went down, and LSU and Auburn are around the corner. Get the starters in there, and let them get some chemistry going. Looks for Brodie to grab about 200 and 2 TDs in the air, with Darby at 125 and 1. Those numbers would be bigger, but the starters should be gone by the end of the third quarter if not sooner.

Game Prediction: Alabama 42 Utah St. 3

#23 Tennessee vs. S. Carolina: Ahh, the return of the 'ol Ball Coach to enemy territory. This game is probably going to be just boring to watch. The Volunteers have, quite possibly, the most disappointing offense in the past ten years of college football, considering their talent. On the other hand, S. Carolina has no talent on offense. I'm not sure you could call this a slugfest, as the Bama/Tennessee game was. It will probably be more a battle of attrition, which UT should win since they go deeper than S. Carolina. I will admit, however, the line of this game (UT by 14) shocked me. I'm not sure UT could put of the necessary 28 points to cover that line.

Game Prediction: Tennessee 20 S. Carolina 13

Political Correctness Running Rampant

2005-10-27T19:01:00.000-05:00

Am I the only one that grows weary of the "PC" (Political Correctness) Machine? Fisher DeBerry, the coach of the Air Force Academy, has been lambasted this week for making certain comments following last Saturday's game against TCU. Those comments were as follows:

"It just seems to be that way, that Afro-American kids can run very, very well. That doesn't mean that Caucasian kids and other descents can't run, but it's very obvious to me they run extremely well."

Do these appear to be statements based in fact to anyone else? Since when has it become a moral crime to make factual statements? These observations are obvious to anyone that follows sports, and yet, for some reason, what is obvious to everyone cannot be spoken aloud without the talking heads on Around the Horn (particularly Jay Mariotti) calling for his resignation/firing. Even Dan Grossman, a democratic state senator from Colorado has stated that he is disgusted the DeBerry was not fired for the "shame and disgust" he has brought the Air Force Academy. Thanks for the political maneuvering, Mr. Grossman. I'm sure that's why the good people of Colorado elected you to the United States Senate for your insight on such matters.

Finally, for anyone that feels offended by these remarks, take a moment out of the day and investigate how many caucasian wide receivers, running backs, and defensive backs play in the NFL. If you still feel offended, then take a step back and look at the big picture. There are more important issues in the world in which to take offense than factual statements made by a college football coach.

Defense Wins Championships (Or At Least Rivalries)

2005-10-24T21:47:00.000-05:00

#5 Alabama 6 #17 Tennessee 3. In a game during which Bear Bryant and General Neyland surely were watching and smiling, this was a throwback to the smashmouth Bama/UT games of old. If this game were any more old-school, then DeMeco Ryans and Brodie Croyle would have been sporting brown leather helmets. By halftime, at which it was 0-0, you knew the first team to make a big play was going to win this game. Bama made two. The first game on a forced fumble that went out of the end zone as Tennessee was, most likely, about to win the game. The second game on a 43 yard go route from Croyle to DJ Hall. After the completion, the stars were once again aligned properly for Christensen, as he snuck another game winning kick through the upright. Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Gave 'Em Hell ALABAMA!! General Thoughts and Comments:

Rick Clausen is the Trent Dilfer of college football. He won't make mistakes, but you better not plan on him winning the game for you.

Roman Harper is going to play in the NFL one day for one reason. He doesn't have size or speed, but he's got the heart. See: Lynch, John.

Was there anyone else in the stadium that was almost convinced UT would block the last field goal, pick it up, and run it back for a game-winning touchdown? Just wondering if I was the only one.

Hey, you bas#$# in Section N-5, Row 26. Don't stand on the bleachers.

I'll say it. This defense is as good as the 1992 Defense. Call me out, that's fine. The talent may not be as good, but the chemistry is.

#7 LSU 20 #16 Auburn 17.

Kenny Irons is the newest running back to follow in the Cadillac/Ronnie Brown footsteps. He's gonna be big.

Let me get this straight. If JaMarcus Russell doesn't make mistakes, then LSU wins. QUIT THROWING THE BALL INTO COVERAGE.

Auburn's kicker. You can't help but feel bad for that guy. (1-5??).

Time To Settle It On The Field

2005-10-20T20:03:00.000-05:00

If you're a Bama fan, then there are exactly two games that have been circled on your calendar since the end of last season. Welcome to Game 1.

#5 Alabama vs. #17 Tennessee. As is customary with the big games, this one receives a breakdown analysis.

When Alabama Has The Ball: Tennessee has one of the best defensive lines in the country, behind Mahelona and Haralson. This could be the only team Alabama plays the entire season where the opponent's defensive line could have a slight advantage on Bama's. Alabama's offensive line is maturing, but they will be out-manned in the trenches on Saturday. They simply don't have the experience to dominate the line in this game, so don't look for Darby to break the 100 yard mark in this game. 75 yards on 20 carries sounds about right. On the other hand, Alabama does have an advantage when they throw the ball. Tennessee's star DB, Jason Allen, is out for the season, and he was the only returning starter in the secondary. Some say that Allen's injury and Prothro's injury essentially cancel each other out, but the difference there is Alabama has depth and experience at WR, while Tennessee lacks that at DB. Advantage: Alabama (slightly).

When Tennessee Has The Ball: Tennessee's offense has just been flat out strange this year. With the amount of talent they have on that side of the ball, they should be averaging 30 points a game. With that said, however, they're 10th in the SEC in total offense. As mentioned, Tennessee has one of the best defensive lines in the country, but Alabama has, arguably, the best linebacking corps in the country. DeMeco Ryans is a monster, so don't look for Tennessee's primary weapon, Riggs, have a big day on the ground. There are rumblings that Ainge may see some time at QB, which, frankly, scares the hell out of me. Ainge has the talent to pick apart some of the best secondaries in the country if he can ever get his head on straight and leave the nervousness on the sideline. Look for Ainge to hook up on a big play with one of his receivers during this game. Aside from that, Alabama's defense is ranked #4 in the nation for a reason. They're fast, aggressive, and the best defense Tennessee will see this year. Advantage: Alabama.

Special Teams and Intangibles: Tennessee has a clear advantage on special teams. Colquitt, although erratic, could punt the ball back to Knoxville on occasion. Wilhoit is a better kicker than he has shown this year. DJ Hall will be returning the punts, but he's playing with bruised ribs. As for intangibles, Bryant-Denny Stadium was, without a doubt, the loudest I have ever heard it during the Florida game earlier this year. It will bout louder on Saturday, which will rattle Ainge when he comes in at QB. No audibles for Tennessee. You're going to have to play it straight up. Advantage: Even.

Game Prediction: Alabama 16 Tennessee 10.

#7 LSU vs. #16 Auburn. Since the prediction for the Bama/UT game was long, I'm going to avoid a long analysis of this game, and go with the "gut feeling." If this game was being played at Auburn, then I would probably go with them. There is something about LSU that just doesn't seem like a top 10 team, and I couldn't say what it is (this is, after all, why they call it a gut feeling). For home field advantage purposes only, and the fact that I can't believe LSU would drop two big games at home after Tennessee, I'll go with the Tigers (Bengal).

Game Prediction: LSU 27 Auburn 21

The Fall Classic is Here

2005-10-19T22:42:00.000-05:00

Against all odds, it looks like the White Sox and the Astros will be facing off in October. I didn't give the 'Stros much of a shot in Game 6 after that heartbreaker in Game 5, but they proved me wrong. Was there really any other way follow of the BoSox World Series win than having White Sox (1919) and the Astros (No World Series Appearances) face off in the fall classic. For the prediction? The Astros are going to take this one, as the staff is just too strong. The White Sox remind me of the Patriots in football. They're a good team, with no star performers. That doesn't work in the MLB. Astros take this in 6 Games. General Thoughts and Comments:

The Cardinals are well on their way to becoming the Braves of the 21st Century.

Pitching wins in the postseason, period.

Roger Clemens is the greatest right-handed pitcher to play the game. (I realize he didn't start this game, but this is meant as a factual statement.)

You Play With Fire.......

2005-10-18T19:21:00.000-05:00

This may be the 20/20 hindsight perspective talking, but how in the world do you pitch to Albert Pujols with two outs in the ninth inning when he is the go-ahead run. There are exactly two people playing baseball today that you walk and load the bases in this situation, thereby placing the go-ahead run on first. Those two people include Albert Pujols and Barry Bonds. The exact thought process that went through the Astros' collective heads here eludes me. I understand that you have one of the premier closers in baseball pitching, but the most destructive force in baseball is walking to the plate. It's not rocket science.

A small piece of advice for the Astros' manager if he finds himself in such a situation again. It's usually not a good idea to give Superman's cape a little tug when Clark Kent (Pujols was 0-4) played the first eight innings.

Thoughts and Comments on Week 7

2005-10-15T20:36:00.000-05:00

#6 Alabama 13 Ole Miss 10. Well, Bama really is back to the Bama of old, as proven Saturday. They are right back to playing according to the level of their competition. The defense played relatively well, considering that they were on the field for about 28 out of 30 second half minutes. The only touchdown they gave up was a direct result of a turnover by the offense, so good job defense. The offense, however, was a sorry state of affairs. When the O-Line gets manhandled on just about every play, then it's hard to get the running or passing game going. I think they run-blocked well once all day, hence a 48 yard touchdown run by Darby. That was a hell of a job on the last drive, however. That drive was made of sheer guts more than efficiently ran plays. Croyle broke out his alter ego of "Vanilla Vick" and Darby simply plowed over the defense for 16 yards to set up the game winning field goal. Everyone knew this was the "sandwich" game between Florida and UT, so the sloppy play wasn't all that surprising. Now, for a few general thoughts:

Does anyone else get scared to death whenever the other team punts to Brandon Brooks? That's just frightening.

How about Brodie hurdling two defensive guys in the first quarter to get a first down. I don't think Bama fans are even worrying about whether he gets the first or not in that situation. But, you have to give it to him, he's a gamer.

#1 USC 34 #9 Notre Dame 31. General Thoughts and Comments:

Reggie Bush is the most exciting player in football, college or NFL. I'm convinced he can run the 40 yard dash in exactly 1.3 seconds.

Does anyone remember that scene from Varsity Blues where Moxon, Tweeder and Co. spent the night at the strip club partying and played like #@* the next day? I think Leinhart might have pulled one of those on Friday.

Congrats to Notre Dame on giving USC a great game. I will henceforth no longer bash Notre Dame as being "all-hype" on this blog, but I, in every respect, explicitly reserve the right to bash the media for breaking out the kneepads for them.

Do you ever hear a game commentator say something, and immediately think "Man, that must have sounded alot better in his head." One of the commentators for this game broke out this gem: "Reggie Bush is like the first ammendment with hips, with the way he expresses himself while running with the football." Please, someone, anyone, tell me what the hell this meant.

Michigan 27 #8 Penn State 25.

One of the best games ever played, period. (Is the actual . redundant there?)

Michael Robinson (Penn State QB) is a poor man's Vincent Young. He would do wonders in Urban Meyer's system at Florida, which leads me to........

#10 LSU 21 #11 Florida 17.

Chris Leak never would have gone to Florida if they were running this offense while he was being recruited.

Week 7 Preview

2005-10-13T20:44:00.000-05:00

#6 Alabama at Ole Miss. This game should be similar to stretching before you run so you avoid pulling a hamstring. However, as the scant 12.5 line indicates, Alabama probably won't be running on all cylindars when they visit Oxford. They are coming off of the biggest win this program has seen since the SEC Championship game in 1999, and have rival Tennessee on the horizon. This will probably look alot like the Arkansas game, where Bama came out looking like anything but a top-10 team. The one distinct difference between Arkansas and Ole Miss, however, is that Ole Miss simply cannot move the ball on the ground or through the air. Michael Spurlock has been named the starting quarterback for the Rebels, and he is a legitimate pass/run threat, so Freddie Roach will probably be spying hime most of the game while Ryans and the Defensive Line make him scramble (or, in other words, run for his life) out of the pocket.

What to Look For: You should be looking for Croyle to run up about 225 yards passing with a couple of touchdowns, including a long one to Keith Brown. Kenneth Darby will have a field day on the ground with around 150 yards rushing or so. Also, watch for a special teams miscue or two with Tyrone Prothro out for the season, which will probably cause a turnover at some point in this game. Finally, look for a game that you will probably have to "endure" more than "enjoy." The final score of UT/Ole Miss (27-10) should be a good indicator.

Game Prediction: Alabama 31 Ole Miss 9

#1 USC at #12 Notre Dame: At the beginning of this week, I actually had the thought running through my head that USC could be walking into a land-mine in South Bend. Notre Dame is feeling the pride again, and back to believing they can play with anyone in the country, despite the fact that they are vastly less talented than the Trojans. That belief quickly vanished, however, when I saw this nice bulletin board material provided by Notre Dame Defensive End Kyle Budinscak:

"No one wants to hear me say it, but 'I know that we can win.'

That's right, Kyle. No one wanted to hear that, especially the rest of your defense. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a team believing they can compete with anyone on the field, but you keep that in the locker room when the two-time defending national champions are about to visit your campus. Do I think that will make the difference in the game? No. The bottom line here is that both teams are in the top ten on offense, but Notre Dame ranks in the nineties on defense. Budinscak's little comment will only ensure that USC doesn't take the game lightly.

Game Prediction: USC 41 Notre Dame 28

Due to the multitude of high-profile games this weekend, I will finish the preview with predictions and a short observance.

#10 LSU vs. #11 Florida: LSU is not the team that showed up against Tennessee in the second half, and Urban Meyer needs time to get the right players to fully operate his "Spread" offense. Game Prediction: LSU 27 Florida 20

#8 Penn State at Michigan: It's not often you see the #8 team in the country an underdog to an unranked opponent. This game is being played in the "Big House," however. Michigan has more talent without question, but I'm holding out until they put the talent to use. Game Prediction: Penn State 20 Michigan 17

Coach K to "Coach Em Up" for the USA

2005-10-12T22:52:00.000-05:00

This is an interesting choice by the United States Basketball Committee, who is in charge of naming the coach for the World Championships and the Olympics. Is this a better choice than a current NBA coach? Yes. Coach K will have more time to dedicate to the job, as Duke practically recruits McDonald's All-Americans with the letterhead on their scholarship offers. Coach K has repeatedly stated that he does not wish to coach in the NBA, so this would be the one achievement that he can attain that he hasn't already. There are, however, positives and negatives to this choice.

Coach K will get certain players to play that either 1) didn't play last time; or 2) will show team chemistry, which the USA team (no longer Dream Teams) have lacked in recent years. Kobe Bryant will play, because he has always admired Coach K, but that means SHAQ won't. Luol Deng and Elton Brand will sign up as Duke products, and I think both would be good additions. However, the USA Basketball Committee has stated that they want college and NBA players on this team. How many top notch college players are going to participate here? In particular, I highly doubt ACC head coaches will be excited about sending their superstars off to play under Coach K for the summer, since they will be worried about them tiring during the ACC conference schedule (namely, when they play against Duke).

Lastly, this is the USA Basketball team. Has this fallen so far that no one even cares anymore? I would be surprised if the majority said they did care, as we were all spoiled with the original Dream Team of 1992.

Also, feel free to provide your caption of this photo.

The Dollar Gets De-Valued

2005-10-10T22:32:00.000-05:00

Yankees........Out. Red Sox.........Out. The Yankees' attempt to buy a World Series has failed....again. Randy Johnson can be described as nothing but a pure bust, considering the money they dropped on him. As futile as the Braves' run has been, speaking in postseason success, has the Yankees' run of the past several years been that much more impressive? They spend $200 million a year, and finish the season in the same fashion as the Braves.

It is, however, important to note that the Yankees have accumulated far more World Series titles than the Braves over the course of the past 15 years. Did those titles come from $200 million, though? No, they came from a team chemistry that Cashman and Steinbrenner now believe they can fix if they throw enough money at the problem. That leads to another point. Is Derek Jeter really a great captain? Jeter is a great captain if the players will follow him. A-Rod, Sheffield, and Randy Johnson have never followed anyone, so Jeter's attempts at leadership most likely rings hollow in their ears. The next time the Yankees see the world series will be when they get rid of the high dollar contracts, and let Jeter do what he does best.......lead.

Week 6 Recap

2005-10-09T19:23:00.000-05:00

Georgia 27 Tennessee 14. In a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicates, Tennessee was dominated in every phase of the game Saturday. Tennessee's offensive anchor, Gerald Riggs, failed to get going the entire game and was essentially shut down by the Georgia defense. Rick Clausen, Tennessee's quarterback, finished with decent numbers, but threw a costly interception in the end zone. If Tennessee has to rely on Rick Clausen to win in the SEC, then this season could be the lowest point the program has seen in several years. Joe Biddle of The Tennessean put it best:

"It was a killing blow by all accounts, especially with division losses to Florida and Georgia already, and a trip to undefeated Alabama next on the calendar. If the Vols had this much trouble scoring against Georgia at home, dare we say how it will look against Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammers in Tuscaloosa?"

On the other side of the coin, Georgia looked impressive and claimed their position as the team to beat in the SEC East, and possibly the SEC overall. I was shocked by the performance turned in by D.J. Shockley. I have been a doubter of his the entire season, but Shockley proved Saturday that he is among the elite in the SEC. He reminded me of a faster Chris Leak with a stronger arm, so I wondered why Leak got all the hype before the season. Answer = Urban "The Myth" Meyer.

On a side note: Jason Allen, the captain and star cornerback of the Tennessee Vols, was injured during the game with what some have described as a "Bo Jackson-type" hip injury, and is likely done for the year. He could have gone pro after his junior year and been drafted in the first round, but elected to come back. After the Prothro injury last week, we should all sympathize and hope for a successful return for Allen.

Penn State 17 Ohio State 10. Welcome Back, Penn State. After a dismal past few years, Penn State has made their return to the college football elite. I, admittedly, did not watch this game, so I can't provide much input as to the way the offense and defense played for the respective teams. However, it is good to see Penn State back among the top 10 (they are now #8). Their 5-0 start could have been written off as a soft schedule, a fluke, ect. This win, much like Alabama's win over Florida, marked their return to the national spotlight and erased any questions about their undefeated record being a mirage. USC, Alabama, and Penn State all in the Top 10. That's college football.

Week 6 Preview

2005-10-05T22:02:00.000-05:00

The preview of Week 6 of College Football season will be coming early this week. I have highlighted three games to pick, so get your notes out.

Tennessee v. Georgia. This is the battle of two enigmas. Tennessee really hasn't proven a thing this year against a quality opponent. The away win at LSU was impressive, but does the 1st half team show up, or was the 2nd half team an abberation. Georgia barely squeaked by lowly South Carolina, but received accolades by dismantling Boise State. That's right, Boise State. Also, is it possible that Fulmer has settled on Clausen once and for all as the starting QB? I would hope so. This game should be interesting to watch, as it will be the first game each team will have played that involve's smash-mouth football. In a game as even as this one looks to be, you generally go with the better quarterback, which would be DJ Shockley (that's not saying much). However, Neyland Stadium pulls the Vols out in the 4th quarter to grab a tie for first in the SEC East.

Game Prediciton: Tennessee 21 Georgia 17

Ohio State at Penn State. Is it hard not to root for Penn State here? Joe Paterno has taken so much heat over the past couple of years, you want him to win a game like this. Neither team has shown a great deal this year, although Penn State did destroy Minnesota 44-14 last week. Ohio State is ranked according the their accomplishments of the last couple of years. Honestly, I believe both of these teams are evenly matched for this one game. Penn State's players have the confidence now that they believe they can play with anyone, while Ohio State has the experience that they know they can play with anyone. Ring one up for the veterans this year.

Game Prediction: Ohio State 28 Penn State 24

Upest in the Making: Nebraska v. Texas Tech. This game caught my attention simply because Nebraska has started the season undefeated thus far. In an underdog situation like this, I usually take the home-field advantage. I'm taking tradition and the Nebraska players stepping up for their program in this case because I get the feeling the pride is beginning to come back.

Game Prediction: Nebraska 27 Texas Tech 21

SportsHaven: 5-1

A-Rod Cries Foul

2005-10-03T19:05:00.000-05:00

It must be time for the postseason in baseball, because Alex Rodriguez is whining. In the latest action that A-Rod has percieved as a slight, the Texas Rangers removed their core starters of Mark Texiera, Hank Blalock, and Alfonso Soriano after the 3rd inning in the last game of the year. How did this affect the Yankees, you ask? Well, if the Rangers had beaten the Angels, then the Yankees would have had home field advantage in the playoffs. During his complaining, A-Rod mentioned a "code of honor" that exists in baseball. Obviously, this code is new to Rodriguez, as it wasn't around when A-Rod was punching the ball out of Arroyo's glove last October.

It takes nerve to complain about another team pulling their starters on the same day you lose 10-1 while your starters sit on the bench in the 6th inning. At least Brian Cashman has a reasonable view on the matter -- "If we had won another game, then we wouldn't have had to worry about the Rangers." Thank you, Mr. Cashman.

An Urban Myth. A Signature Beatdown.

2005-10-03T05:50:00.000-05:00

Well, the Week 5 review is here, and it's time to see how Urban Meyer made out in his trip to Bryant-Denny Stadium. Not too well, obviously. Let's take a look back and prove, once again, that hindsight is 20/20.

Alabama 31 Florida 3. All together now......"Over-rated." Urban Meyer is going to have to figure out something else to add to his vaunted "Spread" offense. The only two quality defenses he has faced this year, Alabama and Tennessee, has yielded exactly one offensive touchdown in 8 quarters. Note to Urban: This isn't the WAC.

The Good: Everyone knows that Florida always has the talent to compete, but they were completely shut down in every phase of the game on Saturday. Croyle shredded the Florida defense, going 15/18 for 286 yards, while Kenneth Darby added 100 on the ground. Tyrone Prothro kicked in 120 yards receiving with 2 Touchdowns, and made several unbelievable grabs on some errant Croyle throws. The crowd in attendance at Bryant-Denny that day should also be acknowledged. That was, by far, the loudest I have ever personally heard the stadium, and everyone made for a great 12th man when Florida attempted to audible, which the spread offense has to do to work effectively.

The Bad: I can't think of a single negative aspect to this game. The offense put on a clinic, the defense almost pitched a shutout, and the special teams, with the limited action they saw, did a solid job. The only thing worth mentioning is the penalties which brought back a couple of long runs by Darby. Those could be costly when Bama plays a good team.

The Ugly: See: Protho, Tyrone: Ankle. One of the nastiest injuries I have ever seen. He's obviously out for the year, but the early word is that it was a clean break of the ankle, so he should be able to recover fully and be a team captain during his senior year in '06.

As a side note, I noticed this quote from Florida defensive end Jeremey Mincey: "We could have, and should have, beat them." Most teams would simply walk into the locker room and keep the arrogance to themselves. We'll hang that one on the bulletin board next year. Thanks.

Shameless Loss of the Week: Vanderbilt. Good grief, Vanderbilt. You start the season so well, and put the visions of a bowl game into the collective heads of your fans, only to destroy the dream with an embarrassing loss to MTSU. Vandy losing to MTSU. Alabama, Penn State, Nebraska undefeated. Everything is right with the world.

Week 5 Preview

2005-09-29T21:06:00.000-05:00

Well, here we go with Week 5 in College Football. Not a great deal of high profile games this weekend, but I'll check out two of them here, and include the now-weekly upset in the making pick.

#5 Florida at #15 Alabama. This game gives us the two most talented first teams in the SEC. When you get into the depth issue, then, obviously, Florida has a decided advantage, but, player for player, Alabama matches up talent wise at just about every position. I've been going back and forth on this game for about a month now, especially since both teams are off to 4-0 starts, so I'm going to break this one down.

When Florida Has the Ball: Chris Leak is off to an incredible start this season. He has yet to throw an interception, and has completed 70% of his passes thus far. That's especially impressive considering he has already faced Tennessee's defense. Jackson is his prime target, so watch for those two to connect alot Saturday. We might even see some double coverage of Peprah/Madison on Jackson, since Leak's other prime target, Caldwell, is injured and done for the season. As much success as Florida has through the air, they simply don't run the ball often, which means Alabama's defense is going to be pinning their ears back and going straight after the quarterback (see the S. Carolina game). In addition to that, Alabama leads the SEC in sacks, and Florida is last in sacks allowed with 14. So, if Alabama gets pressure on Leak, which they have done to every quarterback thus far, then the secondary won't have to worry about the deep post route, a staple of Urban Meyer.
Advantage: Alabama (Slightly)

When Alabama Has the Ball: Florida has the only defense that is ranked ahead of Alabama's in the SEC, and they're ranked 5th nationally. That's impressive since they gave up 28 to Kentucky last weekend and still hold that ranking. This is the bottom line, however. Florida played Tennessee, who, at the time, was in such a QB crisis that the defense could have stayed on the sideline while UT tried to figure out which QB to send in. They have also faced Kentucky. No need to address that. With all due respect to Gerald Riggs and Clausen/Ainge at UT, this is the first time Florida will have played a team that can throw and run. This side of the ball depends entirely on whether the Alabama receivers correct their mistakes of last week and catch the ball. Assuming those mistakes are corrected, then:
Advantage: Even

Intangibles and the Prediction: Ok, this is the bottom line and, to me, the deciding factor. Bryant-Denny Stadium hasn't seen a game of this magnitude in years. The place is going to be loud, and it's going to be intimidating. In addition, this is Meyer's first tour to a truly hostile SEC environment. The home-field advantage pulls Alabama out.

Game Prediction: Alabama 27 Florida 21

#1 USC at #14 Arizona State: Let me address a few questions I have heard discussed about this game first. Is USC the best team in the history of college football? No. Will USC lose a game this year? Yes. Will it be this game? No. The bandwagon, as if it wasn't full enough, broke the axles on the wheels after USC's 70-17 drubbing of Arkansas. I do believe that USC will get upset at some point during the season, but it will not be a game that everyone points to as an "upset" game as they have this one. When USC hears a challenge, they come out. Arizona State is a challenge. They should have beaten LSU in Tempe, and have a strong team. Matt Leinhart and Reggie Bush, however, are simply not going to let USC lose in such a high-profile game. When the spotlight shines, those two step up and perform. I think it's a Cali thing.

Game Prediction: USC 38 Arizona State 24

Michigan at #11 Michigan State: The initial installment of the "Upset in the Making." I won't provide much analysis on the "Upset" games, as they generally come from a gut feeling and who is being over-hyped. I called Michigan State to take down Notre Dame in Week 3, and, now, I think they may have gotten too much credit for it to be ranked at #11. Michigan, on the other hand, has something to prove here. They're out of the polls for the first time in years, and have a highly ranked, in-state team, on the schedule. Gut feeling here says Michigan isn't a 2-3 team, and Michigan State isn't the #11 team in the country.

Game Prediction: Michigan 24 Michigan State 20

"Dont You Get It?"

2005-09-28T17:52:00.000-05:00

The commissioners of the four major sports leagues (if Hockey still qualifies, anyway) were called back to Capitol Hill today to discuss the drug programs that have been instituted in each respective sport since the hearings several months ago. I really didn't pay much attention to these scheduled hearings until they actually took place, but it was enjoyable to see someone finally put Donald Fehr in his place. While being questioned by John McCain about the lack of progress in baseball's steroid policy, Fehr, while stumbling through an answer, was interrupted by McCain, who simply said "Don't you get it?" It is only a guess, but I am betting that it has been a few years since someone actually gathered the nerve to knock Fehr and his ego down a few notches. I know Bud hasn't.

The players' association is nowing staring down the very real prospect of having Congress pass a bill to implement a suspension policy that would result in a 100 game suspension for an initial violation, and a lifetime ban for a second. Gee, you think the players' association and Donald Fehr may finally get a dose of reality and agree to Selig's plan before Congress can act? Don't get me wrong, I'm not sure I would even agree if Congress stepped in to regulate, but, if that is what it takes to push the players' association into action, then I am all for the deadlines Congress is putting down. It's about time someone made Fehr realize that he isn't the most powerful figure in sports.

College Recap

2005-09-27T22:14:00.000-05:00

Tennessee 30 LSU 27 (OT). Unbelievable. I'll give the Vols their due credit on this come-from-behind win. They were down 21-0 at halftime, and 24-7 when the fourth quarter began. With an early score in the 4th to make it 24-14, Tennessee started believing, and LSU started getting tired. I can't recall the last time I saw one team start playing while the other team simply ran out of gas like I saw in this game. Good job on the win, UT.

What We Learned: Rick Clausen is the best quarterback at the University of Tennessee right now. That's good, and bad. Clausen has the team rallying behind him and doesn't make many mistakes. Clausen does not, however, have the mobility and/or arm strength to lead Tennessee to the SEC Championship. When Clausen meets a team with quick corners and safeties, then the arm strength is going to be a problem. There is, however, something to be said for heart and guts. For you Bama fans, see: Watts, Tyler.

Alabama 24 Arkansas 13. This game went about the way I expected. Alabama got caught looking ahead to Florida and looked awful until the 45 yard slant pattern to Hall towards the end of the first half. I don't have a great deal to say about this game, other than I am glad Bama got through it. The defense played unbelievably, given the field position they were put in time after time. Holding Arkansas to a field goal after the blocked punt was huge. By the way, 'ol Freddie Roach has got to pull in those interceptions, on the defensive note. On a final note, I have never in my life seen a receiver uncovered on such a crucial play during a game. I wonder how that DB is feeling right now.

What We Learned: We didn't pick up too much from this game. We all knew that Bama had Florida circled on the schedule, and was looking ahead. The only thing that came out from this game that might be a surprise is Arkansas. They have upset potential this year against an SEC opponent. If you can run the ball as they can, you're dangerous.

Welcome Home, Presidents Cup

2005-09-25T23:03:00.000-05:00

If you watched this event on Sunday (yes, I realize the NFL was on), then the dramatic ending needs no explanation. For those that didn't, then a short summary. Freddie Couples made a spectacular birdie putt on the 18th to take down Vigay Singh, whom he had requested to be his opponent. This only adds to Couples' resume, as he has made numerous winning putts in Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup play in prior years. There are Majors, and then there are Cups (i.e. Ryder and Presidents). Fred Couples should go down as one of the best golfers of his generation without even considering his Major wins. He's clutch.

In similar form, Chris DiMarco made a 15 foot birdie putt to seal the U.S. win on Sunday. Can you do anything but applaud this man? He has suffered numerous close call defeats in the Majors this year, notably the Masters. This performance, however, deserved special recognition. If anyone doubted that DiMarco had the nerves for Sunday pressure, then doubt no more. The man sunk a 15 foot birdie putt on the 18th green to win the President's Cup and seal Jack's last win in golf.

Welcome Home, Presidents Cup.

Week 4 Preview

2005-09-22T20:19:00.000-05:00

As much as it pains me to move the previous post down the page a notch, the weekend preview is a staple of the blog, so go the extra mile and scroll down to check out the previous post. On to the previews:

#20 Alabama vs. Arkansas. Alabama matches up extremely well in this one. Arkansas is avergaging a scant 156 ypg through the air, and passing is really the only way to move the ball against Bama. They do pound out 291/ypg on the ground, but I don't expect to see a number even approaching that on Saturday. Don't be surprised to see one of their backs break a couple of long runs during the game due to Bama's aggressive defense, but that will be about the extent of the Arkansas offense. I somewhat expect Alabama to come out a little sluggish after a dominating win at S. Carolina and Florida on the horizon next weekend. The Arkansas players will also be playing with a lot of emotion, since they are essentially playing for Houston Nutt's job for the rest of the season. A sluggish Alabama squad against an overmatched, but fired up, Arkansas squad in this one. Much like the S. Mississippi game, though, they may keep it close for a half, but it won't be enough. Look for another big day from Darby, the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week, as he'll go for about 125-150 again. Croyle will also probably go for about 200, with, as usual, another big day from Prothro. On a side note: If Bama drops this game, the all-time series will be evened up, so let's keep that lead going.

Game Preditiction: Alabama 28 Arkansas 10.

#10 Tennessee vs. #3 LSU. *Postponed until Monday. Wow, Tennessee already had a difficult schedule this year, but now the LSU squad is going to running on pure emotion, as they play their first legitimate home game of the season due to Hurricane Katrina. LSU can move the ball through the air and on the ground, with QB JaMarcus Russell beginning to mature, and Justin Vincent anchoring the ground attack. The Vols have one of the best defenses in the conference, possibly only second to Alabama's. The Volunteer's offense, on the other hand, is struggling badly. Currently, they are averaging 12.0 points a game, which is unheard of in the Vol-nation. Gerald Riggs is a legitimate running back who will be playing on Sundays next year, but until they figure out this QB situation and the coaching staff starts showing confidence in them, the Vols are going to struggle. Look for Tennessee to start the season 1-2, which hasn't happened to a preseason #3 team since, (coughing) Alabama in 2000. Game Prediction: LSU 23 Tennessee 16

No Story? No Problem

2005-09-21T12:34:00.000-05:00

Maria Sharapova and Jennie Finch have done nothing newsworthy recently. But, as first brought to my attention by Right Fielder, I had yet to have any mention of them on SportsHaven (A true oversight). So, just for your viewing pleasure, a post of two pictures. See, womens' sports isn't that bad.

Here She Comes.........

2005-09-20T18:53:00.000-05:00

While the official announcement concerning Michelle Wie turning pro has yet to be made, the rumors are that she will make an announcement sometime between now and October 11, her sixteenth birthday. That's right, her sixteenth birthday. And here I had to keep the part time job at the drug store to pay for my car when I turned sixteen. It is hard to fault the decision, however. She twice finished in the top 5 during this year's LPGA majors, so the money won't be difficult to come by. Maybe she can cruise to her next PGA event in a shiny new Jaguar convertible. Oh yeah, it's the LPGA tour, make that a shiny new Honda convertible. One quote concerning this story I found interesting:

"She will be the most recognized female athlete on the planet for the next 12 to 18 months," predicts Scott Seymour, vice president of Octagon.

Ok, I completely agree. In fact, I would say that will probably hold true at least for the next 4-6 years, depending on her game and who is around the corner on the women's tennis circuit. But the issue I will take with this statement is: Who exactly is Michelle Wie competing with here? Sue Bird? Lisa Leslie? The pool of recognizable female athletes in this country is not exactly a competitive field. The only ones that immediately come to mind are Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Mia Hamm and possibly someone such as Jennie Fench skirting the edge. Such a statement is akin to saying Freddie Adu is the most recognizable soccer player in the country, which is to say he is the only soccer player anyone has heard of around here. For the complete story on this, check it out here.

A College Football Recap Starring Vanilla Vick

2005-09-19T19:49:00.000-05:00

Well, officially, SportsHaven was 3-0 last week on the highlighted games. Unfortunately, if you're playing the spread, the number drops to 1-2. Looking back, let's see what we learned from last weekend.

Alabama 37 S. Carolina 14. I'll take a ceasar salad and ice tea with my crow, thanks. I picked the right team to win here, but I never imagined Bama would come out and dominate both sides of the ball like they did. I can safely say this game was the most dominant I have seen Bama since the 2001 LSU game in Baton Rouge. With that said, I've already heard signs of the Crimons Kool-Aid getting consumed by the gallons. Let's keep this in perspective and not discuss Alabama going undefeated quite yet. This was S. Carolina, people, not Florida or LSU. So, good job Tide and don't look past Arkansas this Saturday with Florida on the horizon.

What We Learned: Steve Spurrier isn't going to win many games this year. Everyone chuckled a little when he stated before the season that his goal was to win more games than he loses this year. Sorry Steve, not this year. Alabama showed they have the ability to dominate an opponent, albeit S. Carolina. However, Alabama hasn't had that ability against anyone the last couple of years, so it was good to see. They still need to improve to have a chance in the SEC West however.

Florida 16 Tennessee 7. Uggh. This game was just flat out hard to watch. Neither team here looked they belong anywhere within smelling distance of the top 5. Tennessee does not have a QB controversy on their hands, they have a QB crisis from what I witnessed Saturday night. Erik Ainge played like he had never stepped foot on a Division 1 football field, and Rick Clausen just doesn't have the tools to get it done in the SEC for an entire season. On the other hand, Urban Meyer's vaunted spread offense looked about like I thought it would when introduced to SEC defenses. Neither one of these teams impressed me whatsoever. It kind of reminded me of two over-the-hill former heavyweight champs go at it and it's obvious both had lost what made them great. These are two legitimate top 25 teams, but neither belongs around the top.

What We Learned: Urban Meyer isn't ready for the road through the SEC yet, which is understandable. Erik Ainge is going to be an All-SEC quarterback one day, but that day isn't now. Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia fighting it out in the East. It's a crapshoot.

Michigan State 44 Notre Dame 41. HaHa.

The College Football Preview: Week 3

2005-09-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

Well, time for the game previews for Week 3. College football season is already going by too fast. We'll start with the local interest.

#24 Alabama vs. S. Carolina -- As an Alabama fan, this game scares me to death. Bama needs nothing more than rolling through the first three or four games of the season undefeated. As a matter of fact, I will have to do some research to determine when that last happened, since Bama didn't even get that done in 1999, their last SEC Championship. Ok, first off, this game is going to be close. This game is not recommeneded for anyone with heart conditions, pregnant women, and young children. In addition, you have to be this tall (imagine a goofy clown with a finger pointing to a stupid line) to watch this game. South Carolina's defense is, honestly, not very good. I know they held Georgia, but I'm not sold on Georgia quite yet. Croyle, Darby, Prothro and company should be able to put the points on the board. In addition, S. Carolina forgot that the NCAA does allow you to hand the ball off to the running back (welcome back, Spurrier), as they average around 30 yards a game on the ground. Here's the bad part: S. Carolina throws the ball as often on 3rd and 20 as on 3rd and inches, and Bama's secondary has proven to be suspect so far. Madison has gotten embarrassed in each of the first two games, and Castille got flat out burned on S. Mississippi's third touchdown last weekend. So, be prepared, as Bama will give up about 250 in the air Saturday, including at least one long touchdown pass. So, for the prediction: Bama pulls this one out on the road, but barely.....Bama 23 S. Carolina 21.

#4 Tennessee vs. #7 Florida: Call me Jay Mariotti, because I've been flip-flopping on this game all week. Tennessee has more overall talent, and Florida as "The Swamp." It almost evens itself out. First of all, Gerald Riggs is going to have a big day for the Volunteers on the ground to propel them to a first half lead. I always come back to this QB controversy at UT, and Chris Leak at Florida, however. Leak is overhyped, and the Vols could have the best corner in the league in Jason Allen. But Leak isn't that overhyped, and one corner can't cover the entire field. It's going to be another close one here, as the Gators pull it out 28-24.

#10 Notre Dame vs. Michigan St.: I address this game only because I have yet to begin to drink the Notre Dame Kool-Aid at this point. This is the same team that one ESPN "expert" predicted to begin the year 0-5. THEY'RE NOT THAT GOOD. I give Notre Dame the credit for their unbelievable upset of Michigan, but midnight is here, and it's time to turn in the slippers. Michigan St. 17 Notre Dame 13

Enough Said

2005-09-14T21:44:00.000-05:00

I could be crossing lines and stepping on the toes of my fellow friends and bloggers here, but I felt that it was important to bring this pseudo-sports story to Sportshaven. If, for no other reason, to simply show that politics and sports do, indeed, intermingle. Judge Roberts has been nominated as potential Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. I would like to bring his opening statement during his confirmation hearings to the forefront:

"Judges are like umpires. Umpires don't make the rules; they apply them. The role of an umpire and a judge is critical. They make sure everybody plays by the rules. But it is a limited role. Nobody ever went to a ball game to see the umpire. ... And I will remember that's it's my job to call balls and strikes and not to pitch or bat."
-- Judge John Roberts, Supreme Court nominee, during his opening statement at his confirmation hearing

For those that have missed his astounding ability to react to even the most obscure quetsions during this confirmation, I present the man that has transcended sports and politics. For the rest of Judge Roberts speech, check here. Aside from the fact that Judge Roberts has analagized his role as a judge to the role of an umpire, I should note that the analogy itself is quite pertinent to the issue of which he was speaking and his view of the court. I ask no one to give automatic credence to Roberts as a candidate, but I do ask that you listen. Apologies for my fellow bloggers and readers for expanding the realm of SportsHaven for a moment, but the cause is worthy. Let's confirm Roberts and PLAY BALL.

For Those Who Opposed The Wild Card.............

2005-09-13T22:01:00.000-05:00

Is there a soul out there who can now plausibly argue that the Wild Card was bad for baseball? Currently, there are 11 teams that have a chance to claim the 6 playoff spots afforded in Major League Baseball. This is quite possibly the best fundamental development in baseball during the modern day era. During the time of its inception, the baseball "originalists" argued that this hurt the core of the game. Should it not be argued that this was the evolution of the game? The Wild Card standings can be found here for those that haven't quite caught up.

Bonds Returns

2005-09-12T20:40:00.000-05:00

Barry Bonds is scheduled to make his return to the Giants tonight. One question: Why? The Giants are 7 games out with 19 to play and they are hopelessly out of contention. There is one plausible answer: Barry Bonds puts people in the seats, which leads to better attendance, more concessions, more memorabilia purchases, ect. That surely can't be it, however. I can't even fathom that Bonds has returned to help the organization economically, given his past. What other answer is there? Perhaps he has returned in an attempt to pass Ruth this year, but probably not, as he needs 11 home runs in 19 games to tie him. Well, there could be a third explanation, but surely not. Surely Barry isn't returning for the fans, or is he?

Bama 30 -- S. Mississippi 21

2005-09-12T18:11:00.000-05:00

Well, not much to say about the performance in this game, with the exception of Tyrone Prothro, who accumulated 279 total yards. Bama stormed out to a 10-0 early lead, before going on vacation for half of the 1st quarter and just about all of the 2nd. The true highlight of the game came on a 42 yard go route from Croyle to Prothro on 4th and 12. The was easily one of the greatest catches I have ever seen. Everyone who wants to see the video, check it out here and vote for it as the play of the week. Aside from that play, however, Bama didn't look like I hoped they would heading into the S. Carolina game. The defense played alot better than the 21 points given up indicates, and the offense showed flashes. Beyond that, I have nothing to say about the special teams besides the fact that they were truly awful. The preview for the S. Carolina game will be here later in the week. Click on the link and VOTE FOR PROTHRO!

A Time to Reflect

2005-09-11T19:30:00.000-05:00

There are particular times during the year in which every American should take a moment to place into its proper role the world of sports. Four years ago today, the cowardice attacks upon our country forever provided one of those times. Much like Pearl Harbor generation, the memories of where you were, and with whom you shared that morning, will forever be remembered by those of us who watched the towers fall on September 11, 2001. The expressions on the faces of those with me during that morning cannot be explained with words, nor will they be fully appreciated by future generations. History books will write of September 11, 2001, and movies will be made. Neither will be an accurate medium to convey the events of that morning.

There are few times in the history of the United States where one can point to a specific day and accurately state that we, as Americans, placed any interest in entertainment on hold. It is with this in mind that I recall being somewhat ashamed of the Southereastern Conference and its member schools. Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and just about every other major conference of college athletics announced that the games would not continue that weekend. Such decisions really did not warrant an announcment, as it was simply assumed that our nation, and we as its citizens, could not concern ourselves with the trivialities of sports during that time. We needed time to mourn and time to accept what had happened. We needed time to watch the buildings in New York become covered with posters of missing loved ones. We needed time to unite and come together as Americans. We did not have time to watch football. Roy Kramer, as the SEC commissioner, failed to realize this, as he spoke of us needing a "diversion" from such a tragedy. Roy Kramer was wrong. As you watch the opening weekend of the NFL today, and Monday Night Football tomorrow, take a moment to place such entertainment in perspective and offer a prayer for those who continue to post bulletins of loved ones missing since September 11th, 2001.

I invite anyone who has memories they would care to share from their experiences of that day to comment. As was done four years ago in the sports world, SportsHaven is cancelling all sports articles for the day. If you are interested in further dedications to memorialize September 11th, 2001, then you can find a series of links to such dedications at Publius Rendezvous.

A Time When Rivalries Subside

2005-09-09T21:59:00.000-05:00

This time of year in the sports world, and Alabama in particular, typically motivates utter disdain between die-hard fans of Alabama and Auburn. Arguments usually ensue about whose team is the better of the two, and which of the two is over-rated. As everyone is aware, however, there are times when the entertainment that is sports is superceded by the reality that your biggest rival is not simply a name on the jersey. It includes the 18-22 year olds who wear that jersey. Every college football fan, Alabama fans in particular, should take a moment to discover what has befallen Alonzo Horton of Auburn as a result of Hurricane Katrina and prioritize college football appropriately.

Bama -- Southern Miss. Preview

2005-09-09T14:17:00.000-05:00

Well, after many years of Bama fans growing accustomed to an annual showdown with Southern Mississippi, this will be the last meeting between the teams for several years. Speaking as a Bama fan, I will miss seeing Southern Mississippi on the schedule, but, if that aides Alabama in working a game with Florida St. and/or Georgia Tech, as has been discussed, then I am in complete agreement with the decision. With that said, S. Miss. has given Alabama all it could handle on more occasions that I care to think about, so that Vandy game as next year's second game looks pretty nice.

On to the game preview. Bama's offense looked like the 2004 edition in the first half of the MTSU game, which is to say that there was none. They managed to pick it up in the second half though, which probably just indicates that it was the offseason rust they needed to wear off. I expect the offense to resemble the unit that took the field after halftime of the MTSU game to make an appearance for the full 60 minutes in this game. The defense in the MTSU game was dominant as usual......yawn. Same ol', same ol'. I read where they gave up 22 total yards in the second half of the opener. That's ridiculous. So, that leads me to the official prediction for the game. This game is not going to be close, and will probably be over halfway through the third quarter. Look for Bama to score on their opening drive, and to be enjoying a lead of around 24-3 or so at halftime. The starters come out and put one more TD up in the third quarter to make it 31-3, with the second teamers tacking on a field goal in the 4th. Final Score: 34-6.

BAMA -- MTSU Preview

2005-09-01T08:53:00.000-05:00

Alright, 56 hours until the kickoff of college football season. And, yes, I know that S. Carolina and Vanderbilt play tonight, and, no, they don't count. The game weekly Bama game prediction begins today. First of all, I don't think Bama is quite getting what they bargained for when they scheduled MTSU. This isn't a cupcake team, as they are picked to win their conference. Also, let us not forget what MTSU came this close to doing to Bama at Legion Field a couple of years ago. Luckily, however, Bama escaped, and I was allowed to return home on occasion to the Middle Tennessee area. Otherwise, I would have been placed on a self-imposed exile from the entire region. For this year's game, I thought for awhile that we may get a closer than expected contest here, but I think Bama fans should be resting easy by the beginning of the 4th quarter, since I can't fathom MTSU putting up more than 10 on Bama's defense. I also can't fathom Bama's offense failing to hit the 30 point mark against MTSU's defense. So, I'm going with a semi-close game at the half, say, 17-10, with Bama taking control in the 3rd quarter and winning 31-17. Bama's defense will give up 10 on the day, but will be charged with 17 after the special teams gives one away at some point in this game. I also see the special teams botching a field goal at some point here too. It won't hurt us in this one though, so, everyone enjoy the show Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

Quote of The Day

2005-08-18T15:29:00.000-05:00

"Everywhere I go, I hear 'Welcome back.' But everywhere I have been, I have always been with myself. I'm with myself now more than ever. It's funny people say 'Welcome back' when I haven't gone anywhere."
-- Ricky Williams

This must be that "higher level" of thinking that I always hear about from potheads.

Puff Puff Give

2005-08-18T15:21:00.000-05:00

In a shocking story that I am sure will make everyone question everything about sports, Randy Moss has admitted that he has partaken in the occasional doobie since joining the NFL. If you are surprised by this development, then, well, brace yourself.......the sky is blue and the earth is round too. Shocking, I know. Hey, give the man his credit though, at least he can control himself and doesn't pull a Sticky Icky Ricky and leave the game because he has to smoke 12 joints a day. Hey, can anyone guess how Randy pays for those quarter sacks?? That's Right! Straight Cash Homie.

Hefty Lefty Takes PGA

2005-08-18T11:05:00.000-05:00

Phil "Hefty Lefty" Mickelson managed to hold off charges from Vijay Singh, Thomas Bjorn, and Steve Elkington to win his 2nd career major. As Davis Love III did his yearly nosedive (he really has perfected that) at the beginning of Sunday, Mickelson opened up a 3 shot lead until the "old" Phil came shining through and bogoyed 4 out of 5 holes. Give him his due, though. He managed to come back and claim his second major even under back nine pressure on Sunday. Of course, now the Hefty Lefty has two majors to his name, the media is looking for a story. I have seen one ridiculous article asking if Mickelson is now the "Arnold Palmer" to Tiger Woods' "Jack Nicklaus." For anyone else who forgot to count, Mickelson is now tied for last among the Big Five in total majors with Retief Goosen, instead of claiming that cherished position for himself. So, Mickelson may well be on his way to future duels with Tiger on Sunday after two majors in two years, but I'll make that leap when he ties up Vijay with 3.

The Dumbass of the Week Award

2005-08-10T19:40:00.000-05:00

In the latest "What The Hell Were You Thinking" story, a NY Yankees fan (hold, please, while I compose myself from the shock), decided it would be great fun to throw himself off of the upper deck during the Yankees/White Sox game to see if the net behind home plate would hold his weight. Lucky for him, there were no injuries from the fall, as doctors determined that the brain damage was a pre-existing condition. (This pre-existing condition reportedly affected the part of the brain that distinguishes between assinine and good ideas.)

My only remaining flicker of hope in this story is that there was drinking and/or other illegal substances involved that would result in a felony conviction in most states. However, on the brighter side, the White Sox won 2-1.

The PGA Championship

2005-08-10T18:28:00.000-05:00

The 4th, and final, major of the year on the PGA Tour tees off Thursday. (Tiger tees off at 8:25, Publius). It is being held at the Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, NJ. Last year's PGA Championship was probably the most exciting one since 2000, when Tiger and Bob May took it to extra holes. Last year, the tournament was Justin Leanord's to lose on Sunday, and he managed to give a Greg Norman-esque performance in allowing Vijay and Chris DiMarco to tie him up, before Vijay went on to win on the first playoff hole.

So, the early picks to win are in, and it looks like the ever-personable Vijay is picked to win it again. I hope he doesn't end up winning again, if, for no other reason, to simply save me from having to experience his post-victory interview on Sportscenter Sunday night. That's about as much fun as watching paint dry with a side of watching grass grow. I'm not sure I can handle that knowing that the dreaded hockey highlights are about to return and take up valuable Sportscenter time too.

The Sports Guy's Mailbag

2005-08-10T18:18:00.000-05:00

Around once a month or so, Bill Simmons, AKA, The Sports Guy, writes an article answering e-mails from his readers. It's funny as hell and worth reading through if you have the time. This time, there's even a reference to Hillary for all you political types out there. It also answers such perplexing questions as the greatest SNL skits ever, what takes priority when choosing what to TiVo, and other important social issues.

Kenny Rogers Reinstated

2005-08-10T14:26:00.000-05:00

Wow. For once, I agreed Bud Selig about something, and then some arbitrator decides Bud's streak of always screwing everything up shouldn't be allowed to end so quietly. The arbitrator ruled that Selig went too far, and reduced Roger's suspension to 13 games. In addition (and this is the real kicker) the arbritrator ruled that, should Rogers fail to reach incentives in his contract, then the games missed because of the suspension could be considered in deciding whether to reward him with those incentives anyway.

So, let me clear this up. If a player gets hurt, say, diving after a ball in the stands, and misses games, which means he fails to reach the incentive clauses, then that's too bad. On the other hand, in Kenny Ballgame's situation, a player assaults someone prior to a game, gets susepnded, and fails to reach incentive clauses, then it's ok. We'll give him that extra $250,000 anyway. Wow again. This sounds like something I would have expected Bud to come up with on his own.

Quote of The Day

2005-08-10T14:21:00.000-05:00

"Therapy is a good thing ... it can be therapeutic."
-- Alex Rodriguez

Conference Power Rankings

2005-08-10T14:11:00.000-05:00

In what is always an interesting topic, but usually not until aruond mid-October, Ivan Maisel and Pat Forde have listed the toughest conferences in college football. Not surprisingly, the SEC isn't number one. I think it's gotten to the point where everyone always expects the SEC to have 6 teams in the Top 25 year in and year out, so the sportswriters on Around the-pardon-quite frankly-is burning always look to make some bold statement. The SEC is still the toughest conference in the country.

Quote of The Day

2005-08-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

"My season is when I get paid. I'm not doing that."
-- Yankees OF Gary Sheffield when asked if he would participate in next year's World Baseball Classic

Quote of The Day

2005-08-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

"The sun has been there for 500, 600 years ... "
-- Mets outfielder Mike Cameron, after teammate Carlos Beltran lost a ball in the sun against the Dodgers

NCAA Lawsuit (No, Not That One)

2005-08-07T20:07:00.000-05:00

Five New York schools that sponsor the National Invitational Tournament have brought a lawsuit against the NCAA pertaining to contracts the NCAA required member schools to sign in the early 1980's. They claim that the NCAA has, essentially, become a monopoly, and that these contracts serve to promote that monopoly. The contracts, in essence, require member schools to accept a bid to the NCAA Tournament above and before accepting a bid to any other tournament it may wish to attend, such as the NIT. Bobby Knight, upon being asked whether he had actually read the NCAA Manual during testimony, replied "I read War and Peace once. I don't need to read it again."

Without delving into the legal issues of this case, it reminds me of the suit the USFL brought against the NFL in the late 1980's. In that case, the USFL overwhelmingly claimed victory, attaing a total sum of $1 in damages. I find it difficult to believe that there are many organizations that have the resources and power to successfully attack the NCAA. Among the organizations that do, five schools from New York would not be included in that group.

For another issue pertaining to the NCAA and its regulation of the mascots of member schools, visit www.publiusrendevous.blogspot.com.

Quote of The Day

2005-08-07T19:41:00.000-05:00

"They always put the smart guys out in right field. That's where I used to play." -- Jose Canseco on where "Surreal Life" castmember Bronson Pinchot asked what position he would play if he was on a baseball team.

Quote of the Day

2005-08-05T10:39:00.000-05:00

"If you throw at someone's head, it is very dangerous, because in the head is the brain." --Ivan Rodriguez.

Casey Clausen Joins Mississippi State Staff

2005-08-04T19:14:00.000-05:00

This was a nice path that Casey Clausen took here. He went from an arrogant SOB while he was a freshman/sophmore at the University of Tennessee, to, possibly, being drafted if he had come out as a junior, and then undrafted as a senior. To continue this success story, he signed with the Chiefs after not being drafted, was waived, completed 6 of 13 passes for 79 yards in an illustrious NFL Europe career, and now has found his way onto the worst team in the SEC. (Yes, Vandy, you have moved up). I sure hope he's coaching the quarterbacks over there so Bama can break the record for interceptions in a single game come November.

The Anchorman With The NBA Update

2005-08-04T19:05:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted many links to NBA news on here for a couple of reasons. First, it's not basketball season. Second, I really don't care much about it unless it's the playoffs. Nonetheless, I will periodically give updates on the latest news and links to humorous articles. This article by Bill Simmons in Boston takes the best quotes from "The Anchorman" and relates them to the latest NBA news. It's actually pretty funny if you have the time to read it.

The Death of Humility

2005-08-02T18:49:00.000-05:00

With the rash of recent headlines in sports detailing examples of how the modern athlete has become spoiled and engrossed in the greatness of themselves, the death of humility in sports has been coming for awhile now. Did T.O. really compare himself to Jesus a few months ago -- did I hear that right? Sprewell didn't really say he couldn't feed his family on his current salary, did he? Ok, I guess I can see both of them saying those things. But, seriously, there is absolutely no way that Freddie (Self Anointed "Fred-Ex) Mitchell actually thanked God for his hands because of his self-perceived receiving skills. ESPN Page 2 has a good article about this. Also, there is a voting poll out there to decide the most arrogant and sincere moments in sports history. (C'mon, I KNOW R. Henderson didn't proclaim himself the greatest base stealer of all time with Lou Brock right next to him).

I Did Not Have Sexual Rela....Oops. Wrong Guy.

2005-08-01T18:17:00.000-05:00

Laffy Raffy: "I Swear to Tell the Truth......."

2005-08-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

Well, isn't this ironic how this gem of a debate about whether Laffy Raffy was a HOF'er just started on this blog last week. Major League Baseball has finally caught someone with a lot at stake. Does Raffy's statement about "I don't know how those got into my body," ring a little hollow with anyone else? It would've even been more believable had he tested positive for opium and blamed it on a poppy seed muffin than denying he had any clue how the 'roids got in his system. Hey Raffy, that wasn't Vitamin C the trainer was pumping into your butt cheek buddy. So, in a follow up to the HOF debate. Send Raffy out there with McGwire, Slammin Sammy Say It Ain't Sosa, and Giambi. I don't want any of 'em in the HOF. I know, Bonds is conspicuously absent from that club I just listed. But Bonds was a HOF'er before the cream and the clear, so I'm gonna let him in.

Tiger Has Best Round of His Career -- 61

2005-07-29T16:22:00.000-05:00

After demands and angry emails from Publius, I have acquiesced in his requests, and will include more T. Woods coverage on this site. The Saturday pairing at the Buick Open should be fun to watch, with V. Singh and T. Woods teeing it up in the last pairing. It should have a "match-play" type feel to it, as it is unlikely that anyone will come from behind on the two best players in the world to win.

Braves Sweep Nationals

2005-07-28T18:16:00.000-05:00

With a win Thursday afternoon, the Braves broke out the brooms and swept the 3 game set. They are now 3 games up in the East, and probably are in 1st to stay. Everything is back to normal now, and the Earth can resume orbiting the Sun. The only thing that remains to be seen is if the Braves can swing a trade before the deadline next week. In a perfect world, they could grab a closer and a corner outfielder. The only real closer that's on the market that would be of any interest is the Phillies' Billy Wagner, but the Braves would have to give up too much to convince the Phils to trade within the division. As a side note to that, does Danny Kolb even play baseball anymore? The market is thin on corner outfielders, but David Delluci or Geoff Jenkins may be worth a look, since neither the Rangers or Brewers are in the race and both are always looking for pitching, which the Braves always have. They'll have to do something to compete in the playoffs.

Is UT Football Out of Bounds? (Is this a rhetorical question?)

2005-07-27T14:44:00.000-05:00

This article was published in today's edition of USA Today. Doesn't say a great deal I haven't already heard, but at least the University of Tennessee Federal Penititiary is finally getting some bad publicity out of it.

Braves Move Into First in the East

2005-07-27T08:03:00.000-05:00

In a story that news media can keep on standby year-round, the Braves waved at the Nationals last night, as they defeated the Nats ace, Livan Hernandez, on their way into first in the NL East. With John Smoltz, Marcus Giles, Andruw Jones, and practically their AAA Richmond team, they are, yet again, primed to make the playoffs. There will be more on this if they do, indeed, win the NL East yet again, but the way they have even stayed in this race, must less taking over first place, is remarkable considering the injuries.

The "Great Compromise of 2005"

2005-07-26T20:23:00.000-05:00

The Seattle Seahawks and Shaun Alexander have finally reached an agreement for the coming season. Alexander repeatedly rejected the "franchise tag" that the Seahawks attempted to place on him, insisting on a long term contract. The contract will pay Alexander the same amount he would have received had he agreed to the franchise tag, but, the "Great Compromise" reached was that the Seahawks would not designate Alexander as the franchise player again next year, allowing Alexander to become an unrestricted free agent. Hopefully, this will work out for Alexander, but he will not be the only quality back on the market next year, as E. James also will most likely be a free agent. At least he's good to go in the fantasy football draft next month though.

Bagwell Says "50-50" on Return to Game

2005-07-26T18:38:00.000-05:00

Jeff Bagwell, longtime first baseman for the Houston Astros has said there is a chance he may never return to the game after his most recent injury. If he is, in fact, done with baseball, then it will be interesting to see the consideration he receives for the Hall of Fame. Personally, I believe that Bagwell made a bigger impact that Raffy Palmeiro has, but Palmeiro has had the benefit of being, essentially, injury free throughout his career. In addition, Palmeiro has played 5 more years (6 if you don't count this year for Bags), which has earned him roughly 3000 more at-bats. For comparison reasons only, if Bags had those extra 3000 bats, his numbers break down like this: 3,095 hits; 582 HR's; 2,044 RBI's. I will concede that there is something to be said for longevity, but Bags did pull down the 1994 NL MVP, as well as a Gold Glove. His current numbers are: 2,311 hits; 449 HR's; and 1,525 RBI's. Hall of Fame?

Braves vs. Nationals Tonight

2005-07-26T08:03:00.000-05:00

The Braves and Nats are tied for first place in the NL East. They begin a four game set tonight at 6:35 CST, with Smoltz going for his 8th win in his last 9 starts. He'll be facing Livan Hernandez for the Nats, whose conditioning program has led to a physique slightly resembling that of Mr. Potato Head without the glasses. With that said, the Braves need to take pitches and make him work, because he tires quickly. With Smoltz on the mound for the Braves, it should only take another bomb from Andruw to grab sole possession of first by the end of the night.

Bama With 9 on Preseason All SEC Teams

2005-07-26T07:51:00.000-05:00

Alabama had nine players picked for the preseason All-SEC Team that was named yesterday. DeMeco Ryans (LB), Freddie Roach (LB), and Roman Harper (S) were selected to the first team. The second team included JB Closner (C), Kenneth Darby (RB), Charlie Peprah (S), and Tryone Prothro (RS). Finally, Brodie Croyle (QB) and Anthony Madison (CB) were named to the third team. Lets hope these nine can stay healthy (Brodie), because the depth still isn't close to being what it needs to be to handle the kind of injuries we had last year. Other selections of note included Florida leading the way with 12 players, and Auburn had 10. In a strange "The Sky is Falling," or "Apocolypse Now," occurrence, Vanderbilt actually has a Quarterback on the first team (Jay Cutler). Yes, you read that correctly.......Vanderbilt.

Cottrell Gets $30 Million

2005-07-24T19:11:00.000-05:00

Finally Over. I really don't have a great deal to say about this, because I've been saturated with this story for 2 years via talk radio. So, the quick rundown. Lawsuit begins. Charges against NCAA thrown out. "Team Cottrell" suffers setback when Cottrell was held to be a limited public figure, which makes it more difficult to recover damages for libel and slander. Judge decides that Cottrell is actually a private figure, instead of a limited public figure. Opening Statements. Trial. Closing Statements. Jury deliberates. 55 minutes later = $30 million. I'm just glad this is finally over so I can quit reading about it in the paper and hearing about it on the radio. Besides that, don't really have an opinion on this story anymore, so I'll leave it open for anyone that has one to post a comment.

Sticky Icky Ricky Returns to Camp

2005-07-24T19:02:00.000-05:00

This is one of those stories that just warms your heart. I get tired of that old cliche about "Playing for the love of the game," anyway. I would much rather watch an athlete who goes and leaves it all on the field so he can head to the corner after the game and score a dime-bag. I'm sure those funds from his holistic medicine practice have been rolling in hand over fist, so Sticky Ricky probably just came back because he was getting bored on Sundays. Don't get worried if Ronnie Brown needs a breather and no one can find Ricky. He stepped out back with Snoop Dogg, and he'll be back for the second half.

Lance Wins 7th Straight

2005-07-24T18:50:00.000-05:00

Did anyone else find this story a little anti-climatic? It's a great story -- Lance goes, Lance wins, Lance ticks off the French. All the perfect ingredients are there, but was the outcome of this race in doubt in anyone's mind since it ended last year? He could probably race in the Tour de France for the next five years and make it twelve straight if he didn't want to retire to pursue promotion of his cancer foundation. I also heard someone say that Armstrong is a great ambassador of the sport and has done a tremendous amount to promote the sport in the United States. Seriously, can someone tell me the last time they watched cycling on ESPN? You can't be given credit for promoting the sport when no one watches your sport. But, anyway, congrats to Lance on a great career and being the most dominant athlete of the 21st century thus far.