A-Ro's Sports Blog

When the Hype Won

2011-01-11T11:52:00.002-06:00

The hype wasn’t worth the wait. The excitement that we were supposed to witness evaporated into an Arizona night. The high-powered engines known as the Blur and Cam chugged along instead of accelerating from end zone to end zone. Was that it? Did the season really end on a not-so-entertaining game-winning field goal? Exactly what happened?

Well, for starters 37 days happened. During those 37 days the hype was built on flash, speed, and quickness. Points were supposed to be put up on the board like a basketball game and offensive records were to be shattered. Cam Newton was supposed to prove his Heisman worth and dominate play after play while LaMichael James would counter with long run after long run. Defenses would be gasping for air on the sidelines not blowing up plays in the backfield. Coordinators would be shaking their heads trying to figure out how to stop each other from scoring. Auburn didn’t win this game as much as they tried not to lose it.

Great game? Hardly. Good game? Maybe. Don’t get me wrong, both teams made plays, but a week, a month, a year, or even five years from now, will you remember any specific play or moment from this game or will you just remember that Auburn won on a 19 yard field goal? Are you going to remember that Michael Dyer ‘almost’ got tackled on a 37 yard run or will you remember that Dyer ‘almost’ scored on the third to final play? I wish he would have scored on that play and Oregon probably does as well. If he goes into the end zone, Oregon gets the ball back with one timeout and 40+ seconds left in the game. Wouldn’t that have been a more entertaining ending than running a kicker out onto the field, putting the offense back on the field, running a basic kneel-down, calling timeout, then kicking a game winning field goal that was closer than an extra point?

Can you blame the field for the lack of explosive plays? Maybe, but both teams had to deal with it and you knew it was going to be an issue when Josh Huff of Oregon returned the opening kickoff for 16 yards while slipping at least three times. How about the first six possessions of the game? Punt, punt, interception, interception, interception, punt. Not exactly what you expected out of two high-powered offenses. Since Auburn won the game, will you remember Oregon’s early two-point conversion or big fourth down plays such as the fake punt?

The game was more sloppy than good. Missed throws, missed blocks, open receivers under or over thrown and red zone offenses struggling to put the ball in the end zone. Look, you can credit the Auburn & Oregon defense all you want, but it was not a defensive battle. Not when Oregon gives up 519 yards of offense and Auburn gives up 449. Both defenses made stops at big times, but are you going to remember any of them? Will you remember Nick Fairly stuffing James, Kenjon Barner, or Darron Thomas or Cam Newton missing an open receiver in the end zone? How about the Heisman winner fumbling with a 19-11 lead in the fourth quarter because of the next line in the Matthews family (Casey)?

The question when looking back at great games in history has always been, “What do you remember?” A game that was hyped for 37 days as crazy fast turned out to be a little slow. An offense that was supposed to be a blur, abandoned what they had done to get them to the Championship game turned out to be dim. A Heisman trophy winner that was supposed to be ‘the man’ turned out to be just another piece in the puzzle. A game that pundits said might be one of the greatest displays of the season, maybe decade, or longer turned out to be just another routine game with some good moments mixed in. 37 days of hype turned out to be just that, with a slow, inconsistent start and finishing with an anti-climatic 19 yard field goal. 37 days later and the hype out-played the game. Will you remember?

James Harrison's NON-Dirty Hit

2010-10-18T16:58:00.009-05:00

Okay, by now, I get it. People will take cheap shots all the time. Especially when you're winning and you're a tough, physical football team. But, I will tell you what's not a cheap shot. The hit James Harrison put on Mohamed Massaquoi. I'm sorry, but it was not a cheap shot at all. It was a very hard hit and Mr. Harrison was making a perfect form tackle. Look below....

Here is the first part of the play. As you can see Massaquoi is running in the direction of Harrison. At this point everything looks normal.

At this point Massaquoi is starting to turn around and Harrison is headed straight towards his numbers, which by the way is exactly where they teach you to hit. Hit the numbers and drive through the tackle.

Now look at the difference between picture two (above) and picture three (below). Massaquoi, NOT Harrison is the one lowering their helmet. Harrison is still driving for his chest (numbers).

Now here you can see clearly that Massaquoi is the one 'leading with his helmet' while Harrison has stayed true to his form tackle during the entire play. We all know what happens next...

And here is the hit...

Let's review again. James Harrison is coming in stride to make form tackle on Mohamed Massaquoi. Unfortunately for Massaquoi, he had trouble hanging onto the ball that led him to drop his head and locate the ball which was falling below his waist.

Massaquoi was standing tall (as receivers do when the ball is coming towards them). He then bobbles the pass which causes him to lower his helmet and ends up bent at the waist. During that time, there is no possible way for Harrison to change his direction or form on his tackle. As you can see by the pictures, Harrison was not intending to injure Massaquoi. He was doing his job and preparing to make a tackle. If anyone is at fault, it should be Massaquoi for lowering his helmet.

Where is the King's next throne?

2010-06-30T16:42:00.003-05:00

July 1, 2010. Is it the end of an era and the start of a new one? Will the city of Cleveland lose it's most beloved athlete in history to Miami, New Jersey, New York or even Chicago? Are we headed for a super-dynasty somewhere? What's going to happen come midnight?

Okay, I can answer one of those questions with a right answer. At midnight, nothing is going to happen. King James will take the time to think this through and listen to offers from every city and every team and where he ends up will be his decision and his decision only. Here are my odds with each team.

50:1 -- Los Angeles Clippers

I will just refer you to the article Bill Simmons wrote to Blake Griffin before last year's NBA draft. It has everything you need to know about the Clippers and the future & past of the franchise.

25:1 -- New York Knicks

You tried. I will give you credit. Donnie Walsh did everything he could to clear cap room to sign two max contract players. Give them the glimmer and hope that the Knicks have to offer. Give LeBron a key to the city and tell him whatever you want, you can have. The biggest market in America where you can get all the attention that you ever wanted and oh, yeah, you get to play inside the Garden. Not bad, right? WRONG. The Knicks are not the Yankees. You don't grow up saying you want to play for the New York Knicks. If you were in my generation, you wanted to play for the Bulls. Before me? Probably the Celtics or the Lakers. Currently? Probably the Celtics or the Lakers. Sorry New York, you just don't have what it takes. Look on the bright side though...you can offer Amar'e and Joe Johnson big contracts!

15:1 -- Dallas Mavericks

Or as I like to call them, the absolute dark horse. Mark Cuban has money and Mark Cuban wants to win. Probably more than any other GM in this league. You've heard the stories how Cuban absolutely pampers his players and has their backs at the same time. Why would you not want to play for the guy and then go have a couple of drinks after the game with him? This seems like a perfect place to play. The other key here is Dirk. More than Bosh, Amar'e or even Boozer, Dirk's game would co-exist the best with LeBron. They have other pieces around to build. The two biggest problems facing Dallas are being in the Western Conference and well, being in Dallas. Again, it's the Mavericks, not the Cowboys we are talking about.

10:1 -- New Jersey Nets

Excuse me, Newark Nets. But, in two years they will be in Brooklyn. Wait, the team with the worst record in the NBA last year? Yes, that team. Global Icon Status is what LeBron could achieve. Is that enough to convince LeBron to come? If you think Mark Cuban has money, you haven't seen anything yet! Mikhail Prokhorov is going to be a force to reckon with in the NBA for years to come. His partner? Thou who shall not be named on my blog is also with him. James and him are really close friends and Prokhorov has the ability to make him a BILLIONAIRE. However, does he want to suffer a couple of years in Newark before the big move to Brooklyn? I don't think so...

5:1 -- Miami

So, why not end up in South Beach with D-Wade and Chris Bosh? The 'new big three' would form an immediate dynasty and Pat Riley might end up back on the bench with these three guys. Any veteran that wants to win a ring and sign for the minimum, please follow us. However, is there enough touches to go around and does LeBron and/or Bosh become jealous of the fact that Wade can make more than both of them by re-signing. Ultimately, I don't think the Heat could afford to give all three guys max contracts. Even if you are able to sign a couple of veteran guys, the bench would be depleted and it's not like these guys are at the end of their careers a la KG, Pierce, Allen. It would be tough if everyone wants to the be 'The Man'.

3:1 -- Chicago

Max contract offer? Check. Max contract for another player? Check. Other pieces in place? Check. Championship Team? Check. Big market size? Check. An owner who cares about winning? Check. Immediately becoming the biggest athlete in the city? Check. A place to build your legacy? Check.

However. That legacy will never, ever, ever, trump the guy who's statue is outside the arena. The best player in the history of the NBA. You will always be number two in this town...unless somehow you win seven or more rings...which is why...

2:1 -- Cleveland

He should stay in Cleveland. This is his city, his state, his livelihood, his everything. If LeBron brought just one championship to the city, everything would be forgotten. The Fumble, The Collapse, The Shot. All of them erased from the memory bank with one title. He can make the most money here in terms of a contract. The NBA would not be destroyed by a super dynasty somewhere else. He could help choose the next head coach. He doesn't have to pack up and leave home. He can be himself. That statue in Chicago? You can build one in Cleveland when he brings a title back. Start on the day it happens.

Here is what you do. You sign the max deal possible (six years) with an opt-out clause after three. If after three years, the team has not won or is not close enough to winning a championship, you move on. That would be ten years in the league and I think a decade is more than enough time to try to put a winning team around you. There are smaller pieces in place; but a sign-and-trade for at least another All-Star (insert Shaq & Mo Williams jokes here) would be necessary. Give him one GOOD player to play with for one year and see what happens.

You could go to to New York and be the King of the City. You could go to Miami and be the King of the Dynasty. You could go to Chicago and be the King of the New Era. Or, you could stay at home, keep your loyalties, your family, your friends, your heart and you could be the King of Everything.

The choice is yours King James. Choose wisely.

Kobe Bryant: Easy Choice for MVP…Or Not?

2010-06-19T12:23:00.002-05:00

Okay, let me start by saying this: As much as I hate to say this and it’s going to pain me that I am even typing this, but Kobe Bryant is ~~still~~ probably the best player in the game today. There, I said it. Now, can we move on please?

Kobe was a monster in the playoffs but not so much in the NBA Finals. You say, but A-Ro, Kobe averaged 28.6 points per game, the tops of anyone in the Finals. I say he also only shot 40.5% and 27% in the fourth quarters. But A-Ro, he had a monster game five, where he scored 38 and carried the Lakers on his back. I say he didn’t involve his teammates at all, thus why they seemed to give up and not play defense. You say, but A-Ro, he is the best player on the team that won! I say, so what, he wasn’t the best player on his team for those seven games. But, A-Ro, if not Kobe, then who? I say Pau Gasol.

Let’s get this out of the way as well. Just because someone scores the most points in a game or in a seven game series, does NOT mean he is the best player. If shots were distributed equally, then you can justify that argument. I am about to show you some different types of statistics that will help back my reasoning why Gasol should have been MVP and not Bryant.

First, here are the normal statistical measurements that normal people will judge a player by:

Kobe: 28.6 points, 8 rebounds (1.7 off), 3.9 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.7 blocks, 3.9 turnovers
Gasol: 18.6 points, 11.6 rebounds (5 off), 3.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 2.6 blocks, 1.9 turnovers

Kobe in wins: 27 ppg, 10 rbg (2.5 off), 3.8 apg, 2 spg, 1 bpg, 2.8 to
Gasol in wins: 18 ppg, 13.8 rbg (6 off), 5 apg, 0.5 spg, 2.5 bpg, 1.8 to

Kobe in losses: 30.7 ppg, 5.3 rbg (.7 off), 4 apg, 2.3 spg, .3 bpg, 5.3 to
Gasol in losses: 19.3 ppg, 8.7 rbg (3.7 off), 2 apg, 1 spg, 2.7 bpg, 2 to

Kobe did average ten more points per game, he also attempted 23.3 shots per game compared to Gasol’s 12.9. You will notice Gasol averaged five offensive boards per game which led to five more possessions for the Lakers and turned the ball over two less times per game as well. While Kobe scored more in his losses, he also committed almost three more turnovers per game and was held off the glass. Gasol averaged 5 less rebounds per win and 3 less assists. Okay, so I already know what you’re thinking, how does this prove anything for Gasol? Let’s get into some details.

Thanks to John Hollinger we can calculate a game score for each player. I’ll let you read on your own what it’s all about, but basically it determines how well a player performed for an individual game. For example, a score of 40 would be outstanding, while a score of 10 would just be average.

Kobe’s game score for all seven games: 130.7 = 18.67 per game
Gasol’s game score for all seven games: 130.1 = 18.59 per game

Right from the start, you can tell that the differential is not very much. What about in the games won and lost?

Kobe: 18.93 per win; 18.33 per loss
Gasol: 19.10 per win; 17.9 per loss

Not much difference, but you will notice Gasol did have a better game score in the games won and a worse score in the games the Lakers lost. Two other methods to compare players that Hollinger uses are a True Shot % and Effective Field Goal %. These two statistical measures are able to compare a big man to a guard. The True Shot % takes into account, field goals, three pointers, and free throws while the Effective Field Goal % adjusts for the fact that three pointers are worth one more point.

Kobe TS%: Total: 52.8%, Wins: 49.5%, Losses: 58.4%
Gasol TS%: Total: 55.6%, Wins: 52.8%, Losses: 61.6%

Kobe eFG%: Total: 45.1%, Wins: 39.7%, Losses: 53.2%
Gasol eFG%: Total: 47.8%, Wins: 45.8%, Losses: 52.6%

Remember when I said if each player got the same number of shots? Well, Gasol would have had better averages either way. A little known fact also from the NBA Finals is that in the four Lakers wins, Kobe was 3-19 from the three point line. Theoretically, Kobe was hurting his team by missing more shots in the games they won than the ones they lost.

The last two measures to judge a player are Win Shares and Player Rating (both offensive and defensive). While I don’t have the Win Shares for the only the Finals game, I will point out that Kobe’s Win Shares during the playoffs was 2.7 offensive and 0.9 defensive compared to Gasol’s Win Shares of 3.2 and 1.1. What about Player Rating? Player Rating was developed by Dean Oliver in his Basketball on Paper book. Basically, it shows how many points a team would score or allow when the individual player was on the court per 100 possessions.

Kobe O-Rating: 108 (Lakers would have scored 108 points if they would have had 100 possessions with Kobe on the floor.
Kobe D-Rating: 98.4

Gasol O-Rating: 122
Gasol D-Rating: 100

As you can see, the Lakers would have scored 14 more points per 100 possessions when Gasol was on the floor and only allowed 1.6 more points. Now, look at this split during games won and games lost.

Kobe O-Rating in wins: 109
Kobe O-Rating in losses: 106
Kobe D-Rating in wins: 90.8
Kobe D-Rating in losses: 109

Gasol O-Rating in wins: 118
Gasol O-Rating in losses: 127
Gasol D-Rating in wins: 92.8
Gasol D-Rating in losses: 111

While Kobe averaged 30.7 points per game in the games the Lakers lost, his offensive rating in those games (106) was less than his defensive rating (109), basically saying that for every 100 possessions the Lakers would have been down three points with Kobe on the floor. Now, when you look at Gasol’s split, it was 127 offensive rating and 111 defensive rating. So, in the losses, the Lakers actually would have scored 16 more points per 100 possessions with Gasol on the floor! The last little tidbit I would like to add is the plus/minus formula, which shows how a team did with a player on the floor. Gasol had a score of +40 in the four wins, while Kobe only had a +31.

Obviously most times the media and everyone else just takes the ‘best player on the best team’ to win the MVP. But, for this series, if you look at the APBRmetrics (aka the ‘new statistics’) you will see that Kobe was not on the best player and it was in fact Gasol. At the very least you should recognize that Kobe was NOT the run-a-way MVP that you once thought he was.

Live Blog for Game 7! Why not?

2010-06-17T19:41:00.041-05:00

GAME SEVEN!!!!!!!! Prediction Lakers 97 Celtics 81.

Before we get started, let's get a little history of this date out of the way...

And there is my fun for tonight!!! You gotta respect O.J., right? Okay, maybe not...but what about his buddies that were with him in Vegas that one night? Remember the robbery case? You can find it here! I mean, what do you say if your with buddies with Simpson? "Hey, Juice, let's go get your stuff back!!" ... okay let's get to the game...ten minutes until tip!

Christina singing the anthem...for the second time in the series. I think I remembered how this played out the first tiem. The Lakers dominated. Yes, it will happen again and here is why:

Kobe will not let the Lakers be outplayed. Period. End of Discussion.
The loss of Perkins hurts much, much, much more than you think. KG, Baby, and Rasheed have to play more minutes and guess who is coming off the bench...Sheldon Williams. That name should make you sick, unless you are Lakers fan or think he is still playing for Duke.
Ray Allen didn't lose his jumper. He never had it. It randomly showed up in game 2 but hasn't been seen since. I think I saw an ad on milk carton looking for it.
Rajon Rondo just hasn't been the same as he was against the Magic or the Cavs. It looks like he is playing a little scared....which is not good in the NBA Championship.
KG and Paul Pierce will get theirs, but that will be it. Bynum & Gasol will shut down KG enough and Artest will win the battle with Pierce.
Legacy's are on the line tonight...for Kobe (again) and Phil Jackson. One of the best coaches ever and one of the best players ever. They are NOT losing this game!!!

And right from the start, we see what the Lakers have been doing all series, pound the glass. Another reason why Boston has no chance in this game. I do feel really sorry for Kendrick Perkins...this is something you dream about and you can't play in it.

What did I just say? Offensive rebounds are killing the Celtics. The first four possessions, the Lakers has at least two chances to score. Somehow, Rasheed has made two quick buckets to at least stay close early. Looking like a LONG night for the Celtics.

Rondo with back to back layups to give the Celtics an early 10 to 7 lead, followed by Kobe jacking something up. Ray Allen is all over him, but this won't happen all game. Look for Kobe to get going here soon. Gasol...again...nobody on the Celtics team can stop him.

Early thoughts during the first TV Timeout. Lakers rebound advantage 10-3. Yikes. Gotta give props to the referees. No bailout calls as of yet and they are letting them play. Always a good thing to see!

Did Ray Allen find his jumper? I won't believe it until I see at least three of them go in. I do have to give him credit for being all over Kobe early on. These two absolutely hate each other.

After an alley-oop to KG, Kobe finally gets on the board. Look for him to go on a run here. It's going to get scary (if your a Celtics fan!).

Allen wide open for three and misses...those shots need to go in for the Celtics to have any chance. Huge foul on Gasol, that's two for him early. The Lakers can't afford to have him in the bench for long. KG now picking up his second. Even worse for the Celtics...

Well...that was an ugly way to end the first quarter. An air-ball from Kobe, loose ball on the floor that somehow the Celtics came up with. Eiher way, no points and a nine point Celtics lead. Unfortunately for them, the second quarter will be ALL Lakers. Time for players to get going...aka Kobe...just watch! Lakers are not going to shoot 22.2% the rest of this game. Even if they do, they will continue to grab offensive rebounds and get second chance points. Gasol and KG both have two fouls. The Lakers can afford Gasol being out longer than the Celtics can with KG. The third foul in this quarter will be huge.

Lakers come out much more aggresive to start the quarter. Celtics put Pierce back in early. Smart move...they either need him or KG on the floor to score. Ray Allen hasn't hit anything since that first jumper.

And here comes that Lakers run I was telling you about....

The difference between both teams missing shots? The Lakers have been getting second and third chances, but the Celtics have not. Kobe is back in for the Lakers. Going to have a big lead here shortly...

Mark it down. 23-23. GAME. OVER. Lakers win.

Lakers just have so much more energy than the Celtics. They are getting loose balls and grabbing offensive rebounds. Celtics are getting open jumpers but not hitting them. They have the tired legs and that extra energy that the Lakers also comes from that home court advantage. The Lakers survived early and now have the Celtics where they want em. My guess is that they will go into halftime with about a 7-10 point lead.

Ray Allen with no points since his opening three and KG picking up his third fould. Can't win with KG off the floor and Ray not playing up to snuff. Baby & Wallace are now forced to play the rest of this half. Look for Gasol to get a bunch of touches now.

Rebounding advantage is starting to even up, however Lakers have 15 offensive compared to teh Celtics 2. Lakers are also winning the turnover battle (3-7). Little less than three minutes left...sounds like Kobe time!

Artest didn't go off on the double technical? Are you serious? Is this really the same Ron-Ron that was in Indiana? Artest actually keeping his cool and has been a key part tonight. Last minute could get interesting...

Game SEVEN. One more half to play! Let's get it!! I'm still in shock that Scalabrine checked in for one possession, although I will give him credit for checking Odom! Artest the suprise of the first half with 12 points, leading the Lakers. Kobe only has 8, so I think the over/under for him is about 24 for the second half. He will probably have another HUGE third quarter.

The biggest factors so far are still the same thing, offensive boards (15-2) and turnovers (3-8). Once the Lakers start hitting shots, they will run away with this thing. Garnett is really the only person in foul trouble with three.

Let's get this started! GAME SEVEN!!!!!! ONE HALF TO GO!!!!

Celtics doing a nice job of getting the ball the KG to start the second half. KG is the key (along with Pierce) for the Celtics to try and win this game. Ray Allen still hasn't made a shot since his first three. Kobe is now 3-16, but will get going here very soon.

Random thought here...this game is very sloppy. I would have never expected that from a game seven in the NBA Finals. Kobe just got a foul call and Pierce is leaving holding his shoulder. Not good for the Celtics. Kobe going to take over NOW!

Kobe and Gasol back to back baskets. These will be the two guys that will have to put together a streak so the Lakers are able to make a run. D-Fish with a big basket, I expect a big 4th quarter from him as well. He has been a little too quite lately.

Crowd is going CRAZY NOW!

Good T.O. by the Celtics...but here is the Lakers run that they need. This one is OVER!

After two ugly shots by Allen and Wallace, Pierce drills a three. Pierce, KG, and a little Rondo is how they could possibly pull an upset. But, Kobe has yet to go off yet, so he is saving up for the 4th quarter!

Derek Fisher heading for the locker room...Shannon Brown repeat from Game Six on the way?

Celtics are starting to force too many shots, they need to let the game come to them. They missed the chance to put the Lakers away multiple times.

Ron Artest is BALLIN' tonight. He has REALLY stepped up tonight and will definitely help take the load off of Kobe come crunch time.

Well, my prediction is probably out the window, so time to go with a new one. Final Score: Lakers 77 Celtics 70. Kobe will end up with at least 25 points and will be named MVP.

The reason is still simple. The Celtics never took advantage of their chances and the theme continues to be the same, Lakers offensive rebounding advantage of 20-5 and overall is 43-31. Too many second chances for the Celtics to try and stop.

FOURTH QUARTER. GAME SEVEN. HERE WE GO!

Great play by the Lakers to open the quarter and then an even better defensive effort. Celtics look tired and are not attacking the basket, both bad news. Big Baby with another foul...they really miss Perkisn right now.

Kobe back in...

It's TIME!

Celtics are way too sloppy on the offensive end and still can't block out. Has anyone else noticed a recurring theme?

9:00 left before Lakers are crowned champions!

I don't care if you double Kobe, he is still going to score and the Celtics can't put back to back possessions together.

RON ARTEST is playing out of his mind right now! Tie game with 7:29 left!!!

Lakers are trying to give this game away, but the Celtics won't let them. HUGE three by D-FISH followed by a miss and foul...Lakers going to take a lead and not look back. Good-bye Celtics!

It's officially KOBE TIME! This game is over....just have to put the finishing touches on it. Might take the next five minutes off to relax and grab something to eat before the awards ceremony. We'll see...

Well Kobe didn't have his greatest game, but the Lakers still won. Pau Gasol and Ron Artest were HUGE tonight in helping him out. Lakers are back to back champions and should be the favorites again for next year. Kobe now has five rings, but please, still no MJ comparisons, it's just not right.

The Celtics put up a great fight, but they had no offense most of the games and couldn't keep L.A. off the glass. This loss will definitely sting and will be the end of the Celtics most recent era. Allen lost his jumper, KG and Pierce are both going to be a year older, but they still have Rondo. A couple small moves and they could be back in this game as well.

Ugly game, but all the credit that the Lakers will get, they deserve. Congrats Lakers and let's get ready for the draft next week!

The Future of the NCAA is Here...

2010-06-10T11:32:00.007-05:00

Doomsday is approaching quickly. The NCAA landscape is about to change forever. Super Conferences are ready to be formed for universities ~~to make more money~~ ready for the next challenge. While we are on the subject, the term STUDENT-ATHLETE no longer exists. At least when talking about college football players. The NCAA members, Presidents, AD's, commissioners, etc. have made it perfectly clear what their number ONE priority is: MONEY, MONEY, MONEY.

Okay, let's go through scenarios that could happen:

12 Team Conferences:

Pac 12: Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, California, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State

Big 12: Baylor, BYU, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Christian, Texas A&M, Texas Tech

Big Ten: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin

SEC, Big East, ACC remain unchanged. MWC/WAC Conference might have to do a little reshuffling and form their own super conference. This is doubtful to happen because I no longer see the Big XII staying together...

8-16 Team Conferences (Option 1):

Pac 16: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State

Big Ten (12): Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin

SEC (12): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

ACC (12): Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Big East (8): Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, South Florida, West Virginia

The New MWC? (15): Air Force, Baylor, Boise State, BYU, Colorado State, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, Utah, UNLV, Wyoming

This would probably give the Moutain West Conference their best chance at landing a guaranteed BCS Bowl bid. They can have a conference championship game and while they wouldn't add any powerhouse teams, they do add teams who have been in power conferences along with BCS Buster Boise State. Other options would be for the Big East to pick up Kansas/Missouri or some combo of that.

8-16 Team Conferences (Option 2):

Pac 16: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State
Big Ten (14): Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin

SEC (14): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

ACC (12): Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Memphis, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Big East (9): Cincinnati, Connecticut, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, South Florida, West Virginia

MWC (12): Air Force, Boise State, BYU, Colorado State, Houston, Iowa State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, Utah, UNLV, Wyoming

Going this route would help Notre Dame keep its football independence and still allow them into the Big East for other sports. This scenario also involves Texas A&M moving to the SEC with Florida State, which are two teams that the SEC is very interested in. If Notre Dame chose to join the Big Ten, I could see Rutgers staying in the Big East as well. The Big East would form an even more dynamic basketball resume with the addition of Kansas and Kansas State. The ACC would lose Florida State, but pick up Memphis, which would help the basketball power stay on top.

8-16 Team Conferences (Option 3):

Pac 14: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, California, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State

Big Ten (16): Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Texas, Texas A&M, Wisconsin

SEC (14): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

ACC (12): Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Memphis, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Big East (10): Cincinnati, Connecticut, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, South Florida, West Virginia

MWC (12): Air Force, Boise State, BYU, Colorado State, Houston, Iowa State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, Utah, UNLV, Wyoming

This is called the Big Ten Super Power Conference hopeful. If they were somehow able to pull this off, they would be extremely pleased. The SEC would also pick up Oklahoma and Florida State. The biggest loser from this idea would be the Pac-10 having to take the second tier Big 12 teams.

16 Team Conferences (DOOMSDAY):

Pac 16: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State
Big Ten: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin

SEC: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech

ACC/Big East (17): Boston College, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Clemson, Duke, Kansas, Kansas State, Maryland, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Syracuse, South Florida, Virginia, West Virginia, Wake Forest

This would be the ultimate doomsday scenario. I don't see this one happening, but you never know. The ACC/Big East would form and absolute killer basketball conference with 24 teams. That would be exciting to watch!

Well, those are my options...what do you think???

MLB Realignment. What Would Happen?

2010-05-25T09:34:00.004-05:00

With Major League Baseball thinking about realignment, what would happen? Would you really see long-standing teams switch leagues? Would there be a balanced schedule? Would rivalries such as Yankees/Red Sox, Cubs/Cardinals, Dodgers/Giants end? Well, here is my thoughts on something that could possibly work.

First off, if MLB is going to realign teams, I think they have to do so in the manner to make the game more equal. Besides the common complaint of breaking up the AL East so teams have a better chance of winning, I think the most important issue is having a balanced schedule. I know MLB tries to bring the rivalries out during interleague play, but I think it can be changed just a bit. Take the Cubs/Cardinals for example. The Cubs get six games against the White Sox every year, while the Cardinals have six against the Royals. All things being equal, this is going to favor (at least in recent years) the Cardinals because the Royals have not been as competitive as the White Sox.

So, let's assume Major League Baseball does in fact realign the divisions. Here is an idea of a balanced schedule.

Each team would play:

18 games against every team in their own division (18x4 = 72 games)
6 games against every other team in their own league (6x10 = 60 games)
6 games against one division from the opposite league (6x5 = 30 games)

Balanced schedule, easy travel, and 162 games still on board. It's a trifecta!

The only problem would be going back to the original point of separating teams from each other in the divisions. Can you really break up some of these rivalries? I don't think so. However, MLB has basically already thrown history out the door with interleague play, so I don't see how changing the league around every three or six years would be that bad.

Example for six divisions:

Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals
Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays
Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland A's, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners
Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays
Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers

The easiest part of realignment would be the West/South Region. You have ten teams that you need to split up into two sets of five.

Arizona, Colorado, Houston, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Texas

Honestly, in baseball, I don't think travel is that big of deal, especially considering that Seattle's shortest distance to play anybody on the road is over 800 miles. So, that leaves you 20 teams in the Midwest/Eastern region which you can easily make into four separate divisions. Realignment might not happen, but it is something fun to think about and the possibilities are endless. The people you have to worry about are the baseball naturalists who don't want to see anything change.

I think realignment would bring out a balanced schedule, a competitive balance, and a chance for more revenue. Major League Baseball should think about it. Heck, I've even showed them how to make the schedule easier to figure out -- especially with the possibility of no more two or four game series!

2010 MLB Preview

2010-04-06T13:29:00.003-05:00

It's already past opening, but who cares. Predictions are predictions. You're not going to change your mind on what happens depending on one game. Albert Pujols & Garrett Jones aren't hitting 328 home runs...well, maybe Albert will...but still, you get the picture. Let's get on with it.

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

EAST winner: New York Yankees. They got younger, they added another dominant starting pitcher, and they still have Jeter, A-Rod, Mo, Teixiera, etc. Any questions? Boston and the Rays will compete; the Orioles are still a couple years away and the Blue Jays are in rebuilding mode.

CENTRAL winner: Chicago White Sox. This should be a three team race with the Twins and Tigers right behind. I like the White Sox pitching more than both teams and I think they can squeeze just enough offense out of their players. Losing Joe Nathan will hurt the Twins and I don't think the Tigers are stable enough to win the division. The Royals and Indians are what they are.

WEST winner: Los Angeles Angels. Even though they lost John Lackey and Vlad, I still think they come out ahead of this division. Many people really like what the Mariners did this off-season, but is last year an abberation with getting 10 more wins than expected according to the Pythag method? The Rangers might not stay healthy and the A's don't have enough offense.

WILD CARD: Boston Red Sox. I really want to pick the Rays, but Boston really improved their team this off-season. They have a great defense, big bats, and the arms to stay in the race and give the Yankees a real threat.

MVP: Alex Rodriguez, 3B, New York Yankees. A full season with no controversy. I see 45 home runs, 120 RBI's and a .320 batting average.

Longshot MVP: Kendry Morales, 1B, Los Angeles Angels. Someone predicted him to have a breakout year last season (http://arosportsblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/ive-awakentime-to-post-mlb-preview.html)...who was that again? Hmmm...Anyways, I think he takes another step up this year.

Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners. Improved defense around him. Still in a pitcher's park. Only needs 3 runs to win a game. Yeah, that's my guy.

Longshot Cy Young: Brett Anderson, Oakland A's. Another guy I predicted a breakout for last year...get ready for this year!

Five players that will breakout:

Travis Snider, OF, Toronto Blue Jays....always been one year behind Adam Lind
Wade Davis, SP, Tampa Bay Rays....future star in waiting; maybe more upside than Price
Franklin Gutierrez, OF, Seattle Mariners....flashed the glove last year; offense catches up this year
Elvis Andrus, SS, Texas Rangers....excellent glove & speed, will be a top leadoff hitter
Gordon Beckham, 2B, Chicago White Sox...there is a reason they brought up early last season

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

EAST WINNER: Philadelphia Phillies. The best team in the National League and they added a Cy Young pitcher in Roy Halladay and upgrade at third base of Placido Polanco. The Braves should be right on there heels and the Mets and Marlins will put up a decent fight as well. Washington gets to watch Stephen Strasburgh pitch all summer which will at least excite their fan base.

CENTRAL WINNER: St. Louis Cardinals. The only questions are the back end of the rotation and the bullpen. Everything else will be fine. The Brewers don't have enough pitching, the Cubs don't have enough hitting or a bullpen that can protect leads. The Reds are starting to turn things around and the Pirates might surprise a few teams with their young talent. The team that time is running out for is the Astros, who look older every year.

WEST WINNER: Colorado Rockies. They finally have enough pitching to win consistently year after year. This team was very hot last summer and fall and has the talent to put together a nice run for a possible World Series berth. The Dodgers have the hitting but no pitching, the Giants have the pitching, but not enough hitting and the Padres just have Adrian Gonzalez.

WILD CARD: Atlanta Braves. This is the last year for Bobby Cox and the Braves will do everything in their power to get him in the playoffs and attempt one more run at a Series.

MVP: Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals. Do I really need to explain?

Longshot MVP: Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado Rockies. He is on the verge of having a MONSTER year along with Gold Glove defense.

Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants. Why not make it three in a row? And just so I can go against everyone's pick of Halladay.

Longshot Cy Young: Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies. He gets to go up against number two pitchers for a full season instead of aces. The only problem is Halladay might end up with twenty-five wins.

Five players that will breakout:

Jason Heyward, OF, Atlanta Braves....yeah, I know, you already know about him...but he is THAT good....290/25/100 is my guess
Colby Rasmus, OF, St. Louis Cardinals....another player who will see a lot of fastballs with Pujols & Holliday already on base
Jason Hammel, SP, Colorado Rockies....A pitcher, in Coors Field, am I crazy?
Ian Stewart, 3B, Colorado Rockies....The power is there, but can he hit lefties?
Mike Pelfrey, SP, New York Mets....Someone in that rotation has to step up and I think Pelfrey will be the guy to do it

PLAYOFFS & WORLD SERIES:

AL Wild-Card Round: Yankees over White Sox, Red Sox over Angels

NL Wild-Card Round: Phillies over Cardinals, Rockies over Braves

AL Divisional Series: Yankees over Red Sox

NL Divisional Series: Phillies over Rockies

World Series: Phillies over Yankees (6 games and two Roy Halladay victories)

One last prediction:

NATIONAL LEAGUE wins the All-Star Game!!

NCAA TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS!

2010-03-14T16:25:00.003-05:00

The greatest day of the year is back! Here is my guess for seeds and what my bracket would look like!

#1: Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Duke

#2: West Virginia, Ohio State, Kansas State, Georgetown

#3: Baylor, Villanova, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin

#4: New Mexico, Purdue, Temple, Tennessee

#5: Michigan State, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M

#6: Butler, BYU, Richmond, Xavier

#7: Gonzaga, Texas, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame

#8: UNI, Clemson, Marquette, California

#9: Florida State, St. Mary's, UNLV, San Diego St.

#10: Louisville, Missouri, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech

#11: Old Dominion, Washington, UTEP, Florida

#12: Siena, Cornell, Utah State, Minnesota

#13: Murray State, New Mexico State, Wofford, Oakland

#14: Houston, Ohio, UC-Santa Barbara, Sam Houston State

#15: Vermont, Montana, North Texas, Morgan State

#16: Robert Morris, East Tennessee State, Lehigh, Winthrop, Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Time for a Change

2010-01-08T10:30:00.011-06:00

Okay, I get it. The SEC is a good football conference. They have the ~~National~~ B(s)C Champions for another year...but once again, not without controversy! Alabama did win this game easily. Yes, there was a back-up freshman playing for Texas, but that's another story. However, was Texas the best possible team for Alabama to play for the championship?

On the official BCS website, it states: "The BCS was created by the conferences and schools before the 1998 season to assure a matchup between the top two teams..."

Okay, so has that happened? Well first off, it is a lie. The BCS was created by the Big Six conferences and Notre Dame. The Mountain West, WAC, MAC, C-USA, and Sun Belt are not invited to the BCS unless specific qualifications happen and even then they still can't get a fair shake at a title game. On to the second part which is to 'assure a matchup between the top two teams'...

1998: Tennessee vs. Florida State

--Tennessee was undefeated and deserved to be in the National Championship game.
--Florida State:
1 loss: North Carolina State (finished 7-4 regular season)
Key wins: Texas A&M (11-2, Big 12 champ), Florida (9-2, L vs. Tenn/FSU)

--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: Tulane UCLA (10-1), Ohio State (10-1), Wisconsin (10-1), Tulane (11-0). Tulane didn't have any signature wins, so they are out. UCLA is rightfully out because of common opponent (Miami) as Florida State being their only loss. Obviously, the Big Ten should have a championship game to determine the winner, but since they don't...Ohio State lost to Michgan State who didn't make a bowl game, so they are eliminated. But what about Wisconsin? Their only loss came at Michigan (whose three losses were against Syracuse, Notre Dame, and Ohio State). However, they played a weak non-conference schedule and probably didn't deserve a bid.

--4 Team Playoff Look: Tennessee vs. Wisconsin, Florida State vs. UCLA

--8 Team Playoff Look: Tennessee vs. Syracuse, Florida State vs. Tulane, UCLA vs. Texas A&M, Wisconsin vs. Ohio State

--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Tennessee, #2 Florida State, #3 Kansas State, #4 Ohio State--Games: #5 UCLA vs. #12 Syracuse , #6 Texas A&M vs. #11 Nebraska, #7 Arizona vs. #10 Tulane , #8 Florida vs. #9 Wisconsin

--FINAL SAY: The BCS gets this one right...especially after a Tennessee win. BCS 1 Playoff System 0

1999: Florida State vs. Virginia Tech

--Florida State was undefeated and deserved to be in the National Championship game.
--Virginia Tech: was also undefeated and maybe deserved to be in the National Championship game.

--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: Marshall finished the regular season undefeated and beat two teams that Virginia Tech did (@ Clemson 13-10, vs. Temple 34-0) but probably can't make much of an argument for a NC game. However, what about Nebraska? Nebraska finished the regular season 11-1 with their lone loss coming @Texas. However, they played on a neutral field for the conference championship and Nebraska dominated the game winning 22-6. Other key wins for Nebraska: #7 Kansas State (41-17), #14 Texas A&M (37-0)

--4 Team Playoff Look: Florida State vs. Marshall, Virginia Tech vs. Nebraska

--8 Team Playoff Look: Florida State vs. Stanford, Virginia Tech vs. Marshall, Nebraska vs. Wisconsin , Alabama vs. Tennessee

--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Florida State, #2Virginia Tech, #3 Nebraska, #4 Alabama--Games: #5 Tennessee vs. #12 Stanford, #6 Kansas State vs. #11 Marshall, #7 Wisconsin vs. #10 Florida, #8 Michigan vs. #9 Michigan State

--FINAL SAY: The BCS gets partial credit for this one. Florida State overmatched Virginia Tech and Nebraska probably could have put up a better fight. BCS 1.5 Playoff System 0.5

2000: Oklahoma vs. Florida State

--Oklahoma was undefeated and deserved to be in the National Championship game.
--Florida State lost one game...and it was to Miami who lost one game, who lost to Washington who lost one game.... DID NOT deserve to be there.

--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: This was the first time that the BCS REALLY screwed things up. Florida State, Miami, Washington, Virginia Tech, and Oregon State all ended the regular season with one loss. FSU lost @Miami. Miami lost @Washington, Washington lost @ Oregon (who finished with 2 losses), Virginia Tech lost @ Miami and Oregon State lost @ Washington. Confused yet? Against the other teams with one loss, FSU, VTech & OSU went 0-1, Miami went 2-1, and Washington went 2-0. Washington had the best record against the top 6 teams and didn't get a sniff of the title game.

--4 Team Playoff Look: Couldn't have even made a 4 team work in this year...

--8 Team Playoff Look: Oklahoma vs. Michigan, Miami vs. Florida, Florida State vs. Oregon State, Washington vs. Virginia Tech

--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Oklahoma, #2 Miami, #3 Florida State #4 Washington--Games: #5 Virginia Tech vs. #12 Michigan, #6 Oregon State vs. #11 Notre Dame, #7 Florida vs. #10 Oregon, #8 Nebraska vs. #9 Kansas State

--FINAL SAY: Not Even Close. Playoff wins by a landslide. National Championship game was Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2. Boring. BCS 1.5 Playoff System 1.5

2001: Miami vs. Nebraska

--Miami was undefeated and deserved to be in the National Championship game.
--Nebraska lost one game...and didn't even win their conference...but still got in. WHAT A JOKE!!!

--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: Colorado absolutely CRUSHED Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship game, 62-36. However, they still finished the year with two losses. Nebraska had only the loss to Colorado. Oregon finished with only a home loss to Stanford and Big 10 champion Illinois lost a game to Michigan.

--4 Team Playoff Look: A tough call, but probably Miami vs. Illinois, Colorado vs. Oregon

--8 Team Playoff Look: Miami vs. LSU, Nebraska vs. Maryland, Colorado vs Illinois, Oregon vs. Florida

--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Miami, #2 Nebraska, #3 Colorado #4 Oregon --Games: #5 Florida vs. #12 LSU, #6 Tennesee vs. #11 Washington State, #7 Texas vs. #10 Maryland, #8 Illinois vs. #9 Stanford

--FINAL SAY: Once again, a playoff system would have worked better than the Nebraska/Miami game. Miami cruised 37-14. To be fair, nobody would have beat the 'Canes that year. BCS 1.5 Playoff System 2.5

2002: Miami vs. Ohio State

--Miami was undefeated and deserved to be in the National Championship game.
--Ohio State was undefeated and deserved to be in the National Championship game.

--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: HOORAY!!! One that works!!!

--4 Team Playoff would have looked like: Miami vs. USC, Ohio State vs. Georgia

--8 Team Playoff would have looked like: Miami vs. Florida State, Ohio State vs. Oklahoma, Georgia vs. Washington State, USC vs. Iowa

--12 Team Playoff would have looked like: Byes: #1 Miami, #2 Ohio State #3 Georgia #4 USC --Games: #5 Iowa vs. #12 Florida State, #6 Washington State vs. #11 Michigan, #7 Oklahoma vs. #10 Texas, #8 Kansas State vs. #9 Notre Dame

--FINAL SAY: What can I say? BCS worked (only thanks to two undefeated teams). BCS 2.5 Playoff System 2.5

2003: Oklahoma vs. LSU

--Oklahoma lost one game and didn't even win their conference...
--LSU lost one game.

--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: Guess who else lost one game and was ranked #1 in both polls? USC. They lost to a California team who finished 8-6. Oklahoma beat Texas earlier in the year but you CAN'T play in the championship if you don't win your conference, especially when you get destroyed 35-7!!! Lastly, LSU lost to Florida who went a weak 8-5. Another year where the playoff would have made things so much simpler!

--4 Team Playoff Look: USC vs. Michigan, LSU vs. Oklahoma

--8 Team Playoff Look: USC vs. Kansas State, LSU vs. Miami, Oklahoma vs. Florida State, Michigan vs. Ohio State

--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 USC, #2 LSU, #3 Oklahoma #4 Michigan --Games: #5 Ohio State vs. #12 Georgia, #6 Texas vs. #11 Miami (OH), #7 Florida State vs. #10 Kansas State #8 Tennessee vs. #9 Miami (FL)

--FINAL SAY: Playoff wins again. Three one loss teams and probably the best one didn't get into the championship game. BCS 2.5 Playoff System 3.5

2004: Oklahoma vs. USC

--Oklahoma was undefeated.
--USC was undefeated.

--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: Well, Auburn was also undefeated so was this other team out of the Mountain West called Utah. Four undefeated teams, but only two get to play for the title. Oklahoma's best win came against Texas and outside of that, nothing else was great (except for the defense shutting out weak Big 12 offenses). USC ran through everyone including a season opening win against ACC champion, Virginia Tech. Auburn had a weak non-conference schedule but ran through the SEC, while Utah took out teams from the ACC, Big 12, Pac 10 and a drubbing of Big East champion Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.

--4 Team Playoff Look: USC vs. Utah, Oklahoma vs. Auburn

--8 Team Playoff Look: USC vs. Pittsburgh, Oklahoma vs. Michigan, Auburn vs. Virginia Tech, Utah vs. Texas

--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 USC, #2 Oklahoma, #3 Auburn #4 Utah --Games: #5 Texas vs. #12 Pittsburgh, #6 Georgia vs. #11 Michigan #7 Virginia Tech vs. #10 LSU #8 Boise State vs. #9 Louisville

--FINAL SAY: Ummm...playoffs? Three teams finish the season undefeated. We have two national champions. BCS 2.5 Playoff System 4.5

2005: USC vs. Texas

--USC was undefeated and ready for a repeat
--Texas was undefeated and coming off of a 70-3 blowout conference championship game.

--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: A Year after four teams finish the season undefeated, USC and Texas were it. The battle for it all came down to one game.

--4 Team Playoff would have looked like: I honestly don't know...USC vs ? , Texas vs. Penn State ?

--8 Team Playoff would have looked like: USC vs. Florida State, Texas vs. West Virginia, Penn State vs. Georgia, Ohio State vs. Oregon

--12 Team Playoff would have looked like: Byes: #1 USC, #2 Texas #3 Penn State #4 Ohio State --Games: #5 Oregon vs. #12 Florida State, #6 Notre Dame vs. #11 West Virginia, #7 Georgia vs. #10 Virginia Tech, #8 Miami (FL) vs. #9 Auburn

--FINAL SAY: BCS wins once again...thanks to two undefeated teams...more on this coming soon. BCS 3.5 Playoff System 4.5

2006: Ohio State vs. Florida

--Ohio State was undefeated and deserved to be in the game.
--Florida had one loss and well....turned out they should have been there after the result...however

--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: There was another team who was undefeated. They even won a BCS game over big and powerful Oklahoma. Hello world, here is Boise! Turns out Florida deserved to be in the National Championship game after the fact they beat Ohio State. But, with a playoff system, we would have known for sure. Michigan went to the 'Shoe' and lost by three, felt slighted and laid an egg against USC. Things might have been different in a playoff system.

--4 Team Playoff Look: Ohio State vs. Boise State, Florida vs. Michigan

--8 Team Playoff Look: Ohio State vs. Wake Forest, Florida vs. Oklahoma, Michigan vs. Louisville, Boise State vs. USC

--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Ohio State, #2 Florida, #3 Michigan #4 Boise State --Games: #5 LSUvs. #12 Wake Forest, #6 USC vs. #11 Notre Dame #7 Louisville vs. #10 Oklahoma #8 Wisconsin vs. #9 Auburn

--FINAL SAY: A Cinderella could have emerged if you would have played the two teams that were undefeated. Boise State is the only team to finish without a loss, yet is not considered a national champ. BCS 3.5 Playoff System 5.5

2007: Ohio State vs. LSU

--Ohio State had one loss.
--LSU came into the game with two losses.

--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: The game nobody wanted to play in. Or that everybody did. Not a single team stood out in this year, all the more reason for a playoff. The lone undefeated team? Hawaii with a 12-0 record. So, let's see. Ohio State tripped up the second to last week against Illinois. LSU beat ACC conference champ V-Tech at home, but didn't get to face the best team from the SEC (Georgia), Oklahoma won the Big 12 but didn't face Kansas who had one loss. USC lost the last week against UCLA...as I said, nobody wanted to play in it!

--4 Team Playoff Look: Ohio State vs. Hawaii, LSU vs. Virginia Tech

--8 Team Playoff Look: Ohio State vs. Hawaii, LSU vs. West Virginia, Virginia Tech vs. USC, Oklahoma vs. Georgia

--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Ohio State, #2 LSU, #3 Virginia Tech #4 Oklahoma --Games: #5 Georgia vs. #12 Florida, #6 Missouri vs. #11 Arizona State #7 USC vs. #10 Hawaii #8 Kansas vs. #9 West Virginia

--FINAL SAY: The year a playoff would have absolutely made sense. BCS 3.5 Playoff System 6.5

2008: Florida vs. Oklahoma

--Florida had one loss coming at the hands of Ole Miss.
--Oklahoma wasn't even the best team in the Big 12 as evidenced by a loss on a neutral field against Texas.

--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: There were two teams that finished undefeated--Utah & Boise--and once again, they get shut of a title chance! Seven other teams finish with one loss! Texas beat Oklahoma who beat Texas Tech who beat Texas. Alabama's first loss came in the SEC Championship game against Florida. USC lost in Corvallis on a Thursday night, while Penn State fell at Kinnick during a night game. All could have been solved in a slug-it-out playoff!!!

--4 Team Playoff Look: 4 teams would have not justified the play from this year!

--8 Team Playoff Look: 8 TEAMS WOULD HAVE NOT EVEN JUSTIFIED A PLAYOFF SYSTEM! 7 One loss teams and 2 undefeated!!!

--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Oklahoma, #2 Florida, #3 Texas #4 Alabama --Games: #5 USC vs. #12 Virginia Tech, #6 Utah vs. #11 Cincinnati #7 Texas Tech vs. #10 Ohio State #8 Penn State vs. #9 Boise State

--FINAL SAY: Another year to the playoffs.... BCS 3.5 Playoff System 7.5

2009: Alabama vs. Texas

--Alabama actually deserved this game based on their schedule. But...
--Texas got through an easy Big 12 schedule...and...

--Other Teams with consideration for Championship: There were still THREE other teams that were undefeated! Boise State, TCU, and Cincinnati had no real chance of ever making a National Championship game under this stupid BCS formula. This could have been a great playoff year!

--4 Team Playoff Look: 4 teams would have not justified the play from this year!

--8 Team Playoff Look: Alabama vs. Georgia Tech, Texas vs. Ohio State, Cincinnati vs. Oregon , TCU vs. Boise State

--12 Team Playoof Look: Byes: #1 Alabama #2 Texas, #3 Cincinnati #4 TCU --Games: #5 Florida vs. #12 LSU, #6 Boise State vs. #11 Virginia Tech #7 Oregonvs. #10 Iowa #8 Ohio Statevs. #9 Georgia Tech

--FINAL SAY: And there you have it.... BCS 3.5 Playoff System 8.5

FINAL THOUGHTS:

In all reality, the BCS has worked ONE YEAR. YES, ONLY ONE YEAR! The very first year, when Florida State was obviously the second best team behind Tennessee. The other two years that the BCS worked fully were in 2002 and 2005 -- only thanks to ONLY two teams going undefeated! You can make the argument for 1999 as well, but I still think Nebraska was a better team that year than Virginia Tech.

It's time for a change. Time for a playoff system. This system is so simple. It works...ask the NFL, the MLB, the NHL, ask the rest of the NCAA (you know, Division II, III, JUCO) -- all of them have PLAYOFFS. Maybe one day they will figure it out...but who knows. We can crown Alabama or Florida or whover as BCS Champions...but until there is a playoff there is NO TRUE 'NATIONAL CHAMPION'.

What a 12-team playoff would look like...

2009-12-10T15:50:00.002-06:00

Well, here is the final standings in the B(s)C, I mean BCS:

1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Cincinnati
4. TCU
5. Florida
6. Boise State
7. Oregon
8. Ohio State
9. Georgia Tech
10. Iowa
11. Virginia Tech
12. LSU

So, if you want to see what a twelve team playoff would like like with my formula from the previous post, then here it is:

Round 1 byes: Alabama, Texas, Cincinnati, TCU
Round 1 games:

Game #1: Florida vs. LSU
Game #2: Boise State vs. Virginia Tech
Game #3: Oregon vs. Iowa
Game #4: Ohio State vs. Georgia Tech

Round 2 games:
Game #5: Game #1 winner vs. TCU
Game #6: Game #2 winner vs. Cincinnati
Game #7: Game #3 winner vs. Texas
Game #8: Game #4 winner vs. Alabama

Round 3 games:
Game #9: Game #5 winner vs. Game #8 winner
Game #10: Game #6 winner vs. Game #7 winner

CHAMPIONSHIP:
Game #11: Game #9 winner vs. Game #10 winner

Wow, it's that easy to make a playoff work...maybe the NCAA can figure it out sometime...

The B(s)C strikes again!

2009-12-06T18:54:00.002-06:00

Okay, seriously, this needs to be fixed. You have not one, not two, not three, but FIVE, yes FIVE undefeated teams in the NCAA. Guess what? That means three teams will not be playing to win a national championship! This system is beyond flawed and needs to be fixed as soon as possible. How can you tell who deserves to play in the Championship? Since Alabama and Texas started the season ranked higher than the rest, of course they are the easy picks. But, pre-season rankings are another story. TCU looked better in the last month than Texas did, but instead of playing Alabama, they are left with Boise State. That's unfortunate because either team could stick with or beat Florida, Cincinnati, Texas, or Alabama. There is one easy way to figure out who is the best team in football. Do you know how to settle an argument of who is the best team?

A PLAYOFF! What a system?!?! Who would ever thought something so simple would work? For some reason, the FCS can figure it out, but the FBS can't? I thought they were supposed to be the 'smarter ones'? So, Texas is playing Alabama in some sort of big game and whoever wins is going to be names the 'champion'. Don't mind that Cincinnati, TCU, and Boise State all finished the regular season undefeated. Plain and simple, there needs to be a playoff in college football. Why wait? Just change it now! Look, student-athletes (especially high profile players at the D1 level for football) are mostly a joke. Do players actually study, get time off etc.? Why don't you ask Dan Hawkins, coach of the Colorado Buffaloes?

Implement a college football playoff. Start the season one week earlier, play the first round after conference championship week and still give the players two weeks off for there, ah hem, "FINALS". Then pick it up with the last 8 teams to decide on the field who is the REAL champion. But, A-Ro, how do we decide who is playoff worthy? I have the answer my friends:

College Football Playoffs Selection Procedures

PART I: Qualification for Playoffs:

1. The champions of the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and Southeastern conferences will have automatic berths into one of the playoff seeds.

2. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in the playoffs if either:

Such team is ranked in the top 10 of the final NCAA Playoff Standings, or,
Such team is ranked in the top 14 of the final NCAA Playoff Standings and its ranking in the final NCAA Playoff Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in a playoff spot.

3. Notre Dame will have an automatic berth if it is in the top 10 of the final NCAA Playoff Standings.

4. Whatever slots remain open after application of provisions 1 through 3, then at-large teams will be selected to complete the 12 different playoff slots.

5. An at-large team is any NCAA Division One team that meets the following requirements.

Has won at least nine regular-season games with three losses or fewer, and
Is among the top 16 teams in the NCAA Playoff Standings.
No more than three teams from a conference can be selected, unless team number four has three or less losses with only two of those losses coming from within the conference play.

If fewer than 12 teams are eligible for selection, then any team can be selected as an at-large team that has won at least nine regular-season games and is among the top 20 teams in the NCAA Playoff Standings subject to the three-team limit noted above and also subject to the following: (1) if any conference has three or more teams in the top 16, then two of those teams must be selected and (2) from the teams ranked 17-20, the playoff can select only a team from a conference that has fewer than two teams in the top 16.

If expansion of the pool to 20 teams does not result in 12 teams eligible for selection, then the pool shall be expanded by blocks of 4 teams until 12 eligible teams are available subject to the three-team limit noted above and also subject to the following: (1) if any conference has two or more teams in the top 16, then two of those teams must be selected and (2) from the teams ranked 17 or lower, the playoff can select only a team from a conference that has fewer than two teams in the top 16.

Relative to the two preceding paragraphs, all teams ranked in the top 16, other than those from conferences which have already had two teams selected, must be included in the playoff selection.

Note: in order to participate in a NCAA Playoff game, a team (a.) must be eligible for post-season play under the rules of the NCAA and, if it not an independent, under the rules of its conference and (b.) must not have imposed sanctions upon itself prohibiting participation in a post-season game for infractions of the rules of the NCAA or the rules of its conference.

PART II: Team-Selection Procedures:

The playoffs will select their participants from two pools: (1) automatic qualifiers, all of which must be selected, and, (2) at-large teams. The following sequence will be used when establishing pairings:

The rankings of the team will be determined by the NCAA Playoff Standings.
The top four seeds in the final NCAA Playoff Standings will be automatically given a first round bye.
Seeds five through eight will face seeds nine through twelve in the first round games with the lowest seed facing the highest seed and so on.

PART III: Tie-Breaking Procedures:

The following steps will be used to resolve any ties in the standings or selection procedures after the computation is carried out to full decimal points:

Look to head-to-head result;
If the tie is not resolved by No. 1, then won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of two.
If the tie is not resolved by Nos. 1-2, then strength of victory.
If the tie is not resolved by Nos. 1-3, then strength of non-conference schedule.
If the tie is not resolved by Nos. 1-4, then strength of overall schedule.
If the tie is not resolved by Nos. 1-5, then best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
If the tie is not resolved by Nos. 1-6, then best net points in all games.
If the tie is not resolved by Nos. 1-7, then best net touchdowns in all games.
If the tie is not resolved by Nos. 1-8, then final standings from previous year.
If the tie is not resolved by Nos. 1-9, then coin toss.

PART IV: NCAA Playoff Standings:

The Harris Interactive Poll, USA Today Poll, and AP Poll each combine to make up first three parts of the Playoff Standings. Each team will have a ranking from each poll from starting from 1 and going through all teams that receive votes.

The computer rankings will make up the fourth part of the Playoff Standings. Each team will receive a number for each spot ranked in the polls and that number will be divided by four to get the total ranking.

The six computer ranking providers are Anderson & Hester, Richard Billingsley, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey, Jeff Sagarin and Peter Wolfe. Each computer ranking provider accounts for schedule strength within its formula.

The NCAA Playoff Standings are used for:

Determining the rankings of the top twelve teams that would qualify to play in the NCAA playoffs schedule.
Determining the top four teams to get first round byes in the playoffs.
Determining any other automatic qualifiers; and,
Establishing the pool of eligible teams for at-large selection.

The NCAA Playoff Standings will be released eight times each season, including the final Standings on selection Sunday. The National Football Foundation compiles and releases the Standings each week.

Well, if you don't like a Playoff or any kind of system involving the playoffs...then just follow Jim Mora's lead and don't talk about it.

Maybe I should write something...

2009-10-09T13:05:00.003-05:00

But I like to let the pictures do the talking...

Great, now I just jinxed the Cubs again and will probably watch the Cards come back from a 2-0 deficit....

Look at the first half; Predictions for the second

2009-07-15T10:56:00.003-05:00

Well, let's take a look at some of those pre-season predictions that yours truly said would happen.

AL Winners: Rays, Twins, Angels, Yankees as WC

Well, If the season ended today, the Angels and Yankees would be in the playoffs. The Rays have struggled a little this season and the Twins are still four back. I still both teams have not played up to their potential and are capable of making a run during the second half. Both have had some pitching problems and when it comes around, they will be tough to beat

AL MVP: Mark Teixiera
Under the radar: Justin Morneau
AL Player to falter: Dustin Pedroia

Both Teixiera and Morneau are MVP canidates and will continue to fight to get the award. Jason Bay is another canidate as is Morneau's teammate, Joe Mauer. This will be a tight race as nobody has really distanced themselves from the others. As for Pedroia, he is having a good year, but it won't compare to last year. He his hitting 20 points lower and only has 4 home runs so far. Again, a very good player, but nowhere near where he was in production from the last year.

AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay
AL Cy Yuk: AJ Burnett

If Halladay gets to stay in the American League, it will be a two horse race between him and Zack Grienke for the Cy Young. This could be something like Lincecum and Santana did last year in the NL. Burnett hasn't been bad, but he hasn't been great either...he leads the AL in walks, but has an 8-4 record to go along with an ERA under 4.00. If I had to choose a Cy Yuk, it would be Fausto Carmona, who has been demoted.

Five position players that will breakout:
Adam Jones, OF, Baltimore Orioles....umm...Check! All-Star! Absolutely raking!
Kendry Morales, 1B, Los Angeles Angels....he is starting to play everyday and showing he belongs. Has been hitting over .300 since June 1st.
Alexei Ramirez, SS, Chicago White Sox....In the middle of May, he was batting .200. That average is up to .280. Ramirez is really starting to come around, has shown more plate discipline and has the speed and the power. I would say he is on his way!
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Cleveland Indians....Choo is hitting over .290 with double digits in steals and home runs. He is one of the few bright spots on the roster and looks like he will be in the Indians outfield for years to come.
Alex Gordon, 3B, Kansas City Royals....Injuries have made him worthless this year.

Five pitchers that will breakout:
Joakim Soria, RP, Kansas City Royals....Soria has been dominating has a closer with a brief moment on the DL. You should have heard of him by now
Kevin Slowey, SP, Minnesota Twins....Slowey started off cold and picked it up in May and early June. He is on the DL now, but still has 10 wins and a very solid K:BB ratio
David Price, SP, Tampa Bay Rays....Price finally got the call up and looks like he won't be back down ever again. He has had his ups and downs but you can see why he was a number one pick
Brett Anderson, SP, Oakland A's.... As with all young pitchers, has been good and bad. Remember, he is still only 21 years old...
Rick Porcello, SP, Detroit Tigers...Started off very fast and has cooled off since then. Still has nasty stuff but I would like to see more strikeouts.

NL Winners: Mets, Cubs, Dodgers, Phillies as WC

The Mets and Cubs have been devastated by injuries. For the Mets, Delgado, Reyes, Beltran have all been on the DL. The bullpen is much better than previous years, but they need to get healthy quickly if they want to make a run. The Cubs have had two, count them, TWO games with their opening day lineup. If Soriano and Bradley ever start hitting, this will be a very dangerous team. The Phillies just signed Pedro and along with the Dodgers are both trying to pry away Halladay from the Blue Jays. Both of those teams should make the playoffs.

NL MVP: Manny Ramirez
Under the radar: Hanley Ramirez
NL Player to falter: Ryan Ludwick

When you get suspended for 50 games, you aren't winning the MVP. The way Hanley has played the first half puts him in the race. Unfortunately for him, he has Albert Pujols in the way. But, unfortunately for Pujols he has Ryan Ludwick and others hitting behind him with a batting average of .240. Pujols should not be thrown to the rest of the year and will be on Ludwick and others to carry the Cardinals.

NL Cy Young: Johan Santana
NL Cy Yuk: Roy Oswalt

Johan started out filthy, but had an ERA over 6.00 in June. He is going to have a tough time to catch either Lincecum or Dan Haren. Oswalt strugged the first two months, but is starting to come around. I don't usually fault guys for being hurt, but Brad Lidge is nowhere close to the form he was last year and would probably get the award at the moment.

Five position players that will breakout:
Andre Ethier, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers....Ethier strugged a little bit with Manny out of the lineup, but has had some huge walk-off hits for the Dodgers. He will be a great player.
Stephen Drew, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks....Drew was injured early in the season, but has been raking since he came off the DL. It looks like he is on his way though.
Elijah Dukes, OF, Washington Nationals....Was given a chance and now is back in the minors.
Justin Upton, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks....An absolute beast in right field with power, speed, and average. He will be a very, very special player.
Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds....Votto has missed a huge portion of the season, but while he has been playing, all has done is hit over .350 with power.

Five pitchers that will breakout:
Ricky Nolasco, SP, Florida Marlins....Sent to the minors, but has been dominant since he has been back.
Chris Volsted, SP, Florida Marlins....Up and down just like the other young pitchers.
Jonathan Sanchez, SP, San Francisco Giants....Also sent to the minors, came back and threw a no-hitter. The stuff is there, can he keep it together?
Sean Marshall, SP, Chicago Cubs....Sent to the bullpen since the Cubs needed a lefty out there. Been a great reliever, might get chance to start in second half.
Yovani Gallardo, SP Milwaukee Brewers....He has been filthy and carried the Brewers pitching staff.

Second half predictions:

AL East: Red Sox. They have the Yankees number this year and have enough pieces to pick up whatever they may need at the deadline.
AL Central: Twins. I think the pitching will come around and they can catch the Tigers and the White sox.
AL West: Angels. The Mariners and especially the Rangers will make things much more interesting than they were last year
AL Wild Card: Rays. I think they can hold off the Yankees...especially with the lack of pitching the Yankees have.

AL MVP: Justin Morneau. Expect a big second half from him.
AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay if he stays, Zack Grienke if he doesn't.

NL East: Phillies. The Mets aren't healthy, the Braves & Marlins both have issues. Phillies also could make a move to get Halladay
NL Central: Brewers. If the pitching holds up, they will make the playoffs easily holding off the Cubs and Cardinals.
NL West: Dodgers. With Manny fully back, they will run away with the division. Pitching and hitting is already top notch.
NL Wild Card: Cubs. If this team gets healthy and starts to hit, watch out. The pitching has been there all season, just need some timely hits.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols. Only because of his first half. He shouldn't get pitched too the rest of the year...but he still will for some odd reason. GIVE HIM THE BONDS TREATMENT!
NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum. Any questions?

Playoffs:

AL Division: Red Sox over Twins, Angels over Rays
NL Division: Dodgers over Cubs, Phillies over Brewers

AL Championship: Angels over Red Sox
NL Championship: Dodgers over Phillies

World Series: Dodgers over Angels in 6.

And then there was ONE

2009-06-12T12:21:00.004-05:00

One game. One goal. One dream. One more chance. Winner take all. Game SEVEN. Are you ready?

The National Hockey League, where we are finally off of life support happens! The NHL could not have scripted a better ending....except maybe an overtime to go with the game? The Detroit Red Wings trying to repeat as champions and bring some hope and joy to the city (like Michigan State failed to do) against the Pittsburgh Penguins and superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Gary Bettman has to be the happiest he has been in a LONG time.

Each team or city can claim their own fame with a victory tonight:

Detroit: Where we still have the Red Wings to cherish.
Pittsburgh: The city of champions (plus the Pirates).

If you want a recap from the previous six games, check out this article by Scott Burnside by clicking here! Or if you would rather get a game seven preview, check out this one.

This is truly what hockey needs. Two great teams going at each for sixty minutes (maybe more) to be crowned a champion. If the Red Wings play like they have at home all season and the playoffs, it should be a breeze. They need to come out early and push the Penguins around and establish their dominance on the home ice. The Penguins need to get a big game out of Crosby or Malkin or both. Neither have scored a point during the past two games. The biggest x-factor in this game will be Marc Andre-Fleury. If the Penguins goalie can fight off the Red Wings attack on the net, the Penguins might come out on top, if not, it will be another championship in Detroit.

The NHL: Where game SEVEN in the Finals happens. (Penguins 3-2)

Now, THAT is a ring!

2009-06-10T15:18:00.002-05:00

Just stare at them. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I guess that's what happens when you become World Champions for a SIXTH time! Anyways, if you want the full story about the rings go here: http://news.steelers.com/article/105667/ or if you want to read the story from the Post Gazette, visit: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09161/976217-66.stm

5 things that will fix the Cubs

2009-06-05T11:34:00.003-05:00

Alrighty, this .500 record garbage is making me sick. This team should be winning more than it is losing. With that in mind, here are five things the Cubs can do to take control of the NL Central and get to the playoffs again.

The easiest and most obvious is get healthy. When Rich Harden comes back, it will instantly upgrade our rotation and our bullpen. With him, Z, Dempster, Lilly and Wells, our bullpen can now go in order of 9th inning backwards: Gregg, Marmol, Guzman, Heilman, Marshall, and Ascanio. Sorry, the Patton experiment should be over. That should solve some of our bullpen issues.
If something still fails in that bullpen, go and find a left handed reliever. There are two lefties out there that might be available for the right price. Jeremy Affeldt from the Giants and Dan Meyer from the Marlins. The Giants are looking for another batter and when Miles and Ramirez come back, we would have some extra infielders at our exposal. The Marlins always are looking for pitching as we have found out with many trades.
In my mind, I still think we do not have an everyday second baseman. Look, Mike Fontenot is a great player. I just don't think you can play him a full week and especially against lefties. He can fill it at third and second when the Cubs are facing some tough righties. Rumor is Dan Uggla might be available and it would get the Cubs another right power bat. Another option might be Felipe Lopez from Arizona with the D'Backs falling mightily this year.
TRADE for Jake Peavy. Look, Peavy will give up his no trade clause for the right team. That right team is the Chicago Cubs! Put together a package that would be acceptable for the Padres and snatch him up for the next four years!
Don't do anything. What? Confused yet? Okay, when and if the Cubs stay healthy, we have already seen what their pitching will look like.

OF's -- Soriano, Kosuke, Bradley (Johnson & Hoffpauir)
IF's -- Ramirez, Theriot, Fontenot, Lee , Soto (Blanco, Scales, Freel, Hill)

This is a lineup if used properly can win games. Sori, Theriot, Fukudome, Ramirez, Bradley, D-Lee, Soto, Fontentot...or if Kosuke struggles like he did last year, switch him with D-Lee and go from there.

Don't panic Cubs fans. There is still plenty of time left in this season to win some more games!!

Lakers vs. Magic, who ya got?

2009-06-04T11:07:00.002-05:00

THE NBA: "Where our dream match-up failed happens". Okay, so there is no Kobe vs. LeBron in this years NBA final like 95% of the watching public and David Stern wanted to happen. But, we still have a couple of intriguing things between the Los Angeles Lakers and the surprising Orlando Magic. Okay, maybe the Magic are just "happy to be here", but maybe not. If they play like they have since game 5 of the Boston series, Orlando will wrap up this series easily.

Here are the biggest storylines heading into the series.

Can Kobe Bryant win a title without Shaq? Kobe is 3-2 in the NBA Finals. The three wins came when Shaq was the best player on the team and that is indisputable. The two losses, Kobe was the best player and what did he do in those two series? In 2004 vs. Detroit, he averaged some great numbers (24-4-3, along with a 38% FG and 17% 3Pt) and last year against Boston he came away with (26-5-5, 40.5%, 32% and 4.7 TO's per game). Kobe needs a title without Shaq to defend his legacy and he is running out of time.
Can Dwight Howard become the next great big man? Look, Dwight Howard is Superman, but is he more than that? All season, critics asked if he could be more mean and not have so much fun. If he plays like he did against the Cavs, he could be on his way to getting more than his share of NBA titles.
Can Orlando continue to shoot the way they have the last 10 games and can L.A. defend them? Orlando has been shooting at a 45% clip from beyond the arc. Absolutely ridiculous and if it continues they will win this series. The Lakers have the players to match up with Orlando. Odom can check Lewis, Ariza checks Turkoglu, and Kobe can defend Alston. The Magic will no longer have 6'3 and 6'1 guards on them like they did in the Cleveland series.
Can Jameer Nelson be effective? If Nelson plays and plays well, he will be the X-factor. Nobody on the Lakers can defend Nelson's quickness and getting him back is going to be a HUGE difference for Orlando.
Can somebody else step up for Los Angeles? Andrew Bynum, this is for you! Derek Fisher? How about anybody coming off the bench? The Lakers would like you to play now.
Will the referees continue to make dumb calls? Does this question really need to be asked?
Last and most important...it is the individual match-up that we have been waiting for since 2006. We FINALLY get to see....J.J. REDICK vs. ADAM MORRISON with a championship on the line!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, who you got?

I have Lakers in six.

Tony Romo misses cut

2009-05-12T11:29:00.002-05:00

In case you missed it, because you probably did, Tony Romo attempted to qualify for the 2009 U.S. Open. Romo started off with a fine round, shooting even on the front nine in the rain. However, the back nine was not as kind to him. He had a back nine score of 44, including five bogies and one triple-bogey. So, what can we say about Romo's golf game compared to his football career. Let's take a look:

2006: Romo started 11 games...first six games, he was 5-1, the last five he was 1-4 including a playoff loss

2007: Romo started 17 games...first thirteeen games, he was 12-1, the last four, he was 1-3 with another playoff loss

2008: Romo started 13 games...first nine games, he was 7-2, the last four, 1-3 again and the Cowboys missed the playoffs

I see some sort of correlation between his golf game and his football game...Tony Romo starts off hot and fades down the stretch...The stats don't lie!!!

It's a King's World and you are a witness.

2009-05-04T12:02:00.003-05:00

FINALLY! The NBA got one right! LeBron James has been chosen by the NBA as the league's MVP.

Save the arguments. You absolutely can't tell me any legitimate reason why King James should NOT have been the MVP. So, please don't try. But, if you would like to argue, here are the justifications.

Stats:
LeBron: 28.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 7.2 apg, 48.9 FG%, 34.4 3Pt%, 78.0 FT%, 1.7 spg, 1.1 bpg, 2.9 topg
DWade: 30.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 7.5 apg, 49.1 FG%, 31.7 3Pt%, 76.5 FT%, 2.2 spg, 1.3 bpg, 3.4 topg
Kobe: 26.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.9 apg, 46.7 FG%, 35.1 3Pt%, 85.6 FT%, 1.5 spg, 0.4 bpg, 2.6 topg

What do the stats tell us? First of all, any MVP consideration based strictly off of statistics automatically can take Kobe off of the list. Kobe was outplayed (based on stats) by both LeBron and Wade. Here is another little nugget. DWade may have led the league in PPG, but he also led the league in shot attempts as well. And how about this. LeBron led his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. ALL FIVE CATEGORIES! Only three players have done this before: KG, Pippen, and Dave Cowens.

Team Improvement:
Cavs in 07-08: 45-37
Cavs in 08-09: 66-16
Cavs improve: 21 games

Heat in 07-08: 15-67
Heat in 08-09: 43-39
Heat improve: 28 games

Lakers in 07-08: 57-25
Lakers in 08-09: 65-17
Lakers improve: 12 games

As you can see the Heat improved the most of any of the three teams. However, they traded Shaq during mid-season and Wade only played in 51 games. Can you say tanked season? They changed more pieces between seasons than either the Cavs or Lakers and you knew they were tanking down the stretch to get either Rose or Beasley. The Lakers had Pau Gasol for an entire season this year and were coming off a finals loss. Do you really think the Cavs won 21 more games than last year because of Mo Williams? The Cavs and the Lakers finished with the league's best records while the Heat ended up getting the number five seed in the Eastern Conference. As many people say, "The MVP comes from the best player on the best team". So, that would eliminate DWade from their votes.

Let's put something else into perspective here. The Cavs had the second best home record in NBA history. They could have tied it, but rested their starters in the finale. The team that has the record is the 85-86 Boston Celtics, who had four hall of fame players on their team! The Cavs? Mo Williams was an all-star replacement....and that is about it!

LeBron CLEARLY was the best player in the league this year and he is only 24 years old and this is his sixth year in the league. You want something else to think about? Remember LeBron's stats from this year? Well, how about Kobe's stats from his sixth NBA year?

LeBron: 28.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 7.2 apg, 48.9 FG%, 34.4 3Pt%, 78.0 FT%, 1.7 spg, 1.1 bpg, 2.9 topg
Kobe: 25.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 46.9 FG%, 25.0% 3Pt%, 82.9 FT%, 1.5 spg, 0.4 bpg, 2.8 topg

And even though I shouldn't do it...when somebody else was 24 years old, they had:

35.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.9 apg, 53.5 FG%, 13.2 3Pt%, 84.1 FT%, 3.2 spg, 1.6 bpg, 3.1 topg

You will notice the points per game. The NBA has changed in the past 20 years. Scoring used to be way up and this guy played on one of the LEAST scoring teams in the league (they averaged 105 points per game...which was 19th out of 23 teams). That guy I am referring to is someone you may heard of. His name is Michael Jordan.

Look, there is no way I am comparing LeBron to MJ. It's not possible. Different leagues. I say to compare Jordan to anyone else is a joke. But that was just to put LeBron up against somebody else. However, I will compare LeBron to Kobe. And what do Kobe lovers always say? Look at the rings. Well, I say look at what Kobe did during those years. The last year the Lakers won the title was the 01-02 season. That was Kobe's sixth season. Kobe supposedly has been the best player since that time. And how many NBA titles has he had in that time? As many as LeBron does.

In his sixth year, LeBron has proven that he is the top player in the NBA. There are no questions about it. The scary part is that his ceiling has NOT been reached yet! If you think he is great now, just wait about four more years to see what he is like.

And if you still doubt him now, come back and see me in June after LeBron holds up the NBA trophy for the first time....

The day before the draft...

2009-04-24T12:08:00.005-05:00

Twas the day before the draft; when all across the land
Everyone seemed happy; except for booing Jets fans
The draft boards were hung in war rooms with care
Teams hoping their number one pick would still be there
The players wrestled with thoughts of their new threads
While visions of large amounts of money danced in their heads
And owners were thinking of how to make a rookie salary cap
Al Davis had just started to awaken from his long winter nap
When out of the Lions' room there arose such a clatter
It seemed they had just signed quarterback Matthew Stafford
Away to the televisions we ran with a laugh
Knowing Detroit had finally started the draft
The lights were turned up so we could see Kiper glow
While he mocked McShay about how his picks blow
When, what to our wondering eyes should appear
The NFL Countdown crew was finally here
With a giddy little host, so lively and quick
Berman was too anxious for the Rams to make the next pick
More players on the stage with jerseys they came
Roger Goodell mentioned them all by the right name
Now Smith!, now Curry!, now Crabtree and Jackson!
On Sanchez, on Raji!, on Orakpo and Maclin!
To the top of the draft! to the top of them all!
Be lucky your not one whose draft stock will fall!
Coaches kept to themselves but you could see a little sly
As the player they wanted kept getting passed by
They would grab the phone as fast as they could
Knowing that their draft was going to turn out good
And then, in a spark, we heard on the speakers
That Kiper thought two teams had just grabbed sleepers
The Vikings were almost out of time and started running around
Wondering if they would get passed again in the first round
Over in the green room there was a player still there
Knowing this must how Quinn felt the time he was here
Then a loud noise came popping in from the back
It looked like the Patriots were putting some videos in their packs
Another figure standing with his eyes twinkling, looking so merry
Coming from the new stadium and the crowd yelled JERRY!
He cracked a smile but we could see it was just a show
He couldn't have been more happier about getting rid of T.O.
While we were waiting for the next big move to be made
Drew Rosenhaus looked on waiting for his clients to be paid
Out came the last player from the green room with a big round belly
When he ran with his shirt off it looked like a blob of jelly
He was chubby and plump as if he had not trained
Even though he hired an agent before his last college game
Roger tried to finish the day but started to feel a little sick
Knowing he would soon have to deal with the problem known as Michael Vick
There were some who will be drafted that will go straight to work
They will fill their teams with joy knowing they aren't jerks
And those who pass on Curry and Crabtree will be out of their mind
They are the best players that will be drafted in two thousand and nine
Soon camps will come and head coaches finally get to blow their whistle
It will only be a matter of time before we see the first dismissal
As Mr. Irrelevant was chosen, the fans started to reflect on the past
The last words were spoken, THIS CONCLUDES THE 2009 DRAFT!

What's this? MOCK DRAFT 5.0

2009-04-22T15:09:00.004-05:00

It has been ages since my last update...I think it is finally time to step up and do one more first round mock before my final copy comes out! Here we go...again...

1. Detroit Lions -- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

--I've stayed with this pick throughout everything. The Lions should make sure this is signed, sealed and delivered before Saturday.

2. St. Louis Rams -- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor

--The Rams clearly need help on the line and Smith has become the top offensive lineman on the board. This should be an easy selection for St. Louis.

3. Kansas City Chiefs -- Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest

--Remember way back when I said the Chiefs would get Cassel? Well, go look...it is there somewhere. This spot now is where Curry should reside. The Chiefs have slowly improved their team over the winter and this should help them to keep improving!

4. Seattle Seahawks -- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

--Another one that I have said should have happened from the beginning. Crabtree is going to be a flat out stud in this league and if the Seahawks pass up on him, they will regret it!

5. Cleveland Browns -- Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB, Texas

--The biggest need for the Browns is to find a rush end/outside linebacker. Orakpo would fit the bill perfectly and would be the start to trying to improve that defense.

6. Cincinnati Bengals -- Andre Smith, OT, Alabama

--The Bengals need people to protect for Carson Palmer. They don't have the smartest scouting staff in the world and it wouldn't surprise me if they grabbed big Andre.

7. Oakland Raiders -- Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri

--Oakland needs playmakers badly. Jeremy Maclin would be the best option here. He has great speed and would be an instant deep threat for Al Davis and the Raiders.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars -- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College

--In some shape or form, I see the Jaguars trading out of this pick. However, assuming that they do not do that, I would say Raji is the pick. After trading Marcus Stroud last year, the Jaguars run defense suffered a little bit. Raji could help get that defense back.

9. Green Bay Packers -- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia

--The Packers would be absolutely ecstatic if Monroe falls to them. They have a big need on the line and Monroe is considered by some as the best tackle prospect.

10. San Francisco 49ers -- Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

--If nobody jumps up to the top ten to try and trade for Sanchez, I expect the 49ers to take him. Shaun Hill is not the answer at quarterback. The question is do the 49ers want to risk another pick on a top QB that will fail to develop?

11. Buffalo Bills -- Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn State

--Maybin has the explosiveness off the outside that Bills really need. The biggest question with him right now is if he will be able to keep weight ON his body.

12. Denver Broncos -- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State

--The Broncos will definitely try to make a push to try and trade up to grab Sanchez. If they are unable to do so, it shouldn't hurt them much because they will be able to stockpile talent.

13. Washington Redskins -- Brian Cushing, LB, USC

--Yet another team who is interested in trying to move up for Mr. Sanchez. However, the Redskins have more glaring issues. Like trying to find a linebacker. Cushing has great size and strength and could immediately help out the defense.

14. New Orleans Saints -- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State

--The Saints need to load up on defense so the offense doesn't have to score 40 points for the team to win. The rumor is that they are looking at Jenkins' teammate, Beanie Wells. They would be smarter to go with a defensive player (especially in the secondary).

15. Houston Texans -- Clay Matthews, LB, USC

--Guess who works on the Texans' coaching staff? Clay's uncle, Bruce...you know the Hall of Fame offensive lineman. Did you get that one right? Houston would make a very smart move if they were able to draft Matthews at this spot!

16. San Diego Chargers -- Rey Maualuga, LB, USC

--They still have questions at running back, but I think they can pick someone up later in the draft. Maualuga would fill a hole right away and can become an instant playmaker.

17. New York Jets -- Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State

--The Jets might have something up their sleeve. They haven't made a big splash in trying to go after a quarterback in the off-season. So they are either sold with what they have, will try to make a move up towards the front of the draft or stick here and draft Freeman.

18. Denver Broncos (from Chicago Bears) -- Chris 'Beanie' Wells, RB, Ohio State

--With a new coach and GM in place, maybe it will FINALLY be time for Denver to select a running back in the first round and hopefully one that can stay healthy.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU

--The Bucs want to start building from the interior out again. Jackson would be a solid choice here because of his build and strength.

20. Detroit Lions (from Dallas Cowboys) -- Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss

--The Lions would be wise to grab Stafford number one for another reason. There are plenty of second tier tackles that will be available in this slot and Oher could contribute as a rookie.

21. Philadelphia Eagles -- Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

--Moreno would be a good compliment back to Brian Westbrook. Westbrook still manages to get dinged up time to time and having a back like Moreno could help Westbrook stay in more games.

22. Minnesota Vikings -- Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

--The Vikings should think long and hard about drafting Harvin. Not only would he be a deep threat, but it would cause defensive coordinators to think more on how to stop Harvin and Adrian Peterson.

23. New England Patriots -- James Laurinitis, LB, Ohio State

--The Patriots linebackers are getting old and they traded Mike Vrabel. I think Laurinitis just seems destined to be a Patriots player.

24. Atlanta Falcons -- Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss

--The Falcons need to start building the middle of the defense again. Jerry would be an absolute fit with the team and could work his way into the rotation.

25. Miami Dolphins -- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

--Davis is probably the best pure corner in the draft and would be an immediate upgrade at the position. The Dolphins could get a receiver in round two and Parcells loves to draft defense first.

26. Baltimore Ravens -- Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland

--This is the deep threat that the Ravens crave. Heyward-Bay has had a little trouble with the dropsies, but the potential is too great to pass up on.

27. Indianapolis Colts -- Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers

--Unfortanetly for the Colts, most of the top defensive guys will be gone. Britt should be the favorite over Hakeem Nicks because of his speed and would be a weapon to the Colts.

28. Buffalo Bills (from Carolina through Philadelphia) -- Eben Britton, OT, Arizona

--The Bills basically traded Jason Peters for this pick, so they better take the best available lineman. Hopefully they got a DE with their first pick and it would allow them to take Britton here.

29. New York Giants -- Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina

--Unless they trade for Braylon Edwards, the Giants will be drafting a wide receiver. Nicks would be the best available left for them to take. Although, if Brandon Pettigrew was around, that would not shock me either.

30. Tennessee Titans -- Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest

--The Titans biggest need is probably a wide receiver, but as we know, they don't believe in taking one in the first round. Smith can give them some time as a rookie and eventually be the replacement for Nick Harper.

31. Arizona Cardinals -- LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh

--I like the idea of the Cardinals taking McCoy over Donald Brown. I think McCoy can give them more than Brown can and will be a good future back.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Alex Mack, C, California

--The Steelers will focus on both sides of the line and it looks like Mack is the best center prospect. Mack can groom for one year until Justin Hartwig's contract runs up.

America's Golden Girl?

2009-04-21T22:15:00.003-05:00

I suppose this can classify as sports since gymnastics is in the Olympics...even though softball and baseball will not be, which is a whole different story. Anyways, if you haven't seen it, here it is! The now famous video of Shawn Johnson!

There it is. 'America's Golden Girl' at a bar. Good decision considering you have to be 21 to get in the bar. The Bar in question? Blue Moon Dueling Piano Bar located in West Des Moines, IA. Nice choice there as well! Is this the image that Shawn really wants? What kind of message does this send to her fans? Hey, try to get a fake ID and go to the bar when you are 17 or just act sweet and innocent and they might let you in!!! PERFECT!

Maybe there are different rules for certain people. Maybe I am being too judgmental. But if you are one to criticize college athletes for drinking or Michael Phelps for doing his bong shots, then you should be in uproar about Shawn Johnson being in a bar which she was not old enough to attend!

R.I.P. Nick Adenhart

2009-04-09T11:39:00.005-05:00

If you haven't heard the news yet, the Los Angeles Angels' rookie pitcher, Nick Adenhart died early this morning after being struck by a car late last night. Adenhart made his season debut yesterday against Oakland, firing six shutout innings against the A's. For the news story, click here.

I've awaken...time to post! MLB Preview!

2009-04-06T16:40:00.002-05:00

Yeah, so I took a couple weeks off...no big deal. It's time for a new season and I am ready to add another year to 100...'101 years and counting'....but, I still "BELIEVE". So, let's get to it.

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

EAST winner: Tampa Bay Rays. They don't have the big names as the Yankees or Sox, but they have the players. They have speed. They have power. They have pitching. They have defense. They have it all. I worry about the Yankees lack of defense and pitching. I don't think the Red Sox line-up is that great. The Rays are still a young team and they will prove last year was not a fluke.

CENTRAL winner: Minnesota Twins. Look, anyone in this division can win it this year. Yes, even the Royals. You heard me correctly, the Royals. I think the Twins are the most balanced team in the division. With a front three of Liriano, Baker, and Slowey, the Twins have the best pitching to go with a good offense. This team is especially dangerous at home...just take a look at the home/road splits of their starters.

WEST winner: Los Angeles of Anaheim of Orange County Angels. Or the Halo's, whichever is easier. I really like the Oakland team, but their oldest starting pitcher is 25 and they might have lost Joey Devine for the year. The Angels still have enough offense and if they get Lackey and Santana back with no problems, they should win the division easily again.

WILD CARD: New York Yankees. With that team, they better make the playoffs. I don't think anyone has more pressure this year than the Yankees. They went out and spent money on CC, Burnett, and Texiera to build a winner. They have the A-Roid cloud over their head and the new park. This team needs to win now. There isn't much left in the tank for Jeter, Rivera, Matsui, Posada, or Damon.

MVP: Mark Teixera, 1B, New York Yankees. He will play up to that contract in his first year and he needs to carry the team until A-Rod comes back.

Under the radar MVP: Justin Morneau, 1B, Minnesota Twins. Some say that his power went down last year because he only hit 21 home runs. He still had 47 doubles and was second in the MVP voting. Oh, guess what? He also had LASIK eye surgery. Watch out AL Central pitching staff!

Player who will falter: If you think Dustin Pedroia (2B, Red Sox) is going to put up the same numbers as he did last year, you are crazy. Pedroia had a career year last year and I don't think he will repeat it. Look, he can hit, but he is not going to show the same type of power as he did.

Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays. This guy deserves to win one already. It's not his fault that the Blue Jays have to play in the East. The last four years, Halladay has been 12-4, 16-5, 16-7, and 20-11 (with a 2.78 ERA). He will win one, it's just a matter of time.

Cy Yuk: AJ Burnett, New York Yankees. Just watch and see. Injuries will take place at some point during the season.

Five position players that will breakout:

Adam Jones, OF, Baltimore Orioles....because he has the tools
Kendry Morales, 1B, Los Angeles Angels....because he will be playing everyday
Alexei Ramirez, SS, Chicago White Sox....because he has a 40/40 in his future
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Cleveland Indians....because the power is legit
Alex Gordon, 3B, Kansas City Royals....because it is about time

Five pitchers that will breakout:

Joakim Soria, RP, Kansas City Royals....because he will shut you down
Kevin Slowey, SP, Minnesota Twins....because he is just scratching the surface
David Price, SP, Tampa Bay Rays....because he is not staying in the minors all year
Brett Anderson, SP, Oakland A's....because he is only 21 and might be the best in the rotation
Rick Porcello, SP, Detroit Tigers...because he is that good

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

EAST WINNER: New York Mets. I think the Phillies have a great team, but that line-up is too much lefty oriented at the moment. Both teams have starting pitching issues, but the Mets FINALLY have established a bullpen with K-Rod and JJ Putz. It should be their division to lose. The Marlins probably have the best staff in the division and the Braves are team that you need to watch out for this year.

CENTRAL WINNER: Chicago Cubs. Nobody else in the Central has close to the team the Cubs have. They could win 100 games this year...which probably won't matter much because they will choke somehow in the playoffs...Everyone else seems to be up on the Cardinals, but I still don't see it. Yes, I am biased, but I think the Brewers have a better team. The Astros could even contend if they add a pitcher or two.

WEST WINNER: Los Angeles Dodgers. Manny being Manny. That is all you need. Okay, they also have a great team around him with Martin, Kemp, Loney, Hudson, Ethier, etc. The Giants have a great pitching staff, but might not be able to do much on offense. The Diamondbacks have a good team, but need to add a big bat and are still a little young.

WILD CARD: Philadelphia Phillies. They will be back in the playoffs because they still have a dominant top of the order and have Cole Hamels to lead the way. The rest of the rotation is worrisome, but they have the bats to help out with that.

MVP: Manny Ramirez, LF, Los Angeles Dodgers. The National League still doesn't know how to pitch to him. He obviously won't hit .400 like he did last year, but .325/35/130 are in his sights.

Under the radar MVP: Hanley Ramirez, SS, Florida Marlins. If they are going to make a run this year, it is because of Ramirez. He could put up a 40/40 season and his RBI numbers will go up this year with him hitting in the three spot.

Player who will falter: Ryan Ludwick, OF, St. Louis Cardinals. Another guy who had a career year who I don't think can do it again. It could be bias, but I just want to see it again!

Cy Young: Johan Santana, New York Mets. With that bullpen in place, Johan could win 25+ games. I will go ahead and say 27-4 with a sub 2.75 ERA.

Cy Yuk: Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros. His numbers have been on the decline the past four years. That is a trend...

Five position players that will breakout:

Andre Ethier, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers....because he has Manny in the lineup
Stephen Drew, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks....because he has better tools than his brother
Elijah Dukes, OF, Washington Nationals....because if they get him PT, he will rake
Justin Upton, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks....because last year was an aberration
Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds....because he didn't get the respect last year

Five pitchers that will breakout:

Ricky Nolasco, SP, Florida Marlins....because he is the ace of a very underrated staff
Chris Volsted, SP, Florida Marlins....because he could be the ace of this staff
Jonathan Sanchez, SP, San Francisco Giants....because he now has the Big Unit to mentor him
Sean Marshall, SP, Chicago Cubs....because he will stay in the rotation for a full year
Yovani Gallardo, SP Milwaukee Brewers....because, when healthy, he is dominant

PLAYOFFS & WORLD SERIES:

AL Wild-Card Round: Rays over Twins, Yankees over Angels

NL Wild-Card Round: Cubs over Phillies, Mets over Dodgers

AL Divisional Series: Rays over Yankees

NL Divisional Series: Mets over Cubs

World Series: Rays over Mets (6 games)

My Bracket

2009-03-20T17:00:00.003-05:00

I forgot to make my picks on here, so here is a snapshot of the only bracket I have in a pool. I have North Carolina winning it all, even though I do not feel 100% about that with Lawson's ankle. There are only three teams in my mind that can win it all. UNC, Louisville and Memphis. Pittsburgh and UConn....sorry, not your year...Duke is close, but not quite there. My biggest pick is UCLA in the final four...they have a very talented team that can make a run. The only worry I have is the game against Villanova that will be in Philadelphia.

Final Bracket Update

2009-03-15T16:09:00.002-05:00

IT'S ALMOST TIME!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting closer....

2009-03-13T16:27:00.003-05:00

What another great night of college basketball. If you didn't stay up to watch the UCONN/Syracuse game, you missed a great one!

Teams are trying to play themselves out of the tournament, rather than into it. You can safely cross South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, New Mexico, and UNLV off your bubble teams.

Creighton and St. Mary's are improving each day that they DON'T play!

Two more elimination games tonight: Florida/Auburn loser is out and so will the Tulsa/UAB loser. Selection Sunday is almost here!!!

Bracketology

2009-03-12T17:25:00.002-05:00

Down goes Kansas! A big upset to start Thursday morning following a great comeback by Texas Tech last night. The bubble popped for Providence, Arizona, Miami (FL), and Northwestern today. Arizona might get a chance to get back on it if more teams lose.

SEC Tourney Preview

2009-03-12T10:07:00.001-05:00

At St. Pete Times Forum (Tampa, Fla.)
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 12
Game 1: E4 Kentucky vs. W5 Ole Miss, 1 p.m.
Game 2: W3 Mississippi State vs. E6 Georgia, 3:15 p.m.
Game 3: W4 Alabama vs. E5 Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m.
Game 4: E3 Florida vs. W6 Arkansas, 9:45 p.m.

SECOND ROUND
Friday, March 13
Game 5: W LSU vs. Game 1 winner, 1 p.m.
Game 6: E2 South Carolina vs. Game 2 winner, 3:15 p.m.
Game 7: E1 Tennessee vs. Game 3 winner, 7:30 p.m.
Game 8: W2 Auburn vs. Game 4 winner, 9:45 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 14
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, ESPN2, 1 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, ESPN2, 3:15 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 15
Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 1 p.m.

Team to watch: None of them. They all looked ugly during the year. Tennessee is the most talented team, but they sure didn't prove it. It might have been a rugged schedule that wore them down. This conference was not even close to the caliber that it usually is.

Player to watch: Jodie Meeks. The scorer from Kentucky averaged 24.7 points per game and shot 40% from beyond the arc. Meeks broke the single game record for points in a game at Kentucky when he lit up Tennessee for 54 in mid January.

Upset watch: The team that has been very quietly sneaking up the conference the past couple of weeks is Vanderbilt. They have A.J. Ogilvey coming around and could put together some wins that would lead to a conference championship.

Tourney watch: Tennessee and LSU are the only teams from the SEC that are safe. Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Auburn and Vanderbilt are all bubble teams. If any of these teams can go on a run, they will probably be dancing as well. Tennessee should win this tournament and become a tough out in the NCAA tournament.

Big 10 Tourney Preview

2009-03-12T10:06:00.007-05:00

At Conseco Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 12
Game 1: No. 8 Minnesota vs. No. 9 Northwestern, noon
Game 2: No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 10 Iowa, ESPN2, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 Indiana, ESPN2, 5 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 4: No. 1 Michigan State vs. Game 1 winner, ESPN, noon
Game 5: No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Ohio State, ESPN, 2:30 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 Illinois vs. Game 2 winner, 6:30 p.m.
Game 7: No. 3 Purdue vs. Game 3 winner, 9 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 14
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 1:40 p.m.
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 4:05 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 15
Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 3:30 p.m.

Team to watch: Michigan State. The Spartans still have a chance to claim a number one seed. To do so, they must win the conference tourney. They already own the most victories over top 50 teams in the RPI (10) but have a big loss to Maryland and Northwestern as well.

Player to watch: Manny Harris. Michigan is one of many borderline teams in the Big 10 and Harris is the one that makes the Wolverines go. He averages 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game and if he is on, Michigan is a very difficult team to beat.

Upset watch: Northwestern. The Wildcats come into the tournament as the number nine seed with an outside hope of being an at-large team. To do so, they have to win a minimum ot two games. Northwestern is also the ONLY power conference school to NEVER reach the NCAA tournament.

Tourney watch: Michigan State, Purdue, Illinois are solidly in the tournament. Then it gets interesting. Ohio State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State, and Northwestern are all bubble teams. Ohio State is probably the safest out of that group. None can afford to lose their first game because they are all fighting for the same spots. It should be a great tournament to watch (if you like low scoring games) and I still like Michigan State to capture the championship.

ACC Tourney Preview

2009-03-12T10:06:00.004-05:00

At Georgia Dome (Atlanta)
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 12
Game 1: No. 8 Virginia Tech vs. No. 9 Miami, noon
Game 2: No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 Georgia Tech, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 7 Maryland vs. No. 10 NC State, ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Game 4: No. 6 Boston College vs. No. 11 Virginia, 9:30 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 5: No. 1 North Carolina vs. Game 1 winner, ESPN2, noon
Game 6: No. 4 Florida State vs. Game 2 winner, ESPN2, 2:30 p.m.
Game 7: No. 2 Wake Forest vs. Game 3 winner, ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Game 8: No. 3 Duke vs. Game 4 winner, ESPN2, 9:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 14
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, ESPN, 1:30 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, ESPN, 4 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 15
Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, ESPN, 1 p.m.

Team to watch: North Carolina. With a tournament championship, the Tar Heels would probably get the number one overall seed. North Carolina has the talent to become NCAA champions, but just haven't reached the mark the past couple of years. Anything less that that this year, probably would classify as a failure.

Player to watch: Jeff Teague. The silky shooting guard for Wake Forest averaged over 19 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds per game. Teague shot a stunning 46.9% from beyond the arc and is main player on a very young and talented team on the Demon Deacons.

Upset watch: Miami. The Hurricans have a very talented team, but had a big disapointment during the conference season when they lost seven of nine games. Their bubble hopes are dwindling and need a big run to get into the field of 65.

Tourney watch: North Carolina is a one seed, Duke and Wake Forest are two or three seeds. Clemson and Florida State are four/five seeds. Four teams remain on the bubble led by Boston College, with the others being Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Miami. Boston College should be in. The loser of VTech/Miami will be gone and Maryland needs a second round victory over Wake Forest to secure a spot. North Carolina has the easiest route and should end up winning this tournament.

Bracket time!

2009-03-11T16:59:00.004-05:00

Another day...another update...with Cleveland State winning the Horizon League, things have changed a little bit!

SWAC Tourney Preview

2009-03-11T10:09:00.002-05:00

At Fair Park Arena (Birmingham, Ala.)
QUARTERFINALS
Wednesday, March 11
Game 1: No. 2 Jackson State vs. No. 7 Texas Southern, 3:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 1 Alabama State vs. No. 8 Alabama A&M, 9 p.m.
Thursday, March 12
Game 3: No. 3 Prairie View vs. No. 6 Mississippi Valley State, 3:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 4 Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. No. 5 Southern, 9 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 9 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 14
Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, ESPNU, 9 p.m.

Team to watch: Alabama State. The Hornets won the conference regular season and look to wrap up the tourney title as well. They did have some close non-conference losses and could provide a scare to a number one seed if they come in overconfident.

Player to watch: Troy Jackson. The guard from Alcorn State led the league in points and steals per game. Jackson averaged 20 points and over two steals per game.

Upset watch: Jackson State. If anyone is going to knock off Alabama State, it will probably be the Tigers. The two teams split during the year and a championship game would bring some good drama to end the SWAC season.

Tourney watch: Whoever wins the conference championship will be in tournament and most likely will be a play-in game participant. I think Alabama State will have the upper hand and would win the play-in game before bowing out to a number one seed.

Pac 10 Tourney Preview

2009-03-11T10:08:00.002-05:00

At Staples Center (Los Angeles)
FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, March 11
Game 1: No. 8 Oregon State vs. No. 9 Stanford, 9 p.m.
Game 2: No. 7 Washington State vs. No. 10 Oregon, 11:30 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, March 12
Game 3: No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Arizona, 3 p.m.
Game 4: No. 1 Washington vs. Game 1 winner, 5:30 p.m.
Game 5: No. 3 California vs. No. 6 USC, 9 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 UCLA vs. Game 2 winner, 11:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 9 p.m.
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 11:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 14
Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 6 p.m.

Team to watch: Washington. The Huskies struggled as a team early, but then caught fire during the middle of the season to win the conference outright and now they look to continue the success into the tournament and beyond.

Player to watch: James Harden. The sophomore from Arizona State has an NBA game. Harden became just the fifth person in NCAA in the last twelve years to average over 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Harden is a big part of the Sun Devils run and can lead them deep into March.

Upset watch: Washington State. The Cougars reeled off wins over UCLA, Arizona, and Arizona State before losing to their rival Washington. They can't get an at-large bid, but it is possible that they could make a run and capture a Pac-10 tourney title.

Tourney watch: Washington, UCLA, Arizona State, and California are in. The biggest question is Arizona. They need a victory over the Sun Devils to secure a spot in the tournament. I think UCLA has the easiest path and should become Pac-10 conference champs.

Mountain West Tourney Preview

2009-03-11T10:07:00.003-05:00

At Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas)
FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, March 11
Game 1: No. 8 Colorado State vs. No. 9 Air Force, 5 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, March 12
Game 2: No. 1 BYU vs. Game 1 winner, 3 p.m.
Game 3: No. 4 San Diego State vs. No. 5 UNLV, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 2 Utah vs. No. 7 TCU, 9 p.m.
Game 5: No. 3 New Mexico vs. No. 6 Wyoming, 11:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 9 p.m.
Game 7: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 11:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 14
Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 7 p.m.

Team to watch: BYU. The Cougars are a very tough, battle tested team that will be a difficult match-up for anyone come tournament time. They took Arizona State and Wake Forest the distance during the season and had a three way split of the conference title .

Player to watch: Luke Nevill. If you like size, Nevill is your guy. The 7'2 center for Utah averaged 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks during conference play and was named player of the year and defensive player of the year becoming the first player to do so in Mountain West history.

Upset watch: UNLV. The conference is very top heavy and the Rebels are on the bubble. If UNLV manages to win a couple games, especially since they have the home court advantage, they will make a run to the NCAA tournament.

Tourney watch: BYU and Utah are locks. UNLV, New Mexico, and San Diego State are all bubble teams. The San Diego State/UNLV game is basically an elimination game. With the depth and overall talent, I expect BYU to get the championship and at least three teams from the Mountain West to go dancing.

C-USA Tourney Preview

2009-03-11T10:06:00.003-05:00

At the FedExForum (Memphis, Tenn.)
FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, March 11
Game 1: No. 7 Marshall vs. No. 10 Rice, 1 p.m.
Game 2: No. 6 UCF vs. No. 11 Southern Miss, 3:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 8 Tulane vs. No. 9 East Carolina, 7 p.m.
Game 4: No. 5 Houston vs. No. 12 SMU, 9:30 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, March 12
Game 5: No. 2 Tulsa vs. Game 1 winner, 1 p.m.
Game 6: No. 3 UAB vs. Game 2 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 7: No. 1 Memphis vs. Game 3 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 8: No. 4 UTEP vs. Game 4 winner, 9:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 6:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 14
Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 11:35 a.m.

Team to watch: Oh, I don't know...maybe the team that hasn't lost a conference game in 25 years, the Memphis Tigers. Okay, it hasn't been that long, but the last conference loss was March 2, 2005. Memphis is not as deep this year as last, but they still have great players and can put together another final four run.

Player to watch: Jermaine Taylor. The senior guard from Central Florida led the conference in scoring and ranks third nationally. Taylor was named first team all-conference and led the Knights in scoring every game but one this year.

Upset watch: UAB. The last team to beat Memphis in conference play. UAB is fighting for an at-large birth into the tournament and if they could knock off Memphis, that would easily get them into the field of 65.

Tourney watch: Memphis should roll through this tournament again. They have a chance to get a number one seed and once again prove their team is no fluke. UAB and Tulsa both have a chance to get into the dance and if one of them can make it to the conference championship, they could get a birth.

Big West Tourney Preview

2009-03-11T10:04:00.003-05:00

At Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, Calif.)
FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, March 11
Game 1: No. 5 UC Irvine vs. No. 8 UC Davis, 9 p.m.
Game 2: No. 6 UC Riverside vs. No. 7 Cal State Fullerton, 11:30 p.m.

SECOND ROUND
Thursday, March 12
Game 3: No. 3 Pacific vs. lowest remaining seed, 9 p.m.
Game 4: No. 4 UC Santa Barbara vs. highest remaining seed, 11:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 5: No. 1 Cal State Northridge vs. lowest remaining seed, 8:30 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 Long Beach State vs. highest remaining seed, 11 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 14
Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, ESPN2, 11:59 p.m.

Team to watch: Pacific. The Tigers are usually the most consistent team in the conference. A few years ago they were the dominant team and look to regain that form. Always a dangerous team to play in the NCAA tournament, the Tigers have two first round victories in the last six years.

Player to watch: Josh Akognon. The 5'11 guard from Cal State Fullerton was conference player of the year and was ranked in the top ten nationally with a 23.5 scoring average per game. Akognon has a great stroke, leading the conference in three pointers and free throw percentage.

Upset watch: Cal State Fullerton. The reason is Akognon and junior forward Gerard Anderson. With these two players, the Titans can pull the upset on anyone and make a run at a conference tourney championship.

Tourney watch: The Big West will only the conference tourney champion into the field of 65. Cal State Northridge has the number seed, Pacific has the track record, but I think Long Beach State has enough in the tank to get through the tourney and advance.

Big 12 Tourney Preview

2009-03-11T09:45:00.002-05:00

At Ford Center (Oklahoma City)
FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, March 11
Game 1: No. 8 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Baylor, 12:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Colorado, 3 p.m.
Game 3: No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 Iowa State, 7 p.m.
Game 4: No. 6 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Texas Tech, 9:30 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, March 12
Game 5: No. 1 Kansas vs. Game 1 winner, ESPN2, 12:30 p.m.
Game 6: No. 4 Kansas State vs. Game 2 winner, 3 p.m.
Game 7: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. Game 3 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 8: No. 3 Missouri vs. Game 4 winner, ESPN2, 9:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 9:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 14
Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, ESPN, 6 p.m.

Team to watch: Kansas. For a team that won a national championship the year before, the Jayhawks didn't get much love coming into the season. They lost all their players, they couldn't possibly do it again...oh wait...they could. Kansas shook off a couple of early losses out of conference and went on a strong run to end the season finishing with a 14-2 record in the Big 12.

Player to watch: You should know all of the big names, but how about Denis Clemente. If the name sounds familiar, that's because it is. Clemente is a second cousin of the late Roberto Clemente, the Hall of Famer from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clemente helped Kansas State to a 9-7 record in the conference and had a 44 point performance against Texas.

Upset watch: Texas A&M. The Aggies are the hottest team in the conference, winning six games in a row. They are a borderline lock for the NCAA tournament, but with a couple more victories they could improve their seed and become a dangerous team to face.

Tourney watch: Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M & Oklahoma State should all be in for sure. The team that needs to do the most is Kansas State. If they pull off a sem-final upset over Kansas, they will be dancing. However, with an easy road to the finals, I think Kansas will wrap up as conference champions and tourney champions and have outside chance at a number one seed in the NCAA tournament.

Atlantic 10 Tourney Preview

2009-03-11T09:28:00.003-05:00

At Boardwalk Hall (Atlantic City, N.J.)
FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, March 11
Game 1: No. 8 La Salle vs. No. 9 St. Louis, noon
Game 2: No. 5 St. Joseph's vs. No. 12 Charlotte, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 7 Duquesne vs. No. 10 Massachusetts, 6:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 6 Richmond vs. No. 11 St. Bonaventure, 9 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, March 12
Game 5: No. 1 Xavier vs. Game 1 winner, noon
Game 6: No. 4 Temple vs. Game 2 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Game 7: No. 2 Rhode Island vs. Game 3 winner, 6:30 p.m.
Game 8: No. 3 Dayton vs. Game 4 winner, 9 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 6:30 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 9 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 14
Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, ESPN2, 6 p.m.

Team to watch: Xavier. The Muskateers boast the leagues best record and should be a dangerous team in the field of 65. They have non-conference wins over Memphis, LSU, and Missouri. Even though they have struggled of late, they will be ready for the tournament.

Player to watch: Dionte Christmas. This kid is lights out. Christmas has led Temple to some big upsets including one this year over Tennessee where he just went off in the second half. If Temple makes a run, it will because of him.

Upset watch: St. Joseph's. The Hawks have a very talented team but never seemed to put it completely together. Ahmad Nivins was named the A-10 player of the year and could become the second player in conference history to lead the league in FG % for three straight years. The Hawks could put together a nice run and burst a bubble of another team.

Tourney watch: Xavier is in for sure and I think Dayton is in as well. Rhode Island and Temple have outside chances at reaching the NCAA tourney. In the end, I see Rhode Island fighting for their post-season lives but coming up just short to Xavier in the finals.

Tuesday's bracket

2009-03-10T16:31:00.001-05:00

What an afternoon with upsets in the Big East. DePaul got their FIRST conference win of the year knocking off Cincy and St. John's pulled the upset on Georgetown!

Western Athletic Tourney Preview

2009-03-10T16:12:00.002-05:00

At Lawlor Events Center (Reno, Nev.)
OPENING ROUND
Tuesday, March 10
Game 1: No. 8 Hawai'i vs. No. 9 Fresno State, 10:30 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, March 12
Game 2: No. 4 Boise State vs. No. 5 New Mexico State, ESPNU, 3 p.m.
Game 3: No. 1 Utah State vs. Game 1 winner, ESPNU, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 2 Nevada vs. No. 7 San Jose State, 9 p.m.
Game 5: No. 3 Idaho vs. No. 6 Louisiana Tech, 11:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 9 p.m.
Game 7: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, ESPN2, midnight

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 14
Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, ESPN2, 10 p.m.

Team to watch: Utah State. The Aggies would be right on the bubble if they end up losing a game in the tournament. They need to make it to the conference championship to really secure a spot, but winning would make it a whole lot easier come Sunday!

Player to watch: Gary Wilkinson. He was named WAC player of the year and let Utah State in points and rebounds per game. Wilkinson was also named to the first team all-conference last season and is the main component for the Aggies.

Upset watch: Boise State. They have not played well as of late, but all it takes is a spark to make a run through conference tournaments. The Broncos have three starters named to the WAC all-conference team led by second teamer Mark Sanchez. They also have a victory over Utah State during the year.

Tourney watch: Utah State is on the bubble and needs to get to the conference championship game to get into consideration. Outside of winning the tournament, no other team really has a shot. With Wilkinson up front and guard Jared Quayle, I expect the Aggies of Utah State to win the tournament and take the decision out of the committee's hands.

Mid-Eastern Athletic Tourney Preview

2009-03-10T16:11:00.004-05:00

Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
FIRST ROUND
Tuesday, March 10
Game 1: No. 10 Delaware State vs. No. 7 Hampton, 6:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 8 Florida A&M vs. No. 9 Howard, 9 p.m.
Wednesday, March 11
Game 3: No. 6 Bethune-Cookman vs. No. 11 Maryland Eastern Shore, 3 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS
Wednesday, March 11
Game 4: No. 1 Morgan State vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 5: No. 2 South Carolina State vs. Game 1 winner, 9:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 12
Game 6: No. 3 Norfolk State vs. Game 3 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 7: No. 4 North Carolina A&T vs. No. 5 Coppin State, 8:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 8:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 14
Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, ESPNU, 7 p.m.

Team to watch: Morgan State. The Bears have controlled the conference throughout the year and look to continue the success through the tournament. They were the only team to break the 20 win mark (including one over Maryland) and a couple more wins will probably get them a date with a number one seed.

Player to watch: Tywain McKee. McKee led Coppin State in points, rebounds, assists and steals and was named as the MVP of the conference. Throughout his career, McKee has also been a dominant player, topped off recently by becoming the school's all-time leader in scoring.

Upset watch: Hampton. Remember them? Iowa State certainly does! The Pirates were the last 15 seed to pull an upset in the NCAA tournament. They beat Morgan State both times this year and would love a chance to do it again.

Tourney watch: Another league that will only send one team to the dance. But, do NOT discount them as an easy first round victory. Hampton beat Iowa State a few years back, Coppin State has came oh so close to beating a number one sead. These teams are usually very athletic and can give big conference teams fits. Morgan State should come out on top and fit the bill perfectly.

Mid American Tourney Preview

2009-03-10T10:28:00.003-05:00

FIRST ROUND
At Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland)
Tuesday, March 10
Game 1: No. 7 Central Michigan vs. No. 10 Eastern Michigan, noon
Game 2: No. 6 Kent State vs. No. 11 Northern Illinois, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 8 Western Michigan vs. No. 9 Ohio, 5 p.m.
Game 4: No. 5 Akron vs. No. 12 Toledo, 7:30 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, March 12
Game 5: No. 2 Ball State vs. Game 1 winner, noon
Game 6: No. 3 Buffalo vs. vs. Game 2 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Game 7: No. 1 Bowling Green vs. Game 3 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 8: No. 4 Miami vs. Game 4 winner, 9:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7:30 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 10 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 14
Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, ESPN2, 8 p.m.

Team to watch: Kent State. After making the NCAA tournament last year, the Golden Flashes went through a brutal schedule early in the year hoping that it would pay off come March. With a 10-6 conference record in the conference, they need a championship to be able to play next weekend.

Player to watch: Jerome Tillman. The forward from Ohio averaged almost 18 points per game and grabbed 8 rebounds as well. Tillman was named to the first-team all conference and is a force inside that is hard to control.

Upset watch: Akron. With a very young team, the Zips have played inconsistenly on the offensive side of the ball. However, they are the best defensive team in the MAC and have the ability to beat any team. I would not be suprised if they came out on top of this tournament.

Tourney watch: The MAC will get one team into the tournament and that spot is in the air. Nobody really stood out during conference play, and at the same time there wasn't too many that struggled. With the experience and tough schedule on their side, I like Kent State to repeat and go back to the NCAA tournament.

Big East Tourney Preview

2009-03-10T10:08:00.003-05:00

At Madison Square Garden (New York City)
FIRST ROUND
Tuesday, March 10
Game 1: No. 9 Cincinnati vs. No. 16 DePaul, noon
Game 2: No. 12 Georgetown vs. No. 13 St. John's, 2 p.m.
Game 3: No. 10 Notre Dame vs. No. 15 Rutgers, 7 p.m.
Game 4: No. 11 Seton Hall vs. No. 14 South Florida, 9 p.m.

SECOND ROUND
Wednesday, March 11
Game 5: No. 8 Providence vs. Game 1 winner, ESPN, noon
Game 6: No. 5 Marquette vs. Game 2 winner, ESPN, 2 p.m.
Game 7: No. 7 West Virginia vs. Game 3 winner, ESPN, 7 p.m.
Game 8: No. 6 Syracuse vs. Game 4 winner, ESPN, 9 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, March 12
Game 9: No. 1 Louisville vs. Game 5 winner, ESPN, noon
Game 10: No. 4 Villanova vs. Game 6 winner, ESPN, 2 p.m.
Game 11: No. 2 Pittsburgh vs. Game 7 winner, ESPN, 7 p.m.
Game 12: No. 3 Connecticut vs. Game 8 winner, ESPN, 9 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 13
Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, ESPN, 7 p.m.
Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, ESPN, 9 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 14
Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, ESPN, 9 p.m.

Team to watch: Pittsburgh. Louisville may have won the conference regular season, but they didn't have to go into Pitt or UConn to do so. The Panthers are a very talented team and have a chance to be the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament. Led by DeJuan Blair, Sam Young and Levance Fields, look for the Panthers to make a deep run in the dance.

Player to watch: Dominic James. Okay, you really can't watch him anymore. Unfortunately, James suffered a broken foot against UConn on February 25th and has been ruled out for the year. The senior was a big part of the success that Marquette has had and sadly he won't be able to play another college game.

Upset watch: Georgetown. The Hoyas finished 7-11 in the conference and failed to meet lofty expectations. However, they have a talented team and are capable of making a run in New York. To do so, they must get consistent play out of Dajuan Summers and the big freshman Greg Monroe. Add along Jessie Sapp and Austin Freeman and this team could win the tournament.

Tourney watch: Teams that are in for sure: Pittsburgh, UConn, Louisville, Villanova, Marquette, Syracuse, West Virginia. Providence is the main team on the bubble, but Georgetown, Cincinnati, and Notre Dame could all make big impressions this week. This tournament will be a great one to watch, and in the end I think Louisville will beat the winner of Pitt/UConn take three and earn a number one seed.

Let's Dance....

2009-03-09T17:05:00.008-05:00

Here is my updated 65 team bracket. I will update this everyday to include the previous nights games!

Summit Tourney Preview

2009-03-07T08:57:00.002-06:00

At Sioux Falls Arena (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
FIRST ROUND
Saturday, March 7
Game 1: No. 1 North Dakota State vs. No. 8 Centenary (7 p.m.)
Game 2: No. 2 Oral Roberts vs. No. 7 South Dakota State (9:30 p.m.)
Sunday, March 8
Game 3: No. 4 IUPUI vs. No. 5 Southern Utah (7 p.m.)
Game 4: No. 3 Oakland vs. No. 6 IPFW (9:30 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
Monday, March 9
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner (7 p.m.)
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. Game 4 winner (9:30 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
Tuesday, March 10
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)

Team to watch: North Dakota State. In the first year off of NCAA provisional status, the Bison went 16-2 in the conference and nearly pulled an upset against USC earlier in the year. They will look to grab the automatic bid and become a trendy pick for an upset.

Player to watch: Ben Woodside. How do you not be the player to watch when you drop 60 points in a game? That's exactly what Woodside did earlier this year and topped the 30 point mark five times.

Upset watch: Oakland. The Grizzlies have seven straight victories and have wins over the Bison and the second place team, Oral Roberts. If a team were to make a run and upset North Dakota State, the Grizzlies would be the team to do it.

Tourney watch: Oral Roberts has been to the NCAA tournament four straight years. Along with Oakland, they will make a run, but in the end North Dakota State will win the conference tourney and go dancing.

Big Sky Tourney Preview

2009-03-07T08:55:00.003-06:00

FIRST ROUND
At higher seeds
Saturday, March 7
Game 1: No. 6 Montana State at No. 3 Montana (9 p.m.)
Game 2: No. 5 Northern Colorado at No. 4 Idaho State (9 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
At Dee Events Center,Ogden, Utah
Tuesday, March 10
Game 3: No. 2 Portland State vs. highest remaining seed (7 p.m.)
Game 4: No. 1 Weber State vs. lowest remaining seed (9:30 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday, March 11
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner (ESPN2, 10 p.m.)

Team to watch: Weber State. The Wildcats flew through the Big Sky with only one loss during the regular season. With the player of the year, defensive player of the year, and freshman of the year, Weber State has the advantage throughout this tournament.

Player to watch: Jeremiah Dominguez. Dominguez was the conference player of the year last year and was named to the first team all-conference this year. The 5'6 senior from Portland State ranks 14th in the nation in three point percentage.

Upset watch: Montana State. Both Portland State and Weber State lost to the sixth seeded Bobcats this year. They will look to get some of that magic again and make a tournament run.

Tourney watch: This is Weber State's tournament to lose. With a 15-1 conference record, the Wildcats should continue that and gain an NCAA berth. However, the Vikings from Portland State have a win over Gonzaga and nearly knocked off the Huskies of Washington. I think Portland State will pull the upset and advance into the big dance.

West Coast Tourney Preview

2009-03-06T17:05:00.003-06:00

At Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada)
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 6
Game 1: No. 5 San Diego vs. No. 8 Loyola Marymount (9 p.m.)
Game 2: No. 6 Pepperdine vs. No. 7 San Francisco (11:30 p.m.)

QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 7
Game 3: No. 4 Santa Clara vs. Game 1 winner (9 p.m.)
Game 4: No. 3 Portland vs. Game 2 winner (11:30 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 8
Game 5: No. 1 Gonzaga vs. Game 3 winner (ESPN2, 9:30 p.m.)
Game 6: No. 2 Saint Mary's vs. Game 4 winner (ESPN2, 11:30 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 9
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (ESPN, 9 p.m.)

Team to watch: Gonzaga. The Zags went through the conference with an undefeated record and have the best chance to make things happen in the NCAA tournament. The original cinderella is ready for another run with this team.

Player to watch: When you are on a national team and you are still in college, that classifies as being a pretty good player. When you go up against the USA and drop 20 points against them, that makes you a great player. Patrick (Patty) Mills is just that. If it wasn't for his injury, the West Coast Conference might be rearranged a little bit.

Upset watch: Santa Clara. The Broncos might have the best chance to knock off somebody in the tournament. They took Arizona, Stanford and UAB to the wire during the regular season and will be a team that can suprise you.

Tourney watch: No matter what happens in the tournament, Gonzaga is in. St. Mary's is on the bubble, but the return of Mills helps their cause greatly. They lost 4 of their 5 games with him not in the line-up and I think he wants to get some revenge in the championship game. With both teams having a free-spot to the semifinals, both will be rested and ready to play. I don't think St. Mary's will lose to Gonzaga for the third time this year and people across the nation will get a chance to see Mills and the Gaels in the NCAA tournament.

Southern Conference Tourney Preview

2009-03-06T16:51:00.002-06:00

At McKenzie Arena (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 6
Game 1: No. 4 North Appalachian State vs. No. 5 South Georgia Southern (2 p.m.)
Game 2: No. 3 South College of Charleston vs. No. 6 North UNC Greensboro (4:30 p.m.)
Game 3: No. 4 South Wofford vs. No. 5 North Elon (7 p.m.)
Game 4: No. 3 North Samford vs. No. 6 South Furman (9:30 p.m.)

QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 7
Game 5: No. 1 South Davidson vs. Game 1 winner (2 p.m.)
Game 6: No. 2 North Western Carolina vs. Game 2 winner (4:30 p.m.)
Game 7: No. 1 North Chattanooga vs. Game 3 winner (7 p.m.)
Game 8: No. 2 South The Citadel vs. Game 4 winner (9:30 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 8
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (6 p.m.)
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (8:30 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 9
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (ESPN, 7 p.m.)

Team to watch: Davidson. Coming off an elite eight run, the Wildcats are on the bubble and might need to win the tournament to get in the NCAA tournament.

Player to watch: There is some guy named Stephen Curry, have you heard of him? Didn't think so. He only leads the nation in points per game, led the Wildcats to a near final four game last year, is the son of former NBA player Dell Curry, and can make a shot from just about anywhere on the court. Oh....and he is only a JUNIOR! Curry has a chance to be the all-time leading scorer in the history of the NCAA. Just take a moment to think about. Not a big deal, you say? Well then why has nobody ever topped Pete Maravich's mark???

Upset watch: The Citadel. The Bulldogs sometimes don't look good doing it, but they win games. They knocked off Davidson and beat Charleston twice during the regular season. This should be the main concern for Curry and the Wildcats.

Tourney watch: The team with the most to lose is Davidson. They can't leave it up to the selection committee to decide if they are in or out of this year's tournament. Curry has had time to get over his injury and while this team is not as dangerous as last year, I still think Davidson will end up as the champions.

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tourney Preview

2009-03-06T16:31:00.003-06:00

At Times Union Center (Albany, N.Y.)
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 6
Game 1: No. 8 Loyola vs. No. 9 Canisius (7:30 p.m.)
Game 2: No. 7 Iona vs. No. 10 Marist (9:30 p.m.)

QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 7
Game 3: No. 4 Manhattan vs. No. 5 Fairfield (2:30 p.m.)
Game 4: No. 1 Siena vs. Game 1 winner (5 p.m.)
Game 5: No. 2 Niagara vs. Game 2 winner (7:30 p.m.)
Game 6: No. 3 Rider vs. No. 6 Saint Peter's (9:30 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 8
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner (6 p.m.)
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (8:30 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 9
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (ESPN2, 9 p.m.)

Team to watch: Niagara. The Purple Eagles don't have the exposure that Siena has had but they are a quality basketball team that will make some noise. If the MAAC wants to be a two bid league, it would start with Niagara winning the conference tournament.

Player to watch: Ryan Thompson. The guard from Rider was the second leading scorer in the conference and also in the top ten in steals and assists. The junior was named as a first team all-conference player.

Upset watch: Rider. The I don't see either Niagara or Siena losing until the finals, so if one of them were to get beat, it would be Rider pulling off an upset and making a run.

Tourney watch: The Saints have an outside chance at an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament. Niagara must win the conference to get in. In the end, I still see Siena pulling out a close victory to secure a bid instead of sweating it out on Selection Sunday.

Colonial Athletic Association Tourney Preview

2009-03-06T16:11:00.003-06:00

At the Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Va. )
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 6
Game 1: No. 8 Georgia State vs. No. 9 Delaware (noon)
Game 2: No. 5 Hofstra vs. No. 12 UNC Wilmington (2:30 p.m.)
Game 3: No. 7 James Madison vs. No. 10 William & Mary (6 p.m.)
Game 4: No. 6 Drexel vs. No. 11 Towson (8:30 p.m.)

QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 7
Game 5: No. 1 VCU vs. Game 1 winner (noon)
Game 6: No. 4 Old Dominion vs. Game 2 winner (2:30 p.m.)
Game 7: No. 2 George Mason vs. Game 3 winner (6 p.m.)
Game 8: No. 3 Northeastern vs. Game 4 winner (8:30 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 8
Game 9: Game 5 vs. Game 6 winner (3 p.m.)
Game 10: Game 7 vs. Game 8 winner (5:30 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 9
Game 11: Game 9 vs. Game 10 winner (ESPN2, 7 p.m.)

Team to watch: George Mason. Everyone's favorite Cinderella because of their improbable run to the final four a few years ago. The Patriots are the number two seed in the conference tourney this year but they still have a great team that is capable of making a run.

Player to watch: Eric Maynor. He It seems like it was years ago that Maynor led VCU to an upset of Duke in the NCAA tournament. The fact is, he was only a sophomore then and has improved his game. He averages over 22 points and six assists per game and has broke the thirty point mark six times this year.

Upset watch: Northeastern. The Huskies have knocked off both the Rams and The Patriots in conference play this year. If there is a team that could sneak up and pull out a bid, they would be the one to do it.

Tourney watch: There is an outside chance that two teams from the CAA could get into the tournament. For that to happen, more teams would have to lose and VCU would be the team looking for an at-large birth. However, I don't see that happening...Maynor will take control of the tournament and get the Rams into a dangerous 11-13 seed with the possibility of a first round upset.

America East Tourney Preview

2009-03-06T15:42:00.003-06:00

FIRST ROUND
At SEFCU Arena
Albany, N.Y.
Friday, March 6
Game 1: No. 8 Maine vs. No. 9 Hartford (7 p.m.)

QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 7
Game 2: No. 2 Vermont vs. No. 7 Albany (noon)
Game 3: No. 3 Boston U. vs. No. 6 UMBC (2:30 p.m.)
Game 4: No. 1 Binghamton vs. Game 1 winner (6 p.m.)
Game 5: No. 4 New Hampshire vs. No. 5 Stony Brook (8:30 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 8
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner (2 p.m.)
Game 7: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner (5 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
At higher seed
Saturday, March 14
Game 8: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner (ESPN2, 11 a.m.)

Team to watch: Vermont. You probably remember the Catamounts pulling an upset in the NCAA tournament a few years back with a first round win over Syracuse. Well, they are back atop the conference and ready to for another run.

Player to watch: Marqus Blakely. He just repeated as the conference player of the year and became the first repeat for defensive player of the year. The forward led the league in per game averages in rebounds, steals, and blocks and was sixth in scoring. To pull upsets in March, you need a kid like Blakely who can do it all.

Upset watch: Binghamton. If there was a team to knock out Vermont, it would be the Bearcats. They won both match-ups during the year and will not back down if they get a third shot at the Catamounts.

Tourney watch: Blakely will be too much for anyone to handle. With a respectable seed on the line, I like Vermont to win this tournament and make some noise in the first round of the NCAA tourney.

Northeast Tourney Preview

2009-03-05T17:15:00.003-06:00

At higher seeds
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 5
Game 1: No. 8 St. Francis (NY) at No. 1 Robert Morris (7 p.m.)
Game 2: No. 7 Wagner at No. 2 Mount St. Mary's (7 p.m.)
Game 3: No. 6 Central Connecticut State at No. 3 Sacred Heart (7 p.m.)
Game 4: No. 5 Quinnipiac at No. 4 Long Island (7 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
At higher seeds
Sunday, March 8
Game 5: Highest seed vs. lowest seed
Game 6: Second-highest seed vs. third-highest seed

CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday, March 11
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)

Team to watch: Robert Morris. The Colonials controlled the conference from the start and will look to earn the qualifying bid with a tournment championship.

Player to watch: Justin Rutty. The big man inside for Quinnipiac averages 15 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Rutty is a post presence that demands attention at all times.

Upset watch: Mount St. Mary's. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is beat a team three times in one year. Robert Morris might have to do that and the Blue Knights would be the team standing in the way.

Tourney watch: With the home court advantage as a factor, I would expect Robert Morris to win the conference championship and move into the NCAA tournament. However, a number one seed (or even play-in game) is likely awaiting for the Colonials.

Missouri Valley Tourney Preview

2009-03-05T16:49:00.005-06:00

At Scottrade Center (St. Louis, Mo.)
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 5
Game 1: No. 8 Drake vs. No. 9 Indiana State (7:05 p.m.)
Game 2: No. 7 Wichita State vs. No. 10 Missouri State (9:35 p.m.)

QUARTERFINALS
Friday, March 6
Game 3: No. 1 Northern Iowa vs. Game 1 winner (1:05 p.m.)
Game 4: No. 4 Bradley vs. No. 5 Southern Illinois (3:35 p.m.)
Game 5: No. 2 Creighton vs. Game 2 winner (7:05 p.m.)
Game 6: No. 3 Illinois State vs. No. 6 Evansville (9:35 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 7
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner (2:35 p.m.)
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (5:05 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 8
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (2 p.m.)

Team to watch: Creighton. The Valley has been down the past couple of years, but if any team is going to get an at-large bid from the selection committee, it will be the Bluejays. Creighton has reeled off ten consecutive wins have won a big game earlier in the year over fellow bubble team Dayton from the Atlantic 10. One win is needed for sure, but they better get to the championship game to play it safe.

Player to watch: Shy Ely. The swingman from Evansville led the MVC in scoring this year with over 18 points per game and has scored over 20 points in five of the last six games. Ely also helps on the boards with nearly six rebounds per game. If the Aces want to make a run, Ely will need to carry them.

Upset watch: Drake. The Bulldogs couldn't repeat the sucess they had last year with a birth in the NCAA tournament. They have inconsistent all year with wins against the MVC's best in UNI and Creighton, but they do have losses against Missouri State and Indiana State. If the Bulldogs can come together for this weekend, they burst the bubble of some power conference school.

Tourney watch: As I said earlier, Creighton probably needs one win, but getting to the conference championship game will help their resume. I see them winning the rubber match against Illinois State to make it to the finals. However, Northern Iowa will have an easier road and will be more rested and will get the double dip of regular season and conference champions making the MVC a two bid league.

Sun Belt Tourney Preview

2009-03-04T17:17:00.007-06:00

At higher seeds
FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, March 4
Game 1: No. 9 Florida International at No. 8 Louisiana-Lafayette
Game 2: No. 13 Florida Atlantic at No. 4 North Texas
Game 3: No. 12 Arkansas State at No. 5 Middle Tennessee
Game 4: No. 11 New Orleans at No. 6 South Alabama
Game 5: No. 10 Louisiana-Monroe at No. 7 Denver

At Summitt Arena
Hot Springs, Ark.
QUARTERFINALS
Sunday, March 8
Game 6: No. 1 Western Kentucky vs. Game 1 winner (1:30 p.m.)
Game 7: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner (4 p.m.)
Game 8: No. 2 Arkansas-Little Rock vs. Game 5 winner (7:30 p.m.)
Game 9: No. 3 Troy vs. Game 4 winner (10 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
Monday, March 9
Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner (7:30 p.m.)
Game 11: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner (10 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
Tuesday, March 10
Game 12: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner (ESPN2, 10 p.m.)

Team to watch: Western Kentucky. The number one seed and the team that made it to the sweet sixteen in the tournament last year is back and ready to play spoiler again!

Player to watch: Nate Rohnert. The Denver Pioneers guard can do it all--score, board, and dish it out. Rohnert averaged 15, 5, 5 during the year.

Upset watch: Troy. With a third place finish in the conference, the Trojans can make things very uneasy for Arkansas Little-Rock and Western Kentucky. They have the scorers that will make things tough for the opposition.

Tourney watch: Coming off of an improbable run in the NCAA tournament last year, I find it hard to believe anyone is going to knock off Western Kentucky. This will be another dangerous team in the field as evidenced by their victory over Louisville earlier this season.

Patriot League Tourney Preview

2009-03-04T17:17:00.005-06:00

FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, March 4
At higher seeds
Game 1: No. 8 Lafayette at No. 1 American (7:30 p.m.)
Game 2: No. 7 Bucknell at No. 2 Holy Cross (7 p.m.)
Game 3: No. 6 Colgate at No. 3 Navy (7 p.m.)
Game 4: No.5 Lehigh at No. 4 Army (7 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 8
At higher seeds
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 4 winner
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner

CHAMPIONSHIP
At higher seed
Friday, March 13
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (ESPN2)

Team to watch: American. With a 13-1 conference record, the Eagles have control of this tournament and should receive the automatic bid into the NCAA tourney.

Player to watch: Garrison Carr. Carr might be the one of the smallest (5'11) guys in the conference, but he can also score. He averages over 17 points per game and can shoot the rock.

Upset watch: Holy Cross. The only team to beat the Eagles this year. If there is going to be an upset, the Crusaders are going to be the team to do it.

Tourney watch: With homecourt advantage througout the tournament, it will be hard for anyone to come in and beat the Eagles. That is why American will lock up the qualifying bid and move on to another game!

Atlantic Sun Tourney Preview

2009-03-04T17:16:00.003-06:00

At Allen Arena
Nashville, Tenn.

QUARTERFINALS
Wednesday, March 4
Game 1: No. 2 East Tennessee State vs. No. 7 Stetson (9:30 p.m.)
Thursday, March 5
Game 2: No. 3 Belmont vs. No. 6 Mercer (3:30 p.m.)
Game 3: No. 4 Lipscomb vs. No. 5 Campbell (9:30 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 6
Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (7 p.m.)
Game 5: No. 1 Jacksonville vs. Game 3 winner (9:30 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 7
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner (ESPN2, 6 p.m.)

Team to watch: Jacksonville. The Dolphins have an easy path to the championship as they are the only team to get a free pass into the semifinals. Win two games and they are in the NCAA tournament.

Player to watch: Daniel Emerson. A big 6'8 forward from Mercer, Emerson averages 14 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Emerson collected 15 double-doubles this year and had seven games where he had more than 15 boards.

Upset watch: Belmont. The Bruins nearly knocked off Tennessee earlier in the year and took Jacksonville to the limit in both games they played this season.

Tourney watch: With one spot on the line, it will come down to Belmont, Jacksonville and East Tennessee State. Already being in the semifinals is a huge advantage and I would expect Jacksonville to use that to gain a berth to the NCAA tournament.

Ohio Valley Tourney Preview

2009-03-03T16:25:00.003-06:00

FIRST ROUND
At higher seeds
Tuesday, March 3
Game 1: No. 8 Tennessee Tech vs. No. 1 Tennessee-Martin
Game 2: No. 5 Eastern Kentucky vs. No. 4 Morehead St.
Game 3: No. 6 Tennessee State vs. No. 3 Murray St.
Game 4: No. 7 Eastern Illinois vs. No. 2 Austin Peay

SEMIFINALS
At Sommet Center
Nashville, Tenn.
Friday, March 6
Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner (ESPNU, 7 p.m.)
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner (ESPNU, 9 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 7
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (ESPN2, 8 p.m.)

Team to watch: Tennessee-Martin. The Skyhawks have the number one seed and are the team to beat in this tournament and everyone will have their eyes on this team because of...

Player to watch: Lester Hudson. The best player that you have never heard of. Hudson passed up the chance at the NBA last year to come back and get his degree and to try to become a guaranteed first round pick. He is a flat out stud!

Upset watch: Austin Peay. They received the NCAA tournament bid last year, beat UT-Martin at home and took them to OT on the road.

Tourney watch: Austin Peay will probably meet up against Murray State with the winner getting to face the Skyhawks. Hudson will not let his team lose and Tennessee-Martin will advance to the Big Dance. If you are top seed in the tournament, this will not be a team you would want to face in the first round!

Horizon Tourney Preview

2009-03-03T16:24:00.013-06:00

FIRST ROUND
At higher seeds
Tuesday, March 3
Game 1: No. 10 Detroit vs. No. 3 Cleveland State
Game 2: No. 7 Illinois-Chicago vs. No. 6 Youngstown State
Game 3: No. 9 Valparaiso vs. No. 4 Wright St.
Game 4: No. 8 Loyola vs. No. 5 Milwaukee

QUARTERFINALS
At Hinkle Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
Friday, March 6
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner (6 p.m.)
Game 6: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (8 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
At Hinkle Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
Saturday, March 7
Game 7: Game 5 winner at No. 1 Butler (ESPNU, 7 p.m.)
Game 8: Game 6 winner vs. No. 2 Green Bay (ESPNU, 9 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
At Hinkle Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
Tuesday, March 10
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (ESPN, 9 p.m.)

Team to watch: Butler. This year will be the third year in a row that the Bulldogs will be in the NCAA tournament. They have won at Davidson and Xavier and nearly pulled off an upset at Ohio State. This will be a very dangerous team that nobody will want to face in the tournament.

Player to watch: J'Nathan Bullock. The senior forward from Cleveland State averages 15 and 7 per game and can take over a game when he wants to. Bullock, along with guard Cedric Jackson will be the keys for the Vikings.

Upset watch: Cleveland State. The Vikings have the league's biggest upset this year when Jackson hit a sixty footer at the buzzer to win at Syracuse. If they want to make the NCAA tournament, they must win this one first!

Tourney watch: Butler is in the tournament, no questions asked. Green Bay has an outside chance to pull an upset as well, but they must go through Cleveland State first. It's tourney time and while Butler will be playing in front of the home crowd, I still think the Vikings of Cleveland State will pull off the upset and make the Horizon Conference a two bid league.

Big South Tourney Preview

2009-03-03T16:24:00.007-06:00

QUARTERFINALS

Tuesday, March 3
Game 1: No. 7 Coastal Carolina at No. 2 VMI (7 p.m.)
Game 2: No. 6 Gardner-Webb at No. 3 Liberty (7 p.m.)
Game 3: No. 8 High Point at No. 1 Radford (7 p.m.)
Game 4: No. 5 Winthrop at No. 4 UNC Asheville (7 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
At Dedmon Center (Radford, Va.)
Thursday, March 5
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (ESPNU, 6 p.m.)
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner (ESPNU, 8 p.m.)

CHAMPIONSHIP
At highest seed
Saturday, March 7
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (ESPN2, 4 p.m.)

Team to watch: VMI. The fastest college basketball team in the country. They average over 80 possessions per game with the run and gun style. They average almost 40 three point attempts per game and knocked off Kentucky in their first game of the year.

Player to watch: The senior twins, Travis & Chavis Holmes. Both can score at will, but Chavis is the better shooter with a 44.8 % mark from beyond the arc.

Upset watch: Coastal Carolina. They beat VMI at home and took them to the brink in the other match-up. This would definately classify as an upset.

Tourney watch: This conference is a one-bid league and Radford has everything at home if they win games. Look for the championship to have the one and two seeds in it as VMI will pull out the victory on Radford's home court.

Championship Week Part 1

2009-03-02T09:48:00.002-06:00

Here is the updated version of who is in and who is looking out for the NCAA Tournament come March!

AUTOMATIC BIDS (31 Teams)

American East---Vermont
Atlantic 10---Xavier
ACC---North Carolina
Atlantic Sun---East Tenn St.
Big East---Conneticut
Big Sky---Weber State
Big South---Radford
Big Ten---Michigan State
Big 12---Oklahoma
Big West---Long Beach State
CAA---VCU
C-USA---Memphis
Horizon---Butler
Ivy---Cornell
MAAC---Siena
MAC---Buffalo
MEAC---Morgan State
MVC---Creighton
Mountain West---Utah
Northeast---Robert Morris
Ohio Valley---Tennessee-Martin
Pacific 10---Washington
Patriot---American
SEC---LSU
Southern---Davidson
Southland---Stephen F. Austin
SWAC---Alabama State
Summit---North Dakota State
Sun Belt---Western Kentucky
West Coast---Gonzaga
WAC---Utah State

'LOCK TEAMS'

Atlantic 10---Dayton
ACC---Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State
Big East---Pittsburgh, Louisville, Marquette, Syracuse, Villanova
Big Ten---Illinios, Purdue, Ohio State
Big 12---Kansas, Missouri
Pac 10---Washington, California, Arizona State
SEC---Tennessee

'BUBBLE TEAMS'

Atlantic 10---Temple
ACC---Boston College, Maryland
Big East---West Virginia, Cincinnati, Providence
Big Ten---Minnesota, Wisconsin
Big 12---Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M
Mountain West---BYU, UNLV
Pac 10---Arizona
SEC---Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida
West Coast---St. Mary's

'BUBBLE BURSTING'

ACC---Miami (FL), Virginia Tech
Big East---Georgetown, Notre Dame
Big Ten---Michigan, Penn State,
Big 12---Kansas State, Nebraska
C-USA---UAB
Mountain West---New Mexico
MVC---UNI, Illinois State

He's Baaaaaaaaccccccckkkk

2009-02-25T10:13:00.016-06:00

Memo to golfers across the world: WATCH OUT. Tiger is back and ready for action. The Accenture Match Play tournament begins today and Mr. Tiger Woods tees off at 2:02 PM ET. Tiger isn't using this tournament as a test to see if that knee is okay...he is using it to show the world that he is healthier than ever and to be on alert. Think about this for a second. He just took off eight months...and he is STILL the number one ranked golfer in the world.

What was golf without Tiger like? Was the competition better? Did others step up? Were people glad he was gone? I would answer boring and no for the following three. It was like basketball, when Jordan got suspe....I mean retired....from the NBA for two years to play baseball. It was still there to watch, life went on, but it just wasn't the same. What was the biggest moment in golf since Tiger left? It was probably the USA winning the Ryder Cup. Great to watch, but something was still missing. You didn't have the same feeling watching tournaments. Does anyone else think the U.S. recession started with Tiger being injured? I DO!!!

All joking aside, Tiger is probably in the best shape he has ever been in with a fully repaired and functional knee. He had eight months to refresh himself and that probably even made him hungrier. I'm not going to say he is going to win the Match Play this week, because you shoot a great round and still lose. But, I would still take Tiger over the field.

With that being said...I am going out and predicting it...you heard it hear first ladies and gentlemen:

TIGER WOODS WILL WIN THE 2009 GRAND SLAM

Mark it down. He looks ready, he looks focused, he looks to be in great shape, and he looks ready to deliver a message to the rest of the world: "I'm back and better than ever."

Judgment Week...

2009-02-23T09:59:00.005-06:00

Here is the updated version of who is in and who is looking out for the NCAA Tournament come March!

AUTOMATIC BIDS (31 Teams)

American East---Vermont
Atlantic 10---Xavier
ACC---North Carolina
Atlantic Sun---East Tenn St.
Big East---Conneticut
Big Sky---Weber State
Big South---Radford (Previous Pick - VMI)
Big Ten---Michigan State
Big 12---Oklahoma
Big West---Long Beach State
CAA---VCU
C-USA---Memphis
Horizon---Butler
Ivy---Cornell
MAAC---Siena
MAC---Buffalo
MEAC---Morgan State
MVC---Creighton (previous pick: UNI)
Mountain West---Utah
Northeast---Robert Morris
Ohio Valley---Tennessee-Martin
Pacific 10---Washington
Patriot---American
SEC---LSU
Southern---Davidson
Southland---Stephen F. Austin
SWAC---Alabama State
Summit---North Dakota State
Sun Belt---Western Kentucky
West Coast---Gonzaga
WAC---Utah State

'LOCK TEAMS'

Atlantic 10---Dayton
ACC---Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State
Big East---Pittsburgh, Louisville, Marquette, Syracuse, Villanova
Big Ten---Illinios, Purdue, Ohio State
Big 12---Kansas, Missouri
Pac 10---Washington, California, Arizona State
SEC---Tennessee

'BUBBLE TEAMS'

Atlantic 10---Temple
ACC---Boston College, Maryland
Big East---West Virginia, Cincinnati, Providence
Big Ten---Minnesota, Wisconsin, Penn State
Big 12---Texas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State
Mountain West---BYU, UNLV
MVC---Illinois State
Pac 10---Arizona
SEC---Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida
West Coast---St. Mary's

'BUBBLE BURSTING'

ACC---Miami (FL), Virginia Tech
Big East---Georgetown, Notre Dame
Big Ten---Michigan, Northwestern
Big 12---Texas A&M, Nebraska, Baylor
C-USA---UAB
Mountain West---San Diego State
MVC---UNI
Pac 10---USC
SEC---Mississippi State, Auburn

"It was a stupid mistake"

2009-02-17T15:27:00.002-06:00

Let me tell you a couple things about a stupid mistake. A stupid mistake is a college athlete getting who is underage getting caught drinking. A stupid mistake is a college athlete skipping class 'occasionally'. A stupid mistake is hanging out with the wrong people and ending up in a bar fight or worse. A stupid mistake is being the most prolific Olympic swimmer and being seen with a bong. These are stupid mistakes. It happens to everyone. It happens from ages 8 to 80. We can easily forgive people who make one or two stupid mistakes. However, what is NOT a stupid mistake?

"That's again part of being young and stupid." That's a good answer to give if you did something wrong once or twice....but NOT FOR THREE YEARS! That's exactly what A-Roid, or is it A-Fraud...sorry...A-Rod said today. Here is the other part...Rodriguez wasn't exactly YOUNG when he did this either. If he is honestly telling the truth about using this PED (Performance Enhancing Drug), that he only used from 2001-03, then that would have been when he was 25-27 years old. He had been playing in Major League Baseball for SEVEN years before that. Not exactly a "young" or "rookie" mistake.

Here is another part, "All these years I never thought I did anything wrong." NO KIDDING? Of course you didn't...it was "loosey goosey" and guys were trying things. But, no, it wasn't anything wrong. Then why are you saying sorry? Why are you saying you were young and stupid? If you didn't think you did anything wrong then why are you apologizing? Why did you 'stop' taking the PED's? Is it because you realized you weren't eating Tic-Tac's?

I'm not blaming everything on A-Rod...I just think there is more to the story and more will eventually come out. Have you seen that Rangers team he was on? Ready for these names? Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez, Ken Caminiti, Juan Gonzalez....ouch! How about Herb Perry, who magically hit twenty-two home runs in 2002? His career average one home run in every 37.5 at bats...that year it was one in twenty. You can't just knock A-Rod...there are supposedly 104 names on that list of who tested positive in 2003. Let's see what happens when some other names come out. But, I would like a clearer picture of what exactly was going on.

Think about this for a minute. Baseball is about records and numbers. No other sport has the number stand out like baseball does. 755. 61. 2,141. Ask any fan of baseball and he/she can tell you what the number means. But, what about the record holders? The all-time hits leader is banned from baseball. The all-time home run and single season record holder might be headed to jail on perjury charges. One of the most dominant power pitchers in the history of the game might be facing charges as well. Mark McGwire, the former icon of St. Louis, has been seen or heard of since the congressional hearing.

If baseball thought it got a black-eye during the congressional hearings or thought everything was over when the Bonds/Clemens fiasco's would be done, they are dead wrong. There are some very troubling times ahead for baseball. How will they get out of this? How will baseball get its reputation back? How can the game be saved and what will bring the fans back into the picture? Who will be the light on an otherwise dark day?

Updated Brackets!

2009-02-16T12:21:00.003-06:00

Here is the updated version of who is in and who is looking out for the NCAA Tournament come March!

AUTOMATIC BIDS (31 Teams)

American East---Vermont
Atlantic 10---Xavier
ACC---North Carolina
Atlantic Sun---East Tenn St.
Big East---Conneticut
Big Sky---Weber State (previous pick: Portland State)
Big South---VMI
Big Ten---Michigan State
Big 12---Oklahoma
Big West---Long Beach State
CAA---VCU
C-USA---Memphis
Horizon---Butler
Ivy---Cornell
MAAC---Siena
MAC---Buffalo
MEAC---Morgan State
MVC---UNI
Mountain West---Utah
Northeast---Robert Morris
Ohio Valley---Tennessee-Martin
Pacific 10---Washington (previous pick: UCLA)
Patriot---American
SEC---LSU (previous pick: Florida)
Southern---Davidson
Southland---Stephen F. Austin
SWAC---Alabama State
Summit---North Dakota State
Sun Belt---Western Kentucky
West Coast---Gonzaga
WAC---Utah State

'LOCK TEAMS'

Atlantic 10---Dayton
ACC---Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State
Big East---Pittsburgh, Louisville, Marquette, Syracuse, Villanova
Big Ten---Illinios, Purdue, Ohio State
Big 12---Kansas, Missouri
Pac 10---Washington, California, Arizona State
SEC---Tennessee

'BUBBLE TEAMS'

ACC---Boston College, Virginia Tech
Big East---West Virginia, Cincinnati, Providence
Big Ten---Minnesota, Penn State, Wisconsin
Big 12---Texas, Kansas State
Mountain West---BYU, San Diego State, UNLV
MVC---Creighton, Illinois State
Pac 10---Arizona
SEC---Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida
West Coast---St. Mary's

'BUBBLE BURSTING'

ACC---Miami (FL), Maryland
Big East---Georgetown, Notre Dame
Big Ten---Michigan, Northwestern
Big 12---Baylor, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State
C-USA---UAB
Pac 10---USC
SEC---Mississippi State, Auburn

Mock Draft 4.0

2009-02-11T15:45:00.003-06:00

With the football season over, it is time for another Mock Draft. This time it is version 4.0. Newest updates listed first.

1. Detroit Lions -- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

--Unless something dramatic happens, the Lions should go with Stafford. Think about the following...last year they passed up Joe Flacco (Gosder Cherilus), 2006 it was Jay Cutler (Ernie Sims), 2005 had Aaron Rodgers (Mike Williams), 2004 there was Ben Roethlisberger (Roy Williams). 2007 they got one right with Calvin Johnson...but still...we all know the Joey Harrington experiment failed. But, they need to move on and take a QB that they can build on.
--Nothing new has changed here. The Lions need a franchise quarterback and they need one right now! There are plenty of options for offensive lineman and they can grab one with their second pick. Stafford has all of the tools and looks like he could develop into a great quarterback.

2. St. Louis Rams -- Andre Smith, OT, Alabama

--I still think offensive line is the biggest need for the Rams. Crabtree should get some consideration too, but who will throw to him if the quarterback is laying on his back?
--Another pick with no change. The Rams clearly need help on the line and Smith, in my opinion, is the best prospect in the country. He will be a dominant force for years to come.

3. Kansas City Chiefs -- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State

--I am a believer that in some way, the Chiefs are going to end up with Matt Cassel. With that the next biggest need is the defensive line. Brown seems to be higher on the want list than Orakpo at the moment (and even more after the combine). Previous Pick: Brian Orakpo
--If I am the Kansas City Chiefs, I am sticking with Tyler Thigpen...at least for one more year. I think this is too high to take Sanchez and with McCoy and Bradford both going back to college, the Chiefs would be better off with Thigpen and getting a solid position player instead. Kansas City needs somebody that can generate pressure on the quarterback. With new GM, Scott Pioli, I think they will turn to a 3-4 defense. If they draft Aaron Curry, chances are they move him inside, therefore I see a DE. Orakpo didn't have a great game against Ohio State and isn't participating in the Senior Bowl. I will probably change this pick when I see a better option, but right now I say Orakpo.

4. Seattle Seahawks -- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

--This is still too perfect for the Seahawks, who desperately need a playmaker. Crabtree could and should develop into a Fitzgerald/Andre Johnson type.
--Unless something goes wrong in the top three (like the Lions taking Crabtree number one), I see him ending up in Seattle. No wide receiver had more than 50 catches last year, and the leader, Bobby Engram is 36 years old. Outside of Deion Branch, the cabinet is bare.

5. Cleveland Browns -- Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest

--With McGinest and Davis both expected to leave via free agency, Curry makes the most sense with this pick...especially if they go with a 3-4 defense.
--The Browns definitely need help on their front seven. Most notably at linebacker and defensive end. If Curry goes before the number five spot, Orakpo or Brown would be the next choice for the Cleveland. Malcolm Jenkins could also be an option here depending on what happens with the first four picks.

6. Cincinnati Bengals -- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia

--The Bengals need people to protect for Carson Palmer. There should be plenty of choices for them here to make a good pick.
--The reason for the Bengals struggles. They can't protect the passer and they can't run the ball. It all starts with the offensive line and they need this unit to improve vastly. Monroe would solidify the tackle spot and be a key component.

7. Oakland Raiders -- Jason Smith OT, Baylor

--Oakland still needs a couple of playmakers on offense. Jeremy Maclin would be an option here as well, but the offensive line struggled the past couple years and Smith is as good of choice as any. Previous Pick - Michael Oher
--The Raiders need offensive line help almost as bad as the Bengals. My guess here is that Monroe goes first, which would leave the Raiders to select Oher. If Crabtree somehow fell here or the Raiders could move up, he would be a perfect fit.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC

--This would be a tough spot for the Jaguars if all three of the top lineman are gone. I would have a feeling that they would try to move down a few picks, but if not, I don't think they would mind this pick. Previous Pick -- Jason Smith
--I can't believe I have three lineman in a row...especially in the top 10. But, the Jaguars are yet another team who needs help on the line and guess which position has the most prospects? You guessed it, offensive tackle.

9. Green Bay Packers -- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College

--I think the only other option for the Packers at this point would be Orakpo. Raji continues to climb the draft board, especially after dominating the Senior Bowl.
--The Packers need some beef in the middle of their defense. Raji fits the bell and is a very good player. His stock continues to move up and with a good Senior Bowl performance, might even go higher.

10. San Francisco 49ers -- Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

--This is probably still the best option for the 49ers. Sanchez can take a year or two to develop if Shaun Hill can continue to be a moderate quarterback.
--With Bradford back at Oklahoma and Stafford off the board, and the 49ers biggest need being a QB, Sanchez makes the most sense. Shaun Hill is not the long term answer and Sanchez could sit a year or two and develop. This would be a good situation for both teams.

11. Buffalo Bills -- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas

--Buffalo has more glaring needs, but none fit the bill to be drafted this high. Orakpo can rotate at end for a couple of years before becoming a 3-down player. Previous Pick -- Everette Brown
--The Bills need some help to get pressure on opposing QB's. Brown would fit that need perfectly and would be a solid pick at number 11. His stock is also rising and with some good outings, could move into the top 10.

12. Denver Broncos -- James Laurinitis, ILB, Ohio State

--The Broncos need an upgrade at lineback in the worst way. If Maualuga is off the board, Laurinitis would be the next selection. Previous Pick -- Rey Maualuga

--If Maualuga makes it here, the Broncos should be estatic. The defense needs a major upgrade and the Broncos could always grab a running back in the second round. They would be hard pressed to pass on him.

13. Washington Redskins -- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State

--I think Maybin is more of a fit than Johnson is for the Redskins. Maybin can provide some instant pass rush and works well against the run. Previous Pick -- Michael Johnson
--Washington definitely needs help on the defensive line. Raji would have been the perfect choice, but he continues to move up with each performance. I still think Johnson would be the correct choice here.

14. New Orleans Saints -- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State

--The Saints need to load up on defense so the offense doesn't have to score 40 points for the team to win. Jenkins has the talent to become a shut down corner. Previous Pick -- James Laurinitis
--Another pick that stays the same. Laurinitis is hurting himself by not being in the Senior Bowl, but I still think the Saints can't afford to pass him up, especially if Vilma leaves.

15. Houston Texans -- Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech

--The Texans need some help at the safety position, but this would be too high to grab anyone. If Johnson could play opposite of Super Mario, the Texans would boast a great pass-rushing combo. Previous Pick -- Malcolm Jenkins
--If Jenkins happens to slip this far, the Texans would more than gladly take him. They need help in the secondary and Jenkins can be a shutdown corner.

16. San Diego Chargers -- Chris 'Beanie' Wells, RB, Ohio State

--This is just a matter of who the Chargers like more. Knowshon or Beanie. With so many questions at the running back position, either one works right now.
--With LT starting to slow down and Darren Sporles heading towards free agency, the Chargers need to find a running back and find one fast. They really need a linebacker and help on the defensive line, but I don't think they can pass on the chance to take Wells or Knowshon Moreno.

17. New York Jets -- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

--Even though Favre retired, I don't like the pick of a QB here. Josh Freeman has the best arm, but the Jets still have Kellen Clemens and Erik Ainge. I would guess they get a veteran QB that they can use for another year or two to see if either of those guys can develop.
--It wasn't complete Brett Favre's fault that the Jets collapsed. Their pass defense was horrible towards the end of the year and Davis could step right in and play.

18. Chicago Bears -- Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri

--The Bears need somebody to throw the ball to so they can take off pressure from Matt Forte and Devin Hester. Maclin has decent size and the speed to fit the billing. Previous Pick -- Aaron Maybin
--All the talk was that Maybin was going to stay in school. Well, he didn't. The Bears like to upgrade on their offensive and defensive lines and Maybin would be a good fit. They really need a receiver to go along with Hester...but the two best on the board are Maclin and Harvin. I think they would want more of a possession guy.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

--The new coaching staff has a couple of decisions to make. They could go after Josh Freeman to be the quarterback of the future, or they could find somebody already on the roster. If the do the latter, a Bryant/Harvin combination would be deadly. Previous Pick -- Jeremy Maclin
--With the emergence of Antonio Bryant last year, the Bucs need one more play-maker. Joey Galloway is not getting any younger and Maclin would be a good threat. I could also see them going after Moreno if he was still here, but Maclin is still the choice.

20. Detroit Lions (from Dallas Cowboys) -- Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss

--With so many holes to fill, it is tough to gauge what the Lions would do with this pick. The biggest needs (after QB) are offensive line and linebacker. If Oher is around, it would be very hard to pass him up. Previous Pick -- Eben Britton
--Taking Stafford first is the smart move, the second smart move would be to grab an offensive lineman. Britton has been up and down, but remains the best tackle on the board.

21. Philadelphia Eagles -- Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State

--This would give McNabb another viable option in the passing game. If they can sign or trade for a play-making receiver, watch out!
--Donovan McNabb finally found a deep threat in DeSean Jackson. LJ Smith isn't a great tight end and certainly doesn't have the abilities of Pettigrew.

22. Minnesota Vikings -- Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU

--With a pass rush of Tyson Jackson and Jared Allen, the secondary might not have to stay in coverage as long. This would be very intimadating for opposing quarterbacks! Previous Pick -- Alphonso Smith
--Sticking with Smith for this spot. Vikings need to upgrade their secondary to keep teams from throwing left and right, up and down, and everywhere else on them.

23. New England Patriots -- Brian Cushing, OLB, USC

--The other option here would be a cornerback. I think one can be found in the second round and Cushing would be hard to pass up.
--The Patriots linebackers are getting old. The secondary needs help as well. Cushing looks like a perfect fit for Patriots system and can inject some youth into the team.

24. Atlanta Falcons -- William Moore, S, Missouri

--Atlanta has three needs that they need to address, and safety is one of them. Moore is the best one in the draft and the Falcons should go on that route. Previous Pick -- Terrance Cody
--The Falcons have a big need for DT. Cody would be the perfect fit for this team and he would be able to force two blockers on him at all times.

25. Miami Dolphins -- Larry English, OLB, Northern Illinois

--Joey Porter had a great year, but how much more does he have left? English would be a nice option for the DE/LB hybrid role and could move to OLB after Porter retires. Previous Pick -- D.J. Moore
--The secondary needs a face lift and Moore can provide at least part of that. This would be a good starting point for this up and coming team.

26. Baltimore Ravens -- Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest

--It's hard to say that the Ravens need help on defense, but if they really want to shore up, drafting a top cornerback would be that step. The corners are getting old and the young guys just don't have starter stuff. Previous Pick -- Percy Harvin
--The Ravens desperately need help at cornerback and receiver. With most of the top corners gone, Harvin would be a good weapon for Flacco to use.

27. Indianapolis Colts -- Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss

--Unless the Colts can sign Haynesworth, Jerry looks like the selection of choice, assuming he is still here.
--When Darren Sproles can through the MIDDLE of your defense, you know you have problems. Jerry would be a good fit and maybe will cause someone besides Bob Sanders to make tackles.

28. Philadelphia Eagles (from Carolina) -- Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

--Who knows when Brian Westbrook is healthy or not. And when he is, they still can't gain a couple of inches when they need it. Moreno could definately change that. Previous Pick -- Duke Robinson
--The next need for Eagles is someone that can push the line forward so they can get a couple first downs when it is third and short. Robinson could fill that need on the interior.

29. New York Giants -- Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina

--Same here as before. A play-maker is needed to help out. Unless the Giants somehow get Chedder Plex back, Nicks would be the choice.
--We all saw what happened to the Giants when Chedder Plex left. The Giants need a big receiving threat and Nicks fits it perfectly.

30. Tennessee Titans -- Alex Mack, C, California

--If the Titans are smart, they take Mack here. Kevin Mawae has to be getting closer to retirement and Mack probably only needs one or two years to really develop into a great center. Previous Pick -- Victor Harris
--The Titans don't draft receivers, even though they really need them. The next biggest need is probably at corner. Harris stays at this spot for now.

31. Arizona Cardinals -- LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh

--I am assuming Moreno and Wells will be off the board and that Edgerrin James will no longer be in Arizona. McCoy is the best option if all of that happens! Previous Pick -- Knowshon Moreno

32. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Eben Britton, OT, Arizona

--The Steelers biggest need is that offensive line. They need to spend a couple of draft picks to address this need and Britton would be the first step in helping to solve the problem! Previous Pick -- Alex Mack

Bracket Busting Time!

2009-02-09T16:41:00.003-06:00

With Selection Sunday rapidly approaching, I have decided to project the field of 64...I mean 65 on every Monday. The first part is who I think will end up with the automatic bids from each conference, followed by conference locks. The last part will be the bubble teams, followed by teams whose bubble is starting to burst if it hasn't already!

AUTOMATIC BIDS (31 Teams)

American East---Vermont
Atlantic 10---Xavier
ACC---North Carolina
Atlantic Sun---East Tenn St.
Big East---Conneticut
Big Sky---Portland State
Big South---VMI
Big Ten---Michigan State
Big 12---Oklahoma
Big West---Long Beach State
CAA---VCU
C-USA---Memphis
Horizon---Butler
Ivy---Cornell
MAAC---Siena
MAC---Buffalo
MEAC---Morgan State
MVC---UNI
Mountain West---Utah
Northeast---Robert Morris
Ohio Valley---Tennessee-Martin
Pacific 10---UCLA
Patriot---American
SEC---Florida
Southern---Davidson
Southland---Stephen F. Austin
SWAC---Alabama State
Summit---North Dakota State
Sun Belt---Western Kentucky
West Coast---Gonzaga
WAC---Utah State

'LOCK TEAMS'

Atlantic 10---Dayton
ACC---Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State
Big 12---Kansas, Missouri
Big East---Pittsburgh, Louisville, Marquette, Syracuse, Villanova
Big Ten---Illinios, Purdue, Ohio State, Minnesota
Pac 10---Washington, California, Arizona State
SEC---Tennessee

'BUBBLE TEAMS'

ACC---Miami (FL), Virginia Tech, Boston College
Big East---West Virginia, Cincinnati
Big Ten---Penn State, Michigan
Big 12---Texas
Mountain West---BYU, San Diego State, UNLV
MVC---Creighton, Illinois State
Pac 10---USC, Arizona
SEC---LSU, South Carolina
West Coast---St. Mary's

'BUBBLE BURSTING'

ACC---Maryland
Big East---Georgetown, Providence, Notre Dame
Big Ten---Northwestern
Big 12---Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Baylor
SEC---Kentucky

Oh...it is also RIVALRY week in CBB, so check out some great games throughout the week!!

Let's compare the QB's

2009-02-06T12:35:00.006-06:00

Okay, after winning Super Bowl XLIII, Ben Roethlisberger has now won TWO Super Bowl rings and he is still 26 years old. Granted, he didn't do much in the first game, but his team still won. The argument is usually against him for being considered an 'elite' quarterback. Why is this? Is it because he doesn't put up video game numbers? Is it because he doesn't make everything look pretty? Is it because he doesn't play in a spread offense? Look, the facts are facts. He has the most wins by any quarterback in their first five seasons of play. He has EIGHT playoff wins. Guess what! Peyton Manning only has SEVEN! No, no, no...I am not comparing Roethlisberger to Manning...we all know Manning is an elite passer and has his ONE ring...wait a second, Roethlisberger is sound better...we better just look at the numbers.

In order to judge a quarterback, you must do so in different categories. Since we know that teams such as the Cardinals and the Saints rely on the pass more so than the Steelers and Chargers, we can't use exact Touchdown and Interception numbers. Instead, we will use percentages.

Here are the eight categories that I have used in determining how a quarterback rates:

1. Win %
2. Completion %
3. Touchdown %
4. Interception %
5. Yards/Attempt
6. Yards/Completion
7. Yards/Game
8. QB Rating

Now, in order to properly judge a quarterback based strictly on statistics, I can't give out the names. You all already have a pre-concieved notion of who is better. So, with that in mind, I will use player A, B, C, etc. The first number represents the regular season, the second number represents the playoffs. All of these are current quarterbacks in the NFL

Player A

64.57---60.00 Winning %
58.90---59.60 Completion %
4.5---4.3 Touchdown %
2.1---3.0 Interception %
6.8---6.5 Yards/Attempt
11.6---10.9 Yards/Completion
218.8---234.8 Yards/Game
85.9---80.8 QB Rating

Player B

78.18---82.35 Winning %
63.00---62.50 Completion %
5.4---4.4 Touchdown %
2.4---2.0 Interception %
7.2---6.6 Yards/Attempt
11.5---10.6 Yards/Completion
234.0---232.6 Yards/Game
92.9---88.0 QB Rating

Player C

68.75---50.00 Winning %
62.30---56.60 Completion %
5.5---3.7 Touchdown %
2.5---3.7 Interception %
7.5---8.1 Yards/Attempt
12.0---14.2 Yards/Completion
205.7---253.7 Yards/Game
92.9---79.7 QB Rating

Player D

71.83---80.00 Winning %
62.40---61.90 Completion %
5.3---5.4 Touchdown %
3.6---4.3 Interception %
7.9---8.1 Yards/Attempt
12.6---13.0 Yards/Completion
208---223.9 Yards/Game
89.4---87.2 QB Rating

Player E

66.48---46.67 Winning %
64.40---61.60 Completion %
5.6---3.9 Touchdown %
2.8---3.0 Interception %
7.7---7.4 Yards/Attemp
11.9---12.1 Yards/Completion
259.3---280.5 Yards/Game
94.7---84.9 QB Rating

Player F

59.15---57.14 Winning %
55.90---58.50 Completion %
4.3---4.2 Touchdown %
3.2---3.6 Interception %
6.4---6.7 Yards/Attempt
11.5---11.5 Yards/Completion
200.3---185.7 Yards/Game
76.1---77.6 QB Rating

Player G

56.44---72.73 Winning %
65.40---64.80 Completion %
5.1---6.5 Touchdown %
3.2---3.2 Interception %
6.4---6.7 Yards/Attempt
12.3---12.9 Yards/Completion
259.9---306.2 Yards/Game
93.8---98.9 QB Rating

Player H

56.31---44.44 Winning %
60.10---58.20 Completion %
2.8---2.5 Touchdown %
3.2---3.2 Interception %
7.0---6.8 Yards/Attempt
11.7---11.7 Yards/Completion
214.1---245.7 Yards/Game
84.5---79.9 QB Rating

Now, here are a few more player without enough experience in the post-season, so I have just included their regular season numbers:

Player I

49.23 Winning %
63.70 Completion %
4.9 Touchdown %
3.1 Interception %
7.2 Yards/Attempt
11.3 Yards/Completion
240.5 Yards/Game
88.9 QB Rating

Player J

69.23 Winning %
63.60 Completion %
6.2 Touchdown %
3.5 Interception %
8.1 Yards/Attempt
12.7 Yards/Completion
251.5 Yards/Game
94.7 QB Rating

Player K

51.89 Winning %
63.90 Completion %
4.6 Touchdown %
2.7 Interception %
7.2 Yards/Attempt
11.3 Yards/Completion
245.4 Yards/Game
89.4 QB Rating

So, now, based on statistics, you can make the assumptions that you want on each player without knowing which each one is. What do you think? Who stands out? Who struggles?

After you figure out which guy is Roethlisberger, you can compare him to a couple other guys after their first five years in the league.

Peyton Manning

52.50---0.00 Winning %
60.90---48.00 Completion %
4.8---1.3 Touchdown %
3.5---0.0 Interception %
7.2---5.6 Yards/Attempt
11.8---11.7 Yards/Completion
257.7---210.5 Yards/Game
84.3---69.9 QB Rating

Tom Brady

77.42---100.00 Winning %
61.60---60.54 Completion %
4.8---2.7 Touchdown %
2.6---1.4 Interception %
6.9---6.1 Yards/Attempt
11.2---10.1 Yards/Completion
221---227.3 Yards/Game
87.5---85.1 QB Rating

Look, all I am saying is that before you base all of your arguments based on fantasy football numbers, you should take a look at the real NFL numbers first. As Colin Cowherd says, "The NFL is NOT fantasy football!"

Take your pick...Kobe vs. LeBron

2009-02-05T15:02:00.014-06:00

Anything you can do, I can do better....

I can do anything better than you....

Let's compare the two...

Current career stats:

LeBron James--27.5 P/G, 7.0 Reb, 6.6 A, 1.8 Stl, 0.9 Blk, 46.9 FG%, 32.1 3Pt%, 73.4 FT%, 3.3 TO

Kobe Bryant--25.1 P/G, 5.3 Reb, 4.6 A, 1.5 Stl, 0.6 Blk, 45.5 FG%, 34.1 3Pt%, 84.0 FT%, 2.9 TO

Okay...we know stats don't always tell the truth. Kobe is a better shooter than LeBron, I don't think that has ever been argued. LeBron does so much more for his team. Kobe is the definition of a scorer. LeBron is a scorer as well, but most of his points come inside because he might be the best player at getting to the rim. Kobe also has something that LeBron doesn't...rings. However, LeBron also has never played with anyone remotely close to that of Shaq.

You also have to remember...LeBron is in his SIXTH year!

Here is Kobe's stats after his first six years.

19.8 P/G, 4.6 Reb, 3.8 A, 1.3 Stl, 0.6 Blk, 45.8 FG%, 31.4 3Pt%, 82.7 FT%, 2.5 TO

So....take your pick....LeBron or Kobe?

As for me...I'm taking the King....

SIX-PACK BABY!!!

2009-02-04T10:41:00.019-06:00

Make that SIX Lombardi trophies that now resonate in Pittsburgh thanks to a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. What a win and what a game. The discussion has already come up about whether this could be the 'greatest Super Bowl game ever', while I won't go that far, I will say it has to be one of the top 5. But, it probably did have the greatest play in Super Bowl history. In all reality, the first 48 minutes of the game didn't produce too much besides a 20-7 score in favor of Pittsburgh. What do you when you are playing a game or anything else? YOU SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST! And that is exactly what the Steelers and Cardinals did. The last 12 minutes might have been the best 12 minutes in Super Bowl history.

First, let's go to the greatest play in Super Bowl history. What makes a play great? I mean REALLY great. You have to make it at the right time, it has to be a big play, it has to make a difference in a game, it has to have momentum and be a game changing play. Okay, so let's dissect each part.

Part I: Timing

Ball at one yard line with the Cardinals threatening to score just before half-time.
Score 10-7 in favor of the Steelers.
At this point, the best situation the Steelers can hope for is a 10-10 tie going into the half or for the Cardinals, a 14-10 lead.

Part II: Big Play

Interception at the goal-line...I think that defines a 'big play'!
100 yard return...HUGE!

Part III: Difference in the Game

As I mentioned, worst case scenario for the Cardinals a 10-10 tie. This play makes it 17-7, Steelers advantage.
The play was AT LEAST a 10 point swing.

Part IV: Momentum and Game Changing

Points off the board for one team, on the board for the other.
A possible tie-game turns into a 10 point lead.
Gee...ya think?

Oh yeah...it was ALSO a defensive touchdown and the LONGEST play in Super Bowl history. You know, after thinking about it....this might be the greatest play to EVER happen in the history of the National Football League. If you want to show me a better play that has ever happened, I would like to see it!!! I would also accept the Music City Miracle as one of the greatest ever and the Immaculate Reception...but, what else would be on that short list?

Back to the last 12 minutes of the game. This was classic. The Cardinals finally said, "Hey, maybe we should try some no huddle instead of pretending like we can run the ball." And it worked. Warner blazed down the field and threw one up to Fitzgerald that only Yao Ming or LeBron James could have defended. By the way, did you also know that Warner audibled to that quick slant? Why wasn't a lob to Fitz called on that play? Or was it?

After a couple change of possessions and a dumb, dumb, dumb penalty on James Harrison, the Steelers had the ball at the half yard line. First down = Incomplete pass, clock stops. Second down= no gain with Willie Parker barely sneaking out of the end zone and a timeout stops the clock. Third down = another pass! WHAT?!? Santonio Holmes makes a great catch and it looks like the Steelers would just need one more first down to end the game. Hold on...penalty...in the end zone, automatic SAFETY...20-16 Steelers lead.

Okay, still over two and a half minutes left...who is the ONE player you don't want to let beat you if you are a Steeler? Maybe some guy named Larry Fitzgerald? Quick slant, safeties jump the out routs, Fitzgerald outruns the entire defense and boom the Cardinals have a 23-20 lead. Ouch...

However...there is still over two minutes on the clock for Pittsburgh. After the kickoff, they have to 78 yards to the end zone. Are we about to witness history with a Cardinals win or even the first EVER overtime game in the Super Bowl? First down...penalty...offensive holding...The Achilles Heel of the Steelers all season...88 yards to go. Pass to Santonio Holmes for 14 yards. Second and six...clock running, ball snapped, deep pass to Nate Washington...incomplete, two minute warning. Third and six. Ball at the 26 yard-line. Cardinals attack Roethlisberger, he steps up and completes another pass to Santonio Holmes for a first down. Another quick pass, this time to Nate Washington for a first (get out of bounds!). Back to the line, Roethlisberger scrambles for four yards and a timeout is called.

As a Steelers fan, at this point, I am thinking about moving the ball another 25-30 yards to set up a field goal attempt. However, the Steelers team has a different idea. Back from the timeout, Roethlisberger pumps once, pumps twice, finds Santonio Holmes who dodges to defenders and runs to the six yard line. Now, a touchdown is within sights. But, hold on for one second. Why did they call a timeout so quickly? After the catch and run, Holmes got up to celebrate as did other players and weren't ready for the next play. Okay, not a big deal, because you still have three attempts before sending out the field goal unit and you should be looking in the end zone on all three tries.

First and goal from the six. Roethlisberger looks around and slings one in the back of the end zone to an open Holmes and it just slips through his fingers...would have been a great catch. Throw was a little high, but you put it in a place where only your guy can grab it. Second down. Roethlisberger drops back, read one covered, read two covered, buys some extra time and lets it go....

...and Santonio Holmes makes one of the best catches in the history of the Super Bowl! They review it and confirm a touchdown for a 27-23 lead with 42 seconds left!

We all know what happens after that...the Cardinals get a couple of first downs and use their remaining timeouts. Warner steps up into the pocket and gets the ball hit by Woodley and the fumble/incomplete pass ends up in the hands of Brett Keisel. 72 seconds later, Roethlisberger takes a knee and that SIX yard touchdown pass turns out to be the game winning play and Super Bowl trophy number SIX for the Steelers.

Thoughts on officiating. This wasn't the greatest called game in the world. Was it the worst called game? Not even close. Was it bad? Probably. Was it bad on both sides? YES, it was! Did it cost the Cardinals the game? No, it didn't. It may have cost them an opportunity to win, but not the game.

The penalties for the Cardinals was 11-106. For the Steelers 7-56. The Cardinals also declined a penalty and two of the Steelers penalties (Harrison UR and Hartwing Hold) combined for ONE total yard. So, if you add in those factors, it should have been 8-85, which is not a big discrepancy.
The most questionable call of the night had to the roughing the passer on Roethlisberger. I have seen him take hits much later than that. However, I have also seen flags thrown on plays that are much closer. So, you can't really make an argument either way. Some also say that Roethlisberger should have been called for grounding. I will prove otherwise.
The other big one I have heard, is that on the Harrison touchdown, was that LaMaar Woodley blocked Tim Hightower in the back. Well, if you want to complain about that one, there were a couple missed calls on the Cardinals as well...and I will show you them as well. Also on that play...Larry Fitzgerald ran out of bounds when he was trying to catch Harrison. If you want to get technical, that should have been a flag too.
After the first 'fumble/incomplete pass' that Warner had in the night, he took his helmet off on the field. That is a 15 yard penalty and wasn't called either.
Everyone things that the last 'fumble/incomplete pass' was not reviewed. However, IT WAS REVIEWED. The replay booth reviewed it and did not buzz down to the on-field officials, because they agreed with the fumble call.

Here are some examples:

Either way, we can't go back to review anything now, so it is done and over with. The only people that should have a legitimate gripe about the game is the Arizona Cardinals. And guess what? THEY AREN'T TALKING! Everyone else, except for the Cardinals is upset about the calls!

Back to the game...in my opinion, Warner closed his case for the Hall of Fame. He should be in five years after he calls it a career. As for Roethlisberger...two Super Bowl victories, eight career playoff wins and he is only 26. I wouldn't call him Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, but he has to be considered one of the best. HE HAS MORE RINGS THAN MANNING DOES! Whether you like him or not, you can't deny that fact or that he led six drives this year in the fourth quarter that were game winning drives. Not everything he does looks pretty. But guess what? HE WINS GAMES! What more can you ask for? You can have Tony Romo, Drew Brees, Jay Cutler, etc....I will take Roethlisberger and not look back.

With everything being said, I know facts are facts. Santonio Holmes is the Super Bowl XLIII MVP. Ben Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl rings and the most victories of any quarterback in their first five seasons in the league. The Steelers had the number one defense this year. And finally, there are now SIX Vince Lombardi Trophies in Pittsburgh and no other team in the NFL can say that!

Mock Draft 3.0

2009-01-21T09:57:00.006-06:00

With the Super Bowl upon us and the bowl season done, it is time for another look at the 2009 NFL Draft.

1. Detroit Lions -- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
--Nothing new has changed here. The Lions need a franchise quarterback and they need one right now! There are plenty of options for offensive lineman and they can grab one with their second pick. Stafford has all of the tools and looks like he could develop into a great quarterback.

2. St. Louis Rams -- Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
--Another pick with no change. The Rams clearly need help on the line and Smith, in my opinion, is the best prospect in the country. He will be a dominant force for years to come.

3. Kansas City Chiefs -- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
--If I am the Kansas City Chiefs, I am sticking with Tyler Thigpen...at least for one more year. I think this is too high to take Sanchez and with McCoy and Bradford both going back to college, the Chiefs would be better off with Thigpen and getting a solid position player instead. Kansas City needs somebody that can generate pressure on the quarterback. With new GM, Scott Pioli, I think they will turn to a 3-4 defense. If they draft Aaron Curry, chances are they move him inside, therefore I see a DE. Orakpo didn't have a great game against Ohio State and isn't participating in the Senior Bowl. I will probably change this pick when I see a better option, but right now I say Orakpo.

4. Seattle Seahawks -- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
--Unless something goes wrong in the top three (like the Lions taking Crabtree number one), I see him ending up in Seattle. No wide receiver had more than 50 catches last year, and the leader, Bobby Engram is 36 years old. Outside of Deion Branch, the cabinet is bare.

5. Cleveland Browns -- Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
--The Browns definitely need help on their front seven. Most notably at linebacker and defensive end. If Curry goes before the number five spot, Orakpo or Brown would be the next choice for the Cleveland. Malcolm Jenkins could also be an option here depending on what happens with the first four picks.

6. Cincinnati Bengals -- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
--The reason for the Bengals struggles. They can't protect the passer and they can't run the ball. It all starts with the offensive line and they need this unit to improve vastly. Monroe would solidify the tackle spot and be a key component.

7. Oakland Raiders -- Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss
--The Raiders need offensive line help almost as bad as the Bengals. My guess here is that Monroe goes first, which would leave the Raiders to select Oher. If Crabtree somehow fell here or the Raiders could move up, he would be a perfect fit.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
--I can't believe I have three lineman in a row...especially in the top 10. But, the Jaguars are yet another team who needs help on the line and guess which position has the most prospects? You guessed it, offensive tackle.

9. Green Bay Packers -- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
--The Packers need some beef in the middle of their defense. Raji fits the bell and is a very good player. His stock continues to move up and with a good Senior Bowl performance, might even go higher.

10. San Francisco 49ers -- Mark Sanchez, QB, USC
--With Bradford back at Oklahoma and Stafford off the board, and the 49ers biggest need being a QB, Sanchez makes the most sense. Shaun Hill is not the long term answer and Sanchez could sit a year or two and develop. This would be a good situation for both teams.

11. Buffalo Bills -- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
--The Bills need some help to get pressure on opposing QB's. Brown would fit that need perfectly and would be a solid pick at number 11. His stock is also rising and with some good outings, could move into the top 10.

12. Denver Broncos -- Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC
--If Maualuga makes it here, the Broncos should be estatic. The defense needs a major upgrade and the Broncos could always grab a running back in the second round. They would be hard pressed to pass on him.

13. Washington Redskins -- Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech
--Washington definitely needs help on the defensive line. Raji would have been the perfect choice, but he continues to move up with each performance. I still think Johnson would be the correct choice here.

14. New Orleans Saints -- James Laurinitis, ILB, Ohio State
--Another pick that stays the same. Laurinitis is hurting himself by not being in the Senior Bowl, but I still think the Saints can't afford to pass him up, especially if Vilma leaves.

15. Houston Texans -- Malcom Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
--If Jenkins happens to slip this far, the Texans would more than gladly take him. They need help in the secondary and Jenkins can be a shutdown corner.

16. San Diego Chargers -- Chris 'Beanie' Wells, RB, Ohio State
--With LT starting to slow down and Darren Sporles heading towards free agency, the Chargers need to find a running back and find one fast. They really need a linebacker and help on the defensive line, but I don't think they can pass on the chance to take Wells or Knowshon Moreno.

17. New York Jets -- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
--It wasn't complete Brett Favre's fault that the Jets collapsed. Their pass defense was horrible towards the end of the year and Davis could step right in and play.

18. Chicago Bears -- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
--All the talk was that Maybin was going to stay in school. Well, he didn't. The Bears like to upgrade on their offensive and defensive lines and Maybin would be a good fit. They really need a receiver to go along with Hester...but the two best on the board are Maclin and Harvin. I think they would want more of a possession guy.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
--With the emergence of Antonio Bryant last year, the Bucs need one more play-maker. Joey Galloway is not getting any younger and Maclin would be a good threat. I could also see them going after Moreno if he was still here, but Maclin is still the choice.

20. Detroit Lions (from Dallas Cowboys) -- Eben Britton, OT, Arizona
--Taking Stafford first is the smart move, the second smart move would be to grab an offensive lineman. Britton has been up and down, but remains the best tackle on the board.

21. Philadelphia Eagles -- Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
--Donovan McNabb finally found a deep threat in DeSean Jackson. LJ Smith isn't a great tight end and certainly doesn't have the abilities of Pettigrew.

22. Minnesota Vikings -- Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest
--Sticking with Smith for this spot. Vikings need to upgrade their secondary to keep teams from throwing left and right, up and down, and everywhere else on them.

23. New England Patriots -- Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
--The Patriots linebackers are getting old. The secondary needs help as well. Cushing looks like a perfect fit for Patriots system and can inject some youth into the team.

24. Atlanta Falcons -- Terrance Cody, DT, Alabama
--The Falcons have a big need for DT. Cody would be the perfect fit for this team and he would be able to force two blockers on him at all times.

25. Miami Dolphins -- D.J. Moore, CB, Vanderbilt
--The secondary needs a face lift and Moore can provide at least part of that. This would be a good starting point for this up and coming team.

26. Baltimore Ravens -- Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
--The Ravens desperately need help at cornerback and receiver. With most of the top corners gone, Harvin would be a good weapon for Flacco to use.

27. Indianapolis Colts -- Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss
--When Darren Sproles can through the MIDDLE of your defense, you know you have problems. Jerry would be a good fit and maybe will cause someone besides Bob Sanders to make tackles.

28. Philadelphia Eagles (from Carolina) -- Duke Robinson, G, Oklahoma
--The next need for Eagles is someone that can push the line forward so they can get a couple first downs when it is third and short. Robinson could fill that need on the interior.

29. New York Giants -- Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina
--We all saw what happened to the Giants when Chedder Plex left. The Giants need a big receiving threat and Nicks fits it perfectly.

30. Tennessee Titans -- Victor Harris, CB, Virginia Tech
--The Titans don't draft receivers, even though they really need them. The next biggest need is probably at corner. Harris stays at this spot for now.

31 & 32 Pittsburgh Steelers & Arizona Cardinals -- Alex Mack, C, California & Knowshon Moreno, RB Georgia
--Why am I putting these two teams together? I can't J--- the Steelers!!! These two teams need help on the offensive line and the backfield in their respective positions. Two more picks that make sense!

President Obama

2009-01-19T13:05:00.011-06:00

Congratulations to President Obama as he is about to take office. It truly is a significant time in American history. I hope he can succeed and lead our country into a better place than what it is now. Whether you are a democrat or republican, whether you agree or disagree, whether you hate him or love him, the fact is, he is our President. Now, only if he can solve the biggest debate that plagues us all...

DOWN WITH THE BCS!! GO OBAMA!!!

One other note, President Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America. What's so special about 44? Oh, it was just the number on the jersey of famous athletes such as: Hank Aaron, Jerry West, George Gervin, Willie McCovey, John Riggins and it was the college jersey of Jim Brown and Ernie Davis. So, is 44 the best number in all of sports?

Here are a few more options:

#5: Johnny Bench, George Brett, Joe DiMaggio, Paul Hornung, Brooks Robinson, Hank Greenberg, Albert Pujols

#14: Ernie Banks, Pete Rose, Bob Cousy, Otto Graham, Don Hutson, Oscar Robertson

#21: Roger Clemens, Roberto Clemente, Tim Duncan, Deion Sanders, Sammy Sosa, LaDainian Tomlinson, Warren Spahn, Dominique Wilkins

#23: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Ryne Sandberg, Don Mattingly, Pete Maravich (college)

#24: Barry Bonds (Pirates), Willie Mays, Manny Ramirez, Ken Griffey Jr., Rick Barry, Kobe Bryant, Rickey Henderson, Moses Malone (Rockets)

#32: Jim Brown, Julius Erving (ABA), Magic Johnson, Shaq (Heat, Suns, Magic), O.J., Karl Malone, Steve Carlton, Sandy Koufax, Kevin McHale

#33: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Sammy Baugh, Patrick Roy, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, Tony Dorsett

#34: Charles Barkley, Earl Campbell, Shaq (Lakers), Hakeem Olajuwon, Walter Payton, Nolan Ryan, Herschel Walker

B(c)S National Championship

2009-01-08T16:10:00.014-06:00

It all comes down to this. This is what we have waited an entire college football season to see. The two ~~undefeated~~ ...errr... ~~best~~...ahhh... ~~deserving~~ ...ummm...highest ranked teams are ready to face each other. The FLORIDA GATORS versus the OKLAHOMA SOONERS. Once again, the B(c)S National Championship game will feature two teams coming in with controversy. Okay, okay, I understand...it's a moot point. But, to you all of you BCS pundits out there, I do have this. If the regular season is supposedly an elimination each and every week, then why was Florida not eliminated after their loss AT HOME to Ole Miss. And to you Oklahoma, you lost to Texas at a NEUTRAL site. You both should be eliminated if every week does really matter, correct? Okay then, on to the game....

BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Januray 8, 8:00 PM EST, Fox
Florida (12-1) vs. Oklahoma (12-1)

What you should know: Anything and everything possible. You have been fed every little possible detail about both teams that you don't know what matters anymore.

What you need to know: EVERYTHING! The biggest thing in my mind about this game is who is playing and who is not. Percy Harvin is playing. DeMarco Murray is not. Huge playmakers on both teams and one playing and one isn't. What about quarterbacks? Did you know that both teams feature a Heisman Trophy winner? Oh wait, you knew that...SPEED KILLS. Florida is FAST, FASTER, and FASTEST. You can practice and practice and practice but the one thing you cannot imitate is SPEED. Ask Alabama how being more strong and powerful than Utah turned out for them. Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Oklahoma has the third ranked offense in NCAA. Florida has the the seventh ranked defense. Oklahoma's defense ranks 62. While Oklahoma was busy ~~impressing the voters~~ , I mean scoring points in bunches, the Gators were busy completing dominating other offenses. And guess who had a better scoring average between the two? That's right Florida did 32.4-29.5. WATCH OUT!

What you might not know: I really don't know. You should know everything. You should know Oklahoma has lost FOUR, count em FOUR BCS games in the past FIVE seasons. Even Ohio State hasn't been that bad!! How about this one. Oklahoma has allowed four kickoff returns for touchdowns this year. Remember, SPEED KILLS!

What you will know after the game: Everyone thinks Florida is just going to walk over Oklahoma. Florida is faster, more experienced, plays better defense, etc. I remember two eerily similar games in which this was the case and one of them involved the Gators. Remember that National Championship that Ohio State was supposed to win? Yeah, the Gators stole that one? How about when USC would just overmatch Vince Young and Texas, how did that one turn out? You heard it hear...Oklahoma will come out in this game, use the motivation factor and it will propel them to.....

....who am I kidding...GATORS...BIG....45-23.

And then UTAH SHOULD BE CROWNED THE REAL CHAMPIONS!

Mock Draft 2.0

2008-12-30T11:14:00.004-06:00

Here is my second installment of my NFL Mock Draft for the 2009 season. If you missed my first draft, it is right HERE! Time for version 2.0 with the current order of the NFL draft.

Detroit Lions -- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
St. Louis Rams -- Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
Kansas City Chiefs -- Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
Seattle Seahawks -- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
Cleveland Browns -- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
Cincinnati Bengals -- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
Oakland Raiders -- Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi
Jacksonville Jaguars -- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
Green Bay Packers -- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
San Francisco 49ers -- Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
Buffalo Bills -- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
Denver Broncos -- Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC
Washington Redskins -- Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech
New Orleans Saints -- James Laurinitis, ILB, Ohio State
Houston Texans -- Taylor Mays, S, USC
San Diego Chargers -- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
New York Jets -- Mark Sanchez, QB, USC
Chicago Bears -- George Selvie, DE, South Florida
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
Detroit Lions (from Dallas) -- Michael Smith, OT, Baylor
Arizona Cardinals -- Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia
Philadelphia Eagles -- Eben Britton, OT, Arizona
Minnesota Vikings -- Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest
New England Patriots -- DJ Moore, CB, Vanderbilt
Atlanta Falcons -- Terrance Cody, DT, Alabama
Miami Dolphins -- William Moore, S, Missouri
Baltimore Ravens -- Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
Philadelphia Eagles (from Carolina) -- Jermaine Greshem, TE, Oklahoma
Indianapolis Colts -- Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
Pittsburgh Steelers -- Ciron Black, OT, LSU
New York Giants -- Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
Tennessee Titans -- Victor Harris, CB, Viriginia Tech

Next mock draft will be after the bowl games!!

Playoffs?

2008-12-29T09:36:00.006-06:00

Well, this weekend brings some dilemma upon us. The National Football League has some sort of tourament to decide who will meet in the Super Bowl. I think they call it the system a playoff? What was that Jim Mora?

You have to love teams meeting on the field to decide who becomes the ultimate winner. Anyways, here is my short analysis of the field and who will become the champion of Super Bowl XLIII.

In the wild card round this coming weekend, all four road teams are favorites. What does that say about home field advantage in the NFL? The Arizona Cardinals have looked terrible in recent weeks and the Atlanta Falcons are rolling. I think they can keep the momentum and deliver a victory behind the legs of Michael Turner. In the other NFC game, I see Minnesota winning this game at home. If Tavaris Jackson doesn't turn the ball over and the Vikings get a normal game out Adrian Peterson they should prevail. The Eagles will get very little on the ground and the game should come down to McNabb's arm. The Vikings will walk away with a close victory. On the AFC side, both wild card games will be rematches of games played during the regular season. The Indianapolis Colts went into San Diego and pulled out a win with a late field goal. The Colts are on a roll right now and it's hard to see the momentum stopping, but the Chargers are finally playing their best football right now as well. The reason I am taking the Colts? Peyton Manning. The Baltimore Ravens defense overwhelmed the Miami Dolphins in the first meeting and I see the same thing happening again. You can't beat Baltimore with trick-plays and wildcat formations. The key factor for the Dolphins is trying to make Joe Flacco look like a rookie in his playoff debut. If they can force some turnovers, this game could go the other way.

In the divisional round, I would expect the New York/New Jersey Giants to run all around and over the Atlanta Falcons and coast to a victory and it would set up a week 16 rematch because the Carolina Panthers would be too much at home for the Vikings. Two more rematches would happen on the AFC side as the Tennessee Titans would get just enough offense to take out the Ravens. With a banged up Ben Roethlisberger, I can't see the Pittsburgh Steelers getting enough out of the offense to get past the Colts.

What happened in week 16 in the Meadowlands? The G-Men pounded the ball right at the Panthers and I think they would do it again...without needing overtime this time around. In the AFC, the hottest team would face off against division rivals and the team with the best record in football. Once again, Peyton Manning will lead the Colts to a victory over Tennesee and set-up the all-Manning Super Bowl!

Peyton vs. Eli. Where would Archie's alliances be? How many Super Bowl commercials would have these two in them? How giddy would the country be? How could the ratings be better? And lastly, how could big brother lose to little brother? I don't think he could...I just don't see it happening. Not this year. Not without Cheddar Plex. Maybe next year Eli, but Peyton just has something to prove once more. Colts will come out on top of the Giants, with a final score of 33-24.

Bowl Games pt. 2

2008-12-26T12:29:00.012-06:00

Well, after starting off 4-0, the last three games have not been kind. Troy's coaches had some dumb play calling that led them to getting beat in OT and TCU's defense outshined Boise State's offense. Let's see what the next few days bring us!

Meineke Car Care Bowl
December 27, 1:00 PM EST, ESPN
West Virginia (8-4) vs. North Carolina (8-4)

What you should know: West Virginia's quarterback Pat White. He is the all-time leader in rushing yards from the quarterback position. You should also know about the Tar Heels' coach Butch Davis who is starting to rebuild this football team.

What you need to know: Despite the record, West Virginia is still a very dangerous team. The backfield combination of Pat White and Noel Devine is one of the best QB/RB tandems in the country. North Carolina has flip-flopped their two quarterbacks this year in Cam Sexton and TJ Yates. Since stud receiver Brandon Tate has been out, the Tar Heels are just 3-3

What you might not know: Under Pat White, West Virginia is 3-0 in bowl games. Two victories have come in BCS games against powerhouses in Georgia and Oklahoma. North Carolina hasn't been to a bowl game since 2004 and hasn't won a bowl game since 2001.

What you will know after the game: Pat White will not let his team lose. He has a chance to lead them to a 4-0 career mark in bowl games and also end up with 1,000+ rushing yards each of his four years. West Virginia should end up on top of this one with a 27-17 victory.

Champs Sports Bowl
December 27, 4:30 PM EST, ESPN
Florida State (8-4) vs. Wisconsin (7-5)

What you should know: Bobby Bowden and his 300+ wins with 20 of those coming in bowl games. You should also know that Wisconsin might be the most dissapointing team in the country after many picked them to compete for a Big 10 title.

What you need to know: Despite Florida State's record, their defense is still top notch. Led by Myron Rolle (the Rhodes Scholar recipient), the Seminoles rely on them to make big plays and keep the team in games. The offense can be very hard to watch at times. Wisconsin didn't meet expectations this year and they will go into this game trying to build on something for 2009. They have a very strong running game led by PJ Hill, but the pass offense is inconsistent.

What you might not know: Antone Smith, the running back for Florida State ended up with less than 800 yards but still managed to find the end zone 15 times. Smith is a dangerous playmaker and break one at any time.

What you will know after the game: Wisconsin will find it very hard to do anything on offense. Florida State has the 14th ranked defense in the nation and they will show why in this game. I expect a defensive or special teams touchdown from the Seminoles as they win this one 30-16.

Emerald Bowl
December 27, 8:00 PM EST, ESPN
Miami (FL) (7-5) vs. California (8-4)

What you should know: This game features two programs that are trying to reach bigger goals. Miami has started to rebound under Randy Shannon and Cal is led by coach Jeff Tedford who is trying to compete to stay with USC. This is going to be a fun game to watch!

What you need to know: Both offense have revolved the door at the quarterback position. Miami is starting Jacory Harris for the game, because Robert Marve has been suspended. Cal's Nate Longeshore is back under center, but Kevin Riley should be on the sideline ready to go as well. Cal can easily put up points and it might be difficult for Miami to stay with them if it turns into a shootout.

What you might not know: The running back for Cal...his name is Jahvid Best. He is probably a contender for the Heisman Trophy next year and this game could go a long ways into getting him some national recognition.

What you will know after the game: Miami just doesn't have enough playmakers yet. With the Best at running back and a big receiving threat in Nyan Boateng, Cal should run away with this game and come out with a 31-20 victory.

Independence Bowl
December 28, 8:15 PM EST, ESPN
Northern Illinios (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (7-5)

What you should know: Not much of anything. Northern Illinois almost stole a victory against Tennessee and Louisiana Tech has won four the past five games. However, you should note that the Atlanta Falcons running back, Michael Turner, is a product from NIU!

What you need to know: This is a pick 'em game. Neither team is going to excite you much and you might not ever hear of any of there players again. On the other side, games like this sometimes turn out to be really good games with an exciting finish.

What you might not know: This is the fifth bowl game in the history of Louisiana Tech with the last one coming in 2001. For Northern Illinois, it is their fourth game overall and third since 2004.

What you will know after the game: Tech is the hotter team coming into the game, so I say they pull out a close 27-24 victory.

PapaJohns.com Bowl
December 29, 3:00 PM EST, ESPN
Rutgers (7-5) vs. North Carolina State (6-6)

What you should know: Despite the records, these are two of the hotter teams in the country. NC State won the last four games to become bowl eligible while Rutgers put together a six game winning streak.

What you need to know: Without bashing them too badly, NC State isn't the greatest of teams. They rank 89th in total offense and 82nd in total defense. Somehow, the managed to come together and get some big wins down the stretch. Rutgers, on the other hand, can put up points quickly. The last five games points scored: 63, 30, 49, 35, and 54.

What you might not know: The one thing that NC State's quarterback Russell Wilson does exceptionally well is hanging on to the football. He has only thrown one interception this season. On the other side, it will be last game for Mike Teel who has been the starter the past two plus years at Rutgers.

What you will know after the game: Rutgers should come out on top with a solid victory. I think NC State is overmatched in this game, and the scoreboard will show it with a 41-20 victory for the Scarlet Knights.

Valero Energy Alamo Bowl
December 29, 8:00 PM EST, ESPN
Northwestern (9-3) vs. Missouri (9-4)

What you should know: Anything and everything about Missouri's quarterback Chase Daniel and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. This will be the last game for Daniel and probably Maclin as well.

What you need to know: Missouri boasts the number sixth ranked offense in college football with the fourth best passing attack. However, they also have the worst pass defense in college football. Northwestern will try to move the ball with running back Tyrell Sutton and the arm of C.J. Bacher. It will be very tough to keep up with the Tigers offense.

What you might not know: Just how bad Missouri is on defense. Since shutting out Colorado, the past five games, Mizzou has allowed a whopping 34.8 points per game. Will Northwestern have the firepower to keep up or not?

What you will know after the game: Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin will go out as winners. Mizzou will prove to be too explosive for Northwestern and Daniel will not let his team lose this game. Missouri in a blowout, 48-24.

That's all for this time, let's see how the weekend unfolds!