College Basketball: Big 12

Check out my post on College Backetball: Big 12.

Showdown in the Superdome

The Monday night showdown in New Orleans is shaping up to be one for the ages. Both the 10-0 Saints and the 7-3 Pats want to use tonight's match-up as a springboard for the remaining six weeks of the season as well as use this game as a benchmark for their progress thus far.

As far as the Saints are concerned, they have put the lid on most of their critics, but a win against the Pats would seal their place as a serious super bowl contender. They have had an incredible offense this year with QB Drew Brees and his receiving core of Marcus Colston and Devery Henderson as well as a strong running attack with Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell. The most improved piece of the Saints this season has been their defense. With DE Will Smith and his 8.5 sacks this season anchoring the defensive line and S Darren Sharper and his 7 interceptions looming in the secondary, it will be tough for Tom Brady to have the time to find the any open seams.

On the Patriots sideline, they are fired up at the chance to prove that they are a legitimate playoff team. Thus far in 09 they have picked up momentum after a slow start. Brady has settled in and has been throwing strong accurate passes as of late. With WR Wes Welker for the short quick routes and WR Randy Moss for the deep shots down field, the Patriot passing attack matches what the Saints can do through the air, but RB Laurence Maroney and their other backs have been suspect at best. The big question mark is the Patriot defense. They have given up 20+ points in 4 of their 11 games this season and playing in a loud dome can be difficult to pick up on audibles at the line, making the Saints more difficult to defend. If the Pats defense can get by the big Saints offensive line (315+ pounds each) and get pressure on Brees, then they have a good shot at derailing the red hot Saints.

No matter how you look at it, this should be an excellent match-up between two of football's best QBs and offenses and it will probably come down to who has the ball last when the 4th quarter ends.
Prediction: Patriots by 3

Weis Fired

Wait, Charlie Weis was on the hot seat at Notre Dame? Did he deserve to get fired? Is Notre Dame better without him? Did he see this coming? Yes to all. The Weis era is officially over, even though it was really over a few weeks ago with the loss to UConn. Hey Notre Dame, give Brian Kelly of Cincy a call and I bet he will come down for an interview as soon as his Bearcats beat Pitt and win the Big East championship this weekend. Just get him a nice hotel room and some room service and he will be your next head coach. Hopefully he will win more than 6 games because the Notre Dame fan base is getting a bit restless.

Get ready NFL, he comes Charlie...

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Check out my post on this being the most wonder time of the year. More to come...

Gerhart for Heisman

AP Photo

Check out my post on Toby Gerhart's bid for the Heisman Trophy here.

Sox Aggressively Pursuing Halladay

As reported in the New York Daily News on Tuesday, the Red Sox are actively pursuing one of the game's best pitchers, Roy Halladay. Halladay has been an object of the Sox affection since the trade deadline last season, but Theo and the gang were unwilling to give up too many top prospects for the 32 year old starting pitcher. As great as this news appears for Red Sox fans, I am concerned about what it will take to bring Halladay to Boston. The Red Sox would most likely have to give up SP Clay Buchholtz and either SS prospect Casey Kelly or P Michael Bowden, which may effect their ability to trade prospects for a power hitter like Adrian Gonzalez or Matt Holliday. That being said, if the Red Sox could pull off a trade for Halladay, they would have one of the premier pitching staff in baseball. With Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Roy Halladay, the Red Sox would have 3 #1 starters at the front-end of their rotation, and a strong bullpen to boot.

The scenario sounds great, but regardless of the Sox push, they are still facing tough competition to land the Cy Young award winner. The Yankees will surely be actively pursuing Halladay and there were reports that the Angels were also in the market for the righty and both teams have the players and salary room to make the deal work. I'm sure more teams will step their foot in the water before a a trade is finalized. Only time will tell, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a deal done within the next 2 weeks.

Turkey Day Snoozefest

Every year, most Americans sit down at Thansgiving to a lovely meal of turkey (and all the fixin's) and then move in front of the TV for some NFL football. Every year we get to see the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys play home games (with the addition of a 3rd game at night over the past few years). Most years, the match-ups aren't fantastic and the Cowboys are favored in their game and the Lions are underdogs in theirs, creating for some less than thrilling games. Tomorrow, we will fall asleep on the couch with football in the background, but it will not be because of the turkey, but because of the crappy NFL match-ups. All odds courtesy of bodog.com.

Green Bay Packers (-10.5) at Detroit Lions, 12:30pm EST on Fox

This is a matchup of the 6-4 Packers and the 2-8 Lions. The record tells the story for both of these clubs. The Packers have had a nice season, but have been fairly consistent through the air, but RB Ryan Grant has struggled at times this year to break-off any big runs or even break 75 yards in a game, despite averaging almost 19 carries per game. Oh the Lions. Let's start with the positive. The Lions have won 2 more games this year than they did last year. The positive mostly ends there. They are showing signs of turning the franchise around, but are still several key players away from being a contender.

Prediction: Green Bay by 16

Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys (-14), 4:15pm EST on CBS

This is a battle of the 1st place 7-4 Cowboys and the last place 3-7 Oakland Raiders. Despite their record, however, the Cowboys have really struggled this season having any type of consistent offense. They lost to the Packers 17-7, and the only TD they had came with under 1 minute left in the 4th quarter and they beat the Washington Redskins this past week 7-6 on a late TD. With Tony Romo's injured back, this could be a closer game than it should be. The Oakland Raiders, on the other hand, are coming off a huge win against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals went into Oakland 7-2 and really clicking on offense, but were stopped by the mighty Raiders defense. I doubt they can repeat that performance, but they gained a ton of confidence.

Prediction: Cowboys by 6

New York Giants (-5) at Denver Broncos, 8:20pm EST on the NFL Network

For those lucky souls who get the NFL Network will have a special treat on Thanksgiving night, a battle of 6-4 teams. the Giants will soar into the mile-high city to face the Broncos. This is a tough matchup to predict, because at times this season, both teams have looked dominant and both teams have looked terrible. The Giants started the season 5-0 in impressive fashion with wins over divisional foes the Redskins and Cowboys in the first 2 weeks of the season. After the hot start, the Giantslost 4 straight, and just barely squeaked out a win this past weekend against the Falcons in OT. The Broncos have a similar story. They started off 6-0 and now have lost the last 4 games in a row. The Broncos problem has been scoring points, having given up 183 points to opponents this season, while only scoring 170 points on offense. If nothing else, this should be a fairly close game.

Prediction: Giants by 7

If you want more, B-Dogg can also be found writing daily about college sports at www.joshqpublic.com.

Weekend Shockers

As some of you may have noticed, I did not blog this weekend at all. I was preoccupied with watching some of the most fantastic finishes across the sporting world and didn't have time to pick my jaw off the floor and write a post. Also, for anyone who is interested, I am now contributing to www.joshqpublic.com daily about college sports, primarily basketball and football. Come check me out over there, I am, and always will be, B-Dogg.

Enough pathetic self-promotion, let's dive right into the crazy weekend.

Friday - College Basketball
#24 Syracuse vs. #4 UNC

There were very few believers that this 'Cuse team could be as good as they are this year after taking a huge hit with a loss to Le Moyne in an exhibition game. Le Moyne? Has anyone even heard of the school? Luckily for 'Cuse, that loss doesn't show up on their record because it was an exhibition, but clearly sent a message and created a swirl of doubt. The bright spot in that game was Wesley Johnson. An athletic 6-7 forward who dropped 34 points in that preseason match-up, including a late 3-pointer to give 'Cuse the lead. Apparently, Johnson has something to prove in his Junior season, because against #4 UNC on Friday night, he had another stellar game. Johnson dropped 25 points in a stunning 16 point victory over the defending champions, the day after beating #12 Cal by 22 points. For those who weren't believers before, you should be now. This 'Cuse team has the pieces to make a serious run through the Big East and into March.

Saturday - College Football
UConn at Notre Dame
Wow. There is so much to say in so little space. I am not going to break down the game (if you would like my analysis, I posted a longer entry here http://joshqpublic.com/2009/11/22/saturday-thriller/), but would like to say a few words to a few members of the UConn Huskies program. First, the one negative comment. K Mr. David Teggart. You hit every FG when we don't need you to, and miss every clutch kick. Go home. Now, on to the positive. RB Jordan Todman. When did you become such a great kick returner? I am certainly not complaining, but 'where have you been all my life?' RB Andre Dixon. You are a monster. 20 carries for 114 yards, most of which came in the later stages of the 4th quarter and OT. Thank you for running over ND defenders. QB Zach Frazer. You only threw 1 interception. Congratulations on not blowing the game against your former team. WR Marcus Easley. You also fall into the category of 'where have you been all my life?' You have been ridiculous over the last half of the season receiving for over 625 yards on 30 receptions and 5 TD's since the 4th game of the season on 9/26. Coach Randy Edsall. You have been the most underrated coach in college football this season. To overcome tragedy and still play the way your team has, is because of your leadership. You deserve this win as much as the players do, if not more. Congratulations. And one final note to a non-UConn person. Mr. Charlie Weis. Good luck trying to find a new job. I'm sure someone is looking for .500 coach.

Sunday - NFL, NBA, and MLS Cup Final

What a sports-filled Sunday. We had NFL fumbles with a few seconds left, a pass-interference with no time on the clock leading to a game-winning TD, several 1, 2, or 3 point games, and a few colossal upsets. Then there were the Celtics. The team that has been struggling mightily since their hot start. They were playing the Knicks. A blowout right? Wrong. A OT thriller that ended with a Kevin Garnett jumper at the buzzer to win. Despite all of that excitement, the best game of Sunday was the MLS Cup Final 2009. Real Salt Lake vs. the LA Galaxy turned out to be one of the most intense and exciting games I have seen in quite a while. LA jumped on the board late in the first half with a Magee goal and it wasn't until Findley, a former LA Galaxy striker, evened up the match on a goal in the 64th minute that the game got really exciting. Both teams were banged up with injury and illness one after another and both teams with no remaining subs. There was a lot of rough play and passion on both sides of the field and after 30 minutes of OT, the game would be decided on PK's for only the second time in MLS Cup Final history. Goalkeeper Rimando for RSL was spectacular and back-up goal keeper Saunders for LA matched him one for one. After 5 PK's, they were tied up at 3 and the game continued. All of the players on the field were running on empty, but after a Rimando stop and a Russell goal for RSL in the 7th round of PK's, the game was over. RSL had a regular season  record below .500, but got hot when they needed to and pulled out an unthinkable victory. Watching David Beckham lose was a wonderful way to end a great weekend of sports.

ND Showdown: Swarbrick vs. Weis

Has there been any coach on the proverbial 'hot seat' more often than Charlie Weis? Every day there is a new story about his future with ND and how up in the air it is at any given moment. I'll give you a definitive answer right now. If Notre Dame loses to UConn in South Bend this weekend, Charlie Weis's tenure at ND is over. End of discussion. I am in no way slighting UConn by saying they are an inferior team, because it is my alma mater, but given the year Weis's team has had, with arguably the best QB in college football, a loss to UConn would be the final straw for Swarbrick (ND Athletic Director) to make the decision everyone is anticipating, if he has not already, like he claims.

This gives me a great chance to discuss the game this weekend. UConn has had an exceptionally frustrating year. In many ways, they have performed extremely well, hanging in tough with highly ranked opponents (Cincinnati, Rutgers, Pitt, West Virginia, UNC). UConn is 4-5, and have lost by a combined 15 points over those 5 games. Some of their heart-breakers include: losing to UNC by 2 on a holding call in the end zone that resulted in a safety, losing to WVU by 4 on a late 60 yard run by Noel Devine, Losing to Rutgers by 4 after taking the lead with about 38 seconds left, losing to Pitt by 3 on a last second FG, and losing to #5 Cincinnati by 2 after missing a 2-point conversion and after being down 20 at halftime. The biggest loss for the Huskies this season was of their CB Jasper Howard who was stabbed to death on the Storrs, CT campus. Not only are they missing a close friend and teammate, but also an excellent CB, which has left a void in their secondary.Howard's death was extremely emotionally draining for his teammates, making the UConn season more impressive considering the circumstances.

That being said, this is the weekend that UConn gets over the hump and finishes a game (and Weis's career at ND). For the UConn program and Storrs, CT community, a win at ND would go a long way to push the difficult memories, off and on the field this year, behind them.
Prediction: UConn by 5

Seattle Here we Come

As my fiance reminded me today, I have been neglecting the Major League Soccer (MLS) in my blog recently. Partly it is a subconscious protest after the devastating way the New England Revolution lost on aggregate goals to Chicago a few weeks ago (although not nearly as devastating as Ireland's loss), but it is also partly because I hate David Beckham. He is a washed up jerk, who thinks because he is a celebrity and his wife is gorgeous, that he can do anything at anytime, and it is true. The MLS brought him into the sport to draw attention to the high level of play right here in America, but instead, he has damaged the MLS reputation by yelling and starting fights with fans (see video below). Ok, I concede, he has brought in a ton of revenue for the league with the sale of his jerseys, but is it worth it? I digress.

On Sunday at 8:30pm EST on ESPN we can all witness history with the MLS Cup Final. The league MVP Landon Donovan will lead the LA Galaxy against Real Salt Lake (RSL) and their sharp shooting forward, Robbie Findley. The added intrigue of this game, is that it is being held in Seattle, this year's expansion team. QWEST Field has been packed with Seattle Storm fans all year, in one of the most impressive first years for an expansion team ever, in any sport.

As far as the game is concerned, these two teams are extremely evenly matched in terms of their play so far in the playoffs. Both goalies, Nick Rimando for RSL and Donovan Ricketts for LA, have played 3 games, 2 of which were clean sheets, and allowed 2 goals in the 3rd game. The scoring attacks for these two clubs are similar as well, with LA having 5 goals his postseason and RSL having 4. The one goal differential between the clubs was an extra penalty kick given to LA. During the regular season, the two teams matched up twice. The first meeting was held in May in Utah and resulted in a 2-2 tie and the second match was held in LA in June and resulted in a RSL 2-0 win.

What does all of this really mean? It means this will be one heck of a close game and you don't want to miss the excitement. I would not be surprised to see this game head into OT.
Prediction: RSL wins 2-1

NFL Week 11 Preview

After a heartbreaking week 10 for Patriots and Cowboys fans (like myself), the sooner this weekend comes the better. Here are some interesting match-ups going into this weekend. As a reminder, there are three categories: Blowout of the Week, Thriller of the Week, and Must Win Game of the Week. All odds courtesy of bodog.com.

Blowout of the Week
New Orleans Saints (-12.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1pm EST on FOX

The New Orleans Saints are still rolling at 9-0 and are only gaining confidence as their wins keep coming. As they travel to Tampa for an inter-division game, there should be little doubt in every player's mind that they are the far superior team and only need to play a C game at best to beat the Bucs. Believe it or not, the Bucs are the least talked about 1-8 team in the NFL. There are articles about the Lions and the Browns constantly, but the Bucs are always left out. Just to be clear, they are bad and this game shouldn't even be close.
Prediction: New Orleans by 16

Thriller of the Week
Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants (-5.5), 1pm EST on FOX

As soon as I saw this game on the schedule, it peaked my interest. Both of these teams are 5-4 and are sitting in 2nd place in their respective divisions. Offensively, both teams have solid running games, both ranked in the top ten in yards per game, and they both average around 24 to 25 points per game. Because of how evenly these two teams match-up offensively, the decision on RB Michael Turner's ability to play on Sunday could create a problem for the Falcons. In terms of defense, the Giants are one of the best defenses in the league, while the Falcons have one of the worst. QB Matt Ryan has had only a decent year, so it will be interesting to see if he can adjust to the pressure that the Giants defense will surely throw at him.
Prediction: New York by 3

Must Win Game of the Week
New York Jets at New England Patriots (-11), 4:15pm EST on CBS

Two straight weeks the Patriots have played what is considered by most to be a rival team. After their heartbreaking loss on Sunday night, the Pats are ready for revenge against the struggle QB Mark Sanchez and the Jets. If you are a Jets fan, you already know this is a must win. After starting 3-0, the Jets have dropped 5 of the last 6 games, and need a quick turnaround if they have any inkling of hope at saving this season. This is an absolute must win for the Jets, but on the road in Foxborough against a hungry Pats team will be a tough situation to turn their season around.
Prediction: New England by 16

Bay Rejects Sox Offer

Is it just me or do other Red Sox fans have a funny feeling about this off-season? I have these lofty expectations for what Theo needs to do in order to create a new look lineup for 2010. As expected, Bay wants to test the free agent waters, which should strike fear into the hearts of Red Sox fans. Bay is a top tier free agent that will draw attention from all of the higher budget teams. If Bay is to return to the Red Sox, Theo will have to shell out high market prices, crimpling the ownership's ability to pursue other top free agents. Given recent history, I am beginning to doubt Bay will not be under the shadow of the Green Monster next year. The other elite OF is Matt Holliday who is drawing much attention from possible employers. Holliday is a bit younger and better defensive player than Bay, and has already drawn interest from the Mets and Cardinals, creating it stiff competition for Boston.

In terms of other power bats, Adrian Gonzalez has been an object of the Red Sox's affection for a year or two now. He is a young, strong first baseman with a ton of pop and a decent glove. If the Sox were able to land Gonzalez, which is probably more likely that any other power bat, they would have to either include Mike Lowell in a trade or have another trade lined up. The problem with that scenario, is that Lowell's trade value has plummeted over the last year or year and a half with is chronic hip problem and his increasing age.

Over the next few days, the first few days of unrestricted free agency, we will have a better feel for the market for all of these players, but the early indications are not great for the Red Sox. If last year's Teixeira sweepstakes is any factor, however, Theo may be looking to prove his worth and may spend more than normal. More analysis of free agent pitchers and other batters to come throughout the next few days and weeks.

Hawks Soar Early

Since the '98-'99 season (which was shortened by a lockout), the Atlanta Hawks have had a winning record in only one season, last year's 47-35 mark. In the 9 seasons between winning records, the Hawks were an abysmal 255-483, but luckily for them, things have turned around. The past two seasons, the Hawks have made the playoffs (Losing to Boston in '07-'08, beating Miami, then losing to Cleveland in '08-'09), advancing one round further each year. The difference for the Hawks has been their athletic play from their young starting 5. Three of their starters are 23 years old and they are led my an experienced point guard, Mike Bibby. So far this season the Hawks have been dominant with a record of 10-2 and they already have wins against Boston (9-3) on the road, Portland (9-4) home and away, and division foe Miami (7-4). The Hawks can score in bunches, dropping 100+ in 8 or their first 12 games this season. With every game, the team is gaining confidence that will guide them through the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs again. I would not be surprised if the Hawks make the Conference Finals again this year, but will they break into the NBA Finals for the first time since the '60-'61 season when the franchise was in St. Louis?

Fenway Gets Dissed

In 2012, Fenway will celebrate it's 100th anniversary. With the current era of new ballparks being erected every few years, Fenway (1912) is one of the two remaining parks built before 1962 (the other is Wrigley built in 1914). The 100th anniversary is a perfect opportunity to honor the history of the park and it's special place in the MLB, but instead, Bud Selig decided to have the All Star Game in Kansas City. KC? Do they really think anything besides a miracle will increase the Kansas City fan base? A 100th anniversary happens so rarely for a ballpark and realistically, we will probably only see one more in our lifetime (Wrigley) and I would be willing to bet the Cubs will be hosting the 2014 All Star Game on their historic park's 100th anniversary. The fact that the Red Sox have a large fan base and can sell out games should be an asset when selecting a site, and not a detriment. There is no reason why Kansas City can't host the the 2013 or 2015 All Star Game. If the reason they chose the park is because of it's recent renovations like they claim, do they realize that in 3 years those renovations will no longer be new? Congratulations MLB for making a bad decision.

There's No Crying in Football, Unless you are a Jets Fan

During Rex Ryan's first press conference after the story leaked that he cried in the locker room after the Jets 24-22 loss to the Jags this past weekend, he decided to make light of the situation. Ryan had a staff member bring out a box of tissues to which he joked he had a new sponsor, Kleenex. I have nothing against a large man crying, because sports can be emotional. What I don't understand is why Ryan didn't tell us the real reason he was crying: the Jets free-fall into oblivion. After starting 3-0, QB Mark Sanchez and the Jets have gone 1-6 in their past 7 games. Sanchez's numbers in those games (5 touchdowns and 10 interceptions) is enough to make even the most unemotional Jet fan cry. Unless the Jet's can figure out how to improve their 27th ranked pass offense, we should get used to seeing the mighty Rex Ryan cry.

Lambert Surprised Herself

The story of Elizabeth Lambert has been all over the news the past few weeks. During a New Mexico vs. BYU soccer game, Lambert committed a series of violent attacks on BYU players including pulling one BYU player to the ground by her ponytail (see the video below). I understand competitive aggressiveness and that on occasion, players can lose their cool and act inappropriately. Elizabeth Lambert is just plain crazy. Her quote in the New York Times was, "I look at it and I'm like, 'That is not me. I have so much regret. I can't believe I did that." You can't believe you repeatedly punched, pushed, and tripped other players? What a moron. Just say what we all know the truth to be: you did it on purpose and are only remorseful now because of the national attention the story has gotten.

Close Calls

The top two teams in college basketball yesterday won by a combined 6 points against unranked opponents. #1 Kansas squeaked by Memphis and #2 Michigan State fought off Gonzaga. Besides the top 2 teams in the country, #13 UConn had trouble putting away Hofstra and #20 Georgetown scored only 46 points against Temple, winning by 1 point. If these early season match-ups are any indication of the season ahead, all college basketball fans are in for a treat. On any given night, an unranked, mid-major team can give a top tier team a run for their money. I'm not saying that Hofstra will go deep in the tournament or Temple will win the National title, but with the rising level of talent across the country, it has become less clear who will make the sweet 16 and who won't make the tournament at all. Since 2004, 8 teams seeded #10 or lower (10-16) have made the sweet 16, 2 teams have made the elite 8, and 1 team has made the final four. It is still a long and difficult road for these lower ranked teams, but if George Mason in 2006 could upend 6-seeded Michigan State, 3-seeded North Carolina, 7-seeded Wichita State, and 1-seeded UConn before losing to the eventual National Champion Florida Gators in the final four, anything is possible. Come March, it would not surprise me to see another 10-seeded or higher team in the elite 8 and possibly even in the final four.

Pitching for a Job

Once Pedro Martinez's agent, Fern Cuza, announced today that Martinez wants to play the full season next year and feels healthy and strong, every Red Sox fan had a smile on his or her face. Pedro is tiny and lovable, and did nothing but win and entertain fans during his stint in Boston. During this season's World Series, every Bostonian was rooting for the Phillies for two reasons: they hate the Yankees and love Pedro. Martinez loved his time in Boston as much as any other player, and if given the opportunity by Sox management, would be on a plane to Fenway within 24 hours. Pedro still has a few bullets left as a #4/#5 starter and would certainly entertain Sox fans once again.

Dick Jauron Fired, FINALLY

It took 9 games for Bill's ownership to realize Dick Jauron was done in Buffalo. Really? In today's sports world where coaches are fired before they even sign their contracts, Jauron held his job for three and a half NFL seasons despite his 24-33 record. He had one of the worst offenses in football this year (besides the Browns) and the team rankings tell the entire story (28th in Pts with 15.6/game, 29th in yards with 268.2/game, 29th in Pass yards with 160.6/game, and the bright spot, ranked 15th in Rush yards with 107.7/game). Led by a crappy QB, Trent Edwards, a sad WR core, including the locker room favorite Terrell Owens, and a RB in Jackson who has had one solid week all season. Granted, not all of these issues are Jauron's fault, there have been many injuries, but Jauron's leadership has been put to test this season and he has failed miserably.



On a Bills related note, any one who has been a fan of a team that Terrell Owens has played for, regardless if he was playing or injured, could have seen this Bill's team plummeting when they announced his signing. He is a virus, regardless of what coach, owner, or system he is a part of and will never be worth the money he earns. He is a conceded, egotistical moron, who thinks the earth revolves around him and that he is the greatest WR ever to play the game. Owens, do us all a favor, leave the NFL and go play in the CFL and annoy the Canadian media for a change.

250K Fine for Flippin' the Bird

What the hell has happened to the NFL? Everything is an absurd fine. Right from the get go, I want to be clear that I am not condoning all fine-able actions, but why can't the 'no fun league' just laugh at itself every once and awhile. Chad Ochocinco, who has given the league more money in fines than an average person will make in their lifetime, likes to have fun and joke around. Last week, he was joking around with an official and tried to "bribe" him with a $1 bill. Everyone knew it was a joke, because you need a lot more than $1 to bribe a professional referee. Maybe a dollar would work on a Little League ref, but certainly not the highly trained officials the NFL spends hours training. The league fined him 20K and their reasoning was that he used the word "bribe" and they don't want people to think it is okay to bribe an official.

The latest installment from the 'we can't take a joke department' is Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams being fined 250K for flipping the bird while celebrating a win at Buffalo. Bud Adams is 86 years old and the team he owns just dominated the Buffalo Bills. Why can't he celebrate by waving obscene gestures? It is a social norm in society to allow older people to say whatever the hell they want simpley because they are old and "don't know any better". Why shouldn't older NFL owners have that right?



Okay, so maybe flipping the bird multiple times while alternating hands is inappropriate and there should be disciplinary action taken, but when will the league understand that every time someone speaks or shows disgust is not just another opportunity to collect money from rich players. Football is a sport that seeks to entertain it's viewers and by fining everyone left and right, games are becoming much less entertaining to watch. Honestly, the only reason anyone still watches the Bengals anymore is to see what antic Ochocinco will pull out of his hat (or sock) each week.
AP Photo/Wade Payne

With a name like John Wall, you have to be good

Welcome to Division 1 Men's College Basketball John Wall. In his first collegiate start, G John Wall of Kentucky's stat line was as follows: 38 min, 19 pts,  2 rbds, 5 asts, 3 stls. Oh yeah, and in a tie game with 6 seconds left, brought the ball up the court and hit a game-winning 15 foot jump shot. All the attention he got as the #1 PG coming out of high school was apparently warranted. He is an immediate impact player who will get tons of minutes and have the opportunity to learn and grow at the highest level in a prestigious program. I don't want to get ahead of myself, because Kentucky barely beat Miami of Ohio, clearly not an elite team, but if he continues to be a clutch scorer and secure ball handler, this Kentucky team could make a deep run come March. John Calipari has to be pretty happy he decided to take the job in Lexington.

Lack of Offense

At 5:35PM yesterday, I got a call from my buddy Jonathan to tell me that he was heading to Framingham, MA to pick up tickets for the Bruins game starting at 7PM and asked me if I wanted to go. Naturally, I was all in, because live hockey is one of the most enjoyable experiences know to man. We got to the game a little late, and had unbelievable seats at center ice, but the Islanders were already up a goal. Just when the Bruins came back to tie the game in the 2nd period, they blew the lead again. I'm not going to recap the entire game, because anyone who has watched this team throughout the beginning part of the season knows that they can't score goals, especially when they need them. I'll use the excuse of injuries for now because Marc Savard and Milan Lucic both went on IR several weeks ago.We'll see what happens once they return, but I'm not sure it will be enough.

I got home from the game and turned on MNF to see how badly the Browns were getting hammered. Turns out that it was worse than I expected and I expected very little out of a terrible Cleveland team. I have always held the belief that it takes effort to score 0 points in an NFL game. Last year, in approx. 250 regular season games, there were a total of 5 shutouts, 3 of which occurred in week 17 when teams were already eliminated from contention and were giving younger players a chance to play. The parody in football this year has already led to 8 shutouts in 143 games. The best teams in the league are so strong and the weak teams in the league are so poor, that there have been more unwatchable blowouts than past years. Let's see if the trend continues in the remaining 7 weeks of the regular season.

The Week Ahead

In an effort to push past my disappointment with this weekend's sporting events, I decided to take a look ahead at some big games coming up this work week to distract us all. This could be a long one...

Monday
Regardless of who is playing, Monday Night Football is fun to watch. Tonight is a match-up of two teams who are a combined 5-11. The Ravens, behind their 2nd year QB out of Delaware, Joe Flacco, have been decent on offense and bad on defense, which is the opposite of normal. The once powerful and intimidating defense around Ray Lewis, has become soft and penetrable. On the other side of the field, the Browns come into tonight's game having scored 131 points fewer than their opponents this year. In eight games, they have scored a total of 78 points. Do I need to say more? None-the-less, it is Monday Night Football and all the hype that surrounds playing under the lights.

Of course, if you are like me and watched two of my favorite NFL teams lose yesterday, there is always early season college basketball to be watched tonight. #5 Kentuky, #6 Villanova, #8 Duke, #14 UConn, and #18 Minnesota are all in action, with #14 UConn and #8 Duke playing a double-header on ESPNU. There are no particularly compelling match-ups, but these games provide a pleasant alternative to the NFL.

Finally, if you are not interested in the NFL or College basketball (why not?), then there is the first of three Bruins games this week at the TD Garden. The Islanders are coming to town sitting last in the Atlantic Division, but having won 6 of their last 10 games. The only other time these two teams have met this season, the Bruins pulled off a 4-3 OT win at home.

Tuesday
College basketball begins to heat up with some compelling early season tests for #1 Kansas and #2 Michigan State (both game son ESPN). #1 Kansas will show off against a pesky Memphis club that is a perennial favorite to go deep into the post-season. #1 Kansas is a superior team, but Memphis knows how to play in big games, especially since this game is being held at a neutral location. #2 Michigan State is facing a strong Gonzaga team who are led by underrated coach Mark Few. Gonzaga is a young team and will be over-matched by #2 Michigan State's athleticism, strength, and experience.


Wednesday
The NBA is on tap for Wednesday. The Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks will square off for the early season lead in the Southeast Division. Both teams play one game this week before Wednesday's match-up, but as of now, the Heat sit 1/2 game behind the Hawks who are on top of the division with an 8-2 record. PF Josh Smith for Atlanta has had a great year thus far averaging nearly 16 points and 8+ rebounds per game. He will be matched-up against PF Michael Beasley, the highly-talked about pick from Kansas State who has been improving, but has made a lot of mistakes typical of a young player. 

If college is not your cup of tea, Golden State is coming to town to face off against the Celtics. Golden state has struggled mightily this year and sits at 3-6. Golden State also just traded F Stephen Jackson and G Acie Law for G Raja Bell and F Vladimir Radmanovic. Jackson has wanted out for awhile and finally got his wish granted. If the Celtics play their game, this may not even be fun to watch, unless you love lop-sided games.

Thursday
The headliner in college basketball on Thursday is #4 North Carolina at #17 Ohio State. For both teams, this will be an early test to see how good they really are as a unit. As usual, UNC has had strong play from their forwards inside and has a deep bench. Ohio State, on the other hand, has a small team with the tallest forward listed at 6'-7". Thus far, OSU has had balanced scoring with 5 players averaging double-figures, but since they have not faced any tough competition, only time will tell what type of team they become. It should be interesting to see OSU's guards/forwards trying to score inside against 7'-0" Zeller of UNC.

If you really want more football, the NFL Network is providing it for you. Thursday night the Miami Dolphins will head to Carolina to take on the Panthers. Should be an interesting battle between two 4-5 teams. The wildcat could be extremely successful against the 25th ranked rush defense of the Panthers, who give up more than 128 yards per game to opposing teams.

In the NFL, the Bruins with take on a solid Atlanta Thrashers team. Atlanta has had strong goal tending as of late from Ondrej Pavelec and Johan Hedberg and Ilya Kovalchuk, after a slow start, has been on fire, now with 12 goals and 6 assists on the season

Friday
To take us into the weekend, both the Bruins and Celtics are playing. The Bruins will be playing on the second consecutive night, creating some potential fatigue problems, which could be a problem heading into Buffalo. The Sabres this year are and impressive 12-4-1 thus far and their success stems from their young goal tender, Ryan Miller, who has a 1.77 GAA average playing in 15 of the teams 17 games this season.

The Celtics play a tough one on Friday night on ESPN against C Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic at home. The Magic are 7-3 entering this week and Howard has been dominating inside averaging nearly 20 points per game. Perkins is going to have to stay out of foul trouble early and try and limit the amount of touches Howard has in the paint.

If you can't find anything to watch from this list, you aren't a sports fan.

Aftermath from a Bad Weekend for NE

While not sleeping last night for some unknown reason (Bill Belichick and Wade Phillips), I began to think about the weekend that wasn't for New England sports fans. Let's recap.

Friday

It all started with a big Celtics/Hawks match-up that has turned into a bit of rivalry since they fought for 7 games in round one of the playoffs in 2007. The C's got out rebounded by 18 and lost 97-86, an inauspicious start to the weekend.

Saturday

There were 3 promising match-ups for Bostonians. The BC Eagles were up against a terrible Virginia team, the Bruins were facing the high-scoring Pittsburgh squad, and the Celtics were looking to get back on track against the 3-3 Pacers. BC took care of business, barely, but a win is a win and on this weekend, this win is the only win (not so subtle foreshadowing). The Bruins then came out scoring, finally, but the defense let them down giving up 6 goals, 5 in regulation, resulting in a 6-5 OT loss. The Celtics, following suit, struggled defensively, giving up 113 points to the Pacers, capping the night with a big L.

Sunday

There was one marquee match-up left in which a win would make all of the other losses from the weekend bearable: a Pats victory over their arch rival Colts. If you want to read my more in-depth feelings on the game, see my posts from last night. All I will say is that we learned Bill Belichick is human and is capable of making a colossal error in judgment to hand the Colts a victory.

Overall, the major Boston sports ended the weekend 1-4. It has to get better from here, right?

Post Game Wrap-up

Bill Belichick took an idiotic risk and it cost the Patriots the game. If you are up 6 with 2 minutes to play, on your own 30 yard line and facing a 4th down, WHY THE HELL WOULDN'T YOU PUNT? At least make it somewhat difficult for Manning and not hand him the ball in 30 yards away from the end zone. This will certainly be a topic in the post game press conference and for weeks to come, because Belichick essentially handed the Colts the game on a silver platter. What a shocker. Not because the Colts won by 1, but because Belichick actually made a mistake in the biggest moment of the biggest game of the year to this point. There is no point in even reviewing the stats from this game because they mean nothing but a large L on the schedule for the Pats. The AFC is now a two horse race: Cincinnati Bengals and the Indianapolis Colts. No one in their right mind saw that coming before the season started.

Thoughts from the 1st half...

If you are a Pat's fan, you have a lot to cheer about. Randy Moss has DOMINATED the Colts secondary to the tune of 4 catches for 144 yards and a TD. The Colts were 1st in the league coming into this game in points against only giving up slightly over 13 points per game to their opponents. The Pats have almost doubled that total in the first half. There is a long way to go in this one, but Brady has already thrown 11 completions for 237 yards. A big concern, however, is the pass rush that the Colts were getting on Brady at the end of the half. Belichick will have to neutralize the Freeney/Mathis rush more effectively in the second half in order to hold on to their lead.

On the other side of the ball, after the first Indy score, the Pat's defense has been playing pretty well and at times have made Manning look uncomfortable (which is not easy to do). As we saw at the end of the first half, Manning and the Colts offense are going to simplify their play-calling and get the ball in the hands of their play-makers (Wayne and Clarke). If they are successful and are able to get some rhythm going, they are extremely capable of putting up points in large bunches and getting right back into this contest. Ultimately, with a few minutes left in the 4th quarter, this will be a close game. There is no quit in either of these clubs, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see this same match-up in the AFC championship in January.

On a side note, do the Colts realize they play in a covered stadium? Fireworks after a TD that lit the turf on fire seem smart to anyone? More to come...

Dallas Embarassment

What the hell has happened to the Dallas Cowboys offense? The Packers are a decent defensive team. Let me repeat, a DECENT team. How does a team with the play-makers that Dallas has not score a point until 38 seconds left in the 4th quarter? There were some injuries for the 'Boys throughout the game, but only one was an offensive player, RT Mark Colombo (a BC product for all of you Bostonians). I am speechless, frustrated, and just plain disappointed. I'm saying it right here, Roy Williams is terrible. I was a huge fan of bringing him to Dallas, because he was an excellent WR at Texas in college and was a solid #1 in Detroit, even though he had a series of crappy QB's throwing to him. Since he has come to Dallas, he has done nothing but drop passes and fumble the football. It is pathetic that Miles Austin, who started the season 3rd on the depth chart, has almost 300 more receiving yards than Williams. That is not an insult to Austin, who has been the only saving grace of this WR core, but it is a testament to Williams's complete ineffectiveness.

NFL Sunday

What a crazy day so far in the NFL, and it is only 4:15pm EST. Some headlines thus far include Washington winning a game against the tough Broncos with 13 4th quarter points, the Jets continuing to struggle against the Jags, and New Orleans squeaking by a terrible St. Louis team. One of the best finishes thus far was Miami's comeback thriller to hold off the Bucs. The Buc's came back and were up one late in the 4th, until Chad Henne brought the Dolphins down the field and Carpenter hit a short field goal to win it with 14 seconds left. Still left to play are Dallas at Green Bay, Philly at San Diego, Seattle at Arizona, and the marquee match-up of week 10, Pats at Indy tonight. Should be a fun evening and night. Enjoy, I know I will!

C's Lose Again

After roaring to a 8-1 start, the Boston Celtics have returned to earth and lost back-to-back games this weekend. I have always been a proponent of the importance of early season losses. Don't get me wrong, wins are wins, and the more the better, obviously, but in order to be a championship team, a team has to grow together and build chemistry through facing adversity. With the addition of Rasheed Wallace, there is a period of adjustment to his style of play and skill set.

All that being said, already it appears that the C's are playing well together and are sharing the rock with extreme effectiveness. Six players are averaging 10+ points per game and even in tonight's loss to Indiana, five players finished with double-digit scoring numbers. An even more impressive and important stat is that the team is averaging nearly 26 assists per game, nearly 8 more assists per game than their opponents. As the team becomes more and more comfortable together, they will continue to improve as a unit and are poised to make a deep run in the playoffs and hopefully raised banner number 18 to the Garden rafters.Anything can happen in a NBA season, and there is still a long way to go.

NCAA Football Recap

As I am writing this, there are still a few games being played (#4 TCU vs #16 Utah, ND vs #12 Pitt, ASU vs #13 Oregon, and TTU vs. #19 Oklahoma State). Today produced several upsets including Stanford pounding #9 USC (an incredible sports blogger called that one, not that I like to brag), Cal running by #17 Arizona with a late TD to seal the victory, and Central Florida knocking off #15 Houston to bounce back from the record setting embarrassment they faced last week against #2 Texas. As expected, #5 Cincinnati pulled out a victory at home against #25 WVU, but not with their usual dominant offense. WVU ran the ball effectively to reduce amount of time the Cincinnati offense was on the field, creating a low scoring game (for Cincinnati's standards).

A surprisingly close game was the #10 Iowa vs #11 Ohio State match-up in Ohio. Without their starting QB, Iowa fought Ohio State and pushed the game into OT with a late 4th quarter TD. They fell to the Buckeyes in OT, but showed a lot of character and proved they can hang with most teams in the league. For the most part, the rest of the top 25 took care of business on Saturday (to this point), meaning the top 8 should remain constant going into week 13 next week.

NCAA Football Weekend Preview

Looking at the college football schedule for this weekend, I was disappointed. There are no large marquee match-ups and only one or two worthy of a top billing, but when looking further, there are several games that are crucial in conference play. Below are the top 5 must watch games this weekend. All odds are courtesy of bodog.com.

#25 West Virginia Mountaineers at #5 Cincinnati Bearcats (-10)

Friday, 8pm EST

This is a pivotal game in the Big East tonight. It will be one of the toughest tests this season for the Bearcats, especially coming off of their poor defensive output last week, giving up 45 points to decent UConn offense. The defense is going to need to contain the speedy Noel Devine and the rest of the quick offensive squad for West Virginia in order to keep this game close. Ultimately, the home field advantage for the Bearcats will prevail in this marquee match-up.

Prediction: Cincinnati by 4

Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #12 Pittsburgh Panthers (-7)

Saturday, 8pm EST

Another prime-time match-up in the Big East with BCS Bowl implications. Pitt is 7-1 in the conference, one game behind Cincinnati, and is hungry for a BCS Bowl bid. Pitt's QB, Bill Stull, has had an impressive year throwing for almost 1900 yards and 17 touchdowns in 9 games and is balanced by his athletic RB Dion Lewis, who averages over 5.5 yards per carry. Notre Dame on the other hand, is struggling once again under their hot seat coach Charlie Weis. Jimmy Clausen has had an even more impressive year than Stull throwing for over 2700 yards and 20 touchdowns, but the ND rushing offense has been poor averaging under 5.0 yards per carry. This is a must win for Weis or his days in ND are extremely numbered.

Prediction: Pitt by 14

Stanford Cardinals at #9 USC Trojans (-10.5)

Saturday, 3:30pm EST

With two uncharacteristic losses for Pete Carroll's USC Trojans, their dominance is certainly in question. The Pac-10 is having a strong year with 4 teams in the BCS Top 25, which is creating some difficulty for Matt Barkley, the freshman QB who has thrown for 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. In order to beat the Cardinals, Joe McKnight, the USC RB is going to have to have a strong performance. This is a huge game for Stanford. They are 5-2 in the Pac-10 and 6-3 overall. With a win, they place themselves 1 game behind Oregon and Arizona for the Pac-10 lead. Stanford is hungry and oozing with confidence coming off their big upset of #8 Oregon last week.

Prediction: Stanford by 3

#10 Iowa Hawkeyes at #11 Ohio State Buckeyes (-17)

Saturday, 3:30pm EST

A few weeks ago, this would have been a gigantic game for the Iowa Hawkeyes and their dream season. After their devastating loss to Northwestern, the dream ended. The bigger loss, however, was when Ricky Stanzi left the field and didn't return. Without their Junior QB, Iowa is a weak offensive team and can not compete with schools like Ohio State. On the other side of the field, the Ohio State Buckeyes are primed and ready to feast on the ailing Hawkeyes and take over the sole lead in the Big-10 as the only one-loss team. To add insult to injury for Iowa fans, this game is in Ohio Stadium.

Prediction: Ohio State by 28

#16 Utah Utes at #4 TCU Horned Frogs (-19.5)

Saturday, 7:30pm EST

TCU has had an excellent year and are poised to finish the season undefeated. They will not be in the national championship game, unless there is a miracle, but they are still a top tier team and have dominated their opponents (even though they have only played 1 ranked team). This match-up with the Utes is the most difficult test this season for TCU and Utah is the only other undefeated team in the Mountain West. This will be a closer game than the odds show, because the Mountain West title and a potential BCS Bowl bid are on the line.

Prediction: TCU by 7