Sports Again?!

Time to go kill myself

2008-10-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

The impossible and unthinkable has happened. Isn't it common knowledge that Lute can't die, much less resign?

Time to go shoot up heroin and find my special happy place. This is all wrong.

Making the little teams look big.

2008-10-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

Liverpool fights back for a dramatic 3-2 victory at home to mighty Wigan Athletic. Uh, yes... mighty. Another famous win against a... well, less than famous team. We still need to figure out how to play a full 90 against teams not named "PSV Eindhoven" (and even that was about 85). It was a great relief, though, to see that we could overcome defensive blunders and bail ourselves out of trouble without the services of El Nino. We were capable of winning this one by three given the quality of play.

Dirk Kuyt = Ball of Fire. I can get used to that. Four goals from his last three matches -- he's starting to resemble the man who had so much success in his days at Feyenoord. Happy to see Riera get on the board, too. I continue to be impressed by his play. Poor Robbie is still a largely anonymous member of this squad. Feels like he's pressing too much and its resulting in countless muck ups on attack.

There was a lot made of Chelski's 5-0 win over Boro during the broadcast. Fact is, the likelihood that the title will be decided by goal differential is slim-to-none. Margin of victory as it relates how two clubs compare to one another only leads to speculation. So with that in mind, today is: mission accomplished. All to play for against those blue d-bags next week.

YNWA!!

Clemson's claim to fame

2008-10-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

As a gambler, I'm troubled by the New York Football Giants' disappearing act, last night. Cleveland had 7,000 false starts and still converted on 75% of their third downs. Giants D? Invisible. Yes, the NFL is full of parity, but now there's one less team to fully back with the bankroll.

Now, as for the title of this thread...

Who knew anyone cared so much about Clemson football. Really? Enough to cry about it? This video will forever brand their fans as pussies. Do enjoy.

Fire Mike Stoops. Seriously.

2008-10-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

College football won't get a more entertaining game, this season, than what we saw this morning between Texas and Oklahoma. Can't say enough about it. Texas looks poised to take on Alabama in the title game. (putting shotgun in mouth, waiting to pull trigger if this is the verdict on B(C)S selection day)

Also, Arizona contrived to lose to Stanford. Again. That leaves UofA at 4-2, still two games shy of bowl eligibility. Spotting the Cats the game against Washington State, I don't like our chances. So, let's make it official at season's end, shall we? Bob's brother has had too much time as it is.

Sliver and Crack

2008-10-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

Warren Sapp, against all odds, gets a spot on my list of heroes. $10,000,000 to the person who shoots Al Davis in the head. Not only would it be good for the Raiders, not only for the NFL, but for America. Do it for America, people!

So effing proud!

2008-09-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Preach on, Rafa! Any time we beat the Scum, its a day to celebrate. Without even taking any pills, LFC's 2-1 win over Manure might give me a boner for 24 hours. No, I will not go to the hospital. Felt so good to watch. Cheers to Riera, Babel, and Carra! Oh, and a very special thanks to Wes Brown, that git.

YNWA!

Technology is great

2008-09-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

I am at work, watching Andy Murray v Roger Federer live on the interweb. Things could be worse. Speaking of which...

You know who are a bunch of dickbags? The New England Patriots. They had neither win covered the spread or lost outright. Where's the decency?! I blame Belichick. He's a cheater.

Arizona Wildcats football: 2-0. May have to get out to the UCLA game in a couple weeks.

From the "Oh, by the way" file...

Oh, by the way, sitting five rows off the third base line for a Dodger game on a beautiful Sunday afternoon with all the free food you can eat definitely does not suck. The Arizona Diamondbacks, now they suck.

70-0

2008-08-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

That's awesome. Now, let's see what we can do against teams not named Idaho.

Bear down.

I'm so Keane-O

2008-07-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

All the talk, State-side, is buzzing around the baseball trade deadline. Griffey Jr. going to the White Sox and finally having a shot at the World Series (by the way, check out the comment from "SUCKONMYBAT." Braaaavo, internet), Boston actually being dumb enough to unload Manny. Me? I'm still buzzing about the excellent news from earlier this week.

19m is quite a bit of change, sure, but look what it does for the Reds. Suddenly, a strike partnership of Torres and Keane (both of which have stunning goal-rates), supporting in attacking midfield by Gerrard, Babel, and Kuyt with Monster Masch anchoring the center of the pitch. It's impressive, to say the least, and makes us look quite formidable. And as soon as Chrissy bolts from Man U, watch out. It'll be a different set of red uniforms hoisting the trophy at season's end.

Finally, Nadal!

2008-07-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

Spain celebrating two weeks in a row... Just feels strange.

Greatest tennis match ever? Has to be. Certainly the best tie-break I've ever seen. And despite what the official ATP rankings say, there can be no doubt that, right now, Rafa Nadal is the best player in the world. But what an unreal match. Who says tennis is dying? I'll tell you who: all the numbnuts out there who think that if an American male isn't in the mix (Roddick seems to have officially lost it, Blake never even came close to having it), then the sport isn't worth watching. That's a pretty sad way of looking at it. If that numbnuts happens to be you, you're missing some excellent sport.

To borrow a term from Seinfeld...

2008-06-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

The Lakers suffer from "Euromysatisis." That is to say, we're too pathetically soft (Pau Gasol) and unbelievably stupid (Vlad Radmanovic) to ever have seriously contended with the Celtics. It's still midway through the 3rd quarter in game 6 and, even as a die-hard Lakers fan, I don't see the point in watching anymore. Why bother? When the Lakers go up 20, collapse is imminent. When Boston goes up 20, it feels like 80.

Credit to the Celtics. They're smarter and wanted it more. From blatant tanking to a championship. Suddenly, I'm supposed to believe that Doc Rivers is an amazing coach...

Perhaps most retarded of all? Boston wasn't even that gifted an offensive team. Not until they faced LA's phantom defense. I swear, I cannot remember a more joyless Finals in which I've had a rooting interest.

A small consolation is...

2008-06-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

... Croatia cracking Germany over the head in the Euros. Thank god those are going on, right now.

NBA Finals: Game 4

2008-06-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

I'm embarrassed. I'm livid and embarrassed. There's nothing more to say. What makes it worse? Boston fan. Not the Celtics, but their obnoxious, beedy-eyed idiot fans. Go kill yourself, Simmons.

Marc Andre, you beauty!

2008-06-02T23:27:00.000-07:00

If you watched Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight and still are not a hockey fan, then you need to go kill yourself. Immediately. Unbelievable game and, by all rights, the Red Wings should've taken it going away. Pittsburgh looked timid, especially in the third period and first OT where they were dominated. The Pens power play continued to look miserable (how ironic that Sykora's game-winner in triple OT came on the power play) and Malkin was miserable. Again. Fleury saved this team countless times, tonight.

In so many ways, watching Sidney Crosby lead Pittsburgh in this Cup Finals reminds me of LeBron leading Cleveland to the NBA Finals last season. Both are the futures of their respective sport, both are/were up against juggernauts. Will Pittsburgh's miracle escape tonight mean Crosby won't share the same fortune as LeBron? Still a ways to go, yet.

DJ Mbenga is going to the Finals!!

2008-05-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

First off, before the celebrating, I just want to comment on something I read this week. Sammy "Steroids" Sosa announced that he'll be retiring after the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Thing is, Sammy Sosa isn't on an MLB roster. He's unemployed! That's like saying, "Hey, you think I'm undesirable now? Wait until I'm unavailable!" What a worthless piece of news. This fucking idiot doesn't understand supply and demand. Shmuck.

AND NOW... THE GOOD STUFF...

I love these Lakers. I love them. I would say "yes" if only Kobe asked. Seriously. Mission not accomplished yet, but it sure feels like it will be regardless of whether it's Boston or Detroit. Great to see Farmar get his confidence back, too.

Mamba Time

2008-05-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

Down 20 midway through the 3rd quarter? Forget about it! My name's Kobe Bryant and I own crunch time. One of the sweetest game one victories I have ever witnessed and Ginobili having a miserable game just put a cherry on it. Stat of the playoffs: Phil Jackson is 40-0 in playoff series when winning game one.

Have to love that any of the remaining four teams in the playoffs have legit shots at winning the title. If this Laker-Spurs series carries on this way, it'll be hard to top.

Speaking of excellent series matchups, I don't think there's been a better Stanley Cup Finals matchup since Colorado v New Jersey in 2001, potentially when Pittsburgh hooked up with Chicago in 1992. I'm talking strictly about when two heavyweights collide and this Pens-Wings Finals has the potential to be the most exciting, most entertaining of the last 20 years. Yowza! I wasn't a believer at the start of the season, but I'm taking Pittsburgh. In SIX! Fleury has just looked phenomenal. The big Red Wing machine might have trouble cracking this one, especially having yet to face a squad as offensively gifted as themselves.

You know what's great TV?

2008-05-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

I don't think I'm going to blow any minds, here, but Inside The NBA on TNT with Charles, Kenny, Ernie, and Magic is brilliant. It's something we've already known to be true, but just now, after a mediocre Cleveland team, lead by an iffy performance from LeBron, leveled their series with Boston 2-2, watching the guys talk about how the Celtics themselves don't even know how they earned the best record in the regular season was just brilliant. Specifically listening to Magic and Charles agog at how Boston's "big three" are incapable of taking over games, how KG disappears in the fourth quarter, how Rajon Rondo of all people shouldn't be the guy taking the second-most shots on the team, how KG is the only guy who can play defense, how the C's don't know how to play from behind. I just love seeing the greatest players in the game concisely, yet casually, chop up a championship favorite who is showing game-by-game that they lack heart. At this rate, there's no way Boston gets past Detroit in the conference finals.

I'm a fan of his, but I just hope that Bill Simmons was watching. People need to understand that the Celtics have massive problems. Being taken to seven games by a lousy Atlanta team was just the tip of the iceberg.

Jazz fans are horrible people

2008-05-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

Not horrible fans, mind you, but horrible people. Seriously, how do they justify booing Derek Fisher mercilessly when he rolls into town with the Lakers? He's a class act who gave you everything, Utah, and he didn't leave for money or the chance to be reunited with Kobe and Phil Jackson. No, he left because his daughter has CANCER OF THE FREAKING EYE and she needed proper doctors and facilities to help treat her condition. So because Salt Lake doesn't offer that and Los Angeles does, all of a sudden Fisher is a monster? FUCK YOU! For the longest time, you've held the mantle of most classless fans in the league and you've done nothing to deter that notion, especially lately. Nevermind the racial bias, nevermind Larry Miller, nevermind championing a creton like Karl Malone, it's all about the pure ignorance that comes with living in the state of Utah and sticking to your guns of not being an NBA fan, but being a Jazz fan and only a Jazz fan.

Miserable, miserable people. Lakers are winning this series in six games and D-Fish will be dropping 20 in Salt Lake when they clinch it. Pathetic people.

Shifting gears (and a couple days late, I realize, but I work my balls off so save it), Kobe finally got his MVP. The best player in the league having the best season of his career... Makes it hard for even the staunchest Chris Paul supporter to argue. And I love Chris Paul. No doubt, Kobe was the clear choice, this season and, finally, we can erase the memory that Dirk Nowitzki of all people won last year's award. *shudder*

But here's where the voting process has flaws: LeBron James received a first-place vote in the balloting. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WHY? That smacks of a voter who is on crack or simply doesn't care that LeBron did little to elevate his crap team in a crap conference. If LeBron was deserving of a first-place vote, this year, then Kobe should have three MVPs already. And we all know that shouldn't be the case. Inexcusable. Realizing that the post-season has nothing to do with regular season voting, how about those first two LeBron performances against Boston, huh? Wow! Just miserable (but not as miserable as Jazz fans)!

Another thing I don't understand: How Kobe was the only member of the All-NBA 1st Team (Kobe, CP3, KG, Dwight Howard, LeBron) to be unanimously voted to the team. It's clear that these five were an unquestionable cut above the rest of the league. There were no other candidates for 1st Team, as far as I'm concerned. And for what it's worth, I say Deron Williams should've been 2nd team ahead of Steve Nash.

This is what happens when you finish 2nd.

2008-05-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

Wow. This has to have been the most depressing Kentucky Derby ever.

The Nuggets are a pathetic joke

2008-04-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

I still in shock and awe that this club reached 50 wins in the regular season. If this demolition at the hands of the Lakers has proved anything, it's that Denver remains a team that has no heart, no guts, and no leadership. Period. It also goes a long, long way to reaffirming my long-held belief that any team featuring Allen Iverson (let alone a team lead by Iverson and Carmelo Anthony) is never going to win a damn thing. They're selfish, they're not team-oriented, and at times they seem actively disinterested in playing hard-nosed basketball. Because it requires constant effort.

Carmelo slammed his team after Saturday's game 3's pathetic excuse for a performance, labeling them as quitters. What was that about the pot and the kettle? The two guys who stepped up in defiance of that stupid remark by Anthony while on the verge of being swept, Kleiza and Najera, are really the only two that acquitted themselves from that shameful performance. And their objection to Captain Melo's genius comments only further illustrates what disarray this team is in. There was a lot of talk during game 3 from the commentary team about how frustrated George Karl and his coaching staff are. I can only imagine. Reports suggest that he'll be sticking around after the post-season, too. My only question: why?

Denver needs a makeover, complete with veteran leaders. Otherwise, they'll remain the gutless, heartless, disinterested Iversons that they are, with no character toughness to speak of. There is no fight in this series because only one team is playing hard. Allen Iverson will never win a championship.

I put the hex on them.

2008-04-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

I'm watching San Jose melt down in Calgary and I'm beginning to think it's because I put money on them tonight (and picked them to win the Cup). A quick 3-0 lead for the Sharks and the Flames have come all the way back to go up 4-3 late in the third. After Owen Nolan's go-ahead goal, the cameras showed Nabokov shaking his head in disbelief. Here come the mental demons of playoffs past for San Jose. Every playoff series has "that moment" -- the one where the tide turns irrevocably in one team's favor. Nolan's game-winner might be just that for this series.

It's now official: Calgary lead the series 2-1. I will no longer be putting any money on San Jose for the rest of the first round.

Lord Stanley and some quick hits

2008-04-08T23:29:00.000-07:00

- Liverpool's 4-2 triumph over Arsenal, tonight, to push them through to the Champions Leagues semis for the third time in four years (once again to face Chelsea, unbelievably) has to be one of the greatest matches I've ever seen. Especially because we friggin' won! Rafa Benitez: A true master of the two-legged tie.

- Speaking of "greatest ever seen..." Last night's National Championship game between Kansas and Memphis was one of the most entertaining games in a long while and certainly the best title game college hoops has seen in a decade. At least. All this despite long stretches of truly sloppy play. But with the pace so frenetic, who cares?! Could barely catch my breath. College football can suck it.

- All this greatness over the last two nights segues perrrrrfectly into the next two months: The Stanley Cup Playoffs. Drool. Right off, I think the whole world should rejoice the fact that Washington made the playoffs. Undeniably, this has been the year of Ovechkin and now that the Caps are in the post season, there can be no doubt that he's the runaway Hart trophy winner.

My lowly Kings couldn't win anything, this year. Not even the lottery (2nd pick). But there is one bright spot to arise from this season: Erik Ersberg. The young Swedish goalie is well on his way to being among the next set of elite netminders. He'll soon be in the Luongo, Brodeur, Lundqvist discussion. Mark my words. Had the pleasure of seeing him blank Ottawa back in March.

Back to the playoffs and some first round predictions/observations. Mentioned Washington and Ottawa already and they represent the hottest team and perhaps the most disjointed. But in the Eastern Conference, I see little reason to waiver from the team that caught my eye back in December when everyone else still considered them a darkhorse: Montreal. Even after bizarrely trading away Cristobal Huet to Washington (and isn't Washington grateful for that!), the Habs managed to maintain their superb balance.

1 Montreal v 8 Boston
Great matchup for the Habs. Boston deserves a lot of credit for scrapping and hanging on at the end, but the Canadiens have the talent and the discipline to get out of round one -- no tricky feat for an NHL 1-seed. Montreal sweeps 4-0.

2 Pittsburgh v 7 Ottawa
The Sens might be the biggest trainwreck entering the Stanley Cup playoffs this year. The Pens have learned how to excel both with and without Sidney Crosby. But Ottawa trainwreck so far removed from the squad that dismantled Pittsburgh in five games last season? I'm not so sure. FYI to the gamblers out there: a 7-seed in the NHL playoffs is akin to a 12-seed in the NCAA tournament. I'll go with the underdog to keep it interesting. Ottawa in seven. Though it could just as easily be Pittsburgh in five.

3 Washington v 6 Philadelphia
The Fighting Ovechkins have won something like 12 of their last 13! They're the hottest team in the league by miles. Does anyone think a team as erratic as the Flyers can stop Washington's form, now? No chance. Ovechkins in six.

4 New Jersey v 5 New York Rangers
Arguably the best matchup of the first round, if only for the goalie matchup. But the regular season series dictates that the Rangers have a distinct edge here. Barring a 0.60 GAA from Marty, I don't see why that should change. Blue Shirts in six.

Out West, we're in for an even more exciting set of series by virtue of it being (like it's NBA counterpart) so wide open. Any of the top five or six teams can emerge, but I'm going with the Sharks. They're peaking at the right time, Nabokov is in the thralls of maybe his best season, Joe Thornton is picking up, they don't take bad penalties, they have a great power play and there's only one team that can stop them: Anaheim. Yes, I realize I just said that the West is wide open, but it'll be a California battle in the conference finals.

1 Detroit v 8 Nashville
As bad as the Central Division was, this year, Detroit actually would've done better to draw a team like Calgary or the departed Vancouver. Nashville knows exactly what the Wings are all about and can give them all they want. Detroit escapes the first round in seven, only to run out of steam in the second round. Typical Presidents Trophy stuff from Detroit, right?

2 San Jose v 7 Calgary
The one area that Calgary might have on the Sharks is "toughness." But recently, SJ has shown they can mix it up when its required of them. San Joser in five.

3 Minnesota v 6 Colorado
The Wild have home ice and won the regular season series, but Colorado has come on strong ever since Peter Forsberg came back to town. Not sure the Wild have the firepower, at the end of the day, to keep up with Colorado. This one goes the distance, however, and the '96 Avs move on.

4 Anaheim v 5 Dallas
Epic first round clash, but sadly Dallas hasn't been holding up it's end of the bargain over the past month. The Stars have been falling while Anaheim (as we know from their run last year and Bryan Burke's insistence on not making any major additions to the squad, this year) is a team built for 1-0, 2-1 playoff hockey. The only question mark is in goal, given that Giguere is still a health concern, but it's going to take a lot (likely from San Jose) to best the defending champs. Ducks over Dallas in five.

Start spreading the news!

2008-04-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

Lute is back and O'Neill is sacked! Hallelujah! The only thing marring today is that my ideal candidate to one day succeed Olson (Tom Crean), just got hired away by Indiana. Still, Lute back on the sidelines = Happy Wildcat fan.

Those damn skanks

2008-03-31T23:58:00.000-07:00

It's been all college hoops, lately (as it should be), but just want to switch it up for a brief moment and recognize the scariest soccer I've seen in ages. Yes, Liverpool scored a MAJOR win over Everton, yesterday, pushing them a creaky five points ahead in the race for the final Champs League spot. But it's not my Reds that I'm alluding to when I talk of "scary soccer." It is, in fact, our mortal enemies: ManUre. Far be it from me to wave the flag of the enemy, but this incarnation of Manchester United might be the best club team that I've ever seen. They're thorough and spectacular just about every time they take the pitch. All four goals against Villa, yesterday, were sterling.

I will say this about the Mancs: I don't want to see them in the Champions League final. Let's go, Roma.

Could you possibly play a less perfect game?

2008-03-29T20:15:00.001-07:00

I have to blast this out, now, while I'm still hot about it: Louisville played like crap tonight. How can I say that? They took North Carolina to the final two minutes on the road, sure, but whenever opportunity arose for them, they butchered their chances. So many careless turnovers, so many missed free throws... their defense in the second half was solid, but all those offensive blunders add up. And the question is begging: Did Earl Clark have money on the Tar Heels tonight? He couldn't have looked more dispirited and clueless tonight. Jay Bilas said the kid's got a ton of potential. Fortunately for Clark, he's got another two years to prove it.

Also (and I just hate this about top seeds getting to play home games in the Elite 8) but Tyler Hansbrough? "Psycho T?" He fouled out about three times. The refs didn't blow the whistle on most of those, but he did. I swear, if I have to hear one more time about the level of tenacity and competitiveness Hansbrough has in his game as an excuse for how blatantly he hacks opponents, I just might puke on someone else's shoes. Seriously. Hey, you know who is going to bomb in the NBA? Tyler Hansbrough. Three reasons why: 1) It takes more than being a carthorse to be effective in that league. 2) He'll be called for all those wild hacks. 3) He can't guard a legit big man. I understand that he's aggressive and scored a lot of points at the la dee da University of North Carolina, but National Media, seriously, do you really think this guy had a better season than Michael Beasley? Or Kevin Love? Does no one else see how overrated the ACC was?

Sigh... Where's my gun...?

Finally, this Sweet 16 and Elite 8 (so far) has been wildly disappointing. Blowouts everywhere. Louisville does get credit for keeping tonight interesting (mostly), but my god, what a boring set of games. It's all on Stephen Curry (again) to be the saviour of this round and the tournament at large.

By the way, for what it's worth, if there is one NBA prospect on this UNC roster, it's Wayne Ellington. The guy's got an all around game complimented by being able to nail every shot in the book.

The Cinderellas aren't the story.

2008-03-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

The pub from the first two rounds of this year's tourney is going to Davidson and Western Kentucky. Both deserving, but I'm not exactly stunned that either of them are still dancing. You can make the argument that WKU should've been favored in both of their games and there was a lot of smart money on a veteran Davidson club, led by a super-scorer in Stephen Curry, pipping offensively-challenged Georgetown. I am, however, surprised that Tennessee is still alive. Yeah, they're a 2-seed, but continue to be wildly overrated. I fully expected a Butler-Louisville Sweet 16 matchup. Nearly happened. At least Pitt's flameout in the second round validated me.

Here's what no one is talking about, though, that the nation will have their eyes opened to in the next couple days: Washington State's defense is incredible. Just ask Winthrop and Notre Dame who struggled to crack 40 points. Impressive drubbings, both of them. The Cougars are going to give North Carolina (who has to be feeling fat and happy after coasting through their first two games) all they want.

My favorite day of the year: 2008 edition

2008-03-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

You may all know it as "Selection Sunday," but to me, it feels like Christmas. Actually, scratch that. Selection Sunday is the Christmas Eve to the NCAA first round's Christmas. I'm dusting off this little blog because I just have to talk about it -- as is always the case with me and the NCAA tourney. But before we break it down, I just want to address the relief/exasperation I'm feeling with Arizona and the perceived slight of Arizona State.

In the end, the Cats got in safely as a 10-seed. But the fact that they were a bubble team at all is reason enough to call for Kevin O'Neill's head on a pike. How he wasn't crucified after getting swept by ASU (swept by the Scum Devils in bball?? I never thought I'd see it), I'll never know. As I said, though, if the seedings are to be believed, Arizona got in ahead of fellow tournament teams Kansas State, St. Joseph's, Baylor, Kentucky, and Villanova. I count five teams there. K-State, I feel, were seeded lower than they deserved, but the other four are who ASU should be fuming over. Yes, Arizona State 2 Arizona 0. Yes, I think ASU should've made the tournament ahead of Villanova and Kentucky and even Baylor. But ultimately, the Sun Devils have only themselves to blame. 5-10 in their last 15, they get credit for playing in Maui, but never bothered to leave home a lousy non-conference schedule -- they only time they did, they got worked by Nebraska -- and, most importantly, the Selection Committee doesn't take conference affiliation into consideration when comparing teams side by side. Why does that matter? Because it flat out negates the argument that ASU finishing one game ahead of Arizona in the Pac 10 standings was reason enough to put them in. It's an overall picture and when you look at what Arizona has done when healthy (16-6 with Nic Wise -- their real engine in the lineup).

It is sad for Arizona State, sure. Fellow bubble team Oregon scored a 9-seed, so go figure. But what this really shows us is that the conferece tournaments (as I've been preaching to anyone who will listen) are bad for college basketball. Yes, they bring in money, but consider Georgia who finished dead last in a mediocre SEC. How about Temple who had no shot of making the dance as an at-large? I'm sorry, but the Arizona States and the Daytons and the Virginia Techs of the world, if they feel the need to bitch, bitch about conference tournaments. What's more, none of them took care of business when it mattered most. If you can't play your way into a spread of 65 teams, you probably don't have any business competing for the national title in the first place.

Now, then...

East Regional
The pundits are all going on record, stating that the East is the toughest region of the four. That may be so, considering the collection of talent -- Notre Dame as a 5, Indiana sandbagged with an 8-seed??, Butler inexplicably dumped down to a 7?? Sure, those are all good teams, but when you look at the bracket, I think it breaks very favorably for North Carolina. They never have to leave their home state and I think they're more than capable of stomping any one of the teams in the region, with 2-seed Tennessee looking like the softest and easiest challenge of the bunch.

Here's the thing about Tennessee: They're losing in the first weekend. I'm so skeptical of this team, it's not even funny. Live by the three, soft defense, and remarkably unimpressive when it came to winning a down-year in the SEC. If the Butler Bulldogs can get past South Alabama in the first round (and that won't be easy, given that the game is in Birmingham), Graves & Co. are going to cut up the Vols with ease.

Should the Vols somehow make it to the Sweet 16, they're not getting past Louisville. Pitino's club is the mirror image of Tennessee, except for that they play defense and have a little more size on the interior. Good night.

I see North Carolina meeting up with Indiana in the second round after the Hoosiers -- who were probably a 5-seed two weeks ago -- after IU beats Arkansas with their superior talent. But who knows if Indiana will even show up during the opener. They certainly didn't care about beating Minnesota this weekend.

Any upsets here? I'm eyeballing two: St. Joe's over Oklahoma and 2006 Final Four heroes George Mason pulling a stunner over Notre Dame. The latter might be the only 5-12 upset, this year, and I might be sentimental about all the good memories GMU providing the world in 2006. But Wil Thomas and Folarin Campbell were starters on that '06 club and last year, the Irish fell victim to Winthrop. If GMU can keep it close, maybe last season's upset will begin to creep into the Irish's head.

Speaking of Winthrop, they're falling to Washington State in round one. If I had any faith in the Cougars' ability to consistently put points on the board, I'd pick them against the Tar Heels. But I don't, so I won't. In the end, UNC is in the Final Four, getting past Louisville in the Elite 8.

South Regional
THIS is the toughest region, my friends. The top six seeds all have the quality to make a run. But the deciding game is going to occur in the Sweet 16 between Texas and Stanford. The winner of this matchup will absolutely be heading to the Final Four, regardless of whether they have to play Memphis, Pitt, or Michigan State in the regional final. I like the 2nd-seeded Longhorns for the superior guard play and because Stanford is a lousy shooting team.

The top half of this bracket is very interesting, however. Memphis will show up in the Sweet 16, but don't count on them meeting up with Pitt. The Panthers, though very tough and very good, just played four games in four days. Unfortunately for them, they'll begin play on Thursday as opposed to Friday. Teams who play 4 in 4 traditionally don't survive the first weekend. You can count on this even more than a 12 beating a 5 (which didn't happen last year, by the way!). The Panthers won't have the legs to get to the second weekend. That leaves Michigan State in an intriguing position. They've got a difficult test against Temple (incidentally, the last time Temple played in the NCAAs, they lost to Michigan State in the 2001 Elite 8), but if Neitzel can lead his team past the Owls and if the Spartans can take care of the basketball, then they've got a half-decent shot at making a run to the Elite 8.

Why so down on Memphis? Well, they are a great team, but the free throw shooting is going to kill them. It'll be Texas winning two in Houston before moving on to San Antonio.

Lock of the first round: Marquette over Kentucky. It's going to be a massacre.

St. Mary's will account for the WCC's (three teams, this year! good for them!) lone victory, knocking down Miami.

Midwest Regional
While the South has the toughest road for it's top six teams, the midwest is the most wide open... After Kansas, that is... Never thought I'd say this, but I love the Jayhawks and don't see anyone in the region that can get in their way. Maybe Vanderbilt (who, had they been given a more favorable draw, would've been a sleeper of mine) puts up a fight in the Sweet 16, but that's it.

Clemson vs Villanova is a very intriguing matchup, but if it wasn't a 5-12 game, I'm not sure how many people would actually consider picking 'Nova.

Davidson playing in it's home state against Gonzaga. Bet the farm, Davidson is moving on to round two.

This region has the absolute gem of the first round matchups: USC vs Kansas State. Mayo vs Beasley. Drool. It's going to be a classic showcase and it's also going to be the start of a deep tournament run for the Trojans. USC is talented enough and athletic enough to get past the slow, grinding style of Wisconsin. Similar case against Georgetown in the Sweet 16. Too many close calls for the Hoyas, this season, and they're going to slip up somewhere before the Final Four.

West Regional
Here's the softest region of them all and you have to believe that UCLA is a lock for the Final Four. I really think they'll coast all the way to the semis. The health of Luc Richard M'bad Moute is an issue, but the first weekend shouldn't give the Bruins too much trouble, and Luc Richard should return by week 2. At least UCLA hopes he will, anyway. But how can you not love the experience of two consecutive Final Fours, perhaps the best point guard in the country in Darren Collison, one of the best shutdown defenders in Russell Westbrook, the hard-nosed defense, the tenacious rebounding, and of course Kevin Love who I'd think has a little something to say about Tyler Hansbrough getting all the player of the year attention. To me, UCLA, along with Kansas and North Carolina, are a cut above everyone else in the field.

You can write it down, now, BYU is knocking off Texas A&M in the opener. These aren't your Acie Law Aggies of a year ago. Shockingly inconsistent and often times underachieving, I think A&M is in for an ambush. BYU's fans will certainly travel to Anaheim, too.

It's a bit unfortunate, but it seems as though all the mid-majors are playing each other in round one (UNLV v Kent, Butler v S. Alabama, Gonzaga v Davidson) and that's the case with this tasty 5-12 game between Drake and Western Kentucky. I haven't seen much at all of WKU and I know they've got a star in Courtney Lee, but Drake is for real. Absolutely. "Love the Drake!" I'll tell you what else: If UConn isn't mentally present for 40 minutes, they're Bulldog bait. Drake is going to be waving the mid-major flag (along with Butler) in the Sweet 16.

Recall what I said about Pitt in for a serious uphill battle after playing four games in four days? The story is no different with sudden national darling -- and scurge of NIT teams everywhere -- Georgia. Oh, and remember what I said about how Marquette is going to thump Kentucky? That applies here, too. Xavier is going to slaughter Georgia and then dance on their faces. The X-Men are possibly the most dangerous team in this half of the region, but a win over Georgia might be all they get. Purdue v Baylor will be a great matchup, but the Boilermakers have the look of a team that can upset a Xavier on their day and reach the Sweet 16.

This is actually the only 1/8 of the Elite 8 that I'm conflicted over and in part because of Purdue's presence, as well as the upset possibility of Duke falling to the West Virginia/Arizona winner. I'd love to go with my heart here and proclaim Arizona as the sleeper of the tournament that will represent the token double-digit seed in the Sweet 16, but given their form this year, how can back-to-back wins be a sure thing? I think the Dukies match up well against either WVU or UofA, but a physical team can take Coach K's boys down. Arizona doesn't fit that mold, but they've got serious talent with Jerryd Bayless. Duke should be favored, but they're no lock for the second weekend.

Its hard to get excited about underachieving dogshit performances

2008-01-30T23:43:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching Liverpool spectcacularly flame out 1-0 at West Ham. I want to fucking kill myself. Seriously, any Reds supporter still claiming that label deserve a medal because supporters of lesser clubs in our situation would surely be sticking their heads in the sand. Just an absolute shit performance. Once again, our corner kicks are little more than goal kicks for the opposition. We've turned mucking scoring opportunities into an art form. Truthfully, West Ham probably should've rung up 3 on us. Unfortunate that Lucas Neill wasn't called for a hand ball on that corner around the 78th minute, but the penalty called on us, while utterly painful, was deserved. You make your own luck, both in football and in life, and when you play like we have over the last two months, how can anyone say we deserved the points today? Now, we're not even "King of the Draws."

The only Red in tonight's match that escapes blame, in my opinion, is Lucas. Our energy and focus picked up dramatically when he entered. I wish, in retrospect, that Babel had come on sooner and, my god, the question begs of Rafa: Why not bring Crouch on for Kuyt in the final 10 minutes?!? Dirk played like dick tonight. Xabi was surprisingly poor.

No one misunderstand my frustration, here. I am not venting as someone who is jumping ship (I most certainly am NOT), but rather as an ardent supporter who is simply sickened by our inconsistency and underachievement. In terms of sheer disappointment, I can't recall a more frustrating season in the 15 years that I've supported the club.

We need answers, all right. And I think it all starts with the Captain.

YNWA

What happened to the mighty Suns?

2007-12-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

Lakers 2
Suns 0

Feels good. Feels really good. Kobe for MVP.

I know it's not yet halfway through the season, but the gap in quality from the last couple seasons between these two has been completely eliminated. I'm loving the Lakers run, so far, but I'm not ready to call them a championship contender for this season. I am, however, ready to say that Phoenix is out of that discussion. Still San Antonio's to lose, but I guess Boston would have to be considered the only team that could stop them.

Merry Christmas. You're fired.

2007-12-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

So the Chicago Bulls fired head coach Scott Skiles, today. On Christmas Eve! I always knew Jerry(s) Krause and Reinsdorf didn't have hearts, but geez...

Also, Kobe is the fastest player to 20,000 points. Pretty amazing considering he exists in the same universe as Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.

#24

2007-12-05T20:56:00.001-08:00

God damn. I love watching Kobe Bryant play. Unreal.

Duck is especially tasty on Thursday nights

2007-11-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

HELL YEAH!
Here's why UofA dumping Oregon is awesome*:
We single handedly took the Pac Ten out of the national title race, leaving the rest of the nation to suffer a LSU v Big 12 champ national championship. Ouch! Playoffs, anyone?

*Can you tell I'm terribly bitter about college football's structure?

A lot happened this week

2007-11-09T14:39:00.000-08:00

Big, eye-popping stuff, too.

- Superbowl XLI 1/2 living up to the hype, as the Patriots effectively rendered the rest of the regular season in the NFL a formality by winning in Indy.
- Liverpool erupting in true backs-to-the-wall Reds fashion for an 8-0 victory over Besiktas in the Champions League. Here's a highlight reel of all eight goals that'll have any fan creaming their pants.
- Chris Paul reaffirming that he is next in line to assume the mantle of best point guard of his generation with his 21-assist/2-turnover clinic against the Lakers (nevermind Peja Stojakovic lighting up the Lake Show for ten 3s because they seemingly refused to defend the shooter).
- Kentucky getting shocked at home by minor (not "mid-major," but "minor") Gardner Webb! This, of course, set off angry hordes of torches and pitch forks in the direction of Billy Gillespie's house and got me buzzing because COLLEGE BASKETBALL IS OFFICIALLY BACK, BABY!
- Ruud Gullit becoming the new head coach of Los Angeles Galaxy. This isn't necessarily making the Galaxy elite, but the push to continue bringing the biggest names into the fold is one that I'm enjoying and, more over, soccer fans are enjoying. Put me down for a couple more Galaxy games, next season. I'm still interested.

I can get excited about all of these things, wildly so, and talk about them forever. But, when it comes to updating this page I feel like I've been thrown irrevocably off course, recently, for a variety of reasons. And strangely enough, it was another piece from Kyle Whelliston that cemented the idea, for me, that blogging with the intent to make any sort effort to be heard or seen is more and more a waste of time. Sure, I'll gladly talk sports with my friends and, every so often, I'll probably still find my way back to this page to gush or rant about whatever the topic of the moment is, but after one year in and disposable time decreasing exponentially, it might be time to throw this whole operation under the bus.

I'm still hyped about the Lakers playing Minnesota tonight, Liverpool hosting Fulham tomorrow, and the Kings facing off against the Stars tomorrow night, but damn... I need a more interactive, responsive medium, if I were to keep up this rambling with any consistency.

Remember how I'm rabid about college hoops?

2007-11-06T10:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, I feel like Kyle Whelliston is in my head. Granted, I still make an effort to catch LA Kings games when I can, but it's eerie how much on the same page we are. It really is the simplicity and continued excitement of the easily-sectored season that lifts college hoops a few notches for me above the vast, endless expanse of professional regular seasons (NHL, NBA, MLB) and the abruptness of college football (you lose in week 1, your season is largely forfeit). At the risk of sounding sicophantic, I wish I had the courage and foresight to do what Whelliston's doing -- that is to say, completely immerse myself in genuine college bball madness to the point where I can't afford not to make it my job. I'm endlessly fascinated and jealous of the 100 Games Project.

Anyway, it's good to have college basketball back.

Basketball State!

Lute takes a leave of absence

2007-11-05T16:57:00.000-08:00

I'm officially on suicide watch. I'm not ready to live in a world where Kevin O'Neill is patrolling the Wildcat sideline. No Lute = ???
In a season where the Pac 10 figures to easily be the best conference in the nation, we need the Silver Fox more than ever.

Also, hooray for the return of college basketball! As far as I'm concerned, March Madness officially starts in Decemeber.

Cigars all around

2007-11-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

Well done, college football. You made yesterday a very entertaining, very profitable day, indeed. Big ups to:

- Willie Tuitama and YOOO! OF! A! for building up a 20-point lead against UCLA and staving off a late Bruin rally. In a game where both head coaches are fighting for their lives, this may have spelled the end for Karl Durrell. I think his only hope of returning next season is if UCLA leave the Coliseum at season's end with a victory. As for Mike Stoops, hey, where was this kind of effort against New Mexico and Stanford? Instead of playing for pride, we could've been playing for a bowl. That being said, the role of spoiler seems to suit us and with Oregon and Arizona State remaining on the slate, you never know. It might be the Wildcats who single-handedly keep the Pac 10 out of the National Championship game.

- Clemson for routing Duke. Sixteen points was far too generous.

- Iowa for winning on the road over Northwestern. I'm sorry, but any team that loses to Duke never deserves to be favored.

- Ohio State for further exposing Wisconsin as frauds. Normally, I'd spit venom at the Buckeyes. But in this instance, job well done.

- Missouri for coasting through the simple Big XII North. No matter who emerges from this conference -- be it Mizzou, Kansas, or Oklahoma -- I have a hard time seeing any of them playing for the national title. That's thanks to the likes of Colorado, who manage to upset OU, then get pummelled by 45 at home.

- Illinois for whipping hapless Minnesota. A nice rebuilding story in Champagne with the Fighting Zooks.

All together, these teams put a smile on this man's face.

And as a bonus, ASU got brought back down to reality after Oregon toasted them. I'd give the Ducks the hat tip for #2 in the nation, right now, ahead of LSU and it's not because I'm a Pac 10 guy. LSU has pulled out last gasp victories the last three weeks. They're a hair away from riding a 4-game losing streak. Before you say, "Well, they're playing in the SEC!" Listen, the Pac 10 is no slouch. Dennis Dixon for the least important trophy in sports (you may know it as "The Heisman").

Lakers 119 - Suns 98

2007-11-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

And folks, it wasn't even that close. FEELIN' YOU!

So proud of my boys for last night's insane performance on the road, sans Lamar. Watched all 48 minutes and was elated through just about all of it. They worked it with four point guards, even! Quite easily my favorite Laker game since Kobe's OT buzzer-beater in game 4 of the 2006 first round against Phoenix. Vlad Radmanovic for MVP! What a difference not having Smush Parker makes.

And now, an exchange between Suns fanatic Brent and Laker honk Alan...

Brent:
Sorry I didn't respond to your series of taunting texts. I passed out from lack of sleep at about 10 o'clock.

Anyway, the Suns seem to have a chronic early-season problem. It has happened the last three years (remember they went 1-5 to start the year last year, and lost their first game against the Lakers when they didn't have Kobe). That interior defense is atrocious, and if they think Boris Diaw and Brian Skinner are going to keep them guys out of the paint and keep them in games on the defensive glass, they are going to have a long season.

Also, Grant Hill needs to stop taking threes. His ranger is 19-feet and in. Mike D'Antoni was pissed at Phil Jackson for calling that timeout in the fourth quarter (he yelled at Phil, "It's alright, we have three more games.". Phil then told D'Antoni to "shut the fuck up." In the press conference afterwards, D'Antoni said, "I thought he disrespected our players, but he likes to play the mind games. That's fine. He might want to try to do it in playoff time when we bust them every time."

Always good to see the flames stoked in a rivalry. I guess the chemistry issues need to work themselves out over the course of the first month of the season, but Hill should be coming off the bench.

One thing I've seen that I really like: Boris has a 17-foot jumper. Other than that, Amare's interior D still isn't very good, Raja and LB are recovering from injuries that prevent them from shooting well (LB 0-for-4 from the FT line- injured ribs; Raja 3-for-17 in two games- tendinitis in ankle), and for some inexplicable reason, Marcus Banks is getting playing time in the first quarter (I'd rather see DJ Strawberry out there).

An early ass-kicking is a good thing. Wake up, people! It's no longer the preseason.

Alan:
Yeah, I still can't over how much we owned the interior. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE PLAY DEFENSE!! Lack of defensive consistency has killed this team the last couple seasons, but last night? Wow. All I could think was, "Where the fuck is Amare?" And the announcers felt the same. All 12 Lakers got playing time and contributed... by halftime. This was one of those odd games where our bench was actually clicking on all cylinders. If only 2 guys a night -- say Radmanovic and Bynum or any such combo -- were hitting, this'd be a very solid team. But to have everyone on fire? Our shooting was unbelievable which points to some slop perimeter D from the Suns (you mentioned Raja and LB being hurt) which Screamin' A. Smith was crowing about at halftime . No Odom either, which probably was a good thing in this instance (everyone knowing they had to pick up the slack).

The Phil-D'Antoni spat amuses me. Given, the game was completely in hand when that TO was called, but I think the average age of the Lakers on the floor at the time was something like 21. They still need coaching, teaching, discipline. D'Antoni came off as a baby, really, because we all know Phil is into teaching the kids for future occassions.

Most importantly, I think Kobe came away from last night feeling a little less dejected about his predicament. Very interested to see how this unexpected whoopin' affects their intensity on Sunday against Utah.

Beautiful Reds Goals (a rarity of late)

2007-11-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

It seems, these days, that when Fernando Torres isn't in the lineup, Liverpool have an excrutiatingly tough time putting balls in the back of the net. Such was the case yesterday in their Carling Cup victory over Robbie Fowler and Cardiff City. But... it was a victory. A welcome change from the slew of draws in the league (like the entertaining 1-1 with Arsenal) and the infuriating, pathetic showings in Europe (like the losses to Marseille and Besiktas). What's more, is that the two goals scored on Cardiff were real beauties. See for yourself. Not sure if El Zhar's wonder strike will get him a spot this weekend at Blackburn (a very difficult fixture in which we badly need to come away with points), but the scuttle is that he'll be in the Moroccan national first team soon against France. That's a good thing, obviously. Always good to see the skipper scoring, too. All the credit to Yossi for that one. Hopefully, this will help get SG back on his horse.

Looking ahead to this weekend, Rovers are a legit squad, well-capable of a top 4 finish this season, I believe. We lost this fixture, last season, and getting a result is all the more important given that Arsenal and ManUre play each other this weekend.

Would like to see...

-------------Reina
Finnan---Carra-----Sami (a shell of his former self)-----Arbs
---------------Masch
Yossi-------Gerrard---------Babel
---------Kuyt-------Crouch (firmly 4th choice striker, but needs a trot out ahead of out-of-form Voronin)

Bench:
Itandje
JAR
Momo
Kewell
Voronin

Fuck you, Shane Battier

2007-10-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

Was I still riding the high of witnessing, in person, Arizona's brilliant comeback against the UW Huskies until last night? Yes. Yes, I was.

But then I was rudely reminded that I'm a Lakers fanatic.

At least with UofA football, expectations are tempered. As a fan of the program, I've come to expect some stumbles over the last few seasons. But last night's bitter season opener had me fuming about a few things, as the Laker standard is considerably higher.

In order:

1. Fuck Shane Battier, that fucking Dukie fuck, I just want him to jump off a bridge and end his existence. I've done my best to refrain from swearing on this blog, but seriously, fuck him. And fuck Duke, while we're at it. And nuts to the idea that the Rockets have a hope in hell of the NBA title because they now have Luis Scola (by the way, he went for 0 points in 9 minutes).

2. I feel absolutely terrible for Kobe Bryant. Just completely sympathetic. On the one hand, yes, it's his JOB to carry this team and put up 45 points a night, but the guy gets no help. None. Zip. Odom being injured probably had something to do with that, last night, but when the only other Laker in double digits is 600-year-old Derek Fisher, we have a problem. Incidentally, Andrew Bynum went off for a whopping 4 points and 4 rebounds. Who needs an upgrade? Seriously? It's not like he's playing behind Kwame Brown (4 pts in 28 minutes!!!) or anything.

3. It's going to be another gut-wrenching season in which my nerves are tested and my hair greys. Time to dig in the heels, prepare for another season of slightly above .500 ball, complete with embarrassing losses and bizarre upset victories over the likes of Dallas. Lakers are a 7-seed, this season, and it'll never change unless Kobe gets some help... Something that looks like it will never come to fruition.

Cripes, I need a distraction. Anyone know when the baseball playoffs start?

... Anyone?

MLS refresher

2007-10-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

Handy little refresher on the upcoming MLS playoffs, plus a brief profile on the man who should be league MVP: Juan Pablo Angel.

I know Beckham and the Galaxy aren't in the playoffs, but presumably you'll all remain soccer fans anyway, right?

RIGHT?

Whatever. I've all but completely ignored the baseball playoffs. I haven't watched this little -- as in "virtually none of it" -- since '99 and '00 when the Yankees bored everyone to tears.

Really, I'm still reveling in the afterglow of the rugby. Oh, you haven't heard? You're the best... AROUND! Webb Ellis is back where it belongs.

CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!

2007-10-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

What I wouldn't do to be back in South Africa right fucking now.

Head: exploding
Heart: bursting
Smile: beaming

I can't even put what I'm feeling into words, right now. Too much to process. Big shout out to the Springbok Bar in Van Nuys which is full of proud ex-pats like myself. Unbelievable.

Long live the Bokke!

Going to the Finals!

2007-10-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

I could talk about being at the Coliseum, yesterday, and watching Arizona surrender to USC in the 4th quarter -- entertaining (for me) until about eight minutes to play. But why would I do that when there are MUCH BIGGER THINGS HAPPENING IN THE SPORTS WORLD?

South Africa 37 - 13 Argentina

I'm riding cloud nine for the rest of the day before going back into panic mode ahead of Saturday's final. Seriously, I thought I was going to have a heart attack moments before the Argies match, today, but then du Preez intercepted in the 5th minute and I could breathe again. Great display from the Boks, today, capitalizing on all of the Pumas mistakes. It's tough being a rugby fan in America, but fortunately, I found an ex-pat pub that was showing the match and full of rabid like-minded folks. It was lekker!

I think if we've learned anything over the past month, in this tournament, it's that anything can happen. Certainly, this is a different England side than what we saw during the group phase. Just ask the Aussies and the French. What a difference Johnny Wilkinson makes in that side.

Bryan Habana for president.

Go the BOKS!

Stanford stunning USC, the state of Liverpool, and the RWC

2007-10-09T00:46:00.000-07:00

No fancy titles for you. I'm tired, bitches. But I wanted to spout off about these three things.

I was at the Coliseum to witness Stanford, 40-point underdog, stun USC
As much credit as Stanford deserves, they had no business winning that football game. And as much heat as John David Booty (cracked middle finger on his throwing hand and all) is getting for his second half, I think the defense is just as much to blame (if not more so). Throughout the entire second half, Stanford was able to convert 3rd and 4th downs (4th and 20, anyone??!?!?!?!!?) at will. You won't win when your D plays like that, no matter who you play.

I was actually really surprised and somewhat disgusted at how quickly all the "die-hard" fans in the stands, decked out in their obnoxious Trojan garb, threw this team under the bus well before the game was over. And then afterward, all I could hear was, "We suck," "We're going to lose all the rest of our games," "I hate Booty," "Pete Carroll should've gone to San Diego when he had the chance." These people are idiots. USC has a great chance, provided the Pac 10 keeps up the high level of play and Cal and Oregon keep on track, to get into the national title game if they win out. But, I guess that's spoiled bandwagoning for you. Pretty dispicable, in my opinion. And here's another reason why college football needs a playoff: my friend at the game remarked, "Well, at least they can still get the Rose Bowl." To which I replied, "Meaningless."

Liverpool's sloppy draw versus Spurs marks the quarter-way mark in the Premiership

"Sloppy and disjointed. Where's Gerrard?" This is all that was running through my head while watching Liverpool steal a draw at home against Tottenham. Several times, I wanted to vomit. Not from anxiety, mind you, but out of disgust. Still can't understand how, in the first half, we didn't score on that 3-on-1 break when Voronin opted to pass instead of shoot. Should've been 2-0 or 3-0 at halftime. El Nino bails us out and we're terribly lucky for it.

I miss Agger. This is the note the team ends on before the next international break. So, some thoughts on the season thus far...

Certainly, there are plenty of positives to draw from after the first quarter of league play. We're right in the thick of the title race and we haven't lost games that, in the past, we certainly would have (Villa, Spurs to name a couple).

On the flip side, I'm a firm believer that (no matter what sport) a team is only as good as it's last five games. The break comes at a very opportune time, but I'm a bit sad to say that I'm not sure it will bring about any changes in Rafa's team selection. There are players ON FORM who need to be starting as many matches as possible. Some people are quick to condemn anyone who criticizes Rafa's rotation policy, sometimes even going so far as to say it's a myth. But the fact is that this team, based on what we've seen during the last five or six games, doesn't have any cohesion. The players don't recognize each other on the pitch. But here's the thing (before anyone jumps down my throat for even suggesting that there's a connection between the side's disjointed play and the shifting lineups): rotation, aside from providing some rest, is theoretically meant to spark competition amongst players. Yet for most every match this season, we've seen the same select few players consistently rising to the occassion. I wonder, then, why it is that Torres, Masch, Benayoun, and even Pennant, have not been elevated to automatic first team choice as is the case with Gerrard, Carra, and Finnan? Hell, even Arbeloa -- the team's most consistent player this season -- is sometimes less preferred to Riise who hasn't impressed at all, this season.

But it could all be psychological and, in fact, I would go so far as to say that the cause for our recent struggles is the Derby County match. Let's be honest, our competition up through that point, barring Chelsea, was not of a very high quality. And so we fattened up our egos before the real tests reared their head.

All this said, I believe there are two firm quick fixes: the returns of 1) Agger and 2) Alonso. If I had to make a wishlist for the rest of the season, the first wish would be that these two returned to the lineup ASAP.

Secondly, I wouldn't worry about not having a "true" left winger and just play Benayoun in that role with some regularity. He's shown that he can perform on that end of the pitch and, frankly, he and Pennant should be first choice wingers every match. Riise has brought little to the fray, as mentioned, Babel seems to provide more spark off the bench, and Aurelio... Don't even get me started on him. I just know that someone is going to ask, "What about Harry Kewell?" Well, forget him. He hasn't been with this team for 18 months. Time to move on.

Third, and this is related to my first wish, Stevie G returns to form. Having Agger in the back instead of statuesque Sami offers a little more leeway (sp?) to the midfield, allowing Alonso/Masch to take more chances opening up the game, as well as allowing them room to settle things down.

Fourth, Masch will always be preferred to Momo and Torres will always be preferred to Crouch.

Fifth, we buy a center back during the next transfer window. We've got cover at every position except for this one and it's killing us. Granted, we've only lost once this season, but my god have we looked anywhere between subpar and bad since thrashing Derby.

My goodness, this post certainly got bigger than I had originally intended. But I guess once you start ranting, it's hard to stop. I would like to note that while my thoughts might come across with a sense of bitterness, I'm firmly behind the club and all the lads on board this ship. If I seem frustrated, it's because I'm subconsciously mirroring the team's form. We've got the talent! Now, we just have to trust ourselves (Rafa? Are you listening?) and solidify the chemistry of the team.

YNWA

Springboks are "prohibitive favorites," which means, "I'm scared"
The only time I've ever rested easy about my favorite team being the goliath in a tournament were the '00-'01 and '01-'02 Lakers. Suffice it to say, I'm not put in this position often, and South Africa being the last of the Tri-Nation teams standing in the Rugby World Cup is no different.

I have to say, I'm a bit miffed that there isn't more of an uproar about New Zealand getting the shaft on that go-ahead try by the French -- what with that blatant forward-pass and all. As much as I'd like to consider the Boks to be favorites at this stage, you cannot deny the French at home. South Africa may be the better side, but I think they have a tougher semi against the Argies than the Frogs do against England, and you have to factor in the home field advantage.

Hopefully, for my sake, there are less surprises in the semifinal round. Although if England wanted a rematch with the Boks so badly that they upset France, I'd be happy about that.

Saturday Introductions

2007-09-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Hi, I'm Fiji, and I just prevailed in one of the all-time Rugby Union Classics over Wales. Probably the greatest achievement in Fijian sports, I dare say, reaching the RWC quarterfinals. Why is this good for the Bokke?
From a South African viewpoint it was the perfect result, for while the Fijians play some quite spectacular rugby at times, the Springboks are not physically inferior to the Fijians, which was the Welsh Achilles heel in this match. For a start, their pack should be no match for the Boks in the set-scrums.

After making the quarterfinals for the first time in their history, Fiji will probably also feel now that they have played their final, and they did have to dig deep to prevail in the Nantes thriller. It is hard to see them get up like that again for a quarterfinal just a week later, and they lost flyhalf Nicky Little, an influential player on the day, to an injury which looks serious enough to rule him out of the remainder of the tournament.

Hi, I'm Yossi Benayoun, and I rescued my Liverpool teammates for the second match in a row. I can't say enough about how much I love the addition of Yossi to the squad and would like nothing more than to see him get more regular starts on the wing, opposite Jermaine Pennant. Even if it was Wigan, an away league win is always an accomplishment.

Hi, I'm the NHL, and I have unceremoniously returned! I feel a bit ashamed of myself, quite honestly, because I love the NHL and, yet, (along with the rest of the nation) completely missed that the season began today. Maybe it's because the season opened in London with your Los Angeles Kings spanking defending champion Anaheim 4-1! Skreee! Welcome to the fold, goalie prodigy Jonathan Bernier. I still don't expect much from the Kings, this season, but this is a promising start and I'm excited to catch a few games at Staples Center. Go hockey!

Hi, I'm the Pac 10, and I'm AWESOME! The Cal-Oregon game lived up to the hype and more. What an electric second half. The Ducks really had every chance to win this game, aided in part by the highly dubious "missed field goal" by Cal in the third quarter (A kick the went over the top of the post -- which meant it was good. But just ask Oklahoma about that officiating in Eugene, OR.), but that bumbingly muffed kick return, a couple of 4th quarter picks by Dixon, and one of the most gutting fumbles in recent memory opened the door for Cal. Desean Jackson picked on heck of a time to have a breakout game. Sadly for Dennis Dixon, his Heisman candicacy took a severe hit. Cal had better hope Longshore's ankle problem isn't too serious, but the Bears are every bit a top-4 team. USC is still the class of this conference, but they'll have to deal with both the Bears and Ducks. Phew... I'd love it if Arizona could pick up a win tonight against Washington State.

Hi, I'm the Big 12, and I'm officially irrelevant. It takes a pretender to blow a 17-point lead to Colorado. I present to you: Oklahoma. And Texas was finally exposed for the overrated frauds that they are. Terribly overhyped by the national press thanks solely to their name, Kansas State smacked the hell out of them, Vince Young on the sideline and all. The Horns are K-State's new bitch. Don't worry about watching next weekend's Red River Shootout. It doesn't matter. Don't set the alarm, sleep in, catch the final score in the following morning's paper.

Hi, I'm South Florida, and you may as well give me the Big East title right the hell now. Beating West Virginia and seeing Rutgers proudly display their "pretender" logo by flopping against Maryland, there's no way the Bulls can blow this? Is there?

Hi, I'm Wisconsin, and I'm inspiring nobody. Even with the tight win over an unbeaten Michigan State, Wisconsin isn't looking too impressive. Isn't it funny to think that the only team that looks to have a shot at rattling Ohio State's tree in the Big Ten, this year, is a janky Michigan team? But wait... Here come the Ilini!

Hi, I'm the National League East, and I'm ridiculous! Pretty insane that the Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins are going to decide this division and a bit of a shame that the Mets and Phillies weren't scheduled to play each other during the final weekend of the season. Even though the Mets have imploded over the last two weeks of the season, Philadelphia fans must have that awful feeling in the pits of their stomachs -- a feeling they're all too familiar with. 162 games and it comes down to the final day? Yeesh.

Could be Wales, could be Fiji, could be a smooth road to the Final

2007-09-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

Looks like the English worked out a solid win over a fading Tongan side. Well done to them, I suppose, as they looked dead in the water two weeks ago. Will be interesting to see whether or not Australia decides to look past them in the quarters with New Zealand possibly on the horizon in the semis. But the Wallabies will have to be on guard, it seems, due to the injury to Stephen Larkham.

Wales v Fiji tomorrow in another winner-take-all contest with the victor getting the Bokke in the quarters. I'm obligated to knock on wood before even thinking this, but if things break right this weekend, South Africa may be able to avoid all of Australia, New Zealand, and France until the finals. That would be quite an advantage during the knockout rounds. And by "quite an advantage" I mean, "holy crap, we're penciled in for the finals!" All depends on whether Argentina can get a result against struggling Ireland. But even if such a situation arose, I wouldn't put it past the Boks to get overconfident and stumble against a game Argentina or even Wales. You never know.

I have to seek out a pub to watch SA's final group stage tune-up against USA before next week's quarterfinal.

USA not okay

2007-09-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Team USA gets rolled in the semis at the Women's World Cup. Bummer... I guess this is what happens when you decide to change your goalkeeper at the last second for no apparent reason. Seriously, that might be the most direct way to shatter a team's confidence. Take away your star stopper because you fear the opponent. That's really what it came down to. The brain trust figured that Hope Solo's lack of experience, despite her strong play, would be to much to overcome against a quality side like Brazil. The result: A team left questioning it's own ability mere hours before a semifinal against a rival power. That'll always end badly. 4-0 qualifies as "badly." Shame. I was actually hoping to watch them in the final. Our status as the elite power in women's soccer isn't nearly as clear as it was seven or eight years ago. Germany and Brazil, evidently, have closed the gap considerably. That Marta is a hell of a player, to be sure.

Shawn Marion is an idiot

2007-09-26T23:22:00.000-07:00

I know that it's stating the obvious, but only a complete moron -- make that, an insecure cry-baby of a moron -- begs to be traded away from Steve Nash. For all the positives that Shawn Marion brings to the court with his game (which is of an elite level, to say the least) his attitude has always been a concern of mine and the primary reason why I would shoo away any notions of him coming to the Lakers. Matrix listed LAL as his first choice for a new home because he's "friends" with Kobe. Here's the thing, Shawn. If you're unhappy not being the man in Phoenix, then WHY IN THE HELL WOULD YOU EVER THINK THAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN YOUR TEAMMATE IS THE BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE?!? Oh, and let's not forget that fat contract he'd be bringing along with him to a team that's pretty much capped out.

It's true, Shawn Marion would be an overall upgrade for the Lake Show compared to Lamar Odom. Marion probably doesn't fit into the triangle system, as well, and isn't as good a passer as Lamar, but he sure as hell is more consistent both in terms of production and health. And he's one of the best defenders in the league! That alone makes him valuable to the defenseless Lakers. Also, the addition of Marion might force Phil Jackson's hand a little, allowing the team to run and gun a little more frequently rather than remain confined to the rigidity of the triangle offense. But Bill Simmons does a pretty great job outlining all the reasons why Marion is probably a lot more trouble than he's worth.

In other news, Barry Bonds has retired. Quietly. And if he's not a 1st-ballot HOFer, then there are perhaps only three or four guys in the past twelve years that are.

C'mon, Lane, you KNOW who to start this Sunday

2007-09-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

So the Raiders finally added JaMarcus to the roster, making way for him by cutting veteran DB Duane Starks, rather than ship off poor Andrew Walter. This report from John Clayton says that Walter's future is dependant on whether or not Josh McCown's foot will gimpify him for an extended period of time. Okay, here's the thing, there should be no dilemma here. Here's why:

1) Culpepper should be starting ahead of McCown, regardless. Especially with his former team in Miami up next on the schedule. Think he doesn't know what kind of tricks the Dolphins are up to? Daunte will be geared up.

2) Reminder: Daunte stepped in against Cleveland. What happened? A victory.

3) You managed to ship Randy Moss for a mere 4th round pick. You can't get at least a 6th rounder for Walter???

Of course, I understand that JaMarcus Russell is actually the problem, here. The guy still doesn't have a clue about the offense and if Culpepper goes down with McCown already lame, we're screwed. A fine Raider situation, indeed.

Elsewhere, the hot button topic the last couple days is OK State's Mike Gundy blowing up at a press conference, slaying the Daily Oklahoman. Well, the columnist of the article in question has fired back. After reading her rebuttal, I'm left wondering what the hell it is that got Gundy so bent out of shape. His image may have just plummeted from model of integrity to over-protective cry-baby -- the type of parent who shelters their child from everything, resulting in a warped, timid approach to life.

I loves me some good press conference meltdowns

2007-09-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, sir, nothing beats a coach going ballistic, ranting at the media gathered at a press conference. Jim Mora ("Playoffs?!"), Dennis Green ("They were who we thought they were!"), Rick Pitino ("Larry Bird isn't walking through that door! Kevin McHale isn't walking through that door!"), Bobby Knight (pick one), Herm Edwards ("You play to win the game!")... these are some of the legends of the genre. Coaches who raised their intensity a notch or twelve when the pressure came down from a reasonable question. I think Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy can be added to that list, as of last Saturday. However, Gundy's meltdown offers a change of pace, as he is actually defending his team and players, rather than just venting at the media after getting shelacked in a game. We're all diehard fans and when our teams disappoint us we feel entitled to get angry about it. But I give Gundy kudos for stepping up as the father figure that we often forget, yet expect coaches to be. No one gets thrown under the bus in the Stillwater locker room.

Incoming message: WAKE UP!

2007-09-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

Soccer, rugby, the college gridiron and the NFL. It's all football to me. A couple of my teams got a little too full of themselves and the results were apparent, this weekend. We'll start off with them...

Those heads had better be hanging low in the locker room
Liverpool 0-0 Birmingham City. It's a result worthy of a bullet to the brain. Although, I'd say that, while we played poorly, the Porto result was great. But the Brums result is beyond unacceptable -- its nothing short of stultifying.

I'll say this for BC. They came within two horrific goalkeeper mistakes of drawing, possibly beating Chelsea in the season-opener. Fact is, however, that those horrific GK mistakes were made. There's too much quality in our side to not garner at least one goal versus these chumps.

Looking ahead to Reading, on Tuesday, I have absolutely no idea what to think. That's partially to do with it being in the Carling Cup, but let's be honest: We've looked well short, these last three matches, of the champion we fancy ourselves. The time for making excuses because of the international break ended after the Pompey match. Evidently, we thought too highly of ourselves after romping Derby. Hopefully, at the very least, this serves as a wakeup call to Rafa and the boys.

Let this be your warning
Hey, Springboks, I love you with all my heart (of course), I don't need these heart attacks against Tonga. I tell you what, though, it's not beyond the realm of possibility to see Tonga punk England out of the RWC in the group stage. That would be something special.

With respect to Donovan McNabb
Is there a more critized QB in the league than Rex Grossman? He's like a conundrum wrapped inside of a dilemma. I'm watching him, right now, against Dallas. I don't get how this guy is still in the league. And yet, there are the Bears, still major players in the NFL. Although, I guess people know that Grossman sucks, so McNabb's original point still stands.

Within this same Bears-Cowboys game, by the way, is Tony Romo: The QB most emblamatic of the "We love him because he's a nice white kid who's won a couple of regular season games."

See you on the lynx!
Better luck next year, St. Louis Rams. Regardless of whether or not it's only week three, toast is toast.

Tale of two halves, much???
The Giants comeback win over the Redskins, today, was awesome to watch. If I didn't know any better, the two teams literally traded uniforms at halftime. That sure didn't look like the same Giants defense that surrendered a combined 80 points in the first two weeks, but then again, they were playing an overrated (to this point) Redskins offense who hasn't exactly been shattering the lights on the scoreboard. I still need to be convinced by Jason Campbell & Co. As I see it, they're exactly where they should be, at 2-1, although I thought they would've won today and lost last Monday against Philly. So let's temper all that Redskins hype, okay people?

I tip my hat to you, Lane Kiffin
In dramatic fashion (naturally), the Raiders beefed their record to 2-1* by blocking Cleveland's game-winning field goal attempt. But Kiffin gets all the credit because he has demonstrated that he is learning how to bend the system to his will. Listen, if Rat Shanahan can call a timeout when the game-winning kick is up in the air and get away with it, and if the league isn't going to discourage teams from doing that, then f'ing A, we're going to do it, too! Also, I'd be remissed not to point this out: Daunte Culpepper relieves Josh McCown and the Raiders get the "W." Let's keep taking notes, Lane!

Brett Favre and the Pack are 3-0
Are you kidding me?!?

I point and laugh at you
Notre Dame. Haha!

I point and laugh at you while mockingly championing the special-ed kids that beat you
Louisville. Haha! But honestly, Louisville, Syracuse really is a power house. That was always going to be a tough game. Especially matching up against Jim Boeheim on the other sideline and trying to find a way to deal with Carmelo Anthony. You've never dealt with a small forward like that in ages. Tough match up. And you just know Gerry McNamara is going to be a bitch on the perimeter.

I point and laugh at your coaching hire
Let it be known: The Norv Turner era is alive and well in San Diego. Mediocrity rules!

I'm sending a dozen roses, a big box of chocolates, and planting a sloppy wet kiss on your mouth
Yes, I'm talking to you, Jacksonville Jaguars. Anyone who puts the Rat and Denver in their rightful places is aces with me.

Some great news and some dreadful news

2007-09-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

The Great News

Seems "The Special One" and Roman can no longer co-exist. To me, this is about the greatest thing to happen so far this season. With this parting, the team that built Rome in a day will now watch their empire crumble. Seriously, Mourinho leaving the Chelskis drops their worth considerably. Watch all the fickle, plastic fans panic and doff their blue shirts in favor of red ones with "AIG" written on the front.

And now, a song:

"YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL!
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL!
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL ANYMORE!
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL AAANNNYMORE!"

The Dreadful News

F me... This is somewhat of a nightmare. The number of times my fragile nerves can survive seeing any more of Sami Hyypia (faithful servant, yes, but he's not much to write home about, these days) isn't more than a handful. Who to partner alongside Carragher in those times of need when Hyypia is spent or just isn't up to it (see: yesterday at Porto)? Jack Hobbs? Arbeloa has, in fact, played center back in the past. He was tossed around as an option earlier this season, remember, when Carra went down. But since Carra is Superman, Arbs didn't have to worry about playing in the center. I'm thinking he could do a job of it, though.

As for losing Xabi? Well, with Gerrard still a slight bit gimpy and Momo Sissoko healing from a minor knock, Alonso's news comes at a bad time. However, there is plenty of cover in central midfield with Mascherano, a healthy Gerrard and Sissoko, and perhaps Benayoun will be able to fill when not used on the wing. If needed, of course. Youngers Leto and Lucas are raring to crack the lineup, too.

Thankfully, the away CL match against Porto is out of the way. Even while playing horribly, yesterday, we have to be very pleased with this result. I had figured that we'd only come away from this game (and perhaps @ Besiktas, too) with just a point. Good result for such a shit performance.

- We missed Xabi tremendously.
- Pennant is a petulant child.
- I'm still outraged that Hyypia got the start over Agger (but now, I at least know why).
- Kuyt MotM by a mile.

I don't think anyone is upset with the RESULT. The disappointment from most people stems from how we played. The result is an excellent one, no doubt, but it looks even better given how sloppy we looked with respect to our shaky opening half in defense, our difficulty in stringing passes, and Pennant's mental breakdown. But a point from our most difficult fixture in the group stage? Gotta like that. Bring on poor, poor Birmingham this weekend.

Donovan McNabb race-card revisited

2007-09-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

Excellent op-ed from columnist Jason Whitlock regarding the latest Donovan McNabb witch hunt. Whitlock's probably the only guy with the balls to put McNabb's "controversial" comments about feeling more pressure as a black QB into context. I'm a big McNabb guy, frankly, and couldn't help but nod my head in agreement after each paragraph.

However...

Shed no tears for McNabb, model of consistency and superstar that he is. Peyton Manning, the whitest guy around, had more than his fair share of undue pressure. Until he finally won the big one, that is. What am I saying? I'm saying that winning the Superbowl cures all if your focus is simply quelling the masses. People en masse don't have time for the intricacies of any given story. Just feed them the headline and move them along. It's a sound-byte, SportsCenter-driven world we live in. And when you've got the talent like McNabb does, guess what? You're going to get steaming piles of undue praise and criticism (depending on your most recent performance) because you're a superstar quarterback. Black or white. Hell, it took all of one statistically impressive season for the nation to fall in love with Daunte Culpepper even though he underachieved in Minnesota with regularity. Vince Young averages something pitiful like 125 passing yards per game, yet he's got a bandwagon the size of Tennessee.

But people don't have time to dwell on the fact that you've never had a supporting cast to get the ball to. Sadly, nobody outside of Philadelphia (and even then...) is looking to Jeff Lurie to rectify that situation. As far as the nation is concerned, McNabb should be good enough to overcome his offense's general lack of talent (Brian Westbrook accepted). That is what's unfair. Is it racist? Well, not really so much as it is stubborn on the part of Lurie and Andy Reid. Reviving Whitlock's comparison of the New England Patriots and Tom Brady, yes, Bob Kraft finally broke down this summer and got his QB some receivers after some squawking from the locker room and an all-too-telling performance in the AFC Championship game punctuated what Brady had been griping about for the last two Superbowl trophy-less seasons. But I suppose when you're thrown under the bus by your teammates for not being "black enough," it is hard for these types of concerns to gain traction with the higher-ups in the organization.

Anyway, all told, I'm still a McNabb guy. He's still not 100% as evidenced by the loss on Monday night. Should be interesting to see when he breaks down this season. I still think the Eagles are good enough to win that division. Even with the death knell of an 0-2 start.

Screw it. I know what I saw yesterday.

2007-09-17T11:30:00.001-07:00

And what I saw was Sebastian Janikowski effortlessly nailing a game-winning 52-yard field goal to beat the Broncos. I don't know anything about this "calling timeout when the ball is in the air" business that The Rat pulled. What I witnessed, yesterday, was a Raiders victory. Mark it down, we're 1-1*. Got a problem with that? Go to hell.

Silver and Black: Committment to Asterisks.

Football, you wound me

2007-09-16T23:37:00.000-07:00

I was so jaded from this weekend's results -- those results being Liverpool's listless, uninspired draw versus Portsmouth, U of A drawing a blue print on how to pathetically lose to inferior opposition at home, and the Raiders getting snaked by Rat Shanahan's timeout -- that I just couldn't bare to deal with the marquee Sunday nighter between the Chargers and Donaghys. I'll admit, it gave me a lot of satisfaction to see that New England routed the Chargers in the end (because it proves me right and continues to make San Diego look absolutely stupid for hiring an entirely new coaching staff headed by Norv Turner), but that bitter OT loss the Raiders suffered really was the last straw for me. Fortunately, football is a weekly sport, so I have until next weekend to recover from the vile taste in my mouth and sheer bitterness of it all. And then, like an addict, I'll drag myself back into the fray for even more irritation.

Words cannot describe my hatred of the Denver Broncos. I hate them so much. Rob Ryan's D and LaMont Jordan deserved a better result, today.

Some thoughts on the college and pro game...

- No one really thought Nebraska had a chance, did they? Really?

- Even though the Pac 10 went 7-3 as a conference on Saturday, the losses by Arizona, Washington, and especially UCLA are an unfortunate black eye for a conference that had such a strong showing just a week earlier. Once again, UCLA dons the title of "The Great Pretender." Seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. Washington at least put up a fight during the first half before being overrun by Ohio State's superior talent. Arizona's loss, as noted already, is just plain unforgivable.

- Speaking of pretenders (such as UCLA), I think it's pretty safe to put a fork in Louisville (who's defense literally is a wet paper bad) after a decent Kentucky finished what Middle Tennessee State started, Tennessee (who, although being on the road for both of their big games, has shown it isn't a first tier program this season), and TEXAS. While still unbeaten, there can hardly be a single, honest pollster out there who truly believes that the Longhorns, based on what we've seen on the field, are a top ten team this year. Save for one half of good football against TCU, they hardly look like a contender.

- Top five after week 3: 1) USC 2) LSU 3) Florida 4) Oklahoma 5) Cal. Sorry, West Virginia. I've got you rated seventh behind Penn State.

- The New Orleans Saints are clear frontrunners to be "that team," this season. You know what I'm talking about. That team. The one that has an amazing season the year before, gets all the pundits and analysts praising every step they take during the offseason -- all but handing them the Superbowl trophy by the time preseason rolls around -- then falls flat on it's face. There's one of these every year. Again, it wouldn't be the NFL if the same eight division winners made the playoffs year-in, year-out.

- Cleveland torching the Bengals' poor excuse for a defense sends two messages. 1) Naturally, never take any team for granted. 2) Brian Billick and the Ravens are really, really stupid. You wouldn't plow McGahee over the goal line with four tries to do it against that defense?!? Shmuck.

- Sure, the results are impressive, but how good are the Steelers really? They ripped the Browns and Bills, not exactly death row (unless you're the Bengals or lucky bastard Broncos -- just a whisker away from being 0-2 . ARGH! I HATE THEM!). I don't think I'm a fan of Pittsburgh's yellow helmets, either. Blah.

- The 49ers may be winning ugly, but the point is that they're winning. Impossible to be better than 2-0 at this juncture. Next week's game with Pittsburgh should be very interesting. And while the 49ers are sitting pretty, their victim today looks to be in a real nasty mess. Not only are the Rams 0-2, but they're 0-2 at home and 0-2 against NFC West opponents. Good night.

- Still decidely unimpressive: The Chicago Bears offense. Stinks. It's almost as if they plugged Marcus Colston in as their #1 receiver and thought things would be okay. Oh wait... wrong team. Still, Grossman & Co. look pretty miserable.

A blowout of obscene proportions

2007-09-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

I desperately hope that the illustrious Vs. network has the decency to replay the South Africa-England game this weekend (I'm basing this hope on having seen them replay France's massive upset loss to Argentina last Sunday), because it was ONE HELL OF A BEAT DOWN! I know England have been hampered with problems since they won the Webb Ellis Cup in 2003, but my oh my, even a defending champion playing with the use of only one limb still has to play like a defending champion. 36-0?!? Glory. Revenge is sweet.

South Africa humiliated world champions England in Paris on Friday as they inflicted a record World Cup defeat on them winning 36-0 to avenge their 2003 World Cup loss to the English.

Montgomery landed another penalty to make it 26-0 shortly before the hour mark and as if to symbolise England's appalling night Robinson -England's best player - pulled up in the 58th minute clutching his left hamstring when they looked likely to score a try.

Instead it was Pietersen who grabbed his second try in the 64th minute once again set up by the irrepressible du Preez which Montgomery converted to make it 33-0 - he was to add another penalty before fulltime - and leave England like Robinson bloodied and limping off the pitch.

Ah... Tastes good. Like fresh biltong.

Barely even a slap on the wrist

2007-09-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

If I'm Bill Beli-cheat, I'd consider myself very lucky, this morning. Let off the hook with merely a fine and the loss of one late first-round draft pick? I'm sorry, but for this offense, the given punishment doesn't even rate a slap on the wrist. More like a raised eye-brow and a shrug of the shoulders. Really? No suspension at all? I'm sure Tim Donaghy wishes he was an NFL official instead.

Few cheats are bigger than Beli-cheat (who claims to have misinterpreted the most black and white rule in the book), but O.J. is one of them. "No, listen, Officer, I swear I only needed that sports memorabilia so that I could lure the 'real killer' to a big autograph signing. It's my plan for justice, see?"

The loss of Greg Oden for the season doesn't just affect Portland (though they never had a prayer of going to the playoffs, this season, anyway), it affects the entire league. Profoundly. Personally, I've already lost steam with the Kevin Durant train and, frankly, half the fun of watching Durant, this coming season, was going to be comparing his progress to Oden's. The NBA just lost a major star and for a league that just endured it's lowest rated Finals since they ceased airing on tape delay, this is devastating. The weapons for sparking fan interest continue to diminish.

I'm not saying that playing in Nebraska isn't tough, but I don't think USC will have a problem covering the 10-point spread. I'm thinking 30-13 in favor of the Trojans. Arizona, on the other hand, is playing at home against a lousy New Mexico team and they will have trouble covering the spread. Willie Tuitama, you fill my heart with worry and doubt. Hanging 45 on NAU doesn't prove anything. Arizona 20 New Mexico 14.

If Michigan wins, this Saturday, it'll be business as usual. If Notre Dame wins this Saturday, Lloyd Carr will be executed on the field. Most likely by "Crazy Eyes" Mike Hart. I see the Wolverines at least surviving this one, though. As bad as their D is, Notre Dame's offense may be worse. Michigan 25 Notre Dame 17.

For so early in the season, there seem to be a ton of "locks" this Sunday. Cincy, Indy, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Seattle, Jacksonville, Carolina, Dallas, Denver, and Chicago are all sure bets to win. All will cover, too, except for the Jaguars who still have an awful lot of explaining to do, after last week, and have an unreasonably big line of -11 (as of, right now).

Having dodged the bullet of any real repercussions from video-tape gate, the New England Tim Donaghys knock off a Chargers team that's flying across the country after getting physically beat-up by the Bears. It'll be close, but that Donaghy offense looks too impressive. Also, it's Norv Turner playing in a big game. 'Nuff said. Donaghys 27 Chargers 23.

Today, the Springboks will avenge their disaster against England in 2003 by mashing them in their Group A contest at the Rugby World Cup. The victory will all but guarantee the Boks a top seed in the quarterfinal round when, praise be, Schalk Burger will be back from his unjust suspension. South Africa are looking a good bet for at least the semis at this year's RWC.

Here we go again...

2007-09-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

The Rick Ankiel magical mystery tour continues! And if by chance you missed last night's highlights of the Cardinals getting romped by the Reds, know this: Ankiel botched two routine fly balls in right field and has all of ONE HIT since Friday. So get ready, St. Louis fans, because it's time to put the helmet back on America's favorite special needs child. The impetus for this latest collapse by the man who turned collapses into an art form? The HGH story which broke last week. ESPN's Jayson Stark and I are both very smart men. We smelled the rank double standard coming from a mile away.

CHEATERS!

2007-09-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

This is pretty much a straight cut and paste job from a message board I just posted on, but for posterity's sake, I'll slap it here, too. Of course, the topic of the day is how underhanded and shameful the Patriots are.

It's actually a pretty big offense. Video-taping the opposition's defensive signals, reviewing the cameras and photographs related to those signals after each play (which all teams can do, except for the part where they've stolen signals), then memorizing those signals to get a leg up and know what the opposition is doing at all times. Really, it is no different than if Tim Donaghy was on the Jets' sideline. I really don't see any difference at all. There's actually a written NFL rule against such a thing. The Patriots are expected to be docked draft picks, which is fine, but I really think Belichick should be suspended for at least one game, as well as fined, if only because there needs to be some sort of immediate penalty against Belichick & Co. Especially since we already know that the Patriots are a crafty enough organization that they'll be able to reacquire draft picks from some sucker team for practically nothing. Or why not perhaps take away the Pats' cameras altogether for a game and see how they deal with that? Imagine trying to make adjustments on both sides of the ball against the freaking Chargers, of all teams, with no camera? It'd be a hopeless effort.

The integrity of competition is thrown into disrepute with this indiscretion. That's bad. Very bad. I wonder how much denial Bill Simmons is mired in.

Well look who decided to finally sign an effing contract

2007-09-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

Before getting to the titular subject, a couple NFL bits.

1. Given all the allegations of cheating (not only against the Jets, but also last season versus Green Bay), the whole Brad Childress fiasco (non-story, that it is), the celebration at midfield in San Diego, Rodney Harrison's HGH suspension, the acquisition of Randy Moss, The Snowjob in 2001, etc, etc, etc... is there any reason not to think that the Patriots are scum?

2. How screwed up are the Cleveland Browns? More over, how out of his depth is Romeo Crennel? Sending Charlie Frye to Seattle for a mere 6th-round pick after just two and a half quarters of football, having annointed him the starter coming out of preseason (a decision which many generally consider to have a great deal of thought attached to it) might be the final straw. Crennel doesn't know what's going on. If you were this down on Frye, why suffer through playing him over Derek Anderson (and, yes, the not-quite-ready Brady Quinn), when all it took was one bad half of football to say, "You know what? I'm not comfortable having you on the team. Forget what I said minutes ago about you being the starter." Woof. The Browns are going to get mangled by Cincinnati on Sunday.

3. Speaking of the Bengals, they should consider themselves lucky to get the win, last night, for two reasons. 1) That was never an offensive pass interference on Todd Heap and the touchdown clearly should've stood. 2) The Ravens weren't smart enough to just let Willis McGahee barrell through the tackles from 1st and goal on the 1. That's just stupidity.

4. Thoughts go out to Kevin Everett, formerly of the Bills. A crystal clear reminder of how the word "priveledge" -- as in, "It's a priveledge to play in the NFL" -- is well overstated. Your life is on the line. Your well-being is on the line. All you get in return, tangibly, is money (and they, NFLers, deserve every penny they earn). That being said...

5. JaMarcus "$61 million" Russell is finally an Oakland Raider. $32 million in guaranteed money for a guy who might be able to contribute midway through next season. Forget being familiar with the playbook, this year. That ship has long since sailed. He's been on my s-list for a while, now, as I never agreed with the pick to begin with (I was far more in favor of trading down, selecting Calvin Johnson, and using the gained draft picks to help address other needs), but now... Now that Russell is the highest paid rookie in NFL history (and last I checked, rookies -- especially QBs -- were more likely to bust than to succeed), he's got a serious uphill battle to wage if he's going to gain my support. Not that he cares the slightest about that, and, hey, give the man credit for scoring a massive payday. But to me, it's an issue of principal. Far too many have brought the hammer down on the Raiders' organization and tyrannical Al Davis for failing to get this deal done back in July (and that criticism is well-warranted) without giving any grief to Russell's camp. This season is a waste as far as his development goes. So let me ask, how worthwhile will this guy turn out to be? I'm skeptical, to say the least. Now, let's start Daunte and see what happens.

We know these things to be true

2007-09-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

Week 1 of the NFL is the scariest time for a gambler because so much is uncertain when a league dominated by parity begins anew. That being said, after the first Sunday of the season, some things were quite predictable. We know the following to be true:

- The Philadelphia Eagles are on a mission to have the most pathetic special teams unit in history. Shocking! The Packers had no business winning that game. But the Eagles gifted it to them, so now we're all going to be "treated" to yet another media slobberfest about how Brett Favre's "still got the magic." *barf*

- The Kansas City Chiefs really are that bad.

- The Raiders had 36 points hung on them, at home, against the Lions, and they were still more impressive than the Chiefs. (Feeling pretty great about that call)

- Given, it was Atlanta, but I'm feeling pretty damn confident about my Minnesota prediction. I'm telling you: Vikings in the playoffs.

- Surprising absolutely no one (except for the morons out there), Tom Brady and Randy Moss looked incredible yesterday. If Brady keeps getting protection like he did yesterday, you can give him the MVP, now. As for Randy Moss? Hey, you get better when you're not a Raider.

- Also surprising no one: Jets fans have no class. Booing a hobbling Chad Pennington as he walks off the field and cheering Kellen Clemens when he comes on? Quintessential New York. Disgusting.

- Jacksonville, no matter how talented they are, still can't figure out Tennessee.

- The fact that not every play is reviewable continues to be one of the stupidest things in sports. Consider yesterday when Tommie Harris of the Bears illegally entered the neutral zone, being well offside by the time the ball was snapped. Harris stripped the ball from Philip Rivers and the Bears gained possession, halting a Chargers drive that surely would've ended in a score. That crystal clear offside by Harris? NOT A REVIEWABLE PLAY! For as perfect as the NFL thinks it is, they still get a hell of a lot wrong. If you're going to champion instant replay (and by all means, go right ahead), then at least have the mental capacity to allow every possible rule violation to be reviewable. For the love... it's not asking too much. PS - Thank God that Roger Federer was winning a fourth straight US Open title on CBS, because the Bears-Chargers game was absolutely brutal to watch.

- I don't care how many times they're scheduled for prime time (7!), I still have no interest in the Cowboys. Yap all you want about Tony Romo putting 45 points on the Giants, their defense still surrendered 35 to one of the most unimpressive offensive units in the league.

College football as you best remember enjoying it

2007-09-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

How was that, exactly? Why, while getting trashed in the student section, your gaze drifting between the short-shorts strapped onto the host of sorority girls standing in front of you and the rack of the head cheerleader on the sideline, of course! Oh right, and the game is happening, too. All this said, EDSBS strikes gold with the proper drink for each football team shtick. They absolutely nail it with TCU.

Predictions for the weekend

2007-09-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

- No matter what the reports are saying, JaMarcus Russell will remain unsigned by the Oakland Raiders. And it's all this senile crazy's fault!

- Despite issues with Russell, the Raiders will win (and cover) their season-opener at home against Detroit 16-12.

- In addition to Oakland winning, the Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings, and Washington Redskins all start the season with Ws, too. (Granted, they're playing Kansas City, Atlanta, and Miami, respectively, but shut up) During the Vike's win, Adrian Peterson announces his candidacy for offensive rookie of the year in a big way.

- Roger Federer (do I even have to say that he'll grab the US Open on Sunday?) beats Novak Djokovic in a classic four-set final.

- Because Major League Baseball is HELL-BENT on finding a feel-good story to combat their dishonest image of cheaters and steroid-abusers, the reports of everyone's favorite "special retard" will be ignored. At least, for now, while he's still hitting homeruns.

- Arizona will score at least two touchdowns en route to beating Northern Arizona on Saturday night in Tucson. You might be thinking, "Hey, jerk, duh! Of course that's going to happen." To that, I would respond, "Did you see the BYU game?"

- I will miss this weekend's action from the Rugby World Cup, which kicks off tonight, because I don't get bloody Setanta and probably won't be getting up super-early to find a pub that does. However, South Africa (with a boost from Nelson) open with a victory over Samoa and the USA (Yes! They're in the RWC! Again! You'd never know, living in this country.) will get flogged by an underachieving England side.

- Jimmy Clausen will throw four interceptions and not finish the game, as Penn State beats Notre Dame by three touchdowns.

- No player in the NFL will have as bad a performance, during week 1, as Jason David of the Saints did, last night. Absolutely shocking.

- No NFL team will look as dominant and impressive, during week 1, as Peyton Manning and the Colts did, last night. Cripes, they looked in mid-season form. Frightening, really.

- No matter what the result, there'll be far too many rednecks at the Virginia Tech v LSU game. Tigers by a touchdown in what turns out to be a really boring game characterized more by mistakes than good defense. 17-10.

- Michigan squeaks out a late field goal to beat Oregon, but their defense continues to be decimated.

- Israel will shock the world and steal a 0-0 draw at Wembley, this weekend, during Euro 2008 qualifiers. Steve McLaren will come under fire, once again, for being an idiot.

- When I attend tomorrow's Galaxy game against the Colorado Rapids, the stadium will be half-empty because a) Beckham is out, and b) this is the worst team in MLS. Rapids 3 - 1 Galaxy.

Am I ready for some football?

2007-09-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

Quite honestly, I'd have to say "no." It just doesn't quite feel right. Definitely not dealing with cool September weather and I'm pretty sure that traveling over Labor Day weekend has thrown off my mojo completely -- I don't know WHAT's going on.

But there were a couple great bits this past Saturday. Bravo to the Liverpool lads for putting on a clinic. However, it's important that we all remember that it was Derby County -- Derby County -- that we just hammered 6-0. That should be expected of any title-challenger. We have yet to enter the tricky part of our schedule (which happens in October), so until then, I'm content to be cautiously optimistic and nothing more.

Still... its hard not to feel confident these days, eh?

My god, and then there was March Madness in Ann Arbor. Still can't quite believe that one. Arizona's offense may have looked completely anemic and pathetic in the loss at Provo on Saturday, but at least we're not the laughing stock of the nation. I expected better from my Wildcats, though, and am a bit frustrated that our next game is Saturday against Norther Arizona -- a game that may have little bearing on what progress we've made since last season. Then again, better not treat NAU lightly. Just ask Michigan what happens...

So then, wait... if it is actually September and we've already had a week of college games... then that means... oh... dude...

NFL PREVIEW

Breaking it down by division and conference.

AFC EAST
1. New England Patriots - Consider it the easiest prediction of the season. If not for a dropped pass on 3rd down by Reche Caldwell, we'd be talking about New England's chances at repeating as champs. Now, they've got an incredible receiving corps which boasts what will undoubtedly be a reborn Randy Moss (he'll be good for 75 rec. and 9 TDs). Laurence Maroney is now the go-to-guy in the backfield and you just know that Tom Brady will be focused. Questions about personel in defense, but aren't there always? Never seems to have been a problem before. I'm not betting against the Patriots, this year.

2. New York Jets - Was Mangini's miracle of a season ago just a fluke? Well, the Jets will definitely be facing a tougher schedule, this season, which includes an away game to Baltimore, plus dealing with the tricky NFC East. Thomas Jones is definitely an upgrade for the offense, though. They'll be tough to beat every game.

3. Miami Dolphins - The defense is still good. The quarterback is untested and the coach is new, but the defense is still there. The win over the Bears, last season, showed that you can't take this group too lightly. But that offense... Hey, at least the Dolphins aren't the...

4. Buffalo Bills - We're looking at a candidate for worst record in the league, right here. Lots of rookies and 2nd-year players at key positions. A revamped offensive line, JP Losman still at QB, Marshawn Lynch didn't look terribly impressive during preseason. Paul Posluszny might be defensive rookie of the year, but that could be the only bright spot in Buffalo this season.

AFC CENTRAL
1. Baltimore Ravens - They're the class of this division. Neither Cincinnati or Pittsburgh has the consistency to catch the Ravens. They've got the killer defense, of course, and actually upgraded at running back with Willis McGahee (who pretty much rules). I don't see them needing as many Steve McNair rabbits-out-of-the-hat this season and I don't think it's insane to think that they might be the one team who can derail the Patriots, this season.

2. Cincinnati Bengals - One of these days, the Bengals are going to have a break-through. The offense is still nails, but the defense is, their achilles, is still full of questions. Certainly in the mix for a playoff spot in a crowded AFC, but can they win every week with shootouts?

3. Pittsburgh Steelers - It's a transition year as life post-Cowher begins. Big Ben Motorcycle figures to be steadier this season than he was during last, but the Steelers have 7-8 wins written all over them. Too many other good teams in the AFC for them to crack the playoffs.

4. Cleveland Browns - I think we see Brady Quinn get his first start earlier than expected. Like, in week 6. Romeo Crennell: welcome to "fired after this season."

AFC SOUTH
1. Indianapolis Colts - Duh. They continue to be a cut above the rest of the division, even with the key losses in defense and Tarik Glenn on the o-line.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars - How about that Byron Leftwich situation, huh? Man alive. But you figure that now that it's all settled and David Gerrard is the unquestioned #1, the Jags can finally start living up to their potential. The D is tough, the running game is there in spades with Taylor and Jones-Drew. They may not top the Colts in the standings, but they'll get close, perhaps just missing by a game.

3. Tennessee Titans - It's the Vince Young Show! Literally. There's no one else on this team. Like the tail half of last season, it's all on VY's shoulders to grab some Ws.

4. Houston Texans - I actually toyed with the idea of Houston finishing ahead of Tennessee, but... uh, it's Houston. Will be interesting to see if Matt Schaub is ready to be a #1 in this league (playing behind a putrid offensive line) and if Ahman Green is officially broken.

AFC WEST
1. San Diego Chargers - The reigning MVP, a rising star at QB, people love the Chargers. Here's one solid reason why expectations should be cooled: Norv Turner. Sure, SD will put up a ton of points, but I expect them to drop a couple more games than last year (say, 10-6) and, once again, bow out early in the postseason. Welcome to life with Norv, San Diego.

2. Denver Broncos - I hate them so much. They are a solid squad, though, filled with Pro Bowl talent. They'll give the Chargers a serious run.

3. Oakland Raiders - YEAH! THAT'S RIGHT! YOU READ IT HERE, FIRST! THE OAKLAND RAIDERS WILL NOT FINISH IN THE CELLAR, THIS SEASON. HOW CAN I BELIEVE THAT? MYOPIA? BIAS? Well... possibly. BUT NOT REALLY! Three reasons why Oakland finishes ahead of the Chiefs: 1) That defense is stellar. 2) He may not be what he was a couple seasons ago, but Daunte Culpepper can help you put up points -- something the Raiders had no idea how to do a season ago. 3) Attitude change. Art Shell and the unconscious coaching staff are out. So is Randy Moss. What does it mean? Player morale is up, up, up! JUST WIN (3RD PLACE) BABY! Of course, word comes today that Josh McCown will start on Sunday, so who knows what'll happen. My guess is that every QB on the roster will get a shot.

4. Kansas City Chiefs - Hey, listen, I'm no dummy. I've seen Hard Knocks and I know as well as anyone that the Kansas City Chiefs are going to be a horrible team. Horrible. LJ better get used to seeing eight men in the box for 95% of each game because this team has nothing else to rely on. If you're a fantasty honk, you might want to consider trading him, as KC will be trailing big, more often than not, by the 4th quarter They need to rely on big plays from the defense if they're going to win any games, this year.

NFC EAST
1. Philadelphia Eagles - Not sure why, but I get the feeling that people are expecting the Eagles to fall flat on their faces. It's not going to happen. An elite force to be reckoned with in the NFC. McNabb is healthy and they've added stud linebacker Takeo Spikes. I like Philly a lot, this year.

2. Dallas Cowboys - Granted, I've got them finishing second in the division behind a good Eagles team, but I think Dallas is the most overrated, overhyped team coming into this season. It seems that the national media has completely forgotten that Wade Phillips is the coach, the defense has holes (especially with Terrence Newman's and Greg Ellis' health in question), and Terrell Owens is on the team and poised to erupt if his young QB doesn't get off to a great start.

3. New York Giants - Conversely, I think the Giants are a pretty underrated team. Tiki Barber is gone, yes, and while he did provide a giant (no pun intended) chunk of
the offense, the G-Men still have Brandon Jacobs. Strahan's back for one final hurrah. The question as always: is this the year that Eli becomes a leader?

4. Washington Redskins - Regarded by many as a wild card, the Skins are tricky to figure out. However, Jason Campbell doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Where is all that Joe Gibbs magic from '87-'92?

NFC NORTH
1. Minnesota Vikings - Okay. Bare with me here. I know you're laughing. Hell, I'd be laughing, too, if I didn't think it could actually happen. But this, folks, this is that surprise pick that comes out of nowhere. That team that is completely off the radar over the summer and during preseason and then goes on to shock the league. Last year, they were called the New Orleans Saints. I'm sure you remember other incarnations, such as Kurt Warner's Superbowl-winning Rams. Fact: a team like this pops up every season. And why not the Vikes? Well, one reason why not. Tavaris Jackson has a lot to prove. But! If he limits his mistakes, this squad has a bolstered defense, a great o-line, and a double-barrelled backfield (like the Saints!) with Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson that can cause problems for teams that will surely take them for granted. A quick look at the schedule has me thinking that the Vikes have a great shot at starting 4-0. Jumping off from there in a bad division, why not them? Damn right, sleeper pick.

2. Chicago Bears - The defending NFC champs (a tag that usually spells doom the following year) figure to have a more stable Rex Grossman, this season (one would hope). But if you're like me, you remember how weak the Bears' schedule was a season ago. Not the case this go around. Lovie's boys still have a lot of chinks in the armor.

3. Green Bay Packers - This is the squad that pundits like to take the division away from the Bears, but I disagree (obviously). Sure, the finish to last season was promising, but Brett Favre wasn't. The team surrounding him is still very young and largely unproven. If Driver is drawing double-teams, what's Favre to do?

4. Detroit Lions - It's just not happening, people. Not this year. Jon Kitna's prediction of ten wins will, however, come true. Just give it three seasons. By the way, Detroit to fall in Oakland this Sunday. Try recovering from that!

NFC SOUTH
1. New Orleans Saints - They take the division on account of two things. 1) Talent. 2) Process of elimination. Two concerns: 1)The defense has to prove that it's shed the habit of surrendering big, game-changing plays. 2) Not having Joe Horn raises issues about depth at wide receiver. Suddenly, opposing defenses might be able to double team a Saints weapon.

2. Carolina Panthers - This is a good team. This is a playoff-caliber team. This is a team that's going to be dealing with whispers of David Carr stepping in for Jake Delhomme all season long. But this is also a team that gets Dan Morgan back to anchor the defense and that may be the most important thing of all. Don't sleep on the Panthers, this seasons.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - I have a hard time justifying this one, but if everything played out just as it did last season... well, I couldn't think of anything more uncharacteristic for the NFL. Fact is, Tampa lost a few nail-biters last season and Jeff Garcia brings immediate leadership to the offense. Defense needs to come together, though.

4. Atlanta Falcons - You know that Joey Harrington, with one season less under his belt, has more TDs and passing yards and a higher completion percentage than that other guy? It's true! However, with that other guy, the Falcons had the number one rushing attack in the league. Now that he's gone, the offense looks a little less dynamic, even with Joe Horn coming into the fold. The defense lost star Patrick Kearney to Seattle. Tough situation for NFL-newbie Bobby Petrino to step into.

NFC WEST
1. Seattle Seahawks - The new home of Patrick Kearney will, once again, remain the home of the division crown. Although the NFC West figures to be more competitive than in the past, the Seahawks still possess more talent and are flying under the radar. I think Shaun Alexander gets back on track, this season.

2. San Francisco 49ers - From here on, the rest of the teams in this division are unknown quantities filled with speculation. The Niners, however, seem ready to take a step in the right direction. They're eveyone's sleeper, though, which means something is sure to falter. Still, I do love rookie Patrick Willis at linebacker.

3. St. Louis Rams - The Bengals of the NFC, if you ask me. Sure, Bulger can put up points and Steven Jackson and Torry Holt are elite players at their positions, but can the defense step up? The Rams have the ability to win any game on any given day, but it all comes down to the defense showing up with regularity.

4. Arizona Cardinals - Sorry. Still not buying it. Every summer, we hear that the Cards are breaking through. Not with this offensive line, they're not. Going to have to prove it, guys. We know they've got weapons on offense, though, and the defense is not to be taken lightly. They could finish second just as easily as they could finish last.

Wild Card Round
AFC:
Baltimore over Denver
Jacksonville over San Diego

NFC:
Carolina over Minnesota
Seattle over Chicago

Divisional Playoffs
AFC:
New England over Jacksonville
Baltimore over Indianapolis

NFC:
Philadelphia over Carolina
New Orleans over Seattle

Conference Championships
AFC: New England over Baltimore
NFC: Philadelphia over New Orleans

Superbowl
New England over Philadelphia

Champions League Football '07/'08

2007-08-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

Very pleased with LFC's draw, this morning.

Group A - Liverpool - FC Porto - Marseille - Besiktas
Group B - Chelsea - Valencia - Schalke - Rosenborg
Group C - Real Madrid -Werder Bremen - Lazio - Olympiakos
Group D - AC Milan - Benfica - Celtic - Shakhtar Donetsk
Group E - Barca - Lyon - Vfb Stuttgart - Rangers
Group F - Manure - AS Roma - Sporting Lisbon - Dynamo Kiev
Group G - Inter - PSV - CSKA Moscow - Fenerbahce
Group H - The Arse - Sevilla/AEK Athens -Steaua Bucharest - Slavia Prague

At a glance, our group this year strikes a strong resemblance to last year -- complete with a challenging squad from a second-tier league, an overmatched French side, and a trip to Turkey. I think, like last season, we shouldn't have any problems. The games still need to be played, of course, but our depth this year is ridiculously good.

Group H, however, definitely looks the softest to me. Although you never know how Arsenal will handle trips to physical teams from the Eastern block. Sevilla, I believe, are definitely the best squad in that group.

Group E defintely looks the "group of death," but Chelsea will get all it can handle from Valencia and Schalke (the two teams I was convinced Liverpool would end up with). I don't envy them at all. But then, I suppose I never have...

Celtic have a great shot of advancing to the knockout rounds, but I have a feeling that every other group will play to form with the top two seeds advancing. Actually, Lazio might snipe Werder Bremen in Group C. What does it say about German football, these days, when their top team qualified for this tournament barely squeezes into second pot? The times have changed, indeed. Werder are rated 16th, according to UEFA coefficients, in the field of 32.

If there's any bad news for Liverpool in this draw, it's the we open with our toughest fixture: Porto, away. But then, at least we'll get that one out of the way early. Silver lining, huzzah!
September 18th - Porto (away)
October 3rd - Marseille (home)
October 24th - Besiktas (away)
November 6th - Besiktas (home)
November 28th - Porto (home)
December 11th - Marseille (away)

Based on the above, I expect 14 points and a first place finish. Bring on the knockout rounds.

If a Chinaman signs with the Bucks, does it make a sound?

2007-08-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

The answer, evidently, is "no," because this Chinaman is incapable of speech. Still, Milwaukee have finally, and somewhat surprisingly, signed Yi Jianlian. It remains to be seen whether he can make the jump from posting up a chair to posting up an NBA-big man, but this much is certain: He'll feel very at home in Milwaukee. Just take a look at these adoring comments from the Fox Sports article linked within...

- We DONT want you in the Brew City YI!!!!! Stay over in China!

- Does this punk have any dogs he wants to fight? check him for steroids, then put an asteric by anything he does! do you think he can drive a lamboguini in chicago, or make it rain in vegas, this guy will never fit in here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- DING CHANG DANG BONG
TRANSLATES:
BASKETBALL BE VERY VERY GOOD TO ME.
GO BUCKS

- Are you serious? If they stay healthy when has that ever happened? If Bogut steps up-now that will never happen! Bogut=BUST! YI=BUST! WE DONT WANT YI!

America!

(ugh... welcome to the midwest, Yi)

Bring on the draw!

2007-08-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

There are few things as sweet as a comprehensive win in front of the home fans in European competition. It's was Toulouse's destiny to lose... (thank you, thank you, tip your waitress).

I have to admit, I was quite nervous at the site of Sebastian Leto getting his first nod for the side in such a crucial fixture, as well as the redundant pairing of Mascherano and Sissoko in central midfield. But evidently, it never really mattered. Momo and Masch bossed the middle of the park with ease, while Kuyt and Yossi both created havoc for the Toulouse defense, resulting in four goals (which could've easily been eight). Was a bit troubled by Riise's play in defense (plenty of giveaways from him), Hyypia's wayward positioning (even though he scored a goal, he really seems to be showing his age), and Mascherano, although dominant at winning 50/50 balls, killed most of our attacks in the first half. MotM probably has to go to Kuyt.

Still, bloody great stuff from the lads, today. Always a pleasure to have these dominating victories, especially early in the season. From the look of it, our next four games in the league (Derby, Pompey, Birmingham, Wigan) should be the perfect platform to ride this wave.

We finally sold that Argie waste, Paletta, yesterday, too. I have to admit, I'm not broken up about that news at all. I never rated Paletta. Always felt, while still young, he was a liability. Fortunately, Arbeloa has shown that he has the capability to play in the center of defense in addition to his accustomed role on the left side. Arbs is quickly becoming one of my favorites on the side. Should definitely be considered as permanent a fixture as a healthy Jamie Carragher.

Now to the Champions League draw, this Friday. Feels good to be in pot 1 as a top seed (along with Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Inter Milan). However, I can't shake the feeling that we'll be making difficult trips to both Spain and Germany (in my head, it's already Valencia and Schalke which would be tough). Can't really say I'm too bothered by anyone in pot 4 and I have no doubts about progressing through to the knockout stages.

30 runs. Un...believable

2007-08-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Seriously, the Texas Rangers scored 30 runs, last night?! Great googly moogly! The stunning scoreline actually caused me to lose my vision! I still cannot quite wrap my head around this. And the only started scoring in the 4th inning, too! What a day to be an Orioles fan...

So Jerome Bettis has revealed that he scammed the Steelers into keeping him on the roster. This is one of those situations that appear to be controversial, but the fact that it took place so long ago and Pittsburgh benefitted so much from Bettis' presence in the interim, people will overlook the dishonesty of it all. Frankly, I'm sure just about any NFLer desperate to keep his job would consider a stunt like that.

If you're someone who enjoys a comprehensive season preview AND is a giant fan of Serie A (which kicks off this weekend), man, have I got the thing for you. Well done, "Cassano." Your preview blows the half-wits at Fox Soccer Channel (excluding Bobby McMahon) out of the water. Sigh... that network will never divorce itself from Max Bretos, will it?

A hollow victory, but feeling justified

2007-08-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

The vindication is sweet, but I'd still rather have the 2 points. No matter, Rob Styles has been urged by the English Premier League Refs Chief to apoligize to Rafa and LFC for robbing them of a win yesterday. A ref apologizing? Who could ever have imagined that? Bonus: Styles is dropped from officiating in next weekend's matches. Why stop there? If you've already identified the man as being incompetent beyond a shadow of a doubt, should he still be in your employ?

For fun, a list of blunders that have cemented Rob Styles' infamy.

The Reds must put this behind them, now, and focus on Sunderland this Saturday, assured that karma will pay them back in time.

That was never a penalty. Never.

2007-08-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

Liverpool 1 - 1 Chelsea

Rob Styles is a clown. A ridiculous clown. Never was that ever a penalty. Never. Shocking. This is a prime example of why, in a utopian world, we'd never know the names of referrees. Because if we didn't know their names, it likely means they haven't stolen the show with their horrible officiating. What a mess.

The match itself...

Two things struck me. The first is that I never felt we were truly threatened by Chelsea. For all the talent and explosiveness their side possess, I never felt like we were in trouble in this match -- never felt like we were truly pressured, always felt secure in the midfield (EVEN WITHOUT A D-MID LIKE MASCH OR MOMO). To me, this hits a nerve of confidence that I think, to a certain extent, was missing from last season. We have a swagger about us and it's important that we don't lose it... no matter how many refs screw us over.

Secondly, I want to touch on Fernando Torres. Talk about a tale of two halves... In the first half, a sublime manuever, leaving Ben Haim for dead, opening his account on his home debut, getting in the mix, Torres looked great.

Then came the second half...

Bloody hell, I've not seen such shocking first touches and errant passes in quite some time. Crouch should've been subbed on about ten minutes earlier than he was.

All that said, I feel gutted that we were robbed of two points. In these "big four" contests, it pretty much goes without saying that it's imperative that we take care of business at home. So while we were clearly the better side, today, its a massive pisser not to have all three points to show for it. Granted, we had 28 minutes plus 4 minutes stoppage time to break the deadlock, but being put in that position was ridiculous in the first place.

I'm just bitter as all hell that we didn't win today, but worse, that it was largely through no fault of our own.

sigh...

At least Man City beat Manure.

Also, Fat Frank Lampard's probably gained about 6 pounds since I posted this.

Ray Ratto is awesome

2007-08-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

Too bad his "voice of logic and reason" routine doesn't play with masses. To echo the column, yes, it's truly ridiculous that every tiff involving blacks in the sports world gets spun into an issue about intolerance in America and in a "let the baby have their bottle" manner, Ratto's right that those people are entitled to their claim. But c'mon, reasonably, Gary Sheffield still looks like an idiot, right (thank you, University of Arizona alum, Kenny Lofton)? People sticking up for Michael Vick, even at this stage, are nothing short of morons, right? There's a difference between perceiving racism and desperately seeking the role of "victim." But cheers to Ratto. Like Barbaro, just let this thing die!

Selig muffs it again

2007-08-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

For all the "crisis" and "scandal" and "cheapened image" and "tarnished past-time" babble that's clouded baseball during the steroid era, is anyone else stupified by this?

What happened to cleaning up baseball? What happened to the hard-line stance? What happened to having a little backbone? Oh wait -- I said "backbone" and forgot I was talking about Selig. This whole thing screams to me like Giambi was granted clemency for sitting down and chatting with George Mitchell and spilling all the juicy details on the rest of the league (sorry, I don't really believe that all this "good citizen" press from Giambi's camp affected Selig's decision). So what are we to make of that? Is everyone a special, unique snowflake who'll be shown mercy if they just 'fess up? Are we to believe that in earnest? Fans are already jaded enough as it is and now you come out saying that there'll be no repurcussions? How many more questions can I string in a row? My stance is this: if you're not going to punish Jason Giambi, then don't bother trying to hang Barry Bonds or Gary Sheffield or Sammy Sosa or Miguel Tejada or Roger Clemens or anyone else implicated in the steroids hubbub. The point of this investigation, I always assumed (and I'm sure I'm not alone) was to clean up baseball, not give it a mild talking-to. If the commissioner is really this concerned about another brush-up with the players' union, he may as well quit this witch hunt, right now.

I really wonder if Giambi struck some secret deal with the commissioner on the side. An island home in the Carribean away from his teammates' harsh eyes, some sort of MLB witness protection program. There must be! If the Mitchell Investigation doesn't reveal some information as a result of this sit-down, people are going to start wondering (more so) why they should even care about steroids in baseball.

Don't worry about it, Barry Bonds, you just keep doing what you're doing and don't worry about a thing. Apparently, nothing's going to happen to you.

The South sucks

2007-08-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

Don't just take it from me, take it from respected college football analyst Pat Forde, who accurately asserts that SEC football rates ahead of the Pac-10 as an imperative. If you live in the South and don't have success in college football, you may as well kill yourself. Now, there's a line of thinking I can get behind! Seriously, bravo, Mr. Forde.

It was Miles who came across dumber than Jeff Spicoli. Impugning UCLA and Cal, for one thing, is simply ignorant. Ignoring the fact that USC has trampled the last four SEC teams it has faced by a combined total of 119 points is worse.

Man, few things in sports would make me happier in the months to come than to see LSU annihilated in the title game by USC. (I'd say Arizona, but c'mon...)

Football and Futbol

2007-08-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

It's the NFL's favorite train-wreck, the Oakland Raiders! Yay, my team! Mike Freeman at CBS Sportsline chimes in with a rather uninspired, easy pile-on as to why the Raiders are the laughing stock of the league. I'm not about to deny that that is the case, for now. But let me tell you a couple three things, the longer this JaMarcus Russell eff-up lingers and drags out, the more and more I side with the franchise. Honestly, people like Freeman can slobber and fall all over themselves about how Russell will deliver this team to greatness, but anyone can tell you that it's no lock. Hell, the guy hasn't taken a single snap, WHY IN HEAVEN'S NAME SHOULD HE BE GUARANTEED MORE MONEY THAN GOD HIMSELF? I understand where Russell's camp is coming from, too. If the market is there, you seize upon it. Economics 101. But he hasn't done a damn thing yet. Frankly, I just as soon see him holdout for the whole season, at this point. Culpepper is more than servicable and both McCown and Walter are adequate backups. This team has no illusions of reaching the playoffs this season, so why cave and give the rookie everything he wants? Obviously, the way this has unfolded has been classic Raiders in the worst sense, but, in a strange way, it's also classic Raiders in an historical, defiant sense. "We're not going to be the team bullied around by some punk kid."

Maybe I'm reaching.

Listen, JaMarcus, you'll make more than Brady Quinn, more than Alex Smith, just get your punk-ass into camp. Because the longer the holdout goes, the worse YOU look. Not the team. And it behooves guys like Mike Freeman and other media hacks who take the easy road and pile-on rather than analyze and opine to adopt that mentality at this stage in the game. You want to change the absurd culture surrounding NFL Draft picks? That would be a start.

Meanwhile, in the more appropriately named football, this David Beckham character finally scored his first goal for the Galaxy. I have to say, even with all the ambivalence I've felt since his arrival and the fact that I can't imagine any knowledgable fan placing Beckham among the top 30 players in the world (if not top 50), it did feel pretty good to see him get off the shnide. In classic free kick fashion, to boot. Reminiscent of England-Greece at Old Trafford.

Across the pond. Listen, you really think a fractured toe is going to keep the skipper off the pitch on Sunday versus Chelsea? You must be dreaming. It's actually win-win for Liverpool fans: Gerrard will play on Sunday and skip the meaningless friendly against Germany. Huzzah!

My, the plot thickens for the mystery wrapped in an enigma know as West Ham. They finally brought in Kieron Dyer (realizing my dream -- albeit an insincere one -- of reuniting Dyer with Lee Bowyer) right as they get ready to pull their pants down and take one from behind at the hands of Sheffield United. If there's any justice, the Blades will be adequately compensated for their losses as a result of the whole Tevez-Mascherano swoop West Ham thought they successfully pulled off last season. True, if Sheffield win one more match, they stay in the top flight and none of this is an issue, but it's the principle of the matter. How bizarre, by the way, to think that less than a year ago, everyone was salivating over West Ham's Argentine makeover and look at them, now. Masch is with Liverpool, Tevez with the Mancs, and the Hammers still being haunted by the "third party owner." If the FA had handled this properly in the first place, Sheffield United would still be in the EPL. That's really all of the argument that you need to hear.

Hey buddy, it's Red China!

2007-08-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

It's laughable -- nay, shocking to me that anyone would even possibly consider China is telling the truth when they say nothing horrible or untoward is happening here. Did everyone down a bottle of forget-me-nots? We're talking about the human rights violation capital of the "civilized" world, here!

"Most people being relocated are satisfied," he said. "There are only a few cases of dissatisfaction, and we have the legal procedure to resolve such problems."

Here's a translation of that excerpt. "Most people" = "No one" and "We have the legal procedure to resolve such problems" = "bullet in the brain." Nothing will stop us from hosting these so-called Summer Games! Mwuhahahaha!

That being said, I am quite looking forward to the Olympics in Beijing... If only for all the ridiculous cover-ups like above. Screw China.

Also, completely unrelated, a happy piece of news: Rafa praising new signing Andriy Voronin for his cracking goal at Toulouse that put the Reds 1-0 ahead in the 2-legged tie with the return match to come at Anfield in two weeks. Avantage: Liverpool. Very pleasing indeed. Up next: home-opener versus Chelski. I can hardly wait.

GERRARD YOU BEAUTY!!!!

2007-08-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool

What a cracking shot by the cap'n! Man of the match, without question, the skipper looked all too happy to be pushing the attack via his accustomed role in central midfield. Quite honestly, even while it was opening day, people will be hard-pressed to beat Gerrard's free-kick screamer for goal of the season. I know the match was this past Saturday, but I did watch it live and am only now coming down from the high (just two days before the Reds' next fixture against Toulouse in the Champions League).

Great start to the season. Our first opening-day victory in five seasons, if you can believe it -- obviously the first in Rafa's tenure, too. Thought new boys Torres and Babel (so unlucky not to have scored immediately upon coming on) did well for themselves. Kuyt with the exceptional work-rate as always, creating that first goal.

Thought our defense was a bit haphazard to say the least during the last 15 minutes. We made routine clearances an adventure and both Finnan and Arbeloa seemed to have a little bit of difficulty keeping up with Villa's pace. However, despite all that, we were never truly threatened and, again, some of our slack on the back line really made Villa's efforts look more potent than they truly were. Carra was unlucky to get caught by that fluke hand-ball. We still had far more scoring opportunities in the second half than they did.

My one bit of concern from the match might seem negligable because Momo Sissoko only played about four minutes, but my goodness, that certainly didn't look like him out there. The Momo I know doesn't sleepwalk and readily give away possession when his mission is to shut the game down. Perhaps it's just rust.

All things considered, we got exactly what we wanted: a season-opening win ON THE ROAD. Even better? The next day, ManURe drop points at home to Reading.

Bring on Toulouse (and then Chelski on Saturday). Would expect to see the following lineup in France on Wednesday. Given the quick turnaround from last weekend and the big test ahead, this coming weekend, we'll see some fresh faces that highlight Liverpool's new-found depth this season:
-------------------Reina------------------
Finnan-------Carra-------Agger-------Riise
Benayoun-----SG-------Masch-----Kewell
----------Crouch-------Voronin-----------

SUBS: Torres, Sissoko, Hyypia, Alonso, Arbeloa, Itandje.

YNWA

EPL 2007/2008 predictions

2007-08-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

I cannot, cannot, cannot wait for the season to start. Won't have to wait much longer, kickoff is tomorrow. This is me just messing around. Let's get to it.

1. Manchester United - As much as I hate them, there's no concrete reason to pick against The Scum, at the moment. When Tevez comes into the fold, they'll be that much more potent. As long as Carrick stays healthy, Crissy Ronaldo, Giggs, and Rooney will continue to run wild.

2. Liverpool FC - Okay, now this placement is tempered by some fandom. In terms of sheer acquisitions, no one has bettered themselves more than the Reds. The question, now, is how quickly will all that new talent gel with the old. Judging by their pre-season form, the transition seems to be going smoothly. But the questions at Anfield remain the same as ever: 1) Can we capitalize on attack in addition to dominate possession? 2) Are we mentally sturdy enough to win the winnable games, particularly on the road? 3) Can we avoid the shaky start that has plagued our last few league campaigns? The belief is that with the additions of Torres, Benayoun, Voronin, and Babel, as well as the return of Kewell, the Reds have enough depth to finally compete with the ManUres and the Chelskis of the world. A full season with Mascherano and not having to worry about Zenden mucking everything up? I'm psyched.

3. Chelsea FC - Even with the massive signing of the Frenchman Malouda (and the nearly equally important signing of Tal Ben Haim on the backline -- CFC's achilles during last season's campaign) adding to the already extensive list of talent (probably still the league's best collection of skill), there may still be trouble in the water at Stamford Bridge. Walk with me, here. While the Chelskis certainly have the talent to win the league, there's also a fair chance that the team may break down, mentally. A speed bump on the road here, an injury there, a spat between Maureen and Fergie, a draw versus Fulham, more disappointing play from Ballack, and the next thing you know have a team bitter about last season's disappointment losing focus, gripping over executing everything perfectly and coming back to championship form. Head-to-head, Liverpool certainly has the upper-hand, of late. Is Drogba still going to get all those calls?

4. Tottenham Hotspur - This one is a bit of a surprise because, frankly, it would be very easy to predict the exact same top 5 finish as last season. But Spurs finally get the monkey off their back and climb into a Champions League spot, partly because they get their act together and begin playing with some consistency (and a pairing of Bent and Berbatov will mean less reliance on the erratic Jermaine Defoe), but mostly because of the drop-off that their North London rivals will suffer. Speaking of which...

5. Arsenal FC - It's probably going to come down to the final game, but the Gooners lack of scoring punch will bite them in the end. It goes without saying how big an impact Henry's departure will have, but add Adebayor to the injured list to kick off the season and goals will be tricky to come by. Are we ready to put the spotlight on Theo Walcott? I'm not terribly impressed, thus far. Nevermind the on-going distraction of Wenger's fate at the club. He's a strong manager, but he's got his work cut out for him, this season, as he'll try to keep off-field distractions with the front office to a minimum. Van Persie will keep Arsenal in the race for a top four spot.

6. Blackburn Rovers - They've got the talent to knock off any team on any given day, without question. McCarthy is coming back, while Bentley and Derbyshire are hitting full-stride.

7. Everton - This is where the drop in quality hits with the rest of the league. The Toffees *cough -- BITTERS -- cough* always take care of business against inferior opposition and that's something not everyone in the EPL can handle. Tim Howard is one of the premier keepers in the league, David Moyes is a talented manager. This squad may even have over-achieved a bit last season, so 7th in the table seems appropriate.

8. Newcastle United - This one's a bit of an upset pick, but I'm pinning all on the arrival of one man: Big Sam Allardyce. The importance of a great manager can never be underestimated and, with Allardyce on the scene, we'll see a toughness instilled at Newcastle similar to the bruising play Bolton have become known for. But there's real talent on this team. Obafemi Martins is top flight, Scott Parker is a great player, and a healthy Damien Duff will be flying up the wing. Best of all for the Magpies, Titus Bramble is gone. Once all the drama surrounding their best player, Dyer, dies down, Sam will have the troops focused. They'll surprise a few teams.

9. Portsmouth - There's nothing about watching (read: suffering) through a Portsmouth game that is even remotely appealing. If Redknapp even has an inkling that his team can't match the opposition for talent, they'll buckle nine men in the back. It's dour, it's dreary, it's pessimistic... sadly, it usually comes with positive results.

10. West Ham United - The team that no one can solve. Are they quality? Are they a weekly disaster that fluked their way into almost winning the FA Cup in '06? This much is certain: Alan Curbishley will have a full season at the helm dealing with less clutter than last year's club had.

11. Bolton Wanderers - Just as Toon will thrive, Bolton will suffer for Big Sam's departure. Still the oldest squad in the league by light years, can the legs hold up under new leadership?

12. Reading - It always seems to be the pattern that after a newly-promoted club exceeds expectations, they slump in their sophomore effort. Seen it with Ipsqich, seen it with Wigan, and now we're going to see it again with Steve Coppell's men who definitely surprised out of the gate last season. This time, people will be ready and, again, their talent is relatively limited. There's no one as unlucky with the early schedule as Reading, either. They open away to Man Utd, then come home three days later to host Chelsea. It may be tough to recover after that rocky start.

13. Aston Villa - Now we start getting into relegation talk. Villa will not be one of the three going down, but we saw last season that Martin O'Neill's brilliance can only go so far. The Villains need to capitalize at home (just not tomorrow against Liverpool) if they're going to fight for a mid-table place. The talent isn't there to go higher (yes, I'm aware of the jettisoned Hammers, Reo-Coker and Harewood) and they'd better hope their keeper, Sorenson, makes a speedy recovery. Although, as I write this, they did just grab Scott Carson on loan from Liverpool, so I suppose they can forget Sorenson. If you didn't see him break out last season, by the way, keep an eye on Gabriel Agbonlahor. That kid's got talent and then some.

14. Middlesbrough - I'm sure I'm not the only one, but does anyone else look at Gareth Southgate and listen to him at press conferences and wonder, "How in the bloody hell is this guy managing in the Premier League?" Boro saw Viduka exit this summer, too. He was more or less their talisman last season.

15. Manchester City - Oh City... I cannot find anything to like about this club's prospects. Bringing Sven Goran Erikkson into the fold feels like more of a publicity stunt than anything else. Especially when the former-England manager is already on record as saying he's not terribly familiar with the players on the club. (Hey, kind of like when he coached for England!) Wait 'til Sven finds out that he's working with Micah Richards and a pile of rags. I really expected City to make bigger waves in the transfer market, this summer. They'll be fighting tooth and nail to avoid the drop.

16. Birmingham City - This isn't just any newly-promoted side. BCFC still have very vivid memories of what it's like to play and survive in the Premier League. The team is a little wiser after it's one-year hiatus from the top flight.

17. Fulham FC - Here's a squad that has the potential to get obliterated every match. Over the past three years, Fulham have lowered everyone confidence progressively to the point where, now, no one aside from their faithful should have any confidence. Just can't bring myself to put them behind Sunderland.

18. Sunderland - The Black Cats also return after just one season in the Championship and they come bearing Roy Keane. His presence alone gives them hope of survival, but do they have anyone who can score?

19. Wigan Athletic - The Latics were a whisper away from making the drop, last season. Another week of games and they'd be in the Championship. I felt like Paul Jewell's fervor on the sideline was the only thing that saved them. Now that he's gone...

20. Derby County - Sorry to say, but it's going to be a short stay for the Rams. They will be fun to watch, though, and I'll be cheering for them to grab 17th spot. Derby can score goals, but can they stop their opposition from doing the same? Doubt it.

Let the games begin.

This made me laugh out loud

2007-08-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

And not just a single chuckle, either. I'm talking about a prolonged stretch of laughter. Penny Hardaway signs with the Heat. (This is the part where you start laughing, too)

But wait! It gets better.

He's the second notable acquisition Miami has made during the free agent period; the team signed former Los Angeles Lakers starting point guard Smush Parker last month.

AAAHH-hahahaha. I just busted a gut. By "notable acquisition" they do mean "notably terrible," right? Seriously, show of hands, who else thought that Penny had been dead for the last four years?
*surveys the room, counts off raised hands*
Let's see, one, two, three, four... twelve... fifty six... eighty thousand... all of North America... yeah, that's what I figured. All of you.

I'll say it:

2007-08-07T23:56:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Barry Bonds.

I'll say this, too: Even before 2001, he was one of the three greatest players (arguably the greatest) of all time. In case you're wondering, the other two guys in that discussion are Mays and Mantle.

I wish Bonds had hit 755 in LA

2007-08-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

Three games at Dodger Stadium and Barry Bonds couldn't do anything. I'm a little disappointed. My reasons number two.

1. When Barry hits 755 and 756, it may very well drive a stake into the hearts of all those stat-geeks who base a player's candidacy for the Hall of Fame purely on numbers. These guys rate very close to the top of my list of people who need a punch in the face. With all the Cooperstown talk this past weekend as Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn got enshrined, I heard more of the, "Well, this guy has 2,500 hits and 500 homeruns, so he's gotta be in" talk than I care to remember. One discussion I heard on ESPN radio made my stomach turn a little. The topic was "Who from the list should make the hall?" The list of names that followed failed to impress. The ones I remember: Gary Sheffield? Debatable (which means "no"). Jim Thome? No. Omar Vizquel? No. All the guys, to me, were a flat "no." Stat-geeks have become so obsessed with numbers that they fail to grasp the whole point of a Hall of Fame: to recognize the players who were the greatest of their time. But the worst part is that, among this three-person radio show crew, all the guys were unanimously voting "yes" for EVERYONE. You're going to sit there with a straight face and tell me that Jim Thome or Omar Vizquel were one of the 5-10 best players in baseball when they played? Are you serious? Stab yourself in the eye with a broken bottle immediately. I don't need the guys who thought Rafael Palmeiro was a shoe-in for the Hall before he ruined his life getting paid to talk about baseball. When Bonds sets the mark, I'll be cheering. Loudly.

2. Seriously, wouldn't it have been perfect if Bonds tied or broke the record in Los Angeles? With all the love that Dodger fans have for Bonds and the Giants, it's the one stadium in the league where, on top of a full-scale riot breaking out, there would've been a half-decent chance that the homerun balls were thrown back into the field. A shower of boos, seats being uprooted, anyone with any Giants paraphenalia on not making it out of the stands... I'm telling you, would've been incredible. The most heated baseball rivalry this side of Yankees/Red Sox would've had one more feather in it's cap.

I don't like Manchester United

2007-08-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

Never have, never will. And neither should you, if you consider yourself to be a decent person. They're the monster, the evil empire. It looks like Carlos Tevez is going to land there -- not that his arrival should surprise anyone. The team with the most money generally gets it's way with the English FA. But that's not the signing by The Scum that's turning heads. Check out 9-year-old, Rhain Davis.

Picking Culpeppers

2007-08-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

It's an interesting signing, Daunte Culpepper to the Raiders, to say the least. On the one hand, Oakland is picking up a veteran talent who, at the top of his game, is a Pro Bowl shoe-in -- a QB with the leadership and ability to shepherd a JaMarcus Russel (or, hell, even an Andrew Walter). But that hand is purely theoretical. The other hand -- the hand more grounded in tangible reality -- is the one favoring this signing as yet another stop-gap for the Raiders. Granted, those QB stop-gaps seem to be climbing the charts in relevance over the years (from Kerry Collins, to Aaron Brooks, to Daunte), but there's not much reason to cheer. Culpepper's body is broken and the distance to go to prove to the league that that is no longer the case is pretty substantial. Nevermind that every media pundit and fan happily overlooks Culpepper's penchant for turnovers (the man is "Captain Turnover," after all), even when fully healthy, the guy is stepping into an offense that is starting over from scratch. That includes having an inept offensive line. Yup. Culpepper will definitely get back on his A-game with all the protection he'll be receiving this year. Uh huh...

Anyway, the issue with JaMarcus is one that plagues the NFL and is one of those rare instances where football really can learn from the NBA. Regardless, I wouldn't have expected to see the #1 pick get any game action until around week 8 or 9. Now that Culpepper is in time, probably week 11 or 12.

Oh the Raiders... Amid all of this, however, I maintain that they'll beat the Lions in week 1. Booyeah!

Switching gears to the "other" football across the Atlantic, to a team regarded by many as the Oakland Raiders of the English Premier League (popular club that all opposition fans HATE, starved for success, serving to rabid, passionate, deprived fans amid constant turmoil), Newcastle United supporters didn't do themselves any favors when they descended upon unhappy star Kieron Dyer. You'll never see that kind of fervor over here. Imagine if Kobe Bryant's house was egged and surrounded the day he demanded a trade. Or his car mobbed by angry fans. Nope, not in this country. Not in a place where sports are considered a casual hobby rather than the only source of distraction from an oppressive, dreary existence in Northern England. I, for one, would laugh hysterically for days if Dyer went to West Ham. I'd pay money to see that reunion with Bowyer.

Only ten days 'til the return of the EPL! Me: excited. Liverpool kicks off with a visit to Aston Villa. Game on. I'll have to post some sort of predictions at a later time.

Freddy's all growns up and growns up and growns up

2007-07-31T00:33:00.000-07:00

Our boy is going to Europe! I hope I'm in the majority, here, of people who realize what a great, positive step this is in Adu's development as a player. His performance at the U-20 World Cup showed that he is perfectly capable of being that talisman that US Soccer is hoping he can become... provided he has any sort of viable talent surrounding him. That means more polished teammates held to a higher standard. That means leaving the misery of Real Salt Lake and, to a certain extent, the appauling play of MLS in the rear-view. It's always been my contention that the primary reason our talent at the youth level never seems to translate to the senior national level is because during the ages of 18-22, they're either mired in our low-grade domestic league or in college. The level of competition just isn't there. Not the way it is in Europe. Benfica is a top flight club who have made serious waves in the Champions League the last couple seasons. I expect a player of Adu's flair and accumen to excel there. Playing in Portugal is ideal, too, as Freddy can avoid the harsh spotlight felt in top leagues like the Premiership, La Liga, and Serie A, while still mixing it up with class European competition. This will be a great period of growth in his career.

The name of the game for US Soccer is cultivating talent. That should be the focus, not Major League Soccer. If we cultivate our talent at the highest level, it trickles into our national team and it is the success of the national team that will directly affect the relevance of MLS. Nothing else. And that's what people need to understand when they moan about Adu flying the coup.

Do it, Freddy.

And the big loser of the Kevin Garnett trade IS...

2007-07-31T00:07:00.000-07:00

*drumroll*

... The Lakers. Duh. DUH! You're telling me that the marquee team in the league with the marquee player in the league couldn't throw expiring junk at Kevin McHale and gotten away with it?!? Surely, you jest.

Look, Al Jefferson is going to be a star in this league, but even a mensa like Danny Ainge knows that Kevin Garnett, now, is better than Al Jefferson, now. All of a sudden, Boston, with KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, looks like the best team in the league... if the year was 2004. Regardless, I think it's more than fair to compare Al Jefferson and his promise to someone like... oh... Andrew Bynum. I'll state, clearly, that I think Jefferson will be the better of the two, but there's no denying -- even from an unbiased point of view -- that Andrew Bynum is going to be a stud in a couple years' time. So what you're telling me, now, is that Andrew Bynum's potential has once again derailed a monumental trade that would've vaulted the Lakers back into the throws of title-land...

...

...

... my God...

Again, look at how little Boston actually gave up in return for one of the league's best. It's ridiculous. In effect, the Lakers could've parted with Bynum, Sasha Vujacic, the rights to Sun Yue, Phil Jackson's chest hair, and a gift certificate to Starbucks and landed KG. I'm sorry, but all I want to do is pull my hair out and shove it down Buss' and Kupchak's throats. That's right, I'm going to make them choke on my hair... The Celtics? Really? Them?!

Who am I kidding. We're not making any big moves any time soon.

Ugly out there

2007-07-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

In the past week:

- Tim Donaghy: NBA integrity shot to hell.
- Michael Vick: Has never claimed innocence. A monster.
- Mikael Rasmussen: Booted from Tour de France while leading -- more doping in the cycling world. There's a sport that's lost all relevance in America. (Remember that Lance Armstrong guy?)
- Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield: Outed as both having used the clear and "excelled in the program." Thanks, Balco. Oh, but it's all racial, of course.
- Bud Selig: Yeah...
- Duke DA: Admits to never having a strong case.
- Iraqi soccer fans: Celebrate their Asian Cup semifinal victory by blowing up their own. Nothing like suicide bombing your own people to toast a big win. Tragic.
- Oklahoma football: Another scandal.
- Boise State RB Ian Johnson: Received racial taunts and death threats leading up to his own wedding -- more than likely from the same people who were cheering his 2-point conversion.
- Carlos Tevez: Probably going to end up with Manchester United. (NOOOOOOOOOO!)
- Pacman Jones: Make it rain.
- Sammy Sosa: Still a d-bag.

Is there any reason we shouldn't be hating life entirely, right now? It feels like the Four Horsemen have ravaged the sports world. Everything is stupid. Excuse me if I stop caring for a while.

Regarding Michael Vick

2007-07-18T00:45:00.000-07:00

Indicted. Surprising? No, not to me. But here comes the interesting part. The NFL's hard-line stance against wrong-doers within it's ranks has turned heads, to say the least, but does Roger Goodell have the balls -- the intestinal fortitude -- to put his money where his mouth is and suspend Michael Vick for a substantial amount of time just as he did Pacman Jones and Chris Henry? Clearly, it would be hypocritical not to do so. So it will be very interesting to see over the next few days whether or not the NFL is serious about cleaning up their image or just posturing. Now that they have a bonafide star in the crosshairs, will they do the right thing and punish his scummy carcas? I should hope so. The untouchable NFL would look quite pathetic if it looked the other way.

Bill Simmons has already mentioned that this coming season for the Falcons has "Ewing Theory" written all over it. I really, truly hope we get to see that theory tested.

So... Beckham is here. I've got my ticket.

2007-07-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great thing. It can only do good for MLS, even if he's a couple years past his prime. But with his June rejuvination, who knows? Maybe some really special things await us on the pitch. Hell, I broke down and scalped a pair of Galaxy tickets for September against Colorado (though I just realized that England is playing a Euro 2008 qualifier that same day... d'oh). Anyway, all that being said, I cannot help but completely agree with virtually everything expressed by Bill Plaschke in this morning's LA Times. The focus on Beckham's arrival has been about everything but soccer.

He is clearly showing up not as an athlete, but a celebrity. He is being chatted up not in sports bars, but star blogs. Folks are viewing him not as a leader of men, but as the husband of Posh.

Too true. When have you ever heard of a player in any team sport signing a contract six months before joining the team, when in fact the team he signed for has already been playing for three months before his arrival? The answer, obviously, is so that MLS could market the move while season tickets were still on sale. But that's the ploy of an icon, not a typical athlete. Becks probably could've arrived a month earlier if not for his surprising call up to the England squad, last month, where he excelled. So while most of Plaschke's editorial is pure truth, I still think this spot is pretty slick, if not completely self-indulgent, and I definitely plan on watching that match versus Chelsea. I do hold out hope that Beckham's play with the Galaxy -- limited though it may (read: will -- England are likely to recall him for September) be, boosts soccer in the States at least a little. It'll never be a "major" like MLB, the NBA, or the NFL, but the fan base is there to carry the sport upward.

Want to see real soccer, though? Be sure to catch the Copa America final, this Sunday, when Argentina waxes Brazil. Here's a solid piece comparing the two sides that also pretty well defines why a favored Argentina failed to win Germany '06.

One basketball gripe amid all this soccer talk. The Lakers welcomed an older Derek Fisher back into the fold. Listen, I understand that Fish is a veteran, understands the triangle, and has a great relationship with Kobe. I will always love him for hitting the 0.04 shot that killed the Spurs in 2004. But what am I -- a sharp critic of the Lakers' drafting abilities -- to make of Jordan Farmar (whom I actually like) and Javaris Crittendon? What is this triangle-oriented team doing with such a backlog of point guards, none of which they have faith in? Drafting Crittendon and a couple of future busts, signing Fisher... this isn't what Kobe was talking about when he said that changes need to be made. F*** you, Kupchak.

End of gripe.

All-Star games are stupid

2007-07-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

It's true. They are. Especially MLB's (Pro Bowl not withstanding) because of that stupid stipulation where the winner of an exhibition game featured a slew of players whose teams have a very remote chance of reaching the World Series (read: players with nothing at stake) gets homefield advantage in the WS for their league. Imagine the gratitude that'll be expressed to Tony LaRussa by the eventual National League champion. I mean, why else would you leave Albert Pujols on the bench in favor of Aaron freaking Rowand with the bases loaded, down to your last out, unless you were convinced that the game meant absolutely nothing? You're dumb, MLB, and Tony La Russa just reiterated that fact last night by leaving one of the game's best hitters on the pine because he simply doesn't care who gets homefield advantage in the WS. It won't be the Cardinals, so who cares?! Although, I suppose it doesn't make much difference, this season, since any one of four teams in the American League will have the best record in baseball by season's end (you know, the standard indicator for homefield advantage).

Elated, pissed, retired, and out of breath

2007-07-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

Elated
Yesterday, Liverpool secured Spanish striker Fernando Torres from Atletico Madrid. I see it as a big boost -- a proven goal-scorer who can add offensive punch at an elite level. It's something the Reds lacked for much of the season. Given how frequently we dominated possession and the tempo of matches, we came away with a very poor return on goals. Putting Torres in the mix with Crouch and Kuyt adds a new dimension of fear into the hearts of opponents and bolsters our chances in league play. Let's just hope has an easier time transitioning to the Premiere League than Fernando Morientes did.

Pissed
"Prized" free agent acquisition, Dominic Rhodes, lands himself a 4-game suspension for substance abuse. Definitely an Oakland Raider. So this forces my favorite bunch of NFL meatballs into continuing to rely on LaMont Jordan out of the gate. By the way, if Jordan didn't make you gun-shy about signing a back-up running back to a big deal, maybe Rhodes will. Feel the underachievement!

Still need to sign JaMarcus Russell, too.

Retired
Seriously, it feels like every single week, at least one stud NHLer calls it quits. Yesterday, it was Jeremy Roenick. The man caught a lot of heat for being outspoken and, at times, being portrayed as someone who wasn't interested in the fans, but I have to say that he was still one of my favorites. Another likely HOFer.

Out of breath
The world of competitive eating will never be the same. The Mustard Belt returns to America.

So... Exactly what are we doing at Copa America?

2007-07-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

US spanked 3-1 by Paraguay, three days after being slammed 4-1 by the Argies. I don't like our chances in a consolation game against a mediocre Colombia side on Thursday, either. Apparently, though, we squandered at least three golden chances to level the game at 2-2, yesterday, before Paraguay netted an insurance goal just before the end. Also, Jimmy Conrad all but gifted Paraguay the go-ahead goal, sleeping on a back pass in front of his own goal. Not a shocking results by any means, but it begs the question: What the hell are we doing at Copa America if we don't have any intention of competing?

I truly don't understand the selection of this team by Bob Bradley. You're throwing out a bunch of newbies to see what they can do, right? I get that. But why are they playing side-by-side with guys who will likely be too old or too worn to be in the national team picture in two years' time? Aside from Eddie Johnson and probably Taylor Twellman, none of the "vets" (aside from perhaps Justin Mapp and Ricardo Clark who hardly fit the description) on this team will be around much longer. So what's the sense in seeing if the new talent can blend with them? I realize we're just coming off the Gold Cup (so is Mexico, by the way, and they sent virtually the same team down to Copa because they seem to have at least the faintest bit of pride) and the Under-20s are happening, but still, it's stupid. Where's the common sense?

While we're talking Copa, check out Robinho's hat trick against Chile. The second one is classy and the third one gets me out of my seat.

What a sad day to be a Sabres fan

2007-07-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

Fortunately for me, I'm not. But my, oh my, has there ever been a team in any sport more devastated after just one day of free agency? Seriously? Daniel Briere flys to Philly for an 8-year deal (which is just nuts), and then Chris Drury -- Buffalo's heart in the playoffs -- heads to the Rangers. Couldn't be crappier times for Buffalo fans. Shades of the summer following '99.

Speaking of Chris Drury with the Rangers, the Blue Shirts also signed Scott Gomez, bolstering their forward corp even further.

Another lifelong Devil fleeing New Jersey? Brian Rafalski. To Detroit. Which is fortunate for the Wings, as they actually upgrade from the departure of Mathieu Schneider... who went to Anaheim. Yeah, because the Ducks were lacking in defense. But Niedermayer might just retire, so a shrewd move.

Even in the NHL the saying holds true: the rich get richer. E.J. Hradek's got it covered.

As for my LA Kings... well...

Javaris Crittendon, huh?

2007-06-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

Javaris Crittendon - In reality, I'm just deeply relieved that we didn't take Josh McRoberts or, worse, Fat Baby Davis. So Crittendon was met initially by me with a mighty exhale and a sweeping calm. Then I considered the pick. There are two camps, here. Some people think the Lakers took the best available player. I think we ignored the fact that we just took a far more capable, far more polished point guard in Jordan Farmar last year and chose to ignore getting the help we so desperately need on the front line. Whether or not Crittendon develops into a nice player, we shall see, but it should be the Lakers' goal to compete immediately. Always. As if Kobe wasn't jaded already, now this. Jared Dudley went just three picks later. Also would've been content with Tiago Splitter or, hell, even Jason Smith.

Sun Yue - Work with me here, we just used our first round pick on a PG with size who is unpolished, concerned primarily with scoring, and needs to improve his defense. So for our next pick we take... what? His Chinese counterpart? Still available at this point: Derrick Byars, Jared Jordan, Chris Richard. Nice work, Mitch...

Marc Gasol - Chad Ford writes, "Pau Gasol's brother isn't a great prospect, but he does take up space in the middle. He probably stays in Spain." Great... Maybe Staples Center should be held hostage until Jerry West comes back. That's our only hope for regaining any competency in the draft.

Gotta say, I'm sadly unsurprised, yet still disappointed with this haul. I grade the Lakers a D+.

Other thoughts about last night...

Just like everyone else on the planet, I have to give it up to Portland. Sure, they got Greg Oden, but then they went out and made a big statement by shipping Zach Randolph to the Knicks (that'll be an interesting experiment), officially making this Oden's team, while acquiring a very-gifted, all-but-forgotten Steve Francis and another hard-working big man in Channing Frye. They can even be forgiven for picking Josh McRoberts at 37.

Honestly, though, I'm just as impressed with the Spurs for taking Tiago Splitter. The 7-foot Brazillian is an absolute perfect fit in San Antonio and I'm a little burned that the Lakers didn't invest their #19 in this guy. He's been touted for a couple years, now, as having lottery-talent and down on the Riverwalk is the perfect place for him to flourish. The Spurs are also probably the one team in the league that can bend Marcus Williams' ego to their will while maximizing his talent.

Michael Jordan is a terrible GM. Why isn't more made of this? He's awful. (And while we're wondering aloud, why haven't the media castrated David Stern for putting a franchise back in Charlotte after the Hornets left due to lack of interest? This never should have happened!) First, MJ drafts Kwame Brown 2.0 in Brandan Wright (guess he doesn't learn from his mistakes). That is to say, an over-hyped quitter. Then Jordan ships him for a fat contract in Jason Richardson that isn't going to do anything other than fill Gerald Wallace's spot. Maybe.

Al Thornton is a steal for the Clippers at #14. AND they also grabbed Jared Jordan in the 2nd round. It's enough to make me think about jumping ship. Or, you know, kill myself as I'll be in the same city rooting for the other LA team. Big props to the Clipps.

There's been so much said about how Boston screwed up, I don't really feel the need to pile on. Except to say that we'll finally get the answer to the mystery of "What would Oliver Miller look like in green?"

EDSBS

2007-06-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

While college football will remain deeply flawed until they figure out a playoff system, here's a taste of what has become, over the last few weeks, my new favorite blog. They're funny, more insightful than they let on, and do a great job at reminding some of us cynics how fun college football really is.

Phil Fulmer, who is very, very fat, has kicked Jackson off the team, a punishment Urban Meyer described as “harsh.”

Great stuff. Even with the Gator bias.

Hopes for the Draft

2007-06-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

With regards to the Lakers, of course. Duh. Coming up in just a couple hours and, short of pulling some sort of trade for Kevin Garnett or Jermaine O'Neal, Kupchak will be making a pick at #19. Picks #40 and #48 are pretty much already headed for the D-League, according to Kupchak, barring some serious wowing during summer ball.

The wish list for pick 19 (assuming, of course, that likely lottery picks Spencer Hawes, Al Thornton, Julian Wright, and this Joakim Noah guy are actually taken in the lottery):
- Derrick Byars F/G Vanderbilt: Love his athleticism, the guy's a baller and a scoring machine. Sweet touch from the outside, but can also hit the glass. Really impressed me during the tournament and I'm a bit shocked he didn't get more pub this year, being SEC player of the year. But I guess that's what happens when you play for Vanderbilt instead of Florida. If we were to trade Odom away, Byars could fill in nicely and, in time, possibly surpass Lamar's talents.

- Jared Dudley F Boston College: It might be considered a big reach to grab Dudley at #19, especially when there is a fair chance that he may magically slip to #40, but he's a tough forward who can work the mid-range game and bang inside. Besides, picks 16-30 are such a crap shoot anyway, why not just say "screw it" and get the right guy? Dudley has a serious motor, too. I think it should be the goal of the Lakers to get as many guys on the roster who have fire and hustle similar to Ronny Turiaf.

- Marco Bellineli G Italy: Guard is not a pressing need for the Lakers by any mean (especially if Kobe is sticking around) and lord knows you can never tell with the Europeans, but the word on Belinelli is that he's an elite ball-handler and distributor. I know we just took Jordan Farmar last year (and I like Farmar a lot), but he's not 6'7".

- Jared Jordan PG Marist: I haven't forgotten about this guy and still think that he could be the next Steve Nash. Lunacy? Maybe, but I love this kid's game. At #48, why not? Remember the name, people, because he's going to land with somebody and work his way into the mix.

Stay the hell away from my team:
- Josh McRoberts F Duke: Don't even think about it. Pudgy, under-developed, underachieving at Duke, would get flat out-hustled in the Western Conference, and already has a questionable work rate. And he's a Dukie to boot!

- Glen "Fat Baby" Davis PF LSU: If you can't tell where I'm headed with this, you're not terribly bright. I saw all I needed to see during the '06 Final Four when he was winded four minutes into the game against UCLA. Think he'll be able to play at an NBA pace? In the Western Conference?! Ladies and gentlemen: The next Oliver Miller!

- Marcus Williams F Arizona: This is more of a caution for the second round. Part of me feels conflicted for going against a UofA guy, but I watched Williams play all through his career and made it my job to follow this team and let me tell you: This guy is a headcase. Don't need him in the locker room.

Wild Card:
- Sean Williams C Boston College: If not for his off-court issues, Williams would be a perfect fit for the Lakers. Great interior defender and a handful to deal with one-on-one. But his character is the most questionable in the draft. He's the front-runner for the Ruben Patterson award.

FIFA U-20 World Cup

2007-06-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

Look, I love international competition, knockout tournaments, and soccer. So, just for kicks, while I cannot say anything of substance about the U-20s, let's just make some predictions. Just for kicks. For giggles, baby. You in? I don't care, you're in now.

So what do we know?
- Tournament is being held in Canada and hosts tend to stick around for at least a little past their expiration date.
- Kicks off on Saturday.
- Argentina is the defending champ and favored to repeat
- Freddy Adu leads a very talented, up-and-coming, darkhorse US squad
- The US is in the same group as heavy Brazil
- If I had to guess, it looks like Group D is the group of death
- Just because you're on a power on the senior national team, doesn't necessarily mean you enjoy success at this level
- It's the old 24-team field, which means any picks beyond the group stage are moot because we don't know where the four 3rd place teams will be placed in the playoff tree. See? So the guessing will be all the more fun.

Group Stage Predictions * = one of the top four 3rd place teams

Group A
1. Canada
2. Congo
3. Chile *
4. Austria

Group B
1. Spain
2. Zambia
3. Uruguay
4. Jordan

Group C
1. Portugal
2. Mexico
3. Gambia *
4. New Zealand

Group D
1. USA
2. Brazil
3. Korea *
4. Poland

Group E
1. Argentina
2. Czech Republic
3. Panama
4. North Korea

Group F
1. Japan
2. Nigeria
3. Scotland *
4. Costa Rica

Round of 16
Congo (2A) over Mexico (2C)
USA (1D) over Scotland (3BEF)
Spain (1B) over Gambia (3ACD)
Japan (1F) over Czech Rep. (2E)
Canada (1A) over Korea (3CDE)
Nigeria (2F) over Zambia (2B)
Argentina (1E) over Brazil (2D)
Portugal (1C) over Chile (3ABF)

Quarterfinals
USA over Congo
Spain over Japan
Nigeria over Canada
Argentina over Portugal

Semis
USA over Spain
Argentina over Nigeria

Final
Argentina over USA

And there you have it. Much like their opening match in Copa America tomorrow, Argentina will knock off the US and win it all. Contingent entirely on placing ahead of Brazil in the group stages, the Americans, buoyed by good form and playing close to home, will surprise the Spanish who excel at the junior levels. Biased? No. Shut up! Nigeria slipping past the hosts would be a surprise, too, but I just feel like one African team is bound to make a big run. I would've favored Congo, if not for the draw.

Even further proof that baseball is a crap shoot

2007-06-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

The Kansas City Royals just swept the Angels in Anaheim. This is just stupid. Baseball is ridiculous. Just ask the '06 Cardinals.

Oh, and to everyone geeked about the KG-to-the-Lakers nonsense, three words: Told. You. So.
No way that mess was ever going to happen.

"Don't count on it."

2007-06-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you, John Paxson for finally laying to rest the myth that Kobe is heading to Chicago. Again, the LA Times was ahead of the curve on that one. But check out this tease. Holy smokes! I don't quite believe it and don't think I will until the deal actually goes down and the players involved pass their physicals, if only because that is one giant carrot to dangle in front of Laker Nation and if KG doesn't end up coming here, I'd rather not be crushed about it. So, no point in pinning my hopes on it, now. If I'm going to survive this Mamba Drama, it's going to take some expert emotional control. And as Paxson told Kobe, "Don't count on it."

But let's just say that Odom and Bynum leave town to make way for Garnett. We'd be looking at a Laker lineup that ran the floor something like this (keeping in mind that we're losing Mihm and Smush is as good as dead to us):
Starters
C Kwame
F KG
F Walton
G Mamba
G Farmer

Bench
F/C Turiaf
F Radmanovic
F Cook
G Vujacic
G/F Mo Evans
1st round pick
Mid-level exception

The bench is left a little thin and we could definitely use some help at center, but, my goodness, Mamba+KG = Contender

Now, would Garnett fit with Kobe? If it's a matter of ego, it's been well-established that Kobe's will rise to the top, while KG will keep any dirty business to himself. Both recognize in each other a common goal and matching intensity. This is also the exact scenario that makes Phil Jackson an invaluable coach. The guy built a legacy off of managing egos on championship teams. It's when his teams didn't have the talent that his efforts (or lack thereof, depending on how much stock you take in his sideline demeanor during games) went for naught. Again, Jackson is great at turning teams from good to elite, not bad to good.

So, for now, fingers crossed. But I remain cautiously realistic.

Further proof that baseball is a crap shoot

2007-06-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

The Washington Nationals just completed a sweep of the Cleveland Indians. Need I really say more?

Elsewhere, props to Ken Griffey Jr. for passing Big Mac on the all-time HR list. I know that just one post prior to this one I was ranting about how the numbers don't mean anything any more, but Griffey is so damn likable and you really feel like if he had been healthy at all over the last seven years, that he'd also be right in the spotlight for 755.

Bouncing into the weekend

2007-06-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

Because it is Friday and things are a little slow at the moment, some quick bullets on the hot (and not so hot) issues this week. Everything aside from Kobe, that is, because he still isn't going anywhere before next summer.

Pacman Jones
Let's just drop the whole issue, shall we, and just fire him already. People don't seem to be aware that this suspension imposed by the league doesn't just apply to the coming season, it spans forever. So let's just accept that this guy isn't going to play golf or watch daytime TV in his spare time and cut our losses. Whaddya say, Roger?

Sammy Steroids
It wasn't long ago that 600 homeruns meant you were a baseball immortal. But as Jayson Stark said in an interview, last night, this is the price we're paying for the steroids era. The numbers -- particularly the power numbers -- have been devalued to such an extreme that when a scumbag like Sosa finally does hit 600, it barely illicits a response. By tacitlly allowing rampant steroid and growth hormone abuse, Major League Baseball has sacrificed the very lore that makes people sentimental over the sport in the first place. Without the numbers -- 755, 61, 191 -- what does baseball have left? I'll be very curious to see how people react to Ken Griffey Jr. hitting 600, which will probably happen by season's end. Griffey deserves all the accolades coming his way. It's pretty fair to say that Sosa does not. And while we're condemning one of baseball all-time shadiest characters, a message to all the baseball writers and media personalities absolving Sosa of the past while still condeming Mark McGwire: PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS. If Big Mac only received a HOF vote in the low 20s, then damn it, Sosa should, too. All or nothing. If anything, Sosa was an even bigger cheater (corked bat), more deceitful (left the country, forgot how to speak English in front of Congress), and was never at any time considered one of the best to play right field (not that the Hall of Fame values "excellence" anymore. You just have to be "good and well-liked"). The Baseball Hall of Fame: Becoming more irrelevant by the second.

Kevin Garnett
If one superstar is getting traded, this summer, it's him. And it will be to the Suns. No one else has a chance. Is Chicago going to mortgage Hinrich/Deng/Gordon? Not likely. Phoenix isn't budging when it comes to keeping Amare off the table, either. Just the thought of a Nash/Amare/KG trio should be enough to make everyone else concede their games against the Suns and just play for second place.

Thierry Henry
Unfortunately for Gunners supporters, there will be no miracle. Henry is off to the Catalan. Surprising? No, not at all. Re-read the part where I said there will be no miracle. What does it mean for Arsenal? Well, they were without Henry for a large chunk of the season and still managed fourth place in the table. I'd say that no longer having the distraction of whether or not he'll play could be advantageous. While I maintain that there's no better striker in the world than a healthy Thierry Henry (that includes Drogba), Arsenal should recover rather quickly. Adebayor needs to work on his consistency, though.

Wimbledon
I'm a sucker for Grand Slam Tennis and it doesn't get much better than this one. Federer's gunning for Borg's record of five consecutive Wimby titles. He's going to get it, too. Can't imagine he's too happy about just missing out on the French... again. Watch out.

Gold Cup
Not many people even know it's going on and, really, they don't need to. It's been some miserable, miserable soccer. But -- and there is a big but -- the US and Mexico have managed to sleepwalk their way to the final. USA v Mexico? Count me in. Prediction? Please, how could I possibly offer anything other than 2-0 to the Americans? Copa America is right around the corner... By the by, terrible luck for Canada in the semi against the US. That equalizing goal in the dying seconds definitely was not offside. I'm rather amazed that Paul Stalteri didn't murder the ref on site.

NBA Draft
Less than a week away. Strong crop of talent, too. At least at first glance. However, is it just me, or has there been so much attention focused on why Oden will go ahead of Durant that people haven't bothered to ponder what will happen between picks 3-58?

Tri-Nations
Springboks host the All Blacks tomorrow in Durban, 5 a.m. PST. COMME BOKKE!

Black Mamba Drama

2007-06-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

Take it from the LA Times, people, because they know better than you. From this point on, they're the only news source I'm listening to on the matter. Kobe isn't going anywhere this summer. Not before the draft, not after it. And as much of a hump as Jerry Buss is, he'll be doing the right thing by keeping Mamba in town. Kobe's bitter as all hell about it (and rightfully so), but he's not going to Chicago... yet. Check back in a year.

Meanwhile, I cannot say the thought of a Jermaine O'Neal for Bynum and Odom swap is very enticing. Not unless the Lakers had another deal in line to follow that up. Why? Because I see it largely as a wash with regards to the Lakers. If they are to "compete" as Kobe desires, they'll need a player of Odom's caliber in a tertiary roll. Otherwise, a two-man show of Mamba and Jermaine doesn't have nearly the impact or the veteran supporting cast that the Shaq/Kobe teams did. Bynum, Walton, and a first round pick to Indiana for the big guy? Now we're talking.

Off to a lekker start

2007-06-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

While I'm busy sticking my head in the sand, pretending that Kobe's visit with Jerry Buss in Spain never happened, it's important that I find some distractions. Like South Africa nicking the Wallabies in the Tri-Nations opener. Yeah, that'll do the trick! This latest incarnation of the Springboks is a scrappy side, to say the least, and that much was evident from the manner in which they came from behind to smite the Aussies. Always important to get off to a good start in the 2nd most important rugby tournament in the world (you know, the Rugby World Cup drops in September). Up next: the All Blacks. In Durbin. Just spoke with my dad on this Father's Day and he was telling me about how New Zealand just whipped Australia, recently, 50-0. Reports suggest that Australia were lucky to get 0. *gulp*