Sike!
I wanted to write about the NFL, but I don’t know what to say. Sorry guys. Between constantly going through NBA rosters, my four fantasy football teams, all the political crap and the baseball playoffs, I haven’t done much analysis on the NFL.
Sorry.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Random College Football Thoughts
I’m glad I didn’t do a college football preview this year. Coming in to the season, I figured Georgia was a lock for the BCS title game, and probably would’ve penciled in USC to face the Bulldogs.
Other things I would have predicted were: Alabama being overrated, Clemson making an undefeated run and LSU struggling without a quarterback.
Some things I would’ve nailed, but the past is in the past. Right now, I still think Alabama is playing a little bit better than they are, but they’re definitely a BCS team and will probably be #1 heading into next year. But who plays in this year's championship?
Probably two one-loss teams, which actually bodes well for Georgia and USC. I think that Oklahoma will find a way to lose a game this year, maybe even this weekend against Texas. The same goes for Missouri and Texas too, and any other undefeated Big 12 team.
Penn St. actually has an outside chance of going undefeated, but I think they will get embarrassed by a non-Big Ten team.
For the first time in a long time, I really can’t call it. USC will likely finish with a better strength of schedule than a Big 12 or SEC team. So if they finish with one less and everyone else does too, then they’ll be in. As for their opponent, it will probably be the Big 12 winner; I think it’s very possible that the SEC champion will have two losses.
Other things I would have predicted were: Alabama being overrated, Clemson making an undefeated run and LSU struggling without a quarterback.
Some things I would’ve nailed, but the past is in the past. Right now, I still think Alabama is playing a little bit better than they are, but they’re definitely a BCS team and will probably be #1 heading into next year. But who plays in this year's championship?
Probably two one-loss teams, which actually bodes well for Georgia and USC. I think that Oklahoma will find a way to lose a game this year, maybe even this weekend against Texas. The same goes for Missouri and Texas too, and any other undefeated Big 12 team.
Penn St. actually has an outside chance of going undefeated, but I think they will get embarrassed by a non-Big Ten team.
For the first time in a long time, I really can’t call it. USC will likely finish with a better strength of schedule than a Big 12 or SEC team. So if they finish with one less and everyone else does too, then they’ll be in. As for their opponent, it will probably be the Big 12 winner; I think it’s very possible that the SEC champion will have two losses.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Elgin Baylor x Sports Guy x LCS Preview
Before I get into it today, I wanted to highlight yet another good article by Bill Simmons on Elgin Baylor. The plight of black athletes during the Jim Crow era has always been fascinating, along with the development of the modern pro sports system and the role various players had in creating the big bucks for everyone scenario we have today.
I was totally oblivious to the real Elgin Baylor story, but now I know and now I won't look at him as that horrible Clippers GM that played back in the day. It was also a good juxtaposition to the asskicking Obama put on McCain, moving us closer to our first black president.
I think that African-American History is taught horribly in this country in general, and it’s so easy to forget how bad things once were. We’re at the point now where when something racist happens, we’re almost surprised. It used to be the norm. Heck, in some places it still is. Anyways, I can talk forever about this subject, but this is a sports blog not a sociology or history blog. Just read the damn article.
Today, I’m going to talk about the upcoming LCS’s in Major League Baseball. This season was a pretty damn good one, but the playoffs have been fairly lackluster. Just several beatdowns going on throughout the opening round, except for the Boston-Anaheim (via LA?) series, which was marred by errors and overmanagement by the Halos.
Now we have the Phillies and Dodgers squaring off in the NL and the Sox and Rays squaring off in the AL. Before the season, this would have been one of the most unlikely pairings. During the season, it was clear that the Rays and Sox were two of the best teams in the AL. In the NL, Philly and LA didn’t distinguish themselves as playoff teams until September, behind the bats of sluggers Ryan Howard and Manny Ramirez.
In the past, I would do a tale of the tape on each, but quite frankly I’m not too confident in what’s going to happen. In both series, there’s a “what should happen,” “what I want to happen,” and “what will probably happen/what the MLB wants to happen.”
Here’s what should happen:
The Phillies have and have had the most potent offense in the NL throughout the season. Their pitching has been up and down, but down the stretch Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer were solid. Their bullpen is stellar, as Brad Lidge’s comeback has been well documented.
The Phillies have had a championship offense for years, but now they seem to have the pitching behind them as well.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers had a weird mix of youth and experience on the mound and in the field. They have Joe Torre guiding the ship, but you would think the team that has been together for so long would ultimately pull it out against the upstart ball club.
What I want to happen:
I want the Phillies to win. I went to school there for five years and Philly really, really needs a winner.
What Will Probably Happen:
Manny will hit like 4 HR’s and drive in a crap load of runs, Brad Lidge will finally self-destruct, and Ryan Howard will hit .125 with one meaningless HR in a 12-2 Dodgers rout, and LA will win in 5 or 6 games.
What should happen:
In the AL, the Rays went from worst to first, and won the AL East. The Red Sox finished right behind them, and probably would have won the division if they didn’t have the injuries. Even going into the playoffs, I’d probably have picked the Rays to win the AL.
However, after watching the Sox, they are in championship mode. All of the bounces are going their way, their big names are stepping up and their no-names are coming through in the clutch.
What I want to happen:
I want the Rays to win. My disdain for the Sox is out there, I hate them and pretty much every Boston team. Nothing personal, but the ubiquitous coverage coupled with the jerks that many of these teams employ (Schilling, Youkilis, Vrabel, etc.) makes me and several others hate them.
The Rays are young and exciting. They have a cool manager and you want to pull for them anyway because of their losing history. And one of their best players, B.J. Upton, is a Tidewater native who was tearing it up at Greenbrier Christian around the time that I was playing baseball at I.C. Norcom High School.
What will probably happen:
The Sox will win, Pedroia will win MVP, Manny will get bashed, Epstein will get sucked off by the media, the LA/Boston rivalry will get run into the ground, etc.
If we can’t get a Phillies/Rays series, lets hope that Manny returns ‘home’ to Boston to bite them in the ass.
I was totally oblivious to the real Elgin Baylor story, but now I know and now I won't look at him as that horrible Clippers GM that played back in the day. It was also a good juxtaposition to the asskicking Obama put on McCain, moving us closer to our first black president.
I think that African-American History is taught horribly in this country in general, and it’s so easy to forget how bad things once were. We’re at the point now where when something racist happens, we’re almost surprised. It used to be the norm. Heck, in some places it still is. Anyways, I can talk forever about this subject, but this is a sports blog not a sociology or history blog. Just read the damn article.
Today, I’m going to talk about the upcoming LCS’s in Major League Baseball. This season was a pretty damn good one, but the playoffs have been fairly lackluster. Just several beatdowns going on throughout the opening round, except for the Boston-Anaheim (via LA?) series, which was marred by errors and overmanagement by the Halos.
Now we have the Phillies and Dodgers squaring off in the NL and the Sox and Rays squaring off in the AL. Before the season, this would have been one of the most unlikely pairings. During the season, it was clear that the Rays and Sox were two of the best teams in the AL. In the NL, Philly and LA didn’t distinguish themselves as playoff teams until September, behind the bats of sluggers Ryan Howard and Manny Ramirez.
In the past, I would do a tale of the tape on each, but quite frankly I’m not too confident in what’s going to happen. In both series, there’s a “what should happen,” “what I want to happen,” and “what will probably happen/what the MLB wants to happen.”
Here’s what should happen:
The Phillies have and have had the most potent offense in the NL throughout the season. Their pitching has been up and down, but down the stretch Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer were solid. Their bullpen is stellar, as Brad Lidge’s comeback has been well documented.
The Phillies have had a championship offense for years, but now they seem to have the pitching behind them as well.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers had a weird mix of youth and experience on the mound and in the field. They have Joe Torre guiding the ship, but you would think the team that has been together for so long would ultimately pull it out against the upstart ball club.
What I want to happen:
I want the Phillies to win. I went to school there for five years and Philly really, really needs a winner.
What Will Probably Happen:
Manny will hit like 4 HR’s and drive in a crap load of runs, Brad Lidge will finally self-destruct, and Ryan Howard will hit .125 with one meaningless HR in a 12-2 Dodgers rout, and LA will win in 5 or 6 games.
What should happen:
In the AL, the Rays went from worst to first, and won the AL East. The Red Sox finished right behind them, and probably would have won the division if they didn’t have the injuries. Even going into the playoffs, I’d probably have picked the Rays to win the AL.
However, after watching the Sox, they are in championship mode. All of the bounces are going their way, their big names are stepping up and their no-names are coming through in the clutch.
What I want to happen:
I want the Rays to win. My disdain for the Sox is out there, I hate them and pretty much every Boston team. Nothing personal, but the ubiquitous coverage coupled with the jerks that many of these teams employ (Schilling, Youkilis, Vrabel, etc.) makes me and several others hate them.
The Rays are young and exciting. They have a cool manager and you want to pull for them anyway because of their losing history. And one of their best players, B.J. Upton, is a Tidewater native who was tearing it up at Greenbrier Christian around the time that I was playing baseball at I.C. Norcom High School.
What will probably happen:
The Sox will win, Pedroia will win MVP, Manny will get bashed, Epstein will get sucked off by the media, the LA/Boston rivalry will get run into the ground, etc.
If we can’t get a Phillies/Rays series, lets hope that Manny returns ‘home’ to Boston to bite them in the ass.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Reverse Hibernation Pt. 2: Deep Sleep
I know I had a long post in September talking about all the great things I was going to write about this month that never happened. Well, you can say I lost my inspiration to write.
Or maybe I was enjoying having my own place again and not doing nothing after work that I didn’t feel like writing.
Of course I should probably write more at work in the first place, but I at least want to make them think I do a little bit of work.
Regardless of why I never picked up steam last month, I think I might have gotten my “swagger” back. (Speaking of swagger, can this word be removed from the hip-hop dictionary? I mean, people all over ESPN, Yahoo!, and CNN are now writing the word swagger in nearly every column. It’s becoming more ubiquitous than “bling.” So, if you’re a rapper or a fan of hip-hop, it is no longer cool to use the word or any variation of the word swagger.)
There was a chain email going around the office about the upcoming NBA season. The central argument was that “the Suns were going to win the West,” which one of my co-workers countered with “the Suns aren’t going to be good but the Clippers will be.”
I had to think about it, but I think the second guy was right. The Suns are dead, and the Clippers have a lot of talent on the low. But where is all my insight now, about the NBA and the other sports?
It’s stuck in my head and not on your screens. This is why I started the damn thing in the first place (and the fact that I was graded on it for my on-line journalism class). I’ve let you down, and I’m sorry. But I think I’m back now.
I have to talk about the playoffs, NBA preseason, NFL, college football and the upcoming NCAA b-ball season. Instead of trying to do it all in this posting, I suppose I should just take it one step at a time. Stay tuned … or not.
Or maybe I was enjoying having my own place again and not doing nothing after work that I didn’t feel like writing.
Of course I should probably write more at work in the first place, but I at least want to make them think I do a little bit of work.
Regardless of why I never picked up steam last month, I think I might have gotten my “swagger” back. (Speaking of swagger, can this word be removed from the hip-hop dictionary? I mean, people all over ESPN, Yahoo!, and CNN are now writing the word swagger in nearly every column. It’s becoming more ubiquitous than “bling.” So, if you’re a rapper or a fan of hip-hop, it is no longer cool to use the word or any variation of the word swagger.)
There was a chain email going around the office about the upcoming NBA season. The central argument was that “the Suns were going to win the West,” which one of my co-workers countered with “the Suns aren’t going to be good but the Clippers will be.”
I had to think about it, but I think the second guy was right. The Suns are dead, and the Clippers have a lot of talent on the low. But where is all my insight now, about the NBA and the other sports?
It’s stuck in my head and not on your screens. This is why I started the damn thing in the first place (and the fact that I was graded on it for my on-line journalism class). I’ve let you down, and I’m sorry. But I think I’m back now.
I have to talk about the playoffs, NBA preseason, NFL, college football and the upcoming NCAA b-ball season. Instead of trying to do it all in this posting, I suppose I should just take it one step at a time. Stay tuned … or not.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Reverse Hibernation
When it comes to the blog, I guess I’ve reached sort of a crossroads. After being MIA for the entire summer, I have about three options at this point.
1. Can the thing – Ain’t gonna happen.
2. Reinvent It – Well that was the purpose of the blog in the first place, to provide a different perspective than whats on the mainstream
3. Act like it never happened – Well, maybe I’m going to do a three with a little bit of two. I’m not going to reinvent the blog, but I’m going to try to provide more depth. We’ll see what happens.
NBA
Missing the summer was kind of like a reverse hibernation. I was fired up about the Olympics and was one of 30 people who watched the gold medal game live, but most of my thoughts about the team and that game have faded away.
I will say that the Collangelo formula worked, at least somewhat. However, the biggest difference in this team and the one’s that lost were the fact that for the most part, these were the best players in the league.
In ’92, we sent a team full of legends. In ’96, we sent the guys that weren’t quite good enough for the ’92 team, and guys who were young then but now coming into their own. In 2000, a new trend started. A lot of the better guys didn’t want to go.
That team was still good, but as the foreign teams got better, we started sending worse guys. This helped our team lose the world championships in ’02 and ’06, along with the Olympics in ’04.
I think that if you send a team with Kobe, LeBron, D. Wade, ‘Melo, Chris Bosh, CP3, Deron Williams and D. Ho cold turkey, they still win.
I hope that when London comes around, we don’t revert back into our losing ways with guys like ‘Bron-Bron opting not to go.
MLB
For most of the summer, I didn’t have a clue about what was going on. Being without TV and Internet, it was hard to keep up with the NL East, AL and NL Central, the NL West and all the award races.
For a while it seems like I would come into work one week with the Phillies on top of the NL East, only to find them 3 games back of the Mets the next week.
I’m now starting to get back into the season, which has been a great one. Too bad it seems like the Red Sox are going to make the postseason. A playoffs without the Sox and Yanks would be awesome for baseball fans who are tired of their rivalry overshadowing the rest of the league
College Football
I’m glad I didn’t do a preview this year, I probably would’ve been way off. Right now, it looks as if USC is a lock to play in the title game. The second best team is probably either Oklahoma or Florida, but Florida is more likely to lose a game than the Sooners. Missouri and Georgia would be the second tier of contenders, and everyone else is just playing for a 10-2 season.
I’d love to see the Pac-10 and SEC finally square off for the chip, but that probably won’t happen.
NFL
I’ll talk about this sometime this week, I want to really gather my thoughts and put together something good.
1. Can the thing – Ain’t gonna happen.
2. Reinvent It – Well that was the purpose of the blog in the first place, to provide a different perspective than whats on the mainstream
3. Act like it never happened – Well, maybe I’m going to do a three with a little bit of two. I’m not going to reinvent the blog, but I’m going to try to provide more depth. We’ll see what happens.
NBA
Missing the summer was kind of like a reverse hibernation. I was fired up about the Olympics and was one of 30 people who watched the gold medal game live, but most of my thoughts about the team and that game have faded away.
I will say that the Collangelo formula worked, at least somewhat. However, the biggest difference in this team and the one’s that lost were the fact that for the most part, these were the best players in the league.
In ’92, we sent a team full of legends. In ’96, we sent the guys that weren’t quite good enough for the ’92 team, and guys who were young then but now coming into their own. In 2000, a new trend started. A lot of the better guys didn’t want to go.
That team was still good, but as the foreign teams got better, we started sending worse guys. This helped our team lose the world championships in ’02 and ’06, along with the Olympics in ’04.
I think that if you send a team with Kobe, LeBron, D. Wade, ‘Melo, Chris Bosh, CP3, Deron Williams and D. Ho cold turkey, they still win.
I hope that when London comes around, we don’t revert back into our losing ways with guys like ‘Bron-Bron opting not to go.
MLB
For most of the summer, I didn’t have a clue about what was going on. Being without TV and Internet, it was hard to keep up with the NL East, AL and NL Central, the NL West and all the award races.
For a while it seems like I would come into work one week with the Phillies on top of the NL East, only to find them 3 games back of the Mets the next week.
I’m now starting to get back into the season, which has been a great one. Too bad it seems like the Red Sox are going to make the postseason. A playoffs without the Sox and Yanks would be awesome for baseball fans who are tired of their rivalry overshadowing the rest of the league
College Football
I’m glad I didn’t do a preview this year, I probably would’ve been way off. Right now, it looks as if USC is a lock to play in the title game. The second best team is probably either Oklahoma or Florida, but Florida is more likely to lose a game than the Sooners. Missouri and Georgia would be the second tier of contenders, and everyone else is just playing for a 10-2 season.
I’d love to see the Pac-10 and SEC finally square off for the chip, but that probably won’t happen.
NFL
I’ll talk about this sometime this week, I want to really gather my thoughts and put together something good.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Rushed and Sloppy NFL Season Preview
Sorry guys, I'm still without home internet until next week. Please excuse the records, they probably don't make sense. Just take away the idea of who I think will be great, who'll be average and who's gonna suck ....
AFC East
Patriots - 14-2
Bills – 8-8
NY Jets – 8-8
Miami – 4-12
AFC North
Cleveland – 11-5
Pittsburgh – 10-6
Cincinnati – 6-10
Baltimore – 6-10
AFC South
Indy – 10-6
Houston – 9-7
Jacksonville – 8-8
Tennessee – 7-9
AFC West
San Diego – 12-4
Oakland – 9-7
Denver – 8-8
Kansas City – 3-13
NFC East
Philly – 12-4
Dallas – 11-5
NY Giants – 10-6
Washington – 5-11
NFC North
Minnesota – 9-7
Green Bay – 8-8
Chicago – 6-10
Detroit – 5-11
NFC South
New Orleans – 11-5
Carolina – 8-8
Tampa Bay – 7-9
Atlanta – 1-15
NFC West
Arizona – 9-7
Seattle – 9-7
St. Louis – 5-11
San Francisco – 5-11
AFC
Patriots - 14-2
San Diego – 12-4
Cleveland – 11-5
Indy – 10-6
Pittsburgh – 10-6
Oakland – 9-7
Wild Card
Cleveland def Oakland
Pittsburgh def Indy
Divisional
New England def Cleveland
Pittsburgh def San Diego
AFC Championship
New England def Pittsburgh
NFC
Philly – 12-4
New Orleans – 11-5
Dallas – 11-5
NY Giants – 10-6
Minnesota – 9-7
Arizona – 9-7
Wild Card
Dallas def Arizona
Minnesota def NY Giants
Divisional
Philly def Minnesota
Dallas def New Orleans
NFC Championship
Philly def Dallas
Super Bowl
New England def Philly
AFC East
Patriots - 14-2
Bills – 8-8
NY Jets – 8-8
Miami – 4-12
AFC North
Cleveland – 11-5
Pittsburgh – 10-6
Cincinnati – 6-10
Baltimore – 6-10
AFC South
Indy – 10-6
Houston – 9-7
Jacksonville – 8-8
Tennessee – 7-9
AFC West
San Diego – 12-4
Oakland – 9-7
Denver – 8-8
Kansas City – 3-13
NFC East
Philly – 12-4
Dallas – 11-5
NY Giants – 10-6
Washington – 5-11
NFC North
Minnesota – 9-7
Green Bay – 8-8
Chicago – 6-10
Detroit – 5-11
NFC South
New Orleans – 11-5
Carolina – 8-8
Tampa Bay – 7-9
Atlanta – 1-15
NFC West
Arizona – 9-7
Seattle – 9-7
St. Louis – 5-11
San Francisco – 5-11
AFC
Patriots - 14-2
San Diego – 12-4
Cleveland – 11-5
Indy – 10-6
Pittsburgh – 10-6
Oakland – 9-7
Wild Card
Cleveland def Oakland
Pittsburgh def Indy
Divisional
New England def Cleveland
Pittsburgh def San Diego
AFC Championship
New England def Pittsburgh
NFC
Philly – 12-4
New Orleans – 11-5
Dallas – 11-5
NY Giants – 10-6
Minnesota – 9-7
Arizona – 9-7
Wild Card
Dallas def Arizona
Minnesota def NY Giants
Divisional
Philly def Minnesota
Dallas def New Orleans
NFC Championship
Philly def Dallas
Super Bowl
New England def Philly
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Update
Its been a long time, I shouldn't have left you ...
Well I'm not back yet. I'm still in the DMV working, and I still don't have a place. However, hope is on the horizon!
I move into my new apt on September 6th and should be back in action around that time. Hopefully I'll have sometime to submit my thoughts between now and then.
Well I'm not back yet. I'm still in the DMV working, and I still don't have a place. However, hope is on the horizon!
I move into my new apt on September 6th and should be back in action around that time. Hopefully I'll have sometime to submit my thoughts between now and then.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
