SEC Tournament Overview

The Southeastern Conference tournament begins in Atlanta on Thursday with the top four seeds getting a first round bye....the top seeds are: Mississippi State, Florida, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss...

When you think of the SEC tourney only 1 team comes to mind - Kentucky - as the Wildcats have won the title 25 times during its 47 year history....this year it will take a big effort for Kentucky to get number 26.....they open up tomorrow against an up-and-down Alabama team....Kentucky is rated 11th in the RPI and is #1 in strength-of-schedule....the Tide is # 44 in the RPI.....look for Kentucky to win in a very close game....the Achilles heel for Tubby’s boys this year has been their inability to hit the three-pointer....

Other first round winners are Arkansas, Georgia, and Tennessee....

On the top half of the bracket, if Kentucky gets by Alabama, I could see them upsetting Miss. State in the quarterfinals and even sneaking into the title game....on the bottom half, everyone is wanting to see the semi-final match-up of Florida vs. Tennessee....the Vols are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have the 4th toughest schedule in the country....if these teams hook up, I am calling for an upset win by Rocky Top.....the key for the Vols is their 3-point shooting by Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith....if they can consistently shoot the 3 ball, the Vols will win....

In the end, look for a Kentucky-Tennessee title game with the Vols winning.....Lofton is the engine of this team....earlier this season when he was out with an injury, Tennessee went 1-3....but since his return, they have posted a 7-1 mark....

ACC Tournament Overview

The ACC tournament begins on Thursday in Tampa....the top four seeds get a first round bye: #1 UNC, #2 Va Tech, #3 Virginia, and #4 Boston College....

Asides from Carolina, the top seeds are a tad different than usual....no Duke, Maryland, N.C. State, nor Ga. Tech as one of the top seeds....I guess some things are changing in ACC Country....

Three of the four first round games are intriguing....#8 Clemson vs. #9 Florida State....both teams are on the bubble and probably have to win at least two games in the tournament to make The Big Dance.....

#7 Duke vs. #10 NC State.....the Pack stands at 15-14, but they are very capable of pulling the upset.....

#6 Georgia Tech vs. #11 Wake Forest.....don’t sleep on Wake....just ask Virginia who lost to the Deacs on Saturday....also, the Jackets posted a dismal 1-8 record on the road this year and are 2-1 at a neutral site.....also, Tech has never won an ACC first round game....they are 0-3 lifetime....

The hottest team in the conference is #5 Maryland....they should breeze by the Canes of Miami and set-up a nice match-up on Friday against Boston College....the Terps have won 7 in a row and are 24-7.....

Because there are so many quality first round games, I am unable to give an accurate pick on second round games.....so I will update those later in the week....

I have to say, my money is on North Carolina to win the tournament....Tyler Hansbrough was a freakin beast on Sunday against Duke....and I loved how he was ready to "throw down" after getting a cheap shot from the angelic Dukie....I am hoping for a Carolina-Maryland semi-final game on Saturday.....by rights, that should be the title game....

As far as the hot chick goes....I came across her while looking for the ACC logo....don’t ask me who she is or what she has to do with the ACC....and who cares!!

Big Ten Tournament Outlook

The Big Ten tournament starts on Thursday in Chicago....the top five seeds received a bye: #1 Ohio State, #2 Wisconsin; #3 Indiana; #4 Iowa, and #5 Purdue....

First off, at the beginning of the season who would have thought that Purdue would have a 20-10 record and a first round bye....on Friday, the Boilermakers take on Iowa, a team who came on late in the season to secure a #4 seed....Iowa is ranked 84th in the RPI while Purdue is 45th....even though Purdue head coach Matt Painter has to be the Big 10 Coach of the Year, look for Iowa to win this game....

In Thursday’s opening round, the chalk will talk....look for Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois to win which will set up some nice match-ups on Friday.....

In addition to the Friday’s Purdue-Iowa game, it is quite possible that Michigan will get their third shot at Ohio State this season....the Wolverines have the talent to pull the upset, but in the end, they lack the heart....if the Blue is going to pull the upset, they must contain Mike Conley while Dion Harris must score at least 25 points....

The second round game between Michigan State and Wisky should be a donnybrook....this will be their third match-up in just over 2 weeks...Sparty took the first game, but Wisky came back and beat MSU this past Saturday on a last second shot....Wisky is ripe to get dumped here...

The Indiana-Illinois game is a toss-up....both should make it to The Big Dance though....

Ultimately, I could see a Michigan State-Ohio State championship game with Sparty pulling the upset....a team like Iowa could make some noise because they have a 3-point sharpshooter in Adam Haluska...

Big East Tournament Outlook

The Big East tournament starts on Wednesday in New York City.....the top four seeds are: #1 Georgetown, #2 Louisville, #3 Pitt, and #4 Notre Dame....
The one first round game that catches my eye is #5 Syracuse vs. #12 U.Conn.....Syracuse needed a win on Saturday at Villanova to guarantee them a first-round bye....this is a reversal of last year when the Orange was on the bubble to upset top-ranked Connecticut in the conference tournament...even with a first-round loss, Syracuse should still make the tournament, but they will be sweating bullets until Selection Sunday....the Huskies are headed to the NIT unless they make it to the conference finals....these two teams usually play tough games as they split the season series this year.....watch U.Conn in the upset....

Another possible upset is #10 Providence over #7 West Virginia....the Mountaineers need to win at least one, possibly two games, in the tournament to guarantee a spot in The Big Dance....and Providence is one of those teams who could catch you with your hand in the cookie jar....

A possible second round match-up of #9 Villanova vs. #1 Georgetown is intriguing....as is a #6 Marquette vs. #3 Pitt....Marquette has beaten Pitt twice this year including this past Saturday night....

My call for championship game on Saturday night is for a Louisville-Villanova or Louisville-Georgetown match-up.....one team that could surprise is U.Conn....they might not win the tournament, but they could possibly spoil a few teams season....

Saturday Night Thoughts

Even though Michigan put forth a valiant effort, the Wolverines fell short of beating the top ranked Buckeyes, which could be the last game in Ann Arbor for head coach Tommy Amaker....six seasons at the helm and he has yet to take Michigan to The Big Dance...Amaker needs to be fired after this season....

The Kentucky Derby is wide open again after favorite Nobiz Like Shobiz came in third in Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes race at Gulfstream Park....two other Derby contenders, Scat Daddy and Stormello, took the top two spots....

Greg Oden may get all the headlines at Ohio State, but the Buckeyes are only going to go as far as point guard Mike Conley takes them.....he is the engine of that team....

Penn is the first team to get their ticket punched for the tournament...

Could the Big Ten get 2 top seeds in Ohio State and Wisconsin?....

Will someone explain to me why Tampa Bay now has three viable starting quarterbacks: Chris Simms, Jeff Garcia, and Jake Plummer?.....

All year long, people in Ohio heard about the burner speed of Ted Ginn Jr.....at the Combine last week, Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson showed that Ginn may not be the fastest player in this draft....

The Cleveland Browns should go all out and sign former Steeler Joey Porter....they need a vocal team leader who can create a swagger...

All I know, the 2007 Steelers will not be team of Bill Cowher’s....

Duke at North Carolina on Sunday.....gotta go with the Tar Heels at home after they have lost their last two games....

Kentucky Derby favorite gets another test today

It’s not to early to start talking about the Kentucky Derby....eight more weeks will be the Run for the Roses in Louisville.....and today, the early favorite will get another test....

According to all reports, Nobiz Like Shobiz is the horse to beat.....the trainer is Barclay Tagg and the jockey is Cornelio Valasquez ......

A few weeks back, The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Railbird Roberts quoted Tagg of saying this is "the most magnificent horse I’ve ever seen"....now remember, Tagg knows a few things about horses as he was the trainer for 2003 Derby winner Funny Cide....

Nobiz gets another test today when he runs in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.....it’s a mile and an eighth race....Nobiz will face off against other Derby contenders Stormello, Drums of Thunder, and Scat Daddy....

Tagg chose to run Nobiz in the Fountain of Youth instead of next week’s Louisiana Derby....

What is a "relationship"?

What is up with the word "relationship" when it involves Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter?....this week A. Rod said that their "relationship" is not the same....the next day Jeter commented that he had no problem with their "relationship"....

I don’t know about any of you, but I don’t have a "relationship" with any of my buddies....a friendship - YES.....a relationship - NO.....I am in no way starting any rumors, but I think they both could have used a better word than "relationship" when discussing this saga....

I’m a little disappointed that Bernie Williams has not taken the time to return Joe Torre’s phone calls....supposedly, over the last two weeks Torre left two messages for Williams but as of Wednesday, he has yet to hear back from the former centerfielder.....there is no doubt that Williams has to be a bit upset by not making the 40 man roster, but he needs to talk to Torre who is very loyal to his "original" Yankee players....

Whatever happened to Chuck Knoblauch?.....

Mel Stottlemyre has a book coming out on April 10th called "Pride and Pinstripes: The Yankees, Mets, and Surviving Life’s Challenges".....I miss seeing Mel in the Yankee dugout....

Random thoughts heading into the weekend

Some thoughts going into the weekend....
- Pacman Jones is one of the most talented players in the NFL, but he is a thug....instead of appreciating his chance of playing in the NFL, he is constantly running amuck of the law....don’t forget, Jones and Bengals team thug, Chris Henry, were teammates at West Virginia....say what you want, both are flat out THUGS.....
- Why isn’t Maryland getting any love from the pollsters....the Terps are 23-7 and just beat North Carolina and Duke in consecutive games....but they are still not ranked.....
- I heard on ESPN radio that Jeff Garcia could end up with the Oakland Raiders.....bad move for both....
- The Packers and Patriots are both interested in Randy Moss....hmmmm....
- Finally, after three weeks, Anna Nicole is being buried....
- In her prime, Anna was certainly sexy.....
- If Butler wins the Horizon Conference, it will be interesting to see if Wright State also gets a ticket to The Big Dance....
- Saturday is a statement game for Michigan basketball....number 1 Ohio State comes to Ann Arbor....this may be the biggest game for the Wolverines in the last 10 years....
- Saturday - Texas at Kansas; Michigan State at Wisconsin .....Sunday - Duke at North Carolina; Kentucky at Florida.......doesn’t get any better than that...
- The city of Pittsburgh better get a deal complete to keep the Penguins from moving....the Pens are a team on the upswing....they will win a Stanley Cup within the next five years....
- Mellon Arena is one of the oddest, but neatest shaped areans...
- Whatever happened to Tom Barrasso?....
- This is going to be a long baseball season in hearing about Barry Bonds....
- Can you believe a friend of mine still thinks Bonds is innocent!?!?....
- It’s Thursday, has anyone seen Britney Spears today?....
- ESPN.com had an interesting article about how new Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio is trying to make Sparty mentally tough....

Dantonio article

- New Boston pitcher D. Mat has a pitch named the Gyroball....I don't get it....D. Mat is Japanese, so why are they naming his famous pitch after a Greek sandwich?.....

Late February quick hits

It’s been awhile, but here are some quick hits...

* This year’s NCAA basketball tournament is wide open....no team has shown it is the team to beat.....
* Michigan needs to fire Tommy Amaker as its basketball coach....even if he somehow finds a way to beat Michigan State and Ohio State this week, Amaker has not taken the Wolverines to the next level as they are probably not going to make the Big Dance again.....
* What has happened to Kentucky basketball?....are Tubby’s days numbered?....
* Big game on Monday when the Big East leading Georgetown Hoyas head to upper New York to take on The ‘Cuse!!!...
* My top 4 seeds: Ohio State, UCLA, North Carolina, and Georgetown....
* Louisville is one of the hottest teams in the country....
* How could the Boston Celtics have gotten this bad?.....
* Tiger Woods is deadly in tournament play, but he is very beatable in match play....check his Ryder Cup record for proof....
* Picked up a new book about former middleweight champ Roberto Duran.....I never knew his father was from America....
* Whatever happened to Boom Boom Mancini?.....
* For some reason I really like the Pittsburgh Pirates to break .500 this year....
* I could not believe that former Indian/Cardinal Ronnie Belliard had to sign a minor league contract last week with Washington.....you think he would have hooked up with a team much earlier....
* The term "perfect storm" is overused in sports....
* All I know, if tennis great Roger Federer was American, he would be just as popular as Tiger or Lebron....
* Can't wait to get my Mel Kiper Draft Guide....
* Look for Martin Scorsese to get his first Oscar tonight....
* My other picks - Whitaker - Best actor; Mirren - Best actress; Murphy - Best supporting actor; Hudson - Best supporting actress; The Queen - Best picture

It's time to give Ben a rest

After 7 games, who would have thought that the Pittsburgh Steelers would have the same 2-5 record as Oakland and Cleveland.....with 1 of Oakland’s 2 wins coming at the hands of the Steelers....

It is time for Pittsburgh to make a change at quarterback by starting Charlie Batch and sitting Ben Roethlisberger.....now before all the Steeler fans get upset, I am not saying that Big Ben is a bad quarterback.....however, I am not sure that he is a top rated quarterback either....

This I do know, Big Ben needs to sit....I am not solely blaming him for the Steelers 2-5 mark....but the fact is, Big Ben has been through a ringer physically over the last five months....

The man had his skull and face tattooed on the windshield of a car, the had an appendectomy, and just last week he suffered a concussion....I don’t care how much he and the Steelers spin it, Big Ben is not a healthy person right now....and who would be after going through all those traumatic events....

I have never been a big Charlie Batch fan....but he has been impressive with the Steelers and is very capable of leading this team.....

I would not write the Steelers off just yet either....they have backed themselves into a corner and cannot afford to lose any more winnable games (such as Oakland).....but this team has the leadership in head coach Bill Cowher and in players like Hines Ward who can make a difference....

But that difference has to start first by benching Big Ben - even if the move is temporary....

In his recent column, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King mentioned his smartest quarterbacks in the league....his QBIQ Top 10 were: 1. Peyton Manning; 2. Tom Brady; 3. Brett Favre; 4. Gus Frerotte; 5. Brad Johnson; 6. Trent Green; 7. Donovan McNabb; 8. Trent Dilfer; 9. Drew Brees; and 10. Mark Brunell....he went on to write that Charlie Batch, Jake Delhomme, Jon Kitna, Damon Huard, and Matt Hasselbeck were next on the list....

Missing from that top 10 list was last year’s Super Bowl quarterbacks, Big Ben and Hasselbeck (even though Hasselbeck was listed just outside the top 10).....also missing was Carson Palmer, Duante Culpepper, Chad Pennington, and Eli Manning....

What happened to the Donovan McNabb for MVP bandwagon?.....

Will people stop anointing Dallas quarterback Tony Romo as the next Troy Aikman.....Peter King called Romo, "Tony Terrific".....he led the Cowboys to 1 stinking win so far....1 win....these are the same media wonks who also praised Matt Leinart after his Monday Night game against Chicago....since then, Leinart has lost to Oakland and Green Bay....

Remember, 1 or 2 wins does not make a career.....

Peyton Manning’s performance against Denver was one of the best I have seen in years....when will defenses learn that the only way to beat Manning is by blitzing and making him move around in the pocket (ala the Steelers did in the playoffs last year).....if you drop 7 or 8 and give Manning time, he will shred any defense....

Manning was quite impressive, but hold off in writing the Colts ticket to the Super Bowl because the have to have the worst run defense in the league....Denver running back Mike Bell tore apart the defense with consistent runs of over 8 -10 yards....heck, fullback Cecil Sapp even ripped the Colts for a couple of good runs....looks like Booger McFarland is not the answer....

Arizona has a new quarterback......they have a new All-Pro running back....they have a beautiful new stadium.....but they are the same old Cardinals – losers....

Cincinnati has been a disappointment so far this season....I know they have injuries to the offensive line, but they just seem out of sync so far....

Remember when Carson Palmer was worried about his surgically repaired knee....

The biggest thug in the league is Tennessee safety Pacman Jones.....Jones is a good player, but he acts like he is in the hood or something....

Is the David Carr era starting to end in Houston?.....I don’t see why not....the Texans have given him more than ample time to lead this team....and it just ‘ain’t happening"....

What really has Reggie Bush done so far?.....

Will someone explain to me why Washington won’t give 2nd year quarterback Jason Campbell a chance?.....in 2005, the Redskins traded up late in the first round to draft Campbell....since then, he has been holding a clipboard while other young qbs are getting playing time such as Frey, Smith, Leinart, Young, Gradkowski, etc....

Bill Parcells will be back next year if the Cowboys make the playoffs and Romo shows promise....

Is the Big East getting slighted?

The closer it gets to the end of the season.....the pressure keeps mounting....

Some of that pressure will be alleviated on Thursday when West Virginia travels to Louisville....the loser is out, the winner stays in the hunt and probably has punched a ticket to Glendale if they can run the table....

The talk this weekend was should a perfect Louisville/West Virginia (LWV) go to the National Title Game over a team with 1 loss?.....there is speculation that if Ohio State should lose a close game to Michigan, that the Buckeyes should go over LWV.....or a 1 loss SEC team should make the trip to Glendale instead of LWV....

The first complaint against LWV is that they "do not play a tough schedule".....other comments range from, "the Big East is not a real football conference" to "they only played 1 tough game".....

To me, it is simple....if LWV goes undefeated, they deserve to play in the National Title Game over any 1 loss team....the Big East is an equal partner in the BCS.....if it was not a worthy conference, then the Big East should have been voted out of the BCS....also, remember that last season West Virginia beat a very good Georgia team, from the powerful SEC, in the Sugar Bowl....and back in 1988 West Virginia played Notre Dame for the national title in the Fiesta Bowl....

The loser of the Ohio State-Michigan game should not complain and make a case for being in the title game if LWV is undefeated....as of today, Ohio State and Michigan control their own destiny....it is simple - win out and you get a trip to Glendale....the loser has to accept a bid to the Rose Bowl....if the loser could not take care of business, then they shouldn't cry afterward....

The loser of Michigan/Ohio State also fall victim to the famous "who lost last" rule.....past national title games were determined by who lost last....who can ever forget in 1992, when undefeated Notre Dame beat Florida State on November 10th....the very next week Notre Dame lost to Boston College on the last play of the game....the powers to be invoked the "who lost last rule" even though both Notre Dame and Florida State each had 1 loss and that Florida State's loss came to Notre Dame....Florida State went to the Orange Bowl and played undefeated Nebraska while Notre Dame was sent to the Cotton Bowl....

If LWV is 12-0, then they deserve a trip to Glendale over a 1 loss Michigan/Ohio State, Southern Cal, Auburn, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Notre Dame, etc....where does it state in the BCS agreement that only a big name traditional football power can play in the National Title game?.....

If that is the case, say a surprise team such as Purdue from the Big Ten or Oregon State from the PAC-10 or Iowa State from the Big 12 gets hot one year and has a perfect 12-0 season....does that mean they are worthy of playing in the title game because they are from a football power conference?....

I guess Cinderella only lives in March.....

Ultimately, if the Big East was not considered a football power conference, then the powers to be should have voted the Big East out of the BCS and let them be one of the secondary conferences such as the WAC which has 8-0 Boise State.....

As of today, here are my BCS projections....
National Title Game - Michigan/OSU winner vs. Louisville/West Virginia winner
Rose Bowl - Michigan/OSU loser vs. Cal/Southern Cal
Fiesta Bowl - Texas vs. Auburn
Sugar Bowl - Tennessee vs. Louisville/West Virginia loser
Orange Bowl - Boston College vs. Notre Dame

Heisman watch
If the vote ended today.....and if I actually had a vote, here are my top 4 players along with my +1, sleeper pick....
1. Troy Smith, Ohio State - is it over with yet?.....
2. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame - another game....another impressive performance by Quinn...in the past 4 games he has thrown 10 tds, 0 ints....and 1,147 yards.....
3. Pat White, W. Virginia - the entire nation will be watching the Mountaineers on Thursday.....it is time to shine....
3a. Steve Slaton, W. Virginia - ditto.....
4. Mike Hart, Michigan - he is the one who makes the Michigan offense run smoothly.....
+1 Lamar Woodley, Michigan - a defensive player will not get the award....but Woodley has been dominant for the best run defense in the nation....

Sweet 16 + 1 (Last week ranking in parenthesis)
1. Ohio State (1) (9-0) -Bucks slaughter Gophers....imagine if Glen Mason would have gotten the job over Tressel?....
2. Michigan (2) (9-0) - the only question is if David Letterman will be making an appearance this week since his alma mater, Ball State, will be in The Big House....
3. W. Virginia (4) (7-0) - the march for the national title begins on Thursday....
4. Tennessee (5) (7-1) - Vols get big win over in hostile territory....now they host LSU....the Bayou Tigers are capable of the upset....
5. Auburn (6) (8-1) - muscling for position in hopes to be the best 1 loss team....
6. Notre Dame (8) (7-1) - Weiss keeps ship afloat against Navy....now they get UNC - without Michael Jordan....
7. Texas (7) (8-1) - the Horns comeback to beat Texas Tech.....hmmm, if Notre Dame gets dropped because of their comeback over UCLA, why not Texas?....
8. Florida (9) (7-1) - Gators struggled in the second half and held on to win over the Dawgs....
9. Louisville (10) (7-0) - a win on Thursday will allow the Cards to leapfrog a lot of teams....
10. Southern Cal (3) (6-1) - if S.C. can run the table, they will get right back in the big picture.....it ain’t over yet for the Trojans....
11. Rutgers (12) (7-0) - beat U.Conn on Sunday...their next game is Louisville....
12. Cal (13) (7-1) - UCLA and Arizona come first...then the big showdown with USC....
13. Arkansas (14) (7-1) - see if Hogs could repeat what Tennessee did on Saturday....go in and beat Spurrier at South Carolina....
14. Wisconsin (15) (8-1) - a shaky win over Illinois....a good game this week against JoePa...
15. LSU (16) - (6-2) - LSU can redeem their season with a win over Tennessee....
16. Wake Forest (NR) - (7-1) - why not Wake?.....the Deacs will not go away....a biggie this week against Boston College....a win here and Wake leads the ACC Atlantic Division...
+1. Texas A&M (8-1) - are the Aggies for real?.....we’ll know this week if they can defend College Station against Oklahoma....

College Football - it's heatin up!

Here are some thoughts about college football....

What happened to Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson on Saturday against Clemson?....in the Jackets biggest game in years....and on national television, Johnson came up with a fat 0 in receptions....that’s right, 0.....he could kiss goodbye his chances of going to New York for the Heisman presentation....

Talked to a person from Nebraska this weekend....even though the Huskers lost on Saturday, he said that Husker Nation is finally accepting Bill Callahan as the head coach....

I wish Boise State would lose a game....I don’t want to see them in the BCS playing a team like Texas or Florida.....now as for Rutgers....that is a different story.....I think it is great if Rutgers make a major bowl...don’t ask me why?....maybe it’s the east coast elitist in me....

Hello....does anyone realize that Wisconsin is sitting at 7-1?......Wisky has to be the quietest 7-1 team in the country....

Here is a link to an interesting story by ESPN.com’s Pat Forde.....Forde wrote about this history of state troopers surround the head coach after the game....http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2631660

What about Michigan State’s comeback over Northwestern?.....down 38-3 with 9:54 left in the 3rd quarter, the Spartans pulled off the greatest comeback in Division I-A football history....that is why I stated last week that Michigan State officials should have fired head coach John L. Smith after the Ohio State game last week....they had every reason to let him go at that time....say Smith is able to run the table, make it to a bowl game, and end up with a respectable record this season....they won’t have grounds for firing him then....

Clemson had a huge win on national television over Georgia Tech.....but the Tigers better not be celebrating too much because they have to play on Thursday night at Virginia Tech....Tech in the upset....

In I-AA news, YSU committed four turnovers in their loss to Northern Iowa....the loss moves YSU to 6-2 as they travel to 6-1 Illinois State on Saturday....a loss on Saturday, and suddenly the Penguins dream season may be a nightmare and another year at missing the playoffs....

The clash of the titans takes place this Saturday in Division III.....7-0 Capital plays at 7-0 Mount Union....everyone knows that Mount Union is the New York Yankees of Division III....but this is supposed to be Capital’s best team in years....

Bear hunting - the Fighting Manginos are watching their bowl hopes sink faster than 4 dozen of pierogies at Bear’s dinner table....Kansas had a 35-17 lead at halftime only to allow Baylor to score 19 points in the 4th quarter.....the Manginos lost 36-35....they are now 3-5 and 0-4 in the Big 12....

Heisman watch If the vote ended today.....and if I actually had a vote, here are my top 4 players along with my +1, sleeper pick....
1. Troy Smith, Ohio State - yawn....another game...another win.....
2. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame - why aren’t more people talking about Quinn’s comeback win over UCLA.....isn’t that a Heisman moment?.....
3. Pat White, W. Virginia - maybe next year?......
4. Mike Hart, Michigan - he does not put up Garrett Wolfe numbers, but he has been solid....
+1 Ray Rice, Rutgers - Rice rambled for 225 yards on Saturday at Pitt.....

Sweet 16 + 1 (Last week ranking in parenthesis)
1. Ohio State (1) (8-0) - they get the Gophers this week....a team that barely beat N. Dakota State last week....
2. Michigan (2) (8-0) - Northwestern faces another Michigan team after blowing a38-3 lead against John L. Smith...
3. Southern Cal (3) (6-0) - was on a bye last week....
4. W. Virginia (4) (7-0) - less than 2 weeks until the showdown in Louisville....
5. Tennessee (5) (6-1) - sure it was a tough win against Alabama....but that is a big rivalry....
6. Auburn (6) (7-1) - need to keep a steady hand the rest of the way.....
7. Texas (7) (7-1) - a tough win against the Huskers.....now they take on Tech.....
8. Notre Dame (8) (6-1) - the Irish cannot sleep on Navy this week.....
9. Florida (9) (6-1) - Georgia would love nothing more than to ruin the Gators season....
10. Louisville (10) (7-0) - took care of bitness this week....
11. Clemson (11) (7-1) - they leveled a very good Georgia Tech team....but the Tigers are on upset alert as they go to Blacksburg on Thursday to take on Virginia Tech....I smell upset....
12. Rutgers (16) (7-0) - a good win in a tough situation at Pitt on Saturday.....will they make the BCS instead of Boise State?.....
13. Cal (13) (7-1) - did anyone see Lynch driving like a wildman with the trainer’s cart....
14. Arkansas (14) (6-1) - why is no one talking about the Hogs?....
15. Wisconsin (NR) (7-1) - Wisky has been quietly winning games this year.....
16. LSU (15) - (6-2) - cleaned Fresno State’s clocks....
+1. Boston College (6-1) - they beat Florida State this past week....which is no big deal anymore.....they did beat Clemson earlier this year....

The NFL Baker's Dozen

The Baker’s Dozen (last week’s ranking in parenthesis)
1. Bears (6-0) (1) - uh oh....are the old Bears back - all defense - no offense?......
2. Chargers (4-1) (2) - the Bolts go into a tough situation this week at KC.....
3. Colts (5-0) (3) - Indy was on a bye....watch the Redskins this week....a loss here would be a 3 game skid for the Skins....
4. Saints (5-1) (6) - Saints are sitting nice going on a bye this week.....
5. Eagles (4-2) (4) - another great game....but this time they end up on the short end...
6. Patriots (4-1) (7) - a rematch this week with Buffalo - a team that should have beaten the Pats in week 1......
7. Seahawks (4-1) (10) - classic game against the Rams...
8. Giants (3-2) (NR) - the G-men have bounced back nicely after the drubbing by Seattle a few weeks ago....
9. Panthers (4-2) (12) - the battle of the Cats......Bengals vs. Panthers.....
10. Bengals (3-2) (8) - just when you thought this was an elite team, they turn into the Bungals....
11. Broncos (4-1) (11) - I will repeat what I wrote last week....they have won 3 ugly home games....9-6 in OT and two 13-3 wins....
12. Steelers (2-3) (NR) - like I said before, don’t count this crew out just yet....
13. Ravens (4-2) (5) - maybe this team is not as good as first thought.....

The Carp
30. Texans (1-5) (NR) - doesn’t get any easier this week with the Jags coming to town...
31. Dolphins (1-5) (29) - a bit of confusion for those of you who had the Dolphins winning the division
32. Raiders (0-5) (32) - another week - another loss....they had their chance on Sunday....it’s not like the Broncos whipped them....

Talkin College Football!!!!

I honestly thought Michigan State was going to fire head coach John L. Smith after Saturday’s game.....I was not expecting Sparty to beat Ohio State.....but Michigan State looked pathetic to the point that I question if the players still care....a few years back the MSU administration fired head coach Bobby Williams after getting thumped by Michigan 49-3....the administration said that Williams lost control of his team....

Michigan State has talent, however they lack discipline and confidence – which comes back to their head coach - Smith....

The lack of discipline was on display during their first 4 offensive plays....after Ohio State turned the ball over on about their own 25-yard line, Michigan State threw a little swing pass that took them down to the OSU 1-yard line....Mistake 1 - MSU holding....

So that makes it now 1st and 3 at the 20.....they call a running play....instead of running straight ahead to get the first down, the back dances around in the backfield for a loss of 3 yards....Mistake 2.....

On 2nd down qb Drew Stanton hits his receiver for a first down, but the receiver drops the ball....Mistake 3....are you seeing a pattern here??....

Finally, on 3rd down, Stanton scrambles....instead of throwing the ball away to stay in field goal range, he allows himself to get sacked which takes them out of range for 3 points...Mistake 4...

Those 4 mistakes epitomize the lack of discipline under Smith.....

It’s unfortunate that Adrian Peterson may be lost for the season.....he was joy to watch with the ball....

Garrett Wolfe may have killed his chances to at least make it to New York for the Heisman presentation....the diminutive one was held to 25 yards rushing by Western Michigan....

Georgia head coach Mark Richt needs to settle on 1 quarterback the rest of the season.....senior Joe Tereshinki had his opportunity....even though he is raw and will make mistakes, Richt should go with true freshman Matt Stafford the rest of the season to determine if Stafford is able to lead the Bulldogs for the next 3 years....if not, he has to recruit another qb....

Boise State is still perfect (7-0) after their 40-28 win against New Mexico State .....

The Rutgers-Pitt game should be a donnybrook this Saturday....

In I-AA news, top ranked New Hampshire was dumped 42-23, at home, this past week by conference foe James Madison....

The best I-AA game this week is Northern Iowa (4-2) at YSU (6-1)....both teams are undefeated in the Gateway Conference....NIU has historically been a thorn in the side of the Penguins....

Bear Hunting - the Fighting Manginos have slipped below .500 after losing to Okie State 42-32.....Kansas is now 3-4 and 0-3 in the conference....

What more can be said about that deplorable act of thuggery Saturday at the Orange Bowl between Miami and Florida International.....the players involved in that brawl should be stripped out their jersey and booted from the team - permanently....case closed!!!....

Heisman watch
If the vote ended today.....and if I actually had a vote, here are my top 4 players along with my +1, sleeper pick....
1. Troy Smith, Ohio State - did nothing to hurt his chances....
2. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame - the Irish were off last week....
3. Pat White, W. Virginia - the qb rushed for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns....
4. Calvin Johnson, Ga. Tech - the Jackets were off last week...
+1 Chad Henne, Michigan - he has moved the Wolverines into title contention.....his leadership and steady play may make him a leading candidate next season....

Sweet 16 + 1 (Last week ranking in parenthesis)
1. Ohio State (1) (7-0) - on cruise control until November 18th......
2. Michigan (5) (7-0) - the best front 7 in college football....
3. Southern Cal (3) (6-0) - people need to chill out about S.C....
4. W. Virginia (4) (6-0) - what a game by qb Pat White.....
5. Tennessee (6) (5-1) - the 3rd Saturday in October means 1 thing - Alabama vs. Tennessee.....
6. Auburn (9) (6-1) - cannot understand why so many picked against Auburn vs. Florida....
7. Texas (7) (6-1) - took care of Baylor....young Colt is getting better each week.....
8. Notre Dame (8) (5-1) - UCLA comes to South Bend....they may need John Wooden’s help on Saturday....
9. Florida (2) (6-1) - last week Auburn dropped from #2 to #9....this week it’s the Gators turn.....
10. Louisville (10) (6-0) - Brohm is back....at the Cuse this week, then they take on W. Va....
11. Clemson (11) (6-1) - practiced against Temple on Friday night.....
12. Georgia Tech (12) (5-1) - had a week to prepare for their showdown against Clemson....
13. Cal (13) (6-1) - wideout DeSean Jackson may be the best unknown player in the country....
14. Arkansas (14) (5-1) - they whacked some southwest, northwest state team....
15. LSU (15) - (5-2) - shellacked Kentucky 48-0....this week it’s Fresno State’s turn....
16. Rutgers (NR) (6-0) - the Scarlet Knights were my +1 a few weeks back.....they are now worthy of a top 16.....
+1. Pitt (6-1) - real quietly Dave Wannstedt has the Panthers at 6-1 with a big game at home this week vs. Rutgers.....Pitt controls its own destiny to make a major bowl....

Random NFL Thoughts

Here are some random thoughts.....

The Steelers may be 1-3, but don’t count them out just yet....

I don’t care how the Steelers front office spins it, I believe Ben Roethlisberger is not even at 75% health wise .....

I don’t know how Chiefs running back Larry Johnson was not more seriously injured from that ferocious facemask....

Sure the Browns are often the butt of jokes, but even Steeler fans have to admit that Cleveland plays hard throughout the entire game....

The Browns will beat the Steelers at least once this year....

I like Kellen Winslow, Jr -- a lot....

I don’t have a favorite NFL team, but I find myself rooting for da Bears this season.....I always like those old school teams such as the Giants, Bears, Steelers, etc....

Even though he is 0-2 as a starter, Vince Young shows a lot of poise and confidence while in the pocket....

Tigers in 6......Mets in 7....

San Diego needs to permanently switch to the powder blue uniforms and white helmets....

The Vikings new uniforms are horrible....they need to go back to their old uniforms like ones Fran Tarkenton wore...

What is wrong with Tampa Bay?.....this was playoff team last year and now they are winless....this may be the end of the road for Jon Gruden in Tampa....

Why does it seem that Denver always wins the close games at home?.....

How much shorter can the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader’s shorts get?.....

Talkin NFL

The Baker’s Dozen (last week’s ranking in parenthesis)
1. Bears (5-0) (1) - a few more wins and the talk will begin about a perfect season....
2. Chargers (3-1) (4) - as of October 10th, the Bolts are the best team in the AFC....
3. Colts (5-0) (2) - Colts have not been impressive....but they are still perfect....
4. Eagles (4-1) (5) - what a defensive performance against the Cowboys.....they made me a believer....big game this week against the Saints.....
5. Ravens (4-1) (3) - an ugly loss....but they had 2 ugly wins earlier this year.....
6. Saints (4-1) (6) - don’t mess with dem Saints......
7. Patriots (4-1) (7) - nothing pretty.....but they took care of the Fins......
8. Bengals (3-1) (8) - maybe the bye week helped get their heads together.....
9. Falcons (3-1) (9) - the G-men come to town this week....
10. Seahawks (3-1) (11) - they needed a bye after the Chi-town beatdown....
11. Broncos (3-1) (12) - they have won 2 ugly home games....9-6 in OT and 13-3....
12. Panthers (3-2) (NR) - the kitties are starting to growl....
13. Rams (4-1) (NR) - I don’t think anyone is sold on this team just yet....but they are 4-1....

The Carp
29. Dolphins (1-4) (29) - no offensive line....no running game....no nothing....
30. Titans (0-5) (31) - they had the Colts but let it slip away....
31. Lions (0-5) (NR) - the Dolphins may be worse, but the fact remains that the Lions are winless....
32. Raiders (0-4) (32) - another week - another loss....

Talkin College Football

Here are some thoughts about college football....

Kudos should go to N.C. State and their coach Chuck Amato....after losing to Akron a few weeks back, Amato could have lost control of his team....but the Wolfpack came back the very next week and stunned ranked Boston College on a last second Hail Mary.....Amato then beat former mentor Bobby Bowden this past week to stand along at 2-0 in the ACC’s Atlantic Division....

Rutgers is still unbeaten at 5-0 but the Scarlet Knights have a "hornet" game when they travel to Annapolis to play Navy on Saturday....the Midshipmen are 5-1 and head coach Paul Johnson is a highly underrated coach.....Johnson came to Navy from Georgia Southern where he won a I-AA title over a Jim Tressel led YSU team....

Even if Michigan State should somehow beat Ohio State this week, head coach John L. Smith has to still be fired at the end of the season.....the Spartans lack discipline....

Adrian Peterson saw his Heisman dreams fade away after a sub-par game against Texas....

Don’t look now, but Kent State is leading the Mid-America Conference East Division with a 3-0 mark.....nearby neighbor, Akron, has been a disappointment so far with a 0-2 mark....

It’s nice to see that Ty Willingham is turning around the program at Washington....the Huskies had the chance to beat Southern Cal but a favorable clock operator at the L.A. Coliseum took care of any upset bid.....Willingham is a class act who never fit in at Notre Dame....

Michigan may be in trouble this week at Penn State.....super star Mario Manningham may be out of the game with a knee injury....

Youngstown native Kevin Tuminello anchors the offensive line for Georgia Tech.....Tuminello is the Jackets starting center....

Best minor league team in the country is Cleveland Glenville....

Alabama beat Duke 30-14 but mid-way through the third quarter the Tide was only ahead 16-14.....

Bear Watch - the Fighting Manginos dropped to 3-3 after losing to Texas A&M 21-18....once again Kansas loses a close game....where is the Kansas Comet when you need him?.....

I’m surprised former Ohio State head coach John Cooper never got another head coaching job after being canned in C-bus?.....

YSU is currently ranked 6th in I-AA......

Heisman watch
If the vote ended today.....and if I actually had a vote, here are my top 4 players along with my +1, sleeper pick....
1. Troy Smith, Ohio State - you can start engraving the trophy.....after Adrian Peterson’s average game against Texas, it’s Smith’s to lose....
2. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame - he has thrown only 1 interception over the last 3 games.....
3. Garrett Wolfe, N. Illinois - you cannot deny that he belongs in New York....
4. Calvin Johnson, Ga. Tech - still steady....
+1 Erik Ainge, Tennessee - he will not get any votes, but Ainge has put together a solid junior season now that David Cutcliffe took over the offense.....

Sweet 16 + 1 (Last week ranking in parenthesis)
1. Ohio State (1) (6-0) - the Bucks had a little "bowling" practice this week.....
2. Florida (6) (6-0) - why not move the Gators to the second spot?.....it will probably be a 1 week stay at #2 because they are heading to the Plains to take on Auburn this Saturday....
3. Southern Cal (3) (5-0) - the Men of Troy have looked vulnerable the past two weeks....
4. W. Virginia (4) (5-0) - Steven Slaton helped the Mountaineers stay unbeaten....the ‘Cuse comes to town this week....
5. Michigan (5) (6-0) - the state of Michigan remains Blue....
6. Tennessee (13) (5-1) - the Vols are for real this year....they dismantled Georgia....they are on a bye this Saturday.....
7. Texas (11) (5-1) - solid win over the Sooners.....
8. Notre Dame (10) (5-1) - the Irish are plodding along under the radar....they are on a bye this Saturday....
9. Auburn (2) (5-1) - the Tigers take a fall to #9....but a win over Florida this week will move them back up....
10. Louisville (8) (5-0) - the Cards drop a few spots because Tennessee, Texas, & Notre Dame are looking good.....
11. Clemson (14) (5-1) - they struggled a bit with Wake Forest....
12. Georgia Tech (16) (5-1) - on a bye this week as they prepare for their showdown with Clemson on October 21st....
13. Cal (NR) (5-1) - they have recovered nicely after that early season beatdown by Tennessee.....the Golden Bears may end up in the Rose Bowl....
14. Arkansas (NR) (4-1) - it takes a real team to go into Auburn and win 27-10.....Ewwww Pig
Sooooooey!!!!!
15. LSU (7) - (4-2) - was disappointed they didn’t play a better game against Florida...
16. Georgia (9) (5-1) - weaknesses were exposed by Tennessee.....but remember, don’t mess with a sleeping dawg....
+1. Missouri (6-0) - the Tigers replaced Youngstown native and graduate Brad Smith with another quality quarterback......Mizzou stuck it to Texas Tech.....now they get their shot at A&M.....

Pondering the Pinstripes

Another baseball season has ended earlier than expected for the New York Yankees....only this time it may have cost their beloved manager, Joe Torre, his job....

We all know about the Yankees $200 million payroll and how they have underachieved....we have seen how Alex Rodriguez has done zilch in the post season since putting on the Pinstripes.....that has all been documented....

As a fan of the game, and of the Yankees, I am torn about Torre’s situation.....his temperament worked well with the Paul O’Neills, Scottie Brosiuses, Tino Martinezes, and Derek Jeters....but that era of Yankee baseball ended in the Arizona desert in 2001....since that disappointing loss in game 7 to Arizona in 2001, the Yankees have been on a collision course toward disaster....

They abandoned their sound strategy of strong pitching and disciplined hitting in exchange for the hope of a quick fix by signing or trading for players like Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, and A-Rod.....the Yankees have become a bloated overweight team in need of a weight loss plan....

If the organization is committed to returning to its successful formula of pitching and disciplined hitting, then Torre should keep his job....but if they want to continue to search for a quick fix, then it is best that Torre leaves....

His place in Yankee history is secure....he ranks, along with Casey Stengel and Joe McCarthy, as one of the three greatest Yankee managers ever.....the fans love him and the city loves him....but if the organization decides it wants to keep looking for the quick fix, then it is only fair to shed Torre from this annual burden of having to win the title....

Another decision will have to be made during the winter.....should A-Rod stay or go?.....

First let me say this, I like A-Rod and always will like him no matter where he plays....you never hear his name linked to steroids, illegal drug use, DUIs, etc....he is a classy ballplayer.....but it is evident that he lacks the mental toughness to play in the spotlight of New York City.....therefore, general manager Brian Cashman should try to unload him for young pitching....the Yanks will probably have to pick-up part of his salary though....they will be clearing almost $40 million by not resigning some players - so it is possible to ‘eat" a portion of his pay.....

Do the Yankees need a major overhaul? – No.....there is no need to "break-up" the team....they are set in the outfield with Matsui, Damon, Abreu, and Cabrera......their middle infield is solid with Cano and Jeter....and Posada is still a rock behind the plate.....Wang is a good young starter and Rivera is still there for the 9th inning....

The three things the Yankees need is 1) young starting pitching, not some 44 year-old pitcher who is past his prime.....2) quality middle relievers to set-up Rivera.....and 3) hungry dirt dogs at the corner infield position....

Over the last few years, the Yanks have lacked that dirt dog type player.....during their great run in the 1990s, they had Chuck Knoblauch, Paul O’Neill, and even Chad Curtis coming off the bench....

They need someone like former Met and Phillie Lenny Dykstra who was the greatest dirt dog in the last 30 years.....this guy was a 100% baseball player who got dirty and gave his all for his team.....he was a sparkplug and fiery player.....the Pinstripes need two players like Dykstra....

In the next day or so, a decision will be made concerning Torre.....his players let him down....he put the best lineup on the field, but the team could not produce when they needed....a lot of the blame should be placed on A-Rod....the Yankees are not asking for him to come through in the clutch every time.....but gosh darn-it, he needs to get that big hit every once in a while....in the last two post-seasons, he had zero RBIs.....

So it is unfortunate that Torre’s tenure may come to an end because players like Rodriguez, Giambi, and Randy Johnson were paid to produce in the clutch only to walk back to the dugout empty handed....a dugout which may have a new leader next season....

NFL Thoughts - Week 4

The Baker’s Dozen (last week’s ranking in parenthesis)
1. Bears (4-0) (1) - all I have to say is "WOW".....
2. Colts (4-0) (4) - it will take a perfect game to beat this team....
3. Ravens (4-0) (7) - they are winning ugly....but the fact is, they are winning....
4. Chargers (2-1) (3) - I still am high on the Chargers....they should have beaten the Ravens....this week’s game against the Steelers will tell me how good they are.....
5. Eagles (3-1) (9) - who needs T.O.??....it is clear that McNabb is having fun again....
6. Saints (3-1) (6) - they lost a tough one to the Panthers....but they fought hard....
7. Patriots (3-1) (NR) - incredible game....a heart of a champion is for real with this team.....
8. Bengals (3-1) (2) - just when it looked like they were ready to challenge, they came up with a lame game.....
9. Falcons (3-1) (10) - they took care of business against the Cards......
10. Steelers (2-1) (11) - the game with San Diego will be a flat out blood bath.....I learned from the Patriots this past week, don't count out the champs just yet....
11. Seahawks (3-1) (5) - it didn’t matter if Alexander played or not.....they got whupped....
12. Broncos (2-1) (13) - I am not high on this team....but they will beat the Ravens on Monday night....
13. Cowboys (2-1) (NR) - the game we have all been waiting for - TO vs Philly....

The Carp
30. Dolphins (1-3) (NR) - it’s official, the Dolphins are horrible....they have no offense.....
31. Titans (0-4) (30) - Vince will take his lumps this year....but it will pay off in 2 years....
32. Raiders (0-3) (31) - they blew a lead against the Browns....

Talkin College Football

Here are some thoughts after Saturday’s college games....

Technically it is an upset because they were a 9 point underdog.....but Georgia Tech is for real....look at how they played Notre Dame in the first game of the season.....they have a big match-up on October 21st at Clemson....which may be one of the best games of the year.....

Southern Cal has a tough stretch of games in November when they play 11th ranked Oregon, 17th ranked Cal, and 12th ranked Notre Dame all in a row....the one reprieve, all those games are at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum....

Talk about a tough stretch of games, the Florida Gators get these four games in five weeks, Alabama, LSU, at Auburn, and then Georgia.....if they survive that stretch, they are clearly one of the top 2 teams in the nation....

What about Northern Illinois’ Garrett Wolfe?.....he is averaging 236 yards per game!!!!....and that includes 171 yards rushing against a good Ohio State defense....

New Mexico State is the best rated offense in the country....

A solid quarterback that nobody knows about is Kevin Kolb from Houston....the Cougars almost got Miami coach Larry Coker fired after the game.....but the Canes pulled one out and won 14-12.....

The top four ranked teams in scoring defense are all SEC teams.....1. Georgia; 2. LSU; 3. Auburn; 4. Florida....

So far, Ohio State has committed 4 turnover all season while the defense has forced 13 turnovers for a +9.....

Bear Report - the Fighting Manginos of Kansas made a gallant effort at Nebraska on Saturday.....Kansas found themselves down 24-7 only to comeback and send the game to overtime before losing 39-32.....the Bear welcomes Texas A&M into Lawrence on Saturday.....

Heisman watch
If the vote ended today.....and if I actually had a vote....here are my top 4 votes along with my. +1, sleeper pick....
1. Troy Smith, Ohio State - at this point in the season, he clearly has the lead.....it’s his to lose....
2. Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma - if he has a huge game on Saturday against Texas, Peterson may leap over Smith.....
3. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame - he had 1 bad game against Michigan.....don’t count him out just yet....
4. Calvin Johnson, Ga. Tech - he is flat out the best receiver in the game....if Ted Ginn could be mentioned for the Heisman before the season, then why not an actual true receiver now?.....
+1 Garrett Wolfe, N. Illinois - if he keeps up the numbers, he may make my top four.....

Sweet 16 + 1 (Last week ranking in parenthesis)
1. Ohio State (1) (5-0) - impressive win for top ranked team....in order to beat this team, you have to commit 0 turnovers....
2. Auburn (2) (5-0) - the ole ball coach made the Tigers sweat....
3. Southern Cal (3) (4-0) - Trojans missed Jarrett at wide receiver....escaped upset bid by Wazzu....
4. W. Virginia (4) (4-0) - on the bye this week.....head down to Miss. State this weekend....
5. Michigan (5) (5-0) - they took care of bitness in Minnesota....the Little Brown Jug is back where it rightfully belongs....
6. Florida (6) (5-0) - the Tide made the Gators sweat....but Gators survived first of four big games in a row....
7. LSU (7) - (4-1) - the Bayou Tigers head into the Swamp on Saturday for another classic.....
8. Louisville (8) (4-0) - on a bye this past week....and basically on a bye again as they take on Middle Tennessee State Friday night....
9. Georgia (9) (5-0) - Dawgs struggled again this past week....better get their heads together before Tennessee invades....
10. Notre Dame (11) (4-1) - the Brady Quinn for Heisman machine starts up again....
11. Texas (10) (4-1) - beating Sam Houston State???.....sorry, I had to drop the Horns a spot this week.....but a win over the Sooners on Saturday will move them up again....
12. Oklahoma (12) (3-1) - plays Texas on Saturday....the loser is out of the national title picture.....
13. Tennessee (13) (4-1) - Vols played Florida tough but lost....a win this week against Georgia is a must....
14. Clemson (16) (4-1) - they whupped up on La. Tech 51-0.....they are still the team to beat in the ACC....
15. Oregon (NR) (4-0) - the Ducks dominated the Sun Devils.....face a major test at Cal Berkeley this week.....
16. Georgia Tech (NR) (4-1) - will someone please tell me how the USA Today has Ga. Tech ranked 20th and Va. Tech ranked 18th after the Yellow Jackets jacked up Va. Tech 38-27 on Saturday?????......unbelievable....
+1. Wake Forest (5-0) - yes the Demon Deacons are perfect.....they will probably lose this week to Clemson, but kudos to the team in Winston-Salem.....

From the barstool - NFL style

Here are some thoughts on today’s NFL games.....

If I were Bill Parcells I would start Terrell Owens today.....Owens needs to get back into football and forget about what happened over the past week....and he also needs to get mentally prepared because next week the Cowboys play at Philly.....and that will be a circus....

I like the move by Titans head coach Jeff Fisher in starting Vince Young.....Young will never learn anything by carrying a clipboard.....

The Chiefs’ Trent Green has been out longer than expected after taking that head shot in week one....the Chiefs needs this game today to keep from going 0-3.....

This is a big game for Miami.....they have stunk the first three weeks....if they don’t get that offense started today against Houston, the fish may be in for a long season....

Cincinnati reminds me of the Colts of a few years ago.....those Colts teams had Manning at qb, James at rb, and Harrison, Wayne, and Stokely at wide receiver.....the Bengals have Palmer, at qb, Rudi at rb, and Johnson, TJ, and Henry at wide receiver.....but the Bengals even have 1 more weapon in the elusive third-down back Kenny Watson....

I say Kurt Warner will not even finish the game today for Arizona.....

Here are some predictions
Chargers @ Ravens (Chargers - 3.5) - the Ravens lucked out last week against the Browns....but the defense shutdown Cleveland when they had to.....Chargers are coming off a bye and are 6-1 against the spread (ATS) when in this situation.....look for Steve McNair to show his age today against an aggressive San Diego defense - Chargers 23-13

Browns @ Raiders (Browns -3) - the last time the Browns were a road favorite was November 17, 2002.....that shows how bad the Raiders are....Oakland has yet to score a touchdown this season.....they will score today, but end up losing.....Winslow is the spark plug for the Browns - Browns 21-14

Patriots @ Bengals (Bengals - 7) - the Pats were gosh darn awful last week.....this in an incredible stat - the Bengals are 7-0 ATS vs the Patriots....Cincinnati is the team to beat in the AFC.....they make a statement once again today - Bengals 31-16

Seahawks @ Bears (Bears - 3.5) - all the stats point toward Chi-town....believe it or not, the Bears have covered its last seven regular season home games.....and to take it a step further, Seattle is 1-7 ATS in non-division road games....plus Shaun Alexander is not expected to play – unless God provided some divine intervention - Bears 24-14

From the barstool - College Picks

Here are some predictions for Saturday’s college games....

Ohio State @ Iowa (Buckeyes - 7.5) - a few months ago I called for this to be an upset....but I’ve changed my mind.....too many people are calling the upset - so that is when Jim Tressel fools you....Buckeyes win and cover - Ohio State 23-14

Alabama @ Florida (Gators - 14.5) - last year the Tide rolled Florida in Tuscaloosa....but Chris Leak is playing at a Heisman Trophy level....Gators are too powerful this year - Florida 31-13

Notre Dame @ Purdue (Fighting Irish - 14.5) - a legendary comeback last week for Weiss & Co.....but the comeback was on the arm of Brady Quinn....Irish still having problems running the ball (2.7 ypr).....Purdue will give the Irish a headache early, but Notre Dame wins in the end - Notre Dame 34-23

Michigan @ Minnesota (Wolverines -11) - the Gophers took the Little Brown Jug last season in Ann Arbor, then planted the flag on the Michigan 50.....Gophers have experience at qb.....but Michigan defense is too tough - Michigan 27-13

Oregon @ Arizona St. (Ducks - 1.5) - this is going to be a barnburner out west.....most east coast people don’t pay attention to the PAC-10.....2 good qbs in this game....Devils gave away the Cal game last week with 4 ints.....Arizona State is due for a big win - Arizona State 41-39

YSU @ Missouri St. (Penguins - 17.5) - the Penguins are coming off an impressive non-conference win over 16th ranked Cal-Davis.....YSU has owned Missouri St. - even back in the days when they were called S.W. Missouri St.....YSU will not lose conference opener - YSU 36-13

Random Thoughts

After hearing all the explanations, there is no doubt that Terrell Owens did not try to kill himself....just a few weeks ago my aunt was in an auto accident and the doctor gave her pain medication.....because of all the stress and her taking her regular medication, the pain pill did not agree with her.....she had a reaction and her family thought she was having a stroke....I believe all T.O. had was a bad reaction – that’s it – end of story....

I must have missed the memo, but I don’t own a bulletproof vest....according to Maurice Clarett’s defense attorney, Michael Hoague, wearing a bulletproof vest is common in Youngstown.....

"If you travel in his neighborhood in Youngstown, you see a lot of people, for whatever reason, wearing their tank tops with their flak vests," Hoague said. "It’s a way of life with the people he grew up with."

I will write more about this entire situation at a later time.....all I know is that Hoague is a total asshole, just like his client.....I’m sick of people in the state capital who take pot shots at Youngstown.....sure, Youngstown has its problems, but this is not Dodge City...

I didn’t know what a "badonkadonk" was until the other day.....

It’s good to see 7/11 is not renewing their gasoline contract with Citgo after Venezuelan whack job Hugo Chavez personally attacked President Bush at the U.N. last week....Citgo is a subsidiary company that is run by the Venezuelan government......it is fine if we, as Americans, want to criticize our president....but it’s not cool when some third world banana republic screwball does it.....screw Citgo....

Do you think Bill Clinton needs to take some medication to control his temper?.....

One of the greatest quotes ever said was by former WWF wrestler The Rock.....his quote, "Know your role and shut your mouth" should be adhered to in the work world.....there are way too many people who are either new on the job or just a plain nobody who wants to act like a somebody....

Seattle running back Shaun Alexander broke his foot in Sunday’s game....he was reported to be out of action for at least a month.....now Alexander is claiming he could possibly play this week against Chicago because the power of prayer has healed his foot.....if he has that strong connection with God, then why doesn’t ask for something more worthwhile instead of healing his broken foot in order to play on Sunday......ask for the end of al-Quaeda or something like that....

I hear Marvin Lewis and Jim Tressel are going on a recruiting trip to find quality football players.....they are stopping at the Cuyahoga County jail on their way to visit the federal prison.....

Finally.....didn’t Paris Hilton look great in her little German beergirl getup?......she can sell me a beer anytime!!...

NFL Thoughts - Week 3

Here on some thoughts on this past week’s NFL games.....

There was no way in hell that the Atlanta Falcons were going to win last night in New Awwlins....the Saints would have beaten the '61 Packers.....

The Patriots fell out of my Baker’s Dozen because of their lackluster performance on Sunday night against Denver.....New England looked like they did not even want to play that game....they had no fight in them.....

After praising the Giants last week after their improbable come-from-behind victory over the Iggles, the G-Men totally fell apart.....falling behind 35-3 against Seattle???.....this team needs to check themselves before they break themselves....

The Jaguars are not ready for the big boys yet....sure they had more yardage than the Colts, but they still lack that moxie and confidence.....they had it first and goal inside the five and came away with no points.....and later in the game, I think coach Jack Del Rio choked when he decided to attempt a field goal instead of going for it on 4th and 1.....he needed to go for it and show confidence in his team.....

It seems to me that the Steelers miss Antwan Randle-El and his playmaking ability....

Whatever happened to Barry Foster?.....

I lost my bet....I said Kurt Warner would be pulled in week 6.....he’s getting pulled this week....I think it is time for Warner to accept the fact that his starting days are over....

Will someone please block for Charlie Frey?.....

What about Mark Brunell?.....completing his first 22 pass attempts!!!.....

The Miami Dolphins are 1-2 and will be fortunate to win five games this year....

What happened to the Auburn boys?.....last season Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams tore up the league....this season they can’t even rush for 75 yards....

Don’t look now, but the J - E - T - S.....Jets Jets Jets are 2-1.....

Look for the Lions to win the Mike Martz Bowl this week when they play at St. Louis....

Game of the week - Patriots at Bengals....sure the Seahawks/Bears game feature two 3-0 teams....but the Pats game is huge because New England has to show some fight in them after Sunday’s blase performance.....a loss here, and the Pats will be 2-2....and their two wins have not been impressive either....

The Baker’s Dozen (last week’s ranking in parenthesis)
1. Bears (3-0) (1) - it was a typical win against a Norris Division foe....ugly and low scoring...
2. Bengals (3-0) (4) - a lesser team would not have went into Pittsburgh and won, especially with the Champs coming off a loss only 6 days earlier
3. Chargers (2-0) (2) - the bolts head east for the Ravens then get the Steelers at home....
4. Colts (3-0) (4a) - Manning and Company put down a red hot Jags team....
5. Seahawks (3-0) (8) - impressive win against the G-men....now can they keep it up with Shaun down because of a broken foot....
6. Saints (3-0) (11) - you gotta love this team this year....they got rid of whiners like Jim Haslett and Aaron Brooks....and what a difference that makes....
7. Ravens (3-0) (NR) - they won a tough one by the lake....Jamal Lewis is not running like he used to....he looks like he won’t make it thru week 8.....
8. Vikings (2-1) (6) - the Vikes let one slip away....a contender will step up this week and take care of bitness....
9. Eagles (2-1) (NR) - nice rebound after the catastrophic loss to the Giants last week....
10. Falcons (2-1) (10) - the Dirty Birds were going into a hornet’s nest on Monday night....
11. Steelers (1-2) (3) - the bye week came at a good time....they had the game in hand, but let it slip away – literally....
12. Jaguars (2-1) (7) - just when you thought they could run with the big boys, they choked....
13. Broncos (2-1) (NR) - the horses sneak in because of their D, not their O....

The Carp
30. Titans (0-3) (NR) - it’s time to let Vince Young play a little more....
31. Raiders (0-2) (31) - after a bye week the Raiders take on the Browns....ohhhh boy!!....
32. Texans (0-2) (32) - the loss of Domanick Davis at running back hurt this team....

Talkin College Football

Here are some thoughts on this weekend’s college football games....

Reports of Notre Dame’s demise have been greatly exaggerated....

Sure Troy Smith’s scramble and touchdown toss was the highlight of Ohio State’s win over Penn State.....but that one pass still did not make up for the Smith’s sub-par game of only 115 yards passing and two interceptions.....this was against the same Penn State defense that Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn carved up just two weeks ago....

I love ESPN’s College Gameday with Lee, Kirk, and Chris....it’s the best pre-game show on television - and that includes all the NFL shows....

But I don’t like their format this season in choosing where their on-site pre-game show will be....basically it is always going to be where ever Herbstreit is doing the Saturday night game....that means ESPN will not be visiting any SEC games this year because the SEC is broadcast on CBS....

Herbstreit and Corso are great together on the pre-game, but if Herbstreit is going to be doing live games, ESPN may have to start looking for a replacement for him on the pre-game in order to do their show where ever the best game is on that day....

We will know this week if Iowa is a contender or a pretender.....head coach Kirk Ferentz is always being talked about for an NFL job....he has done a solid job with the Hawkeyes, but I just feel he hasn’t taken that next step to make Iowa a national contender year-in-year-out....this Saturday’s game is a watershed game for Ferentz.....

Bear Report - the Fighting Manginos of Kansas are 3-1 after Saturday’s 13-7 donnybrook against South Florida.....lock up the donuts this week because Bear will be doing a lot of studying for Saturday’s showdown in Lincoln against the Nebraska Cornhuskers....

How could Boston College lose to N.C. State win?.....

What a day for Alabama freshman kicker Leigh Tiffin.....Tiffin missed two field goals and an extra point in the Tide’s 24-23 loss to Arkansas on Saturday....Tiffin’s daddy, Van, is a legend in Alabama football because of his last second 52-yard field goal to beat Auburn in 1985.....

Sweet 16 + 1
1. Ohio State (4-0) - have not been impressive since thumping Texas two weeks ago....
2. Auburn (4-0) - they beat Buffalo....remember though, they play in the SEC where there are rarely any breather games....
3. Southern Cal (3-0) - it seems like this team is on cruise control....
4. W. Virginia (4-0) - the Dec. 2nd game with Rutgers is becoming interesting....
5. Michigan (4-0) - Warren, Ohio native Prescott Burgess is playing like a man possessed on defense....
6. Florida (4-0) - Chris Leak is coming up fast in the Heisman race
7. LSU - (3-1) - their only loss is by a score of 7-3 to the 2nd ranked team....huge game with Florida on October 7th.....
8. Louisville (4-0) - they may have finished #1 if not for the injuries....
9. Georgia (4-0) - ugly win for the Dawgs....very ugly....but it was a win...
10. Texas (3-1) - where was this offense two weeks ago?....
11. Notre Dame (3-1) - the Irish survived last week....they may indeed go 10-1 into the USC game....
12. Oklahoma (3-1) - the big showdown with Texas looms in 2 weeks....
13. Tennessee (3-1) - the Vols are making strides....
14. Iowa (4-0) - we’ll know what the Hawkeyes are made of this Saturday night....
15. TCU (3-0) - the Horned Frogs are hopping to a BCS bowl....
16. Clemson (3-1) - they stubbed their toe against BC a few weeks back....but they will win the ACC
+1. Rutgers (4-0) - Greg Schiano is the best unknown coach in the country....remember the name....

Random Thoughts

I always liked Jerome Bettis....he was a hard-nosed runner....but after Saturday’s broadcast of the Notre Dame-Michigan game, I like him even more....now retired, Bettis was the pre-game guest with NBC’s Jimmy Rogers.....Bettis, who is a native of Detroit, stated how he HATES Michigan.....and he did emphasize the word HATES....Bettis loves his city of Detroit, but for some reason he despises the Wolverines – and that is okay because it reminds me of how I feel about Ohio State....

I love the Youngstown, Warren, Niles area where I live.....I’m proud as heck of this area.....however, I HATE Ohio State.....

But for some reason, it really bothers people that I hate the Buckeyes.....I always have to explain why I root for Michigan and how I became a Michigan fan.....but after Saturday’s Note Dame-Michigan game, I figured that Bettis had to deal with the same crap while he was growing up in Detroit....oh well...

Before continuing on with my sports thoughts, I just want to comment on the situation in the Middle East after Pope Benedict XVI made a comment about Islam last week.....the Pope apologized if he offended any Muslims and that was not his intent.....

But why are some Muslims so touchy whenever anything is said, that is remotely controversial, about their religion?.....the Catholic religion is always the punch line of jokes and is always criticized throughout the world.....but you don’t see Catholics being offended and wanting to "shed the blood of the infidels".....

I have nothing against Islam nor Muslims....but this is getting old with them burning effigies of the Pope and make threats against him.....

Look for Ohio State to beat Penn State by at least 24 points....Tressel always avenges his defeats.....he did it to Texas, now it is Joe Paterno’s turn....

The 4 best NFL games this week are Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, Jacksonville at Indianapolis, Chicago at Minnesota, and the Giants at Seattle.....

Shaun Alexander is due for a big game.....

It could get ugly in Cleveland on Sunday if the Browns do not open up their offense.....and I’m not talking about the score.....I could see some very disgruntled fans showing their emotions.....

Watch the 49ers this week against Philadelphia.....

Can you believe that Morten Andersen is back in the NFL?.....you mean there are no other quality kickers?....

It’s nice to see Peter Gammons back on-air at ESPN....

When is Youngstown middleweight boxer Kelly Pavlik going to get a shot at the title?...."The Ghost" is 27-0 and highly ranked....

The United States will win the Ryder Cup this year.....

NFL Thoughts - Week 2

Here are some thoughts on this weekend’s NFL games....

Will you please tell me why Cleveland offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon takes Kellen Winslow out on certain third down packages and replaces him with Joshua Cribbs?.....

Carthon may be one of the worst offensive coordinators in the league, and if Romeo Crennell does not wake up, he may find himself out a job real quick.....

Randy Moss is the most over-rated player in the NFL....this guy is living off his stats from five years ago.....

Duante Culpepper reminds me of a 40 year-old Vinny Testaverde.....

What is wrong with Tampa Bay?....

The Giants come-from-behind victory yesterday solidifies my belief that they will win the NFC....a mentally weaker team would have chucked it....but the Giants are the true embodiment of the New York City attitude....

Tiki Barber is like win, he gets better with age...

I like how Titans head coach Jeff Fisher is giving rookie quarterback Vince Young more and more playing time each game.....

It’s nice to see the Saints 2-0....

The Dallas-Washington game last night was one of the worst games to watch with all the penalties committed by each team....the Cowboys won, but they were not impressive at all....Parcells has a lot more work to do with this team....

Contenders - Ravens, Chargers, Vikings, Giants, Bears

Pretenders - Dolphins, Redskins, Eagles

The jury is still out on the Panthers because of Steve Smith nursing his hamstrings....

The Baker’s Dozen
1. Bears (2-0) - we knew they have the defense, but now it looks like they have the offense too....
2. Chargers (2-0) - SD is on a bye this coming week, then they get Pittsburgh on Monday Night....
3. Steelers (1-0) - will the Steelers be a tad rusty after such a long layoff?....
4. Bengals (2-0) - this team is hitting on all cylinders....next up - Pittsburgh....
4a. Colts (2-0) - running game improved in week 2
5. N.Y. Giants (1-1) - the G-men showed a lot of heart....
6. Vikings (2-0) - the Vikes scummed out two close wins....now they get – Da Bears up in da dome....
7. Jaguars (1-0) - impressive comeback win last week....but they lost their defensive stud Haynesworth for the year....
8. Seahawks (2-0) - they should have this division wrapped up by Election Day....
9. Patriots (2-0) - the Pats allowed the Jets to get back into the game.....two ugly wins so far....
10. Falcons (2-0) - the A.T.L. is sitting pretty with a 2-0 mark in the division....a win next Monday over the Saints and they are 3-0 in the NFC South...
11. Saints (2-0) - sure they beat the Browns and Packers....but this team would have lost those games last year....
12. Bills (1-1) - they would be 2-0 if not for that freak safety last week against New England....
13. 49ers (1-1) - the Niners are no longer the worst team in the league.....

The Carp (Bottom Feeders)
30. Browns (0-2) - I see no progress since last year....
31. Raiders (0-2) - I think they already chucked the season....
32. Texans (0-2) - he might not have made that much difference, but at least they would have had Reggie Bush

NFL Thoughts - Week 1

Okay, the first week of the NFL season is almost over, but here are some of my thoughts from the games played so far....

The Baltimore Ravens, contenders or pretenders?
One game does not a season make....but darn it, they sure looked good in week one....however, I am still skeptical about the Ravens as a whole....they are one Steve McNair injury away from being an offense led by Kyle Boller once again....I would list them as semi-contenders....

Michael Vick - runner or pocket passer?
Hopefully the Atlanta coaching staff has abandoned the idea of trying to force Vick to become a pocket passer....they guy can do amazing things with his legs....let him use his strength and instincts....

What should be done with Brett Favre and Drew Bledsoe?
Bledsoe gets one more game, if that, because there are quality players on the offense....if the Cowboys are struggling next week against Washington, look for Parcells to pull the plug and insert the pizzaman, Tony Romo....

If Favre is truly a team player, he should consider stepping down as starting quarterback....but don’t look for that to happen.....therefore, the general manager and head coach need to tell Favre that 2nd year man Aaron Rodgers is going to start getting playing time....the Packers may be the worst team in the league and they need to know if Rodgers is the quarterback of their future....if not, they may have to draft A.J. Hawk’s brother-in-law – Brady Quinn

Joseph Addai or Dominic Rhodes?
The Colts running game looked pathetic last night....neither back could generate a running game on a consistent basis....Dungy needs to make a decision and play only one of these backs....a running back by committee is as effective as a closer by committee in baseball....

The greatest kicker on turf?
Yeh, yeh, the Rams beat Denver....and the defense looked mighty good....but come on, if I was Scott Lineham, I would be concerned that my offense could not muster a touchdown and had to win on six field goals....this was a rose colored victory...

Cleveland Browns?
What more can be said about this team....they had the Saints coming into their house in week 1....these are games that Cleveland needs to win in order to build confidence....instead they looked like their usual inept selves.....if Romeo cannot get this fixed in the next year or two, where art thou Jim Tressel?......maybe the sweatervested one can work some miracles by the lake....

Reggie Bush - impressive or not
Bush had a nice game....he totaled over 100 all-purpose yards....he won't win Player of the Week, but he got a good taste of life in the NFL

Manning Bowl
The Colts were fortunate to win this game....the Giants should have intercepted Peyton at least 3 more times which would have made a difference....the Colts run defense looked horrible....in the end, Peyton and Eli could both hold their heads high after a gutsy effort....

A lone star
Houston plays in the Lone Star state and their only star may be rookie linebacker Demeco Ryans....this offense is horrible as they cannot and will not be able to generate a running game all season with Wali Lundy and Vernand Morency in the backfield....they could have had Reggie