Whatever happened to "Trader" Jack McKeon?

It was 2003 and a 72-year-old manager of the Florida Marlins stunned the baseball world by beating the New York Yankees to win the World Series...Trader Jack, as he was known, went on to manage until the age of 74...what ever happened to Jack McKeon?....

Up 3-1 and worth every penny!!!!

The NFL stinks right now

Through six weeks of the season, the NFL stinks!!!!!...

It is pathetic to watch "professional" football players, who get paid boatloads of money, play like garbage...for instance, a few weeks back the Browns Derek Anderson completed two passes against Buffalo -- and the Browns won the game 6-3...what does that say about the Bills?!?!?!?

On Sunday the New England Patriots blasted Tennessee 59-0!!!!...how can an NFL team get plastered 59-0???...the Titans finished with negative 7 yards passing!!!!...Kerry Collins completed 2 passes for -7...Vince Young came in and went 0-2...WHAT!!!!...any one of us would be fired if we performed like that at our job...how can someone be called a "professional" and completed only 2 passes for negative yardage????...

Imagine if you are a Washington Redskins season ticket holder...you shell out good money to watch your team play, only to get crap in return...in three home games this year, the Redskins have scored 9, 16, and 6 points...sure they are 2-1 in those games, but the fact remains, they are not performing to their capability...

Right now, the NFL is loaded with a bunch of garbage teams...below is a list of crap teams and the one change they must do in order to move in the right direction:

Buffalo (2-4) - make sure Owens gets the ball in his hands at least 8 times a game...

Cleveland (1-5) - bench Anderson and let Brady Quinn get a fair shot as a starter...it is clear that Mangenius hates Quinn and never gave him a fair chance as the starter...Quinn deserves another chance especially since Anderson is playing worse that Quinn...

Tennessee (0-6) - bench Kerry Collins and let Vince Young start the rest of the year...if Young does horrible, get rid of both quarterbacks in the off-season and draft a youngster out of college...

Oakland (2-4) - go with what you got...you spent all that money on JaMarcus Russell...let him start every game and evaluate the situation at the end of the season...this team will not get better until Al Davis gives the reigns to someone else...

Kansas City (1-5) - the Chiefs are like the Browns...they get their first victory without scoring a touchdown...unload Larry Johnson now!!!...

Washington (2-4) - fire Jim Zorn already...this is painful to watch every week...Zorn seems like a nice guy, so end his misery...

Detroit (1-5) - they took a hit when Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson got hurt...

Tampa Bay (0-6) - start playing that rookie QB from Kansas State...I would not start him, but let him get a little game action and a feel for the NFL...

St. Louis (0-6) - wait it out and draft a young quarterback...

Carolina (2-3) - Julius Peppers wants out so trade him and get draft picks...

Texas gets tough win over Sooners

It's week 2 of the Stiles Points College Power Rankings....

1. Florida (6-0) - the Gators were lucky against Arkansas...the referees helped the Gators on the game-tying touchdown...this week Urban Meyer faces his long time former assistant, Dan Mullen who is at Mississippi State...there are clearly chinks in their armor...Florida is beatable...
2. Alabama (7-0) the Tide keeps on winning...this week Tennessee heads into Tuscaloosa...watch the old man - Monte Kiffin - design a defense to stymie the Tide...
3. Cincinnati (6-0) - the Bearcats were impressive in a hostile game at South Florida...Cinncy did lose their quarterback Pike...why not move the Bearcats to #3 this week...
4. Texas (6-0) - the Longhorns have not been impressive so far this year...they muscled out a big win over a very tough Oklahoma defense...Hook 'Em (photo)...
5. Boise State (6-0) - the Broncos head to Hawaii this week...they are a better team than the Warriors, but that island of Hawaii and the bikini women could play with their minds...

6. Southern Cal (5-1) - it got shakey at the end of the game, but the Trojans seems to be playing better ball...
7. LSU (5-1) - the Bayou Bengals were off this week as they licked their wounds from the Gator loss...this week Auburn comes to Death Valley...Auburn has lost 2 in row over the last 2 weeks...
8. Miami (5-1) - now that the spotlight has been off The U, they have slowly got back in the Top 10...they host an up-and-down Clemson team this week...
9. Iowa (7-0) - the Hawkeyes did a good job winning in a tough spot at Wisky...this week they visit Sparty...
10. TCU (6-0) - the Horned Frogs play at BYU this week...this is a statement game...

11. Penn State (5-1) - Penn State comes off an unimpressive 20-0 win over Minnesota...
12. Georgia Tech (6-1) - the Yellow Jackets only loss was to The U...Paul Johnson is one of the best coaches in the game...
13. Oklahoma State (5-1) - the Cowboys have rebounded well after their loss to Houston...they have quietly been laying in the weeds...
14. Oregon (5-1) - the Quack Attack had the week off...
15. Texas Tech (5-2) - T2 steals the 15th spot from the Fighting Manginos who lost to Colorado...
16. Notre Dame (4-2) - I was impressed the way Notre Dame fought back at the end...the Irish have a lot of heart and are not being appreciated by the media...

Thoughts
- I was stunned by the beatdown that Nebraska took at home against Texas Tech...just when it looked like Husker Nation was back, they take a slip...
- Ohio State dropped out of the Top 16...do you realize that Ohio State has the same record at Michigan (5-2)...what are the Buckeye faithful thinking...
- What happened to Illinois...two years ago the Illini were in the Rose Bowl, today they stand at 1-5...I thought Ron Zook was turning that program around with good recruiting classes...
- The best quarterback this year is Jimmy Clausen...
- College officials are calling too many unsportsmanlike penalties on players...
- Oklahoma at Kansas this week...the Sooners are sitting at 3-3 with all 3 losses being by a total of 12 points...

Interesting Tidbit
This was in Sunday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by reporter Ray Fittipaldo:
"Pryor chose Ohio State over Michigan in the recruiting process because he felt like he would be better prepared for the NFL playing in a pro-style offense. But what NFL team would invest a first-round draft pick in Pryor right now. Hindsight is 20-20, Pryor might hae been better off at Michigan in an offense suited to his strengths."

Window Candy

22 inch man, who likes playing with pebbles, wants some putang

Call them what you want, small people, dwarfs, or my personal favorite, midgets, but that group of people now has a new hero - Khagendra Thapa Magar...

Magar is an 18-year-old man from Nepal who stands 22 inches and weighs 10 pounds!!!...now that he reached adulthood, he is looking to cash in on his fame by being recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records...once he is recognized, he plans to travel to Japan and America to start making money...

He is also eager to get set-up in a pre-arranged marriage and start knocking out kids...supposedly his dad is working on an arrangement with another Nepal woman who is also kinda short...

Magar is part of a dance troupe...besides dancing, he enjoys, “playing with pebbles” and “worshipping Buddha”...I am not making this up...this dude wants some putang then chill out with some pebbles...

Captain Lou Albano dies (1933 - 2009)

Former WWF legend Captain Lou Albano died on October 14th...the following was reported by CNN:

Legendary wrestling figure Captain Lou Albano, perhaps best known for his association with pop singer Cyndi Lauper, died Wednesday, according to World Wrestling Entertainment. Albano, 76, was "one of the company's most popular and charismatic legends," the company said in a statement. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

"Albano began his storied career with Vincent J. McMahon in the 1960s as one half of 'The Sicilians' tag team with his partner Tony Altimore," the WWE said. "He will be greatly missed by the WWE and his fans."

Albano, who was with the WWE from 1983 to 1996, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996.

He started as a tag team wrestler in the 1950s but became a successful manager of champion wrestlers in the 1970s, according to a biography on the WWE Web site.
Albano was recognizable by his penchant for unbuttoned Hawaiian shirts and a trademark beard, which was usually bound by a rubber band.

His persona earned him the distinction of "one of the most hated men" in wrestling for 15 years, the WWE biography said.

Albano's image evolved in the 1980s, when he teamed with Lauper on several music videos, such as "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," and wrestling appearances.
As his celebrity status grew, Albano landed acting jobs, including a role on several episodes of the "Miami Vice" TV series, the biography said.

Albano became a cartoon in 1989, when he was the voice of Mario "Jumpman" Mario for 17 episodes of "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!" according to the Internet Movie Database.

Michelle Beadle is ESPN's newest hottie

Can the Phillies take the Dodgers again?

Philadelphia vs. Los Angeles
These two meet again...last season the Phillies beat the Dodgers in five games...however, there biggest difference between the two teams, the Dodgers have the home field advantage this time...

During the regular season, Los Angeles took the season series 4-3 from the Phillies...they last matched up in June, so some things have changed, especially with the Phillies getting Cliff Lee...statistically, the Dodgers have the better numbers as they have a .270 team batting average and 3.41 ERA...the Phillies come in with a .258 team average and 4.16 ERA...

I am not getting into a breakdown of each position...somehow the Dodgers keep winning despite having a scrappy starting rotation...Randy Wolf as your Game 1 starter???...

To me, the Phillies do not have the luxury of a hot Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge...last season both pitchers were "in the zone" and just dominated opponents...I don't see that from either pitcher...Hamels could be beaten and we all know that Lidge is a headcase...

Despite these concerns, I just can't see the Phillies losing with that powerful lineup of Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, and Werth...I look for the Phillies to win this in six games...

Also, don't forget about the brushbacks from last year's series...it all started when Brett Meyers hit Manny Ramirez in Game 2...below is a 1:00 clip of the incident...

A 6-3 loss to the Browns should mark the end for Jauron in Buffalo

- Bills owner Ralph Wilson has every right to fire head coach Dick Jauron right now...how can the Bills lose to the Cleveland Browns 6-3???...Derek Anderson completed only 2 passes the entire game -- ONE, TWO - that's all...the Bills have been underachieving all year...

- I don't know how the Browns or their fans could celebrate a 6-3 win when your quarterback completed only two passes...I could understand if there was inclimate weather but this performance for a so-called "professional" quarterback is disgusting...

- Whatever happened to former Bengals and Bucs head coach Sam Wyche?...

- The officials were sure protecting Peyton Manning on Sunday night on the drive before half...two roughing the quarterbacks calls helped the Colts put the game away...

- Enough picking on Bill Belichick...he made a very concerted effort to shake Josh McDaniel's hand after the game...a few years back Belichick blew off Eric Mangini and got ripped for it...did anyone ever thing that maybe Mangini is a jerk and Belichick could have cared less?...

- I love the Coors Light commercials with Romeo Crennel...

- Tom Brady is lacking something this year...

- The Falcons Roddy White scored on a 90-yard touchdown reception but then received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty after he did a backflip in the end zone...when will these knuckleheads learn that they are hurting their team by being assholes...

- I was skeptical of the Bengals - not anymore...they really proved something by winning at Baltimore...

- The Titans need to start the second version of the Vince Young Era...Kerry Collins is no longer able to inspire nor move this club in the right direction...I am not sure Young is the answer either, but the move has to be made...

Since I brought up the name Sam Wyche, here is a 16 second clip of his greatest moment...check out the old dude in the sweater...

Jimmy Clausen for Heisman?

We are six weeks into the college season and it's time to unveil the first Stiles Points Top 16 college ranking on the year...

1. Florida (5-0) - a 13-3 win in Death Valley shows the Gators defense can step up when needed...
2. Alabama (6-0) - the Tide has a hammer defense...
3. Texas (5-0) - the Horns were looking ahead a bit...this week is the Red River Shootout...
4. Boise State (5-0) - Boise State deserves the #4 spot...
5. Cincinnati (5-0) - Brian Kelly has an offense that could run with anyone...

6. Virginia Tech (5-1) - after the week 1 loss to Bama, the Hokies are clicking on all cylinders...
7. LSU (5-1) - how can a team that loses 13-3 to Florida be ranked lower?...
8. Southern Cal (4-1) - the Trojans head to South Bend for their annual beatdown of the Irish...
9. Miami (4-1) - the U showed how to bounce back after that loss to the Hokies...
10. TCU (5-0) - the Horned Frogs have one of the best defenses in the nation...

11. Ohio State (5-1) - the Buckeyes offense sputters when they play a good defense...
12. Iowa (6-0) - are the Hawkeyes pretenders?...they answered the bell vs. Penn State and Michigan...
13. Nebraska (4-1) - the Huskers are 30 seconds from being perfect this season...Pelini has turned it around...
14. Penn State (4-1) - the Nittany Lions smacked down another I-AA opponent...
15. Oklahoma (3-2) - the Sooners may have 2 losses, but they are still a darn good team...a win this week against Texas will jump OU over many teams...
16. Oregon (5-1) - the Ducks have recovered well after the Boise State debacle...

The Heisman Hub
1. Jimmy Clausen, qb, Notre Dame - Clausen does not get the respect because he plays for Notre Dame...but he has been damn impressive this year...a big game against USC will do wonders...imagine if he can lead the Irish to an upset win...
2. Tim Tebow, qb, Florida - he has done nothing to hurt his chances...
3. Colt McCoy, qb, Texas - a big game over OU may move him to #1...
4. Ryan Mallett, qb, Arkansas - this guy is a freakin NFL stud QB...

Here is a nice little photo from SECPoon to close with...

Where was Verlander?

A few thoughts about last night's one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins...

- The Tigers Jim Leyland is one of the better managers in the game...but why did he send Fernando Rodney back on the mound in the 12th...Rodney is a closer and was already extended past his limits...even if Leyland believed that Rodney could still pitch, he should have had someone warming up in the bullpen...and that person should have been Justin Verlander...

Verlander just pitched on Sunday, but there is no doubt that he could have pitched an inning or two in this situation...there was no reason to "save" Verlander for the ALDS because there was no guarantee of making it that far...Leyland should have used his ace once the lead runner got on base...

- Mike Scioscia, Joe Torre, Terry Francona, Tony LaRussa, etc. are all very good managers...but the best manager in baseball is Minnesota's Ron Gardenhire...I have stated this before on this blog...imagine coming into September with a starting staff of a bunch of unknowns and losing your former MVP first baseman for the season...every year, Gardenhire manages to bring the best out of the Twins...

Daddy pays Josh McDaniel a visit this week

- Who in Denver hates Josh McDaniel now?...the rookie head coach from Canton, Ohio is sitting at 4-0...

- Next Sunday though, daddy comes calling as Bill Belichick pays a visit to Denver...

- The biggest weapon for the New Orleans Saints is not any of their receivers, it's running back Pierre Thomas...this guy is the hammer that the team needs...

- Honestly, I hardly watched last night's Vikings-Packers Monday Night Football Game...I am so freakin sick of Brett Favre that I cannot take it anymore...I just want him to go away...

- Why did Buffalo even bother to sign T.O. if he is only going to catch 3 balls over two games combined?...

- Tennessee needs to consider going with Vince Young as the starting quarterback...Kerry Collins tank is on empty...

- This Sunday, Atlanta goes into San Francisco -- all I can say is strap on the chinstrap real right!!...

- 3-1 Bengals vs. 3-1 Ravens - for the AFC North lead...

The Chicago 2016 debacle

- Maybe the United States came with too much star power...it was nice to see that Oprah Winfrey cared enough about the Chicago bid to take the time to travel to Copenhagen...but I could see some IOC members being turned off by the glitz and glamour of the U.S. contingent...

- Not that it would have made a difference but I was very disappointed that Michael Jordan did not make the trip to Denmark...he played in Chicago and is the greatest basketball player ever...he also participated in two Olympics...Jordan should have been there to help represent Chicago...if Jordan made the trip and if Chicago would have won the bid, there was a very good chance that Jordan would have been seriously considered to have the honor of lighting the Olympic torch...but that is all a moot point now...

- Some people, mostly Republicans, were blasting Obama for making the trip to Denmark...I saw no problem with Obama trying to get the Olympics for the United States...it is an honor to host the Olympics...and if there is solid planning and budgeting, the host city can use it to its economic advantage...

- In the end, I think some IOC members are anti-American...I think they wanted to "stick it" to the U.S. and embarrass us and our president by not only losing the bid, but to get bounced in the first round...because the vote is private, we will never know who voted against the United States...this was a clear shot at the United States...

- The United States should try again for the 2020 games...Chicago would be the logical representative, but other U.S. cities who should consider a bid are New York City, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles...

NFL Thoughts - Lions have a stud at QB

Here are my thoughts after three weeks into the NFL season:

- DeAngelo Williams was my first round fantasy football pick...he blows!!!...this guy is literally killing me each week...the first week it was my liver, the second week my spleen, now it is my gall bladder...

- The Detroit Lions have a bright future in Matthew Stafford...I watched that entire game on Sunday and you can see the talent and maturity this kid has...

- The Browns went through the entire training camp with a question at quarterback...three games into the season and they are back to where they were in July...

- Why did Buffalo sign Terrell Owens if they are not going to throw him the ball...they had to know that if he does not get the ball he will be a problem...the Bills should not complain if T.O. starts going off - buyer beware!...

- I love Faith Hill's opening on Sunday Night Football...

- Jim Zorn has to be dying...after losing to Detroit last week, the Redskins host Tampa Bay who is one of the two worst teams in the NFL (the Browns being the other)...if Zorn loses at home to Tampa Bay, he will be fired...

- LaDainian Tomlinson is done...sure he will have a good game every so often, but his best days are definetly behind him...

- I hope Aaron Rodgers tears the Vikings to shreds while Brett Favre throws 4 interceptions and loses...

- Mark "Dirty" Sanchez has been a big surprise...I thought he would do well with the Jets, but not this well...I could understand why Pete Carroll was peeved to see Sanchez leave USC...that cost Carroll a sure fire national title this year...

- Those key lime pie green jerseys that Seattle wore were awful...

- Who would have thunk it - after 3 games, the Bengals would be 2-1 and the Steelers 1-2...

- Is Michael Crabtree that stupid?...why doesn't he fire his agent and just sign already!!!...

- When I look up the word "intense," I see a photo of Mike Singletary...

Whatever happened to the Coors Light Twins?

Jenny Slate drops the F-bomb on Saturday Night Live

Michigan has no defense

Before I give my thoughts on college football, I want to vent about people who talk on their cellphone or text while at the gym...yesterday, this one woman, who I call Salami because one time I was standing next to her and she smelled like salami, was on the treadmill talking on her cellphone...after hanging up, she started to quicken her pace into a steady jog...that lasted about 40 seconds then she slowed down to text someone...this kept going on for over five minutes - jog, slowdown, text, then jog again...that was so freakin annoying...the only exception to communicating on the cellphone while at the gym is if you are setting up a "hook up"...however, if there is no sex involved in the communication, cellphones should be banned from all gyms...by the way, this chick still smelled like a salami even though she is kinda hot...

Michigan has improved since last season -- offensively that is...the Wolverines defense has not showed any improvement from last year's abysmal season...Michigan brought in former NFL defensive coordinator Greg Robinson to amp up the defense...just like last year, the Wolverines are giving up the big plays and are unable to shutdown an inferior team and put the game away...

Michigan has been very fortunate to finish the month of September 4-0...unless there is improvement on the defensive side of the ball, they will not finish the month of October with a perfect mark...

Penn State looked ordinary on Saturday...the way to beat the Nittany Lions is to put pressure on Daryll Clark...the Nittany Lions ran a vanilla offense and Clark was unable to make any plays because of the Iowa defense...

Virginia Tech dominated The U...I watched most of that game and was impressed with the Gobblers defense...The U has improved, but Virginia Tech is still the elite team of the ACC...

What was Purdue head coach Danny Hope thinking????...Notre Dame was on the 5-yard-line and got stuffed on a 2nd down running play...the Irish had no timeouts and the clock was on 35 seconds and running...the Irish were completely unorganized as Jimmy Clausen was trying to settle a team that was clearly panicking...the announcers even stated the Irish coaching staff were instructing Clausen to clock the ball which would have left Notre Dame with 4th down...then out of no where, Hope called a timeout...WHAT!?!?!?!?...he wanted to set his defense, but that allowed Notre Dame to calm down and design not 1, but 2 plays...in the end, Notre Dame won on a fourth down touchdown pass by Clausen...

Can someone explain to me how Florida State can go up to Brigham Young and take them behind the woodshed, then the very next week lose at home to South Florida...the worst part is that the Seminoles scored only 7 points!!!!...

The team that has impressed me the most is Boise State...I have seen portions of three of their games...we all know they are dominant at home, but they have also proven themselves on the road...

(Just a note - I will be a conference on Thursday and Friday, so there will be no postings those days)

Big Russ - Tim Russert's father dies

With all the sports going on this weekend, many may have missed the news that the late-Tim Russert's dad, Big Russ, died on Friday...Big Russ was 85-years-old...

Big Russ

Who is 0-8 now?

Remember earlier this season when Boston was 8-0 against the Yankees?...there was talk that the Yankees dominance against Boston was over...well, they ended up splitting the season series 9-9 and on Sunday, the Yankees won their 100th game and clinched the A.L. East title over Boston...

Gentleman Jim Tressel does not want to ruin his image

Jim Tressel has a line of shit...with Ohio State up 23-0 and about a minute to go, Ohio State faced a 4th and goal...the Buckeyes decided to go for it and scored on a pass play...afterward, Tressel went into his "Gentleman Jim" mode...

This is what Plain Dealer reporter Doug Lesmerises wrote...
Tressel calls time out. Ahead, 23-0, the Buckeyes face a fourth-and-goal from the 3 with 1:22 to play. Starting this drive with 5:08 to play after a Jermale Hines interception and return to the Illinois 42, Ohio State has marched down the field in seven plays, including two passes. Now Tressel has a decision, and he says he was mostly fearing a blocked field goal and Illinois return with only a three-score lead. So he goes for it and turns down the field goal try.

"We thought there was less risk going for it," Tressel said. "So that was the decision we made. No, I don't think it was to send any message."

Who the hell is Gentleman Jim kidding...if he was fearing that Illinois could block a field goal and return it for a touchdown, then why in the hell did he decide to throw the ball...couldn't Illinois have intercepted the pass and return it for a touchdown????...the safest play would be to run the ball...

The fact is Gentleman Jim wanted to stick it to Illinois because they beat Ohio State two years ago in Columbus...but the ever image conscious Tressel did not want to ruin that pristine "gentleman" image that he fools people with...like I have said many many time, Tressel is a football coach even though he tries to portray an image that he is a "gentleman" and an honest, good guy, flag wearing American who drinks milk and never swears...

Back in 1968, Woody Hayes stuck it to Michigan real good by going for a two point conversion late in the game even though the Buckeyes were way ahead...when the game was over, the media asked Hayes why he went for the two points, Hayes responded, "I couldn't go for three"...Hayes may have hated Michigan, but at least he was honest...what you saw is what you got from Hayes...that cannot be said about Tressel...