Tournament Quick Hits

Now that the first two rounds are done, here are some tournament thoughts....
The tournament committee made a massive error by putting Arkansas and Stanford in the tournament....both teams were not competitive in their first round losses....
Syracuse, Kansas State, or even Akron should have been selected before Arkansas and Stanford....
It seemed as if Florida was not playing hard in their win over Purdue....
Just like in football, the Big 10 was the most over-rated conference....Wisconsin and Ohio State were ranked in the top 5 most of the year because the conference lacked strong teams who were consistent throughout the year....
Wisconsin got bounced yesterday by UNLV and by rights, they should have lost on Friday to Texas A&M Corpus-Christi....
I wonder what Jerry Tarkanian is doing?....
Ohio State needed help from a referee’s no-call to survive against Xavier....
Tennessee will beat Ohio State on Thursday night....
Greg Oden reminds of Robert Parrish....
Kansas has been the most impressive team so far....
There are no double-digit seeded teams left...
For the first time, all number 5 seeds survived their first round game against the 12 seed...
Tyler Hansbrough is the best center in college basketball this year....

The time was right to replace Amaker

Tommy Amaker came to Ann Arbor in 2001 from Seton Hall....there was much promise and hope for the Michigan basketball program after being mired by allegations, violations, and sanctions....

Amaker was a young refreshing leader with a good pedigree from Duke's Coach K....during Amaker's six years as head coach, he ran a clean program.....he seemed like a nice person who cared about his players....he helped stabilize the basketball program and brought it back to respectability.....but in the end, he could not win on a consistent basis to lead Michigan back into the NCAA tournament or to a Big Ten title....

In 6 years he posted a 109-83 record and 3 NIT bids including the 2004 NIT championship....

However, when you are the head basketball coach of a program the size of Michigan’s you are hired to win Big Ten and NCAA titles, not NIT banners....

People within the coaching brethren will bemoan the fact that Amaker was a good man who did all the right things, but ultimately was fired because he could not win....

Right or wrong, that is the nature of the beast....

The time was right for Michigan to move in another direction....the athletic department has been more than patient with Amaker....as Michigan received annual invitations to the NIT, their Big Ten opponents continued to move forward.....

During the last 6 years Illinois came close to a perfect season and lost in the title game....Michigan State made another Final Four appearance....Wisconsin rose to number 1 in the nation....and even hated rival Ohio State has become a national power in basketball as they somehow snatched Greg Oden from the state of Indiana to help the Buckeyes win back-to-back Big Ten titles and possibly a national title....

During the last six years, even the Purdue basketball program fell to the basketball dungeon only to rise again within 2 years.....In 2005 the Boilermakers finished 7-21 and was 10th in the Big Ten under legendary head coach Gene Keady....in just 2 short seasons, new head coach Matt Painter has the Boilermakers back in the Big Dance as they will play defending champion Florida on Sunday in the tournament's second round....

The time was right for Michigan to make the move because too many teams have passed them by over the last six years....it is now time for Michigan to put the pedal to the metal.....

Officials lack guts to call intentional foul on Oden!!

No guts....

That is what the officials in the Ohio State-Xavier game had - no guts....with less than 10 seconds remaining and the Buckeyes fighting the strains of defeat, Greg Oden clearly and intentionally fouled Xavier’s Justin Cage after Cage grabbed a rebound under the Ohio State basket....

Oden did not try to strip the ball or steal the ball....it was clearly a malicious shove of frustration....it clearly fit into the parameters of an intentional four....the Xavier bench also was making the hand motion of an intentional foul....instead an intentional foul was not called....

This was a poor call by the officials which helped lead to Xavier's loss....

It a shame that Xavier’s gallant effort was thwarted by game officials who lacked the guts to make the correct call of an intentional foul which would have given Xavier two foul shots and the ball with 9.6 second left....

Saturday's Tournament Predictions

Here is look at Saturday’s key games....
Ohio State -8 vs. Xavier (1:10 pm) - Xavier has not played the Buckeyes since 1984 and they would love nothing more than to beat their former coach Thad "Mr. Good" Matta....X is led by former Pitt hotshot guard Sean Miller....X is a team with balanced scoring....look for them to give Mr. Good a hard time, but in the end, Ohio State wins by 9....

Texas A&M - 2.5 vs. Louisville (3:40 pm) - this was the one game that screwed up my brackets because I was wanting them to face-off later instead of in round 2....this will be one of the best games of the tourney....the Aggies have the best 3-point shooter in the tourney in Josh Carter and stud leader in Acie Law.....but The ‘Ville is my team in this region......The ‘Ville wins by 2 because of their experience at coaching.....

Pitt - 7 vs. Virginia Commonwealth (5:50 pm) - a win here by VCU and the Rams officially get sized for the Cinderella show....something tells me the Rams are going to win this game.....VCU wins by 5...

UCLA -8 vs. Indiana (8:05 pm) - these are traditional NCAA basketball powers....this is a classic match-up - in name only.....Bruins win by 12....

North Carolina -10 vs. Michigan State (8:15 pm) - everything favors Carolina in this game....except the coaching match-up where it is even between Tom Izzo and Roy Williams....Sparty must hit the 3 ball if they want to pull the upset....they led the Big 10 in 3 point shooting....look for Sparty to hang around, but Carolina wins by 8....

Other games
Maryland -6 vs. Butler (3:20 pm) - Maryland wins by 10
Georgetown -8.5 vs. Boston College (5:45 pm) - this is like old times when BC used to be in the Big East.....Georgetown wins by 12
Washington State -2.5 vs. Vanderbilt (5:40 pm) - Vanderbilt wins by 7

The Big Dance - early thoughts

Here are quick hits after the first day of the tourney....

Those who cried that Drexel should have been in the tournament - SHUT UP!!!....Drexel got bounced at home in the first round of the NIT against N.C. State....

Stanford did not belong in The Big Dance....that was a pathetic effort the Cardinal displayed against Louisville....

I like Rick Pitino because he goes into the streets of New York City to get his players....freshman point guard Edgar Sosa (photo) learned the game while playing at famous Rucker Park.....these NYC kids are tough and do not get rattled.....this is where Michigan coach Tommy Amaker should be recruiting....recruit the NYC kid!!!....

Just think Blue fans....Pitino could have been coaching in Ann Arbor if the Michigan athletic department would have put out the money for him....

Bob Knight will never make it to the Final Four while at Texas Tech....

By the way, if anyone cares, Michigan got smoked by Florida State in the second round of the NIT....

If Florida is going to get tripped up anywhere, I just have a feeling it may happen in the Sweet 16 if they have to play Maryland....

I had Virginia Commonwealth in my bracket.....but I also had Oral Roberts....

I would rather have the grapefruits and make some bold picks than have BB’s and play it safe...

Butler survived the dreaded 5-12 match-up.....three other 5-12s go today....#5 USC vs Arkansas.....#5 Tennessee vs. Long Beach State......#5 Va. Tech vs. Illinois.....history shows that at least one, if not two, number fives will fall....I think Va. Tech has to worry....

All the so-called "experts" are calling for Notre Dame to lose to Winthrop today....the only reason I don’t see it happening is that too many people are expecting it....the Irish know that people are calling for them to lose so expect Notre Dame to play well and win a tough contest....

More Sterger

For more about Jen Sterger, here is a link to her latest S.I. posting

Sterger S.I.

Here is another shot of the lovely Jen

The Big Picture Interviews Jen Sterger

Check out The Big Picture's interview with Sports Illustrated.com's Advice Babe - Jenn Sterger....click on The Big Picture link on the right

By the way, Sterger is the one on the left

Long live Chief Illiniwek

Tuesday was a sad day for longtime Illinois fans as The Chief was officially chopped....

The University officially voted to end all ties with Chief Illiniwek, their longtime mascot....
Chalk one up for the Political Correctness Police....now the Chief’s scalp hangs in their offices....

Long Live The Chief....may his memory be eternal!!!

Talkin women's hoops

Good news Steel City people....it looks like the Penguins are not moving....ESPN reports that inside sources state there will be a news conference today announcing that a deal has been struck to build the Penguins a new arena in the city of Pittsburgh....
The women’s bracket was announced last night.....Duke, North Carolina, Tennessee, and U. Conn are the number 1 seeds...
An interesting possible Sweet 16 match-up would pit Tennessee vs. Ohio State which would be played at Dayton....
First, OSU will have to get through a tough second round match-up against Middle Tennessee State who has a 26 game winning streak....
Duke is the top overall seed with a 30-1 record....but they too may have an interesting Sweet 16 match-up if they have to play Michigan State.....Lady Sparty is a quiet #5 seed....
I will give my women’s picks on Wednesday....
Can someone please tell me why Akron, Washington, and U.Conn did not make the NIT???...
What about the Golden State Warriors ending Dallas’ 17-game winning streak....on Sunday I took the Lakers, at home, and with seven points against the Mavs....the Lakers lost by 35!!!....

Bracket Thoughts

Before the pairings were announced on Sunday evening, my Final Four choices were Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and Georgetown....

Well, that changed after everything was announced because Carolina, Texas, and Georgetown are all in the same bracket....let’s breakdown the brackets....

East
This is a very tough bracket with Carolina and Georgetown as the 1-2 seeds....Texas has the talent and the one player in Kevin Durant to win this bracket....Carolina has a tricky second round match-up against either Marquette or Michigan State....you can never discount Tom Izzo during this time of the year....
Doesn’t belong - Arkansas....I believe that spot should have went to Syracuse.....
Don’t sleep on - Oral Roberts - they winnable games in the first two rounds
Who will win this bracket - Georgetown - the Hoyas gained valuable experience last season by making the Sweet 16....Jeff Green is hot for the D.C.. crew...

South
Thad Matta has a possible second round match-up against his former team, Xavier who could give OSU some trouble....BYU has an RPI of 18....a possible Sweet 16 match-up for is OSU vs. Tennessee....these two played earlier this season in Columbus with OSU winning by 1 point....I was surprised that Louisville was a number 6 seed....I think the Cardinals are better than that....Memphis has to be the quietest team all year....the Tigers are 30-3 and not talked about... .a possible second round match-up between Louisville-Texas A&M will be a good one...
Don’t sleep on - Tennessee - they have the talent to win this bracket because they can shoot the 3 ball....they got shocked in the first round of the SEC tourney, so they will be ready for a run....
Who will win this bracket - Louisville - if the Cards can get by Texas A&M in the second round, they should win this bracket....Ohio State will have a hard time with Tennessee in the Sweet 16....my second choice is Texas A&M.....

Midwest
It all comes down to Florida, Florida, Florida.....say what you will, the fact remains they are the team to beat....they are the defending champs and Joakim Noah has elevated his game.....however, the Gators possible second round game against Arizona could be interesting....the Cats had the second toughest schedule in the nation this year and never underestimate Lute Olsen....this wily coach may have the ability to pull off an upset....many people are calling for Winthrop to upset Notre Dame....I don’t see it happening....Wisconsin is fortunate to be a #2 seed with their dismal performance over the past two weeks...
Don’t sleep on - Maryland - the Terps got bounced early in the ACC....but they may have the freshest legs.....
Who will win this bracket - gotta go with Florida....

West
UCLA is not the #1 seed - big deal....they are still seeded out west.....Kansas’ second round match could be Kentucky or Villanova.....I could see Villanova beating Kansas....Kentucky cannot hit the three-point shot this year....Duke has been playing poorly as they are 4-6 in their last 10 games....look for VCU to win....a nice Sweet 16 game is Pitt vs. UCLA....Ben Holland goes against his former Steel City team....
Don’t sleep on - Pitt - they are battle tested by playing in the Big East
Who will win this bracket - Kansas - they are due to make the Final 4 again, but really, don't sleep on Pitt - they are my "ghetto" pick...
Overall - Look for Georgetown to beat Florida and cut down the nets in Atlanta...

Saturday Morning Tourney Thoughts

What has happened to the ACC tournament?....Maryland - gone, Duke - gone; Virginia - gone....and what about N.C. State and their two impressive wins....the Pack was down by 14 last night to Virginia but came back and won by 8....

The Georgetown-Notre Dame semi-final game in the Big East tourney was one of the best games of the year....Big East Player of the Year Jeff Green had a monster game with his silky smooth game that reminded me of James Worthy....the spark for the Hoyas was the play of Patrick Ewing, Jr off the bench (photo)...

The Hoyas take on Pitt tonight for the Big East title....boy does time go by fast....1989 was the last time Georgetown won this tournament.....Hoyas win tonight....

Don’t look now, but the Holy Cross Crusaders are dancing....

When will the Michigan administration wake up and smell the coffee after its third loss this season to Ohio State?....

Looks like we are looking at an Ohio State-Wisconsin title game....

Bubble teams that I would put in - Kansas State and Texas Tech......bubble teams that are out - Florida State, Iowa, and Stanford

Finally, I just saw one of the sickest things on television.....the Today Show was showing a video of Rose O’Donnell hanging upside.....the dingbat supposedly does this for 15 minutes each day to help with her depression.....just the site of her hanging upside down was gross....

Random Thoughts

This Pittsburgh Penguins saga about possible relocation needs to get resolved now....

The New York Jets got a steal in Thomas Jones at running back....the Jets have a young upcoming offensive line anchored by Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson....Jones should do well especially since he probably will not be sharing time in the backfield.....

The Chicago Bears are taking a risk with just Cedric Benson as their number 1 back....Benson is a load, but he has not proven he could carry the ball 20-25 time a game....plus he has a history of nagging injuries....

Cleveland finally got a big name back in Jamal Lewis....Lewis is a definite upgrade from what garbage Cleveland has back there now....but the fact remains that Lewis is getting up in age and has seen his better days as a workhorse....the Browns would have been better to trade for Thomas Jones....

Looks like the Raiders are a lock for Jamarcus Russell....

Just when it looked like Mike Shanahan was going to commit to Mike Bell as his running back, the team went out and got Travis Henry....

With Detroit picking up Tatum Bell from Denver two things can be assumed: 1. the team has lost faith in Kevin Jones; and 2. Adrian Peterson will not be drafted by Detroit....

What is up with Kobe Bryant slyly giving a cheap shot to opponents?....

Did anyone notice Hillary Clinton’s fake drawl this past weekend when she was campaigning in Alabama?.....she is a piece of work....

What’s up with this story about John Rocker allegedly using HGH when he played baseball?.....who cares....the guy is out of baseball and is a whack job....

It’s almost 7:30 a.m. on the east coast, does anyone know where Barry Bonds is?.....

What is up with Tommy Lasorda and his alleged visits to prostitutes?....he allegedly liked watching some girl-on-girl action....Tommy is our boy!!!....so maybe it wasn’t the Slim-fast diet that helped him lose weight years ago....

PAC 10 Tournament Overview

The PAC-10 tournament begins today ta the Staples Center in Los Angeles....UCLA is the top seed and the team to beat....

The Wednesday match-ups are actually play-in games for the four bottom teams.....if Washington wins tonight, they get to play in-state rival Washington State (#2 seed) on Thursday....State is higher ranked, but watch the Huskies in this game....Washington is a deceiving 18-12 as UCLA found out this past Saturday when they lost up in Seattle....the Huskies are led by freshman guard Spencer Hawes....

Another good match-up on Thursday is #4 Oregon vs. #5 Arizona....the 20-9 Cats have been an inconsistent team of late even though they have an RPI rating of 13.....the Ducks are 5-6 in their last 11 games but are 23-7 overall....take the Cats here....

This could set up a possible Arizona-UCLA semi-final....the kitties have lost twice to UCLA so don’t expect an upset here either....it should be a good game, but UCLA wins...

In January, this may have been the best conference in the nation....but the top teams have faded over the last month....UCLA is the clear cut best team in the conference and will win the league tournament....I could see Washington beating Arizona State, Washington State, and even USC to make the conference finals....but the luster has faded from this conference....

Big XII Tournament Overview

The Big XII tournament begins on Thursday in Oklahoma City with the top four seeds getting a first round bye....the top seeds are: #1 Kansas, #2 Texas A&M; #3 Texas, and #4 Kansas State....

Without a doubt, the team to beat is Kansas....but there are some other loaded guns ready to explode in this conference....

Bob Huggins makes a difference....in just his second year at the helm at Kansas State, Huggins has the Wildcats a #4 seed with a 21-10 record....their second round match-up should be a doozy against Texas Tech....after a mid-season slump, The General has Tech back on track with a 20-11 mark and three straight wins to close out the regular season....

An interesting first round game is #7 Oklahoma State vs. #10 Nebraska....Okie State is 20-11 but surprisingly they are 0-8 on the road in conference games this year....they have a tremendous player in Keith Boggan who can take over a game....I believe Okie State needs to prove to the committee that they can win on the road if they want to go dancing....they need to win at least 2 games in this tournament....I don’t see it happening....the children of the corn will rise and pull the upset here...

If everything pans out right, the big match-up in this tournament will occur on Saturday in the semi-final game between Texas A&M and Texas....they split the season series....Acie Law vs. Kevin Durant....this will be a great game....I’ll say this, if Durant surprises everyone and does not go to the NBA after this season, look for Texas to win the NCAA title next year....this team is loaded with young talent, and Durant is a special special player.....if he gets blazing hot, he is the type of kid who can carry the Longhorns on his back....

Anyway, I will have to go with the Aggies if there is a rematch....that would set up a Kansas-Texas A&M title game...the Aggies have beaten the 27-4 Jayhawks already this year in Lawrence, Kansas....but that was back in early February....as much as I think there are many quality teams in this conference, right now I have to take Kansas to win the conference tournament....they are playing too well of late....

Here are a couple of interesting Big XII facts....the Jayhawks have held every opponent under 50 percent shooting this year....Kevin Durant has nine 30-point games this season.....

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....