Metro Station- Shake It

Sorry guys! We couldn't get the link to work in the previous post. Here's a video a fan put together of Metro Station's Shake It. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Until next time...

Happy Halloween folks! So the one thing I used to love about Halloween was the free candy and week long sugar highs. We all love free stuff so thank God for iTunes. I'm sure many of you know that iTunes has the free Single of the Week. For the most part, they do have some really good songs on there. I have found some of my favorite songs on there. They also feature up and coming artist every week. Sometimes they make it big (i.e. The Fray) and sometimes we'll never hear from them again. Let's support them so check them out. It's free. Who can beat that? Click play below to hear Shake It by Metro Station. It's a fun, upbeat alternative song. Unfortunately for you, not free anymore but you should buy it. It's only $.99, so let's stop being cheap and just download it.

New Release Tuesday was yesterday. What an exciting day in the world of music. Let's see who released an album yesterday:

1.) Backstreet Boys- Unbreakable: So does this really count as a Backstreet Boys CD? Kevin quit the band. I know, I know. When I heard this news last year, I was heart broken. The one Backstreet Boy who never had any solos is now gone from the group. Whatever. I'm over it.

So I can't say that I actually listened to this CD. I did preview the songs on iTunes and I must say, it' no where close to the greatness of "I Want It That Way" (Yes, I said greatness. Get over it. Everyone knows that song like the back of their hands. I'm sure a blind/deaf mute could sing that song). Pretty much every song was exactly the same; the only difference is that each track has a different name. It really is a shame. I bet they wish they had Justin Timberlake in their group. But after this album crash and burns, I think Nick Carter should come out with another season of House of Carters on E!. Or perhaps not. Maybe he should crash and burn with the CD.

2.) Insane Clown Posse- Jugganauts…Best of ICP: I have no idea why I'm even mentioning this amazing group of clowns. Perhaps it's either 1.) They are by far the greatest thing to come out of Detroit, Michigan (besides me of course) in the last 50 years or 2.) They are the poster child of white trash? I think I'm going to pick door #2. If you're a fan of ICP, then we might have a problem. I honestly don't get what appeal these people have. I wish I could write a song called "Boogie Woogie Wu" or "I Want My Shit" and instantly become famous. Unfortunately for us, ICP won't be returning to their trailer parks anytime soon. Sigh.

3.) Britney Spears- Blackout: So most of you are sports fans, and I know you're all wondering how this CD turned out. To be completely honest, it's not as bad as it should be.Given she's had a pretty awful year, we would expect her to produce an album as bad as her personal life. But it's simply not the case. She managed to release an album that is going to be considered one of the best pop albums of the year. She used a slew of different producers including Bloodshy and Advant (Toxic, Toy Soldiers) and the Neptunes, to help her regain her reign as one of the greatest pop icons in music history. Perhaps if she keeps her legs closed and doesn't drink herself to death, we'll be able to see Britney strut around half naked with a python again. Sigh.


Have a great and safe Halloween! Until next time, I leave you with another Tres Piece masterpiece. Enjoy!

-- Andy

Rumblings & Grumblings

Just some randoms thoughts over the past few days regarding sports and life here in L.A.

- The Lakers: I'm not that concerned about the whole Kobe Bryant situation. Our Lakers and NBA correspondent Dan Noyes and I will be discussing this issue this week and we will post our thoughts on the Kobe melodrama later in the week. I think he will stay for various reasons, but what does concern me is what we saw last night in their season opener. A game the Lakers should have won, and should have won by at least 10 points. What pisses me off, is the 18 missed free throws, 1 own basket by Luke Walton, Kobe shooting well under 50%, and the Lakers not being able to hit the broad side of a barn in the 3rd quarter. All that and they only lost by two. Now I know Lamar Odom isn't playing, but this lineup put out by Phil Jackson in the 3rd quarter while the Rockets were making a visible run actually scared me: Andrew Bynum, Chris Mihm, Luke Walton, Maurice Evans, and Jordan Farmar. Holy Christ! At least the defense played a bit better.

- The Dodgers: Finally, the Dodgers actually make some noise during the offseason, in a way that actually takes attention away from the Yankees and Red Sox. Grady Little officially 'resigned" yesterday, making the possibility of Joe Torre look even better. The Dodgers had apparently offered Joe Girardi a 3 year deal worth an estimated 7.5 million, which the Yankees ended up matching. As we all know, Girardi went with the Yankees, and the Dodgers turned their attention to Torre, who would most likely include Don Mattingley as his bench coach. I'm starting to get a bit excited if that's true, but I guess anyone who thinks that Mark Hendrickson should sit on the bench is an upgrade. As for the A-Rod rumors (that he may follow Torre to L.A.), I don't really mind them. A lot of peole I've talked to would hate to have A-Rod on the Dodgers. Well, he's better than anyone the Dodgers have had in the last10 years of so, and if he chokes in the postseason, who cares? At least we're there.


- The L.A. Kings: Just kidding, the NHL is lame....

- Loyola 9 - Notre Dame 26: Normally, I would loathe losing to anyone named Notre Dame. But, the Cubs put up a valiant effort against a very good team, a team that most people thought would run up the score (as they did last year, scoring on nearly every drive in the first half). The defense played exceptionally well against a high powered offense, while the Loyola offense couldn't get much going. It looks like the Cubs will have to win their next two games to make the playoffs, and will have to surprise some people as they come in as underdogs against Crespi.


- The fires: Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone displaced and effected in some way by the fires that raged across Southern California. Unbelievable. The fires displaced more people than Hurricane Katrina, and the worst part about it is that some of the fires were started by arson. I personally think that the arsonists who started any of these fires, should be hunted down and publicly humiliated and reprimanded. If you are such an asshole that you decide to start a fire when you know full well that it will turn into something devastating that will leave a wake a burned buildings and house-less people, then you should not be allowed to be in the public setting anymore. There is something mentally wrong with someone who would do that, and although it is not quite the same as committing cold blooded murder, that implications are the same, as starting a fire of that magnitude does endanger people's lives and can lead to death. Lock em up I say, and throw away the key.


MUSIC COMING SOON!!

Week 8 NFL Picks

Here's your week 8 picks, home team in CAPS:

Browns (-3) over RAMS

Lions (+5) over BEARS

BUCS (-3.5) over Jaguars

Colts (-7) over PANTHERS

Bills (+3) over JETS

Steelers (-3.5) over BENGALS

VIKINGS (+1) over Eagles

Raiders (+7.5) over TITANS

Saints (-2.5) over 49ERS

Giants (-9.5) over Dolphins (In London)

Redskins (+16) over PATRIOTS

CHARGERS (pk) over Texans

BRONCOS (-3) over Packers

Season Record: 12-13-2

Girardi in LA?

According to ESPN.com and Buster Olney, Girardi may be being considered for the job in Los Angeles in addition to the job for the Yankees.

In my opinion, anyone else at this point is better than the bumpkin known as Grady Little. I like what Girardi did with the youngins in Florida during his only year as a manager, and the Dodgers are looking to play a lot of youngsters next year. Girardi somehow managed 78 surprising wins out of a $14 million payroll in Florida in 2006 and won the NL Manager of the Year Award, before being fired because of a dispute with the Marlins owner.

Hey, since we're here talking about new managers in LA, what about Joe Torre?? Forget the Pirates or Cardinals, what about a Brooklyn guy coming to the Dodgers......Not as far out there as you might think. I'll settle for anyone who makes the Dodgers relevant again.

Tres Piece

Q: What's better than 3 dudes passionately lip-syncing and dancing to NSYNC in harmonious and hilarious fashion?

A: Nothing





MORE TRES PIECE

NBA Power Ranking Week of 10/23

Time to unveil the initial 2007-2008 NBA Power Rankings. But before we do that... there are a few things I need to get off my chest.

Another week goes by in the Lakers' preseason and already we have more drama than General Hospital.

Amid comments by Owner Jerry Buss that Kobe is not untouchable... there were rumors flying that The Mamba had cleaned out his locker in anticipation of a trade.

Jesus Christ... what gives... I guess I should know by n0w that it's not possible... but can we go a week without some stupid story getting blown out of proportion. In my mind Buss comments were dead on... but about 3 months too late... as good as he his, it's about the team and if you've got to trade Kobe before he opts out so be it.

But why did those comments have to come three weeks before the season... I'm thinking Buss would just rather have negative/worrisome/troubling attention on the Lakers than no attention at all.

Thank God Kobe got on the floor for some action this past week and seems to be enjoying his teammates (at least for the moment). Where exactly the team is headed remains to be seen.

But for now... let's just find out where the Lakers stand in our preseason Power Rankings.

Lottery Bound

30. Timberwolves: If life with KG wasn't too great the past few years, imagine how it will be without him.

29. Sixers: First full season without AI not looking good.

28. Pacers: With glory days of Miller & Co. long gone, Indiana looks to rebuild.

27. Hawks: It's nice to have the potential, but there's a problem when your drafting in the top 8 every year.

26. Kings: Can't wait to hear the complaining Kings fans all season.

25. Knicks: Isiah's turbulent off season will carry over into season.

24. Clippers: Life without Brand will prove difficult for the Clips.

Wait till Next Year

23. Trailblazers: One can't help but wonder if Portland drafted damaged goods..

22. Supersonics: Future looks bright even if it's in another city.

21. Grizzlies: Terrible year last year... improved and should be better.

20. Bobcats: Lost May and Morrison for the year... but J-Rich and Gerald Wallace are the nucleus of a franchise headed in the right direction.

Playoffs in Sight

19. Bucks: Roster has enough talent to compete for a playoff spot. Need to stay healthy and see what Yi brings to the table.

18. Heat: Wade coming off an injury and Shaq is a year older. Window of opportunity likely past.
17. Hornets: Chris Paul one of the best in the game... must be healthy all season for Hornets to get back the playoffs in the first full year back in New Orleans.

16. Wizards: Arenas in contract year so you know he's bringing it. Roster filled with too many swing men and not enough down low to contend.

15. Nets: Hope to get Jermaine O'Neal in a trade before window closes on Kidd's career.

Contenders if All Goes Well

14. Magic: Will go as far as a developing Dwight Howard can take them.

13. Lakers: Health concerns will determine how late they're playing (and how long Kobe will be in purple and gold.)

12. Raptors: Won't be taking people by surprise this year. Bosh one of the best, just can't disappear in the playoffs.

11. Warriors: A poor man's Suns team is fun to watch, but must replace the scoring of J-Rich.

10. Bulls: Baby bulls starting to grow up. Question is, will they land Kobe?

9. Cavs: Run to the Finals a fluke. Lebron needs more help before he gets a ring.

8. Nuggets: Melo and AI finished the year on fire. Hoping Kenyon Martin has something left in the tank.

Knocking on the Door

7. Jazz: Boozer/Williams combo could become modern day Stockton and Malone.

6. Rockets: Ming and McGrady still looking to make it past first round. This year as good a chance as any.

5. Pistons: Might be last hurrah! for this group who fell apart last post season.

Cream of the Crop

4. Mavs: Last year's best team and home of reigning MVP looking to avenge last season's playoff embarrassment.

3. Celtics: League's newest big three should cruise through weak Eastern Conference.

2. Suns: Nash and the boys trying once again to make it to the promised land.

1. Spurs: Hated Spurs return same nucleus that has won multiple titles.

Loyola 21 - Saint Francis 20

At a packed stadium in La Canada, the Cubs ended their night celebrating on Friedman Field after a come from behind victory that saw Loyola score 21 points in the 4th quarter. What seemed like an easy victory for St. Francis came crashing to a halt as Loyola's offense finally found a rhythm and scored on 3 consecutive drives in the 4th quarter.

After being severely outplayed for 3 quarters, and with fans starting to head for the exits, Loyola turned a poor St. Francis punt into a touchdown as sophomore running back Anthony Barr ran for a 20 yard TD to cap off a short drive. 4 plays later the Cubs found themselves on the St. Francis side of the field again and senior wide receiver Dustin Rosenberg split the seem and hauled in a 30 yard pass for a touchdown from quarterback Stephen Rokus.

Another defensive stop by the wolfpack defense of Loyola had the Cub offense again on a short field, tied 14-14 with less than 5 minutes to play. Successful runs by Barr and a few timely 3rd down hitches by Rokus had the Cubs knocking on the doorstep. A 2-yard draw by Barr capped off the drive and gave Loyola a 21-14 lead with 1:08 remaining, and left the Golden Knights in a stunned state.

A tremendous kick-off return fired up the home crowd as St. Francis had 45 yards to go and 1:00 minute to play. After a few scrambles by backup QB Justin Sciarra, a few good screen plays, and a few Loyola penalties, the Golden Knights had the ball on the Loyola 12 with 9 seconds remaining. An incredulous and inexplanable half-back pass by St. Francis should have ended the night, as nearly 3 Loyola players converged on the ball, with no one coming up with the interception. With 2 seconds remaining, Sciarra hit Dietrich Riley on a slant pattern for a touchdown, as the stadium erupted. As the elation was hitting a new high, the home crowd was hit with a stomach punch as kicker Sean McGuinness missed the extra point, sending the Cubs into a frenzy and schocking the Golden Knights into a stunned silence.

The rollercoaster of a game saw the Cubs turn the ball over 4 times, and committ an ungodly amount of penalties. The defense played well, but were put into tough situations in the first half by the Loyola offense. After a missed field goal by St. Francis, Chris Sember gave the Golden Knights the ball right back, when he intercepted a Stephen Rokus pass and returned it to the Loyola 9. Three plays later, Evan King dove into the end zone with his first touchdown to give the Golden Knights a 7-0 lead. After the ensuing drive saw Loyola fumble the ball around the 50 yard line, King took off on a 45 yard scamper down the sideline to the Loyola 2 yard line, and scored again shortly thereafter.

This game somewhat encapsulates Loyola this season. Terrible first half performances, underachievement by the offense, overachievement by the defense, hoards of penalties and mistakes, and just enough passion and grit to sneak out a win, when they can. The penalties and turnovers need to stop if Loyola is going to even have a chance in the Serra league, and the first half play calling must, must, must improve as well. I know the first half is meant to get a feel for the game, but I think Loyola threw the ball 4 times in the first half, with a spread offense. That left Barr without a fullback or an extra blocker, when the entire world knew that it was a run play. Here's hoping for a little improvement in the focus of the Cubs, along with a little more creative juice on offense. Loyola's defense is good enough to hold them against Notre Dame and Crespi, but they will need to score if they are going to advance to the playoffs.

Loyola will take on high powered Notre Dame this Friday out in Sherman Oaks. Go Cubbies!

Top 10 Reasons Why I Hate San Francisco

Sorry for the break in posting and no NFL picks for the week, I went up to San Francisco to cheer on some friends running a marathon. The trip reminded me why I hate San Francisco, and every smug, dirty, smelly, Barry Bonds loving, patchouli oil smelling hippie that lives in San Francisco, along with many other city factors and features that make me dislike it.

First, I'll go over the things I DO like, just so this isn't a completely and utterly one-sided. For starters, I do like that it looks and feels like a big city, with the big buildings, the views, and the overall buzz. I like Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, the cable cars, the architecture (for the most part), most of the parks, the bridges, Alcatraz, and Union Square. So yes, there are definitely things to like about the city, and it possesses a few redeeming qualities.

Now onto the list.

10. The lack of parking. Understandable for a big city, but still annoying nonetheless. It hinders anything you want to go out and do, and if you don't want to pay an astronomical price for parking, then you walk. Which leads to #9....

9. The freaking hills. Yes it is part of the "charm" of the city, but the absolutely suck. Sometimes it really seems like everywhere you go is uphill. When there are stairs in the sidewalk, that's a problem. "But after you go up, there's always the downhill". Yeah, there is. But downhills suck and ruin your knees because you are constantly jamming them into the ground to keep yourself from rolling down the steepest hill of your life.

8. The way that the people don’t know how to negotiate a sidewalk or any other public space. In cities like New York people use eye contact to determine right-of-way, and never stop dead in their tracks without looking behind them. I know that you're thinking, "well they're probably the tourists". Yeah, probably, but it's still going on in the city, and people just seem to be retarded and not know how to walk on the sidewalk.

7. The driving is ridiculous. If it isn't a one way street, it's a freaking bus only lane, or a no left turn sign. The hills are terrible and do a number on your brakes, and don't even get me started on the assholes who think it's OK to drive a stick shift in the city, and then roll back 30 feet before the get started. Even worse than driving yourself is.....

6. The cab drivers. If they actually know where you want to go, they take you in an ass-backwards direction that leads to more traffic and a costlier ride. If (and when) they don't know where to go, they ask if you have a map or just drop you off "near" where they think you want to go. Shouldn't there be some kind of map test for taxi drivers, or maybe a freaking GPS so you don't even have to know a lick about the city.

5. The smug, self-satisfied attitude of residents who are convinced that they live the greatest city in the world. These are the same people who claim to love the environment, then commute to jobs in San Jose, or other hypocritical things.

4. Giants fans and Barry Bonds, a match made in heaven..... Who better to root for an arrogant, self-absorbed steroid-abusing asshole, than San Franciscans! Their undying love for a man that everyone else in the universe utterly despises, has to say something about the fan base. They come up with excuses for him, say they don't care, act as if it will all go away in a few years if they just don't talk about it, but have the nerve to be complete douche bags at all times, regardless of the score. The smug attitude of everyone in the city carries over into the ballpark, as all they can talk about is how great the freaking stadium is. Who cares?? It's not that good, and the Giants suck, get over it.

3. It's amazing how shitty certain parts of the city are, and how close the not-so-shitty areas are to the shitty ones. Every major city has its bad areas, but walk 10 blocks in San Francisco and it goes from millionaire's' houses, to crack houses and drug deals, to a middle class area. And they all have their own little name for the each district, even if it's only like a two block radius. It's like a superiority complex as to where in the city and what tiny little district you live in, be it the Castro district, the Tenderloin, Pacific Heights, or Nob Hill, everyone seems to base their self worth on where they are. Speaking of shitty areas....

2. The freaking bums are out of control in San Francisco. No less than 5 on each block, homeless people flock to San Francisco like the swallows of Capistrano. They are everywhere, and you are constantly being harassed by homeless people. I don't understand why San Francisco is the bum Mecca, maybe it's the liberalness or whatever, but pretty soon they will out number everyone else, and the whole city will be one big bum fest, if not for the......

1. Goddamn Hippies! Much like Eric Cartman, I hate hippies of all shapes and sizes. It's not the 60's anymore, so stop pretending to be some kind of "free thinker" who conforms to the same dress and hippie-speak as everyone else. Hippies nowadays have very little political activism or philosophical edge to them at all, and tend to get nothing accomplished, other than pissing everyone else off. Normal college hippies who wear Phish patches on their backpacks and hold a picket sign once or twice like to call themselves hippies, but I'm not talking about just plain old liberal people here, I'm talking about white, smelly, tie-dyed wearing, hemp necklaced, dread-locked, drug-pushing hippies who live in their hippie commune known as San Francisco. I understand that hippies are really nothing more than kids finding a clique like goths or athletes, but they are the worst kind, because of the utter stupidity of them. How about those hippies who climbed up the trees at Cal and tried to saved them from being cut down, when the plan was to plant 3 trees for every 1 cut down. Great idea hippie, live in a tree for the rest of your life. Please hippies, just get out of the way and stop fighting for nothing more than faux-causes.

Bowl Predictions

All of this college football talk with the new BCS rankings and what not has gotten me a bit excited for bowl season. Nothing brings out the holiday memories quite like bowl season, with a new game or two every night, usually while you are on Christmas vacation, watching the games with friends and family. Good times. So I'm thrown' out a Bowl Prediction article that I will update once a week or so, just to keep my excitement up and to think about the Lakers and my beloved Kobe a little less often. Winners in Bold.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia
(Mountain West vs. Navy/At-large):

New Mexico over Navy

Pioneer Las Vegas
(Pac-10 No. 4/5 vs. Mountain West No. 1):

BYU over Oregon State

R&L Carriers New Orleans
(Sun Belt No. 1 vs. Conference USA):

Central Florida over Troy

Papa Johns.com
(Conference USA vs. Big East No. 5):

Rutgers over Southern Miss

New Mexico
(WAC vs. Mountain West):

Fresno State over Wyoming

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
(Mountain West vs Pac-10 No. 6)

Air Force over Purdue

Sheraton Hawaii
(WAC vs. Conference USA):

Boise St. over Houston

Motor City
(Big Ten No. 7 vs. MAC No. 1/2):

Northwestern over Central Michigan

Emerald Bowl
(Pac-10 No. 4 vs. ACC No. 5/6/7):

Florida St. over UCLA

PetroSun Independence
(SEC No. 8 vs. Big 12 No. 7):

Texas A&M over Mississippi St.

Pacific Life Holiday
(Pac-10 No. 2 vs. Big 12 No. 3):

Cal over Texas Tech

Texas
(Big 12 No. 8 vs. Conference USA):

Colorado over UTEP

Gaylord Hotels Music City
(ACC No. 5/6/7 vs. SEC No. 6):

Clemson over Alabama

Brut Sun
(Pac-10 No. 3 vs. Big 12/Notre Dame/Big East):

USC over Louisville

AutoZone Liberty
(Conference USA No. 1 vs. SEC No. 7):

Georgia over Tulsa

Insight
(Big 12 No. 6 vs. Big Ten No. 6):

Michigan St. over Oklahoma St.

Champs Sports
(ACC No. 4 vs. Big Ten No. 4/5):

Maryland over Wisconsin

Meineke Car Care
(Big East No. 3 vs. ACC No. 5/6/7):

Cincinnati over Virginia

Valero Alamo
(Big Ten No. 4/5 vs. Big 12 No. 4/5):

Penn St. over Kansas St.

Chick-fil-A
(ACC No. 2 vs. SEC No. 5):

Virginia Tech over Tennessee

Roady's Humanitarian
(WAC vs. ACC No. 8):

Hawaii over Georgia Tech

AT&T Cotton
(Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC No. 3/4):

Auburn over Texas

Outback
(Big 10 No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3/4):

South Carolina over Illinois

Gator
(ACC No. 3 vs. Big 12 No. 4/Notre Dame/Big East No. 2):

West Virginia over Wake Forest

Capitol One
(Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2):

Florida over Michigan

International
(MAC No. 3 vs. Big East No. 4):

UConn over Ball St.

GMAC
(Conference USA No. 2 vs. MAC):

East Carolina over Miami (OH)

Rose Bowl presented by Citi
(BCS vs. BCS):

Oregon over Oklahoma

Tostitos Fiesta
(BCS vs. BCS):

Arizona St. over Boston College

FedEx Orange
(BCS vs. BCS):

South Florida over Kansas
Allstate Sugar
(BCS vs. BCS):

Kentucky over Missouri

Allstate BCS Championship Game
(BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2):

LSU over Ohio St.

Hart 4 Heisman

What's up peeps. Words cannot describe how awesome Mike Hart is. But I'm sure this video will transform all of the none-believers:


But in all honesty, Mike Hart should at least be getting more credit this season for how he has carried the Michigan Wolverines on his powerful legs. He also sat out the second half in TWO games this year, and leads the nation in raw yards. What would his numbers look like if he had played? Who knows, but what we do know, is that he is much more Heisman worthy than people are giving him credit for. The only one who seems to know what he's talking about is my man Lee Corso.



It just seems like every year, the Heisman Trophy goes to a trendy pick, or a QB who will go #1 in the draft. Plus it's decided before the bowl games, which is lame. There is no way that Vince Young shouldn't have won it 2 years ago, just because he was clearly the college football MVP. If Mike Hart ends the year with the most yards, and Michigan wins the Big Ten, then there is absolutely no question that he should win, and it would be a travesty if he didn't. Here are a couple more vids to convince you. The last one is from his high school days. Amazing.

Rockin' All Over the World

Dude, the Rockies are crazy. With 21 wins in 22 games, and sweeping their way into the World Series, the Rockies have entered the ridiculous zone, and seem like this years' "destiny team". The Rockies joined the 1976 Big Red Machine as the only teams to start a postseason with seven straight wins, are the first team since the 1935 Chicago Cubs to win at least 21 of 22 after Sept. 1, according to Elias Sports Bureau. They're also only the fifth team ever to go from last place to the World Series in one year. What's even more unbelievable, is that they haven't even been all that dominating, as Eric Byrnes eluded to earlier in the series. But you don't have to be dominating to win, you just have to win. And that's what the Rockies have done, just win baby. It doesn't matter if the Diamondbacks had a few errors that led to big innings, or if Matt Holliday didn't touch the plate against the Padres in their play-in game, the Rockies just find a way to win the game, every time.

What has been dominating though is the pitching staff. Colorado's starters posted a 1.66 ERA in the series, the relievers shut down the late innings, and Manny Corpas leads all closers in the playoffs with 5 saves. Definitely not the Colorado we're used to, an average hitting team with a great pitching staff. But hey, they've finally figured out what works in Colorado with that big ballpark and then thin air. And do you think that either of those American League teams is excited about going to Colorado for the World Series? No way in hell. With pitchers who have rarely/never pitched in that kind of environment, fielders used to smaller outfields and guys like Manny and Big Papi having to run the bases in the cold, thin air, there is no way that the Indians and the Red Sox would be looking forward to playing 3 games in Colorado.

Now, I'll probably be rooting for the Rockies because they're an NL/West Coast team and we need some more national lovin', but their ascent this year has reminded me why the Dodgers piss me off, while other teams in the division do so well. The Rockies and Marlins both entered the league in 1993, and since then, the Marlins have won 2 World Series and the Rockies are now in the World Series. The Arizona Diamondbacks were an expansion team in 1998, and have already won a World Series ring. The other teams in the NL, the Giants and the Padres, have each made it to the World Series, in 2002 and 1998 respectively. Since their 1988 World Series victory, the Dodgers have won ONE playoff game, have won ZERO playoff series, and have made it to the playoffs only FOUR times in the 19 years since 1988, getting swept THREE(!) times. Unbelievable. Yet they are consistently second in attendance to the Yankees and around the top 8 or so in payroll. So yeah, it pisses me off when expansion teams have so much success in such a little time, and a historic and supposedly big ticket franchise has done diddly squat. It's so depressing it give their "Think Blue" slogan some poetic justice.

Loyola 17 - Chaminade 7

Loyola High School trekked out to L.A. Valley College for a "home game" Friday night, and came back with a much deserved 17-7 victory over Chaminade. Now, traditionally, we would expect Loyola to beat a team like Chaminade by 34 points or more, but we'll take what we can get this season, as the Cubs will have to fight for every victory this season. The good news is that the Loyola's "wolfpack" defense finally showed up for a game, and the Cubs did what they've always done well, play stout defense and grind out a win.

The Chaminade offense, led by Loyola transfer Ryan Griffin at QB, starting the game in their traditional spread formation. After gaining some advantage in field position, the Loyola offense took over after a Chaminade punt. Coach Kearin decided to depart from the pass and tried to establish the run early, with a consistent diet of senior Brian Rios. After trading a few punts, the Chaminade offense was winning the field position battle, and started a series inside Loyola territory. A few passes later, Chaminade found themselves attempting a long field goal on 4th down with 2 yards to gain. A Loyola penalty for 12 men on the field gave the Eagles new life, but the lapse in discipline didn't end up hurting the Cubs as they held the line on a 4th and short three plays later. The rest of the first quarter, Loyola kept trying to run the ball with Rios but were only able to make a few first downs on short yardage passes and roll outs.

In the second quarter, Loyola made the first break through when quarterback Stephen Rokus finally threw a pass over 5 yards, hitting senior wide receiver Dustin Rosenberg on a streak. Rosenberg blew by the DB on single coverage and caught the ball 30 yards on the fly and scampered for another 30 to the end zone. Despite not being able to move the ball much in the first half, the Cubs went into the locker room up 7-0 at half time.

The second half started with a significant change on offense, with Kearin turning to sophomore stud running back Anthony Barr, who has been recovering from a separated shoulder. He had the sidelines buzzing on the very first play as he took the hand off, made a quick move, and turned the corner gaining 8 yards while breaking about 6 tackles. The Loyola offense started to click as Barr took over the workload and began moving the chains. The Cubs running game made the 3rd quarter fly by, and produced a Mauricio Alfonso field goal to make the league 10-0.

The Loyola defense seemed to be in Griffin's face on nearly every pass play, and blitzed often. The strategy worked as when Griffin wasn't sacked, he was somewhat erratic when pressured, tending to overthrow his wide receivers. Even blind squirrels find a nut though, as Griffin hit a few long passes, Loyola committed a few costly penalties, and, after dominating most of the game, the Cubs found themselves only up by 3 after a Chaminade touchdown.

The Loyola sidelines felt a bit tense, especially when the Eagles had the ball and were driving in the 4th quarter. But a Loyola interception followed by key stops by nose guard Joe Goodwin and linebacker Sema'j Myles all but cemented a Loyola victory. The Cubs then looked to add to their lead and run out the clock as the took the over the ball with about 6 minutes to play. Loyola rode the legs of Barr, as he moved the chains and successfully wound down the clock with consistent 4 and 5 yard runs. The Cubs capped the drive, game, and night with a play-action touchdown pass to sophomore tight end John Young on a 4th and goal play from the 2 yard line with 30 seconds to go, bringing the final score to 17-7.

In all honesty, the Cubs outplayed Chaminade on this night. With a stifling and pursuing defense, commitment to the running game, and timely pass completions, Loyola deserved the win and the margin of victory could have been a bit more. It just goes to show, that these Cubs are not the Cubs of the early 2000s. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, those teams would have beaten this Chaminade team with more than enough points to spare. What did impress me was the last drive of the game, when the Cubs needed to secure the ball and move get first downs in order to run out the clock, they did just that. Just like the teams of old, the Cubs won the game in the fourth quarter. The Serra League will be very difficult for this team, and they may not win a game. But what we do know, is that although the sheer talent may not be present, the traditional Cub grit and determination will always be there, and that will give them a shot to win every game.

Loyola will travel to La Canada next week to play St. Francis High School. After growing up about a mile and a half away from St. Francis and having a few friends go there, AND never getting a chance to play them while at Loyola, I'll be there in full regalia to root on the Cubbies!

Week 6 NFL Quick Picks

Just the picks.....home teams in caps:

Bengals (-3) over CHIEFS

Texans (+6.5) over JAGUARS

BROWNS (-4.5) over Dolphins

Vikings (+5) over BEARS

Eagles (-3.5) over JETS

Rams (+9.5) over RAVENS

Redskins (+3) over PACKERS

Titans (+3) over BUCS

CARDINALS (-4.5) over Panthers

Raiders (+9.5) over CHARGERS

Saints (+6.5) over SEAHAWKS

Giants (-3.5) over FALCONS

Patriots (-5.5) over COWBOYS

Last week: 6-8

What's going on in College Football?

After recovering from "Black Saturday" here in L.A., I have some thoughts and realizations about college football in this country. First, let's start with our L.A. teams. So who had the worst weekend? UCLA gift wrapped Notre Dame's first win for them, while losing another quarterback in the process, leaving them with a Grizzly Adam's look-a-like walk-on QB who was honorable mention in his high school league. (In the LEAGUE!) Across town, USC's loss was one of the biggest of all time, losing to 41-point underdog, Stanford. It was the first Trojan loss at home since 2001, and they will be without John David Booty this upcoming Saturday.

UCLA season hinges on how fast Pat Cowan can recover from his injury. All reports are that he may be able to go by the Cal game next week, but you never know how fast someone will recover from such a severe injury. Cowan is clearly a better option than Ben Olson at this point, with or without Olson being injured. But that leaves UCLA with 3rd string walk-on McLeod Bethel-Thompson and 4th stringer, freshman Chris Forcier to hold down the quarterback position. This doesn't bode well for the Bruins, and the longer they are without Cowan, the closer to rock bottom they'll get. The bigger question for the Bruins, is how a top 25 coach put himself in this position? Some people have let Karl Dorrell off the hook because of the injuries to Olson and Cowan, but shouldn't they have more than a walk on for a third string quarterback? Shouldn't they be prepared for a worst case scenario? And shouldn't Bethel-Thompson be somewhat ready to go when he was the backup for the Notre Dame game? As soon as Olson went down, the Bruins were unable to call a pass play without having it ensue in a turnover. It's not like they needed an All-American to beat the Irish, they just needed someone who could hand it off, take a quick 3 step drop without getting sacked, and actually be able to take the snap from the center. Look at Stanford. They put in their back-up, and beat USC! The Bruins need Cowan back and they need him now.

USC on the other hand has a few different problems. But first, take a look at this video, with the quote at the end basically sounding like any USC fan I've ever met.



No USC fan would ever even conceive of losing to a team like Stanford, and they will surely let you know about it. Maybe you think that's a good thing, fans should be somewhat confident. But SC fans tend to take it the next step up, acting cockier, and more arrogant than any college fan base in America. Just like the school bully, the team needed a bit of humbling, and who knows, maybe it will change the attitude of the school and its fans. )And who doesn't like to so the "Pete Carroll face" after a loss I mean, trying going to http://www.petecarroll.com/ and not thinking that he's a smug asshole).....But back to the game.....Booty threw 4 picks and became the scapegoat for the fans, who seemed to overlook the Washington game which showed that the USC passing game isn't quite what it used to be, and the team is not as dominating as it had been in the past. Add a few extra mistakes against Stanford and TavitaPritchard playing lights out, and you have yourself an upset. Who knows what backup QB Mark Sanchez will give them, and if he will even be an improvement over an injured Booty. Besides the on-field troubles, the Reggie Bush situation has reared it's head again this week. I think USC just though, "If no one talks about it, maybe it will just go away". Well, this isn't going away, and is now going to be a full blown NCAA investigation. We don't have any clue what the outcome will be, but things look pretty fishy, and I wouldn't be very excited about how this will play out. It will probably drag on for a while, USC will get a few sanctions, have to "give up" a title or two, and then move on. But you never know, it could be as drastic as a Pete Carroll firing, and a complete program overhaul. Only time will tell with that situation, but look for the Trojans to have a tougher time this season in the Pac-10 than maybe people assumed.

In terms of college football in general, ESPN is calling this season, "the season of the upset". Why so many upsets this year? Is it an aberration? Are college football teams more even than ever before? What's the deal? My opinion is somewhat simple, and somewhat controversial. I think that the reason that the traditional powerhouses of college football have had a down year this year (or a down couple of years if you're Notre Dame or Stanford), is that a lot of mid-major or lower schools are getting more and more of the phenomenal athletes that are unable to academically qualify for the traditional schools. With our society placing more and more importance on athletic performance in high school, it's now O.K. to fail out of high school, go to a junior college for two years, transfer to a mid-major school, and try to make it in the NFL. The growing trend of JC transfers at lower tiered schools has created this paradox. Can't get into Notre Dame? That's O.K., you can go to a school who has lower standards of entrance and be just as successful.

As always, there are exceptions to the rule. Schools like BC and Cal are having great years and sill hold onto their academic integrity. That's true, but those teams are led by a couple of stars, not an entire team of them. Even the new age football powerhouses like LSU and Florida, have way less academic standards for their players that schools like Notre Dame, Stanford, BC, Cal, Michigan, UCLA, Northwestern, and others. This trend will continue, and we may have a different idea of who the traditional powerhouses are in the future. We'll also have entire classrooms filled with football players learning "ballroom dancing" like Matt Leinart a couple of years back.

Loyola High School

Here's the deal. So I remember being in college, thinking "I wonder how Loyola is doing this season?" Then I would search the internet for what felt like 12 years until I was left searching the 35 page archives of latimes.com trying to find the Loyola football score from two days earlier. The main website at Loyola is all good and well for the school, but doesn't do much to help quench the sports thirst of former players and people like me who want more than a scoreline. Yes they had Cubs Sports Online for a year or so but that only got updated for like a year and then dropped, so I thought, what the hell, I'm going to include Loyola in my radio station and make them a big part of it so that people like me will have a place to go for all Cubs sports. Hell, maybe in the future I will be able to broadcast live games over the internet, once this station is up and running. In the meantime, let's recap some Loyola High football.

Loyola High School has also had a tradition of sports excellence, and I'll let the stats speak for themselves:

Football: CIF AAAA/Div I Champs - 1962, 1963, 1975, 1990, 2003, 2005
Basketball: CIF AAAA/Div I-A Champs - 1954, 2002, 2003
Volleyball: CIF Div I Champs - 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1995, 2003, 2004, 2005
Cross Country: CIF Champs - 1984, 1985, 2002, 2004; CIF State Champs - 2002, 2004
Track: CIF Champs - 1984, 2000, 2003, 2004
Soccer: CIF Division I/Division II Champs - 1998, 2005, 2007
Golf: CIF Northern Div. Champs - 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005
Swimming/Diving: CIF Champs - 1984, 1994, 1996, 1997
Baseball: CIF Champs - 1954, 2007
Lacrosse: CIF Champs - 2006; Mission League Champs - 2007

Now, that's just championships. Most of them are in the top division in Southern California, which I would argue is one of the toughest if not the toughest in the country. I could list all of the runners up, but I already feel like Billy Bob Thornton with some sort of Friday Night Lights crazy football school. It's a little different than that, but the traditions remain the same. Half the team's Dad always seems to have played for the team or at least gone to the school. As you can tell, they are usually in contention every year, in most sports. Football dominates the scene though, as it does in the rest of the country.

Three years ago, Loyola went in a new direction after legendary coach Steve Grady stepped down. Grady had been the head football coach since 1976, and had won 2 CIF championships and done well in every season. Stepping into the role as head coach was alum Jeff Kearin, who started coaching at Loyola High School in 1980. After coaching there for 10 years, he left for the University of Southern California in 1991 under Head Coach Larry Smith and later with John Robinson. Jeff became offensive coordinator at Cal State Northridge in 1995. In 1999 he went with John Robinson to UNLV only to return as head coach at Northridge for 3 years until the program was eliminated in 2001. After that Kearin coached at Brophy Prep in Arizona, until leaving for Loyola in 2005. Kearin had tremendous success in his first season at Loyola, winning the CIF title in his very first year.

Coming off such a spectacular season, last year's season shocked many in the Loyola community. The Cubs failed to make the playoffs last year for the first time in 26 years, leaving fans to wonder what had gone wrong, and most people began to turn to the coach for some answers. Usually, there is a bit of a grace period for a coach following a championship season, something like 3-5 years, where the team can basically underacheive, and no one will blame the coach because he brought the school a championship a few years back. But to fall to such a depth, missing the playoffs for the first time in school history, Kearin basically completely bypassed his grace period.

So how have the Cubbies fared this year? With a lot of questions to answer at the beginning of the season, Kearin has left a few of them unanswered. The team is 2-3, including a devastating loss up north to the powerhouse known as Concord De La Salle (55-14). After regrouping to beat Dana Hills 22-0, the Cubs havn't been anything other than lackluster in losses to Dominguez High School (34-24) and Hart (21-13) in somewhat of a rivalry game. Loyola will try to refocus and save their season against an undefeated (but somewhat untested) Chaminade team this Friday at one of Loyola's many make-shift home fields, LA Valley College. With Chaminade being just up the 101 freeway and technically closer to Valley College than Loyola, expect a pretty good "away" support.

Look forward to more Loyola High School rants and raves to come, including pics and a recap from this week's game against Chaminade.

Interested in covering Loyola High School for Go Blue Radio? Email us at goblueradio@gmail.com . Go Cubs!

Lakers Season Preview

Finally, what you've all be waiting for....a Lakers preview! Brought to you by our new Lakers and NBA correspondent, Dan Noyes. He'll be bringing you game previews, reviews, power rankings, commentaries and more likely than not, a few tirades about the Buss family. Leave him a comment and let him know what you think about Kobe and Co.

"At the beginning of every fall, right around the time I start to forget about another late season Dodger debacle, and when the football season is just starting to take shape, the roundball begins to bounce and I begin to get giddy for another season of Lakers basketball, the one team I support that actually gave me something to cheer about when I was growing up. But how quickly things change. It seems like just yesterday I was basking in the glory of back to back to back championships. Now the Lake Show is just trying to sneak in the back door of the playoffs and avoid being swept by the Phoenix Suns.

Now you may think there are several factors that go into why the Lakers have had such a drastic fall from grace. Coaching, injuries, Shaq, Mitch, etc. etc. But the real reason behind the Lakers' struggles for the past 4 seasons is what me and Derek Fisher like to refer to as the "Curse of Chick." The Lakers legendary broadcaster passed away the summer after their third title... and since then, all we in Lakerland have had to endure is... a sexual assault case, an embarrassing loss to the Pistons in the finals, the trading of one of the top 5 players of all time, a losing season, two first round playoff exits, and the best player on the planet demanding to be traded. I just want it to be known that it’s not just franchises who haven't won in 100 years that have curses. Winners have them too. And now that D-Fish is back in the purple and gold., he and I will try to end the 5 year “Curse of Chick” in 2008. Curse or no curse, let's take a look at where the Lakers 07-08 season is headed.

Who’s Gone / Who’s New

Gone: And thank God, Smush Parker.

New: And thank God, Derek Fisher.

Javaris Crittenton

And maybe Coby Karl, Marc Gasol, or Sun Yue.

Position Overview:

Center: Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown & Chris Mihm

I have always felt we don’t need one “great” center (we had the best ever and traded him), but just two that could put up “good” center numbers. If Bynum has developed like I’ve heard, and if Kwame Brown can stay healthy and catch the ball, and if Chris Mihm can get up to speed; all BIG IF’s, we have the pieces. If the three can combine for 20 points and 15 rebounds a night…I’ll be satisfied. Nothing great, but productive. Personally I say play them all until one proves the job is his.

Forwards: Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, Brian Cook, Maurice Evans, Vladimir Radmonivic & Ronny Turiaf.

While it may not be the deepest or most talented group in the league, the unit can be effective, again IF healthy. Odom is coming off a second shoulder surgery and will miss all of camp. But when healthy he is easily our second best player and is the lone other Laker who can create his own shot….

Walton must prove he is durable enough to last an entire season playing big minutes. He started off well last year but fizzled after coming back from an ankle injury. Walton is an excellent passer who understands the offense and the game in general.

As for the reserves….Cook is always a threat from the outside but needs to be more consistent and take a pay cut….Evans is athletic and a good defender. Mo was one of the pleasant surprises from last year….Vlad Rad’s hand was hurt even before his snow accident and he couldn’t shoot. I’m hearing that he’s healthy now and I’m praying that he might actually make a shot or two this season (and the following 3 he is signed for).…Turiaf is easily my second or third favorite Laker. He provides instant energy on and off the bench. It is clear his 4 years in college served him well, even to the point last year where he was better than Bynum and Brown.

Guards: Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, Javaris Crittenton, Sasha Vujajic, & ??????

Kobe Bryant remains as the best overall basketball player in the city, state, league, country, world, you name it. The best there is, period. However he is a bit of a prick so he’s had trouble finding teammates who are both talented and willing enough to play along side him. And as recently as this summer, Kobe felt that his current team didn’t fit one or both of those criteria. He has since apologized and only time will tell how sincere he was. All I know is that he wants to win. And he certainly has the ability to take the team a long way if he can find that ever elusive balance of scoring and involving his teammates.

When I found out Derek Fisher was getting out of his contract in Utah I almost started doing back flips. I instantly knew he would be signed by the Lakers. He always was and will be a Laker (and will forever reside in my living room posing in mid air after releasing that 0.4 second shot against the Spurs—autographed no less). Fish will provide a steadying force on and off the court. He is professional, respectable and above all knows how to deal with Kobe. The Lakers are counting on him to distribute, play defense, and hit his jumper with relative consistency. Whatever happens, he is clearly an upgrade over Smush Parker.

The crew of back-up point guards returns with one more added to the bunch. An apparently much improved Farmar is back. Jordan was kind of thrown to the wolves last year but held his own.…You can always appreciate Sasha’s effort, but no matter what happens I always seem to end up yelling “What the $@#!? SASHA!”....The rookie Crittenton comes in fairly highly touted. He is athletic, tall and is a natural PG. However we all know how Phil feels about rookies.

There is one roster spot available and it will be settled during camp. Early reports on George Karl’s son is that he has nice stroke. All are long shots fighting for a spot on injured reserved (until Kwame gets hurt).

Pre-Season Goals

The Lakers’ training camp started last week in Hawaii, but the team can ill-afford to take a vacation when they are in the islands. A lot of questions remain about the team, and this preseason will be an indicator if whether or not Laker fans should even bother tuning into a telecast this season.

The number one burning issue is health. The Lakers did well last year when healthy, well enough that they made no moves this off season because management actually likes their "healthy roster" and thinks they can actually win. Big questions still remain. Lamar Odom is still recovering from shoulder surgery and K-Lame Brown is still working his way back from ankle surgery. Although neither should miss time in the season, not having the time to get in shape and develop with their teammates will hurt. In addition the Lakers can ill afford any more injuries during camp.

The other question surrounding the Lakers as they approach the season involves their star, best player, and often times their worst headache. Kobe Bryant demanded a trade and blasted the organization this off season (and can you really blame him?). I know he's since retracted, but some things are just not forgotten. I know when #24 walks on the court he is a cold blooded killer and just wants to win, but when Andrew Bynum drops passes and Luke Walton gets beat for a lay-up how will he react? Will he be the team leader we need him to be, or will he run to the papers and demand that moves be made? Only time will tell, and it will also tell how long Kobe will be wearing a Laker’s uniform.

What to Expect

After an off season that garnered more attention for the tirades and rants than it did for free agent signings and blockbuster trades, the Lakers most likely did not put themselves back into championship contention.

However, as bad as this may sound, I actually understand what Mitch and the boys are doing. Winning takes time. You must learn to lose before you can win. The Lakers teams of old got swept from the playoffs for years before they finally won. This Laker team is no different. The core of the team has made it to the playoffs twice and lost. If we were to rebuild, it would take at least three or four more years for the new team to grow, mesh, build, fail and then finally succeed. For now we are hoping that the current team stays healthy and takes the next step, not the finals step, but at least win a playoff series step.

The window of opportunity to ride the best player ever is actually quickly closing. Kobe can no longer afford another rebuilding project. The Lakers did that. Maybe it could have been done a little better, but it’s done. We now have to ride it out and see if Kobe can embrace his teammates, see if Phil can teach and will them, and finally see if anyone wants to go along for the ride (Lamar?).

I see the Lakers finishing 6th in the West at 46-36 and advancing to the second round of the playoffs after pulling a first round upset. It's not the Finals that we have come to know and expect, but it’s a step in the right direction and enough to keep number #24 around for at least one more year.

Watch out for my Pre-Season NBA Power Rankings coming up next week."

-- Dan Noyes

Who's The Boss?

With the Yankees loss last night, the baseball world may not know how to cope with the lack of Yankees exposure in the national media. At least Boston is still around, so expect to be on Red Sox overload over the next few weeks. The Yankees loss will bring a lot of change for that club, starting with the manager, Joe Torre. George Steinbrenner made the ridiculous ultimatum, with the Yankees down 0-2 in a 5 game series, that either the Yankees somehow win 3 straight games, or Joe Torre is gone. After 12 years with the Yankees and 4 World Series, that's how this guy gets treated? I know the Yankees are expected to win every year, but come on. This guy could easily win the AL Manager of the Year award for bringing the Yankees back into the playoffs from out of nowhere, and then he gets the ax at the end of the year. I understand that if I paid as much for a baseball team as Steinbrenner goes, I would expect a bit more than a first round exit, but I still think you don't do somebody like that, especially when he has been the face of the organization for 12 years.


The Yankees will also have a few big name free agents, not to mention Alex Rodriguez' contract allowing him to opt out this year. The Yankees are getting younger and younger, and have a good group of young pitchers that have just come out of their farm system, and a core group of young fielders who have produced this year. I don't feel like taking the time to name them, but look for the Yankees to go a little younger with their roster and possibly let some of their veterans go.


So what's gonna happen with A-Rod? Obviously, no one can offer him what the Yankees can offer him in an extension, which is what the Yankees will need to do if they want to keep him. If he opts out, I highly doubt that the Yankees would then try to sign him. If he opts out, it's probably because a deal is already in place somewhere else. I think it's about a 50/50 chance whether he stays or leaves. I don't think the money is as big an issue as it used to be, because there are other teams out there that will pay him similar money, I think the big issue comes down to whether or not he wants to stay on a changing Yankees team, or if he's had enough of the New York scene.

In the meantime, Frank McCourt (Dodgers Owner), please get on the phone with Scott Boras and whoever Joe Torre's agent is. The Dodgers need a third baseman, and Torre would be about 10 million times better than Grady Little. Little is utterly terrible as he showed the world again last season, and needs to be swept under the carpet. The Dodgers have a high payroll, but it's nowhere close to what the Yankees pay. The Dodgers are second in attendance, but not second in payroll. I know we don't want to become the Yankees, but as Boston has shown, you need a big payroll to win in this game. Signing A-Rod would dramatically help the Dodgers, and I would almost guarantee a play-off series victory with him and Torre. Let's go McCourt, make it happen. Alright, no more Yankees talk for a while.


MLB Predictions


Rockies over Diamondbacks in 6

Red Sox over Indians in 7

Rockies over Red Sox in 7