Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Go Blue Radio College Bowl Pool

Only a few more days to get into the action! Go to ESPN College Bowl Mania and sign up. It's all too easy, pick the games, rate them in order of confidence, with your higher confidence games receiving the highest number of points. Submit your picks, and the join the Go Blue Radio group! The Go Blue Radio group is affectionately titled "Go Blue Radio", and the password is, "goblueradio". Simple stuff. Sign up, invite friends, and annoy everyone you love by watching 32 straight bowl games.







And if you're not excited to see Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators beat the Wolverines by about 40 points, then you should look youself in the mirror my friend.


Finally, here's a picture that pretty much sums up the title game:










Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Hot Rod

The University of Michigan ended their mid-life coaching crisis by buying a Hot Rod. West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez was introduced Monday as Michigan's new head football coach, their alleged third choice. Seeing as how it seems as though Michigan scrambled to find a coach after being turned down twice, most people seem to think that this is a great move, maybe even better than those other two choices. I am reserving judgement for a few reasons. First, I definitely did not know his name before a few weeks ago, that's never a good sign. Secondly, he's not Les Miles. Third, the move leaves me with a "hey, maybe this will work" feeling rather than a "holy shit, we are going to be unstoppable now" feeling. Now, I'm not saying that this move won't work, I'm just saying I can't pinpoint how I feel about this move.

That being said, here's a few reasons why this move may in fact be the move Michigan has been needing:

- He's young enough to be a long term solution for Michigan, not just a stop-over guy or an old standby.

- He took West Virginia from basically an also ran program to a National Championship contender, and a lock BCS team.

- He basically pioneered the spread offense, something that I think will put Michigan ahead of every Big Ten team. He will bring an exciting, and not to mention effective in the college game, system to the Big House. Not to mention the fact that he can teach the defense the best ways to actually stop it. (Maybe tackling someone might work, just a thought)

- The fact that he wanted to come to Michigan, encourages me, even if it's just a little bit. It maybe have been West Virginia's bad management, unwillingness to accommodate Rodriguez's contractual issues, or their general ineptitude as an athletic department, but whatever led Rodriguez to seek greener pastures is fine by me. At least I know that Michigan has the wherewithal to know how to create and update their facilities, how to handle their coaching staffs, and how to run as a successful athletic department.

- Finally, Not only did he want to come to Michigan, but he and his staff that he brought are so excited, they have begun planning and recruiting already. Terrelle Pryor, the No. 1 high school football recruit in America according to Rivals.com, has added Michigan to the list of schools he might choose to attend because of Rodriguez. Pryor is a 6-6, 235-pound dual-threat quarterback with 4.4 speed out of Jeannette, Pa. Pryor, who listed Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and West Virginia as his favorites to attend as of Sunday, told Superprep.com to “add Michigan to my list” following a conversation with Rodriguez. Now, if he lands this kid, not only will he convince me, but he will convince every single Wolverine fan. Not only would he get the #1 recruit, but he would basically be pulling this kid away from Ohio St. and Penn St. out of nowhere, all in one fail swoop. Here's some highlights from Pryor to get you excited:




Friday, December 14, 2007

The Ultimate Mooch

So Jessica Alba announced this week that she's been knocked up. She's a craptastic actress and her entire career is based on the fact that she's ridiculously hot and has a bangin' body, so why NOT ruin it by getting pregnant? Honestly, how do these things happen?! I mean, seriously, do people in Hollywood not understand how birth control works?! An inordinate amount of those idiots seem to end up producing bastard babies that come back to haunt us after 20 years with their 'Look at me! I have no skills! Weeeeeeee!' attitudes and their shitty fragrance lines.


Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
"I've got you my pretty...hahahahahahahahaha!"

At least in the case of Jessica Alba I think I know what happened. I'm no Nancy Drew but I'm pretty sure that Cash Warren must have poked some holes in his condoms or replaced her birth control pills with aspirin or PROMISED to pull out. Kevin Federline wrote the book on how to mooch off of a rich bitch for the rest of your life and you can bet your ass Cash has read every word. Hats off to you sir. This is how the game of life is won.

The Mitchell Report

The day every baseball fan had been waiting for came and went, stopping only to leave a bitter taste in most people's mouth, and leaving everyone with more questions needing to be asked. But in reviewing the report, and considering the reaction by the media and some players, it's clear that most people involved in Major League Baseball are unwilling to clean up and legitimize a sport that is supposed to be America's favorite. It also shows that the players, through the Players Association, have entirely too many rights. In what other sport do the players hold more rights than in baseball? None. NFL players can get signed and dropped at a moments notice. But for some reason, Darren Dreifort can collect $55 million while rotting on the injured reserve, laughing all the way to the bank. If the players were entirely concerned about ridding baseball of steroids, then adopt IOC/more effective testing methods.

In the real world, most people have to get drug tested before they're hired by their employer. If you fail, you don't get the job. It's that easy. If you're found to be doing drugs while being employed, you get fired. Why should it be different for baseball? Oh no, but let's not give these baseball players any punishments. If you and a fellow co-worker are vying for the same promotion, and you know that the other guy has been lying about his performance, or cheating in some way, and then he gets the promotion, are you telling me that you're not going to be mad? Not going to do anything about it?

And let's not be naive here. If a host of players are sending checks to the same guy, a known performance enhancing drug dealer, we can assume that they know what they are getting into and are now involved in a paper trail. We can also assume that the drugs are intended for consumption. So you bought all of those steroids and just didn't take any? Really? Get real.

Don't even get me started on this due process nonsense either. If I show up to work drunk and get fired, where's the due process? It doesn't exist there, and shouldn't exist anywhere outside of a court of law. These guys aren't getting arrested, they're just possibly getting suspended or kicked out of baseball, their job. Baseball players don't need due process or any of this legal bullcrap, that the Players Association or these "legal analysts" on ESPN are spewing. Stop trying to defend these players! They should be rooting them out of the game, figuring out the most effective drug testing, and moving on.

As for the credibility, these guys that gave up most of the names are in some legal trouble already, and are in some serious trouble if they lie, so where's there incentive to lie? What would compel these guys to name some right names, as evidence by the guys who admitted drug use, and then lie about others? That doesn't make any sense.

Something else not to be naive about. Yes this is a lengthy list of players, but it basically only deals with one drug dealer, one strength coach, and one drug lab already being investigation by the government. So if you think that steroids and HGH stops with these guys, you are severely delusional. So you're telling me there's no where to get steroids in Chicago? In the Midwest? In the South? Just like life, some criminals get caught, and some don't. Imagine if every clubhouse attendant had given up names, or if players other than Jose Canseco and a few others had told about their use, and their teammates use. But no, there's this unwritten code: "Don't squeal." The players have to be macho, have to look out for each other. I understand that, they don't want to give up friends. OK, fine. But there's gotta be a few guys out there whose dreamed stopped in AAA, because they were man enough not to take performance enhancing drugs.

On a personal, I was somewhat saddened by the reports about Paul LoDuca and Eric Gagne. Both were my favorite Dodgers at the time they were here, and both seemed to be the classiest of guys. I remember some of my favorite times in high school were at Dodger games with friends, watching Gagne strut out to "Welcome to the Jungle", and see him mow down hitters in the 9th inning. But that's tainted now. I won't be able to look back at those days with the same enthusiasm, because I know it was a sham. Looking back, it seems all too obvious. A 9 year minor leaguer finally making the big leagues and splashing onto the scene by hitting over .300 and knocking over 25 homers. A terrible starting pitcher suddenly becoming an unhittable closer and winning the NL Cy Young while setting a new saves streak record. Just like Rick Ankiel this year, those feel good stories are now cheating stories, and the records and awards are being questioned.

Finally, maybe it says something about the day that we live in, or maybe it's just an encapsulation of what Major League Baseball is, but think about this: The greatest hitter and pitcher of our time are both cheaters.

Now Jose Canseco is going on radio and TV saying that he was surprised that Alex Rodriguez wasn't named in the report, and that his new book will shed more light on his insinuations. All I can say now is, I won't be surprised.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

College Football Bowl Season

Get excited people, College Football Bowl Season is upon us. 32 bowls over (almost) 21 straight days has me giddier than Danny Ainge after saving his career by swindling Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett for pennies on the dollar. Here's a few links to get you a bit excited:


First, check out ESPN's new Playoff Simulator you can make the rankings or use pre-existing rankings, and it predicts a winner. It's pretty fun, includes upsets, and generally doesn't have the same winner because the matchups change. Give it a whirl and see what you can come up with.


Second link is for our first Go Blue Radio contest. Go to ESPN's College Bowl Mania, sign up a team, and join the "Go Blue Radio" private group, with the password "goblueradio". Pride is on the line for this one, so pick the games, decide how confident you are for each pick, and rank them in that order. The winner will be announced after the championship game. Good Luck, invite friends, and GO BLUE!


Now for my picks, although I will keep the confidence points for the College Bowl Mania contest.



Friday, December 7, 2007

NBA Power Rankings.... Part II

I apologize for the long wait... but it took me a while to actually subscribe to the Internet at my new apartment after I was intercepting it for so long. But now I am back in (thanks to Comcast and $35.oo a month) and ready to talk hoops.


We are just about a quarter of the way through the NBA and there a fair share of surprises... the Orlando Magic... disappointments... the Miami Heat... and those who are tearing it up, just like we expected... the new-look Celtics and of course the hated Spurs.


As for the team wearing the Purple & Gold... a quick start got everyone in Lakerland excited, and a few poor games got everyone off the wagon. The thing about the NBA is.... it's a long season and you can never get too up or too down.


In terms of the team itself, the play of some of the younger guys has been encouraging. Jordan Farmar and Andrew Bynum are vastly improved and make the years beyond Kobe not look so bleak. A year of experience and off season conditioning can work wonders for players and it certainly has for these two.


Guys like Vlad-Rad, Ronny Turiaf, and Sasha are all much improved as well. The Radman is actually healthy and making shots. He still isn't quite worth what we are paying him, but if he continues to play like he did last night against the Nugs he certainly will be.


Kobe is still Kobe and that is expected, no matter what the situation or circumstances. Walton and Lamar's play have both been up and down. One minute they look great and the next Odom is clanking threes. I would like for Odom to take more shots close to the basket... but with Bynum down low there is only so much room. Regardless, him and Luke need to be consistent if we are to have any chance.


As for the oft injured "K-Lame" Brown, he still sucks offensively, but he is an important part of the team. It's no coincidence the team lost three straight after his injury. And Phil would agree, Kwame brings a big body and will bang down low. Who cares if he can't catch the ball. In addition, if he can play I won't be throwing up as much as I am now, watching Chris Mihm.


As for the biggest off-season acquisition, Derek Fisher, his steadying influence cannot be appreciated enough. Our former starting PG (Smush) was recently charged with assaulting a parking attendant over ten bucks... enough said. D-Fish brings toughness, intensity, shooting, defense, and knowledge of the game. God I love him.


Anyways... I didn't like to see Mo Evans get traded, but Cook had to go. Trevor Ariza has some potential and is extremely athletic. If he can just somewhat figure out the offense he will certainly help. Last night's win in Denver was huge, and showed that the team is headed in the right direction. When we get Kwame back and Turiaf recovers from a concussion... I think we can be a force in the West. And speaking of the West, it's as tough as ever but the East is quickly gaining ground. Here is where everyone stands as of December 6th.

LOTTERY BOUND

30. Timberwolves (2-14) Team with league's worst record finding out how difficult life is without the Big Ticket.

29. Sonics (4-15) No one said Durant's job would be easy. Looking to book to Oklahoma before they get kicked out.

28. Sixers (5-13) Never a good sign when your GM gets fired in season.

27. Clippers (6-11) Losers of 7 straight missing Brand more than ever.

26. Knicks (6-11) Losing Isiah... and half the roster would be a good idea.

25. Bobcats (6-11) Still trying to build, but heading in the wrong direction

24. Grizzlies (6-12) Team has too much talent to be this bad.

23. Trailblazers (6-12) Young team has talent but missing the man in the middle.

BETTER TURN IT AROUND SOON... AND I MEAN SOON

22. Heat (4-13) Get the benefit of the doubt because Wade was hurt. Shaq a year older and slower... but still a force.

21. Hawks (7-10) Young talent improving, but still a couple of veteran players away from competing.

20. Bulls (5-11) Kobe rumors had them distracted. Got off to a slow start last year too, should come around.

19. Kings (7-10) Kevin Martin out for six weeks isn't helping the cause.

18. Nets (9-10) Kidd refusing to play to force a trade. See link below to find out how to solve this problem.

17. Bucks (8-9) Yi ain't no Yao. Disappointing start but in the East they're in contention.


PLAYOFFS?? - WELL, IT IS THE EASTERN CONFERENCE


16. Cavs (9-11) Lebron playing out of his mind before getting hurt. Need him back ASAP.

15. Pacers (9-10) Watching them makes me glad Lakers hung on to Bynum.

14. Wizards (9-9) Miss Arenas, but Caron Butler filling in nicely and making Lakers pay for that boneheaded trade.

13. Raptors (10-9) Team doesn't play much D and can't survive too long without Chris Bosh.



LOOKING FRISKY

12. Rockets (10-9) Will it be another year of high expectations and disappointment? Looks like it could be. Time for people to realize T-Mac has never won in the playoff and never will.

11. Nuggets (11-8) Crazy talent, but team plays absolutely no defense. Gets league's award for most tatoos per player.

10. Lakers (11-8) Some big wins and terrible losses. Team still getting better and improving.

9. Hornets (12-7) Chris Paul one of the best PG's in a conference loaded with them.

8. Warriors (10-8) Looked like last year's playoff run was a fluke... until they got Stephen Jackson back and ran off 7 straight.


CONTENDERS


7. Mavs (12-7) Struggled early last season and finished just fine. I think Dirk is still having nightmares of Baron Davis and Co.

6. Pistons (13-5) Starting five as good as any. There window to repeat as champs may have passed.

5. Jazz (13-6) I still hate the Jazz, but Deron Williams makes it hard to do so.

4. Magic (16-4) Dwight Howard is an absolute man child. My early season pick for MVP.

3. Suns (15-4) No surprise here, but can they beat the Spurs come playoff time?

2. Celtics (15-2) Beast of the East looks as good as advertised. Expect to see them in the Finals.

1. Spurs (16-3) Reigning champs picking up right where they left off. No surprise there.

So there you have it. NBA Power Rankings The Sequel.
A couple of random thoughts... I can't wait for next Friday... I will get to see my first ever Laker road game... this one in Golden State... should be a good one.
And check out this link... the solution to Jason Kidd's problems and a way for the Lakers to compete right now for a title.

Peace.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Dodgers sign Andruw Jones

After sitting at the winter meetings in Nashville this week seemingly with his thumb up his ass the entire time, Dodgers' GM Ned Colletti somehow mustered up the energy to make a move, signing Gold Glove center fielder Andruw Jones to a two year deal. After reading this article a couple of days ago, I was more than resigned to another year of waiting and hoping for the combination of young/unproven and old/past it players to try and get a playoff spot. It seemed as if Colletti was not only not trying, but didn't seem to care that the "sit and wait" attitude was starting to make Dodger fans run their head into blunt objects, or worse, start wondering how he could score tickets to Beckham's first game next season. I started to wonder myself just how quickly the pitching would fall off, or how many games Russell and Rafael could win by themselves before it starting going south.


But with yesterday brought new excitement. The Dodgers improved their lineup without giving up anything. Yeah it's a bit over what he's worth, but who cares, he's still good and the Dodgers are a team that can overspend. No more Juan-for-four Pierre patrolling centerfield? Yes please. A perennial Gold Glover with 50 HR potential and 7 seasons with at least 30 HRs? Sign me up! We all know no one is dumb enough to take Pierre off of our hands, so that leaves Torre to sit either Ethier or Kemp each night, or trade one of them for a pitcher (preferably Ethier). I personally like Jones more than Aaron Rowand, and think that this provides the Dodgers with at least the best lineup in the NL West. Not only that, but apparently he WANTED to come to LA, and that played a big part in the signing. Now all we need is the pitching, and with no good starters available as free agents, it looks like they will have to make a trade. I'm not as high on Kemp as everyone else seems to be, but I would not trade him for anyone except Santana. Plain and simple. Don't even get me started on the 3B search either. (Brandon Inge, WTF?!)

At least the Dodgers are staying in the mix, keeping the interest level up, and letting the fans know that they are willing to improve the club each year. Now if they can only get us some pitching, we'll look like a contender.

P.S. - In ironic fashion, the Dodgers biggest offseason free agent signee is on the DL already, as Joe Torre underwent knee replacement surgery this week. Hopefully not a sign of things to come......

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Rumblings & Grumblings

I hate Dell. Apparantly, I'm not alone either. My Dell laptop crashed recently, unable to get past the initial startup, ruining my blogging and creating an upheaval of mythical proportions. OK, it wasn't that bad, but as you all know, it sucks not having a computer at home. Dell's blow, as this is my third Dell that has crashed on me, forcing me to revert back to what feels like the stone ages. Even worse, I'm paying for an internet connection that I'm not using. Now I know most of you don't really care about that, but hey, this is my blog and I can bitch if I want to. Here are some thoughts on recent events in the sporting world.


Last nights game in Baltimore was entirely too tragic, and if every team decided to gift-wrap the Patriots a victory, do we even need to watch the end of the season? I'm just waiting for that Dolphins game in a few weeks, where you can just feel the poetic justice eminating from that matchup. A winless Dolphin team, against an undefeated Patriots team. It just has to happen during that game doesn't it? Just like the Dolphins beating the then undefeated Bears in 1985, it just has to happen? Doesn't seem very likely, but don't those things just happen in sports?

The Lakers continue to be an enigma, just good enough for everyone not to be on their case all of the time, and just crappy enough to lose to teams they shouldn't and get blown out by teams like Utah. Kobe has been up and down, Lamar still blows, Mihm looks like a crappy Radmonovic, and even Fisher has been a turnover machine. If it wasn't for Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar both blowing up and really killing other teams' second units, the Lakers would be far worse off than they actually are. I still think they need a trade, a shake up for a good power forward. Mitch, get rid of Lamar, I'm begging you.


Time for college bowl season boys and girls! Our first Go Blue Radio contest is upon us as well! In the future you can expect prizes and other giveaways but for now, just your pride is at stake. Go to ESPN College Bowl Mania and sign up. It's all too easy, pick the games, rate them in order of confidence, with your higher confidence games receiving the highest number of points. Submit your picks, and the join the Go Blue Radio group! The Go Blue Radio group is affectionately titled "Go Blue Radio", and the password is, "goblueradio". Simple stuff here people. Sign up, invite friends, and test you manhood (or womanhood).

After their disappointing football season that saw them lose every league game, and miss the playoffs for the second straight year, the Loyola Cubs turn to the basketball season with high hopes. After winning their first two games at the Redondo Union High School tournament, they went on to lose two straight in the later rounds of the tournament. They have a 4 game tournament in El Segundo this week, and I hopefully plan on attending a game or two to give you some analysis. The Cubs have a highly touted 6-8 junior Hollis Thompson, who I've heard and read great things about and am pumped to see him in person. High School basketball is always a good time, and hopefully Loyola has something going on this year.

Finally, as the baseball winter meetings start heating up, I feel like I'm having deja vu all over again. It seems like every year, the Dodgers are one of the 3-4 names listed in every single major trade. Yet inevitably, they never make any of those trades, and just sit tight or pull or weird trades for utility infielders or relievers just so they can say they did SOMETHING. It's a broken record at this point, and only making a solid move for a starter/3rd baseman would suffice to change the attitude of the club. Cause as it stands now, they're no better off than they were a year ago, with a few less players in the mix. I'm tired of seeing the Angels get every good player they want and make the necessary changes they need to compete, and even more tired of seeing the Red Sox and Yankees engage in their annual pissing contest until one of them pees on the MLB long enough and a crappy team unloads their best player for what seems like pennies. Like I said, deja vu all over again.

Hopefully I get a computer soon and can get back on schedule, but in the meantime look forward to some more great pieces from my other writers, including a NBA Power Rankings.