Behind the Books & Back…

So you maybe asking yourself did the Nets really just get there first win? You also might be asking yourself, where the hell has Ross Geiger been covering the NBA?!?!

Well…Long story short, six classes, 18 credit hours, and the life of a student at Marquette have gotten the best of my dedication when it comes to the semester winding down. We’ve all heard the saying, “the books comes before the ball”, well maybe not everyone, but you feel me. But don’t you fellow blog readers worry, just because I haven’t been posting my daily scores and thoughts, I have been keeping up with all my NBA on top of all the books. After all, anyone who knows anything about me knows Mr. NBA can’t live without the game! So let’s catch up people.

Derrick Rose: Sixth rows from the floor at the Bulls at Bucks game last Monday, Rose had me sold. The Derrick Rose as we know him is officially back, the explosiveness and scoring bursts are back. While the Jennings vs. Rose matchup was enticing make no mistake who got revenge, Derrick Rose.

Allen Iverson: Other than New York, there’s no better solution for The Answer himself than Philly. Love the pickup for the struggling 76ers looking for something to go their way. Well have no fear A.I. is here and has a lot to prove to the skeptics. Is he the Iverson of old? Of course not but you’d be a fool with you don’t think Iverson can have an immediate impact on the floor for the Sixers who desperately need another guard after loosing Lou Williams for two months.

Earl Boykins: Just like many NBA players, I often overlook Mr. Boykins. But Boykins’s veteran leadership is not only an X-Factor the Wizards were beggin’ for,  but he also surprisingly helps keep the media off the Wizards chemistry problems with their stars. As far as that situation goes, the odd man out Caron Butler should seek an exit. If his teammates fail to appreciate what he brings on a nightly basis, he’s worthy of a trade to another team. I’d like to make note that a nice destination for Caron Butler would be a homecoming for the Racine, Wisconsin native, Milwaukee. Why not return home and help push the Bucks over the hump.

Ersan Ilyasova: Speaking of Bucks, it’s about time we start discussing the play of Ersan Ilyasova. The 22 year-old currently in his 2^nd stint in the NBA looks like his 2^nd stint is the real deal. Ilyasova is underrated in all aspects of his game. From his defensive presence, attack on the glass, ability to put the ball on the floor getting to the rim, and of course his shot touch from the perimeter must be recognized. I waited an entire month to make sure it was legit and let me tell you folks, it surely is. Ilyasova not only has replaced Charlie Villanueva in the Bucks lineup, but he offers them much more than CV31 ever would, ever could.

Amare Stoudemire: “Seeking a winner” sorry Suns fans but this one really irritates me. I propose Amare becomes a winner before actively seeking a winner. The STAT man himself has been mediocre at best this season. Amare please wipe the fog off your goggles and see your game logs clearly. That’s all I gotta say.

Bulls/Knicks Trade: All aspects of this trade benefit the New York Knicks and as I fantasy owner of Al Harrington, I’m very concerned. While it’s strange to say this Jerome James is a great reacquisition for the Knicks and to throw the young Tyrus Thomas into the deal makes it that much better. Truthfully, I don’t really see Chicago being a great situation for Harrington, but what do I know, I mean Vinny Del Negro is still somehow their head coach.

Milwaukee Bucks: Bucks fans, Brandon Jennings fans, and anyone whose curious on the Bucks early success, don’t hold your breath. Bill Simmons you’re still wrong, but the Bucks are in a growing world of trouble. Their upcoming schedule is anything but promising. While the Bucks are always up for a good fight and battle for 48 minutes, they’ve shown an early inability to find a way to win down the stretch of games. Jennings must find that same mentality to he found at the beginning of the year even with the new defensive strategies teams have taken on him. Can the Bucks sneak into the playoffs this year? Of course, but they must find a way to finish games strong.

Phoenix Suns: My expertise on the Phoenix Suns has been fading about as fast as Usain Bolt (did I spell that right?). But I do know one thing, the Suns theme song this season will be Katy Perry’s hit song “Hot & Cold”. Live and die by the three pointers, lack of defense, and aging stars Suns fans are in for an always exciting rollercoaster ride of ups and down. But as all Phoenicians know, the Suns won’t get to the Castle rather hitting the Coaster come playoff time.

New Jersey Nets: I’ve told Chris Douglas-Roberts numerous times throughout the week that the Nets would win their first game shortly. While the Nets are a laughing matter and rightfully so, that young bunch plays too hard. I got nothing but respect for those group of guys to hang in there through it all and although they made history, it will make them closer as a team. It’s tough to see my favorite NBA coach, Lawrence Frank fired because it wasn’t his fault. But the Nets made the right move, a move that will ultimately help the team move forward after complete embarrassment.

World Cup Draw

For those of you who have not looked at ESPN lately and have not been paying attention to World Cup news, the Draw was today and gave us plenty to look forward to. Let’s break it down group by group.

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

This was an unfortunate draw for host South Africa. They are probably the worst team among the four and although they will have a distinct home-field advantage, their work is cut out for them. France has all sorts of talent but has been inconsistent in qualification. They should advance here, but if Domenech cannot get his men together then Uruguay or South Africa could take their spot. Mexico looks like the other team out of the group. They are experienced, talented and definitely could have gotten a worse draw. Uruguay boasts Athletico Madrid’s Diego Forlan, but are otherwise made up of surprising youngsters and crafty veterans. They could pull an upset, but I would not bet the house on it. My Prediction: 1. Mexico 2. France

Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece

Worth the price of admission

Argentina is clearly the class of this group, but that is to be expected since they are the seeded team. We can assume 7 points out of Argentina at the least, so let’s give them the top spot and look at the rest of it. I do not know much about South Korea except for Park, who is pretty decent. The South Koreans made a surprise run when the World Cup was in Seoul, but I would not bet on it again. Nigeria is among the West African Nations without notable Premiership superstars, but do not have a weak team in the least. However, the second spot will go to Greece, who play an unapologetically defensive style of football, and will thus not likely crash out without really having bad form. I wouldnt expect domination out of Greece, but just enough to advance. My Prediction: 1. Argentina 2. Greece

Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia

The Americans could not have been handed a kinder group. England is clearly very good and will most likely take 3 points from the match, but Algeria and Slovenia are two teams that the US should beat. Go ahead and give England 7 or 9 points and the Group C win, but barring total failure, the United States should advance with relative ease. If they cannot beat Algeria and Slovenia, then they do not deserve to advance anyway so do not worry about it. Since this is the US’ group I will go ahead and predict how they will do against their group on top of who will advance. My Prediction: England 2-0 USA, USA 2-0 Algeria, USA 1-0 Slovenia. 1. England 2. USA

Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana

The Germans are clearly the favorite of the group, but the other three are more than competitive and should provide some very entertaining football. The Socceroos are generally athletic and probably underrated on the international stage but we will see if they can sneak up on everyone like four years ago. The Black Stars of Ghana also have a very solid squad and should be able to compete for the second spot, though they will certainly not win it easy. My personal pick for the second spot is Serbia. They have a solid mix of underrated and well-respected players and many of them have experience on big st ages, though not necessarily this big. My Prediction: 1. Germany 2. Serbia

Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon

Fun Fact: The Dutch wear orange because of William of Orange.

Well, as is clearly a developing trend, the seeded team is the clear favorite here and should advance in impressivefashion. They might even have the largest goal differential heading out of the group stage, but regardless, they are through with 9 points. Japan and Cameroon have shots at the second spot, but it is Denmark’s to lose in my opinion. Cameroon will do it if anyone, but the Danish are not bad and certainly good enough to get second in a somewhat lackluster group. However, not all will go to plan and the Cameroonians will push Denmark to their limits. I will even go as far as to say that Cameroon and Denmark will be even on 4 points, but Denmark will advance on GD. My Prediction: 1. Netherlands 2. Denmark

Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

Italy is the group winner, but they may not do it in especially impressive fashion. Their group is quietly somewhat challenging despite lacking the big names and all teams are capable of playing spoiler in the group. I would put my money on Slovakia to advance with 5 points, but if Paraguay ended with 5 and advanced I would nto be surprised in the least. New Zealand is not too bad, but they have yet to play a really quality team in qualification and you may well see a stage-fright group of Kiwis when the bright lights go on. My Prediction: 1. Italy 2. Slovakia

Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal

This is the consensus Group of Death as of the three outstanding teams (not North Korea), only two can advance. I think we can safely assume that Brazil will advance, but the second spot should be a duel to the death. Drogba and the Coast vs. Ronaldo and the Portuguese. Like the old Chelsea vs. Man Utd days? Sure, why not, but should be compelling stuff. It would be easy to say that their head to head matchup will decide the second spot, but the true test is seeing who can potentially pull a point from their fixture against Brazil. If one can get a point there, it will make a huge difference when they face the other because a draw does not leave it up to goal differential. I am going to pick the Coast on this one if only because Portugal have underachieved since their 4th place finish in 2006. I apologize, but I wil not be talking about North Korea because, thanks to Kim Jong Il, no one knows anything about that team. Loosen up and lose the glasses Mr. Dictator, umm I mean President. My Predictions: 1. Brazil 2. Ivory Coast

Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

Could the draw have handed Spain an easier group? Probably not. Spain will get 9 points easily and leave the worrying to the amateurs. Switzerland is probably the favorite to advance, but I am going to take Honduras to surprise some and be the second team to advance. The bad news for the second team out of this group is that they have to face the winner of Group G, and that will be Brazil. By the way, this makes Group G all the more deadly because even if you can advance, then congratulations you get to face Spain in the knockout stages. Chile is not a team I know much about so I will not pretend to. My Predictions: 1. Spain 2. Honduras

In case you didn’t know, the winner of Group A plays the second team out of Group B and so on. My picks are in italics
Mexico v. Greece                                                                                  Netherlands v. Slovakia

Argentina v. France                                                                           Italy v. Denmark

England v. Serbia Brazil v. Honduras

Germany v. USA                                                                                   Spain v. Ivory Coast

I will not bother picking far past there because it is like trying to pick a NCAA Basketball Champion in the preseason. You cannot do it with any accuracy. Regardless, should be some great stuff to come from South Africa this summer. Get hyped.

Picks for the Weekend (Dec. 5th)

After a week off, we are back and ready to pick the tough games for you this weekend. No picking the ones everyone with a half a brain could pick, only the tough ones. This weekend will give us clarity on the BCS picture, Heisman chase and who will be contenders in teh NFL playoffs, so if this is not an exciting week, then I do not know what is. Without further ado, let’s get to college football.

Alabama vs. Florida in SEC Championship Game

You know how it has been all favorites winning lately? Top-ranked Florida won the last BCS Title, the Yankees won the World Series, the Lakers won a championship, the Penguins, who were either #1 or #2 depending on who you asked, won, and North Carolina won an NCAA title. It has been all favorites all the time as of late, so why should that trend stop? If top-ranked Florida is going to win a title, then they have to get there, and Alabama, in my opinion, is the only thing really standing in the way of that. Is Alabama the second best team in the country? You bet, and no one wants to play them. So why am I having such an easy time picking Florida to win this game? They aren’t that much better than Bama and both teams are pretty evenly matched. I am picking Florida because of Tim Tebow. Not only do they have him, but in contrast to Greg McElroy, they have the world on Bama. I think McElroy proved a lot last week, but let’s face it, he doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in his teammates. If you have the ball with two minutes to go and McElroy is your QB, you are kind of concerned. If Tim Tebow is your QB, you are pumped. And that is what it will come down to. One of these guys wil get the ball with two minutes left down a couple points and it will be on them to carry their team to victory. Tebow can do it, McElroy cannot. Florida 24, Alabama 20.

Oregon State vs. Oregon in the de facto Pac-10 Championship Game

The Quack Attack has never looked more loveable

This game is being played at the Autzen Zoo and that will make all the difference. There is very little to separate between the two teams and Oregon State will not be intimidated but there are few stadiums in the country, if any, that are louder than Autzen. I like Jacquizz Rodgers and Oregon State as a whole, but I like Oregon at home more than I like a lot of teams. You could give me Oregon against Texas at Oregon and I would take Oregon, that is what I think of them when the quack-attack takes flight in Eugene. I know there was not a ton of analysis on this, but I am trying to get it done before the game starts. Oregon 31, Oregon State 20.

Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh in the de facto Big East Title Game

This one is tougher than meets the eye. No one has talked about Pittsburgh this year and they have undoubtedly deserved it. Dion Lewis is the next LeSean McCoy and Bill Still has been as big a surprise as there has been in the country. Put on top of that the fact that the Panthers are probably steaming after losing the backyard brawl with West Virginia and you have yourself a dangerous team. To exacerbate the situation for Cincinnati, the Brian Kelly to Notre Dame rumors just will not go away. In other words, everything is set for an upset. But it won’t happen. I do not have a great reason for why it will not happen, but there is just something about this Bearcats team that makes me think they will be heading back the BCS bowls for the 2nd straight year. Tony Pike would have been a Heisman candidate before his injury, and Marshawn Gilyard is one of the better college wide receivers we have seen in a while. I am not convinced Cincinnati is considerably better than Pitt, but I think they will find a way to win this game. Cincinnati 31, Pittsburgh 24.

NFL

Houston vs. Jacksonville

One of the surprise teams this year despite their schedule

Who would have thought coming into the season that Jacksonville would be the team with the winning record here? Both these teams have surprised this year, but for different reasons. No one thought the Jags were ready in the trenches or through the air and everyone thought the Texans were ready to make a run to the playoffs. I would not go so far as to say the opposite has happened, but those two things have certainly not taken place. Houston has been finding ways to lose games and Jacksonville has been beating the teams they should beat. What looked like a weak matchup has turned into a game with outside playoff implications. I still have the Texans in this game, but I cannot have much confidence in picking them with how they have been playing in the 4th quarter. In fact, if you told me right nwo that the Texans had a 7 point lead with 7 minutes left, I would almost definitely pick against them for that game. They lose games like the Ravens. They should have a much better record, but they don’t. Still, I am going with the Texans. Their talent level is too high not to win some close games, so I will take the chance on them. Houston 27, Jacksonville 17.

Baltimore vs. Green Bay

Coming into the season, we thought this would be a great game. After a a few weeks we thought it was going to be a game that just made us think about failures to live up to expectations. Suddenly, it is looking like a great game again. Baltimore’s defense looks more like the defense of old, Green Bay is FINALLY protecting Aaron Rodgers and both teams are in position to make the playoffs. So what does the matchup look like? Both defenses are more than capable of holding the offenses down and both offenses have the potential to put big numbers on the board. Special teams appear pretty even, although Mason Crosby is a little better than Billy Cundiff. Al Harris is out for the year with an ACL injury, but honestly, against Baltimore you only need to cover one receiver, Derrick Mason. Kelley Washington and Mark Clayton do not demand a lot of attention so Green Bay’s duo of DBs would be less influential anyway. Aaron Kampman’s injury, however could hurt as the Packers will need to get pressure on Joe Flacco, who, like any QB, does not play his best when pressured. The difference, however, comes with the Baltimore defense. Green Bay struggles to protect its QB and the one thing we know Baltimore can do is bring pressure. Aaron Rodgers is going to be on the run like he was the first half of the year. I realize that Green Bay is on extended rest, but I am not sure how big a deal that is. Green Bay will be a little fresher, but if Rodgers is getting chased all night it will not matter. Baltimore 23, Green Bay 16.

NFL Week 12

In a week where the Colts and Saints went to 11-0, this week is quickly being associated with  concussions. DeSean Jackson, sustained one in week 12, Ben Roethlisberger, and Kurt Warner both missed key games (both eventual losses) for their teams and the NFL took action on  the issue. Starting this week, if a player sustains a concussion, he is not allowed to return to a game or practice. A good step, for sure, but whether or not it really has any effect remains to be seen. I would love nothing other than to talk about football instead of head injuries, but I do not decide what is news. Obviously, concussions are serious, but I do not think players are to be trusted on these matters because they will do whatever they can to get on the field. Ok, enough about that, let’s get down to the week that was in the NFL.

You know the whole “Any Given Sunday”thing? All the parity in the NFL and how any team could beat any other one? Yeah, well it is gone. The gap between the best and worst teams could not be much larger with three teams having a combined 1 loss, and three other teams having a combined 3 wins. Please keep in mind that the only Browns win came in a game in which they completed 2 passes out of 17. Unbelievable. There are more really good and really bad teams now than there have been in a long time. By my count, there are 3 really elite teams and about 6 truly awful teams. Usually you have no more than 1 really elite team with a lot of good ones and a lot of bad ones, but not with that kind of separation. The middle teams are still as close as ever, but the extremes are getting further apart, for better or worse. In my opinion, it is for worse, but that is certainly up for debate. I love the years with twists and turns and every team having at least a shot week-in week-out.

Let’s get a little power ranking going, except in this version, we are only including teams with a pulse, that means that if your team is from Detroit, Tampa, Chicago, St. Louis, Seattle, Buffalo, New York (The Jets), Oakland, KC, or Washington then you will not see your team on this list.Let’s put a twist on it too. They will be ranked by how good they are right now, but the number in parentheses are their ranking for a potential playoff runs. Just a blurb about each team.

POWER RANKINGS

20. San Francisco 49ers (20)- The running game is good and the passing game has been pretty decent of late, but they just can’t get it all together on a weekly basis.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars (18)- Better than expected season so far, but not a scary team in the least.

18. Miami Dolphins (17)- With that  running game, anything is possible, but the defense has been inconsistent and the passing game has been very hit or miss to be generous.

17. New York Giants (16)- Inconsistency is the name of the game here. As schizophrenic a team as there is in the NFL.

16. Houston Texans (19)- Soft. That is the only word I can use to describe them. They can’t win the close games and that shows a lack of mental toughness.

15. Philadelphia  Eagles (12)- I would love to put them higher, and they should make the playoffs, but as always

If their O-Line had protected him at all this season, he would be a legitimate MVP candidate

their running game seems a weakness. They will make it to the playoffs and keep it interesting, but I am skeptical of any team who does not run the ball.

14. Green Bay Packers (13)- If they can continue to protect Aaron Rodgers, then they can beat anyone. Whether or not they can continue to do it will determine if they can make a run to the playoffs.

13. Denver Broncos (14)- Remember the schizophrenic Giants? Well the equally schizo Broncos beat them last Thursday and proved they are not as dead as they appeared.

12. Tennessee Titans (15)- Could not be hotter. They are clutch, physical and are getting healthy on defense. I am cautious of their playoff chances if only because I am not sure if they will make it, but otherwise they are scary.

11. Arizona Cardinals (10)- I never know what to think of the Cardinals. One week they kill people and the next they find a way to lose. So I put them in the middle of the pack figuring they will be more or less in that area.

10. Baltimore Ravens (7)- I have been on the Ravens bandwagon for a while, but have been skeptical of their defense. If those problems are behind them, then I would love to drive the bandwagon all the way through the playoffs.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (11)- They lost without Big Ben, which was not much of a surprise, but it was a big game and they have some work to do if the defending champs want to make it to the playoffs.

8. Atlanta Falcons (9)- I almost dropped the Falcons lower because they have been inconsistent and not as go

Replace the small text with "Realizing the Saints are really good" works too

od as they should be. I am giving them one more week with Matt Ryan (as he will miss the next week) before I drop them to15 or so.

7. New England Patriots (5)- An unexpected trend here. The Patriots have not won on the road this season. While their road losses have been to Indy, New Orleans, Denver and less notably at New York (the Jets), they need to reverse that trend if they expect to do anything in the playoffs. Still, as a Colts fan, I fear “Hood-ini” and the Pats.

6. Dallas Cowboys (8)- Yeah I have a slight self-loathing issue with putting the Cowboys this high, but they have been running the ball well and not turning the ball over on offense. A solid defense might get them their first playoff win this decade.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (4)- We will get a better idea of how good they are again when Cedric Benson returns, but the Bengals are still a team I would not want to face in the playoffs.

4. San Diego Chargers (6)- The Chargers have won 6 straight and look like the playoff team they should be. Whether or not they can parlay that into playoff success remains to be seen.

3. Minnesota Vikings (3)- I very nearly put them ahead of the undefeated Colts, but I will wait to see how Favre holds up first.

2. Indianapolis Colts (2)- Unblemished, but not untested. The Colts have had to come from behind in seemingly every game of the past month. Peyton Manning gives any team a chance.

1. New Orleans Saints (1)- They embarrassed the Pats on Monday Night and the only big test they have remaining is Dallas, but that one is at home. I would not bet on a undefeated season, but it is not out of the question.

College Football Week 13

Saturday night in Palo Alto, an era ended. You could say it ended far sooner than that, but Saturday night was Charlie Weis’ last game as head coach of Notre Dame. Jimmy Clausen threw for 5 TDs and the Irish fell anyway behind Toby Gerhart’s big night. As a Notre Dame fan, I could not help but feel like that was how the Weis years went. He kept going deep and connecting on his recruiting trips, but it did not change the results on the field. His superior players were not learning once they got into the program, simply progressing at their normal rate without the coaching they desperately need at the college level. Notre Dame has as high a skill level as anyone in the country, but the players are not learning. Charlie keeps calling pretty good games, but he is getting paid for the 6 days between games too, not just Saturdays. Weis failed because he did not coach. He did a great job coordinating the offense, and running his team on Saturday, but he did not do enough coaching tp be successful. It did not help that John Tenuda’s defense, which is built on pressure, rarely pressured the QB and turns decent players into superstars. I am not speaking about Gerhart here, who is great, but guys who are just pretty decent and have monster days against the hapless Irish defense. The only thing that really remains is to see who replaces Weis, and frankly, I am ok not caring until after Bowl Season.

As a Notre Dame fan, I am just worn down from the high expectations, constant failures and continuous search for ANYONE who can win. I can’t talk about it much more without just getting mad, so let’s turn to the actual contenders instead of the paper tigers like Notre Dame. Florida and Alabama both took care of business to make sure that the SEC Championship is between two teams without blemish. Granted, Alabama struggled against Auburn, but it was an in-conference road game with an in state rival. You can throw out the records when it is a rivalry like that, and for most of the first half Auburn looked like the better team. However, Bama got rolling at the end of the first half and turned it into a close game until the final drive when Greg McElroy lead the Tide to the endzone to clinch the win. I would not call it exciting, but it was certainly necessary if the two top teams were to meet in the SEC Championship Game.

This week is among is most worthless of all weeks to be honest. The conferences with title games already had them set and the conferences without title games still have games next week. All in all, really nothing was decided this week. Boise officially wrapped up the WAC, but that surprised no one, the SEC title game was already set, the Big 12 title game was already set, the Big Ten is already set, and all things considered not a lot happened on the conference scene. We will get to the Georgia-Georgia Tech shortly as it did have potential BCS implications, but when you think about it, this week can best be summed up by what did not change. Charlie Weis continued his brave march toward unemployment, Alabama and Florida made sure they would decide things with both teams perfect next week, and everything else, with the exception of Georgia Tech-Georgia went according to plan. I guess it kept things set for next week, but it could have been a lot better this week.

As promised, here is your Georgia-Georgia Tech talk. I have developed a serious love for the option in major college football programs. It is simple, effective, low risk, and tactically sound, and yet teams avoid it like the plague. Yet when it comes time to face it, they look like the ones with the plague as they fail to soundly tackle and remained disciplined. Would I want my Irish running it again like they did with Bob Davie? Probably not, but if I was a team without an offensive identity and plenty of athletes I would be dumb not to try it. This all brings us to the game. I know Georgia Tech lost, and I give lots of credit to Georgia for responding after last year’s collapse and showing up their in-state rivals. Georgia’s talent level is undeniable, but the surprising part of this game is that the defense stepped up. Maybe if this had happened sooner, Georgia would not have been a huge disappointment, but that is neither here nor there, the point is that now, if Georgia Tech loses to Clemson in the ACC Title Game, they will be in trouble. Clemson will get a BCS spot, something that is probably not great for the BCS, and Georgia Tech will drop to a far inferior bowl game. Maybe i am alone in wanting to see the Ramblin’ Wreck in the BCS, but I want to. Let’s get a quick conference wrap-up before we wait on next week.

Big 12- It is Texas’ to lose. Nebraska has a good defense but it should not matter. On one hand I would like to see TCU or Cincinnati get a bump with a Texas loss, but the Horns should take care of business.

Big 10- Has been Ohio State for an eternity it feels like.

SEC- Florida v. Alabama in Atlanta. It should be a great one, but I am taking Florida.

Big East- Cincinnati v. Pittsburgh in a non-title game. I would take Cincinnati, but I would bet on a good game after Pitt lost the backyard brawl to WVU. Maybe Brian Kelly’s last game as UC Head Coach?

ACC- Georgia Tech v. Clemson. Georgia Tech is the pick, but you never know. Clemson is enigmatic across all of its athletic programs and I am not sure why. Oliver Purnell seems to always over or under-achieve and the football program always zigs when you expect a zag.

That is all i got for this week. Enjoy the week.

NFL Week 11 and Thanksgiving

Ladies and gentlemen, it was a bad week to play in the AFC North. The Browns managed to choke twice against the Lions, the Bengals gift-wrapped Oakland a win, the Steelers inexplicably lost to the Chiefs and sustained injuries to both of their top 2 QBs, and the Ravens lost a close one to the still-perfect Colts. Some of these collapses were more epic than others, but all were impressive. Obviously, the Browns and Bengals took the spotlight by snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in truly remarkable losses. The Browns blew a 21 point lead and committed an obvious pass interference with no time left that lead to the game-losing play and the Bengals fumbled a kickoff with 20 seconds left. If there were stats for the biggest failures within the same state, these two teams would hold every one. Between their bad years when they both were on the blooper reels and this sunday when they both held leads, they are kings of the fail.

As much as I pretend I would like to talk about the Steelers loss to the Chiefs, I really don’t want to. The Steelers aren’t contenders and there is nothing to talk about with the Chiefs. The biggest story out of this game to me is that Dennis Dixon was thrust briefly into the national spotlight. Anyone else remember when he was the Heisman front-runner but tore his ACL, and then proceeded to play on his torn ACL for another game? This guy had it all. He was likeable, tough, monumentally talented and he was a double-threat. I do not know if it would translate to the NFL, but anyone who watched his college games would want to see him play at the very least. Well, except Steelers fans who want to see Ben.

The only other game I thought was worth talking about was the Monday nighter with the Titans remaining perfect with Vince Young at the helm. True, they got some help from Kris “Anti-Clutch” Brown, but give an 0-6 team credit for not giving up and pulling themselves inexplicably back into the playoff picture. I wouldn’t pick them to make it, but they are at least in the picture. The Texans remain in the top 5 for most underachieving teams and “most likely to not be a sleeper once picked as a sleeper”. They are like the Chargers in the Drew Brees days. A very good team, who everyone thinks could succeed but just cannot quite do it. They have a superstar (LT and Andre Johnson respectively), an under-the-radar QB, and no clutch-time performances to bring them to the next level. Next year, Texans fans, next year.

Honestly, most of the other games last week were mediocre, but I want to talk Matthew Stafford. Last week he officially became a franchise QB. When he got absolutely hammered on the Hail Mary and limped off the field he was a man, but when he came back in he became a legend, at least as far as this decade’s Lions are concerned. He has always had the physical tools, but when he went out there for the last play, he proved that he was more than a big arm (I’m looking at you Jay Cutler). He is a leader and, in my opinion, has already lived up to his #1 pick. Yes, he still throws tons of picks, as you saw on Thanksgiving when you weren’t stuffing your face, but as he gets more experienced he will limit them. I see Stafford as a combination of Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler. Take the leadership of Rodgers, the arm of Cutler, and the losing-but-not-his-fault of Rodgers. Not at all a bad combination. Detroit finally has someone to look for not named Barry Sanders.

Speaking of Barry, there is one last thing I want to touch on before turning to the Thanksgiving games. Chris Johnson is giving m flashbacks. He is not quite as flashy as Barry was, but he reminds me of him. He can make you miss, he can run away from you with ease, he can catch the ball, and he can take a hit and keep going. He is giving Adrian Peterson a run for his money as the best back in football, and I would even say he has surpassed him. In comparison to Adrian Peterson, he has an inferior offensive, less of a threat at QB to keep people out of the box, fewer fumbles, and more yardage. Peterson is the more physical back, but while he breaks more tackles, it does not lead to more yardage than Johnson, and it results in more fumbles. The only thing Peterson does than Johnson cannot is just flat run someone over, but why run someone over when you can just as effectively go around them? If I was drafting for a fantasy draft next year, i would take Johnson #1 in a heartbeat. Keep in mind he is the league’s leading rusher for a 4-6 team without any other big time threats on offense. Seriously, he is among the most underrated backs in the NFL, and it is not as if no one talks about him. He is just that good.

Thanksgiving Day Games

The Packers just curb-stomped the hapless Lions, but that is not the storyline here. Why is Matt Stafford playing hurt on short rest? Why? Would the Yankees put CC on the mound if he was hurt and the team was way below .500? NO!!!! You do not risk this, Detroit. Your future is seriously hurt and you just threw him to the dogs like Ivan IV (look it up). It did not even rally work, as he threw 4 picks and just got destroyed by an excellent GB secondary that is missing Al Harris. Keep your future safe, Detroit, do not play him if he is hurt.

Dallas was clearly  better than Oakland but there was really no surprise there. The only thing I really have to say about the game is that it is hilarious that the Raiders appear to have built themselves for the Hail Mary pass. A strong-armed QB in Russell and fast WRs to get down the field is all you need and the Raiders have built themselves perfectly for it. It makes sense because they have to throw so many of them to try and win games. It is called Hail Mary for a reason: it is only a prayer. Just funny that the Raiders appear to have built their team to be successful on Hail Mary plays. Too bad they are never in range of a Hail Mary to win it.

In Halftime Show news, CBS had a supermodel on. Cool, I guess. I just know that FOX will never have one on because Terry Bradshaw might try to pull something.

The New York Giants have resumed their freefall in Denver by not scoring a touchdown and just generally getting outworked by the Broncos. I still do not know if the Broncos are legitimate or if they are simply another inconsistent team, but they sure looked good on Thursday night. Whether it was the Giants offense sucking or the Broncos D, I do not know, but the defense looked pretty good. The Broncos are in the driver’s seat for a playoff berth, with 2 games against KC and a game against Oakland remaining. I like their chances of making the playoffs, but I am just not sure what to think about their chances in the playoffs.

Yum

TURKEYS OF THE FALL

The New Jersey Nets- Ok maybe it was just too easy to pick on an 0-14 team but so far they have looked horrible. If they prevent the record, it will be in Sacramento, but expect to see them break it.

The Cleveland Browns- I could make any number of Cleveland jokes, but instead, I will give them hope. Brady Quinn could be really good. He could be a fluke too, but Cleveland wouldn’t be too disappointed if he was. They are used to it.

Turkey- This is not even a way of making fun of Turkey, I just have it on the brain. I am going to go have some now.

That is all for this edition. As finals draw nearer, it will be a bit harder to get into the detail I would like, but we will do our best to keep it up. Thanks for reading.

College Football Week 12

The Pac-10 is far from my favorite topic in college football. I hate USC, have no feelings toward most of its teams and the only team I follow in-depth regardless of how it is doing is Oregon. However, they are giving me things to talk about so I will not deny them. To be honest, it was a very boring week east of Arizona this week. The SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, and MWC are all wrapped up with the Big East’s deciding game upcoming. Those are all the BCS conferences and the MWC for all of you counting. All that remains is the Pac-10 so I have no choice but to discuss them.

Arizona Iced D

There is no D in the logo, so why would there be on the field?

The Arizona Wildcats choked to great effect Saturday night and essentially decimated their chances for a potential matchup with Ohio State. Granted, they have games with rival ASU and a road game at USC remaining, but a win over Oregon would have been such a confidence boost that it would be plausible. Instead, Oregon now only has the Civil War to worry about after Stanford’s loss to Cal. Expect a Duck-Buckeye matchup in Pasadena because the Wildcats would have it no other way. If you give up a TD with under two minutes and the whole field to drive, then you do not deserve a BCS bowl. Sorry, Tucson.

On the other hand, Oregon is easily the team I would most want to watch in Pasadena. You never know what they will wear and you can expect exciting football every time they take the field. I just like to watch them. Ohio State might enjoy watching them a bit less, but it should be a very good matchup. Please keep in mind that Oregon State is no pushover and could very well beat the Ducks, but the Ducks are the clear favorite in the game. I am about Pac-10′d out so let’s look at the BCS picture after Ole Miss’ upset of LSU.

BCS Picture

To see a full picture, refer to THIS PAGE. LSU’s loss opens the door for someone like Iowa to peek into the BCS picture. I am not sure if this is for the best, but I did not really want to see LSU in it anyway. I do not know who the 10th BCS bowl team will be, but we will see after the next few weeks play out. When you have Florida playing FIU and Alabama playing Chattanooga, you cannot blame me for not finding intrigue. That is about all I got for the week, but you know I wouldn’t forget about the Clowns.

CLOWN OF THE WEEK: Chad OchoCinco, Frankly, you could put him here most weeks, but I thought this deserved some pub. Chad took two guys in Pittsburgh to the mall on a shopping spree for driving him there. This all stemmed from a Twitter contest that the two guys won. Very clownish, but actually kind of cool.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Cincinnati-Pittsburgh this upcoming weekend. A BCS bid is up for grabs and Big East supremacy is on the line. Should be a great game.

November 23rd NBA Game Predictions

November 23^rd NBA Game Predictions

Sacramento Kings vs. Memphis Grizzlies

Grizzlies- 102 Kings- 93

Milwaukee Bucks vs. San Antonio Spurs

Bucks- 106 Spurs-105 OT

Chicago Bulls vs. Portland Trailblazers

Blazers- 98 Bulls- 95

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Clippers

Clippers- 99 Timberwolves- 91

3 Threes Worth Noting:

1. 1. Can’t go against Bucks until the prove otherwise, willing to take a loss
2. 2. I apologize for failing to post my weekend picks, I did make them just failed to post them, on scout’s honor, I went 13-2
3. 3. My overall record is 125-57

November 20th NBA Game Predictions

November 20^th NBA Game Predictions

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers

Cavs- 109 Pacers- 103

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Grizzlies- 98 76ers- 94

Miami Heat vs. Toronto Raptors

Heat- 105 Raptors- 103 OT

Houston Rockets vs. Atlanta Hawks

Hawks- 103 Rockets- 98

Orlando Magic vs. Boston Celtics

Celtics- 99 Magic- 92

Washington Wizards vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Wizards- 106 Thunder- 101

Sacramento Kings vs. Dallas Mavericks

Mavs- 113 Kings- 98

Charlotte Bobcats vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Bobcats- 97 Bucks- 88

Portland Trailblazers vs. Golden State Warriors

Blazers- 111 Warriors- 104

Denver Nuggets vs. LA Clippers

Nuggets- 103 Clippers- 90

Three Things Worth Noting:

1. 1. Heat/Raptors game of the night
2. 2. Bobcats take down very shorthanded Bucks
3. 3. My overall record is 112-55

Picks for the Weekend and the World Cup

This was a pretty crazy week for sports. Brandon Jennings Mania has just about taken hold of Milwaukee, Thierry Henry took France to the Handball World Cup and some of us, specifically myself, are still basking in the glory that happened in Indianapolis on Sunday Night. However, with that being said, it is time to turn our eyes to the weekend. There are a couple crucial clashes in the Pac-10 that will go a long way toward deciding a champion and some can’t miss NFL action. Granted, there is nothing that quite matches the intrigue of Pats-Colts or Bengals-Steelers, but there is some fun to be had on the gridiron. Oh, and I will give you my super-early World Cup Preview.

Cal @ Stanford

When you have a rivalry game like this one, the point spread just does not matter. Stanford giving 8 points, but who cares? When two rivals meet up on their annual collision, talent takes a back seat to passion. It still matters, but willpower and passion become the driving force of the game. I do think Stanford is going to win this game, but I would not be surprised to see it go down to the wire. In case you needed a reminder of how down to the wire these can go, I suggest watching the clip above again. Yeah, it probably wont be THAT close, but expect it to be within 10, even without Jahvid Best. Stanford could blow them out, but I would never bet on a blowout in a rivalry game. Stanford 34, Cal 24.

Oregon @ Arizona

This is not at all the rivalry that the other is, but the stakes are pretty high. If Arizona wins, they keep their hopes alive of a Pac-10 Championship and a Rose Bowl berth, and if Oregon wins, then all that stands between them and Pasadena is the Civil War with Oregon State. This game features the two faces of the spread offense, though not in such polarizing fashion as other potential matchups. Oregon runs a very ground-based spread attack, but Jeremiah Masoli can still hurt you through the air (ask USC). Arizona is more balanced, but like most spread attacks, trends toward the pass and putting receivers all over the field. Both teams are good, but I will just about always take the ground game over the air spread attack. Imagine that, a Colts fan infatuated with the running game. Oregon 38, Arizona 24.

NFL

Quite frankly, there are a lot of bad games in the NFL this week, so instead of picking them, I am going to just give you things to watch for. Look for Baltimore to give the Colts a run for their money. I would not be at all surprised to see an upset here and Baltimore still loathes the Colts for packing the team up in the middle of the night and leaving. As pointed out by a friend, if the Ravens were 7-2 or even 6-3, Ray Rice would be an MVP candidate, and the Colts injured secondary looked like the Warriors trying to stop Brandon Jennings last week. I would be surprised to see anything but a close game, but it just seems like Baltimore has a knack for losing the close game, so I would still go with the Colts despite my concerns.

Try to watch the Falcons-Giants game this week. Before last week, the Falcons had three losses, but they were to the Saints, New England and Dallas with the latter two being on the road. Those are very respectable losses, but losing to Carolina is not and that is exactly what they did last week. The Giants have been streaking more than Will Ferrell in Old School winning 5 straight before dropping 4 in a row. The underappreciated factor in this game is that both teams are ridiculously talented. Matt Ryan, Eli Manning, Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, Brandon Jacobs, Michael Turner, Osi Umenyiora, Steve Smith (in my opinion, very talented), Curtis Lofton, and the list goes on. Whether each team comes out and plays good football remains to be seen, but if both do, we will have on hell of a game on our hands. I like the Giants off their bye week but nothing would surprise me in this game as both teams have proven unpredictable.

San Diego-Denver is very simple. If the Broncos do not win this game and stop the bleeding, they can put a bow on the division and give it to the Chargers. The aptly named Chargers are in their annual mid-season charge toward the playoffs and Denver is in its seemingly perennial second half skid. Take the Chargers until the Broncos prove you differently.

Titans at Texans on Monday Night Football might end up being the game of the week, though I certainly hope not. Vince Young is 3-0 as a starter and Chris Johnson is putting up MVP numbers on a team that had bene awful up until Young took over. The Texans are in a good position to beat the Titans into a coma through the air, but Houston has a weird way of now showing up for random games. Between Chris Johnson tearing it up on the ground and Vince Young making some plays with both legs and arm, the Titans very well could steal one here. If you for some reason need an upset pick, this would not be a bad one to choose.

World Cup Preview

As if they needed a reason, Thierry Henry has driven Ireland into a Guinness-driven stupor and rage. Henry’s fairly blatant handball sent France through to the World Cup and left Irish eyes crying. France were honestly the better team on the day, but it is a shame that they should advance on that play. But with the field now set, lets look’at the contenders, sleepers, and the rest. Obviously, knowing the draw would help, but that does not happen until winter.

The Contenders

As usual, the list of contenders is headed by Spain and Brazil. You can choose whomever you want among them, but they are clearly among the most talented and deepest squads I have seen. The next class is really not much below Spain and BRazil, but would not be considered favorites really. This group includes Germany, England, and Italy. In other words, just the usual suspects. Portugal, France, and Argentina would usually make this jump as well, but qualifying woes have left many uncertain about their future. They are undoubtedly talented, but all barely made it to South Africa. The winner will probably come from this group of teams, but it could possibly come from elsewhere as anything is possible in football.

The Sleepers

The Ivory Coast heads the list of sleepers in large part thanks to its terrific trio of stars. Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, and Didier Drogba are all legitimate stars and all are stars for their outstanding clubs teams (Barcelona, Manchester City, and Chelsea respectively). Not to mention, Kolo plays back, Yaya plays midfield and Drogba plays striker so there is a balance to their strength. And yes, Yaya and Kolo are brothers. The only problem they could face is if they get overhyped too much and suffer from Post-Hype Sucking Syndrome. Such examples of this syndrome are evident with teams like Ole Miss this year, and the Texans most years. If they are ëveryone’s”sleeper then they are destined for failure. If they can avoid this label, they are in business.

I am tempted to call the US a sleeper team, but it almost completely depends on the group draw they get. If they get a group like they did in the Confederations Cup (Brazil, Italy, Egypt), the you can expect a fail. However, if they manage to draw a weaker group, the should have no problem making it to the round of 16 and potentially pulling an upset to make it to the quarterfinals. It all depends on the draw.

The Dutch should probably be lumped in with the upper tier, but it seems like they never get enough credit. If Ruud is fit, they have an outstanding lineup and will probably blaze through the group stages. It is hard to call them a sleeper with how much talent they have, but it seems to me that they fly under the radar more than they should. I would not be surprised to see a semi-final appearance from the Dutch in South Africa. The only way they miss out on the quarterfinals is if they get a bad draw in the Round of 16 or decide to wear traditional wooden shoes.

My last though has to do with Florida playing FIU and Alabama playing Chattanooga this week. Cool guys, let’s schedule an exhibition in the middle of the season. Florida hasn’t played a road game outside the south in forever, and this is the kind of example of why they don’t. They are well within their right to play whomever they choose, but how about at least making it 1-A?

Ok time for a parting shot. Anchorman was clearly not filmed with the awareness that Philip Rivers has the QB of the Chargers, or they never would have said “Stay Classy, San Diego.” Philip Rivers might be a less likeable QB than Jay Cutler. Not entirely sure why, but I think Cutler is seen as a smug jerk on the field whereas Rivers is the aggressive jerk. And you can substitute jerk with a more fitting term if you please.