Random thoughts for Tuesday

This girl is good looking, that is a FACT!!!!!!

I am either seeing things or this is the dumbest thing I've seen.

According to Buster Olney, the talks between C.C and the Yanks in Vegas went really well. It looks like the 1-2 punch for the Yanks next season will be Sabathia and Wang. Yikes!

USC would be favored in any bowl game against any opponent.

No shit! Does he think he will play in the NFL? On top of that, Todd McShay on the 6PM SportsCenter yesterday(12/8) said that Tim Tebow is the greatest college football player he has ever seen! Hey Todd, are you a dumbass?

Noone has told me what he is thinking yet.

Is it really a title game when the over/under is this high?

Another Rodriguez to New York.

I feel for anyone who was in a fantasy battle last night and lost because of DeAngelo Williams 40 yard TD run late in the game when Carolina should have been taking knees. Also, Matt Bryant missed a FG and an Extra point. Every point counts in the playoffs, if your out there, I feel for you.

I guess at least he didn't sit on a gun.

-Mikey

Home Stretch Preview

There's only four weeks left in the NFL season (only three for some teams who look to lock up seeds before week 17).  Here are some predictions for the final month for you all to critique, make fun of, nod your head to, laugh at or maybe even use as gambling advice.  This is what it looks like now and this is how I see it:

NFC East: The Giants will continue their dominance in the once strongest division in the NFL and lock up a first round bye in the next couple of weeks.  I have them as the only playoff team from the East.  Dallas has the best chance at 8-4 but their next four opponents (@PIT, NYG, BAL, @PHI) have a combined record of 34-13-1, a winning percentage of .708.  

NFC North:  Minnesota has Detroit this week and a Giants team that will likely be resting starters week 17.  I look for them to win both of those games and pick one up from Arizona or Atlanta and finish 3-1 down the stretch, locking up that division.

NFC South:  I like Tampa Bay to win the League's best division.  Their three losses have come by a combined 11 points, all on the road.  I pick them to take it to Carolina Monday night in Charlotte and put a strangle-hold on the South.  I also see not one, but two other teams from the division getting to play January football.  Carolina will finish second, a game behind the Bucs.  The third representative will be the Atlanta Birds of Prey.  What a great story for that city and franchise, Matt Ryan will runaway with the ROY award.

NFC West:  What an awful division.  I won't waste much time or many words talking about the futility of it all.  At least they have company in the AFC West (both divisions combine for a record of 32-66, good for a .326 W%)

NFC Seeds:

1. New York Giants, 14-2

2. Tampa Bay, 12-4

3. Minnesota, 10-6

4. Arizona, 9-7

5. Carolina, 11-5

6. Atlanta, 11-5

AFC East: At times it's looked like the strongest foursome in the NFL.  It's been up and down to say the least.  New England looking to go 16-0 again only to lose Tom Brady during the first half of week 1.  Then Buffalo starts out 5-1, only lose five out of the next six.  Miami went 1-15 last year and many thought three or four wins this season was their ceiling.  The Jets looked like the best team in the conference after beating the previously perfect Titans, but celebrated that win by getting spanked at home by the Broncos.  My mind sees the Jets getting the crown and my heart has the fins getting the division's only wild card berth.  

AFC North: The Steelers will finish the season strong and lock up a first round bye on the strength of the man I call The Clocktower, Big Ben Roethlisberger.  Since I'm going with my heart on my final wild card pick, I had to pick one of the two teams ahead of Miami to falter and the Ravens don't make my cut.  Their next handful games are not exactly walks in the park (WAS, PIT, @DAL).

AFC South: Tennessee will secure the #1 seed in a week or two, so the real question is will this quietly good Indianapolis team be a force in the playoffs.  Manning is on pace to throw the most picks (12 thru 13 games) since he was intercepted 19 times in 2002.  

AFC West:  (See NFC West) Denver wins.

AFC Seeds:

1. Tennessee, 14-2

2. Pittsburgh, 12-4

3. New York Jets, 11-5

4. Denver, 9-7

5. Colts, 11-5

6. Miami, 11-5

Check back after week 17 when I'll take a look at my hits and misses as well as preview the playoffs.

-Jesse

The Dream Match

I cannot wait for this weekends bout between Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar De La Hoya. In this fight you will see two of the best technical boxers in the business and in my opinion the best fighter pound for pound on the planet in Manny Pacquiao (If you don't believe me, you will soon). However, Manny is attempting to move up 2 weight divisions and win, probably because all of the competition at lightweight isn't anywhere near his level and because he is that good to do it. I am very interested to see how both fighters fight in this bout. Each boxer has questions to answer, Can Manny fight at this weight and should Oscar stick to the promotions? Oscar is old, but he still has a very dangerous left hook and he is a very smart fighter. Each fighter will focus on certain rounds to throw attacks at eachother and that is where Oscar may have the advantage. Whoever counters the best may win this one. Manny hasn't fought at this weight and he will get worn down by Oscar; therefore I expect him to come out hard and fast. Manny can punch with the best of'em, so he better land'em early and often or he could be in trouble. If you happen to watch this fight I want you to take note of the scorecard after the 6th round. If Oscar is winning, he can cruise til the 12th and play D. I expect Manny to be ahead by 2-3 rounds at this point, but he will have to hold on to win.

Keys for the Fight:

The L.A native De La Hoya is bigger and Manny is much smaller, meaning Oscar's punches will have more of an impact on the Filipino. On the flip side, Manny will need to land more punches to cause the damage he's used to inflicting on his opponents. Advantage: De La Hoya

When I think of Boxing or any sport for that matter I think of Power (above) and Speed. Oscar isn't slow by any means, but Manny is lightning quick and I'm not sure Oscar has seen a faster fighter. Yes, that includes pretty boy Flloyd. Advantage: Pacquioa

Boxing is an exhausting sport and each fighter is going to need to dig deep in this one. When the 10th round starts each fighter knows they are close to the end and you see a resurgance similar to the early rounds. Oscar, once again isn't a quitter, but if you haven't seen this Pacquioa kid fight yet, wait til you how tenacious see he is. Advantage: Pacquioa

My favorite fighter is Kelly Pavlik because he is from my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio and when I think of Kelly I think consistent pressure. Probably the only clear cut advantage in the entire fight is Oscar's consistency. Manny as I said earlier is the best fighter on the planet pound for pound, but he does have mental lapses and he has been gotten too earlier in his career. If Oscar can frustrate him - It's over. Advantage: De La Hoya

Finally, the corners. Oscar is working with Ignacio Beristain for the first time in his career which could be a problem, however Beristain trained Juan Manuel Marquez who has seen Pacquioa twice, so he knows his flaws. At the other end is one of the most highly respected men in the sport - Freddie Roach. Roach is a tough dude and I usually root for whoever he is training. Roach has trained De La Hoya so he knows his flaws as well, but more importantly he has been with Pacquioa for seven years bulding a strong relationship. Advantage: Pacquioa

I just hope this is an instant classic! But if I had to pick I would pick Pacquioa.

-Mikey

Losers of the Day

Nothing better than dudes in their mid early 20's bringing signs to a sporting event.....CLOWNS!

More on the Big 12

Big 12 assistants, not only are you giving up all of those points, but you are getting paid a ton of money (link courtesy of Miami Hawk Talk) to do it. I mean, really Joe Kines (A&M DC) you're getting $400K to give up over five touchdowns each game? That's good for 116th in the nation - scroll wayyyy down. Here's the rest of the defensive scoring stats for Big 12 squads.

Texas is the only team in the top 25 in points allowed, but that 18.7 is helped out a lot by their OOC games where they gave up 43 total points (10, 13, 10 and 10). Take those out and it jumps up to 23 points allowed per game. Turnovers are a big way defenses can put their stamp on a game and UT is tied for 118th in the nation with just six INTs. We all know how that game vs. Tech went with the Longhorn defense wilting as Grahm Harrell went down the field completeing 5/6 for 62 yards, three first downs and a TD.

-Jesse

My Bad

I apologize for being MIA on the site for the last week. Oh, well.

On a positive note basically everyone that will be reading this site will have a higher salary than the major Auto Exec's in the US after they agreed to be paid $1 in salary for the 2009 fiscal year. The reason for this is to convince Congress to drop 25 bill into their companies during this hard economic time.

As much as I'd hate to say it, I couldn't agree more with Joel Sherman of the New York Post. He says if Andy Pettite signs anywhere else this year, he is a phony! When Pettite was at his lowest of lows earlier this year when he was on the stand, the yankees stood by him. He also said that he would never play for another team either. Oh, and Andy said he would take a pay cut to play for the Yankees since he knew $16 million was too much, but then he turns and rejects a $10 million dollar offer from the Bombers. Give me a break.

Is Jacksonville really this bad?

How many sophomore running backs will be taken in the first round of fantasy drafts next year? I asked this very question to my roommate over the weekend and here is what we came up with. Chris Johnson, Matt Forte, Steve Slaton, Tim Hightower and Darren McFadden. I think it is safe to say that teams are using their rookies a lot more to win games.

I will pay someone $100 if they tell me what Wade Phillips is thinking on the sidelines?

Curb Your Enthusiasm is now in production. It will be a 10 episode season, there hasn't been a premiere date yet.

I will pay someone $200 if they tell me what the BIG 12's defensive coordinator's do during the week?


PS: Start collecting non-perishable foods and lots of water by the year 2013.

peace-mikey

The Ryan Leaf Story, Plax and other tidbits

Hopefully everyone enjoyed my favorite holiday as much as I did. There were 56 people at the Thanksgiving dinner I attended, which was a new personal record. It was also the first time I spent the day with a family that was not my own. I gave it a B+. Great food, lots of fun, but there are only so many videos you can watch of other people's families/childhoods before you go crazy. Here's the news:

-I found this today and I can't wait for "Leaf" to make it to DVD or Hulu. I can imagine Ryno flipping out on the writer/director after a few conversations as he mentioned. Everyone remembers this classic flipout, right?

- Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg at a club last weekend, I'm sure you all have heard by now. Mediamen, bloggers, and water cooler analysts have been talking about this early this week, all with their own opinions. I think what's lost in the shuffle is how down Antonio Pierce is. He wasn't there to cause trouble, he might not even have known that Plax had a gun on him, but what did he do when it went off? Rushed him to the hospital and got rid of the piece. That's exactly what I'm looking for in a friend/teammate. Does anyone give him props? Aside from the New York Times, nope. Now the police are focusing on his actions after the accidental shooting. Poor guy, he was just trying to be a good friend.

- Stephon Marbury and the Knicks have still not agreed to end their relationship and are reportedly 'far apart financially.' Donnie Walsh needs to just pony up and get rid of him. It might even be wise to pay him more than he is owed this year just to get him away from the team since he is only causing trouble and refusing to play.

- I had a birthday yesterday and I got all sorts of well wishes, songs, pats on the back and even a couple of presents and a cake. I appreciate all the calls, cards, e-mails and texts. It does make me think of something an old coworker told me a couple years back. He said "congratulations, you were born, call me when you do something yourself." His name was Cheeks and he had a good point. Why do we give presents to the person who was born? They didn't do anything really, but their parents did all the work. Maybe on birthdays we should give presents to the mom and dad of our friends and save the gifts for self-earned honors like promotions, graduations, marriages and so on. From this day forward, that's what I vote for. Let's do that for everyone except me, keep the love coming this way on December 1.

-Jesse