How many more SportsCenter Specials can ESPN devout to topics like Joe Torre, Barry Bonds, Michael Vick and Alex Rodriguez?
Mike Tyson was sentenced to 24 hours in jail for drug possession and drviving under the influence. This is just the harsh punishment Tyson needs to get his life turned around.
Take the Titans (+1) tonight against the Broncos. Despite Vince Young's struggles, Denver will be torched by the Titans extremely strong running game.
The writers who didnt vote A-Rod for AL MVP should never have a vote again. Maglio Ordonez had a great season, but it simply didnt compare to what Rodriguez did. And to add to that, the Yankees made the playoffs while the Tigers did not.
How many more times are we going to see the Patriots play on NBC's game of the week this year? Do their network executives think that football fans that dont cheer for the Patriots or the team they play are actually going to watch the second half of a blowout win?
The Ravens, who many proclaimed a Super Bowl contender, have lost 4 games in a row to the Bills, Steelers, Bengals and Browns. Dont worry though, a team led by Ray Lewis will turn it around, right? Um...definitely not. Their next three games are against Chargers, Patriots and Colts and they still have another game against the Steelers. They are a bad team with little reason for optimism. They need a new coach, new qb, new wrs, better olineman and the best part of their team (their defense) is getting old fast. The great Ozzie Newsome isnt looking too good right now.
The Detroit Lions are not a good football team and Jon Kitna is not a good quarterback. In his best seasons, he will lead you to 8-8 (see Cincinnati in 2003). The Lions are well on their way there right now.
Jevon Kearse's benching in Philadelphia is the exact reason the Eagles never go after big name free agents. Teams like New England, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and even Philadelphia themselves have proven free agency is not the key to success in the NFL.
While it does get mentioned every so often, New England's offensive line is the main reason for their teams success. Brady generally has a 5 foot circle of emptiness surrounding him.
There is no reason for the NFL to not allow the review of field goals. However, there is no excuse for the referees who initially botched the call at the end of regulation of the Browns/Ravens game. Those referees should be fired.
Carson Palmer is a very good NFL quarterback. The Bengals will never win an Super Bowl title with him though. When his team is behind in the 4th quarter and his team needs a big drive, the Bengals almost always fail despite an abundance of offensive talent.
The Big East is a very underrated football confrence. They went 5-0 in bowl games last year and West Virginia, who will likely play for the national championship this year, has a very good chance of upsetting LSU (or whoever else they would play) yet all you hear about when it comes to the title game is LSU, the Big 12, maybe Ohio State and Pac 10. Cincinnati, South Florida, and Connecticut will be tough matchups for whoever plays them in their respective bowl games as well.
Despite the extremely flawed BCS, college football is far more interesting than the NFL this year.
It took about 15 minutes of coverage for the news of Barry Bonds' indictment to get old. Special after special and 4 days later and it is almost unbearable. This is going to be a long offseason.
I dont understand why NBC would choose to play a Patriots game in prime-time. Is it any suprise they are winning 56-10 with 5 minutes left in the game? Most of their audience wont bother watching the second half of games like these.
Terrell Owens (the original 81) caught four TD passes today, something Randy Moss (the other 81) has never done.
Interestingly enough though, Randy Moss has 4 TD catches in the first half tonight against Buffalo.
It will be interesting to see if New England is willing to spend enormous amounts of money on Moss this offseason. The Patriots traditionally refuse to pay top dollar for players, thinking someone can always be replaced. Brady to Moss may be the most unstoppable QB-WR combination ever though.
Michigan has far too much talent to consistently lose 3 games. Lloyd Carr had a very good career, but his teams have underachieved far too often recently. Couple that with losing 6 of the past 7 to Ohio St and his retirement shouldnt suprise anybody.
The national championship game will be LSU vs West Virginia
According to his head coach, Dennis Dixon played Thursday night with a torn ACL that he further injured on the 3rd drive of the game. Has that ever happened before? Better yet, how can that be considered a good idea? Dixon was (deservingly) the Heisman frontrunner heading into this weekend, but playing with a torn ACL is a bad idea for both the player and the team, no matter the circumstance.
Tim Tebow, with his unparralled stats, will win the Heisman this year despite Florida's 3 losses, leading to the obvious questions of a repeat.
I didnt think throwing 3 stars together would work out as well for the Boston Celtics as most 'experts' predicted. I was wrong. The intensity and unselfishness the Celtics play with will earn them an NBA championship this year, adding to Boston's dominance of the professional sports world.
If Sam Bradford is healthy, the winner of the Missouri vs. Kansas game next weekend will lose to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a very good football team capable of beating anyone in the NFL (yes that includes the Patriots). However, losses to the Cardinals, Broncos and Jets are unacceptable and show an inconsistency that wont allow them to run the table through a tough AFC.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, if they are led by David Garrard, will be an extremely difficult out no matter who they play in the AFC playoffs.
Green Bay and Dallas are head and shoulders above the rest of the NFC. The first two rounds of the playoffs will be a mere formality leading up to what should be a great game matching up two very strong teams.
If you wouldnt want A-ROD on your team, I hope my team would get to play your team a lot. The Yankees would have been the laughing stock of baseball last year without Rodriguez, missing the playoffs by at least 10 games.
While others may get more attention (ie: Rose, Love, Mayo, Gordon), Michael Beasley is the best freshman college basketball player in the country. KSU fans might hate Bob Huggins for leaving them after one year for his alma matter, but they can thank him for a year of amazing moments Beasley and fellow freshman star Bill Walker are sure to bring.
MLB's GMs voted today to use instant replay, but limit it to boundry calls (if a home run is fair or foul, fan interference with a home run, whether or not a home run goes over the fence or hits the top of the wall). This is a good step for baseball, despite the minor delays that it will cause. If they are smart, they will have an official upstairs that monitors replay and can communicate with the umpires on the field in order to make replay as quick as possible. The plan still needs approval from the players association and umpires.
The Yankees offseason has continued to go get worse as Andy Pettite has filed for free agency. Pettite's agent, Randy Hendricks, reiterated that the only two options for Andy are retirement or playing with the Yankees. Still, the offseason struggles have continued for a team that was already a mess, who currently dont have Joe Torre, Don Mattingly, Larry Bowa, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettite, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Roger Clemens under contract.
Adrian Peterson has already began to hit major contract incentives in his amazing rookie season of which is only 8 games old. Some respected media members league wide are already considering Peterson the best running back in the league. Its hard to argue considering he is the only weapon on his offense and is still shredding defenses. Hopefully the Vikings dont overwork Peterson and he is able to stay away from the injury bug, something he couldnt avoid after a tremendous freshman season in college.
The Florida Marlins have announced that Miguel Cabrera is on the trading block. They will also listen to offers for Dontrelle Willis. While Willis has struggled recently, the Marlins are sure to demand tons of talent for both of these players, making it very difficult for any team to acquire them. Cabrera however is one of the best and most underrated hitters in the game today. He also will only be 24 next season. Any team would be lucky to have him.
Dennis Rodman wants to coach basketball...in the WNBA. While this would be a terrible idea for any real organization, Rodman would at least bring attention to the WNBA which would not be able to survive without extreme financial help from the NBA.
The Colts are better than the Patriots, despite losing Sunday.
Oregon is the best college football team in the country.
No one will pay A-Rod anywhere near the $350 million Scott Boras is suggesting.
It would be a travesty if injury ruined Adrian Peterson's pro career like it did his college career. He was amazing in his first year at both levels. Hopefully it continues in the pros.
The Baltimore Ravens arent a very good football team, but they will play a close game with Pittsburgh because they matchup well with the Steelers.
Charlie Weis better have an amazing offseason with his players. I have always been a supporter of his, but he has done a truly awful job with his team this year.
Watching the Celtics open their season against the Wizards was the most enjoyable regular season NBA game I have seen since the days of MJ. Its amazing what basketball looks like when a team plays with passion emotion.
The Patriots wont end the season undefeated. Its very unlikely they take the last game of the season very seriously. However, that game could mean quite a bit to the New York Giants, who have the pass rush to disrupt the Patriots offense (like the Colts did yesterday).
Trading Kobe Bryant will almost surely fail the Los Angeles Lakers. I would still like to see it happen though.
I cant get over how good of a three weeks an 8 team tournament that consisted of the teams Ohio State, LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kansas and others would be. Its hard for me to imagine that this wouldnt be more profitable for the NCAA than the current bowl system.
After days of speculation, the Dodgers finally made it official by announcing Joe Torre will be their next manager. Torre had a losing record before his time with the Yankees, but the Dodgers are still lucky to have him. Torre is great at handling the bright lights of a big city as well as keeping his team together. No current coach is more loved by his players. Torre may not be baseball's brightest mind, but he will be a great fit for the Dodgers. A manager will never be a miracle worker on any baseball team, but Los Angeles couldnt have hired a better candidate.
Joel Zumaya has to be one of the unluckiest current professional athletes when it comes to injury. For such an amazing pitcher that can throw as hard as anyone alive, Zumaya has had two random injuries. First he injured himself playing the video game Guitar Hero. His latest injury came when he was moving personaly items from his home in Southern California because of the tragic fires that destroyed so many homes. Zumaya now will need surgery, wont be able to throw a baseball until March and isnt expected to be back with the Tigers until mid-season. Hopefully, for his sake, this is the end of his bad luck.
Is it Sunday yet? As much as it is deserved, the hype for this weekend's game in Indianapolis where the Colts will host the Patriotes is getting old. Im just as excited as the next guy about this matchup, but the buildup has been endless. Whether its ESPN, the NFL Network or sports talk radio, the game is everwhere sports is being discussed. Two undefeated teams playing eachother this late in the season is unprecedented. They are CLEARLY the two best teams in the NFL right now and they have established a great modern day rivalry. But for the sake of sanity, Sunday cant come fast enough.
How much must it suck to be one of the better players on the Chicago Bulls right now. Virtually the entire sports world is on the edge of their seats wondering what is going to happen with Kobe Bryant, Bulls fans especially. But players like Luol Deng, Joahkim Noah, Ben Wallace, Tyrus Thomas and more really have no idea for what that means for their future. They go to work every day with the very real possibility that they could be on their way to Los Angeles to play for the Lakers, or for that matter some other city if there is a three way trade that is completed. It is in both teams best interest to get this situation settled as quickly as possible so both teams can move forward, trade or no trade. Especially for the Bulls, who are one of the best teams in the NBA without Kobe Bryant. It would be a shame if these speculations ruined what could be a special season.
Props to LSU head coach Les Miles for doing the right thing with linebacker Derrick Odom and Ryan Perrilloux. Odom was kicked off the team for his involvement in a bar fight. Perrilloux will not join the Tigers in their trip to Tuscalussa for their much hyped game against the Alabama Crimson Tide and the former LSU coach Nick Saban. While this seems like such an obvious move, few coaches would have taken such drastic measures with such a big game this weekend. Nice job Les.
Also props to ESPN for their selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Baltimore Ravens as their Monday Night Football game this week. While the New England vs Indianapolis Colts was the obvious choice, CBS had the right to hold onto that game and they made the obvious decision. ESPN made the next best decision. They have made questionable choices in the past by choosing games like the New York Giants vs the Atlanta Falcons or the Arizona Cardinals vs the San Francisco 49ers. They got it right this week just like they got it right two weeks ago when they chose the Jaguars vs the Colts, despite the game not being an enjoyable one due to the injury of David Garrard. I hope the country tunes into a great rivalry Monday night. The game is sure to display some smash mouth football. I expect a Steeler victory, but it should be an entertaing game nonetheless.
The entire sports world is debating the ethics of the Patriots running up the score on the Redskins this past Sunday. With the score 38-0 late in the game, the Patriots chose to go for it on 4th and 1 instead of kicking a short field goal, ultimately leading to a touchdown. Instead of leaing 41-0, the Patriots were now up 45-0 and eventually won 52-7. The Redskins said the Patriots lacked respect for the game. Many fans and those in the media are claming the Patriots lack sportsmanship. And still others are claiming that in professional sports, if you want someone to stop scoring points, it is up to your team to stop them. The truth is everyone is right. The bigger question is why the Patriots feel the need to embarrass their opposition as badly as possible. The Patriots are clearly on a mission to prove their greatness in light of the cheating allegations. But doesnt a score of 38-0 do a pretty good job of that? What does an extra touchdown do? And is it really worth the injury of a key player in garbage time? Multiple members of the media have mentioned the possibility of a cheap shot aimed at Tom Brady's knees if the Patriots tactics continue. While I would never support something like that, the Patriots would only have themselves to blame.
The sports world, especially Yankees fans, also seems pissed off at Alex Rodriguez for opting out of his contract without even negotiating with the Yankees first. All I have to say to Yankee fans is you get what you deserve. In 4 years, A-Rod had over 170 homeruns and 500 RBI's and it will soon be announced the he won his second MVP while with the team. Yet he was booed more than he was cheered with the Yankees. Try to name another time in baseball when one of the greatest players in the history of the game batted 8th in the order. The Yankees organization is hiring a new manager, many key players are free agents right now and the team has a lot of holes. How can you blame A-Rod. He is simply being smart. And he will almost definitely end up in a better situation than he was in with the Yankees. The team and their fans got what they deserve. Deal with it.
The NBA season begins tonight...and I really dont care. The leagues talent is balencing out between confrences, which should make for an interesting playoffs. The regular season is still largely unwatchable though. There is very little reason to pay close attention until March.
When was the last time the defending superbowl champions were undefeated after seven games, playing at home and still underdogs. Im not much of a betting man, but if you told me before the season that the Colts were undefeated, playing at home and still 6 point underdogs....I would still take the Patriots. I think the Colts are a great team. Their defense is light years ahead of where it was last season. The offense is as balanced as ever. The Patriots are simply better though. I still expect a great game in Indy this Sunday. Take the Patriots and lay the points.
Joe Torre is in line to become the new manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers got themselves a great manager. A Major League Baseball manager has two main roles. The first is to have the respect of his players and get the players to preform at their highest level possible. The second is to put his players in the best possible position to win. No one is better at the first than Joe Torre. His players love him and play hard for him. There is also no denying Joe's baseball competence. A manager cant work miracles, but nonetheless the Dodgers are lucky to have Torre.
Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox on their second World Series championship in 4 seasons. The Red Sox are in a great position to build on this success as they have a lot of young talent in Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okijima, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, Kevin Youkilis, and others mixed in with some great veteran talent like Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Josh Beckett, and Jason Varitek. However the Sox have some tough decisions to make. World Series MVP Mike Lowell is a free agent an is going to command a lot of money. Expect the Yankees to come after him strong. Curt Schilling is also a free agent, and while he is aging, it will be hard to replace his presence if they decide to let him go. There is also the question of the possibility of Alex Rodriguez joining Red Sox nation. It will be interesting to see some of the decisions the organization makes this offseason in an effort to repeat.
With the Red Sox quickly out to a 2-0 lead in the World Series and the Rockies still trying to recover from an 8 day lay off, the question around the World Series is whether or not the Rockies are all but finished. I will do my best to argue for both sides before saying what will ultimately happen in the rest of the series.
Yes, there is still time: While the first two games of the series were anything but desirable, the Rockies get to return to Denver now. They tied Boston for the best home record in baseball this year. Boston will not be used to thin air or the huge outfield. This strongly favors the Rockies.
No, its over: I'll admit that leaving Fenway Park for Coors Field is definitely an advantage for the Rockies, but it isnt a big enough one to make a difference in the series. The Red Sox were the better hitting and pitching team to open the World Series and there is no reason to expect that to change. They are patient at the plate, force opponents to make mistakes and take advantage of opportunities. Colorado has been able to do little of that so far.
Yes: The pitching matchup in Game 3 favors the Rockies. Matsuzaka has had a very solid rookie season, but he has been struggling recently and isnt nearly as confident as he was earlier in the season. And for someone who relies so heavily on movement, it will certainly be a wake up call coming to Denver where the ball doesnt break nearly as much. On the other side, Josh Fogg has been lights out recently for the Rockies posting a 1.13 ERA in the playoffs. If the Rockies win Game 3, they are right back in the series and they have a great chance tonight because of the pitching matchup.
No: Everything said about Matsuzaka is very true. There is no way to know how he will pitch tonight. However Im not so sure about Josh Fogg. He has been great this post season and he finished the regular season very well, but he hasnt faced a lineup like the Red Sox either. The Arizona Diamondbacks struggled to score runs all season. In fact, despite winning their division, they scored less runs than their opponents this year. The Chicago Cubs are also very overrated, which was shown by how much they struggled to win the NL Central, the worst division in baseball. I wouldnt expect to see the same Josh Fogg that has been seen so far this postseason. The fact of the matter is that the Rockies will have to win 4 out of 5 games in order to win the World Series. They simply are in too deep of a hole.
Yes: The Red Sox should know that its only one game at a time better than anybody after coming back from a 3-0 deficit in 2004 to beat the Yankees and a 3-1 deficit in this years' ALCS to beat the Indians. The fact that the Rockies have to win 4 out of 5 simply means they have to be focused on winning tonight. Another thing that helps the Rockies is the loss of the DH for the next three games. While the Rockies will be removing Ryan Spillborghs from their lineup, the Red Sox have to choose between David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis. It appears Terry Francona is going to take Youkilis out of the lineup with the intention of substituting him in the latter innings if the Red Sox have a lead. While thats a nice plan, that means the Red Sox will have to get the lead late. Putting Ortiz at first greatly hurts the Red Sox defense. Youkilis hasnt made an error at first base this season. Ortiz, who doesnt move well when he is healthy, is battling a sore knee. Aside from the defense, Youkilis has been a huge contributor at the top of the lineup for the Red Sox. He will be sorely missed. Also, with the pitchers hitting, the Red Sox are going to be forced to go to their bench when hitting for their pitchers, something they havent had to do this postseason. The Rockies have had to deal with this all season and will be in much better shape.
No: While the Red Sox will miss Youkilis in the lineup, they still have Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Mike Lowell and JD Drew, all of which have had strong post seasons. That lineup would be the best in the national league easily. And while David Ortiz isnt a gifted defensive first baseman, his struggles are over-exaggerated. He played first base in the Red Sox last World Series and did just fine. He also played first this year when the Red Sox visited the national league. He will get the job done. The fact of the matter is, despite the disadvantages in Denver, the Red Sox are still the better team. Its going to be too difficult for the Rockies to win 4 out of 5 games and they have to face Josh Beckett again. It was a great season for the Rockies. I just dont see them winning it all.
What I really believe: I just cant see the Rockies coming back. Its hard to say a team that won 21 of 22 games cant win 4 out of 5, but I just dont see them doing it. They will have to face Josh Beckett in Game 5 if it gets to that and they could possibly see him in Game 7, again if it gets to that. The Rockies are a great team, but the Red Sox are simply better. Their experience will get it done in the most crucial situations.
The Colorado Rockies were embarrassed in their first World Series in franchise history last night. The tone was set early. Josh Beckett, who added to his post season dominance, struck out the first three batters he faced. As if that wasnt enough, Dustin Pedroia led the game off for the Red Sox with a home run and the Sox went onto score 3 runs in the first inning. The onslaught continued.
Nearly the entire sports community is now counting the Rockies out, given the debacle that was game 1. Questions remained about just how much an eight day layoff effected the club (and it was quite evident the pitchers were simply rusty).
However a win tonight would silence all of the critics. The goal of the road team in any playoff series is to get a split in the first two games of the series. Curt Schilling takes the hill tonight. While he has had a great post season career and a strong 2007 post season, he has looked beatable. He failed to get through the 5th inning of Game 2 of the ALCS and the Indians continued to make solid contact against him in the Game 6 despite not scoring many runs. When Eric Gagne finshed his scoreless 9th inning of work last night, the Rockies needed to forget Game 1. Win tonight and everything is just fine in Colorado.
A loss tonight, leading to a 2-0 defecit coupled with the fact that Josh Beckett will get atleast one more start this series (if necessary), almost assures a second Red Sox title in four years though.
The Rockies season didnt end last night. It could end tonight.
Im a diehard sports fan. My favorite teams are the Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bearcats and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I hate the Pittsburgh Steelers and I enjoy making fun of the city of Cleveland and the Chicago Cubs.
Im a diehard sports fan. My favorite teams are the Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bearcats and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I hate the Pittsburgh Steelers and I enjoy making fun of the city of Cleveland and the Chicago Cubs.
