Impossible is nothing. But when you are Texas Tech University’s football program, impossible is still, well, impossible.
Pundits, or supposed experts, seem to like Texas Tech a lot to win the Big XII South Division in 2008, outgunning the traditional big guns named Texas and Oklahoma do to it.
The Red Raiders have a scheme offense that has produced a long list of one-year wonder signal callers. These quarterbacks have put up consistently outstanding numbers through the air after sitting in Mike Leach’s system as understudies.
Enter Graham Harrell; by far the most highly-touted of quarterbacks ever to ink a letter of intent to Lubbock Harrell came to Lubbock out of Ennis High School in Brownwood, Texas with as much hype as any other quarterback in the country.
As a sophomore in high school, Harrell put up Texas Tech-like numbers as he threw for 3,972 yards and 53 touchdowns while leading Ennis to the 4A-II state championship.
It was obvious early on that a potential marriage with pass-happy Texas Tech would be a match made in heaven.
As a freshman in 2005, Harrell threw for 422 yards in mop up duty as the clipboard holder for Cody Hodges.
In 2006, Harrell had 4,555 yards passing and 38 scores while leading the Red Raiders to a 4-4 record in the Big XII and the Insight Bowl. In the bowl game, Harrell led Texas Tech on a furious comeback to defeat Minnesota 44-41 in overtime. Tech trailed 38-7 in the third quarter before Harrell erupted for two passing scores and a rushing touchdown to spearhead the comeback.
Last season, Harrell simply lit up the scoreboard by throwing for 5,705 yards and 48 touchdowns. Part of the reason for his success was the emergence of redshirt freshman wide receiver Michael Crabtree. In a 49-45 loss to Oklahoma State, Harrell threw for 646 yards, five touchdowns, and did not throw an interception. Crabtree hauled in 14 of Harrell’s strikes for 235 yards and three touchdowns.
So suddenly thanks to the potent combination of Harrell and Crabtree, our college football experts are going out on a huge limb by picking Texas Tech to win the Big XII South this season.
At last check, Harrell and Crabtree have yet to line up on defense. Texas Tech’s defense has been paltry since Leach took over in Lubbock. Understandable since Texas Tech’s offense scores with lightning quick fashion and in bunches. Texas Tech’s defense allowed 24 points or more in eight of 13 games last season and ranked 10th in the Big XII in rushing defense.
To be fair, Texas Tech did rank first in the league against the pass, allowing just over 188 yards per game and was third in the Big XII in total defense. This performance is light years better than previous outputs in total defense. Truthfully, Texas Tech was tops against the pass in 2006 and second in 2005.
The offense, without a doubt, will be outstanding as it returns 10 starters. The defense will not be too shabby either, returning eight from a decent unit.
It is easy to ascertain Texas Tech will be very good in 2008 and potentially could be bound for a solid bowl game such as the Cotton Bowl. But winning the Big XII South and a date in the Big XII title game against more than likely a Missouri?
The non-conference schedule, traditionally one of the weakest for a school in a BCS conference in the country, is not going to be terribly difficult. The Red Raiders open against Tulsa, travel to Nevada, then return home to host SMU in a game that could easily eclipse 150 total points against June Jones’ air show, then the cupcake of the slate in UMass.
It is the Big XII schedule that will derail this team. It opens at Kansas State, not an easy task with a more experienced Josh Freeman running the show in Manhattan. They then host a rebuilding Nebraska. Last time the Red Raiders hosted the Big Red; Leach opened up the proverbial can of whoop #### and unleashed a 70-10 beating that makes the term woodshed seem awfully polite.
After Nebraska the Red Raiders have back-to-back road trips to Texas A&M and Kansas, visits from Texas and Oklahoma State, teams Texas Tech lost to in 2007.
Here is where this whole Big XII South Division run could go haywire. The most difficult of tasks is a trip to Norman to face a very good Oklahoma team that has national title aspirations, and rightfully so. Texas Tech then will host an improved Baylor team hoping to sneak into a bowl game.
Fact: Texas Tech has not won in Norman since 1996. In 1996, Oklahoma’s head coach was named John Blake and the Sooners finished 3-8, not winning a game in Norman. In fact, home losses that season included setbacks to Tulsa and TCU. Another setback was a 73-21 loss to Nebraska.
Other than in 1996, as you can see which should be a huge mulligan for Oklahoma, Texas Tech has never beaten Oklahoma in Norman. More importantly Leach, the former Oklahoma assistant, has never beaten his old boss in his own backyard.
Fact: Texas Tech has not won 10 or more games in any football season since 1976. For all the hype surrounding Mad Mike and his program, it is hard to fathom that the Red Raiders have never won more than nine games since the inception of the Big XII. They have flirted with double digits, including last year, but have failed to break through.
Fact: Texas Tech has made only three New Year’s Day bowl appearances in its history. All three were trips to the Cotton Bowl after the 1938, 1994, and 2005 seasons. The Red Raiders participated in the Cotton Bowl and have amassed a 0-3 record.
The impossible part of this equation is the trip to Norman. Harrell had one of his worst starts in his career the last time he made a visit to Oklahoma. He is a better player today than he was in the 34-24 loss as a sophomore, but Oklahoma has not lost a home game since TCU shocked the World and beat the Sooners to open the 2005 season. Before that you have to go back to 2001 to find when Oklahoma lost a conference home game.
Texas Tech, barring injury, will likely get over the 10-win plateau this season. It would be a massive disappointment if the Red Raiders dropped another average 9-win season into the history books.
Texas Tech will finish third in the Big XII South behind Oklahoma and Texas yet again. They will finish no better than 10-2 in the regular season and go to the Cotton Bowl.
Sometimes pundits go out on a limb because they want to be the one to predict the snowball’s chance right every so often. But, not this time.
The Big XII is too good and Texas Tech is still Texas Tech. It would take a herculean effort for the Red Raiders to find them in the top two, let alone winning the division for the first time. Harrell and Crabtree should be Heisman Trophy candidates whether they are the product of the system or not. Numbers don't lie very often, and these two are legitimate stars.
As for the Red Raiders as a whole, try again in 2009. That is if Leach sticks around.
Hate to go out on a limb here, but that is what sportswriters get paid to do. We get paid to make the general populous step back for a moment and think about something so off the wall, you would have never realized it without us. Which is why we get paid to write, and you supplement our income by reading what we write. It’s simple math, really. Not much quantum physics here.
The sky is blue. We take it for granted. Pretty common knowledge. This is not mind-boggling stuff.
Michael Jordan is the best basketball player of all-time. Tough to argue, though there are some potential arguments out there that can make for a heated debate.
Instead of beating around the bush, let’s get right to the point. Tiger Woods is the best athlete in the entire history of civilization. Ever. Nobody comes close. Not only is Tiger Woods the best athlete ever, Woods is also the most important athlete of all-time.
What the World witnessed on Monday was what champions are made of. Tiger Woods had every reason in the World to lose the US Open. He had every excuse in the book to use had he lost. Instead, no. On one leg, Tiger Woods did what he seemingly always does; win a major golf tournament.
Before his injury and even before he started making major winning a habit, Tiger was arguably the most influential athlete in our generation. Tiger brought new people to the golf course, people of all skin colors. His legacy on golf and professional sports is a modern day equivalent to Jackie Robinson. We give No. 42 his due credit for changing the face of professional sports, but we take Tiger for granted.
Tiger might not have had as many barriers to overcome in order to unleash his supremacy on the links, but he made the racial stereotype in golf essentially non-existent. Tiger is so good at what he does on and off the golf course that we sometimes forget the fact that he is a minority in the first place. Robinson would sure be proud.
The US Open was not Woods’ most dominant performance in his 14 major tournament victories, but it was his most important. Tiger was ripe for the picking all weekend long, but Tiger versus the field turned into another Tiger Woods Show.
He needed to play 19 extra holes as the least opportune of times. As the week wore on, Tiger’s limp got worse. Yet, Tiger still managed to win, and win with a million dollar smile on his face.
Tiger is why athletes were role models in the first place. Tiger is a breath of fresh air in a society filled with more bad apples than good ones. Tiger gives us a reason to believe that somewhere in the World; there is some good news in a society filled with bad news.
No man crush, save the crush part for his wife. Even holding his daughter after winning yet another piece of silverware for the collection, Tiger did it with a class and style rarely seen these days.
Tiger will shut it down for the rest of the season as he will get another surgery on his knee, and the rest of golf will try to take advantage and somehow, someway catch Tiger Woods.
Not happening in the foreseeable future. If his last tournament of 2008 was any indication, it will take a superhuman effort to beat Tiger on a bad day with a bad wheel.
Tiger will not win every single major he enters, but he will hoist his coveted silverware and don his green jacket more often than not.
Tiger is a role model, and a damn good one at that. What we can do as casual observers is watch in awe as he dominates his profession like nobody before and be able to tell our grandchildren about the greatest athlete our eyes have ever seen.
Tiger is that good, and a heckuva nice guy to boot. He is so good that even a blogger that doesn't like anything can take time out to write something nice for a change.
Inevitable delayed, for at least a few more days. In a mere 48 hours, Titletown U.S.A. will be celebrating another World title*.
There is no denying it. Boston has become the sports capitol of the United States*, churning out World titles right and left. First, the cheating Patriots*. Then, of all things, the Red Sox reversed the self-induced curse to win two World Series crowns*. The best franchise in the entire city will win on Tuesday night for what is seemingly its 400th NBA Championship+.
Too bad nobody outside of Boston cares. What is it that makes your Average Joe hate Boston so much? Is it the accent? Is it because we can’t make fun of the Red Sox anymore? Is it because we like to watch that ball go through Bill Buckner’s legs every October?
The Celtics were easy to hate back in the old school short shorts days of the NBA. We hated Larry Bird because his dominance made no sense. We hated McHale’s elbows as they cleared the way for his potent post moves. We hated Parrish because we had no idea why he was such a viable force in the paint.
This is why it is easy to hate Tom Brady*. Which is why it was easy to hate Roger Clemens* even before we realized he was a lying, cheating phony that would throw his own family under the bus to clear his murky name.
We have 13,000,000 reasons to loathe Bill Belichick**. Sorry, Coach. We were unclear on why we can’t stand you. Is it because you act like you are better than everybody else? Is it because you talk down to people? Is it because you have finally been exposed? Guess it couldn’t be because you acted like a four-year old when you lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. Nah. Maybe it’s because you are still trying to copyright the term “19-0”*.
There is a common theme here. The city formerly known for its dislike for tea products and its infamous revelry is now known for cheating and winning titles. Could Danny Ainge have bent the rules in order to bring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston?
What’s the difference between what the Florida Marlins used to do and what the Celtics are doing right now? “Hey, let’s buy ourselves a title.” Paul Pierce and Tony Allen are the only two players on the roster playing any sort of valuable minutes that were actually drafted by Boston. Not even Glen Davis, if you want to call the two minutes he played in Game 5 valuable.
Holy Matt Damon, Batman! Where is Larry Legend when we need him? Wake up Ted Williams. Send him to Steve Grogan’s house.
Nothing like the Boston Cheat Party. Nothing like watching Kobe lose in Game 6. Nothing like watching Kevin Garnett and his OCD for 48 minutes on Tuesday night, finally winning something of meaning other than high school titles in South Carolina and Illinois.
And Garnett does have some serious Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Never seen somebody so superstitious in my entire life. But I guess when you win a ring, its okay. Or, I guess it’s okay if you buy yourself a ring*.
At least the rock band Boston was actually from Boston^.
Legend:
*- Denotes Asterisk.
**- Denotes average coach that slightly bends the rules, thus World titles should not count and he should be thrown out of the NFL forever.
+- First 399 were legitimate.
^- Band popular in 1970's when society was going through a "transitional period", therefore chart success not valid.
Help me out with this one. Not even going to pretend like I know anything about horse racing. Not even going to pretend it makes sense to me. To me, horse racing is like a posh NASCAR. The Kentucky Derby, to me, is not a sporting event. It’s a place where women wear funny hats and people bet money on animals. However, I do know a tragedy when I see it.
What happened on Saturday to Eight Belles, the only filly in the entire field and the first in the Derby since 1999, was a tragedy. It didn’t make any sense, just like the whole Kentucky Derby thing. Not sure how both ankles collapsed simultaneously. When a veterinarian says “it is unheard of”, you could call it a freak accident.
Some people love horses, some people love to bet money on them. I am neither. When I see a horse, to me, it’s just a horse. I have no emotional attachment to them, however I claim ignorance. I also don’t see how people can bet good money on them. I don't hate animals. I have a dog and cat and treat them like anybody else.
Here is what I have a problem with. PETA now wants Eight Belles’ jockey suspended, saying Eight Belles clearly was injured before the finish.
My ignorance on the subject is quite evident. But I do know by listening to jockeys that they fall in the horse lover category. Gabriel Saez, the jockey who rode Eight Belles into the place position, would have undoubtedly pulled Eight Belles out had he known there was a threat of injury. No jockey in the entire World would put a Kentucky Derby win over the health of a horse any day of the week.
Saez feels bad enough about the incident without question. Not only does he feel terrible about it, now he has to listen to fellow animal lovers calling him out. That’s just plain wrong, which is why I wish PETA would move themselves to a deserted island far, far away from me so they can go eat vegetables together and complain about whatever they want. I admit strong dislike for PETA.
Back to the race, I also know dominance when I see it. This is the time of year where we all talk about the “next great thing in horse racing”. We all like to talk about the hope, more like a prayer, that a horse will become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.
Big Brown had a crappy starting position and rolled to a relatively uncontested victory at the biggest horse racing showcase of them all. That is dominance.
I don’t think we should include Secretariat in any list of Best Athletes of All-Time, much like ESPN did at the turn of the century with every countdown they had on television. But I do believe horse racing has its place in society. I can understand animal lovers seeing the beauty of a thoroughbred galloping on a race track. It’s just not for me all the time.
Maybe Big Brown can get it done so people can stop talking about it. It seems like most of the horses that have a shot usually falter in the Belmont Stakes. Like PETA, I’m tired of hearing about the Triple Crown. Yet for some reason, I watch all three races every year when there is a threat of a horse achieving the unthinkable. You can categorize me as a historian. I want to see it when it happens.
I’m no genius, but I do know tragedy and dominance when they are right before my eyes. And I do know beef tastes good and the west wasn’t won on salad.
April 13- Eating Worms: The Blogging Week That Was
You guys Fox’s website sucked this week. Other than the Oklahoma City NBA team name blog that won’t go away, which had its willing ignorant participants, it was a slow week because of the website bugs.
It will be impossible to keep a fat man down. Not this fat man.
Thanks for checking in and showing how ignorant your city really is. Your ignorance is going to lose you the Sonics, and it’s not my fault. It seems that people from the West Coast have the same mentality as ones from the East Coast… this just in, there is life outside of your little tree hugging region. Yes, there are people that live in the middle of the country, too. Once again, I challenge anybody that has anything negative to say about Oklahoma to actually visit it first. Then form an unbiased opinion, unlike our friend Seahawky here.
JOKERSWILD: I like you and your witing style you'll always have the good with the bad its just the way it is take care soldier..............Jw
Is this really Wink Martindale, the host of Joker’s Wild? I like you too, Wink. I liked Tic Toe Doe better, though. Maybe Wink Martindale didn’t host the Joker’s Wild. It seemed like he hosted everything else. (note: the actual host on the original was Jack Berry)
Michle954: I am just a bit curious...........................the magazine HOLLYWOOD GOSSIP reported his profile was found on the famous rich men seeking affairs site htt p://w ww.sugarmatchmaker.c om last week and he was seeking his sugar woman there.......................... wow*********************************************** ************************************************** ****************************************
Alright, seriously. If you are going to spam, at least be literate.
Volfan69: Well, I want you to know that you will be missed by me. No matter where you go, I hope that you are happy. Thank you for being a person that was and is willing to give service to our country. My Dad was a career Navy man. I have much respect for you.
Thank you. Finally, a sane fan of the insane.
Lisa H: HOPE YOU DON'T GO...YOU ARE ONE OF THE MOST HONEST AND TALENTED WRITERS I HAVE EVER READ.
HUGS, QUEEN OF THE DIPWADS
Honest and talented come cheap these days. At least an honest and talented writer has nice things to say about me. I keep wondering what is taking Fox so long to make her national?
Damn FoxSports that doesn’t care about its bloggers website bugs. Two posts that never actually posted. They are scared that more people will read my blogs than their own writers hopefully will get the bugs worked out.
BridgeWarriors: Wrong....its hardly too little too late is it ?..it might be too late...however 22 out of the last 24 points is hardly too little.As for drawing with Fulham, well thats way off the mark, considering we do relatively well to beat Fulham = Bogey team for Chelsea.We lost dramatic points at Aston villa in the last minute after being 4-3 up, and dramatical points against Spurs with last kick of the game after being 4-3 up. Fulham, good god, that didn't affect us. Anyway, how can it be too late as a matter of fact, tell me that if Arsenal take a point on Sunday. Chelsea have nothing too fear from United.Newcastle maybe, however a resurgent newcastle needs to take points of top teams, a few wins against mid table and relegation bound teams is not a yardstick to measure Newcastle with. Other than that, not bad.
Once again, it is too late for Chelsea. Manchester United will win the league and get a draw against Chelsea. Glad to see the Blues finishing in second. And it's way better than "not bad." Find another American writer that knows so much about soccer. I call it football, if that tells you anything.
April 12: West Coast Bias: No Lisa, LeBron is KingLisa Homer: LOL! Your argument for Colt Brennan not deserving the Heisman was that he was a product of the system, he played on a team that was pass-happy so his stats were inflated, and he was in a lower-tiered conference. Can you NOT say that the reason why LBJ has a high point average is because like Brennan, he has to carry the team, and his stats are inflated? LBJ is the Cavaliers' Brennan.
Moreover....does it NOT prove that because Kobe is SECOND in ppg average on a team with some damn good shooters, and LBJ is basically the entire team, that Kobe is the MVP. I am quite certain if Kobe was on the Cavaliers, he would have a higher ppg average. I am NOT affected by the LA Media, but you state in your profile that you hate USC. Who is the HOMER here? You just can't stand the fact that an LA team is doing well, and frankly I don't blame you....I'm sick of them too. But I am a realist. ;P
Comparing Colt Brennan to the MVP race in the NBA? Somebody please explain that to me. Lisa is upset because I told her Colt Brennan was a bad quarterback and was going to get drilled in the Sugar Bowl. As always, I was right, and she still isn’t over it yet.
And what does Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) have to do with anything? I thought he played football in college.
BleedPRP$GOLD: CASE CLOSED. Private Gumpa-s-s, You are obviously a LeKobe hater, the camoflauge doesn't hide YOUR homerism. Sore Leloser.Stay in denial, the voters / sportswriters views are just as clouded as yours, so your Lewish may just be granted, despite the obvious holes in your / their personal dislike / argument against Kobe. Blinded by judgement. This is about what happens on the court, not a hotel room, or comments made in a parking lot. Get over yourself.The Lakers are a playoff team WITHOUT Kobe? No drug tests in the military or what? Don't ask, don't tell suits your love for LeBron. I wrote a post on worsts blog this morning, touting veterans and patriotism, and I respect you for doing your part, but as a Lakers fan, you are speaking blasphemous words Private Gump. Stick to ping-pong, this one's over your head.
LeWhat, leidiot? Leyou legot lesomething to lesay? First of all, I’m not in the Army. Second of all, what holes? If you people could actually read, I wouldn’t need to explain myself 100 times over and over again. What does the military have to do with anything? Leave the military out of it. I knew I should have never posted that picture. Don’t ask, don’t tell? Ping-pong? Yes, we do have drug tests. Signed, Sergeant Kobe. LeLater LeHomer.
Underage: NO LAKERS FANS WILL OWE YOU ANY APOLOGY... THE LAKERS WILL WIN THEM ALL.........MISS LISA WAS JUST STATING THE FACT... NO IF NO BUTS..LOL
Shouldn’t you be in school?
To all the Laker fans that left messages for this blog, who are the homers? You have the worst NBA fan base in the country. You are sore losers, and you don’t even show up unless your team is winning. What’s the excuse going to be this year?
Miss Lisa? That’s Mrs. Lisa to you.
This is my last official blog on Fox. I am moving to Yahoo! 360 and Real Sports Bloggers. If Fox would actually fix the bugs, I would stay. I have grown too impatient to wait around for them to fix it.
Only five games to go. The race towards the ultimate prize in the English Premiership is heating up.
Manchester United is looking to repeat and seemingly had a hand on the title until suffering a setback with a 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough last weekend.
Manchester United still has Chelsea clipping on its heels, just three points back from the leaders. Chelsea won the league title in 2005 and 2006 and could make this year’s title run-in very interesting indeed.
Arsenal was cruising along until February, only managing three victories in eight matches. Arsenal is behind second place Chelsea by 11 points. Even in North London, Arsenal fans are already looking forward to next year barring any major Houdini acts in the last five games.
The relegation run-in could be equally as dramatic. The difference between finishing 17th or higher in the Premiership is roughly 30 million pounds (60 million dollars). Three clubs will make the drop. Up until two weeks back, it appeared eight clubs were in danger of dropping to the Coca-Cola Championship .
Tottenham, Newcastle United, and Sunderland appear to be in good shape, all at least 10 points clear of the drop zone.
For those Americans always wondering how the European football works and have basic questions, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1) The regular season champion is the league champion. No playoffs, which means the season means everything. The 20 Premiership teams play 38 games. All teams face each other twice in a home and home situation.
2) Relegation: The bottom three teams will drop a Division for next season. It would be like an NFL team being relegated to college football for a year. The top three teams from the Coca-Cola Championship will come to the Premier League. The top two teams outright will move up, while the third spot is decided by a four-team playoff. The first playoff round is over two legs (home and home), and the final is a one-shot deal. Relegation could literally mean financial ruin. Just ask Leeds United.
3) The top four teams in England will qualify for the European Champions League. Three teams will automatically enter the first group stage, while the fourth will need to qualify in order to make the first round. The fifth place team will qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Title Run-In
Manchester United (77 pts, 1st)
Last Five Fixtures: Arsenal, at Blackburn Rovers, at Chelsea, West Ham United, at Wigan Athletic
Last Five Results: W, W, W, W, D.
Big Match: Arsenal- the smart money is on the road fixture at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea. However, with a win over Arsenal, United could be three points clear with a huge goal difference heading into the clash with Chelsea.
Potential Spoiler: West Ham at Old Trafford- No matter the result with Chelsea, United need to be careful with the Hammers at home. West Ham beat United at Upton Park 2-1 in December. Last season, West Ham beat Manchester United twice, including a 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
Last word: Manchester United know the drill. Nobody outside of Manchester thought the Red Devils could outlast Chelsea last season, which is exactly what they did. And no manager in the Premiership is as experienced in this situation as Sir Alex Ferguson. Prediction: Champions again.
Chelsea(74 pts, 2nd)
Last Five Fixtures: Wigan Athletic, at Everton, Manchester United, at Newcastle, at Bolton Wanderers.
Last Five Results: W, D, W, W, W.
Big Match: For obvious reasons, Manchester United at home- Avenging a 2-0 September loss at Old Trafford could give the Blues a huge boost down the stretch.
Potential Spoiler: Newcastle- Newcastle have come to life in recent weeks under the direction of Kevin Keegan.Newcastle United will want to send the fans home on a winning note before what promises to be a busy off-season at Tyneside.
Last word: Too little, too late. Prediction: Second. Where they lost it? New Year’s Day at Fulham. It was a terrible set back against a club almost certainly headed for relegation.
Arsenal (71 pts, 3rd)
Last Five Fixtures: at Manchester United, Reading, at Derby County, Everton, at Sunderland.
Last Five Results: D, D, L, W, D.
Big Match: at Manchester United- Arsenal fans are wondering what could have been. Since February, the Gunners have only managed 14 points in eight games, including only three victories. A victory at Old Trafford would guarantee Champions League football next season at Emirates Stadium.
Potential Spoiler: Arsenal- The Gunners could really make some noise down the stretch and spoil it for Manchester United. Should Arsenal get three points at Old Trafford this weekend, it would be all to play for at Stamford Bridge. An Arsenal victory would #### up the volume to 11 when Chelsea and Manchester United collide.
Last word: Arsenal overachieved early on and actually finished about where they were supposed to. Prediction: Third. Where they lost it? January 12 at home against Birmingham City. A 1-1 draw against a relegation threatened club on your own pitch started a stretch of strange results. Some of those include draws at Birmingham City, home against Aston Villa, at Wigan Athletic, and at home against Middlesbrough. They dropped 10 points from those five fixtures, three of them at home.
Champions League Race for Fourth: Liverpool, Everton, Portsmouth.
Prediction: Liverpool finishes fourth; Portsmouth passes Everton into the UEFA Cup.
Relegation Run-in (denotes potential six-pointer)
Middlesbrough (35 pts, 14th): at Tottenham, Bolton Wanderers, at Sunderland, Portsmouth, Manchester City. Prediction: Safe.
Wigan Athletic (34 pts, 15th): at Chelsea, Tottenham, Reading, at Aston Villa, Manchester United. Prediction: Safe.
Reading (32 pts, 16th): Fulham, at Arsenal, at Wigan Athletic, Tottenham, at Derby County. Prediction: Safe.
Birmingham City (30 pts, 17th): Everton, at Aston Villa, Liverpool, at Fulham, Blackburn Rovers. Prediction: Down. Six-pointer away from home and two tough games back-to-back against teams from the upper half of the table.
Bolton Wanderers (26 pts, 18th): West Ham United, at Middlesbrough, at Tottenham, Sunderland, at Chelsea. Prediction: Down.No six-pointers and three difficult road fixtures.
Fulham (24 pts, 19th): at Reading, Liverpool, at Manchester City,Birmingham City, at Portsmouth. Prediction: Houdini. Two six-pointers and an extremely difficult pair of games away from home. They have the most talent of the bottom four, which will win on the day.
Already Relegated
Derby County (11 pts, 20th)- The Rams look to be a yo-yo club at best, moving back and forth between the big time and the Coca-Cola Championship.
Never thought the land of Starbucks and the land of Sonic would get into a tissy over an NBA franchise. Thanks to Seattle SuperSonics owner and Oklahoman Clay Bennett, the two cities are in a war. Both cities have about as much in common as coffee and hamburgers.
Rumor has it, Bennett is willing to leave all Sonics history and its one World title in Seattle as he sweeps the rug from beneath the great Northwest. Keeping the history in Seattle is the right thing to do. The NBA title, won in 1979 by the Supersonics, had nothing to do with Oklahoma City. So why would the title come with the franchise? It is as idiotic as Baltimore’s NFL titles moving along with it to Indianapolis. (Oh, wait.)
As far as keeping the green and gold colors in Seattle, they can stay in Seattle along with the gawd awful lime green used by the Seahawks. Along with the move should come a new identity for the franchise.
For those who are from Seattle, they are moving. Stop denying it. You have waited until it’s too late once again, and this time you will pay for your procrastination. You sat on your hands and almost lost the Seahawks and Mariners. You will lose the Sonics. Not the name, but the team. You still have basketball. They are called the Seattle Storm of the WNBA. Maybe the NBDL will be coming to Key Arena in the near future. Seattle can call them the SuperSonics all it wants.
Can the NBA last in Oklahoma City? Without a doubt. Oklahoma has been primarily a college sports market thanks to having two major universities for football and having four Division I basketball programs within its borders. The two-year experiment with the New Orleans Hornets proved that. It will be interesting to see how long it will take for the novelty to wear off if the franchise is in the NBA Draft lottery every single season.
Oklahoma City fans, anxiously awaiting its new NBA team, have started to submit ideas and what to call the franchise. Here are a few of my own ideas, keep in mind some are borrowed from small talk:
Thunderbirds: This name embeds Oklahoma’s Native American culture along with its new professional tenants. Ironically, Oklahoma City’s arena is named the Ford Center. Ford has a Thunderbird. This one is going to be awfully tough to beat down the stretch. No known franchise in big-time professional sports has had the name Thunderbirds, which makes this one winnable.
Storm: For those who haven’t been to Oklahoma, this just in… Oklahoma is known for its thunderstorms. They come in all shapes and sizes 12 months out of the year. More irony, Seattle’s WNBA team is called the Storm, which means this one is a long shot at best. Storm has a very women’s basketball ring to it. Some would argue the Sonics play like a WNBA team. (also see: Red Storm)
Sonic: Here comes the Sonic, clad in blue, yellow, and red uniforms just like the Sonic Drive-in restaurant logo. In Sonic Arena, just five blocks from the Sonic World Headquarters in Oklahoma City’s Bricktown, the Sonic go 12-70 in 2009. For some reason, not sure this one would work out. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why.
Boomers: This one makes Oklahoma State fans cringe. Boomer is to Sooner. Boomers would be a no-go for those Oklahomans who prefer orange. Some Oklahomans during thunderstorms, those who live in rural areas, sometimes say, “Man, those some awful lookin’ thunderboomers out there.”
Tornadoes: For obvious reasons. Oklahoma City had the worst tornado in US history to hit a major metropolitan area in 1998. Just five years later, another horrible tornado unleashed its destruction nearly traveling down the same path. Oklahoma has had major tornadoes in December. I’m not a weather major, but that doesn’t happen very often. Tornadoes like Oklahoma, and Oklahomans would like its Tornadoes. This one is a sleeper pick. (also see: Twisters)
Outlaws: The name seems very USFL. That’s because it is. In 1984, the Oklahoma Outlaws played in the United States Football League, calling Tulsa home. Why did owners of the Oklahoma Outlaws have to ruin a perfectly good name with a crappy football league? Did you know the quarterback for the Outlaws was Doug Williams?
Roughnecks: The name seems very NASL. That’s because it is. From 1978 through 1984, the Tulsa Roughnecks played in the North American Soccer League. What was wrong with FC Tulsa? Or Tulsa United?
LandCanes: True story. In July of 2007, a tropical storm reformed over Oklahoma and developed an eye. Seemingly 10,000 inches of rain fell in a 38-minute period, which caused massive flooding and pandemonium. LandCanes would be the worst name in the history of sports, admittedly.
Fightin’ Pink Flamingos: Picture this. A professional sports team that wears pink. For sure when you walk into your local sporting goods store at the mall, it would be difficult to miss its merchandise. Merchandise would sky rocket in the female community, bringing the NBA to more households than ever before. No? Okay. It was a stretch.
Do you have anything to suggest? More than likely, it will be an insanely idiotic name that will take over 20 years to get used to.
Football (or soccer as many of you call it) is the beautiful game. It is my favorite sport in the World, has been since the late 1980’s.
I support Manchester United. I have since the late 1980’s when they showed English games on Prime Sports Network. My favorite player of all-time is David Beckham, followed closely by Eric Cantona.
I am a football expert. Not many people know it, but I am. I know what I’m talking about. I was thinking about my career as a writer the other day and what I could do in the future. Had something with soccer opened up, I would jump at the chance.
What do I think about certain things in the world of football? Read below. Leave a comment if you disagree with me. I respect all of your opinions, unless you are a Gooner.
Is David Beckham a failure? How is he supposed to play when he’s injured? Brining the Los Angeles Galaxy into American households, how is that failing? How is it failing when the MLS actually matters now? Beckham, when healthy, won’t score more than 15 goals this season and will be labeled a failure for everybody that doesn’t understand the beautiful game.
He never has been a goal scorer. With my own two eyes, I witnessed Beckham launch a pass 80 yards into the feet of Ryan Giggs, who was bursting down the left wing. Giggs didn’t have to slow down. Americans would be hard pressed to find somebody that could do that throwing the ball, let alone do it with your feet.
Who will win the MLS this season? Does it matter? Actually, Major League Soccer has turned itself into a product worth watching. It is reaching the level of the English League Championship, just one step lower than Premier League football.
I have a huge problem with the MLS playoff system. DC United was the best team last season with Chivas a close second, both strolling through the regular season with the best records. In the first round of the playoffs, United loses to the Chicago Fire. Houston Dynamo won the MLS Cup, coming out of the West as a second seed. Drop the playoffs and make the season count for something. It’s football, not American football. Continue to improve your product and market it for me, not the NFL fan. They hate soccer.
Who will win the Champions League? Bias says Manchester United, who cruised to a 2-0 road victory over Roma in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Between Arsenal and Liverpool, it’s all to play for after the two English powers drew on Wednesday. Liverpool picked up a crucial away goal for a 1-1 draw.
Fenerbahce earned a 2-1 victory over mighty Chelsea in the first leg in Turkey. Chelsea is still in the thick of things thanks to an away goal. All Chelsea needs to do is keep a clean sheet and got one of its own to move onto the semifinals. It normally doesn’t matter when you lose away from home as long as you can score. One goal is more important than a victory in European football. Barcelona got a good result with a 1-0 win over FC Schalke away from home.
Manchester United has the best chance, with Barcelona coming a close second. It ought to be interesting to see what happens.
Which is the best domestic league in the World? Without question, it’s the English Premiership. Four teams have qualified for the Champions League quarterfinals; Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea. English clubs have qualified for the last three Champions League finals, with Liverpool winning it in 2005. Liverpool finished fifth in the Premiership that season.
Who is the best player in the World? This is no bias. It’s Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese magician whines and cries a lot, but is clearly the best player in the entire universe. At just 23, Ronaldo has a tremendous gift and has the flair of come with it. If he could work on the whining, diving, and crying part, Ronaldo would become more likeable. Doubt he cares. Never been a huge fan of his antics despite my allegiance, but his talent is immense.
Who is the best American player? Been a huge fan of Clint Dempsey ever since I first saw him play. He may not have made the splash many Americans thought he could when he moved to Fulham in England, but he will. Dempsey ‘gets it’. He has a chip on his shoulder, he’s good on the ball, and he understands football. A lot of American players are too busy playing soccer instead of playing football. There is a huge difference. When more Americans start playing football like Dempsey, the US National Team will be more of a force. American ‘soccer’ players are becoming a dying breed, which is a breath of fresh air.
Why does Fulham have so many Americans? Along with Dempsey, Eddie Johnson, Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra, and Kasey Keller are on the books at the west London club. Dempsey, Johnson, and Bocanegra are likely in the for the long haul as long as Fulham can avoid relegation. Keller and McBride might be on the way out due to age and heading to an MLS club near you. I'm not sure why the adminstration at Fulham is so keen on American players. Obviously if McBride and Bocanegra were disappointing, they would not have pulled the trigger on the others. This is a good sign for the state of our national team.
Who is the most overrated American player? That is the easiest question I could ask myself. Landon Donovan. Donovan couldn’t hack it in Europe, so he whined the cried until he got to come play in the states. Nobody goes to Europe and plays right away, yet for some reason Donovan thought he was different. Donovan has scored 35 International goals for the United States, a record. But it took him 99 caps to do it.
In 75 games, Donovan has netted 36 goals for LA Galaxy. In a league like the MLS, a center forward/striker needs more than that. If he was as good as he thought he was, he’d have 50 by now. Clearly the most overrated player in the past decade from the states. He barely deserves to be on the national team roster, let alone start up front every game. He’s a soccer player, not a footballer.
Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson is (was) one of the top ten college basketball coaches in the country. He won at Washington State. He inherited the reigns at Oklahoma to replace a legendary coach and the program didn’t miss a beat.
Kelvin Sampson is (was) arrogant. Indiana fans should be used to having an arrogant head coach after enduring the Bobby Knight-era. All head coaches have ego’s, but Sampson’s, obviously, was an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Kelvin Sampson feels (felt) he was above the rules and regulations set forth by the NCAA. After getting in hot water at Oklahoma for numerous illegal phone calls and nearly destroying the program he turned over to Jeff Capel, he did it again at Indiana.
Indiana was a clean program. Not anymore. Say what you want about Knight, who conveniently retired (resigned) to turn over the program to his son. Knight always ran a clean program. He may not have done it the politically correct way, but he did it the right way.
Nine days before the allegations under Sampson at Indiana came to light, Knight suddenly was “tired” from coaching.
Hmm….
With the way Knight was run out of town at Indiana, he may feel that he has some unfinished business in Bloomington. Still, his 1976 Hoosier team was the last to finish an entire season with an unblemished record.
Sampson’s days at Indiana are numbered. Severely numbered. The over-under in Vegas should be 14 days. It appears these illegal phone calls were to players Indiana didn’t land. Which means when Sampson tore out the heart of the Illinois basketball program to bring in Eric Gordon, he did it fair and square. If he cheated to get Gordon, the NCAA would have announced an immediate suspension of the sensational freshman along with the allegations.
If the illegal phone calls didn’t work, why make them? If you are going to break the rules, at least make it work, right? Indiana could have been a Final Four team in 2008 as Gordon played his only season for the Hoosiers. Now, the university should ban themselves for this year’s tournament. Which makes Gordon’s switch to Indiana useless. Basically, college was a waste of his time, and eventually, money.
There are still hundreds of NCAA Division I programs that would want Sampson to coach again. The pressure on schools to win is at pressure cooking levels. If you are a mid-to-low level major conference program, why not take a chance to Sampson after he sits 4-5 years in the sin bin?
Take a program like Michigan. All the tradition in the World, but absolutely a pathetic Big Ten program in 2008. Michigan has dwindled to the levels of Northwestern, who has never even made the NCAA Tournament. Michigan is that bad.
Imagine Sampson coaching at Michigan. Mark down two schools that would automatically put MICHIGAN on the schedule in bold letters and in italics. Illinois and Indiana.
Back to Knight, it’s doubtful he will be breaking out the red sweater vest again to roam the sidelines in Assembly Hall. Maybe, for him, it is wishful thinking. Or, maybe there is some validity to it. Maybe it is just an unbelievable coincidence.
Sampson will coach again, but not any time soon. Imagine had he stayed at Oklahoma. He would have Villanova’s Scotty Reynolds, Texas forward Damian James, and true freshman Blake Griffin. Oklahoma would have won the Big XII, even before Kansas, Kansas State, and Texas. They would have made a serious run at the Final Four.
Once a cheater, always a cheater. But it doesn’t matter. Sampson was (is) that good of a coach.
Blogger's Note: Xavier Henry is a 6-foot-6 shooting guard out of Putnam City (Oklahoma City), Okla. Depending on what recruiting service you choose, Henry is one of the top five players in the country for the Class of 2009. This season, Henry is averaging over 27 points per game as his team is heading towards the Class 6A state championship.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -There are not many superlatives that do not describe Putnam City guard Xavier Henry.
The junior superstar might be the best player to lace up the sneakers in Soonerland. Ever. Yes, Henry is that good. In a state chiefly known for its gridiron prowess, they can play a little roundball in Oklahoma, too.
Let’s start with the facts. Henry is a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, and only a junior. As a freshman, his Putnam City squad took home the Class 6A state championship in Oklahoma. As a sophomore, Henry averaged 23 points and 7.8 rebounds per game before his Pirates were upset prior to the state tournament.
What the other 31 teams in Class 6A most likely didn’t want was a hungry Xavier Henry. Thanks to an earlier-than-expected exit from the postseason a year ago, that’s exactly what they have.
“We are very hungry. We want to show everybody that last year was a fluke. We are putting in a lot of hard work to make sure it doesn’t happen again. We feel we are the best team in Oklahoma and we want to prove it this year. Our goal is the state championship, without a doubt,” Henry said.
Henry could be better than former Tulsa Washington product and three-time All-American Wayman Tisdale. Until Blake Griffin, no player was as dominant from the outset of his career at Oklahoma than Tisdale was under Billy Tubbs as a freshman.
Griffin is emerging as one of the best true freshmen in America. Griffin was the state player of the year last season while helping his Oklahoma Christian team when four-straight state titles.
It’s not that Henry just showed up out of nowhere. His father, Carl, played basketball at Kansas. His brother, C.J., was another basketball standout that committed to Kansas before opting for a baseball contract with the New York Yankees.
Xavier (pronounced Zah-vee-aye) makes it look easy. Too easy. He is a silky-smooth southpaw. From 25-feet in, he’s almost automatic. If he feels like it, he can drive by you with either hand in the blink of an eye. If you don’t box him out, Xavier will find the ball in the mid-air and rock the rim with power.
His basketball IQ is off the charts. He can pass, run, shoot, rebound, play defense and provide a little "Showtime" with a few dunks every so often. He’s a gamer. Best of all, Henry takes it in stride. Henry has fun playing high school basketball.
“I really enjoy playing high school basketball. Basketball is my love. This is what I have done my whole life and this is what I want to do for a living some day. I put in all the work I can to make it happen. I just really enjoy playing here at Putnam City,” said Henry, who is ranked at or near the top of every national recruiting list for the Class of 2009.
In pre-game warm-ups in a game against Putnam City North, Henry effortlessly elevated for a reverse dunk. His head was an inch away from the rim. Henry can do it all.
Never mind the Kansas sweatshirt he was wearing after his team defeated its rival, 70-53. Despite family ties to Lawrence, it’s just a sweatshirt. For now.
When asked about it, Henry displayed his boyish smile and covered up the Kansas logo.
“It doesn’t really mean anything. Don’t read into it,” Henry said.
Kansas has offered the All-Everything guard already, along with every other upper-echelon program in America.
“I just try to take all of the accolades in stride,” Henry said. “What’s important to me is elevating my game and reaching my goals. My first goal is to worry about winning the state championship here. The rest will take care of itself.”
Just to avoid any confusion, I will not sugar coat this whatsoever.
To everybody that is a fan of Texas A&M:
You are the most overrated football program in the Big XII.
You are the most overrated football program in the entire nation.
You are the fifth best team in the Big XII South.
You are the fifth option for recruits in the Big XII South.
You are only better than one team in the Big XII South, a team that I will not mention that has brought exactly $0.00 to the Big XII since its inception.
You define the term ‘paper tiger’.
You are even more overrated than UCLA, Michigan State, and Auburn, other programs that haven’t done much, either.
Your traditions are overrated.
Your ‘yell leaders’ are nothing more than glorified male cheerleaders.
Your program is on its death bed. All it needs is a casket.
Your new football coach will do worse at recruiting than his predecessor.
You had a good football coach in Dennis Franchione.
Your program ruined Franchione.
Your ‘yell’ is stupid.
Your term “Gig ‘Em” is nothing more than a rip-off from Texas. Hey, “hook ‘em” sounds pretty cool. How do we copy it?
