After another loss to a top 5 team, fans of Buckeye nation are finally realizing that Jim Tressel needs to change something at Ohio State. The Bucks have become one of the most hated programs in the country because they’ve failed to show up in multiple big games over the last 3 seasons. But what is worse? Not being able to beat good teams or not being able to beat bad teams. Pete Carroll is known as one of the top 2 coaches in college football and led the program of the decade to titles in 2003 and 2004. But since losing to Texas in the BCS Championship game in 2005, the Trojans have been beaten by huge underdogs every season. They lost to Oregon State (33-31) and UCLA (13-9) in 2006, they fell to Stanford (24-23) and Oregon (24-17) in 2007, they tripped up at Oregon State (27-21) last season and of course at Washington last week. When will Pete Carroll begin to be questioned nationally? Does blowing out Penn State in the Rose Bowl give him a pass to lose to a 30 point underdog? Ohio State fans have Tressel on the hot seat despite all his success. Don’t Trojans fans have the same expectations for Carroll? Something is wrong with the Florida Gators.

We picked Florida to repeat as national champions, but after watching a couple games, they aren’t going to roll to the title like everyone thinks they are. They haven’t opened up the offense yet and I think it’s because they can’t consistently protect Tim Tebow when he drops back to pass. Tennessee sacked Tebow 3 times and forced an interception on just 22 pass attempts. Florida has been very mediocre this year and with LSU, Georgia, Florida State and probably Alabama in the SEC title game, the Gators will not go undefeated in 2009.

That leads me to my next observation. The Alabama Crimson Tide has just as good a chance as anybody of winning the national championship. Florida and Texas still have a good shot, but keep an eye on Bama. Greg McElory is much better than people realize, plus when you add a great running game with the return of WR Julio Jones, Nick Saban’s group has all the pieces to make a run.

 The AP poll is a joke. They overact way too much and this week is a perfect example. Miami (#9) is ranked way too high and so is Cincinnati (#14) and Washington (#24). Sure the Huskies beat USC last week, but they were out gained by Idaho the week before. Washington will lose at least 3 more games this season. Besides winning at Oregon State last week against an over-rated Beavers squad, Cincy beat Rutgers and hung 70 on SE Missouri State (FYI. SE Missouri hung 72 on Quincy the week before). They don’t deserve to be in the top 15. Miami will lose the next two weeks so they’ll be irrelevant by the end of the October. By the way, Ohio State shouldn't have dropped 2 spots after beating a decent Toledo team 38-0.

College Football Picks of the Week (4-4-1 this year, 20-9-1 last year)

Texas A&M -14 vs UAB

Notre Dame -7 vs Purdue

Penn State -10 vs Iowa

 NFL Picks of the Week (3-3 this year)

Tennessee +3 vs N.Y. Jets

New Orleans -7 vs Buffalo

Indianapolis +2 vs Arizona

For the first time, I’m slightly worried about Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo. The guy is 28-13 as a starter, but still takes as much unfair criticism as any player in the NFL. My cause for concern comes from the way he struggled against New York on Sunday Night. In the past, Romo’s bad decisions came when he had to deal with a pass rush or blitzers coming free. Last week’s turnovers came when he had good protection from the offensive line. He was hardly pressured at all, yet he still turned the ball over 3 times. Just to repeat, I’m only slightly worried.

I spent Sunday afternoon in a funk after watching Tom Watson let his sixth Claret Jug slip right through his hands on the 72^nd hole of the Open Championship.  I haven’t rooted that hard for anyone to win a sporting event in a long time.  His play at Turnberry made me jump off my couch numerous times during the four day tournament. He deserved the title for giving the rest of us such a great show.  It was still an amazing run and proves again why we love sports.

            For the record, anyone who said that Watson contending at the British Open was bad for golf is just an idiot.  Kansas City Star writer Jason Whitlock tried to make the point that a win by Watson “could hurt golf’s credibility”.  Anyone with a brain realizes that a 59-year-old isn’t in the hunt often and should be celebrated.  Did Jack Nicklaus winning the Masters at age 46 hurt the games credibility?  Either did Watson last weekend.

            How come people have changed their grade from an A to an F when evaluating the Dallas Mavericks off-season?  After Shawn Marion was acquired, everyone in town was raving at the great moves by owner Mark Cuban and G.M. Donnie Nelson.  But after the Magic matched the deal for Marcin Gortat, fans have turned their backs on the Mavs.  Is everyone is doing a complete 180 because they lost out on a backup center that averaged 4 points and 4 rebounds per game?  Don’t worry Mavs fans; even if you signed Gortat, you were still going to be the 6^th best team in the west.

            Most people would consider the seasons of David Ortiz and Magglio Ordonez to be the most disappointing in major league baseball.  Don’t forget to add Ian Kinsler to that list.  The Rangers lead-off hitter is batting .224 the last three months (after hitting .322 in April).  Last season through 89 games, the All-Star was hitting .335 with 14 HRs, 30 doubles, 53 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .392.  This year he’s hitting .248 with 22 HRs, just 19 doubles, 58 RBIs and a .322 OBP.  Texas needs to get him out of the lead-off spot and move him to 4^th or 5^th where the guys are expected to swing for the fences every at-bat.

            Weren’t we all taught as little leaguers to choke-up and protect the plate with two strikes?  How come it seems like most professional ball players have forgotten that rule?  Six times in major league history a player has struck out over 190 times in one season and they’ve all been in the last 3 years.  The only reason I can think of for the increased strikeouts is that players are trying to hit more home runs and those extra power numbers will get them bigger contracts.  I’d argue that the higher batting average and more RBIs players would get from protecting the plate might get them even more money on their next contract.

            Dallas Cowboys training camp starts in 7 days.

            For the last week, I’ve been trying to figure out which girl is hotter - Emmanuelle Chriqui (Sloan from Entourage) or Megan Fox (from Transformers).  Check out their pictures and let me know what you think.  I have a feeling I’ll be battling with this debate for a long time.

            I was at the bar about a week ago and it hit me that I’ve lost the ability to guess ladies ages.  Is she 21 or 26?  She says she’s 29, but looks 34.  I used to consider myself above average in this field, but now I’m in an Ian Kinsler like slump.

You can add Jason Kidd to the list with Charles Barkley and Karl Malone as the best NBA players who never won a title.  Kidd is expected to sign a 3-year-deal with Dallas on Wednesday, meaning the future Hall of Fame point guard should end his career with the Mavericks.  With young stars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade likely to dominate the league for the next 10 years, the Mavs have almost no shot of winning an NBA championship in the next few seasons.  Since the Lakers have a question mark at point guard, Kidd should have taken anything L.A. would offer and try to end his career with a title.

            With Rasheed Wallace headed to Boston, I would call the Celtics the favorites in the Eastern Conference.  Cleveland and Orlando have great teams, but Boston’s defensive mentality will probably win come playoff time.  Doc Rivers has a terrific front line with Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins and the addition of Wallace.  This probably means free agents Leon Powe and Glen Davis won’t be re-signed.  Both young forwards would be very valuable to at least half the teams in the league.

            Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton deserves to be on the American League All-Star team.  His ball club is in first place and Texas would have only had one All-Star had the fans not voted Josh in.  Hamilton stole the show last year during the home run derby and that performance alone deserves him a spot in this year’s Mid-Summer Classic.  Even though he’s battled injuries all season, he is still one of the biggest stars in baseball.

            Speaking of the Rangers, I will be closely following their Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma City Redhawks, now that 1^st baseman Chirs Davis will be playing on the same team as 1^st baseman Justin Smoak.  Davis has been awful in the majors this year and fans have been calling for the 22-year-old Smoak to get called up for about 6 weeks.  Now that both guys are on the same roster, the Rangers organization will have the chance to evaluate them side by side.  Which guy is likely to be called up first?  My money is on Davis.

            I saw this stat on ESPN and it’s just amazing.  Here are Albert Pujols’ numbers this year with the bases loaded.  Does anyone doubt that he’s the best player in the league?

8 AB                6 Hits               4 HRs              20 RBIs           .750 Avg          2.250 Slug

            After having an ERA over 7 in April, Red Sox’s pitcher Josh Beckett has been lights out the last two months.  His ERA was 1.94 in May and June and listen to this.  He started 5 games in June and allowed 6 earned runs the entire month. (All 6 were given up in one game against the Phillies on June 14^th.)

As a Bulls fan, I’m happy to see Ben Gordon leave.  You may think I’m crazy, but Gordon isn’t as good as he played in the playoffs against Boston.  The reality is he shoots 44% from the field and is one of the streakiest gunners in the NBA.  Chicago has plenty of weapons to take his spot including Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, John Salmons and Luol Deng.

Mavericks first round pick Roddy Beaubois is going to bring some flair to a team that severely needs it.  I saw him play at the pre-draft combine in Chicago about a month ago.  While everyone else was making the safe and smart play, Beaubois threw multiple behind the back passes during full court drills.  If Dallas can sign Jason Kidd to the 3 year deal they’re talking about, the 21-year-old Frenchman should be ready to take over when Kidd retires. 

            Stephen Curry was terrific at the same pre-draft camp.  He made all the right decisions in the 3 on 2 workouts and hardly missed during the shooting drills.  I’m telling you, he put on a shooting exhibition.  There’s a reason the Warriors don’t want to include him in the trade for Amare Stoudemire.

            The ratings for Cleveland Cavaliers games were up 130% last season.  I think it’s fair to assume those numbers will continue to climb with the addition of Shaquille O’Neal.  How great will those pregame routines be next season?  I’m a little worried about the “Big Sidekick” clogging up the middle and not giving LeBron enough room to maneuver.

            I’m sick and tired of the Texas Rangers striking out.  They are third in the league in strikeouts with 610 (8 K’s a game).  The Rangers are on pace for 1,300 strikeouts this season.  In case you were wondering, the major league record for a team is 1,266 by the 2001 New York Yankees.  (Texas isn’t the only team on pace to break the all-time record.  The Diamondbacks are on pace for 1,305 K’s this year.)

            Anyone who thinks Tony Romo can’t succeed as the Cowboys quarterback is an idiot.  Romo has been to the Pro-Bowl twice and has a 27-12 record as a starter.  I’ll admit Dallas struggled in December the last couple of years, but the offensive line and the unreliable defense deserves the blame instead of the Cowboys signal caller.

            I need some Ohio State football.  I re-watched the spring game a few days ago and it got me fired up.  The first game is on September 5^th against Navy.  Just 66 days away. 

The NBA draft is one of my favorite events of the year.  I love projecting how the college players will make an impact in the NBA.  This is my 3rd annual "Perfect Draft".  This is NOT a mock draft.  But, if the top 10 falls this way, every team will be happy and improve.

            1. Clippers       Blake Griffin                 Forward           Oklahoma

            Griffin has all the tools to compete physically in the NBA.  He's already one of the most athletic power forwards in the league.  The Clips all the sudden have a good young base of Griffin, Eric Gordon and Al Thornton.  So what's their problem?  They have almost $100 million wrapped up in Baron Davis and Zach Randolph.

            2. Grizzlies        Hasheem Thabeet         Center              UCONN

            Adding the big guy gives Memphis a pretty good young lineup.  With Mike Conley at the point, O.J. Mayo at SG, Rudy Gay at the 3, Marc Gasol at PF, the Grizz have something to build on.  They have help up front with Darrell Arthur and Darko Milicic coming off the bench and also have the 27th and 36th pick to add depth in the backcourt.

            3. Thunder        Tyreke Evans               Guard               Memphis

            Check out this young core.  Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and Kevin Durant part of the starting lineup.  With solid young players Thabo Sefolosha and Anthony Weaver backing up, Oklahoma City will be entertaining and competitive next season.  I love what Evans brings to the table.  He's a big guard that can play the point or SG.  He'll go to multiple All-Star games in his career.  It didn't take long for OKC General Manager Sam Presti to turn this franchise around.

            4. Kings           Ricky Rubio                 Point Guard      Spain

            Sacramento needs a boost and Rubio would provide some excitement to a team that needs something positive.  Pairing him with Kevin Martin in the backcourt gives the Kings something to work with.  I can't wait to see if Ricky is another Pistol Pete, Jason Williams (White Chocolate) or a bust.

            5. T-Wolves        James Harden               Guard               Arizona State

            I had the Wizards taking Harden here, but he makes sense for Minnesota as well.  Pairing him up with Flynn gives the Wolves a backcourt that has a chance to be good.  They would fit well with Minnesota's other young stars.

            6. T-Wolves     Johnny Flynn                Point Guard      Syracuse

            Minnesota now has 4 of the top 28 picks in this draft.  They should take Flynn here because they need a reliable point guard to lead their young squad.  The Wolves aren't as far away as everyone thinks.  Al Jefferson is a beast, Kevin Love is an above average player and I think Corey Brewer can play in the league.  If they can get someone like Earl Clark (Louisville) at 18 and Wayne Ellington at 28, their fans will at least have a reason to watch.

            7. Warriors       Stephen Curry              Guard               Davidson

            The sharpshooter is the perfect fit for Don Nelson's system.  They get a ton of shots from penetrating and dishing out to the perimeter shooters.  Curry hasn't been given an open shot for the last two years.  He'd love playing in the Warriors run and gun offense.  They'd break the league record for most 3 pointers taken in a season.

            8. Knicks         Jordan Hill                    Forward           Arizona

            New York fans wouldn't be happy with this pick but they need someone to rebound and play physical.  Hill is pretty athletic for a 6'10" guy and will be able to get offensive boards and dish them back out to their 3 point gunners. (Chris Duhon, Al Harrington, Wilson Chandler, Larry Hughes and Nate Robinson will all shoot over 300 3-pointers next season)

            9. Raptors        Demar DeRozan           SG/SF              USC

            Toronto is in trouble.  They need athletic players and the 19 year old DeRozan is probably the best athlete in the draft.  He doesn't have much of a jump shot, but is smart enough not to shoot them in games (Shot just one 3-pointer per game at USC).  Here is what the Raptors really need to do.  They should go ask David Stern if they can re-do the 2006 draft and take Brandon Roy instead of Andrea Bargnani.

            10. Bucks         Terence Williams          SG/SF              Louisville

            They need to re-sign restricted free agents Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva (and get Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut back from injury).  If all those things happen the Bucks can make a push for the playoffs.  Williams would be a good pick because Redd has an Early Termination Option in 2010.