RE: Greatness

Ahem.....

2009-06-24T13:00:00.002-04:00

Ok...couple of quick thoughts on Scotty I's post, some I agree with some I don't.....

1) I would have agreed with you on the Louisville guys about a week ago until I heard how much Michael Jordan loves T-Will now. That's the NBA drafts version of the Madden Curse or the SI cover jinx. For all of his greatness on the court Jordan is an atrocious talent evaluator. I am a huge fan of getting his opinion on a player then going the complete opposite direction. I do still like Earl Clark though. Always thought he should be the center of attention on last years Louisville club but never was. He may take a few years to get his feet wet but could be a really solid starter on a contender soon.

2) Couldn't agree more about DeJuan Blair and his bust potential.

3) Couldn't agree LESS about Tyler Hansborough and his averaging a 12 and 10 in the league. I don't think many people are expecting great things from him so that takes away the ability to call this guy a bust down the road. But he really has nothing to offer at the pro level. He's not that big or strong, no real outside shot, some ok low post moves, and probably couldn't take Dunigan off the dribble. At best he could be the homeless man's David Lee because of his hustle and work ethic, but realistically he's Mark Madsen.

4) Big fan of the PG's as well....especially Eric Maynor. Like you I always was impressed by this kid in college. Can easily see him being a meaner Brandon Roy in the league.

5) Couldn't agree more. Beyond the #1 pick this thing is a crap shoot.

6) I'm hopefull the Cavs will do something good, but fearful they'll do something stupid.

7) I hate Kobe. Respect watching a hall of fame athelete at his peak, but all the faux Kobe love during the finals made me want to puke. Love Lebron but the t-shirts, while funny, are showing he still has some maturing to do. Seems like he' s pouting a little bit.

8) Celtics trading Rondo is pretty close to the dumbest thing I've ever heard. He CARRIED them through the first two rounds of the playoffs, he damn near averaged a triple double. I don't understand this rumor at all.

9) Mullens is going to be awful

10) Mike Brown should have been fired 3 years ago. This shouldn't even be a debate. I know he one the COY but come on. No one actually believes he was a difference maker from the sideline for this team. I know Lebron likes him and that's the main motivation for keeping him, but if that's your primary concern then just make sure Lebron is involved with the hiring process for the next guy.

OK now a couple of quick hitters on other topics....

Golf.....was so rooting for Evan from the Real World (aka Ricky Barnes) on Monday. I love watching Tiger but I really want some other young guy to step up and be a big player on the PGA tour. Ricky, Camillo, anybody.....

Tennis....no Nadal to battle Roger this year, so Wimbeldon has kind of lost some of it's luster this year. Like golf, I really want some young guy to step up and be a factor to make it fun to watch.

NFL....get here soon please.

MLB....Reds hanging in, hopefully Votto back will help, but they could use a trade for a slugging 3rd baseman soon. I feel sorry Indians fans. I mean really I can't even joke without feeling guilty right now. I also really hate Manny Ramierez right now. It's mostly not his fault either, just the constant coverage is making me want to rip out my own pancreas.

TO....I hope everyone watched the 100lb supermodel call out Owens on the Superstars show last night. It was absolutly priceless. Even better.....Owens lost to Dan Cortez. Yes that Dan Cortez...

Word To Ya Mothas....Holla at your boys....

Random NBA Draft Musings

2009-06-23T12:36:00.006-04:00

After speaking with the Diesel, I have been inspired to write about my draft thoughts.

1) I'm a big fan of the Louisville guys. T-Will is tough, and has an NBA-ready game. He's a tough defender too, which I like. I like Earl Clark a lot. He can play 3 positions (3,4 and 5), has handles, and can shoot the 3. He's nasty.

2) I think Dejuan Blair reminds me too much of Darnell Jackson from the Cavs. He gets by too much on his strength, and has no shot outside of the paint, and at 6'6" he needs at least a 15 footer. He has bust written all over him if you ask me.

3) Tyler Hansbrough's going to be like a 12 and 10 type of player his whole career. Definitely solid. He's the safest pick behind Blake Griffin if you ask me. You know what you're getting with him.

4) The PGs are stacked in this draft.I love Brandon Jennings. He's cocky, and has everything you look for in a PG, He's going to the Knicks I think. Always been a big Eric Maynor fan. No one talks about him, but he's nasty. He can play both guard spots which I like. Ricky Rubio is goign to be a stud, despite what everyone's saying, as is Jonny Flynn. Always been a big fan of his. Ty Lawson's jumper is too erratic for my taste. Tyreke Evans is going to be tough for a long time, but I think he's more of a 2, like a Penny Hardaway/T-Mac type of player

5) This draft is very unpredictable. What the Grizzlies do at 2 will dictate the rest of the draft. If they go Rubio, then they basically are telling everyone Mike Conley isn't their guy, and is available. If they go Hasheem Thabeet, they're morons beause he sucks. He had big games where he had like 20 and 15, then he'd have games where he had like 6 and 3. He has no offensive game at all. Drafting big guys is like drafting QBs in the NFL. There's a lot of unkown due to the fact that they aren't a lot of 7 footers in the NCAA liek there are in the pros. If they go Tyreke Evans, then you have 4 guys for 3 spots (Evans, Conley, Mayo, Gay). Who knows what they're doing.

6)I hope the Cavs make a big deal on Draft night, because anyoen they get with the last pick in the first round isn't getting i nthe rotation. I mean, I've been hearing Taj Gibson, but he's limited, and I guess they like Ty Lawson, but he won't be there at 31 or wherever they pick. refer to my previous statements abotu him. I say throw the pick in to a deal for a big man, who I hope is not Chris Kaman. I think they need to go after Tyson Chandler. The Hornets tried to deal him last year, for nothing, why not try and pry him away for Ben, Sasha, and the #31 pick. Hell throw, Darnell Jackson, or JJ Hickson in there as well. Hickson may be tough later on, but LeBron isn't waiting for later on.

7) And, how much must all of this Kobe Bryant being the best player on the planet talk be irking him right now? He's going to average like 50, 10 and 10 next year. I loved the "Check My Stats" shirt he rocked in France. What the hell is he doing in France anyway? Get ur ass to the gym and practice some post moves. We're not looking to win any championships in France anytime soon.

8) If the Celtics are so willing to give up Ray Allen (which I hope they do, they would be morons if the ydid), why don't the Cavs get into the mix? Also, if they do the Pistons deal (rondo-Allen for Hamilton-Prince-Stuckey) they woudl effectively weaken both teams. The Celtics would have no playmaker (as much as I despise Rondo, he does run their offense pretty well), and would have a declining Prince and Rip. The Pistons would just weaken their team as a whole. How does that make them better in any way, shape or form? they then sign Ben Gordon, or Boozer, and they're still not that great.

9) BJ Mullens will never be good. He couldn't start over Dallas Lauderdale. Nuff said. If he goes in the top 12, there's something seriously wrong. Everyone lists his strengths as: "he has length, can shoot the basketball, and can rebound". They just described Matt Terwilliger.

10) all of this fire Mike Brown stuff has some merit to it. He can't devise an offensive game plan to save his life, and he got severely outcoached by SVG in the conference finals. How he could not figure out that you should stay onthe shooters, and make the Magic one dimensional is beyond me. I mean, he didn't stop Dwight or the shooters, so it looked like he had never actualyl seen the Magic play, but if Dhoward does his thing, and they clamp on Turkoglu and Lewis, they win that series. Any team with LeBron should have at least made the finals 3 times by now. The way he uses his bigs is atrocious. He trusts Varejao way too much, and he keeps handling Daniel Gibson with kid gloves. He's the best shooter the Cavs have (Mo included), USE HIM!!!! Can yo uimagine how he would handle Shaq being added to the mix? it coudl be ugly. But Lebron loves him, apparently, so he's good for at least another 4 years. I say get Coach K. He halready has shown he can handle NBA players. He has a supreme knowledge of offensive and defensive concepts, and LEBRON LOVES HIM. He gained his trust during the Olympics. I mean they're text buddies.

Alright that's all I got.........Bring on your thoughts.........

Cavs Off-Season

2009-06-09T16:32:00.006-04:00

Scotty I sent me an interesting text the other day....

"Cavs interested in Sheed...2yrs 10 mil..."

"Back up plan is either Shaq or Zach Randolph..I WANT THE DIESEL"

On the surface all of these have some merit, but personally I think Shaq and Sheed both have WAY too many miles on them and both would pose a challenge to Lebron's lockroom dominance. Scotty made the point that even at this stage in his career Shaq could guard D-Howard straight up and be the piece to neutralize him for a season or two. While I think that's a solid point, I just see Shaq as such a dominate personality that it just give me the hibie jibies, plus he only really got rejuvinated slightly while playing in Phoenix, where it seems every banged up athlete goes to get healthy (see, Amare and microfracture surgery, Grant Hill and 12 ankle surgeries, and Steve Nash and back problems). Then there's Zach Randolph. Talented as any big man out there, but he is about a stable as plutonium....not a chance I want him anywhere near Lebron or the city of Cleveland for that matter.

This all got me thinking about what moves could the Cavs make this off-season. On top of the age and crazyness issues the three guys above bring, the main thing that bothers me about these as solutions is the lack any sort of imagination, or real scouting. They seem like the choices a couple of guys drinking at the bar would come up with. Not something that an NBA GM studying tape and scouting reports should be able to come up with. They're lazy answers to the Cavs problems.

Lets start by looking at the Cavs free agents and who should and should not be coming back.

All are un-restricted.

Big Z (player option) - He can opt out if he wants. Odds are he doesn't have another big contract in him so it would be foolish for him to opt out, so he's coming back. The best Cavs fans could hope for would be Danny Ferry being able to negotiate an extention that lessens his cap hit this off season, but I really don't see that happening.
Joe Smith, Wally, and Lorenzen Wright - All are completely off of the Cavs cap and not a one of them has any reason to be brought back. ZERO. Wally and Joe served there purposes the last two years but they played significant roles the last two years and played them mediocre at best. These two roster spots need upgraded in the worst way.
Sideshow Bob (player option) - I guess there is a slight difference between his and Z's opt out clauses, but essentially they're the same. I personally would like to see him be dumb enough to opt out, but I doubt it, so I'm going to operate under the assumption that we get him back next season. The bright side, is that if we do enough good things in the off season maybe we can start to use him the way he is supposed to be used. Which is a high energy guy off the bench that gives you a solid 20-25 mins a night with 8-10 boards and points and not someone we try to force into a starting role. The Cavs are paying him way too much for that particular role, but that's his ceiling and it seems everyone but Mike Brown knows it.

Assuming what I have written in the three previous bullets is accurate then the Cavs go into the off-season with the following roster.

Starters

Lebron (G/F)

Z (C)

Delonte (PG)

Mo Williams (SG)

Varejao (PF) - I don't like it but right now that's probably the way it would be.

Key Bench - Would play significant minutes

Boobie Gibson (PG)

JJ Hickson (PF)

Sasha (SG/SF)

Ben Wallace (PF/C) - possibly retiring, but as of now he's still with the team.

That's a 9 man rotation that have obsurdly obvious needs for upgrade. Ben Wallace is on his last leg. He put up a somewhat respectable fight against Howard but ultimately was a shell of his former self. I would love to see JJ Hickson make a leap and compete for starting time but even if he does I really don't envision him as a dominate or even respectable low post force in the league. Sasha has shown to be a streaky scorer at best and honestly if at all possible it may just be best to cut ties with him and upgrade to an actual SG that can provide some consistency. I love me some Boobie, but really we're working with three PG's at this point and someone has to be the odd man out, I think it's Boobie b/c he's young enough and has shown enough promise that I believe he holds some trade bait as well. I would not be opposed to him staying but if him leaving brings back something great in return then I'm all for it (more on this in a minute).

Other Bench - Would play limited minutes at best, all very expendable if needed to find a roster spot.

Darnell Jackson (PF)

Trey Johnson (SG)

Terrance Kinsey (SG)

Jawad Williams (F)

Now you have an idea of where the Cavs currently are, so lets start throwing some possibilities out there.

Option 1 (Trade): The #30 pick in the draft. Boobie Gibson, Varejao and the possibly retiring and therefore expiring contract of Ben Wallace to the incompetent Chris Wallace and the Memphis Grizzlies for the #2 overall pick. The Cavs would have their choice of Hasheem Thabeet or Ricky Rubio. Although the PG position is stacked in Cleveland I would probably take Rubio here because I think Thabeet carries quite a bit of bust potential. But seriously, either of those guys instantly makes Cleveland more talented and staying at the #30 pick is not going to bring back any player that has any promise of helping this team.

Option 2 (FA Signings): This is probably the most likely way for the Cavs to retool for next season. But instead of looking for veterans as quick fix, lazy solutions I believe their philosophy and ultimate goal needs to be finding the "hidden gems" and "up'n comers". Mainly because they have too much money tied into Z, Andy and potentially Big Ben. But they're getting some relief with the expiring contract of Wally. So use this money to pick up solid role players that won't cost you an arm and a leg. Players like Pietrus (amazing bargin last season), Ariza (a guy that is multi talented, young and while he will get paid, won't break the bank), Monta Ellis (G-State locked him up early for good reason). Now I don't necessarily believe we need to pick up all guards. In fact I think it would be best to probably retool the low post. I simply use these three players as examples of those second/third tier kind of players in the league. Guys that can be good players or stars, but not SuperDuperStars. Players that increase the overall talent of your team by simply not taking anything away from your team. Who do I think some possibilies are for the Cavs? Let's see....

Restricted Free Agents:

Sean May - Solid rookie campaign, fell off in the second year due to injuries. Even though he is restricted could probably get him for a reasonable price. He brings the hustle of Andy but also brings some actual offensive talent as well. If he doesn't start at the beginning of the season he does before the All-Star break.

Leon Powe - Has had better seasons the last few years so he will probably cost more than May and the Celtics are likely to match the offer, but if you can find a way to bring him in, he's young and has title experience. You pull that trigger.

Hakim Warrick - More offense than defense here but very talented and the Grizz are kind of loaded at that position. Very likely would not match an offer.

Jamario Moon - Shawn Marion Lite, still very young. Could be a defensive stopper and if he continues to develop will provide a good slasher and a solid outside shot. Again, you wouldn't be breaking the bank here either.

David Lee, Paul Milsap or Charlie Villenueva - I'm putting them in the same category because they are all obvoius "wants" however their existing teams would probably match any offer. Milsap may be the only exception, and if you can get him you then you do it.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu - Seriously, you have to want a guy with this name. But from a basketball standpoint. He started to get some playing time at the end of last season, showed he could be a solid rebounder in this league and showed some scoring flashes. He would be dirt cheap and worth the look.

Unrestricted Free Agents:

Brandon Bass - Similar to Powe and May but with the added bonus that he is unrestricted. If we don't feel one of the other PF's are getable, this is a solid option.

Ben Gordon - I LOVE the fact that he is available and think he would fit very well with Cleveland. I'm just not sure who to get rid of to make room at the PG/SG position. He's like Mo Williams in that he's PG size but SG skills. I don't think there's room for two of those guys on a roster.

Von Wafer - Legit SG that played some clutch games in the playoffs this year. Could be a good swing man addition.

Trevor Ariza - If you can then you need to get this guy. Will bring athleticism, defense, and 3 point shoting. Plus he spent the last two seasons playing with Kobe, so he knows his role behind an alpha dog.

Chris Wilcox - I know he hasn't done it yet, but something about this cat makes me think he can be a very good and serviceable PF in this league. He would be dirt cheap and worth a shot if we need to fill a roster spot.

Matt Barnes - I think this is the next Trevor Ariza. A little smaller but brings all of the same things to table and hasn't really hit the spot light yet so you can probably get him for a lot less. Would be a really intriguing pick up.

Ime Udoka - Tim Duncan's back up the last few seasons. Nothing stellar numbers wise but the kind of guy that doesn't take anything off the table. Defends bigs well, has some solid athleticisim and isn't going to be a liability on the offensive end.

If the Cavs take a shot at retooling by taking both options, the draft day trade and picking up a few of these FA's I would pee myself in excitement for next season. The core they have now has proven to fall short the last three years. Don't get me wrong. It's a "good" core, but it's just not a championship one. Ideally I would like to see the trade happen and 2-3 of these signings. Here is my wet realistic dream.

Starters:

Lebron (SF)

Z (C)

Rubio (PG)

Mo (SG)

Leon Powe (PF)

Bench:

JJ Hickson (PF)

Udoka (PF/C)

Matt Barnes (SF/SG)

Delonte (PG)

Start of good day.....

2009-06-01T11:26:00.003-04:00

The weather is turing dreary even though the forecast was supposed to be sunny and 80 degrees today. But the day still started off well with a remarkable trip to the bathroom where I had one of those dumps that leaves a feeling of emptiness in your stomach. The kind where you can actually FEEL where it was sitting just before it left your body. Man that's a great feeling. Come to think of it, I think that's the same feeling the Cavs had after Saturday night.

My How Things Change

2009-05-29T11:35:00.003-04:00

Trivia Question = Other than Lebron who is the only other current Cav to have a 30+ point playoff game? (answer at the bottom)

It's amazing. It really is. Think about all the talk you heard about the Cavs in the first two rounds.

So deep, their entire 2nd unit has starting experience.
3 point shooting for days...Delonte, Wally, Boobie, Mo. All can get hot on a moments notice.
Toughness. Andy's offense isn't good but he does so many things on a basketball court that stats don't pick up.
Lebron finally has a cast around him that can compliment him.
Mike Brown, coach of the year

These were the story lines after the Cavs swept through the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs. Down 3-1 and on the brink Lebron had to poor his heart and soul onto the court at home to extend the series another game and breath a little more life into the series, the NBA, and into an entire city. Now the headlines, papers, and talk show guru's are saying....

Lebron = Amazing, where is the help?
Andy is awful
Mike Brown what the hell are you doing?
Mo, shut your mouth and play.
APB out for Delonte, Wally, Z, Boobie etc...

Now. Where do I stand? Somewhere in the middle of all this. I too thought that the pieces finally all fit. That the togetherness of this team was so good that it had elevated the play of a lot of the guys that would be lesser players on other teams. But something has happened here. These are no longer the fun loving, care free Cavs that dominated for 90 games. Who do you attribute that too? Is it really as simple of blaming one person? Probably not. Part of it falls on Mike Brown for obvious reasons. Part of it falls on the city for putting out that vibe of 'OH NO!!'. Part of it falls on the supporting cast not rising to the occasion. And part of it even falls on the Lebron. While his individual performances have been nothing short of spectacular he has also been the guy that kept the whole team relaxed and having fun and ultimately successful. I think part of the problem of the playoffs is that he has had to be so focused and so intense that I don't know if the rest of the team really knows how to react. Do they follow suit and press harder? Do they keep the same loose and fun play as the regular season? It's really the first time they've seen adversity this season and they're not sure how to deal. I hope that last night was Lebron taking the reigns and saying follow me I know the way and that relaxes the rest of the team. But winning three straight over the Magic will be a tough task. Can they do it? I think so. Will they do it?

Trivia Answer = Boobie Gibson; and if you think that the only reason I know this is because I predicted it? Then you only know me all too well.....

The Greatness of Lebron

2009-05-29T10:25:00.003-04:00

Last night was the greatest performance in the postseason thus far by Lebron. It was even better than when he scored 29 out of the last 30 in Detroit. Here are my thoughts:

1) He scored or assisted on 32 straight points. Words can not explain how amazing of a feat that is. That means he controlled the 4th quarter, and wouldn't let the Cavs lose that game last night. He didn't have his best shooting game (11-24) but he willed an entire city to a win last night. Which begs the question, What the hell took Mike Brown so long to go to that offense? True no one was really hitting shots (sans Boobie, who wasn't really playing until the last2 games), but I take Lebron isolated at the top of the key, one on one, all day. He pissed on Pietrus last night, and fouled out DHoward, and drew 5 fouls of Hedo (who's green card I still want to see, just sayin, who comes from Turkey, honestly?). Last night was Jordan-esque, and in a do or die game.

2) The best quote I've heard in a while came from my Younger Brother last night, while texting:

Me: Bronson looks dead. He's hunched over.

My Bro: You'll have that when you carry the hopes and dreams of an entire city on your back.

It's so true. Has there ever been an athlete that is tied to a city's psyche more than LeBron? I mean, the city literally changes moods after every game. I didn't live in the Chi when Jordan was here, but I can't believe it's anything close ot the heartache that Cleveland feels when Lebron fails. I mean, they EXPECT the man to be great. When's he's not, the whole city goes on suicide watch. It's unbelievable. If he leaves in 2010, I think Cleveland might shut down.

3) Why the hell hasn't Boobie Gibson been playing? Yeah his defense sucks, but he's a better shooter than my boy Delonte, and he has a proven track record of knocking down big shots in the playoffs. Not saying He should be playing for Delonte, but if they need someone to knock down shots, he's teh guy. Not Szcerbiak or Pavlovic. Wally's done. He has nothing left. He's a massive liability on Defense, and when he's not hitting his shot, he's kind of worthless. Boobie can at least handle the ball a little, and guard Alston (who is easily the ugliest man in sports when he smiles) or Anthony Johnson (the 2nd ugliest). When Boobie's hot he's lethal. He needs to be out there.

4) I love Ben Wallace. He's tough, he hammers DHoward, and he has a championship pedigree. Also, he has tons more basketball sense in his pinkie than Varejao has in his entire body. His flopping is out of control. He gave Howard three dunks last night because he was laying on the ground. It's a joke. Ben Wallace, at least roughs up Howard a little. And he's a forceo n the boards, and can "guard" Eashard Lewis a little. He's teh Best option against Dwight, because Andy plays defense like a girl, and Z's way too slow. How much does everyone wish Shaq was wearing a Cleveland Uni right now?

Alright that's all I got......Keep rockin........

The Silverback

2009-05-26T14:40:00.003-04:00

Hewls, while it may have been disrespectful of Harrison to decline the meeting with the President, it really isn't that big of a deal. His comment about the Cardinals was partly a joke, but the media doesn't understand that because he never smiles and always looks like he wants to kill somebody. The man is definitely thuggish - I mean his pitbull put his son in the hospital! Of course, if a player of another team did the same thing I'd probably be all over him as well, so I understand where you are coming from. I don't agree with it, but it is what it is. Nobody made a big deal about it when he didn't go visit Bush a few years back so it shouldn't matter now. He should have just declined to comment on the situation and moved on. Regardless, I'll still love when he's destroying offenses next season.

Obviously

2009-05-26T13:33:00.004-04:00

Thank you for pointing out the absurdity of my previous statements. They were, as you can all imagine, nothing more than attempts at drawing you bastards out, although the Steelers are cheating bastards and do have a white trash king for a QB. The sad part is that I too have no idea what the Browns are doing, so even though they are cheating bastards I can only wish to follow a franchise so put together. By the way, how much of a tease is the LeBron being an NFL player for the Browns stuff being run on ESPN right now? I feel as though I need some alone time with this article and a warm towel.

ZG made a few good points about the larger topics in sports right now.....I would like to focus on a few that are on the fringe.....

Jose Canseco - Knocked out in 77 seconds by a 7'0 300lbs South Korean named King Hippo....errr...Hong Man Choi. A great fiction writer couldn't come up with this story line. This is phenomenal on about a dozen levels. That makes a professional fighting record for Mr. Roidman a remarkable 0-2-1 (draw was to Danny Bonaduce of the Partridge Family). I believe the ohhhh to obvious next stop is Vivid Video or YouPorn.com. I mean the odds on this have to be 1-500 at this point right?

Isaih Thomas - fantastic article a few weeks back on FoxSports.com from Jason Whitlock speculating as to WHY Zeke has been such an utter failure since ending his playing days. Bascially it hinges on the fact that after he retired he kind of parted ways with his best friend (Magic Johnson) and never had anyone to keep him in check over the years. No one to look him in the eye and tell him "you're stone cold fucking retarted and you need to sit down and shut the hell up". Not sure if I completely buy the premise of the article seeing as Magic hasn't been the bastion of good decisions since his playing days ended, but maybe both guys just needed one another. Who knows, but it was certainly intriguing.

Horse Racing - Rachel Alexandra has proven to be an inspiration to women everywhere. Although she is just a horse Lisa Leslie and a number of other WNBA stars (past and present) have said they too hope that one day they can race in and win the Preakness and possibly the Kentucky Derby. Good luck ladies.

Last (for now) James Harrison - While my other digs at the Steelers may very well have been shallow, mean spirited, and to some degree unwarranted. This one is not. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?! Now I really don't care what anyone elses political affiliations or view are, especially professional athletes. So, if one of them doesn't want to go to White House that's fine with me. I personally think it's dumb, because not many people get that opportunity in life and if it's presented to you, then you should jump at it and do your best to learn something from the experience. If you don't feel the same, that is fine, and if you feel you have something better to do that's fine as well. But with all of that said Jack-ass Harrison said the following....

"I don't feel the need to go, actually," Harrison told Pittsburgh station WTAE-TV. "I don't feel like it's that big a deal to me."

This is a perfectly acceptable answer, and if he would have left it at that, then the worst anyone could say is, "I'm sorry he feels that way". Unfortunately he followed that up with what could be one of the dumber things every said.

Harrison doesn't believe the invitation is all that special, saying if the Steelers hadn't beaten the Cardinals 27-23 with a last-minute rally, "He [Obama] would have invited Arizona."

While he is 100% accurate in that statment, the fact that he made it makes me wonder how exactly this man gets up in the morning, ties his shoes and puts one foot in front of another. Dumbest thing I've heard in a long time and I've read Iantosca's posts.

Really Nick?

2009-05-26T11:35:00.002-04:00

Dude, seriously is that the best you can do? If Bettis was using performance enhancers then somebody should have told him the Big Mac isn't considered a steroid! Seriously though, I'm not going to respond to your post because your point was made and I'm on here creating a new post. I suppose that nonsense worked but it was still a poor effort d-bag. Anyhow, on to the Wide World of Sports.

Indy 500 - So I have to say, even though I've been in Indy for the last 2 races and seen the city and surrounding areas go bonkers for 2 weeks about the race, I could still give 2 shits about racing or going to see a race. Everyone says you need to experience it and it's great, blah, blah, blah, but really I don't care. I figure eventually I'll get to a race, but I'm not interested in sitting in the stands watching a blur of cars go by as I'm drunk and dehydrated and a sweaty mess. Seriously, the way people describe the experience sounds absolutely miserable. I know none of you are really race fans either but I thought I needed to throw that out.

NBA - I have to say, I knew the Magic would be tough on Cleveland, but I'm still surprised by the 2-1 series lead. LB is getting 0 help right now from the usual suspects. Delonte and Mo have been struggling and they can't seem to defend D. Howard, which was obviously going to be the issue. However, I didn't expect the Magic's perimeter game to be so effective. God, I feel like the fuckers don't miss. But really, nobody should be too "shocked" so far. The Magic played Cleveland better than anyone else in the League during the regular season and are a solid team. I just felt that without Jameer Nelson they'd be done in 6. I mean seriously, how the fuck is this team winning with that old fart d-bag Anthony Johnson running the point. It sickens me. I still think the Cavs will pull it out as I have a hard time believing LeBron will allow them to lose.

As for the Nuggets-Lakers series. I would love to see the Nuggets pull the upset even though I despise Chris "Birdman" Andersen. That guy is a tool shed for sure. But it's great to see the Nuggets get physical and overpower and put fear into the Lakers. They just aren't the same team when you knock them down a few times. In the end the Lakers will pull it out and everyone will get the LeBron vs. Kobe matchup they've been waiting for.

MLB - Well, my Tribe still eats balls so to be honest I haven't been on baseball as much so far. I still catch the scores and standings but am totally disgusted with their start. Fucking underachieving bastards. However, last night's huge 10-run rally and 7-run bottom of the ninth was fantastic and brought back some great memories. Let's hope that's a springboard. I'm not sure if we've touched on the whole Manny thing, but as ridiculous as that guy is I'm still surprised he was using. He almost comes off as too goofy and stupid to use performance enhancers, but alas, we can no longer assume anything about anyone in the Majors except that Griffey is a pure mother fucker and I hold him higher than anyone in his era because of that, regardless of the fact he was injured and his stats aren't where they would be. If I ever heard Griffey get nailed for steroids I'd never watch baseball again.

NHL - Man, hockey playoffs are great and a rematch of Pens vs. Red Wings will be a helluva series now that the Pens have some experience and are a year older. It's gonna be fun to watch. I'd love to see the Pens bring back the Cup to Pittsburgh. After that all we'd need is the Pirates to win the Series for the city Championship trifecta! God, will the Pirates EVER win anything again?! At least they are hovering around .500 this year so far. Better than the Tribe.

NFL - Still all jacked up for the NFL season to get underway. I get excited about the stupidest shit with this sport. I even keep tabs on OTAs and mini-camps. There is a reason this league is KING and it's because they have a year 'round appeal even though there is nothing really going on. I'm still not sure what in God's name is going on in Cleveland. A new player wants traded every week. They need some friggin stability and time to grow to get back to where they need to be. Also, it's only May and I'm already extremely tired of hearing about the Patriots. I realize Brady is back and their offense could be ridiculous, but who gives a shit. They had that 2 years ago and lost the SB. There is also potential for a healthy amount of competitive and good teams. I think the Division and Wildcard races are going to be very tight with quite a few teams in contention until the bitter end. Anyhow, I'm ready to own the Fantasy World once again bitches.

That's all Fuckers.

Wake Up Pin Heads

2009-05-26T10:46:00.003-04:00

I am appauled....where are all of you? ZG? Rev-Dun? Strecker? This constant ignoring of the time honored tradition of bashing one another and wasting time is enough to make a man sick. I expect this kind of behavior from the likes of Hoskinson, Reynolds, and Patton, but not from you three.

So without further ado....

The Steelers are a bunch of HGH using cheaters that haven't won an honest title EVER. Bradshaw, Greene, Stallworth, Harris, Roethlis-white trash, Bettis, Polomalu, all of them are cheaters. If Rooney was really a class act he'd give back all the trophies now.

High School Football and amateur athletics are the bottom feeding scum of the earth and don't deserve to see the light of day in the sports world.

The Bengals are a really really good team and a well run organization.

Get Off The Ledge Cavs Fans......It's only One Game!!!

2009-05-21T11:49:00.002-04:00

Alright people.......The Cavs Lost a Home Playoff Game.......Sucks....But it's not the end of the world.

They're only down 1-0, and if Mo Williams finds his shot, they win that game by double digits. Also, that was Orlando's best shot. The Cavs have seen everything that they can throw at them. There will be no more surprises throughout the playoffs. The Cavs just need to make shots, and it's a win. Bar None. Here are the other factors that point to positivity in the Cavs Favor for the rest of the series:

Rashard Lewis will never play like that again.He shot out of his mind in the 4th Qtr. That won't happen again. He didn't shoot like that once during the Celtics/76ers series
The Cavs will adjust and change up some matchups (like Playing LeBron more at the 4, so he can matchup with Lewis at the end of the game instead of freakin Anderson Varejao)
Boobie getting more time, due to the fact that the Magic zoned the Cavs the entire 4th quarter
Joe Smith playing more down the stretch instead of either Z or Andy, because he's A) quicker than Z, and B) has so much more more basketball sense than Andy it's disgusting
LeBron deciding the Cavs are going to the Finals regardless of what the Magic/Charles Barkley think. I mean, he sees this year as HIS year. He won't let them lose. He may actually average 50 a game in this series. No joke.
The Cavs are a Veteran team, and always rebound well. Look how they came back after they got blown out by the Magic during the regular season.

So all I am saying here is it's not that big of a deal. This will just wake them up, and they will triumph, believe it!!!

Now on to the debacle that is Josh Cribbs. IS he serious with the $10 million demand? I mean, he's not Devin Hester. Devin Hester is the Bears #1 receiver, despite stats that may prove otherwise. Cribbs is a #3 at best. Period.

Also, who gives a shit that he's playing defense this year. So? Who knows how he'll be if he does do that? He's a KR/PR. That's it. Nothing else. He just signed a 6 yr extension last year. When Barylon Edwards is your most content WR, you're in some serious trouble. Also, why have this QB competition? Brady Quinn is the better QB. If they turned down 2 offers of 1st rounders and change for him, then they obviously think that as well. Just name him the starter and be done with it.

I'm too focused on the Cavs to care about how bad the Tribe is doing right now. So I don't care about the fact that the Reds are playing well right now. I emphasize RIGHT NOW because this happens every year. the Reds are unreal for the first few months, and then, go in the toilet towards the all-star break. At least the Indians don't play with their fans' emotions like that.They're bad all year round.

Final thoughts:

The Clippers were the absolute worst place for Blake griffin to end up
Ricky Rubio will be a stud wherever he lands
TO will be crying about Trent Edwards by week 4
Brian Robiskie will be starting opposite Braylon on Opening Day (not sure whether that's godo or bad as of yet)
Chad Ochocinco will get bored of being a good soldier, and go Off in week 3 and request a trade by the deadline, which will never happen, after he spends training camp realizing how much TJ meant to their squad, and how much teams are going to focus on him now
Terrelle Pryor will edge out Tim Tebow ths year for the Heisman, because Tebow will be too focused on showing the NFL he's a pro QB/trying to save the world one poor indian kid at a time, while TP@ will be teh entire Bucks Offense, and will unleash the full monty if you will, on the country. Florida's title hopes will take a hit here as well, as Tebow will be much more cautious in the pocket, and won't be teh animal he was last yr.
The Buckeyes will surprise the Nation and get back to the National Title game. Pryor has improved his passing skills, and will be amonster this year. Tressel is unleashing him on the nation, and he's goign to announce his presence with authority against USC. WRITE IT DOWN.

That's all I got

IANTOSCA OUT

Running Diary (yes I'm aware this is a rip off of Simmons)

2009-05-02T20:48:00.003-04:00

First night of a 8 day vacation in FL I am sitting with the patio door open to the beach, Boston vs. Chicago on TV, Bob Marley playing in the background and what appears to be an endless supply of Corona and Bud Light at my disposal. Combine all of this with Streck reminding us all of how great of a sports time this is, I felt the need to have a running diary.

All times Central Standard Time

7:51pm - recap....Gordon shouldn't be able to walk let alone light up the Celts....DRose is unreal and I think Joakim Noah is actually a girl. Bulls up 2

7:53pm - Big Baby Davis dunked to tie the game....at least I think that was a dunk.....he jumped about as high as Iantosca on skates...BTW I'm two deep right now....I have Yo a 5'10 250lbs black body builder sitting next to me, so fuck with me at your own risk...my brother in law walking in and out of the room...my daughter about to go to sleep...my wife and her friends on the patio dancing....it's a good night.

8:01pm - I'm really trying to figure out what white trash reference to use for Brad Miller...

8:03pm - Eddie House "of fire" has the Garden on it's feet and the Celts are on a run....44-38. I think if the lead doesn't get any bigger than this before the half then the Bulls should consider themselves in good shape. The waves outside sound fantastic, and I am really going to HATE this Dance Flick movie.....seriously, if I know you and you watch this movie, consider our friendship over.

8:09pm - Starting to slip a little bit for the Bulls. Vinny Del Negro is looking around for Coach Norman Dale and can't find him right now....DRose and Gordon need to reassert themselves and settle things down. The dangerous thing for the Bulls right now is that they dominated 2/3's of the first half and are about to be down double digits at half and Rondo hasn't scored or even made his prescense felt yet.

8:11pm - 20-2 run in the last 7 mins for the Celts, 12 point lead with 50 seconds left in the half. Bulls just need to not completely lose the game in the next few seconds and regroup at half, otherwise this will quickly turn into Game 7 of the Hawks vs. Celts last season where the Celtics dropped a 30pt ass whopping.

BTW - I feel as though I am at a break neck pace right now with my entries....not really sure I can keep this up, but I'll suck it up and really give the extra effort for you boys. Also, the waves still sound awesome, we now have Sublime on the iPod right now it's a nice chill right now

Bos 52 Chi 38 at the Half - All momentum for Boston right now, I really don't think that Vinny has enough in him to inspire the Bulls but we are about to find out.....little break right now be back in the 2nd half.

About to come back from the half, few notes. I think Charles is holding back after the DUI. I still like him but he seems to have tried to tone down his "shtick" since the arrest. Also I have spent some time thinking about the Brad Miller white trash comparison and I think I've found it. Ben Roethleisberger. They were separated at birth or their father is out there spreading his seed to multiple women, I swear this is true, I demand a DNA test of both.....also on a side note, I heard a conspiracy theory today about A-Rod. What if he just "happens" to come back from his "hip surgery" at game 51 of the season. Is it possible Bud Selig gave him a 50 game steroid suspension on the DL?

8:39pm - just a few mins into the 2nd half, good hard foul by Ty Thomas, Big Baby going to the line, 13 point lead for the Celts. The Bulls need something BIG to happen. Like Noah cutting his hair off during a time out or something. It's now 53-42 Celts.

8:41pm - quick Kentucky Derby mention today. Not a huge horse racing fan at all, but DAMN that was a cool ass race today. The horse ziged and zaged his way through the field like he was Barry Sanders, then kicked on the after burners like Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez with some PF Flyers.

8:44pm - actual text from Dunigan "I want you to lick the back of my nizzuts." Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.

8:49pm - just had a thought about the Ty Thomas vs. Big Baby match up. Why has no announcer brought up the fact that these two were college teammates? I mean Davis is emerging as a legit NBA player before our eyes, Ty Thomas is an athletic freak that could really be special if he continues to grow, why not a bigger deal out of this story line?

8:53pm - Noah just horse collard Rondo...HOLY SHIT THAT WAS COOL. I really don't like Noah, and I rooted for Rondo while he was at UK. I shouldn't have liked that play as much as I did, but after Rondo punked Rothelsburger like he did a few games ago I've been waiting for someone on the Bulls to grow a set and put him on his ass. About freaking time. After the free throws, we're at a 10 point lead for Boston and ANOTHER hard foul on Rondo, a flagrant by Roethlisburger. The flagrant was a bit much for that, but I guess the refs need to keep things in check.

BTW - I realize I am probably not spelling Big Ben's name correctly. I hate him and the pain he's caused me the last few years.....screw him. For a second I thought that may have been too harsh...but I think it's dead on at this point....

9:01pm - Bulls have pulled within 9, it would be more but the cry baby known as Paul Pierce has started to impose his will on this game. This could be a bad thing for the Bulls.

9:02pm - just saw the old school video game commerical with Chuck, Dr. J, and Magic. Not sure if this is one of the funnier things I've seen or depressing. I may get back to you on this

9:08pm - The big Bulls moment may have just happened. Gordon hit one of the biggest shots of his life to cut it to 7 before the 4th quarter and it was a REMARKABLE shot. I wish I had the vocabulary to but this into the proper context.

9:11pm - I'm about 7 deep right now, feeling good, and "if you don't know, now ya know" Some Biggie is now playing.

9:13pm - 4th about to tip, the Doc Rivers interview is playing and he's providing the typical non answers these piece of crap interviews have constantly produced. I hate these things, they are an enormous waste of time.

9:15pm - Kirk Hinrich just looked up and saw Brian Scalabrini guarding him after a switch from a screen, I think I actually saw him get aroused because of this.

BTW - in the middle of this evening I'm introducing an entire group of people to Jizz In My Pants and On a Boat. It's fun to see new people enjoy these videos. My game watching companion has passed out. Not from drinking, just sleeping. I would make a joke here but he could snap me in two with his pinkies, so I'm keeping my mouth shut.

9:18pm - Bulls have pulled within 6 after Big Baby hits one of two from the line. They are a scrappy bunch I'll tell you...and Hinrich hits another, they're down just 4.....ESPN Classic here we come.

9:20pm - Eddie House may have just put a dagger into the Bulls, but gets called for a Technical foul for taunting, seems a little cheap, I mean the Celts are the home team, I think hitting a shot like that should allow you the ability to, I dunno, be happy for a second or two....

9:32pm - Holy Crap, the Bulls just got a phantom point from the first quarter. It's the correct call, but completely unexpected. 3 point game right now, and I will agree with Doug Collins. They've done this pretty quietly. Nothing huge, nothing miraculous, just slow chipping.

9:37pm - Things starting to slow down a bit. I think both teams are trying to measure there punches at this point and make sure every possession counts. This game continues to get more and more tense....time to take a leak and get another beer.

9:42pm - The Bulls keep hemming and hawing at the 5-6 point range. If they can crack the 2-3 point range by the 1:30 mark of the game (currently 2:45) then we've got a hell of a finish on our hands.

9:46pm - 7 point Celtics lead with 1:30 left. According to my prevoius note, this game is over. I would love to be wrong, but I fear I am not. DRose, as magnificent as he has been has been WAY to much of a non factor in the 4th quarter of this game. If they have anything special in them it has to come from him.

9:51pm - 5 point game with 1:08 left, Lindsay Hunter is in, he's out....I'm confused and so is Del Negro.

9:52pm - Noah fouls out, Roethlisburger the rest of the way, Pierce knocks down both FT's. 7 point lead with 46 seconds left.

9:56pm - Roethlisburger great offensive play, awful defensive play, he fouls out. Ray Allen is at the line and extends the lead to 8 with 36 seconds to play.

GAME OVER - The Bulls put up an enourmous fight in this series and it has been a fantastic series to watch if you care about basketball even a little. I am going to spend the rest of the night in the pool downstairs and walking on the beach before I decide to pass out in bed. Then wake up and do it all again tomorrow.

Just so no one forgets.....THE CAVS WILL NOT LOSE (That was for you Scotty)

A great time to be a sports fan

2009-05-02T16:19:00.002-04:00

With so much going on right now, it just makes me fall in love with sports all over again. Let's begin.

NBA Playoffs

Looks like the Cavs are going to be well rested against whoever they end up facing. I'm not sure who I'd rather play. Both teams (Hawks and Heat) are so inconsistent that you never know what team is going to show up. Regardless, I think the Cavs are playing with such a loose confidence right now, we should be able to beat either team in 5. Now: what everyone's talking about: BULLS - CELTICS. By the time many will read this, the series will be completed tonight. This has been unbelievable on so many levels. It's great to see the Bulls back in relevance in May. I really hope they pull it off and see how far they can stretch it. What is the most amazing about this series is Derrick Rose. The guy is a rookie and is playing like a 10-year vet. Not only is he playing like a vet, but he talks like a vet. He always seems to say the right things and speaks with conviction and humility. This guy is going to be a stud for years to come. As much as I hate (and I'm sure many of you do) Joakim Noah; how good was that breakaway steal/dunk in Game 6. I thought he would be a total disaster in the NBA, but he has gradually been proving me wrong. Hopefully Game 7 does justice to the rest of the series and we get one more show. The only bad thing about the series? It has to end.

Early MLB Season
It's May so it's hard to put much stock into what has happened thus far. I'm not putting Zach Greinke's name on the Cy Young award quite yet. My RedLegs are playing ridiculously inconsistent. I've only been able to watch a few games live (Lousy FSN Ohio blacks out all the games up here...bastards), but so far I think this is a team that could really do some damage. Harang seems to be getting his stuff back and the young guys continue to step up and show they have a real future in this league. Joey Votto is having a beast of a start and Volquez pitched an absolute masterpiece the other night, throwing an 8-inning 1-hit shutout. Boston looks scary good...again... Hopefully Tampa can get it together and rekindle some of their magic from last year. They're just a fun team to watch.

NFL Draft
Ah yes, what a beautiful thing the NFL is. It would be even more amazing if they go to the 18 game schedule. Absolutely loved the Bengals picks. They were ballsy considering some minor character issues, but we got some of the best talent in the whole draft. Andre Smith looks like the real deal. He's just a bit immature and did some dumb stuff, but as long as he's not another gang-banger, I'll take him to watch Carson's back any day. Then was my favorite pick: REY MAUALUGA!!! I kept praying he would fall to us. And then the Browns passed on him and I knew he was ours. Thanks Cleveland. Is he the most talented LB in the draft? No. He just has that mean streak and swagger that every defense needs. He can be our Polomaulu, our Ray Lewis, our (enter a good defensive Cleveland player...cause I can't think of any). So excited to see what this guy can do. Michael Johnson was another gem and should bring a better element of pass rusher than our overpaid Geathers and Odom have been providing. I'm not giving up on those guys yet, but they definitely need to step it up. Picking up a pass catching TE in Chase Coffman was solid, so now we can team him and Utecht in 2 TE sets. My only complaint is that we addressed the center position too late. I don't know anything about this Jonathan Luigs but I'm very concerned that were going to get dominated in the interior line. If it means getting Maualuga and passing on a center till later...I guess I can live with that.

As the Browns were going along, I liked their strategy. Trade down, trade down, trade down...stockpile picks. It's a good strategy. Then comes their first pick...Alex Mack. Hmm little high for a center but as me and Hewls were discussing that day...O-line is always a good investment. Then came the 2nd pick...Robiskie??? Okay WTF?! I'm sure Buckeye Nation loves the pick, but I think it's horrible. If they wanted to address center and wideout, they could have snagged Hakeem Nicks in the 1st and Max Unger in the 2nd. That would have made so much more sense to me. And they passed on Maualuga. AND they snag ANOTHER wideout with their next pick (although I like the Massaquoi pick so much better than Robiskie). Rest of their draft made sense as far as addressing defense the rest of the way. 3 6th round corners was a bit puzzling, but not as maddening as I found their first 2 picks.

I'd comment on the Steelers' draft, but it was somewhat forgettable. Not bad, not great. Just solid. No real names that popped off the page, but that will happen when you're the defending champs. I'm sure they're all turn out to be monsters on the gridiron as the Steelers continue to be the bane of my existence.

Well Well Well...

2009-04-21T14:23:00.002-04:00

I suppose now that a few people have chimed back in it's time for me to throw out some words. I'll start with the sports in playoff mode and work from there. I still hate you all.

NBA Playoffs - Let's just say that if the Cavs and Lakers don't meet in the Finals then one of them had a HUGE choke job. That would be laughable. I feel the one and only shot at the upset in the East is Orlando, but after watching them piss away Game 1 I'm not sure they can do it. As for the West, there is much better talent top to bottom, but without Manu the Spurs just don't have what it takes. I really felt like Portland was the team to give L.A. a run, but they are still a bit young, but in a year or two will be outstanding. The Bulls/Celts series will end up being phenomenal and I can pretty much say I don't care about too many of the rest at this point. Keep an eye on your Indiana Pacers next year. I think we'll add a player or two this off-season and sneak into the 6 or 7 seed next year. We are still 2-3 years away from competing with the best, but it should at least be fun.

NHL Playoffs - The NHL Playoffs are always a joy to watch. I don't really have a true rooting interest but just like to watch the level of play escalate to crazy levels come playoff time. I'm hoping the Jackets can make it competitive, but they got a lousy draw in Detroit. If only they could have secured 1 more point at the end of the season. However, it would be great if they could finally stake some claim to the Columbus Sports Community and take a little shine away from OSU football. I think they'll take 1 at home, but they really need to take both and show they belong now that they've finally got there. Nonetheless, I'll be at Game 4 in my St. Gary-Airy jersey getting drunk.

MLB - I never take much stock into the very beginning of a long ass baseball season, but the Tribe's rotation is garbage and their bullpen should be much better than it has shown. Their offense will put up some crazy numbers, but without average and consistent pitching I'm afraid it could be another disappointing and underachieving season. It does look like Hafner is getting back to his former self though, which is fantastic. Other than that I'd like to see the Pirates finally be competitive and the Yanks and Sox eat ass as always. Oh, and the Royals will not stay at the top of the division with that heinous offense.

NFL Draft - This is obviously my favorite thing to write about and this year could be pretty interesting with the already executed and potential trades still out there. The Browns absolutely should trade Braylon because he's going to leave at the end of the year and they'll get NOTHING in return. Get another 1st rounder and grab Crabtree at #5 and a LB with the other pick. I can see trading Quinn or Anderson because the new regime doesn't care about either as they aren't their guys. Of course, I believe the hiring of Mangini was absolute garbage and will just be another mistake in the long line of blunders since the teams return. The Bengals will be crappy yet again. Not really much to say here. I'm not buying the "suprise team" label. Of course, when you've only had 1 winning season in the past 16 or so, it's not that hard of a prediction. The Steelers need to add depth/competition along both lines and acquire a CB, but other than that should be looking at a great Regular Season. Their schedule is garbage and seriously should give them 9 or 10 automatic wins. If they split the rest they are looking at a minimum 12-win regular season. Of course, last time they won the SB they threw in the towel and coasted to 8-8. I'm willing to bet Tomlin doesn't allow that. Oh, and I hate the Ravens, Pats, Colts, Cowboys, and Jay Cutler, that whiny little bitch who's accomplished nothing.

As for the draft itself. I don't like any QBs and would not touch Stafford or Sanchez early, and wouldn't take Sanchez at all to be honest. Aaron Curry is a freak and the best player along with Crabtree. Overall, I think you'll see a ton of value after the 1st Round as this is a weaker class than recent past. It will also be interesting to see how teams draft now that so many are trying to make the switch to a 3-4 D, which is not an easy thing to accomplish. At any rate, I'll be getting drunk and enjoying the first couple rounds.

Peace Bitches

I'm back, bitches.

2009-04-21T13:33:00.002-04:00

Wow. It has been a ridiculously long time. We all have a lot to talk about. Let's get this back going.

NBA Playoffs

I kept hearing about how tough the Pistons were going to play the Cavs and that was the worst-case scenario for a first round matchup for us. After watching the games thus far, I think we landed a great spot. The Pistons are a shell of their former selves and are paying for the worst trade possible: AI for Chauncey. Don't get me wrong. I love the Answer, but he couldn't have been a worse fit. The reason the Pistons have remained near the top of the East these years is because they never had any "me" players or ONE guy that needed to take the game over. They were the true definitition of "team" and acquiring Iverson AND getting rid of a great leader like Chauncey couldn't have been a worse idea. But hey, hindsight's 20/20. Can we just talk about what a HUGE pickup Joe Smith was? Always loved this guy and we got him back for nothing. If there is going to be a year, this unquestionably has to be it. We're so deep and we showed that the last game of the reg season against the Sixers (even though we lost ultimately). I'm predicting Cavs in 5. The rest of the playoffs is completely up in the air as no team has really emerged yet in the postseason. Magic lost to the Sixers at home, the Celts-Bulls series could go either way (what a game last night) and the Heat laid an egg against the Hawks. There's no one team that I think is going to give us a significant challenge so I the East is ours to lose. I know the Bulls are doing this against a KG-less Celts...but is anyone else scared of Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon if we matched up against them? As for the Cavs, I'm thinking Delonte will blow up tonight...for those of you that have seen my facebook profile lately, I have a bit of a man-crush on him. He's an amazing human being.

NFL

Oh my, what a difference a year makes. I remember sitting here listening to Browns Super Bowl predictions and me arguing to the bone about how they'd be lucky to finish 8-8. I think dealing K2 was a great move though. He was a cancer to the locker room. I don't understand them trying to deal Braylon and Quinn though. I know they're "rebuilding" but you don't have to blow up every single scrap. Braylon of course had a bad year but he's still very talented. Why are they giving up on Quinn already??? The kid hasn't been given that fair of a shot and has shown signs that he could grow into being a solid QB. Mangini was the worst signing ever. There were so many other unproven assistants that deserved shots. Instead they give it to ANOTHER Belichick assistant that has already had his shot and failed miserably. Can I just point out that the Bengals had a better record than the Browns. Yikes. I knew the Bengals were in trouble but when Palmer went down, I knew it would be the longest season ever...and of course it was the year I decided to be a season ticket holder for the first time. I'm sad about T.J. leaving, but he was obviously just ready for a change. Cincy offered him a comparable deal and he still bolted for what will turn out to be an inferior offense in my opinion. Ocho Cinco supposedly still wants out but who cares? I heard T.J. rambling yesterday on NFL Network that the reason Chad had a bad year last year was because he was unhappy. Really, TJ? It didn't have anything to do with him playing with a torn labrum all year and having Ryan F'ing Fitzpatrick sling the ball to him? Dumbest thing I've ever heard. Picking up Coles, J.T. O'Sullivan as a backup, re-signing Benson and picking up Gary Russell were all solid moves, but none of it is going to mean crap if we can't fix the O-Line. Our center Giauchic (don't know how to spell it nor do I care) is 280 pounds soaking wet and got pushed around the interior all year long. It didn't help that teams could blitz all day long as they had no reason to respect Fitz's noodle of an arm. With the easy schedule, there's a shot we could surprise some people, but in all liklihood we're looking at a mediocre season. I'm just praying Eugene Monroe somehow falls to us...if not, I'd love to see what Crabtree could do in stripes. The Steelers are still obviously the team to beat and have no signs of slowing down. Kudos to them for actually ponying up the dough for their Def POY. That's very un-Rooney. I still want to vomit everytime I see Harrison running 100 yards down the field in the Super Bowl...

Jackets

Now that they're in the playoffs, I'm not going to pretend I'm a huge fan and have been behind them the whole way. I haven't even been paying attention to them except for an occasional standings check. I do hope for the sake of the fans and the good people left working there that they make it interesting and at least pick up a W at home.

That's all I got for now...Let's pump more life into this thing.

Is it too good to be true?

2009-04-17T22:06:00.004-04:00

A few quick hits on the previously mentioned topics before I get to what is easily my favorite story right now.....

CBJ - Love that they've made it to the playoffs but three uninspiring efforts thus far has me feeling pretty down. Very depressing to be out played this badly in three games. Also, for the life of me I cannot understand why Freddy Modin is still on the ice? He has passed the puck to Red Wings players more times than Pavel Datsuyk, I promise you if he was on the side of the road looking for help I would open my car door as I drove by to knock his ass out.

NFL - I have absolutely zero idea what the Browns are doing. Seriously. I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I do follow a lot of sports and think I can generally get at least a decent grasp on what's happening. Not with this team. Some days I try to convince myself this is a good thing, and that they're keeping their "master plan" guarded for good reason and they're all of a sudden going to spring it on everyone this weekend, but then I remember it's the Browns and I go searching for alcohol.

NBA - I know the Cavs vs. Lakers is kind of a fore gone conclusion, but would a shake up of this finals really be catostrophic? Let's look at two intriging possibilities.

The young Bulls lead by Derrek Rose come together and grow up right before our eyes and establish themselves as a force in the East.
The young Blazers do the same thing in the West lead by Brandon Roy thrown in with a little Greg Oden redemption.

If one of these two scenarios plays out and one of these teams makes the finals how is that a bad thing? Also a note regarding ZG's Pacers...they will be the 4 seed next season as long as they don't do anything stupid (like sign Vince Carter or Tracy McGrady), and lock up a defensive presence (either a shot blocking rebounder, or a shut down guard or small forward). Granger is a beast (no lie this time next year he will be talked about with Lebron, D-Wade, Kobe, and Durant). Troy Murphy is a double double machine, Brandon Rush grew up a lot at the end of the year and they have a bunch of good role guys. If I were a Pacers fan I would be really happy.

MLB - The Reds are somehow afloat with a AAA team right now and a pitcher as our most reliable right handed bat off the bench. The Indians are showing life, mainly b/c it appears Hafner has returned to using roids and is back on track, so that bodes well for them turning things around.

Now my favorite story.....Ken Griffey Jr.

If you've seen me write anything on this page or know anything about me, you know that I will always have an emmense appreciation for this player. He opened the season with a HR as he returned to the city where he began his major league career. He has provided a few other timely hits since then and I can only hope has provided some happiness to the Mariners fans this season. He is the only superstar that has been able to avoid the suspicion of performance enhancing drugs and is a reminder of what athletes are capable of if they take full advantage of there natural gifts and work hard. He had a number of bad breaks and freakish injuries through his career but in the end is still "The Kid" and I hope that by the time the All Star break rolls around this year he will be on track for another 25-30 HR season and have his average around the .250-.280 range and one of the better feel good stories in recent memory. I know the old saying is "if it seems to good to be true, than it probably is", but I really feel like baseball and sports in general could use this one ever lasting icon from this era, and I'm going to hold on to it for as long as I can.

Glad that everyone is coming back to the blog.....it will be good to have this thing rolling again....

Time to get Blog-Tastic All over your Faces!!!!

2009-04-17T15:44:00.003-04:00

Alright Party People, I'm trying to get this thing rolling again whether you like it or not ahaha

1) NBA Playoffs
-----The Cavs are being handed the East on a silver platter, right? NO KG, NO Problem? yeah I don't know about that. The Magic were the one team that worried me in the East anyway. Their outside shooting and DHoward playing against a not 100% Big Ben is a scary thought. But even after thinking that it all comes down to this one point, in any series, any time : WE HAVE LEBRON. In the East, that trumps anything else. The Magic may have good outside shooting, DHoward, but WE HAVE LEBRON. The Heat have DWADE who can go off for 50 at anytime, but......WE HAVE LEBRON. The Celtics won the title last year (although the outcome would've been different if the Cavs had Boobie during the 7th game, just saying), and are "battle tested", which is the absolute dumbest argument I have ever heard, I mean how are they battle tested? Big Baby, Marbury, Special Ed Moore, Tony Allen, and I still contend Leon Powe (because the yhad the safety blanket of PJ Brown) have done NOTHING. They either weren't in the playoffs (Marbury, Special Ed Moore), or Hurt (Tony Allen), or didn't get off the bench (Big Baby, who sucks BTW). Paul Pierce is one year older, so is Ray Allen. Kendrick Perkins and Rondo still aren't top flight players, and Doc Rivers was bailed out by teh fact that KG was playing Free Safety in the back of their Defense. KG was the reason they won that title last year. He allowed everyone else to flourish, while the other team focused on him. He is the heart and soul of that team. Period. Don't get me started on why Paul Pierce isn't. Man, I hate Paul Pierce..ANYWAY to sum up WE HAVE LEBRON, and they DON'T.

And the Cavs actually have a TEAM this year. Yeah LeBron plays like LeBron every night, but now he has Mo Williams, Delonte West, BIG Z, Wally, Joe Smith, and by some act of GOD Varejao actually palyign with him on any given night. I mean when have the Cavs ever had a guy like Mo who can go off for 25-30 on any given night? Never since LeBron's been there. And Z actually plays a role this year. He has finally realized that all he needs to do is hit open Js, instead of initiating his own offense, which never works out well for anyone. Also, in the Playoffs, LeBron always raises his game to an unseen level. This year though, he'll have help. Have I mentioned I hate Paul Pierce, by the way?

I'm picking the Cavs over the Lakers in 6 Games with Homecourt advantage ultimately deciding the series, and the Lakers losing 2 games based solely on Pau Gasol's Facial Hair, and their shoddy PG play, and Lamar Odom finding some good weed in Cleveland, and basically not showing up for 3 games.

The NFL/Browns
------Well, I have 2 Theories on the Browns. 1) ManKok (mangini and kokinis combined) is basically just gutting the team and starting from scratch with the hope of draft picks and Jets retreads. 2) Mangini has been given way too much power for a guy who hasn't won anything yet.

I guess you can't really argue with the first one because the Browns had one winning season in the last 6 years., and frankly these guys can't get any worse. But why trade the best playmakers on Offense? I can see Braylon, because the guy says every other week ow much he wants out, so if you can somehow get a 1st rounder for him, do it up. And then Draft my boy CRABTREE 5th, and then Laurinaitis, or another LB at #29. The whole Brady Quinn thing puzzles me. Don't you think there's a reason teams are asking for him and not DA? Why would you trade the QB everyone wants, and keep the one No one else wants? See where I'm going here? I know Brady has only played like 3 games, but someone obviously saw something in him to offer the #10 pick in this year's draft (rumored, SF) for him, don't ya think? Just sayin......And if you do do that, do you pick Sanchez at #10, so you're basically in the same position just with a 1st round QB who played at USC instead of Notre Dame AND you end up paying him like 5 times what you pay BQ? Just not really seeing what the plan is here. Then they talk about helping the D out, and sign only one real starer (Eric Barton)., and address the secondary with Hank FREAKIN Poteat.

And what has Mangini done really? They're treating the guy like he's won multiple Super Bowls. he couldn't go to the playoffs with Brett Favre at QB last year. I just am not seeing what they're doing. Do you think they can just put the Browns and Bengals together and make one team? I mean you have to figure they can put together a somewhat competitive squad, right?

Alright, that's it for me...........remember YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SCOTTY I, YOU WANT TO BE BETTER THAN SCOTTY I

2009-02-27T09:32:00.006-05:00

I was thinking about all of you here the last few months and we havent had a post so kudos to Mr. Hewlett for ramping it back up. I was watching ESPN's toying with the Mt Rushmore of sports and I was wondering what all of you thought. So lets do this: Lets have the Mt Rushmore of ALL TIME in the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB and CFB just because I like CFB. Here's mine:

NFL- In my lifetime, I would say Joe Montana. Or Walter Payton.
NHL- Wayne Gretzky- Led the Oilers to four Championships.
NBA- Michael Jordan- 6 Rings but his ability to not go away may have tarnished his luster.
MLB- This one is tough. Babe Ruth keeps popping up only for the numbers he put up in the pre-pre steroids era...haha
CFB- Another toughie. All time now. SO this one gets hard. Herschel Walker is one, Ricky Williams, Archie Griffin, but I will say George Gipp.
Only kidding; I dont have a clue, to many great players.

The Blue Jackets have finally hit their stride and are in the hunt for a playoff spot. As a day one fan before I worked their, this is something I have hoped for for a LONG TIME. Last night was a huge win for us on the road.

God Is Love
Rev-Dun

FAR TOO LONG

2009-02-26T16:50:00.004-05:00

We have grown distant comrades. Months and almost no communication amongst us. There are plenty of sports continuing to fill the news wires and interest the masses. There must be something we can argue about and discuss like men.....or in Hos's case....like pre-pubescent girls. I submit to you all......

THE LIST

B-Ball - First off college.....we're just a few weeks away from March Madness, filling out brackets and staying glued to the TV from Thursday to Sunday for a month. I can't wait....I'm fairly certain the two teams I care about (OSU and UK) will flame out like Dunigan at the Plugged Nickel if they even make it in, but it will still be fun to watch and gamble like a degenerate.

Next the pros....... The Cavs are just a well oiled machine at this point. A deal at the deadline would have been nice but if Hickson keeps getting better that may be the best deadline pick up in the game. There are plenty of other compelling stories, from Tiny Nate Robinson pulling some kryptonite on D-Howard at the All-Star game, to The Black Mamba rolling up Bynum, Starbury on a ridiculous roadside interview that for the life of me I can't find online....

Baseball....I know most of you don't care but.....Spring training is starting....Manny is a retard.....Ken Griffey Jr. is the best player of the last 20 years.....the Reds are going to dominate behind Votto, B-Phil, Bruce and a sick starting rotation that includes the modern day Babe Ruth as our fifth starter (Micah Owings)....

Hockey....CBJ is in this thing...the games are sickeningly exciting to be at right now.....they should pull this roadie out tonight in Edmonton and get back on track.....Freddy Modin needs to stay injured the rest of the year b/c the fat tube of lard is worthless....we need a solid trade to bring in some more skill with the forwards and an upgrade at defense over Christian Backman would be nice....

That's what I got for now....lets get this thing a crack-a-lackin....

Chickin Grease and Peace...OUT

Let the Brady Quinn Overreactions Begin...

2008-11-19T11:43:00.003-05:00

I was waiting for someone to post about Quinn, and to be honest figured it would be Dunigan for sure. Listen, his first two games he's been fine and looks like he has potential, but as I stated early on, we cannot begin to judge him as an NFL QB until he's played 5-6 games to give us a decent sampling. It's easy to say he's doing well when the gameplan is paired down and he's throwing 5 yard passes all the time. Most QBs will look good in that style of offense. I want to see how he does when they open up the offense more and turn him loose a bit. Also, I'll give him credit for the Denver game as he barely had any reps with the first team, but realistically any one of us could throw on that garbage defense. He was much more "rookie-like" against Buffalo with a lower completion percentage, low yardage, and no scores. The most important thing for him is to keep turnovers to a minimum, which he has done.

Also, remember how much people were loving Trent Edwards after their 5-1 start? Well they are hating him just as much now and there's even a bit of talk about putting Losman back in....are you kidding me?! Things can turn just like that for NFL QBs, so let's give it a bit of time to see what happens. Quite a few people though DA was a solid NFL starter and, as most of us expected, he's already been benched.

I'm just sayin'...

Brady Quinn, and other Random Thoughts.....

2008-11-19T11:06:00.003-05:00

Alright, It's been awhile, but I'm back on this thing..............

BRADY QUINN and the State of the Brownies

In the first 2 games of the BQ experience, I have been really impressed. Yes, I know his stats haven't exactly been Montana-esque. But look at the other intangibles he shows. He stands in the pocket, LIKE A MAN, and takes the heat of the pass rush. He commands the huddle the way a Field general should, and doesn't have one illegal formation penalty, and never has to use a timeout because the Browns are line up wrong( something DA routinely did). And he takes blame after every game, win or lose (Unlike DA, who used to blame alot of his mistakes on the fact that his receiver in his helmet was malfunctioning. ARE YOU SERIOUS? REALLY?! Sure it wasn't the fact that you can;t lead receivers, and are basically a well-paid statue in the pocket? No, must be the headset.). He puts the game on his shoulders and deflects blame from the Browns horrid defense, Braylon Edwards forgetting that receivers who talk about themselves in the 3rd person like they are a superstar, actually need to catch the ball on occasion, the fact that the line can't recognize blitzes coming right up the middle, and most glaringly, The fact that Romeo manages the game like he's playing Madden '09 and he has unlimited rewinds. But I think the Browns are in really good hands w/BQ at QB. Nothing fazes the guy. In his first game he had like 1 practice to prepare for Denver and threw 2 TDs. He's a crazy athlete (judging by the throw he made off his back foot to K2 in the back of the end zone with a defender draped all over him). And while he's being criticized for not throwing the ball down field more, I like what he's doing. He's involving Kellen more in the offense, and don't you want to get your best offensive weapon (which K2 is) the ball? Oh, and the Browns are running off 6 straight wins (WRITE IT DOWN)!!!!!

LeBron and the CAVS

How good do the Cavs look so far? They have everything you need to win a championship. They have the Best Player on the Planet (don't give me that Kobe, or CP3 BS, put them on the CAVS and see what happens), Great Shooters who have been hitting big shots, and Mo Williams who has given the Cavs a good #2 scorer, and someone else besides LeBron who actually creates his own shot, and, more importantly, moves Bronson off of the ball to play the 4, which is a mismatch waiting to happen. And apparently Delonte West is a Stud at the 2 spot. Who knew? And Big Ben and Andy are actually contributing positively. This is way too good to be true right now. And if they Get McDyes? Are you kidding? They might as well schedule the parade right now, my friends.

Well That's all I got, oh and the Bengals are Bad. Really Bad. When people are talking about a tie as a positive step, you know it's been a bad year.

Word

2008-11-04T14:42:00.001-05:00

Just sending a holla out to everyone....hope to see some of you wake up and start writing again....

So Fresh and So Clean

2008-10-27T17:22:00.002-04:00

Some new things to kick around.....

Maybe Patrick Ewing shoud have spent less time in the strip club and more time teaching his son to play ball......Patrick Ewing Jr. cut by Knicks.

Baseball.....Sorry ZG, you know I couldn't resist. HUGE night for the Philies last night, Ryan Howard remembering he's Ryan Howard and jumping ship twice last night. A shot to the left field corner then a rocket to right field that took about .2 seconds to leave the park. Plus a Joe Blanton getting his first extra base hit EVER and yanking Edwin Jackson out of the yard. Not a close game but still exciting. Lets see if the feel good story can pull a comeback out of there ARSSSEE and make the last few games of the MLB season memorable.

HOCKEY....Beginning of the season has been promising for the CBJ, but as always they have lacked consistency. Hopefully they can find it b/c the roster actually resembles an NHL roster this year and they just LOOK better on the ice this year. Right now it feels good, I just hope wins follow to keep that feeling around.

OSU....Offense regressed this week. TP2 was solid. I know everyone will point to the fumble and say it was a bad play (which it was), but the decision to leave the pocket and bounce it outside was a good one. If the Penn St. linebacker doesn't poke the ball TP stiff arms the guy like he has done a dozen times already this year and has open field for days on the outside. I know that sounds like making excuses and is a big "WHAT IF" but that play wasn't the game breaker. The game breaker was that the O-line again couldn't block. Oh well, a two loss season and a trip to the Outback bowl is in our future. Hopefully The Vest will take the off season to find a new offensive scheme. As Big Ten fans it's time to start cheering for Penn State now, hopefully they can get some respect for the Big Ten back.

Fantasy Notes....ZG suffered his first lost of the season on a technicality, but it's only one loss and his team still only lost by a single point with SJAX missing the game. I think he'll be fine, which is why I hate him. Both of my teams look to finally be on track, so hopefully this won't be a completely wasted season. B-Ball is starting this week, so I'm pretty sure we won't have teams drafted in time, BUT, I'll be sending invites to all of you so we can put one together to start early next week.

Drinking Notes.....Patton was in rare dancing form on Friday night, was a sight to behold. Iantosca made a solid return to the Bus and was insulted by the guy running the door at Frog Bear by being called Alex P. Keaton. Not a highligth reel night for myself but it was good times....ZG claims to have made it to Columbus but I was unable to confirm or deny this claim, he says he'll be back again this weekend so apparently more drinking is in my future.

OK people get talking now....Streck get to typing and say something ridiculous and offensive.....KD where is the College Football recaps? Patton, Hosk, Reynolds? ARE YOU FUCKING ALIVE???????

Half Way There - Well Almost.....

2008-10-27T15:33:00.002-04:00

Ok, with 8 weeks about to be gone in the NFL season I figured now was an appropriate a time to look back at how awful my predictions were this year. By the way, even though we haven't been posting a lot on here it took a long ass time to find this damn thing......also only 3 of my predictions have been rendered completely ridiculous at this point, so that's not too bad.....

AFC East - Patriots (no brainer, I think the rest of the league has actually gotten better but not enough) - Still may be the Patriots division to lose but without Brady it's gonna be tough. By the way I would have given this division to Buffalo in a heartbeat if they hadn't gagged against the Dolphins yesterday.

AFC North - Steelers (what can I say, I picked half the team in Fantasy and I'll pick'em here too, Bungals and Ravens are weak, and while I think the Browns can be good again you gotta knock off the champ first before I go too far) - Steelers were on the verge of locking this division up yesterday then Harrison launched a snap into the 3rd row. They're still in the driver seat but they could have started to lap the field had they won that game yesterday. The Ravens are better than I thought, and the Browns are hanging around, but I'm not confident with either teams offense right now. By the way the only fantasy leftovers from the Steelers is there defense, I've very happy about this.

AFC South - Jags (There I said it) - Who the hell saw the Titans coming? They're not a lock to stay in control of the division all year, but the Jags looked less than inspired yesterday against what is supposed to be a pretty bad Browns defense.

AFC West - Chargers (The rest of this division is garbage) - The Broncos aren't garbage apparently, but the Chargers are still in this thing, they've had a pretty strong schedule to start the season and LT is yet to carry this team for a 4-5 game stretch like he normally does.

AFC Wildcards - Colts and Browns. (I know Peyton is great an all, but not playing will have to hurt the first few weeks, that could be the difference between 13-3 and 11-5, and I think the Browns will take a shot at being one of the big boys) - The Browns appear to be a fluke from last year, and to say that Peyton has been rusty would be an understatement. Both are still in contention for the Wildcards but both need there offenses to start clicking REALLY SOON.

AFC Championship: Steelers vs. Browns (I will drive to Indy to fight ZG to the death during this game) - Well at least I don't think I'll have to spend the gas money to drive to Indy.

NFC North - Vikings (BREAKING NEWS: Tatum Bell just stole the rest of the divisions chances) - This was a bad joke then and an even worse joke now that I look back at this thing. The Bears and Packers are battling for this division. For some reason the Vikings refuse to find a QB with a pulse so I'm pretty sure they're giving up at this point. Aaron Rodgers has been solid, Kyle Orton has been brain washed to think he's still playing in the Big Ten and been the solid mistake free QB that Chicago needed to not cause Brian Urlacher to go on a 5 state killing spree.

NFC East - Redskins (Not sure why, but I like Jason Campbell I think it's his time) - Very tough division and no one has seperated from the pack. The only definitive thing from my perdiction is to say that Jason Campbell has been pretty good so far, I still like the Skins to pull this division out.

NFC South - Carolina (John Fox is a good coach that's had a lot of injuries the last few years, I think they'll be back, plus the Saints are looking at starting the year as vagabonds again) - Despite being in last place, the Saints have been better than I thought, but the Panthers have been as good as I thought as well. Healthy players + a good coach = winning season. Also with the success that Jake Delhomme is having right now I think more QB's need to look into elective Tommy John Surgery (I'm looking at you Chad Pennington)

NFC West - Seahawks (About as consistent as the Steelers in getting to the playoffs the last few seasons) - WOW this division is bad. I think this may actually be the Cardinals year. Oh, and if the 49ers don't keep Mike Singletary on as there coach next year I'm going to camp out at the Browns facility in Berea until they fire Romeo and hire Singletary.

NFC Wildcards - Philly and Dallas (I know it's rare to get three teams from one division but the rest of the NFC could be a train wreck) - Still think this is possible, but am starting to think that the Bears or Packers will grab one of these spots, and that the Giants will replace Dallas here.

NFC Championship: Philly vs. Carolina (rematch anyone?) - Still believe Carolina will be here, not so sure about Philly if Westbrook keeps getting knicked up.

Super Bowl: Browns vs. Philly (two hard luck franchises collide and the Browns find a way to topple the monster that is Pittsburgh....you didnt' think I'd make it through this without being a homer did you? )Not making a prediction on who wins just yet, b/c if this game happens the world may actually come to an end. - Really don't think there's any chance of this happening at this point, especially since the Phillies are about to win the World Series, there's no way the city of Philidelphia can actually sustain to Championship caliber teams at once. I think the city would self destruct.

MVP: Brady Quinn (there I took the first sip) - I can still dream can't I?

WORLD SERIES TONIGHT

2008-10-22T18:15:00.003-04:00

I know there are only about 20 people in the country that are excited about this, but I don't care. While these are both almost no name teams I think it will be a fun series. We've only had one REALLY good game, and that was Game 5 of the ALCS. I'm hoping for 2 or 3 of those in the World Series and I'll call it a good post season. I'll spare ZG and move to another topic.

Winslow.....Any time a "Star" player mouths off I typically am not a fan and would easily dismiss them and say they're spoiled and need to shut up. Maybe it's because I'm a fan of the team but when I look at this situation I think a little differently. I will admit that anytime a pro athlete making gobs of money complains about anything that it doesn't totally sit right with me, and this is no exception. What is an exception is WHO is doing the talking. I think most of us expected K2 to be a loud mouthly annoying, worse than TO, kind of a player in the NFL. While he has been outspoken I don't think he has approached being as bad as many thought he would be. Because of that I'm cutting him some slack here, especailly when he's pointing out the obvious about the clearly poor medical conditions in Cleveland and with the shotty leadership I see on the field each Sunday, I'm not sold on the quality of the leadership throughout the week.

Bucks....I'm going to hold true to what I said here earlier this year. Which is that I KNEW that the defense would be good once they got into conference. The problem with the Bucks is that everytime they play out of conference the last few years (MAC included) they seem to be completely un-prepared and play like crap. Now that they're in the Big Ten their defense will get jacked up and the play calling will be much more accurate as opposed to when they play a team that for some reason we're unprepared for. I don't think our team lacks talent, but for some reason they lack passion and direction against anyone else. Don't get me wrong I will be cheering as loud as anyone on Saturday and hoping that they are back on track, but I'll still be skeptical until I see them do it to someone outside the Big Ten.

As for TP2 - I AM PUMPED for this kid to be playing at THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY for the next few seasons. What I love the most is that while this kid has had just about everything handed to him athletically the last few years that when someone questions him he doesn't cry like Vince Young and say "Why is everyone picking one me?" he says, "OK, try me bitch, I will kick your ass, then ask you to say my name afterwards" ala Muhammed Ali. Clearly he's cocky, but so far it's a cocky that I like. And I will disagree with you on one thing about the kid Scotty, and that's I don't think it would matter if this weeks game was at Penn State. I think the kid loves the adversity and think he would thrive anywhere, which is just another reason I'm excited about the next few seasons.

Ok, I'm off to watch the World Series....let me tell you nothing says World Series like the Backstreet Boys signing the national anthem. NICE!!!!!