Let's get right into some College Football and NFL quick hits:
NCAA
- Florida is going to be very tough to beat this season, if they get by LSU in Death Valley, they will go undefeated, win another National Championship and Tim Tebow will be only the second 2-time Heisman Trophy winner.
- Matt Barkley led USC over Ohio St for a huge victory last weekend; look for USC to have a let down this weekend and Washington goes on their first 2 game win streak in two years (if I'm Pete Carroll, I play Aaron Corp this weekend)
- Texas gets there shot this weekend in Austin for revenge against Texas Tech and I think they will get it in a big way (UNFORTUNATELY!)
- The Mountain West has 3 legit BCS contenders in Utah, TCU and BYU; look for the Horned Frogs to be BCS'ing in January.
- A few former superpowers are gaining strength and looking to challenge and possibly win their conferences this season: Da U (Miami), the Michigan Wolverines and the corn-fed boys from Nebraska
- A current superpower had their last chance to impress me and probably the rest of the nation last week. Close counts in the game of horseshoes, but close doesn't count IN the Horseshoe, sorry Ohio St. but i'm removing you from my mind of being an elite program.
- Oklahoma may be in big trouble this season. Everyone talks about the loss of Bradford, but they have also lost their starting TE (Gresham), starting WR's (NFL) and 4 offensive lineman. A loss to BYU with road games at Miami, in Dallas vs Texas and in Lubbock vs Texas Tech will all go down as L's for Boomer Sooner this season. Hello Alamo Bowl??
- Oklahoma St is the exact same team as the BJ Symons led Texas Tech Red Raiders from 2003. Sure they can score 40 a game, but their defense won't stop any good opposing offense from putting 41 on the board.
NFL
- Sorry LT, but AD is the best back in the league, you aren't even the best RB on your own team (Sproles)
- Jake Delhomme is doing his best to get John Fox fired in Carolina with his 11 turnovers in his last two home games performances (that has to be a record right?)
- I don't know if Tom Brady is back or the Bills are just being the Bills. Great comeback for the Pats, but I think one of the last times the Bills were on MNF they blew a huge lead against the Cowboys and lost in the end.
- Cowboy fans please be quiet. You beat up on a Tampa Bay team that had 2 blown coverages and gave up another big play b/c of a terrible Safety.
- Pittsburgh is back up to their old tricks with great defense, a terrible offense and winning low scoring games. A win is a win, but man it is hard to watch them play.
- The Cardinals had a terrific run to the Super Bowl last year, but they will be watching the playoffs from home this season. Seattle is back and could be playing for homefield playoff position later in the season.
- On November 1st, Lambough Field may host a football game that gets more hype and has more anticipation than some Super Bowls. Brett Favre returns to face the fans and the franchise that treated him so well for 16 years in a game that could go a long way towards home field advantage in the NFC.
Stay tuned in the coming days/weeks for more sports talk!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
We're Back!!
TwoSportsMinds are back and will be delivering some pretty riveting blog entries in the days to come.
Hallelujah NCAA Football, NFL, NHL!!
Hallelujah NCAA Football, NFL, NHL!!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Pittsburgh Penguins are Stanley Cup Champs!
On Friday night, Sidney Crosby became the youngest Captain to ever hoist the Stanley Cup trophy at the age of 21. The Pens went into Detroit and got a great performance out of Marc-Andre Fluery and Max Talbot stepped up with two goals.
The city of Pittsburgh now has the Super Bowl Champ Steelers and the Stanley Cup Champ Penguins in the same season. Is it in the cards for the Pirates to win the World Series? I don't think so.
I thank the Pens for making the entire hockey season fun for me and hopefully next season we can see the Stars back in the playoffs and have both teams playing as late into the season as possible.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Week Wrap Up - 6/8 - 6/12
Let me first start by sending my apologies for the lack of updates and new posts this week. Crazy busy week at work and the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was hop on a computer and post. Next week I will renew my NCAA Football Realignment with the Big 12, Pac-10, Mountain West and WAC.
This was a pretty busy week in the world of sports. There are two championship series going on and I want to touch on the Magic vs Lakers to start. If you keep up with the blog you would know I went with my gut instead of my heart and took the Magic. It will be the last time I make a gut decision. The Lakers, behind Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant, are just too good. They have had some others step up and knock down shots and are up 3 games to 1. The Magic are a blown layup at the buzzer and a complete collapse in last nights game away from having the 3 to 1 advantage, but utlimately didn't make the plays down the stretch to pull those games out. Van Gundy killed his team by playing Jameer Nelson over Rafer Alston which broke team chemistry and rhythm they had after playing the last several months with Alston starting at the PG spot with Nelson sitting on the pine after shoulder surgery. Nelson was to blame last night for both of Fisher's big 3's. He seemed to be defending a drive in the final seconds giving up a wide open 3 to send the game to OT. In OT he went to double Kobe whose back was to the rim and was about to throw up a wild fade away 20 footer and left Fisher open again. SWISH!! Game! Lakers win in 5.
The Penguins and Red Wings will do battle this evening for hockey supremacy. I wish I had more confidence in the Pens, but so far they have lost their games in Detroit 3-1, 3-1, and 5-0. Fluery is a whole different goaltender at home vs on the road, so considering this game is in "The Joe", the Pens have little to no chance. It will take a "i'm the best player in the world" effort from Crosby (2 goals and an assist) for the Pens to have a chance. The only positive the Pens have going for them is that they played a game 7 in Washington to advance and if you ask me most the pressure is on Detroit after blowing a 2 game advantage in the series. First team to 4 goals wins tonights game. Go Pens!
Alabama football will be on probation for 3 years and will be forced to vacate something like 21 victories between 2005-2007. Rumor has it several players were receiving additional free textbooks that were then given to friends or were turned around and sold back for cash. What is the point of taking victories away from a team? Do you think the 2006 Florida International team that got beat 38-3 by 'Bama is celebrating today? Give me a break. So, 3 years of probation, that will show them! They have now been on probation 3 seperate times in the same decade!!! At what point and time do you start taking scholarships or taking away the opportunity for bowl games? I think in this case, they need to take the qty of players that were found to be guilty of doing "Textbook-gate" and over that same 3-year probation period, they lose that many scholarships. Does that make sense to anyone? Sure it makes sense to you and I, but considering we live in a time when a computer ranking which factors in the amount of mustaches are on a coaching staff is telling us who plays for a National Title, I know my concept would be too much.
Gillette is loving Tiger and Roger Federer right now. The "shaving brothers" from other mothers are at the top of their sports. Federer won his 14th Grand Slam Title tying him for Pete Sampras for all time Grand Slams when he won his 1st French Open and Tiger won the Memorial and is revving up for the US Open. Both players make two sports that are otherwise not too TV friendly enjoyable to watch and make you actually get into the sport. It is fun to watch the two people that are the greatest at their kraft serving aces and dropping 30 foot birdies. I thank both of them for keeping both of those sports relevant and congratulate them for their achievements.
The College World Series in Omaha kicks off tomorrow. 8 teams, 11 days and enough PINGS! to make your ears ring for a few days. As you know, my money is on LSU beating Arizona St for the Series Title. Once again, a great site to keep up with all the action is http://www.d1baseball.com/.
In NFL news the only real news that is getting attention is the saga I have dubbed "As the Grey Beard Turns". First the Vikings set a deadline, then they didn't, then they say they would suspend talk about him, then Viking coach Brad Childress is talking about him at the OTA's. In the meantime, Gunslinger Grey Beard (Indian Name) is considering shoulder surgery, then he all of a sudden had surgery a month ago, then he is throwing footballs to high school kids leading them into puddles, the next minute he hasn't thrown a ball in weeks and has been busy handweaving Wranglers jeans. WTF! Does anyone care? This should prove to you how boring Major League Baseball is. It is the heart of their season and this crap is getting headline news over anything they can possibly do.
The talk in baseball should be the Minnesota Twins and Joe Mauer. First off, if you are gambling person, bet on the Twins to do whatever they did the night before (win or lose). They seem to NEVER win, lose, win. Everything they do is in streaks. W, W, W, L, L, L, L, W, W, W. For instance, they lost 3, then beat the A's twice, then lost yesterday. Start fresh and wait for a victory and then ride it out with a follow up win, then wait til a loss. Follow that loss up with another loss. You can't lose! Aside from that tendancy, there is nothing else I understand about the Twins season so far. They have 3 guys who are hitting above .325 and are bombs away knocking the ball out of the park (Mauer, Morneau and Kubel) along with some pitchers that seem to have great performances, but are still 3 games below .500! How are they so terrible on the road but great at home? I brought up Joe Mauer and I can't believe this guy is not getting more publicity. He is hitting above .400 (in games from May to June, not over a 10 game streak) and has already posted a career high in homeruns. Pitchers cannot get him out. Anytime a guy who in a month beats his career best homers for a season there is speculation of steroids, but in Mauers case that simply ISN'T THE CASE. If anyone has watched the Twins over the last few years, they know that he always hits the ball hard. This year he is getting a little bit more trajectory and it is carrying out of the yard. Hit homers are always the ugly linedrive homers that take 2 seconds to leave the ballpark, never the towering upperdeck shots. Did I mention he is 6'5, 230?? It was a matter of time before he became more than a great hitter and turned into a power hitter.
That is all I have for this week. Stay tuned for the NCAA Football realignment to come to fruition next week. Good Day and Good Weekend!
This was a pretty busy week in the world of sports. There are two championship series going on and I want to touch on the Magic vs Lakers to start. If you keep up with the blog you would know I went with my gut instead of my heart and took the Magic. It will be the last time I make a gut decision. The Lakers, behind Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant, are just too good. They have had some others step up and knock down shots and are up 3 games to 1. The Magic are a blown layup at the buzzer and a complete collapse in last nights game away from having the 3 to 1 advantage, but utlimately didn't make the plays down the stretch to pull those games out. Van Gundy killed his team by playing Jameer Nelson over Rafer Alston which broke team chemistry and rhythm they had after playing the last several months with Alston starting at the PG spot with Nelson sitting on the pine after shoulder surgery. Nelson was to blame last night for both of Fisher's big 3's. He seemed to be defending a drive in the final seconds giving up a wide open 3 to send the game to OT. In OT he went to double Kobe whose back was to the rim and was about to throw up a wild fade away 20 footer and left Fisher open again. SWISH!! Game! Lakers win in 5.
The Penguins and Red Wings will do battle this evening for hockey supremacy. I wish I had more confidence in the Pens, but so far they have lost their games in Detroit 3-1, 3-1, and 5-0. Fluery is a whole different goaltender at home vs on the road, so considering this game is in "The Joe", the Pens have little to no chance. It will take a "i'm the best player in the world" effort from Crosby (2 goals and an assist) for the Pens to have a chance. The only positive the Pens have going for them is that they played a game 7 in Washington to advance and if you ask me most the pressure is on Detroit after blowing a 2 game advantage in the series. First team to 4 goals wins tonights game. Go Pens!
Alabama football will be on probation for 3 years and will be forced to vacate something like 21 victories between 2005-2007. Rumor has it several players were receiving additional free textbooks that were then given to friends or were turned around and sold back for cash. What is the point of taking victories away from a team? Do you think the 2006 Florida International team that got beat 38-3 by 'Bama is celebrating today? Give me a break. So, 3 years of probation, that will show them! They have now been on probation 3 seperate times in the same decade!!! At what point and time do you start taking scholarships or taking away the opportunity for bowl games? I think in this case, they need to take the qty of players that were found to be guilty of doing "Textbook-gate" and over that same 3-year probation period, they lose that many scholarships. Does that make sense to anyone? Sure it makes sense to you and I, but considering we live in a time when a computer ranking which factors in the amount of mustaches are on a coaching staff is telling us who plays for a National Title, I know my concept would be too much.
Gillette is loving Tiger and Roger Federer right now. The "shaving brothers" from other mothers are at the top of their sports. Federer won his 14th Grand Slam Title tying him for Pete Sampras for all time Grand Slams when he won his 1st French Open and Tiger won the Memorial and is revving up for the US Open. Both players make two sports that are otherwise not too TV friendly enjoyable to watch and make you actually get into the sport. It is fun to watch the two people that are the greatest at their kraft serving aces and dropping 30 foot birdies. I thank both of them for keeping both of those sports relevant and congratulate them for their achievements.
The College World Series in Omaha kicks off tomorrow. 8 teams, 11 days and enough PINGS! to make your ears ring for a few days. As you know, my money is on LSU beating Arizona St for the Series Title. Once again, a great site to keep up with all the action is http://www.d1baseball.com/.
In NFL news the only real news that is getting attention is the saga I have dubbed "As the Grey Beard Turns". First the Vikings set a deadline, then they didn't, then they say they would suspend talk about him, then Viking coach Brad Childress is talking about him at the OTA's. In the meantime, Gunslinger Grey Beard (Indian Name) is considering shoulder surgery, then he all of a sudden had surgery a month ago, then he is throwing footballs to high school kids leading them into puddles, the next minute he hasn't thrown a ball in weeks and has been busy handweaving Wranglers jeans. WTF! Does anyone care? This should prove to you how boring Major League Baseball is. It is the heart of their season and this crap is getting headline news over anything they can possibly do.
The talk in baseball should be the Minnesota Twins and Joe Mauer. First off, if you are gambling person, bet on the Twins to do whatever they did the night before (win or lose). They seem to NEVER win, lose, win. Everything they do is in streaks. W, W, W, L, L, L, L, W, W, W. For instance, they lost 3, then beat the A's twice, then lost yesterday. Start fresh and wait for a victory and then ride it out with a follow up win, then wait til a loss. Follow that loss up with another loss. You can't lose! Aside from that tendancy, there is nothing else I understand about the Twins season so far. They have 3 guys who are hitting above .325 and are bombs away knocking the ball out of the park (Mauer, Morneau and Kubel) along with some pitchers that seem to have great performances, but are still 3 games below .500! How are they so terrible on the road but great at home? I brought up Joe Mauer and I can't believe this guy is not getting more publicity. He is hitting above .400 (in games from May to June, not over a 10 game streak) and has already posted a career high in homeruns. Pitchers cannot get him out. Anytime a guy who in a month beats his career best homers for a season there is speculation of steroids, but in Mauers case that simply ISN'T THE CASE. If anyone has watched the Twins over the last few years, they know that he always hits the ball hard. This year he is getting a little bit more trajectory and it is carrying out of the yard. Hit homers are always the ugly linedrive homers that take 2 seconds to leave the ballpark, never the towering upperdeck shots. Did I mention he is 6'5, 230?? It was a matter of time before he became more than a great hitter and turned into a power hitter.
That is all I have for this week. Stay tuned for the NCAA Football realignment to come to fruition next week. Good Day and Good Weekend!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Stars fire Tippett!!
Stars fired Dave Tippett today and i'm completely shocked. Tippett was in town for 6 seasons and led the team to the playoffs 5 of the 6 seasons he was at the helm. The season they didn't make it was last season. He had a 271-162-59 record in six seasons.
A year after losing to the Detroit Red Wings in the Conference Finals, the Stars had injury after injury this season and contended for the final playoff spot up until the 3rd to last game this season. Captain Brendan Morrow only played 18 games, leading defenseman Sergie Zubov missed all but 7 games and leading point scorer Brad Richards missed the final 2 months of the season with a broken wrist/hand. Did I mention it was Brett Hull who brought in Sean Avery who basically tore apart the team until they got rid of his sorry ass? That wasn't on Tippett.
Hockey is a sport where it seems GM's jump to conclusions way to quick and fire coaches. The Stars just hired Joe Nieuwendyk and it seems he decided a change was needed. I think this is a mistake. The coaching job he did minus his 3 best players for virtually the entire season last year was good enough to get him another year in my opinion. It doesn't help that he had to keep Mike Modano on the ice, who is over the hill, reluctant to hit and turned the puck over time and time again in crucial situations. Tippett had no choice b/c Modano is a god in in the Stars franchise and they would never sit him if he was able to play.
Hopefully Nieuwendyk knows what he is doing and can bring in a quality coach. Regardless of who he brings in, if the Stars are healthy next season they will make the postseason and Nieuwendyk will get what he wants, the praise for bringing in a head coach "that got them back in the playoffs". I just wish Tippett had another season to lead a team that was healthy that also had young players who logged major minutes this season and gained valuable experience. He would have brought them back into the playoffs and helped them make a run if you ask me. I wish him luck in finding a new job. Thanks for the past 6 seasons Dave.
A year after losing to the Detroit Red Wings in the Conference Finals, the Stars had injury after injury this season and contended for the final playoff spot up until the 3rd to last game this season. Captain Brendan Morrow only played 18 games, leading defenseman Sergie Zubov missed all but 7 games and leading point scorer Brad Richards missed the final 2 months of the season with a broken wrist/hand. Did I mention it was Brett Hull who brought in Sean Avery who basically tore apart the team until they got rid of his sorry ass? That wasn't on Tippett.
Hockey is a sport where it seems GM's jump to conclusions way to quick and fire coaches. The Stars just hired Joe Nieuwendyk and it seems he decided a change was needed. I think this is a mistake. The coaching job he did minus his 3 best players for virtually the entire season last year was good enough to get him another year in my opinion. It doesn't help that he had to keep Mike Modano on the ice, who is over the hill, reluctant to hit and turned the puck over time and time again in crucial situations. Tippett had no choice b/c Modano is a god in in the Stars franchise and they would never sit him if he was able to play.
Hopefully Nieuwendyk knows what he is doing and can bring in a quality coach. Regardless of who he brings in, if the Stars are healthy next season they will make the postseason and Nieuwendyk will get what he wants, the praise for bringing in a head coach "that got them back in the playoffs". I just wish Tippett had another season to lead a team that was healthy that also had young players who logged major minutes this season and gained valuable experience. He would have brought them back into the playoffs and helped them make a run if you ask me. I wish him luck in finding a new job. Thanks for the past 6 seasons Dave.
NCAA Football Realignment Cont'd....
Today I bring to you the fun football from Conference USA. Perhaps with the changes I have made this conference will be upgraded and gain some attention. I give to you the newly realigned Conference USA. 
Teams that will stay in the Conference: Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, Central Florida and UTEP
-
Teams departing the Conference: East Carolina (ACC), Southern Miss (SEC) and UAB (SEC)
-
New teams to the Conference: Baylor (Big 12), Vanderbilt (SEC) and Troy (Sun Belt)
-
ECU, Southern Miss and UAB were all moved to other conferences to join their instate rivals. I think the swap of those three for the newbies will greatly upgrade the conference talent wise and help the conference gain a little more national recognition.
-
The problem with Baylor and Vandy was that they were in power conferences and despite getting better each season, they were still the doormat of their division. I think by putting them into this conference they can instantly compete for a conference championship and they will bring some better D-1 talent to the conference than it has seen in the past. Baylor will now also be matched up with it's other Texas private schools and this will help build a great rivalry between the three schools (SMU and Rice). Vanderbilt year in and year out seemed to beat or really push a big time SEC school in a game. In this conference I think they may be that power in year 1. Like Baylor they are a private school and this conference will turn into a mini Ivy league of the South when you throw in Tulane to the mix. Troy will make the jump from a smaller conference to see if they can consistently beat better competition. Every year they seem to give bigger D-1 teams fits in games outside of conference and then coast through their conference schedule. It is time they are moved up a notch and play better competition week in and week out to see if they are that good or the Sun Belt was that bad.
-
The divisions will be split like so and are in my projected order of finish:
-
West:
Baylor
Tulsa
Houston
Rice
UTEP
SMU
East:
Vanderbilt
Troy
UCF
Memphis
Marshall
Tulane
-
Neither Baylor or Vanderbilt are use to this setting, but they will do battle for the crown. I think there is a big difference between the Big 12/SEC and this conference and it shows when two of the last place teams in those conferences will win their divisions in this one. I give the edge to the Baylor Bears b/c of future Heisman candidate Robert Griffin.
Teams that will stay in the Conference: Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, Central Florida and UTEP
-
Teams departing the Conference: East Carolina (ACC), Southern Miss (SEC) and UAB (SEC)
-
New teams to the Conference: Baylor (Big 12), Vanderbilt (SEC) and Troy (Sun Belt)
-
ECU, Southern Miss and UAB were all moved to other conferences to join their instate rivals. I think the swap of those three for the newbies will greatly upgrade the conference talent wise and help the conference gain a little more national recognition.
-
The problem with Baylor and Vandy was that they were in power conferences and despite getting better each season, they were still the doormat of their division. I think by putting them into this conference they can instantly compete for a conference championship and they will bring some better D-1 talent to the conference than it has seen in the past. Baylor will now also be matched up with it's other Texas private schools and this will help build a great rivalry between the three schools (SMU and Rice). Vanderbilt year in and year out seemed to beat or really push a big time SEC school in a game. In this conference I think they may be that power in year 1. Like Baylor they are a private school and this conference will turn into a mini Ivy league of the South when you throw in Tulane to the mix. Troy will make the jump from a smaller conference to see if they can consistently beat better competition. Every year they seem to give bigger D-1 teams fits in games outside of conference and then coast through their conference schedule. It is time they are moved up a notch and play better competition week in and week out to see if they are that good or the Sun Belt was that bad.
-
The divisions will be split like so and are in my projected order of finish:
-
West:
Baylor
Tulsa
Houston
Rice
UTEP
SMU
East:
Vanderbilt
Troy
UCF
Memphis
Marshall
Tulane
-
Neither Baylor or Vanderbilt are use to this setting, but they will do battle for the crown. I think there is a big difference between the Big 12/SEC and this conference and it shows when two of the last place teams in those conferences will win their divisions in this one. I give the edge to the Baylor Bears b/c of future Heisman candidate Robert Griffin.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
College World Series
Texas beat TCU last night to round out the 8 teams going to the College World Series. Congrats to the Longhorns.
Here is a list of games and times if you are interested in watching:
Saturday, June 13 Game 1: Arkansas vs. (2) Cal St. Fullerton, 1 p.m. on ESPN Game 2: Virginia vs. (3) LSU, 6 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday, June 14 Game 3: (5) Arizona St. vs. (4) North Carolina, 1 p.m. on ESPN Game 4: Southern Miss vs. (1) Texas, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Monday, June 15 Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 1 p.m. on ESPN2 Game 6: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Tuesday, June 16 Game 7: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m. on ESPN2 Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Wednesday, June 17 Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Thursday, June 18 Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Friday, June 19 Game 11: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner, 1 p.m. on ESPN2 Game 12: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Saturday, June 20 Game 13: Game 11 Winner vs. Game 11 Loser (if nec.), 1 p.m. on ESPNOnly if needed. If one game is played, it will be the 6 p.m. game.Game 14: Game 12 Winner vs. Game 12 Loser (if nec.), 6 p.m. on ESPNOnly if needed. If one game is played, it will be the 6 p.m. game.
Here is a list of games and times if you are interested in watching:
Saturday, June 13 Game 1: Arkansas vs. (2) Cal St. Fullerton, 1 p.m. on ESPN Game 2: Virginia vs. (3) LSU, 6 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday, June 14 Game 3: (5) Arizona St. vs. (4) North Carolina, 1 p.m. on ESPN Game 4: Southern Miss vs. (1) Texas, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Monday, June 15 Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 1 p.m. on ESPN2 Game 6: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Tuesday, June 16 Game 7: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m. on ESPN2 Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Wednesday, June 17 Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Thursday, June 18 Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Friday, June 19 Game 11: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner, 1 p.m. on ESPN2 Game 12: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Saturday, June 20 Game 13: Game 11 Winner vs. Game 11 Loser (if nec.), 1 p.m. on ESPNOnly if needed. If one game is played, it will be the 6 p.m. game.Game 14: Game 12 Winner vs. Game 12 Loser (if nec.), 6 p.m. on ESPNOnly if needed. If one game is played, it will be the 6 p.m. game.
Monday, June 8, 2009
CWS - Road to Omaha
Several tickets have been punched to Omaha and those teams as of today include: LSU, Virginia, Cal St. Fullerton, Arkansas, North Carolina, Arizona St and Southern Miss. The last invite will go to the Texas vs TCU winner this evening.
In case you weren't keeping track, I predicted LSU, Cal St. Fullerton, Arkansas, North Carolina and Arizona St to all advance to the series. I also had Texas, who with a win tonight will give me 6 of the 8 teams that are there.
The next round of the series will be played like the first round. There will be 2 double elimination tournaments that consists of 4 teams each.
Tournament 1:
LSU
Virginia
Cal St. Fullerton
Arkansas
Tournament 2:
North Carolina
Southern Miss.
Arizona St.
Texas/TCU
Winners of those 2 brackets will face off in a best of 3 game series for the World Series Champion Title. My prediction coming in was Arizona St vs LSU. Can't wait to see what happens!
In case you weren't keeping track, I predicted LSU, Cal St. Fullerton, Arkansas, North Carolina and Arizona St to all advance to the series. I also had Texas, who with a win tonight will give me 6 of the 8 teams that are there.
The next round of the series will be played like the first round. There will be 2 double elimination tournaments that consists of 4 teams each.
Tournament 1:
LSU
Virginia
Cal St. Fullerton
Arkansas
Tournament 2:
North Carolina
Southern Miss.
Arizona St.
Texas/TCU
Winners of those 2 brackets will face off in a best of 3 game series for the World Series Champion Title. My prediction coming in was Arizona St vs LSU. Can't wait to see what happens!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
The Votes are in.....
and with a 41% tie, the vote was almost split with choosing tickets to go to the Super Bowl and the Final Four championship. A BCS National Championship game also got a few votes.
I honestly don't think you can wrong with either of these 3 choices. I personally would probably choose a BCS National Title football game just b/c after a month of hype I typically don't care who is playing (assuming either Texas Tech or LSU aren't in it) but I'm super psyched to watch the game and generally will find a team that I definately don't want to win (Ohio St or Oklahoma generally). It is also a game that is still about the students and people who are there for the game are excited for the game and get into it. That is my problem with the Super Bowl, it seems Corporate America is all that goes to that game along with other NFL players, legends, celebrities, etc. Another reason is that i'm usually pissed the Vikings failed yet again to make it to the Super Bowl so i'm usually not all that interested in the game.
The Final Four would be fun, but it seems there is a good game only once every couple years. I wouldn't want to waste my free tickets on a UNC vs Michigan St laugher. Everyone loves the Cinderella, but they don't seem to fare that well when they are playing for all the marbles. Most the time not even competitive.
I honestly don't think you can wrong with either of these 3 choices. I personally would probably choose a BCS National Title football game just b/c after a month of hype I typically don't care who is playing (assuming either Texas Tech or LSU aren't in it) but I'm super psyched to watch the game and generally will find a team that I definately don't want to win (Ohio St or Oklahoma generally). It is also a game that is still about the students and people who are there for the game are excited for the game and get into it. That is my problem with the Super Bowl, it seems Corporate America is all that goes to that game along with other NFL players, legends, celebrities, etc. Another reason is that i'm usually pissed the Vikings failed yet again to make it to the Super Bowl so i'm usually not all that interested in the game.
The Final Four would be fun, but it seems there is a good game only once every couple years. I wouldn't want to waste my free tickets on a UNC vs Michigan St laugher. Everyone loves the Cinderella, but they don't seem to fare that well when they are playing for all the marbles. Most the time not even competitive.
NCAA Football Realignment Cont'd
If you have missed the previous posts covering the Big East, ACC and SEC please see the label on the right side of the page titled "NCAA Football Realignment" and check them out. Today I'm going to cover the Big 10 or should I say 11?
The conference name is already bogus considering there are 11 schools in a conference called the Big 10. Maybe they just don't count Indiana? Anyways, in my conference realignment the Hoosiers will stay and there will only be one addition to the conference.
All Big 10 teams will stay: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan St., Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio St., Penn St, Purdue and Wisconsin.
Teams leaving the conference: NONE
New additions to the conference: Iowa St. (Big 12)
When I think of the Big 10 aside from thinking of just bad, ugly, slow football I think of cold weather and tough conditions that mother nature brings on in the later months of the year. With that said, how is Iowa St not already a part of this conference? The other logical reasoning for choosing Iowa St to move into this conference is once again b/c of the state rivalry between them and Iowa.
I don't really have much to write considering there is only one change and it seemed pretty obvious. The lone other change I would have would be to split the conference into 2 divisions with the winners playing each other for the Big 10 Championship. Here are my division alignments and how I would predict them to finish next season:
North
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Michigan
Michigan St.
Iowa St.
NorthwesternSouth:
Ohio St.
Illinois
Penn St.
Purdue
Iowa
Indiana
The Buckeyes will once again walk away with the conference title when they dismantle the Badgers in the Big 10 (Bad 12) Championship game. This will set them up for another bowl loss in whatever game they play in. Overall another very boring year of football in the Big 10!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Congrats Randy Johnson
Yesterday Randy Johnson became the 24th Major League pitcher to win 300 games.
While impressive, its not the greatest moment of his 21 year career.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtlLX3DUrik
While impressive, its not the greatest moment of his 21 year career.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtlLX3DUrik
NCAA Football Realignment Cont'd....
You have seen what I would do with the Big East and ACC the last two days and today I will hit you with the SEC. 
The SEC is already the strongest conference in America and with my realignment the conference got stronger. For people on the outside that is a good thing, everyone loves parity b/c that leads to the potential of 2 losses or more from the SEC pwerhouses, so other conferences could potentially benefit come bowl selection. Coaches and fans of SEC schools may be a little upset with the new mix (if they fear competition). I personally am a fan of LSU so while this conference would scare me I would also know that playing in such a strong conference pretty much buys you 2 losses and you can still make the National Title game (assuming you win the SEC Championship). So, here goes:
-
Teams that will stay in the SEC: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi St., and Tennessee
-
Teams that will move on to another conference: Kentucky (Big East) , South Carolina (ACC) and Arkansas and Vanderbilt
-
Teams new to the conference: Florida St. (ACC), Georgia Tech (ACC), Southern Mississippi (Conference USA) and UAB (Conference USA)
-
Kentucky was a team that could compete, but just never got over the hump. They year in and year out were in the bottom two of their division. They will be much better off in the Big East where they can compete to win divisions and won't have to travel so far South for games. South Carolina was always competitive and should be near the top of the ACC and will allow them to play in conference each season against their two biggest rivals: Clemson and North Carolina. The loss of Arkansas may hurt the conference but will be better for them overall. Vanderbilt will get a chance to compete in their new conference and possibly win a conference championship.
-
FSU, GT, Southern Miss and UAB were all brought in for geographical reasons as well as rivalries. You will see that was the basis for most of my changes along with giving teams the best opportunity to compete for titles and make the conferences as competitive from top to bottom as possible. Florida St was the school furthest from the coast between them and Miami, so the ACC had to lose one of them. Sure, they will be leaving their rivalry with Miami, but now they get to battle the Gators each season with more on the line, a chance to win their division and play for the SEC Championship. This game over the years has seemed to lose its appeal, but this will take the rivalry to a new level. Georgia Tech is going to move from the ACC and like FSU will be playing their biggest rival now in conference. The Yellow Jackets and Georgia Bulldogs will grow to be Bama/Auburn. I also think that the Georgia Tech offense could give some SEC teams nightmares. Any defense that is not willing to stay in their gaps and plays undisciplined will be torched by their option attack. I would love to see it go up against the most athleticially gifted defensive players in the nation (but do they have the mental approach needed) and that is what the SEC provides. Southern Mississippi and UAB are being brought in largely for the same reasons East Carolina was put into the ACC. To me it makes sense to have teams from the same state in the same conference. It may take Southern Miss and UAB a few years of recruiting to build a program that can compete with the best of the SEC, but I think it can be done and their fan base would love to say that their in-state rivals (Mississippi and Miss. St/ Alabama and Auburn) are now conference rivals. Playing in a better conference may be a step back short term but long term more players will go to these schools to play in the SEC vs Conference USA and they will be competitive and bring in more money.
-
The divisions are currently split East/West, but I'm making a chance to North/South. Here are my proposed divisions and how they would finish next season:
-
North:
Mississippi
Georgia Tech
Georgia
Tennessee
Mississippi St.
Southern Miss
-
South:
South:
Florida
LSU
Florida St.
Alabama
Auburn
UAB
-
The Rebels and Gators will square off for the SEC Championship and unlike last year when Ole Miss shocked the world (in Gainesville), the Gators are just too good and add another trophy to their case. Back to back years of SEC Championships for Florida.
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! WINNER
Congrats to Robert K. for guessing the correct number of 7.
The player I had in mind was Jon Koncak who was born in 1963. He attended SMU which was founded in 1911 and wore the number 45 with the Orlando Magic.
Robert will be receiving a $25 gift card.
Thanks for playing and stay tuned for more opportunities to win.
The player I had in mind was Jon Koncak who was born in 1963. He attended SMU which was founded in 1911 and wore the number 45 with the Orlando Magic.
Robert will be receiving a $25 gift card.
Thanks for playing and stay tuned for more opportunities to win.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
Maybe not a chicken dinner, but a dinner of some sort. I'm offering a gift card to the person who can comment first with the correct answer to this question. For anyone who comments as "Anonymous" please leave your real name.
The answer that you will give will be a number. You will come to that number by taking the year of this players birth minus the year that his college was founded minus the jersey number he wore for his second NBA franchise.
Year of birth
- Year his college was founded
- Jersy number of 2nd NBA franchise
-------------------------------------------------
ANSWER
Hint: This mid 1980's Top Ten NBA Draft Pick Bust played for two franchises in his NBA career and in February of 2008 had his college basketball jersey retired.
The answer that you will give will be a number. You will come to that number by taking the year of this players birth minus the year that his college was founded minus the jersey number he wore for his second NBA franchise.
Year of birth
- Year his college was founded
- Jersy number of 2nd NBA franchise
-------------------------------------------------
ANSWER
Hint: This mid 1980's Top Ten NBA Draft Pick Bust played for two franchises in his NBA career and in February of 2008 had his college basketball jersey retired.
NCAA Football Realignment Cont'd....
After giving you the Big East yesterday, today i'm moving down the coast to the Atlantic Coast Conference, aka the ACC.
The following teams would stay in the ACC: Clemson, Duke, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina St., Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Teams that will move to another conference include: Boston College (Big East), Georgia Tech and Florida St
New additions to the conference will be: South Carolina (SEC), South Florida (Big East) and East Carolina (Conference USA)
Boston College will go back where they belong to the Big East. Georgia Tech and Florida St will defect in large part b/c of possible rivalries they could have in other conferences. I also felt that a school located in Atlanta was nowhere close to the coast of the Atlantic, so it just didn't make sense.
South Carolina will be coming over from the SEC and will immediately provide UNC with another natural rival within the conference. The two schools don't get along and why not have them play in the same conference where a win or loss can drastically affect the outcome of their season when it comes to winning conference championships. The addition of East Carolina also has to do with the Carolina schools, UNC, USC and NC St. Why not add a fourth "Carolina" school to the mix and keep them under one roof (conference)? With the economy the way it is, schools would love to cut travel expenses!! The Bulls from South Florida would also join the mix. They were the outkast of the Big East b/c of location, so I wanted to place them geographically in the conference that makes the most sense. I also feel this could bud a great rivalry between them and Da U in the Battle for South Florida.
I would also propose the ACC loses the "Coastal" and "Atlantic" division tags and just rename them North and South (everything should be N/S/E/W). The dividing line is pretty much Tobacco Road (where Wake, Duke and UNC are located). Here is a breakdown of the divisions and how I would project them to finish next season in this conference alignment.
North:
Virginia Tech
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Maryland
Virginia
Duke
South:
Miami
South Florida
South Carolina
East Carolina
NC State
Clemson
Miami and the Hokies of Virginia Tech will do battle for the ACC title. I'd have to give the edge to Da U!! Conference title game would take place in November and that is afterall Hurricane season!!
The following teams would stay in the ACC: Clemson, Duke, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina St., Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Teams that will move to another conference include: Boston College (Big East), Georgia Tech and Florida St
New additions to the conference will be: South Carolina (SEC), South Florida (Big East) and East Carolina (Conference USA)
Boston College will go back where they belong to the Big East. Georgia Tech and Florida St will defect in large part b/c of possible rivalries they could have in other conferences. I also felt that a school located in Atlanta was nowhere close to the coast of the Atlantic, so it just didn't make sense.
South Carolina will be coming over from the SEC and will immediately provide UNC with another natural rival within the conference. The two schools don't get along and why not have them play in the same conference where a win or loss can drastically affect the outcome of their season when it comes to winning conference championships. The addition of East Carolina also has to do with the Carolina schools, UNC, USC and NC St. Why not add a fourth "Carolina" school to the mix and keep them under one roof (conference)? With the economy the way it is, schools would love to cut travel expenses!! The Bulls from South Florida would also join the mix. They were the outkast of the Big East b/c of location, so I wanted to place them geographically in the conference that makes the most sense. I also feel this could bud a great rivalry between them and Da U in the Battle for South Florida.
I would also propose the ACC loses the "Coastal" and "Atlantic" division tags and just rename them North and South (everything should be N/S/E/W). The dividing line is pretty much Tobacco Road (where Wake, Duke and UNC are located). Here is a breakdown of the divisions and how I would project them to finish next season in this conference alignment.
North:
Virginia Tech
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Maryland
Virginia
Duke
South:
Miami
South Florida
South Carolina
East Carolina
NC State
Clemson
Miami and the Hokies of Virginia Tech will do battle for the ACC title. I'd have to give the edge to Da U!! Conference title game would take place in November and that is afterall Hurricane season!!
Nations #1 Recruit.....in 2012
This soon to be Freshman in H.S will be the number 1 recruit in the nation in 4 years. He is already being heavily recruited by North Carolina, Kansas and Memphis. Standing 7'4 and weighing 621lbs, he is projected to be 18'7 and weight close to 4 tons. Many feel he could be better than surefire NBAHall of Famer George Muresan. 
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
NCAA Football Realignment
After being directed to the following article http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/andy_staples/06/01/conference-expansion/1.html, I decided to think about how I would align D-1 College Football and I thought that I would share my thoughts. I'm going to go conference by conference (BCS, Conference USA, Mountain West and WAC) and update you on teams that would stay, teams that would go and the teams that I would add to fill any void. I'm going to start out East and work my way West.
The first conference I want to touch on will be the Big East. Currently the Big East has 8 teams: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse and West Virginia.
The first conference I want to touch on will be the Big East. Currently the Big East has 8 teams: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse and West Virginia.The following teams would stay in the Big East: Cincinnati, UConn, Louisville, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse and West Virginia.
Teams that will move to another conference include: South Florida
New additions to the conference will be: Boston College (formerly in the Big East), Kentucky and Notre Dame.
How was South Florida put into this conference in the first place? Geographically it makes absolutely no sense. You have several teams from the Northeastern part of the county and a team from Southern parts of Florida. It is a traveling nightmare for every team in the conference and is a huge disadvantage to the Bulls when they play up North during the Fall/Winter months and vice versa for the other teams when they travel South and have to face the humidity and heat of Florida in a time when they are use to snow and cold weather.
Boston College should have never defected to the ACC in the first place years ago. Notre Dame needs a home and considering all other athletic programs for them play in the Big East this is the logical fit. Kentucky will move from the SEC, where I viewed them as being too North to be in a Southern conference. Kentucky would also be able to compete in this conference vs being a bottomdweller year after year in the SEC.
When you look at the conference I have proposed I think any team could legitimately walk away with the conference championship next season, well maybe not the 'Cuse. I would also like to split this conference up into East/West. The teams in the East would be: Boston College, Rutgers, UConn, Pittsburgh and Syracuse. The West teams would be: Cincinnati, Louisville, West Virginia, Kentucky and Notre Dame. The winners of each division would play each other in a Big East Championship game and would potentially set up 3 games that are great rivalries. The Backyard Brawl between Pittsburgh and West Virgina has gotten bigger and bigger each season and it would renew the rivalry between Pitt and Notre Dame. Boston College and Notre Dame also have a pretty fience rivalry from back in the day.
If this conference started up next season, my guess is the standings at the end of the season would look like this:
East
Boston College
Pitt
Connecticut
Rutgers
Syracuse
West
Notre Dame
Cincinnati
West Virginia
West Virginia
Kentucky
Louisville
Louisville
Give me Notre Dame over BC for the Big East crown in the inaugural first season of the new Big East Conference. Two teams new to the conference will make a mark on it from the start.
College World Series Update
The following teams advanced from the Regional to the Super-Regional round of the College World Series this past weekend and will do battle this weekend. The second team will be the host in each series.
TCU @ Texas
Rice @ LSU
East Carolina @ North Carolina
Louisville @ Cal St. Fullerton
Southern Miss. @ Florida
Virginia @ Mississippi
Arkansas @ Florida St.
Clemson @ Arizona St.
It will be a lot of fun to watch the Florida St. vs Arkansas matchup. Both team scored a ton of runs in the opening round, including a 37-run outburst by Florida St in the game it clinched a Super Regional Berth.
Team that I predicted to move along that are still alive: Texas, LSU, Rice, North Carolina, Louisville, Cal St. Fullerton, Mississippi, Arkansas, Florida St and Arizona St.
11 of 16 isn't too bad and I still have 6 teams out of 8 that will make the College World Series (I lost out on Georgia Tech and UC Irvine)
Games start again on Friday and a great site to go for all scores and gametracker updates is:
http://www.d1baseball.com/
Enjoy the games, update coming Monday with who advanced.
TCU @ Texas
Rice @ LSU
East Carolina @ North Carolina
Louisville @ Cal St. Fullerton
Southern Miss. @ Florida
Virginia @ Mississippi
Arkansas @ Florida St.
Clemson @ Arizona St.
It will be a lot of fun to watch the Florida St. vs Arkansas matchup. Both team scored a ton of runs in the opening round, including a 37-run outburst by Florida St in the game it clinched a Super Regional Berth.
Team that I predicted to move along that are still alive: Texas, LSU, Rice, North Carolina, Louisville, Cal St. Fullerton, Mississippi, Arkansas, Florida St and Arizona St.
11 of 16 isn't too bad and I still have 6 teams out of 8 that will make the College World Series (I lost out on Georgia Tech and UC Irvine)
Games start again on Friday and a great site to go for all scores and gametracker updates is:
http://www.d1baseball.com/
Enjoy the games, update coming Monday with who advanced.
A shout out goes to......
We here in Texas have Texas A&M to thank!! Thank you Aggies. Keep waiting til football season for your team to score a TD in the 3rd game so you can make out with that aforementioned slug.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Interesting Sports Fact
Since 1967 every senior who has played on the Basketball team of DeMatha High School, just outside Washington, DC has won a college athletic scholarship.
DeMatha Catholic High School is a four-year Catholic high school for young men located in Hyattsville, Maryland, USA. Known both for academic achievement and athletic prowess, DeMatha is a member of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, and is as a Catholic, college-preparatory high school administered under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
DeMatha Catholic High School is a four-year Catholic high school for young men located in Hyattsville, Maryland, USA. Known both for academic achievement and athletic prowess, DeMatha is a member of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, and is as a Catholic, college-preparatory high school administered under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Lebron - a bad guy?
LeBron James has taken a little heat for his quick departure from the court after their game 6 loss to the Magic the other day and his absence from the media session following the game. As always, I think the media has completely blown this up and looked into it far too much! Would you rather have a guy who is competitive and hates to lose and as a result doesn't shake a guys hand who just beat him (LeBron James) or the type of guy that loses and then takes his jersey off on the court and proceeds to laugh and smile with members of the opposing team that just whipped your a$$ (Delonte West)? He should not be taking any heat for not shaking hands after the game.
I do think LeBron made a mistake in not showing to the press conference after the game, but i'll chaulk that up to immaturity. While he has played 6 NBA seasons, keep in mind he is still just 24 years of age and this is as far as he has gone in his career. You learn from your mistakes and this was a small mistake that he will learn from and not repeat. Being the face of the franchise you are burdened with having this role on the team and you must show after games you have won and games you have lost. Up to this point in his career he has seemingly made all the right moves and said all the right things, so this one slip up doesn't take him down a notch or even half a notch in my book. I don't think it should in yours or the medias either, no matter how much they want to find some source of negativety to feed off of when it comes to a guy who has done no wrong.
Cleveland, you better get him some help next season and show that you are willing to win now or else your Golden Child may be having some postseason press conferences (whether it be win or loss) in another city while your Cavaliers are waiting to see where they fall in the NBA Draft Lottery!
I do think LeBron made a mistake in not showing to the press conference after the game, but i'll chaulk that up to immaturity. While he has played 6 NBA seasons, keep in mind he is still just 24 years of age and this is as far as he has gone in his career. You learn from your mistakes and this was a small mistake that he will learn from and not repeat. Being the face of the franchise you are burdened with having this role on the team and you must show after games you have won and games you have lost. Up to this point in his career he has seemingly made all the right moves and said all the right things, so this one slip up doesn't take him down a notch or even half a notch in my book. I don't think it should in yours or the medias either, no matter how much they want to find some source of negativety to feed off of when it comes to a guy who has done no wrong.
Cleveland, you better get him some help next season and show that you are willing to win now or else your Golden Child may be having some postseason press conferences (whether it be win or loss) in another city while your Cavaliers are waiting to see where they fall in the NBA Draft Lottery!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Vikings Update
Although it is the offseason in Winter Park (Viking HQ), there is a lot going on with the Vikings right now.
1. The Viking have reportedly already gotten tired of the media circus that is "as the grey beard turns" in Brett Favre. Rumor has it they have given him until Tuesday to make a decision on his shoulder and on his intentions of playing next season with the Vikes. I knew only time would tell before Brad Childress got tired of the Brett Favre bullsh*t and it seems to be at a boiling point. If he is already tired of all this, why is he still pursuing Favre? This is what he will have to deal with for the entire season. Former Viking legend and Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton has also spoke out about Favre:
“I think it’s despicable. What he put the Packers through last year was not good. Here’s an organization that was loyal to him for 17, 18 years, provided stability of organization, provided players. It just wasn’t about Brett Favre. In this day and time, we have glorified the Brett Favre’s of the world so much, they think it’s about them. He goes to New York and bombs. He’s 39 years old. How would you like Ray Nitschke in his last year (playing for) the Vikings, or I retire, and go play for the Packers. I kind of hope it happens, so he can fail.”
2. Part of the Williams Wall, Pat Williams has called out the work ethic of Tavaris Jackson. I think the team realizes Jackson has the physical tools, but Williams spoke up and said that Jackson isn't putting the time in to be a starting QB in this league. The part of the game Jackson struggles with most is not being able to read a defense and just know where to go with the ball. Many QB's struggle with this early in their career, but show signs of improvement as time goes on. The only way you get better is by watching film and recognizing defensive sets and being able to pick up blitzes. You should know really quickly based on the look of the D what you need to do with the football. If you think 4 hours of film study a day will do, you probably need to watch 8 hours according to Williams. The other frustrating thing with Jackson is that teams stack the box in an attempt to stop the running game, so basically his WR's are one on one. Jackson needs to know who has the better matchup and be able to get the ball to them. Jackson responded with "i've pretty much figured it out." I think Sage Rosenfels is good enough to start for this football team, but having a more mobile QB is something that most teams are without. I sure hope that Jackson does get it and will put in the time to make the correct reads, make the throws and use his legs while being the starting QB for the Vikings in '09.
3. Music to my ears/eyes as I have been reading that the Vikings are installing 15-20 formations specifically to use for Percy Harvin, a couple of those will be the "wildcat" formation. For years Viking fans have complained about the simplicity of their offense and how conservative the play-calling is at all times. With the drafting of Harvin the Vikes are putting another "gamebreaker" on the field and if you need to get creative with the play-calling to get him the ball you absolutely must do it. It is sad, but I honestly had no faith that the Vikings would do anything different with him. With the running game that the offensive line opens up for Peterson/Taylor and the deep ball threat of Bernard Berrian the addition of Harvin and some trick plays, wildcat formations or getting him the ball in some space to make plays may be the missing link to get them past the first round of the playoffs. While Bobby Wade is a reliable WR to make a few catches a game, he simply isn't a threat to take the ball, make a move and get in the endzone, Percy Harvin is just that! I'm looking forward to the new sets and to see how they utilize his abilities.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
NBA Finals Matchup
The NBA finals are set and while it isn't the dream matchup that everyone wanted (Cavs vs Lakers) I think it will be a great series. The Orlando Magic will face the Los Angeles Lakers and the series will feature two of the best players in the game in Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard. While the world wanted to see Lebron vs Kobe, I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised with Lakers/Magic. The last time the Magic made a championship series they were led by "Shaq-Fu" aka "Shaq-Diesel" aka "Kazaam" aka Shaquille O'Neal and they had an up and coming guard name Anfernee Hardaway. Shaq moved on to LA, then to Miami (winning Championships at both) and now is in Phoenix. "Penny" Hardaway was a star in the making but the injury bug got him and he was forced into an all too premature retirement. The Lakers advanced to the championship last year losing to the Celtics and hadn't won a championship since Shaq.
If you know me you know that i'm a pretty big Kobe Bryant fan. I would like to see him win a championship without Shaq being the guy who basically gets all the glory from the victory. I think what Kobe has done in his career will rival what Michael Jordan accomplished and maybe surpass Michael if he can win a title without Shaq. Michael Jordan had the best supporting cast in basketball in his championship years in Chicago, including Scottie Pippen who was voted as one of the NBA's top 50 players of all-time. Kobe won championships with Shaq, but if he can do it with a scrub like Lamar Odom (a good game every 4th game) and a soft (and ugly) European in Pau Gasol he deserves more credit than anyone will ever give him. The team around him is AWFUL! This would be an amazing accomplishment in my mind and when you add up his other championships, big shots, 81-pt game and spectatcular highlights he may be getting some talk as the greatest to ever play the game.
This series will be Dwight Howards coming out party (if game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals wasn't already). I totally expect him to dominate Gasol or Bynum and put up 20 and 15 along with 5 blocks in every game. In my opinion the NBA has lacked a real superstar Center since Shaq. After these playoffs and this series in particular, the league will no longer lack a stud inside player (the game seems to be very perimeter or drive oriented). Not that there aren't great inside players, but there are none with the skill, athletic ability and likeable personality that Howard has. Aside from Howard, the Magic also have Rashard Lewis (native Texan) who is an excellent player and was a matchup nightmare for the Cavs. For every Batman there is a Robin and Lewis fits that Robin role.
My heart tells me you have to go with LA in this series, but my gut says the Magic. I think Howard dominates the paint limiting the LA big men from scoring/rebounding and defensively makes the lane his home. Bryant will get his points, but I think Lewis will score enough to kind of offset what Kobe is doing. The key to the series will be the perimeter shooting and the Magic have a huge advantage in my mind. This series will turn into Kobe vs the Magic and unfortunately for him, he won't be enough. The Orlando Magic will be crowned NBA champs and Dwight Howard will be a SUPERSTAR when it is all said and done.
If you know me you know that i'm a pretty big Kobe Bryant fan. I would like to see him win a championship without Shaq being the guy who basically gets all the glory from the victory. I think what Kobe has done in his career will rival what Michael Jordan accomplished and maybe surpass Michael if he can win a title without Shaq. Michael Jordan had the best supporting cast in basketball in his championship years in Chicago, including Scottie Pippen who was voted as one of the NBA's top 50 players of all-time. Kobe won championships with Shaq, but if he can do it with a scrub like Lamar Odom (a good game every 4th game) and a soft (and ugly) European in Pau Gasol he deserves more credit than anyone will ever give him. The team around him is AWFUL! This would be an amazing accomplishment in my mind and when you add up his other championships, big shots, 81-pt game and spectatcular highlights he may be getting some talk as the greatest to ever play the game.
This series will be Dwight Howards coming out party (if game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals wasn't already). I totally expect him to dominate Gasol or Bynum and put up 20 and 15 along with 5 blocks in every game. In my opinion the NBA has lacked a real superstar Center since Shaq. After these playoffs and this series in particular, the league will no longer lack a stud inside player (the game seems to be very perimeter or drive oriented). Not that there aren't great inside players, but there are none with the skill, athletic ability and likeable personality that Howard has. Aside from Howard, the Magic also have Rashard Lewis (native Texan) who is an excellent player and was a matchup nightmare for the Cavs. For every Batman there is a Robin and Lewis fits that Robin role.
My heart tells me you have to go with LA in this series, but my gut says the Magic. I think Howard dominates the paint limiting the LA big men from scoring/rebounding and defensively makes the lane his home. Bryant will get his points, but I think Lewis will score enough to kind of offset what Kobe is doing. The key to the series will be the perimeter shooting and the Magic have a huge advantage in my mind. This series will turn into Kobe vs the Magic and unfortunately for him, he won't be enough. The Orlando Magic will be crowned NBA champs and Dwight Howard will be a SUPERSTAR when it is all said and done.
Mattradamus picks the College World Series cont'd...
Today i'm going to pick the winner of the College World Series. The first round in Omaha is played like the Regionals. 4 teams will play a double elimination tournament and my groupings I have are: Texas, Georgia Tech, Arizona St. and North Carolina and then LSU, Cal St Fullerton, UC Irvine and Arkansas.
In the first group I just don't think Texas and GT have the offense to continue on so it will come down to North Carolina and Arizona St. Give me the Sun Devils over the Tarheels to advance to the best 2 or 3 series vs the winner of the other bracket.
Arkansas's ride will end as will Cal St Fullerton's prior to the Anteaters and the Tigers doing battle to advance. UC Irvine was the number 1 team in the country coming into the tournament with LSU the number 2. This is a partially biased pick, but i'm rolling the dice with LSU! They have about 7 guys hitting .300+ and have power all over their lineup. On top of that they have some very good pitching that can hold teams to the the mid single digits for runs (4-7 runs) which will win them most all games. Tigers advance.
The Arizona St. Sun Devils and LSU Tigers will play for the NCAA College Baseball Championship in a best of 3 game series. If the Sun Devils had two strong left handed pitchers they could throw against the Tigers I would give them the nod. As is they have one great righty and one great lefty. LSU lost 3 games this season to right handed pitching compared to 13 vs left handed pitching. ASU's Josh Spence will get a victory in game 1, but then the Tigers will beat up on the right handed pitching and prevail in the final two games!!
The LSU Tigers will win the College World Series
.
In the first group I just don't think Texas and GT have the offense to continue on so it will come down to North Carolina and Arizona St. Give me the Sun Devils over the Tarheels to advance to the best 2 or 3 series vs the winner of the other bracket.
Arkansas's ride will end as will Cal St Fullerton's prior to the Anteaters and the Tigers doing battle to advance. UC Irvine was the number 1 team in the country coming into the tournament with LSU the number 2. This is a partially biased pick, but i'm rolling the dice with LSU! They have about 7 guys hitting .300+ and have power all over their lineup. On top of that they have some very good pitching that can hold teams to the the mid single digits for runs (4-7 runs) which will win them most all games. Tigers advance.
The Arizona St. Sun Devils and LSU Tigers will play for the NCAA College Baseball Championship in a best of 3 game series. If the Sun Devils had two strong left handed pitchers they could throw against the Tigers I would give them the nod. As is they have one great righty and one great lefty. LSU lost 3 games this season to right handed pitching compared to 13 vs left handed pitching. ASU's Josh Spence will get a victory in game 1, but then the Tigers will beat up on the right handed pitching and prevail in the final two games!!
The LSU Tigers will win the College World Series
.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Mattradamus picks the College World Series cont'd...
Yesterday I went through the regional games and today i'm moving on to Super-Regionals. I already gave away one of my choices and that was the Texas Longhorns will spank the Aggies of A&M and advance to the college World Series. Here are my other predictions.
Georgia Tech will play host to Miami in an ACC clash. These teams know one another well and GT just beat Miami a week ago in the ACC tournament. Homefield plus confidence = a World Series berth! The boys from Atlanta can book their flights to Omaha.
Arizona St will host Alabama out in Tempe and I think the Sun Devils will be too much. They are a national 5 seed for a reason and will March on.
UNC will host South Carolina in a battle of the Carolinas. This is a pretty big rivalry and should be a good series. In the end, North is on top of South just like the Tar Heels will be on the Gamecocks.
Out in California the Titans of Cal St Fullerton titanically destroy the Cardinals of Louisville. Another seeded team advances to Omaha.
Arkansas will travel to Tallahassee to play the 'Noles from FSU who edged out Georgia. Arkansas at this point in the season has seen and played the best. They will go down to Florida with confidence and will prevail!
UC Irvine will play host to Ole Miss. UC Irvine has been the top team in American (even though their Nationally seeding doesn't show it) for over 7 weeks now. At home I have to give the edge to the national #1 ranked team.
LSU will play host to the Owls from Rice down in Baton Rouge in the last Super Regional. LSU just has too many bats and doesn't lose at home. They move on! They eye of the Tiger travels to Nebraska.
Georgia Tech will play host to Miami in an ACC clash. These teams know one another well and GT just beat Miami a week ago in the ACC tournament. Homefield plus confidence = a World Series berth! The boys from Atlanta can book their flights to Omaha.
Arizona St will host Alabama out in Tempe and I think the Sun Devils will be too much. They are a national 5 seed for a reason and will March on.
UNC will host South Carolina in a battle of the Carolinas. This is a pretty big rivalry and should be a good series. In the end, North is on top of South just like the Tar Heels will be on the Gamecocks.
Out in California the Titans of Cal St Fullerton titanically destroy the Cardinals of Louisville. Another seeded team advances to Omaha.
Arkansas will travel to Tallahassee to play the 'Noles from FSU who edged out Georgia. Arkansas at this point in the season has seen and played the best. They will go down to Florida with confidence and will prevail!
UC Irvine will play host to Ole Miss. UC Irvine has been the top team in American (even though their Nationally seeding doesn't show it) for over 7 weeks now. At home I have to give the edge to the national #1 ranked team.
LSU will play host to the Owls from Rice down in Baton Rouge in the last Super Regional. LSU just has too many bats and doesn't lose at home. They move on! They eye of the Tiger travels to Nebraska.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Mattradamus picks the College World Series
I posted earlier this week about the College World Series and i'm going to follow that up with my predictions. Let me just start off by saying that me picking a college world series bracket is probably equivalent to your little sister picking the NCAA March Madness bracket. I do follow a few teams, but I don't necessarily have great knowledge of probably more than 5 teams in the tournament. With that said, i'm going to have some fun with this and here we go:
Austin Regional:
Can you bet against the National #1 seed, I don't think so. The Texas Longhorns use the longball and cruise this regional without a loss and advance to host a Super Regional.
Ft. Worth Regional:
TCU is the top seed, but their lack of true competition playing in a smaller conference will hurt them. There is a reason the voters put Texas A&M in this bracket. They hoped they would advance to face the Longhorns in the second round. They will get their wish. The Aggies advance. Bonus prediction!!! Texas smokes TAMU so the dream is over Aggies. Double Bonus Prediction!! Texas Tech once again steamrolls you in football this coming season.
Atlanta Regional:
Georgia Tech is the host and they battled their way through a tough ACC this season. I like the fact that they had to play some great teams and still won more than 30 games while only losing 17. The Yellow Jackets sting the competition and advance.
Gainesville Regional:
The Gators are hosting and are the national 8 seed but when was the last time you remember Miami getting the boot in the Regional round (probably happened sooner than I thought) but it wouldn't be a College World Series without Da U getting past the first weekend. Maybe the Carolina Hurricanes will take in a few games in between their golf rounds after being swept out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tempe Regional:
Arizona St. is the national 5 seed and they don't lose this weekend. The Sun Devils are moving on despite the fact they would rather be spending time on the ASU campus checking out what Playboy has consistently rated the school with the best looking women.
Clemson Regional:
This will be a great region to watch. I think Clemson and Alabama will will play to see who moves on. Don't bet against the SEC in this one! The Crimson Tide play another weekend. Do those blonde twins attend all their baseball games or just the football games??
Greenville Regional:
East Carolina is the top seed and had a great season, but it come to an end as the SEC wins again. The Gamecocks from Columbia, SC advance.
Chapel Hill Regional:
The nationally 4 seeded Tar Heels play a pesky Coastal Carolina team in the finals and it comes down to one game. UNC wins that game and continues to have a chance of bringing home a baseball title to go along with their basketball title they won in April.
Fullerton Regional:
Cal St Fullerton is the #2 overall seed for a reason. Easy weekend for them. They move on. You won't have to just remember the Titans, you will see them again.
Louisville Regional:
The Cardinals win on their home field despite a great effort by the Middle Tennessee St. This is the region we all forgot was even playing.
Tallahassee Regional:
Another great final in this region between Florida St and Georgia. I have tended to lean to the SEC in these games, but not in this one. The tomahawk chop moves on (assuming they don't have all their players suspended b/c of cheating allegations like their football team)
Norman Regional:
Oklahoma is the national 7 seed, but they are going to have their hands full with the Razorbacks from Fayetteville. Arkansas played a very difficult schedule and won some big games and their losses were generally by a run or two. I think their experience in big games this season helps them move on. Big Game Bob Stoops loses another big game, ah wait, sorry, wrong sport. Woo Pig Souiee (however you spell it)
Irvine Regional:
UC Irvine always play deep into the tournament. Same goes this year. They breeze through this weekend. Do you think they would ever seed them against a team whose mascot was the Ants?
Oxford Regional:
Ole Miss were the Co-SEC Champs. They move on. Sales on red pinstriped short shorts, loafers and long sleeved button up polos will go out the roof. Lots of whiskey will be drank as well.
Houston Regional:
The college baseball giant that is the Duke of the Dirty South moves on. Hoot Hoot, go Rice. Is there a less intimidating mascot out there? Would they consider changing their mascot to the Creepy Owls?
Baton Rouge Regional:
The Bayou Bengals have their hands full with a couple of tough test in Minnesota and Baylor, but ultimately a gopher and a drugged up winnie the pooh bear have no shot against a tiger (neither did that handler in New Zealand).
Super Regional Predictions to come tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Austin Regional:
Can you bet against the National #1 seed, I don't think so. The Texas Longhorns use the longball and cruise this regional without a loss and advance to host a Super Regional.
Ft. Worth Regional:
TCU is the top seed, but their lack of true competition playing in a smaller conference will hurt them. There is a reason the voters put Texas A&M in this bracket. They hoped they would advance to face the Longhorns in the second round. They will get their wish. The Aggies advance. Bonus prediction!!! Texas smokes TAMU so the dream is over Aggies. Double Bonus Prediction!! Texas Tech once again steamrolls you in football this coming season.
Atlanta Regional:
Georgia Tech is the host and they battled their way through a tough ACC this season. I like the fact that they had to play some great teams and still won more than 30 games while only losing 17. The Yellow Jackets sting the competition and advance.
Gainesville Regional:
The Gators are hosting and are the national 8 seed but when was the last time you remember Miami getting the boot in the Regional round (probably happened sooner than I thought) but it wouldn't be a College World Series without Da U getting past the first weekend. Maybe the Carolina Hurricanes will take in a few games in between their golf rounds after being swept out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tempe Regional:
Arizona St. is the national 5 seed and they don't lose this weekend. The Sun Devils are moving on despite the fact they would rather be spending time on the ASU campus checking out what Playboy has consistently rated the school with the best looking women.
Clemson Regional:
This will be a great region to watch. I think Clemson and Alabama will will play to see who moves on. Don't bet against the SEC in this one! The Crimson Tide play another weekend. Do those blonde twins attend all their baseball games or just the football games??
Greenville Regional:
East Carolina is the top seed and had a great season, but it come to an end as the SEC wins again. The Gamecocks from Columbia, SC advance.
Chapel Hill Regional:
The nationally 4 seeded Tar Heels play a pesky Coastal Carolina team in the finals and it comes down to one game. UNC wins that game and continues to have a chance of bringing home a baseball title to go along with their basketball title they won in April.
Fullerton Regional:
Cal St Fullerton is the #2 overall seed for a reason. Easy weekend for them. They move on. You won't have to just remember the Titans, you will see them again.
Louisville Regional:
The Cardinals win on their home field despite a great effort by the Middle Tennessee St. This is the region we all forgot was even playing.
Tallahassee Regional:
Another great final in this region between Florida St and Georgia. I have tended to lean to the SEC in these games, but not in this one. The tomahawk chop moves on (assuming they don't have all their players suspended b/c of cheating allegations like their football team)
Norman Regional:
Oklahoma is the national 7 seed, but they are going to have their hands full with the Razorbacks from Fayetteville. Arkansas played a very difficult schedule and won some big games and their losses were generally by a run or two. I think their experience in big games this season helps them move on. Big Game Bob Stoops loses another big game, ah wait, sorry, wrong sport. Woo Pig Souiee (however you spell it)
Irvine Regional:
UC Irvine always play deep into the tournament. Same goes this year. They breeze through this weekend. Do you think they would ever seed them against a team whose mascot was the Ants?
Oxford Regional:
Ole Miss were the Co-SEC Champs. They move on. Sales on red pinstriped short shorts, loafers and long sleeved button up polos will go out the roof. Lots of whiskey will be drank as well.
Houston Regional:
The college baseball giant that is the Duke of the Dirty South moves on. Hoot Hoot, go Rice. Is there a less intimidating mascot out there? Would they consider changing their mascot to the Creepy Owls?
Baton Rouge Regional:
The Bayou Bengals have their hands full with a couple of tough test in Minnesota and Baylor, but ultimately a gopher and a drugged up winnie the pooh bear have no shot against a tiger (neither did that handler in New Zealand).
Super Regional Predictions to come tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Interesting Sports Fact
With an Overtime victory last night vs the Blackhawks, the Detroit Red Wings advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals to face the Pittsburgh Penguins. The matchup will be the NHL's first Stanley Cup rematch since the Edmonton Oilers beat the New York Islanders in 1984 after losing to them the previous year. If history repeats itself Sid the Kid will bring home another professional championship to the city of Pittsburgh this year.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Your Votes are in.....
and you would have Tom Brady under Center if you needed a game winning drive with 2 minutes left to play in the fourth quarter.
Brady received 28% of the vote with John Elway, Joe Montana and Dan Marino each receiving 19% of the vote and Brett Favre receiving 14%.
Brady has led 28 4th Qtr comebacks in his day including 1 in a divisional round of playoffs and 2 drives that resulted in New England Super Bowl victories. You have to assume that Brady has several more years to play and will only increase these numbers of comeback victories and show more of a flair for heroics.
When considering who I would have chose, I initially thought John Elway before doing some research. After my research I was really up in the air between Elway, Brady and Joe Montana. In making a decision I had to decide if I wanted quantity or quality. John Elway holds the NFL record for 4th qtr comebacks with 47 (i'm too lazy to do the research of how many were under 2:00, but I assume a fair share). John Elway also was the mastermind behind "The Drive", which is the most memorable drive of all-time in a playoff game that catapulted the Broncos over the Browns (a big time quality win). Joe Montana didn't have the quantity that Brady or Elway did, but he had several playoff game comebacks including the possession that ended with a TD toss to John Taylor leading the Niners over the Bengals for the Super Bowl. He also orchestrated a drive that resulted in "The Catch" which will go down in NFL history. I spoke of Brady's credentials earlier.
I look at it like this:
Elway - Quantity + "The Drive"
Montana - Quality with two of the most well known highlights in history
Brady - Quality against all odds
with that said.......Sorry America, but i'm going against your decision and my choice to lead my team down the field would be............John Elway. I want the guy who did it the most and he is the NFL record holder. The numbers don't lie!! Brady would have gotten the nod had the Pats needed TD's and he led them on TD drives, but it was Adam Viniteri who deserves the credit for those Super Bowl victories by kicking 40+
yard fg's.
yard fg's.Top Ten Texas Tech Sports Moments (basketball and football)
Prior to going to Texas Tech in the Fall of 1999, I could have cared less about Texas Tech sports. Up until that point in my life, I was focused on professional sports and really just casually kept an eye on the college scene. Since stepping foot on a college campus, I have seen a huge shift as to my allegience from Pro Sports to College Athletics. Over the past 10 years I have attended or watched on TV every big game Texas Tech Football or Basketball has taken part in. Below is a run down of my Top 10 Texas Tech Sports Moments in the past 10 years. It may have not just been one particular moment, but instead a full game and I take into account where I was and with whom I was with.
#10
Fall 1999 - United Spirt Arena - Opening Night
The first game in the new arena brought Bob Knight to Lubbock while he was coaching Indiana. The game didn't end the way the Red Raiders wanted it to, but the crowd was electric and it was one of the best atmospheres I have seen a college basketball game in. Bob Knight had recently shot a hunting partner so the Red Raider faithul were decked out in camo and ripped him unmercifully.
The first game in the new arena brought Bob Knight to Lubbock while he was coaching Indiana. The game didn't end the way the Red Raiders wanted it to, but the crowd was electric and it was one of the best atmospheres I have seen a college basketball game in. Bob Knight had recently shot a hunting partner so the Red Raider faithul were decked out in camo and ripped him unmercifully.
#9
2007 in Pittsburgh, PA at a bar
Texas Tech has a historic comeback over the Golden Gophers of Minnesota in the Insight.com Bowl in Phoenix, AZ.
Texas Tech has a historic comeback over the Golden Gophers of Minnesota in the Insight.com Bowl in Phoenix, AZ.
#8
2003 at Jakes Sportsbar in Lubbock, TX
Tech was playing at Ole Miss against Eli Manning and the Rebels. The game wasn't televised, but was on an internet feed (as low quality as it gets). Jakes had several TV's showing the internet feed but all the feeds had different timing. The room beside ours was seeing everything about 10 seconds sooner that we were. On the game winning TD pass from BJ Symmons we heard and saw a crowd through the windows in the other room going nuts. We sat back and waited for the good news. We saw it and carried out our own celebrating.
Tech was playing at Ole Miss against Eli Manning and the Rebels. The game wasn't televised, but was on an internet feed (as low quality as it gets). Jakes had several TV's showing the internet feed but all the feeds had different timing. The room beside ours was seeing everything about 10 seconds sooner that we were. On the game winning TD pass from BJ Symmons we heard and saw a crowd through the windows in the other room going nuts. We sat back and waited for the good news. We saw it and carried out our own celebrating.
#7
2007 New Years Day in Chicago, IL in a hotel room
Bob Knight becomes the winningest coach in men's college basketball history. Bob Knight not only helped out the basketball program while in Lubbock, but the entire school.
Bob Knight becomes the winningest coach in men's college basketball history. Bob Knight not only helped out the basketball program while in Lubbock, but the entire school.
#6
2001 at Eric Dean's house and then my house and then The Spoon in Lubbock, TX
The game between Tech and A&M down in College Station wasn't aired and we had to listen to it on the radio. The game got out of hand and it appeared to be over. Down a couple of TD's I decided to to head to the house to rest up and get ready for the evening and would just keep the game on in the background. On the drive home we scored, then I got home and we scored again. All of a sudden the comeback was on. Tech came back and won the game. I met everyone out and we drank the night away. The play in the game we will most remember was Wes Welkers punt return. We'll remember the audio call and the highlights, too this gamed wasn't aired. Shame on you ABC!
The game between Tech and A&M down in College Station wasn't aired and we had to listen to it on the radio. The game got out of hand and it appeared to be over. Down a couple of TD's I decided to to head to the house to rest up and get ready for the evening and would just keep the game on in the background. On the drive home we scored, then I got home and we scored again. All of a sudden the comeback was on. Tech came back and won the game. I met everyone out and we drank the night away. The play in the game we will most remember was Wes Welkers punt return. We'll remember the audio call and the highlights, too this gamed wasn't aired. Shame on you ABC!
#5
#2
2005 at The Village Apartments in Dallas, TX
Cody Hodges hooks up with Joel Filani on a 4th down desperation toss into the endzone to beat Nebraska with seconds to play. Just four plays before that Hodges had thrown an interception but a hustling Danny Amendola ripped the ball from the defender and Tech had another sign of life. A roller coaster of emotion.
#4B
2007 in Seattle,WA at a bar
#3 Oklahoma came into town with a chance to play for the National Title with a victory. Texas Tech dominated the first half and hung on in the second to prevail! Cory and I celebrated in the Great Northwest. We left a great impression on our bartender as she cut out about $60 of our tab.
#3 Oklahoma came into town with a chance to play for the National Title with a victory. Texas Tech dominated the first half and hung on in the second to prevail! Cory and I celebrated in the Great Northwest. We left a great impression on our bartender as she cut out about $60 of our tab.
#4A
2002 at Jones SBC and Bleachers Cafe in Lubbock, TX
#4 Texas led by Chris Simms came into the Hub City and unfortunately my buddies and I tailgated a little long and by the time we got into the stadium had to split up. We decided at half to hit up a bar so we could all be together and continue drinking. The game was sealed when Ryan Aycock picked off the Simms in the 4th qtr and the Longhorns kissed goodbye their shot at a possible National Title Berth. I still regret not staying at the stadium!
#3
2005 - My apartment, Lewisville, TX
The undefeated Kansas basketball team came into Lubbock and noone thought Tech had much of a chance. A Darryl Dora 3-pointer with 3 seconds left in Double Overtime, gave the Red Raiders a victory over the basketball giant Jayhawks. It was the best moment in recent Tech basketball history.
The undefeated Kansas basketball team came into Lubbock and noone thought Tech had much of a chance. A Darryl Dora 3-pointer with 3 seconds left in Double Overtime, gave the Red Raiders a victory over the basketball giant Jayhawks. It was the best moment in recent Tech basketball history.
#2
1999 - Jones SBC in Lubbock, TX
My first taste of the Tech vs A&M rivalry and what got me hooked on College Athletics. Tech defeated the #5 Aggies 21-19. After the game my friend Brian and I rushed the field. I took some time to speak with a Texas Tech backup QB while on the field (more like congratulating and celebrating with him). Little did I know that QB would lead the Air Raider attack the following three seasons. Kliff Kingsbury couldn't have weighed 190lbs then and looked like a string bean out there but boy did he turn into one helluva QB. A true pioneer of the Texas Tech offense that we see today.
My first taste of the Tech vs A&M rivalry and what got me hooked on College Athletics. Tech defeated the #5 Aggies 21-19. After the game my friend Brian and I rushed the field. I took some time to speak with a Texas Tech backup QB while on the field (more like congratulating and celebrating with him). Little did I know that QB would lead the Air Raider attack the following three seasons. Kliff Kingsbury couldn't have weighed 190lbs then and looked like a string bean out there but boy did he turn into one helluva QB. A true pioneer of the Texas Tech offense that we see today.
#1
2008 at Canal Side Lofts with 15 of the rowdiest Red Raider fans imaginable
#1 Texas at Texas Tech: Graham Harrell hooks up with Michael Crabtree with seconds to play to beat Texas and give Tech its first win over a #1 ranked team
#1 Texas at Texas Tech: Graham Harrell hooks up with Michael Crabtree with seconds to play to beat Texas and give Tech its first win over a #1 ranked team
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
