State of the Union

Stepping away from the norm, here are some quick observations as I watch the State of the Union address:

• Regardless of who is the President, I get chills every time those doors open and the dude says, "Ladies and gentlemen, the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES." It's not as cool an entrance as Stone Cold Steve Austin's, but it is a close second.
  
• In talking about the war on terrorism early, Bush says “it is a war…and we are winning.” Didn’t he say the exact same thing last year?
• The stand up, sit down pattern trips me out. Hope everyone wore comfortable shoes.
• I found the “feature” on the lieutenant who was killed slightly odd. Singling out one guy is not going to win people over. However, the rehearsed handshakes and gestures were a little much, as was the wink from Bush that just happened to be caught by the camera.
• Hillary Rodham Clinton’s reaction when the President mentioned the US being “hit again” was priceless. The Republican side was whopping it up while HRC was shaking her head slowly, almost laughing. At least she showed some personality.
• Nevermind the stand up, sit down comment: that only applies to the Republican side. I’d say they’ve stood up at least twice as much as the Dems.
• BTW, what a finish to the Georgia Tech/Virginia Tech game. Tie game, GT’s Jeremis Smith tips in the winning basket, only to have it overturned and a foul called on him for going over Deron Washington’s back. Washington hit a free throw to win it for VT. Whew.
• The Dems finally stood up when Bush mentioned Congress voting against a piece of his financial policy last year dealing with Social Security. Now everyone approves when he says “we must work together on this to get this problem solved” and everyone loves it. I wish someone would stand when they aren’t supposed to.
• Hillary didn’t find the baby-boomer joke about former Pres. Bush Sr. and former Pres Clinton. She did not even crack a smile. There should be a HRC cam at this thing, someone look into this.
• UCONN just defeated Pitt by four. Pitt played the Huskies tough tonight, maybe they are for real. We shall see. Creighton and Northern Iowa are in a battle right now too. Wish I had ESPNU to see it.
• Some discussion of the energy problem. I think it is obvious that everyone wants to see a breakthrough on this front, it’s just the funding and speed of the research that is an issue.
• American Competitiveness Initiative huh? Glad I missed being in school for that one, somehow I do not believe “sports” was included in the President’s plan. Margaret Spellings, the Education Secretary is either excited about this or she is thinking about a funny story where her friend test drove a car and put the car in reverse instead of drive and nearly backed the car, herself, and the general manager of the dealership into a parked car behind it.
• I do agree that the American people must not buy into the idea that we are in decline as a nation. Not in a naïve way, but I do believe that being confident as a country and remaining forward thinkers is important.
• Laura Bush is also happy tonight. What do you think the President thinks when his eyes look up and meet her’s? Is he thinking about whether he has to stay in a separate room tonight in the White House? Can’t you just see him trying to get his swerve on with the First Lady tonight? “Did you see me out there hunny? The way I read off that teleprompter but played it off like I was just making it up? See, it’s really an invisible teleprompter, that’s how I roll, ya know? Now let’s get down to bidness…”
• The Coretta Scott King remarks were a nice touch at the outset of the speech, btw. A little too polished, but nice nonetheless. Good job by the speech writer to bring it full-circle with the MLK reference near the end too.
• 51 mins with 61 interruptions for applause. Whew.
• Key issues – the wire taps on suspected terrorists and the recent Supreme Court confirmations. Good analogy on CNN of the White House playing “small ball,” meaning that they are not trying to hit a home run with this speech or his policy in general. The failure of his social security initiatives really seems to have brought him down a bit. Combine this with the national security issues, he is clearly humbled.
• Personal observations: I’m glad to see the President call out his critics and basically tell them to shut up. No matter which side you’re on, it is tiring to hear constant criticism of the White House from either party. That is one of the main reasons people get tired of national politics. I am not sure if the people of Iran will have a response to his speaking to them during the address, but I would love to hear it. From a speaking standpoint, his speech was quite itemized, which makes it easy to follow but dry and boring to listen to. I would love to have seen more passion from President Bush or have seen him step up and take a stand on something. Instead, he simply touched most of his policy areas, focusing safely within his national security image. A little more off-the-cuff comments, especially on the emotional topics. Oh well, we ain’t getting that anytime soon.
• Times like this I really think I should go into politics. Then I remember my political science classes and how heated discussions got and how many hours of sleep I caught up on.
• Ok, back to sports next time I guess. Stand and cheer for the Pan-thers…

NCAA Hoops, Royal Rumble, Blue Team

Loads of NCAA happenings. First of all, next week I will put up my first predicted bracket. More info on that to come later on this week or with the bracket itself. Secondly, a plug for the website: www.bracketography.com has a new piece up by me. I like Buzz Peterson, so I wrote about him. Read it and weep...or just read it. Next, I will spare you details, but let's look at some teams rising and falling in NCAA hoops.

• Oklahoma got a must-have conference win over Texas Saturday night on ESPN. It was must-win b/c it gave them confidence, got'em a big win on nat'l TV, and sent OU in the direction of the top of the Big 12 where it was projected at the beginning of the season.
• Seton Hall notched huge wins over NC State and Syracuse. Right now, today, the Hall would be the last team in the tourney. But that's just today, cause they're hott. With two T's.
• Stanford is quietly pushing towards the top of the horrible Pac-10. The Cardinal are only 10-7 on the season, but are tied for second in the league with Cal and Arizona. Cal and Stanford each have weak out-of-conference profiles, but could both finish higher in the league than "sure-fire" NCAA teams Arizona and Washington. Heard it here first: one of them, either Stanford or Cal, will make the NCAA. I got $5 on Stanford.
• Let me put it this way: I had Stanford, ahem, somewhat successful in my preseason predictions. If you are motivated, go back and check in the November archives. But don't try too hard, I don't want to look stupid. I honestly think they could slip in and do some damage. And Washington: don't foul 3-point shooters. Especially Chris Hernandez.
• Boston College is playing unbelievable ball right now. A natural let-down against Georgia tech at home, but I never felt as though the Eagles were in danger. The key for BC will be getting a good matchup in its bracket in March and the development of a consistent outside shooting game from Sean Marshall, Tyrese Rice, and Louis Hinnant. I am liking this team more and more as the season "roles" on.
• How 'bout a nice booster for the ACC courtesy of Carolina's whooping of Arizona? Yes sir, that was good. And on top of that, the women's team is number 1 for the first time in the regular season after a come-from-behind won at rival Duke. Congrats.
• Later this week, we'll look at my first 5 to Thrive for the tourney: 5 teams who could very well Thrive this March.

In unrelated news, I missed the Royal Rumble on Sunday night for the first time since college. It is by far my favorite WWE PPV every year, more so than Wrestlemania. There is such a letdown after Mania, but the Rumble sets up the entire year's worth of storylines. Rey Mysterio won the Rumble, which I think is dumb to be honest, especially if they end up stripping him of the title shot at Wrestlemania XXII, which is the current rumor. I am tired of good guys winning the rumble every year. But, better Rey winning it than HHH. Also, Kurt Angle defended his title against Mark Henry (duh) and Edge dropped his belt to John Cena. That is ridiculous. Why put the title on Edge for a month, then give it right back to the same guy. If you're gonna waste his title shot and subsequent win, at least use him to transfer the title from one good guy to another. Now we will end up with Cena vs HHH at Wrestlemania with HHH winning back the title for the 457th time. Wonderful. And, Edge will go back to sucking as the guy who has no point in the big picture.

Blue Team from here on out (remember, the Blue Team is my alma mater...I am writing about the alma mater):

Nice win, but don't get too excited. The opponent, though talented, is really not that good. They play zero defense and are known for getting completely out-of-sync and away from their gameplan. We looked good, but give any decent team open shots and they should make them. I'm excited about Green Light coming on and firing away, he has been a spark for sure. Our PGs were good, but they have to play like that consistantly. Finally, what do you say about the Mule? The Psycho one is unreal. I just hope he doesn't get tired.

Big picture: Resume building win, but the league is more important. The best would be 10 wins in the league, 9 is the goal, and 8 is the minimum. We're probably in the Dance either way, but it would be nice to have 9 league wins and play on Saturday in the conference tourney. Remember, at the beginning of the season, we said we'd gladly take a 6-seed and two rounds in the NCAAs. That is still successful at this point. Who knows...maybe...nah, nevermind.

I don't wanna be a playa no mo'...

Quick thoughts

• If you didn't read my post on Kobe Bryant yet, please scroll on down and give it a chance. I feel strongly about this.
• Maryland and Kansas are the latest two squads to be hit by a mid-season subtraction of personnel. Maryland is losing its most consistent player, Chris McCray. He is their leading scorer, best defender (only defender), and team leader. A senior, he failed to qualify academically. I'll stay away from what I think and give him the benefit of the doubt. But, the Twerps will suffer. I think they'll still make the NCAA, but will have to rely on N-I-K Caner-dash-Medly to provide a regular offensive barrage. Good luck with that. KU, on the other hand, is losing freshman Micah Downs for "personal reasons." Don't know too much there, I just hope he gets it all worked out and can return to play D-I ball somewhere if he wants to. He is from Washington, so no doubt the Huskies and Zags will be interested. My inside sources tell me...ok, just kidding.
• Major props to Martina Hingis, women's tennis star. Hingis sat out the last three years, saying the game was just too intense and had taken over her life. She lost yesterday in the Aussie Open Quarters to Kim Clijsters (man, she can play and will be the new world #1). But, it is good to see Hingis back and playing well in the tournament she dominated for six years or so. I've always been a Hingis fan. I love Swiss people and swiss cheese, ya know?
• Sad story involving the Boston College men's bball team. Apparently the bus they were riding on hit a bicyclist in Chapel Hill last night on Hwy 54, killing the rider. Whoa. That is horrible. Thoughts and prayers go out. No word yet on the ID of the cyclist.
• That's it for now. Not much going on today. Peace and chicken fries.

Kobe rant

81 points huh? That's nothing. He only had 2 assists. What a selfish player. This is bad for those who watch the NBA, especially the kids trying to emulate him.

WHAT THE CRAP? All I have heard is people hating on Kobe. Not just some of the experts, but the general public who hate him so much. The man scored 81 points, hel-lo. Your boy MJ never did. Pistol Pete came close, as did David Thompson (greatest ACC player ever probly). Kobe is not Michael Jordan, get over it. I think Kobe messed up trying so hard to copy Jordan (and rightfully so), as now everyone compares him only to the greatest player ever. Ok, Kobe hogs the ball, he doesn't always make his sorry teammates better. So what?

Kobe obviously had some legal trouble, but was acquitted. In reality, he cheated on his wife, which is wrong any way you slice it. But he did nothing legally wrong. He did not rape that girl or force her to do anything she wasn't ready and willing to do. He messed up cause he had sex with a ho instead of a decent girl. That was his poor judgement. If you're gonna commit the sin, then do it right. He didn't. Regardless, that does not change the fact that he commited adultry. But we should not judge him for this, that is not our role as humans; instead, learn from it. No one is immune to running into problems, and celebrities should not be thought of in a higher light in any area other than what they are good at. Kobe is a great basketball player. He should be praised for this, just as Tom Hanks is a great actor, Phil Jackson is a great basketball coach, and Mariah Carey is a great singer. But, they are human. Therefore, praise their talents, but expect to see them do what the rest of us "normal" people do. Imagine what it would be like living in the spotlight, where everyone treats you like a fish in a bowl and holds you to an impossible standard. These people are perfectly average other than they have lots of money and are really, really good at one thing. That's called talent, not perfection.

Now, back to the basketball side. I cannot believe how much people resent Kobe. I love Michael Jordan, as almost any kid in my generation did. No, I do not think Kobe is quite as good as Michael, but he is the closest thing. Michael did not win a title until Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson arrived. People miss the fact that these arrivals coincide with the dynasty starting. The Bulls tasted playoff success for most of MJ's early career, but were not great until number 33 and the Zen Master put it all together. In Kobe's case, Shaq was dominant and opened things up for him. But put Kobe alongside Garnett, Duncan, Lebron, or Carmelo and you'd have another dynasty. Scottie Pippen was one of the top ten players in his day, dominating both ends of the floor and causing other teams defensive fits with his versatility. Kobe would therefore be equally effective with another of the top ten players on his team right now. Further, if you took Scottie in his prime and put him with Kobe, you'd have almost the same amount of success as the Bulls did. Just admit it is at least possible.

I'm not taking anything away from MJ: he is "the greatest ever, period." But, if Kobe is given another chance to play with a talented team, especially one super-talented player along the lines of a Pippen, Michael Jordan may be "the greatest player ever, semi-colon...but Kobe Bryant was tough too...man that is hard to choose." Follow?

In the present day, get off Kobe's case. He hogs the ball and does take a lot of shots. But the guy wants to win so badly, and feels him shooting and scoring and taking over the mediocre lakers is the best way to do that. I agree. Take him of the team and allow Lamar Odom to create. Ha, 20 win team, at best. Put Kobe on board and they will make the playoffs. So my advice is enjoy what Kobe is doing. Acknowledge his team is awful and he is making them competitve. We may not see another player in a scoring zone like this for many, many more years. Props to you, Kobe, you've won me back. Way to ball up and take over.

Weekend

Do you ever have one of those days where you don’t know what to put on your away message? When things are going so ridiculously bad that there are no words to express your feelings? I know, I know…that’s what those IM expressions and smiley faces are for. If you know me, you know I loathe smiley faces. And in this case, even the angry face looked far too happy to express my sports rage. You know when I am talking about… luckily things turned around in one game, giving hope for the season. The other…yeah, not so much.

Anyway, let’s take a look at sports, starting of course with the NFL Conference Title games. I regret not having made time on Friday to put up my picks for this weekend. I was 2-for-2, going with Pittsburgh and Seattle. However, I really felt like the Panthers and Denver had good chances to win.

Pittsburgh looked pretty stout most of the game. I think it’s funny how surprised people are that Roethlisberger is playing so well while being a young QB. I saw Big Ben play in person my sophomore year in college and he was already pretty good. His composure and ability to make not only a good throw, but the right throw, was already evident. All in all, impressive Steelers, impressive. Broncos…you know how I feel. If I could phonetically spell out
c-h-o-k-e, I would. Then again, I could use that line for whoever lost this game, seeing as both have been lacking in playoff success lately.

I cannot believe Carolina got blown out. I really did not see them coming out flat. But, it was painfully obvious immediately that the Panfers did not come to play. A lackluster first series was followed by a defense on its heels. All the talk about Steve Smith was overblown; Carolina must have a running game to keep teams honest and open the middle of the field up for Smith. Seattle’s LBs did not care about the run from the get-go, sitting back in coverage and bumping Smith. Nick Goings went nowhere in his early carries, then got knocked out of the game, effectively ending the Panthers’ ability to run the football. On the other side, I felt like Jerramy Stevens would play a big role, as TEs can be very effective against Carolina, especially when they crowd the line of scrimmage with safeties McCree and Minter in order to help against the run. Stevens played well, catching a number of balls, including a TD.

Finally, it really seemed like someone had mailed the Seahawks the entire Carolina playbook before the game. They were everywhere the ball was on defense and just killed the Carolina o-line. However, it was great to see Steve Largent in the sidelines, he was on of my favorites as a player and as a Congressmen in Oklahoma.

I’m not looking ahead to the Super Duper Bowl yet, we have two weeks to listen to the hype. My contribution is not necessary.

In other news, my second attempt at writing is up on Bracketography. So check out the piece on the CAA and love it. Trust me, you love it. www.bracketography.com Holla.

Sad note on this link. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2006/01/22/m1a_NEWREARDON_0122.html
Many of you may have heard about former MLB relief pitcher Jeff Reardon's arrest for armed robbery. This sheds some light on the incident and his family. Very sad story, I'm sure we all feel bad for them. Thanks Chief for the link.

Nice win Blue Team. That was a must. If ya looking for me, you can find me on da block disobeying the law…later yaw.

Cowher Power, NCB Rankings, Blue Team

I am exhausted. Last time I checked, I thought the song went "it's the freakin' weekend, baby I'm 'bout to have me some fun." Instead, this past weekend went "it's the freakin' weekend? Crap." No offense to anyone, as I had great company for the weekend, but I am more tired on Monday than I was on Friday. Why? Um, did you happen to watch any sports this weekend? Whew.

Let's start with the NFL. Boring Seattle/Washington game, of course. Denver and the Pats was frustrating to watch. And Sunday was downright ridonkulous. Honestly, I am having trouble coming to terms with New England's loss. I feel like they handed Denver the game in a pretty package. Between NE and the officiating (more on this later), it was impossible to feel like Denver really went out and won the game. But, they did and they advance. The Broncs are pretty good...I guess.

I became a Steelers fan on Sunday. I like Indy alright and would like to see Peyton win a ring. But the calls in that game were awful. I asked my dad after the Polamalu interception was overturned if that was the worst call in NFL history. He said probably not, but tarheelpwin couldn't come up with one that was worse. Luckily, we won't remember that game for the referee's gaffe (after reviewing the play!). Luckily we won't remember Jerome Bettis' career for his fumble on the two yard-line either. Ernest Byner's fumble in the AFC title game for the Cleveland Browns against Denver is the most infamous goal-line fumble in my lifetime; I may have forgotten it if Big Ben doesn't make the tackle of his life on Nick Harper. I was indifferent on who won this game before it started, but the crap going against Pittsburgh (four gawd-awful calls, etc.) made me a Steelers fan for a day. I may make a list of the wierdness of this game at some point. Chief said after the melee was over that it was the best NFL game he'd ever seen...I do think it was certainly the wackiest.

Finally, the Panfers won. Enough of the '85 Bears versus the '05 Bears talk, it's not remotely close. It really hurts that Foster is out and Peppers, etc are banged up; however, the Panthers are used to adversity, so if anyone can fight through it, it's them. Furthermore, there were some horrendous calls both ways in this game as well. Adding that to those in the NE/Denver and Pitt/Indy games, and it was a LONG weekend for NFL officials. I honestly do not harp on officials that often, but I debated writing this entire segment about this weekend's errors. However, that takes away from the spectacular play at the most elite level in the post-season.

In other news, has anyone looked at the new college basketball rankings for this week? For the sake of brevity, I cannot believe the inflated ranking of certain teams. Louisville, North Carolina, Gonzaga, Boston College & Maryland are all waaaaay overranked this week. I don't want to bash the ACC, but seriously, this is bad. Have any of these voters seen BC so far? Pulease. And Carolina will be lucky to be .500 in the league. Maryland may pull things together; heck, all three of these teams might. Nonetheless, they do not deserve their lofty status at this time. As an opinionist, I would vote based partly on performance thus far and partly based on the big picture for a team. For instance, I would not vote North Carolina that high b/c 1) lost to Illinois, biggest game so far, 2) Kentucky was biggest win and they suck, 3) their schedule will dictate a disappointing record in the end. However, Michigan St, a 4-loss team, has lost to quality competition on neutral/road courts and will be fine come March. Anyway...

The Blue Team did not show up this weekend. Need a win this week, it's a winnable game, but will not come easy. For that matter, the next three are winnable and should be won if this is to be an elite team. Period. I'll have on the lucky boxers.

(with rhythm)

Aye-girl-you-make-my-whis-tle-blow

Peace.

NFL Picks, ACC

Four potentially exciting NFL games on the docket this weekend.

Seattle 30 Washington 13
Carolina 20 Chicago 10
Pittsburgh 24 Indianapolis 20
New England 27 Denver 23

Somehow I just took three of the four road teams. Yikes.

Thoughts on each game are as follows: Washington sucks. The Panthers will win if they do not turn the ball over. Period. A special teams assist would be greatly helpful as well. New England is healthy, making this a different ballgame than the first meeting. I really think the Pats can limit the run game and force Plummer to beat them. Plus, it's playoff season, which means New England wins and Denver underachieves. Nice logic. Finally, Pittsburgh plays with intelligent intensity and will not panic. However, the Steelers underachieve in the playoffs as much as Denver, so I am very wary of this pick. If they control the ball, the Steelers will be in a position to win.

A little more on a recent story that ESPN has virtually created. Apparently, Joey Porter, the Steelers OLB said the following:
"They don't want to just sit there, line up and play football. They want to try to catch you off guard. They don't want to play smashmouth football, they want to trick you. They want it to be a thinking game instead of a football game."
Now ESPN thinks this is the worst insult in football history. Um, hello? The Colts do play smart football, and it has not gotten them very far yet. Maybe this year's team is different. I do think Porter may have forgotten about the loss earlier in the season the Steelers took when Indy slammed Pittsburgh. However, players are taught to put past games behind them and be confident moving forward. Porter honestly believes his team is the best, which is one of the qualities that makes him an elite player in the league. ESPN has once again created a story where it really does not exist, at least not to the point that it deserves to lead off 1st and 10, Around the Horn, PTI, and Sportscenter.

On to the ACC. This week's thoughts are that Wake Forest is severely lacking a point guard, a third scorer, defense, intensity, and toughness. Last year's team had the soon-to-be NBA Rookie of the Year, giving them a clear leader, go-to-guy, and emotional charge. With Gray and Williams as the second and third options, Wake played well. However, this team has rarely risen its play to a higher level in the post-season. With one exception in recent memory, Wake has performed well in the ACC or NCAA tournaments. Even with Duncan, the furthest advancement I can recall in the NCAA was the Elite Eight loss to Kentucky in 1996. Two other Sweet 16 appearances sandwiched it in '95 and '97. Second round flameouts in '03 and '05 as number 2 seeds support this theory. I'll admit, I am hard on Wake Forest and its fans. Nothing personal, honestly. I just feel like there is a consistent lack of toughness. Joey Porter would call the Deacs the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL I guess. Maybe PTI should talk about my blog this week.

Otherwise, I have some news. I just wrote my first column for a website dedicated to covering college basketball. The link is www.bracketography.com and my piece is about the ACC's interesting league standings through the first full week of conference play. My work has been edited a little bit and is spun in a fashion portraying the ACC as overhyped. I do not necessarily agree with this, especially given the weakness of the conference this year when compared to the Big Ten and Big East. Yes, Duke and Carolina get plenty of pub; if they are not worthy of it, then who is? I do believe in a market for mid-majors, as I will write about on here or on the site at some point. However, do not think in reading my article that all of the writing and opinion is directly mine, as anyone who knows me knows that I live and breath ACC ball. Year in and year out, it is one of the best conferences, if not the best, and has certainly been the most consistent over a huge span of time.

My task on the site, if I am given a regular spot, is to provide some perspective on the areas of basketball I know: ACC, SEC, CAA, and SoCon. Obviously I know the ACC the best, but others will be covered as well. We'll see how it goes. Shoot me some feedback if you take the time to read my work and at least hit up the website to make it look good on my behalf. I'll give you a cookie. And your seasoned salt if I stole it.

Sorry if some of the above two paragraphs are jumbled, I got excited. Aight yaw...

Call George Foreman, cause I'm selling everybody grills...

Coleman Collins

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128769213893&path=%21sports&s=1045855934844

So this is an article on Coleman Collins, the big man for Virginia Tech. He is the leading scorer and rebounder for the Hokies, who are off to a rough start of 0-2 in ACC play. However, they could very well upset North Carolina tonight in Blacksburg, their first home game in league play. The team only lost twice at home in conference last season, one of those being to the eventual National Champions. The Hokies have been wildly inconsistent this season; however, Collins has been dominant.

I saw VT play at Duke in the instant classis, half-court heave, Sean Dockery game back in December. The Hokies can play when they're on. Gordon and Dowdell are super quick at the guard spots and Washington is an athlete who can leap tall buildings. However, Collins is the best player overall on this team. He went toe-to-toe with Shelden Williams and put up around 22 points and 14 boards or so. Not bad against the "nation's best defender" (Williams is a good helpside defender, but man-to-man on a skilled big guy, he is only above average. Write it down). I proclaim Collins to be the most improved player in the ACC this season, and he was decent last year. I wish VT had a high enough profile to help him be recognized on the all-conference teams at season's end, as he deserves it.

This story linked above is a sad story, one many of us can relate to through the situations in our lives. I wish him and his family, especially his father, the best in this difficult time. Collins is the antithesis of fellow VT athlete Marcus Vick, as he truly represents himself and the school with class and dignity.

Weekend Wrap-Up & WWE

3 out of 4 on the NFL Playoffs...but missing Tampa Bay was not a bad thing. I almost put them in the Super Bowl, that was stupid. Somehow I tend to overrate certain teams and always think they are better than they really are. These teams include Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh in the NFL, Texas (not this year), Tennessee, and Michigan in College Football, and the Phillies and Red Sox in MLB.
I was upset to see Carson Palmer go down, that really messed the Bungles up. Carolina was nasty in the Meadowlands, Eli Manning looked like his bro a few years back in his first playoffs. Finally, the Pats are rounding into January form. I just hope they keep it up in Denver...but then again, it is January, so the Broncos should revert to their post-season choke form.

Wild weekend of college basketball. Huge wins for Iowa, West Virginia, Miami, North Carolina, Washington St (@ Washington!?!), and Wisconsin, among others. I also watched UCONN struggle with LSU on Saturday, then defeat Cincinnati tonight. Marcus Williams is gradually starting to fit in to the flow. He and Hilton Armstrong took over against the Bearcats. Two positives here: Armstrong is a senior who STUNK his first three years. Not really, but everytime I saw him play, he looked like he just pooped his britches. Never comfortable and rarely productive. Now, he is a legit first rounder for the NBA Draft in June, as Jay Bilas noted. He does the little things well and is fundamentally sound. Second, Cincinnati is the story of the season thus far. I am so impressed with the effort of that team with only ten players. Andy Kennedy, the interim coach, has done a terrific job maxing out the potential of his team. I would never call myself a Bearcats fan, but this group plays so hard that they might be winning me over.
Marcus Vick deserves his own column. But, enough people are writing about it. I do find it ironic that he was hyped and praised all year, but the second he commits an on-field no-no (stepping on Elvis Dummervill, the Louisville All-American), he is a bad guy. I too flipped out more about the on-field thing, and here's my reasoning: kids make mistakes off the field, but it takes a real jerk to do what he did to Dummervill. I witnessed it and he can't hide behind it. However, he is obviously screwing things up. Michael Vick should cut him off and make him survive without big bro to hide behind, but instead, some NFL team will draft him and make him a millionaire and starter. He'll land on his feet somewhere...I just hope some d-lineman isn't under one of those feet.
WWE shocker at the Pay Per View: Edge is the World Champion, at least until Royal Rumble. I hate Edge so much, and Lita too. So, after getting over the shock that they actually put the title on Edge, I think it might work. Insert "o face" here. Maybe everyone hates Edge enough that he'll get legitimate heat when he wrestles. I know I'd mark out and boo the crap out of him. But, in reality, he probably deserves a shot at the title and a run as champion. We'll see...
Good win by the Blue Team this weekend. Sick dunk, seniors stepping up, and a freshmen who looks like he stepped out of 1962. I love it. Please keep it up.
Alright, enough babbling. Wobble wobble, peace out.

Texas: I apologize, I was wrong

A few things today: the actual Blue Team, Texas/So Cal, and NFL predictions.

When I am writing about the alma mater, Blue Team will appear in the title of the blog posting from now on. Therefore, if you go to my school or are a fan, then you'll know it's coming up in that posting. If, for some strange reason, you just enjoy my thoughts on sports but don't know where I went to college or don't want to read about it, then skip that part. Better yet, if you only want to read those postings because of your loyalties, go for it. Thanks.

Texas won. I lost a bet over it, saying USC would not only win, but cover the spread easily. I honestly thought Texas would crack in the spotlight; I also thought Pete Carroll, defensive genius would have a new scheme for slowing Texas down. I thought wrong. The Horns played fairly relaxed and never did panic, even with early turnovers and trailing by 12 with 6 minutes left. Carroll elected to sit back in the traditional USC zone defense and got burned.

Two main differences in the game: Vince Young and the O-line for Texas. First, the line dominated SC. The Trojans got no pressure with a four man rush; even when they brought extra guys on zone blitzes, they did not get effective pressure (meaning a sack or at least a QB hurry). Young was brilliant, duh. We will never hear the end of how well he played, and deservedly so, as he was unreal. But it was the way he led that team and just completely took over. We rarely see that in football, espeically on such a stage. He's done it two years in a row. He better go pro, as it is just sad watching teams try and contain him. Same for Bush, and even LenDale White to an extent. I still believe Bush deserved the Heisman Trophy, but Young took things up a notch last night (easier for a QB to do so).

Major props to Mack Brown on the victory and getting the monkey off his back in the best way possible. He beat OU, won the Big 12, and won an undisputed championship. First the Red Sox, then Roy Williams, now Mack Brown. That's a lot of monkey removal in the last year+.

Finally, I was nervous the entire game. You could tell after a quarter that it would come down to the end and I did not enjoy watching the game for that reason. Just fast-forward to the end and let me know what happens. The tension was killer, I felt like I was falling from the sky with that sinking feeling in your stomach and gushy-toe feeling throughout the game.

Quick NFL playff predictions. I haven't really thought this out yet, so I'll just role with it. I really want to pick the Patriots again. I've picked them all three years they won the Super Bowl, the last two of those years from the very beginning of the year. It is so hard to bet against them. I almost have the feeling like Indy won't win it either. It's fine with me if they do, even though the Colts are no longer undefeated. The sleeper teams, Pittsburgh and Carolina might each win a game or two, but they cannot possibly win three on the road to get to the Super Bowl. Chicago and Seattle each have significant home-field advantages, but will that be enough?

My gut tells me either the Seahawks or Bears will be there. It also tells me that Denver always chokes in the playoffs without Elway, Cincinnati is too young, and the Bucs are not that good. I do have a bad feeling that since I called Tampa Bay not that good, they'll sneak in and win the NFC. Dang. Too many walking contradictions. Enough already, this week's picks:


Pittsburgh 26 Cincy 20
New England 31 Jacksonville 13
Carolina 27 New York Football Giants 17
Tampa Bay 23 Washington 20

Overall, I got New England over Pittsburgh (who upsets the Colts; if this does not happen, I think Indy may win it all) and Seattle over Tampa Bay. Did I just say that? I'll just pick the the Pats to win it all just for the sake of sticking to my guns and because I can't think of anything better to pick. In order, it's New England, Indianapolis, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh in likelihood of winning it all.

I hate NFL Playoff predictions, they never come true. Either way, I'll be watching it all. Holla back guuurl.

Blue Team thoughts

Quick ones on the alma mater's game tonight:

• Psycho T would run through a wall if he thought he could score on the other side. I have never seen a player just maul opponents to score like that. However, he REALLY has to work on passing out of the double team/recognize it before it gets there. Also, he travels sometimes which may get called in conference play.
  
• Q played his best game. As did By-ron. Q had some nice dimes and played great D, I thought he managed the game pretty well. Colonel Sanders on the other hand almost made me lose my supper driving to the basket and picking up two offensive fouls. Then, he proceeded to play a solid game, finishing with six points I believe, probly five boards and a block. Nice game from the senior.
  
• DG was erratic, brilliant at times and ugh at times. MG played well, especially on D. I love the fact that everyone plays so hard on D and the crowd appreciates it. Clearly, Coach loves it.
  
• Game ball to RT for some spectacular D (three highlight-reel blocks) and a good offensive contribution. Please dude, be steady throughout conference play, it is necessary to be successful.

In other news, great game between West VA and UGA and the Notre Dame vs Ohio St game was ok too. However, the WVA/UGA game lasted almost 4 hours 20 minutes. Holy poo. I mean, come on, I gotta sleep. It does not help that halftime in all the BCS games is almost 30 minutes long by itself.

Did anyone catch the Wake Forest/East Carolina b-ball game tonight? Reference my earlier rant a few weeks back about how terrible Wake Forest b-ball fans are. Once again, no noise, no enthusiasm, and no people in attendance. Justin Gray also needs to show up for his team to play in the tournament that matters in March.

Finally, great announcing of games in recent days. Brad Nessler and Bob Griese were top-notch at the Sugar Bowl and the team of Mussberger and Danielson at the Fiesta Bowl had one of their best. I usually don't care for ole Brent Mussberger, but he did a quality job. Finally, Tirico and Kirk Herbstreit are doing fine tonight. I like good games, but they are better with good broadcasting.

Need I repeat, Southern Cal will win and cover the spread. It will be a beautiful disaster. I'm out.

This is gonna be a long one, so I'll get right to it. First up, College Football.

• Ohio St., Georgia, Penn St (close one) and Southern Cal (covering the spread) will win.
• If I were a professional journalist, I'd write a book about Barry Alvarez and his job at Wisconsin. He really did restore (or I'd argue instill) pride in the Badger football program. He is proud, but not arrogant, about his job. What a great guy, the sidelines will miss him.
  
• Why did Big Bad Voodoo Daddy perform at the Capitol One Bowl halftime show? No seriously, someone answer this.
  
• http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls05/news/story?id=2274816 Good story about Greg Blue, the safety at Georgia. This is one of the success stories that gets overshadowed by talented players who screw up in college and mess up the only future they might have had. Congrats Greg (like he's reading this).
  
• Some disturbing observations during bowl week(s): Maurice Clarett, you disgust me. You are everything wrong with collegiate athletics and people in general. I believe in giving kids a second or even third chance, but he is just about out of chances. I will try and not pass judgement, but still...
• Sun Belt officials in the Alamo Bowl and Conference USA officials in the Outback Bowl: you suck. Period. As Mike Tirico (sp?) lambasted the officials in the Alamo Bowl, I agreed with him that the officials were in over their collective head and were not qualified to officiate a key bowl game. Then, the last play happened and it became an atrocity. But the C-USA refs in the Outback Bowl will not be as criticized. They were equally as bad throughout and cost Iowa a chance at forcing overtime by calling offsides on a recovered onside kick that was clearly not offsides. Don't dictate the game guys, just do your job.
  
• Keeping with happy thoughts, Miami and Virginia Tech embarrassed the ACC in my opinion. Not with their play, but with their attitudes. Miami, you rolled over and gave up against a fired up LSU team. But then, after the game was over, you wanted to fight in the tunnel. Clearly, I don't know what happened, but it was unnecessary in such a blowout. Next time, the Canes should consider fighting before the final buzzer. And Virginia Tech, a team I generally pull for, talked enough trash to last a season in the Gator Bowl w/Louisville. Yes, L'ville talks plenty, but the Hokies jumped around and talked and yelled, etc, throughout. Note to NFL teams: DO NOT DRAFT JIMMY WILLIAMS. Not only did he get tossed from the Gator Bowl, but he will be a locker room cancer sooner than later. He is overrated and a headcase. And you thought Pacman Jones and DeAngelo Hall were bad...Next, Marcus Vick, aka the Second Coming of the Second Coming, steps on Elvis Dummervill, the all-everything D End for L'ville after a play. Like, he went Lattener on him, looking down at Dummervill and cleating him intentionally after a play. I stand appalled. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with VT. Hel-lo, you are a perennially underachieving team with more talent than almost anyone yet still manage to lose two to four games a season. You talk trash when ahead, when behind, and when in the shower. Maybe if you would play with passion and intelligence you'd win the big one instead of choking. And I like(d) VT.
  

NFL picks will come later this week. Probably some college basketball thoughts too. Quick personal update: I'm settled in the new locale and gradually putting my crib together. It is kinda wierd, almost like it is a vacation to this point. But, the TVs are set up and I start the new j-o-b on Tuesday. Prayers welcome.

FYI: 311 was on Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve from Hollywood. Yes, they sounded bad, and yes, they performed on the same card as 3 Doors Down, The Pussycat Dolls, Hillary Duff, and Sean Paul, but it was still good exposure. Not to mention I LOLed when I saw the cast on SA Martinez' hand from punching Scott Stapp in the face. And, it was great to see Dick Clark back on the air. You could tell it meant a lot to him that ABC had him back. He really sounded ok for a guy who had such a severe stroke. I'm happy for him, plus he made the night feel like New Year's Eve again.

I'll be back later this week (like I have anything else to do). Later dudes/dudettes.