wecoversports.com blog

Competition or Profit?????

2009-09-28T18:37:00.002-05:00

Hey,

The last couple of weekends there were some fights on, the Floyd Mayweather Vs. Juan Manuel Marquez from Sept. 19th. Let's call that what it was it was a Payday for Floyd and he barely earned his Scratch in that fight JMM pushed the fight but wasn't fast enough or have enough "Dinamita" in his gloves to do any damage. So Floyd cruised to an easy decision then he got jammed up by Shane Mosley during his attempt at an interview with Max Kellerman that went terribly south.

Anyways though Floyd once again couldn't give anyone an answer as to whether or not he would like to fight Sugar Shane (as if we didn't already know the answer) and we never got an answer on whether he was interested in fighting the winner between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto I guess we will have to wait and see.....My problem with Boxing is this, Currently certain fighters are being protected by there Promoters here are some examples: Andre Berto (where is Luis Collazo's rematch??) Floyd Mayweather (when will he fight someone in there prime that is a natural Welterweight).....Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (how can you be the son of a legend and not fight the best in your weight class?? look at his record and tell me 1 name you know).....There is also Joe Calzaghe who is the Wales version of Floyd Mayweather never fought a Primed s Super Middleweight and didn't want to give B-Hop a rematch after Hopkins Beat down Pavlik and who is 45 years old......These Promoters protect there Fighters so that when a Big fight does come they can negotiate bigger purses for there Stable of Fighters.

I'm just ranting I know but I feel the only way to really prove yourself is to fight the best and beat them kinda like some guys Named Leonard,Duran,Hagler,Gatti,De La Hoya,Mosley and Cotto....just to name a few meantime you are cheating the "real" fans and pulling the wool over the eyes over the ones that buy into undefeated records and titles who don't know any better I guess...

Drop some comments/feedback.....David "El Jefe"

david@wecoversports.com

Counting down the days to the NBA

2009-09-22T07:19:00.003-05:00

As I write this, the NBA season is a long 35 days away from tip-off. I would like to just write a little bit about what I am looking forward to this season and my predictions on the season ending awards and who I believe will be in the finals this year.

The team I am most likely looking forward to seeing this season is Cleveland. With Shaq joining the team I really don't see who in the east other than Orlando, can keep up with the Cavs. Also joining the Cavs this off season were Jamrio Moon and Anthony Parker. Moon will bring some very good defense and also another player that gets out on the break. Parker is a very good scorer and a decent outside shooter that Cleveland can use when Lebron drives the lane and if he decides not to dunk on fools can kick it to for a three.

I am really excited to see some of the younger teams come into possible playoff pictures this year. I really think that Oklahoma City is really do well with the young roster they are putting together. Kevin Durant is the truth, Jeff Green is coming along well and Russell Westbrook has surprised me. I didn't think he would be much of an NBA guy but I guess I was wrong. I am also excited to see the new look Pistons with Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon. The Pistons also picked up Chris Wilcox which will make Kwayme Brown sit a little longer on the bench this season. I am not a Spurs fan and they are far from being a young team, but I think the trade for Richard Jefferson will revive that dude's career.

In my opinion the finals this year will see the Cleveland Cavaliers versus either the San Antonio Spurs or (hate to say it) LA Lakers. The Spurs have the same dudes each year and Popovich will have them playing well this year. They won't be slowed by Bruce Bowen due to retirement from hittin' dudes in the nuts (see you tube video vs. Michael Finley) and the addition of Jefferson will help Tony Parker and "The Big Fundamental" Tim Duncan with the scoring. Plus, they do have some nice younger guys that can play off the bench like George Hill and Matt Bonner, and picked up a great rookie in Dejuan Blair. I am not a Lakers fan and I think the addition of Ron Artest will hurt the chemistry of that team, but not as much as the loss of Trevor Ariza.

Ok, so now with the end of the season awards. Below I have listed who I believe will have the trophies at the end of the year.

MVP AND Finals MVP - Lebron James. Surprise Surprise! I think Lebron was so pissed after the season last year that this is his take over season. I think Shaq knew that too, and that is why he jumped ship so fast. Shaq wants one more ring than Kobe and Lebron will give that to him. I will never compare players because I don't think that makes sense, but if I had to Lebron would be the closest to a Magic Johnson that we will ever see again.

Rookie of the Year - Blake Griffin. Another shocker, but if he can stay healthy I really think the Clippers can do something this season. They are always hit hard by injury but if they have Blake, Marcus Camby, Baron Davis, Al Thornton and Eric Gordon...if they can keep some type of nucleus with these guys they can actually win a couple games.

Coach of the Year - Mike Brown. Boring subject...let's move on.

Defensive Player of the Year - Dwight Howard. He is the man. I'm sorry if I talk about Howard alot this season, but come on, that man is amazing. The way that he could eventually dominate with some post moves and little jump shot is scary. He is a mixture of power, speed and an unbelievable love for the game that is unmatched. Now he has Vince Carter, Matt Barnes and Brandon Bass to back him up in the front court...Magic will be good.

Most Improved Player - Kevin Love. Now people may not believe this one, but after reading some articles from the Wolve's organization Kevin Love has been working his tail off to get better. Now Minnesota has a long way to go to get into the win column and match up against other teams, but if Love can get a little game going and back up Al Jefferson's scoring...then get the young guys going like Johnny "try and catch me" Flynn, Wayne Ellington, Ryan Gomes and Ryan Hollins, they might pull out 30 some wins.

Thanks for listening and reading. If you have any suggestions or thoughts on who you think will take home some trophies hit me up. BK...OUT!

It's Fight day......

2009-09-19T10:24:00.000-05:00

Everyone,

Hope all is well with errybody, Anyways today is the day Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather are hooking it up today. Now as of last night the weight was renegotiated to 147lbs Marquez on the last episode of 24/7 said he did not care about that but that he was going to speak with Golden Boy Promotions about it.

On Friday Mayweather was a 4-1 favorite which in my opinion is way off Mayweather has not fought in almost 2 yrs......However being that "Dinamita" is coming up in weight and that does pose some disadvantages for him.

All in all though he has a Puncher's chance last night I re-watched Marquez Vs. Diaz from February this year and Marquez looked brilliant in finishing Diaz in round 9 but Diaz is a come forward pressure fighter and Floyd will never be that fighter. Please comment on what you think the outcome of this fight will be I will give my prediction now.....I say Marquez by decision based on affective aggressiveness and "making" the fight Floyd will look good but he is not there to win convincingly he will be there to get a paycheck........

Let me know what you think drop me a comment or a diss

Ciao' David....

david@wecoversports.com

Best Hall of Fame Class Ever

2009-09-14T09:37:00.003-05:00

Haven't jumped on here to do much with my blog lately, so better get back into it. I just wanted to share my thoughts about the NBA Hall of Fame class that was inducted last weekend (09/11/09)...Vivian Stringer, Jerry Sloan, John Stockton, David Robinson and the best basketball player ever Michael "Air" Jordan. What a class! I really think that the players and coaches they put into that class were spot on. Don't know too much about Ms. Stringer but after hearing her speech it seemed like she had alot to do with revolutionizing the sport of basketball for female athletes. You can't help be impressed with Jerry Sloan. He is currently the longest tenured coach with the same team in all pro sports! That is impressive especially in today's sports world with coaches getting blamed for everything that their players do or dont' do for that matter. He has his Utah Jazz teams ready every year and to compete like they do in the West each season is impressive in itself.

Now as far as the players go, Stockton, Robinson and Jordan. Stockton's speech was really good. I don't know if I liked it more because it was funny and sincere or if it was better because we never hear Stockton talk. That kid never did interviews or public appearances or nothin! I tried to go back and look for Stockton interviews and things online and the only thing I could find was interviews when he was with the Dream Team in '92. He was awesome as a player and a person. He was quiet, never hardly missed a game, kept the short shorts going his whole career and dished more assits than anyone in the history of basketball. He holds that record by more than 5000 from second place on the list! He also holds the NBA record for steals too! Whenever you hear the name John Stockton you normally hear the name Karl "Mailman" Malone. Now it's probably because I can't stand that guy, but Mailman would be nothing without Stockton. He made those teams what they were no matter if Malone thought he was the man. I never thought Malone could hold a candle to Barkley, or Dennis Rodman or even Tim Duncan and I am a huge hater on Mr. Fundamentals. Stockton is the man. He was the best point guard to play the game. Magic, I love how you play man, but I can't say something good about a Laker!

Robinson's speech was nice, slow and kind of boring. Mr. Robinson was an awesome player and an extremely talented ball player. Plus anyone that serves our country deserves recognition. I remember back in the day when he was fighting for the scoring title in 1994 with Shaq and ended up scoring 71 points in his final game (against the Clippers I might add) to win the title. David had it all, athletishm, carisma, he could shoot the 6 to 8 foot jumper, knock down his free throws and dunk like no one's business. Also, to watch David Robinson run the break makes me feel bad for anyone that wanted to get in his way! He tore that rim down on each dunk he did. And I will say it now...we will never see another basketball player as ripped as Robinson was. He had muscles I didn't even know normal people had!

And last but not least...Mike. Wow, what can you say about the best basketball player who has ever laced up a pair of basketball shoes...mostly HIS shoes! Air Jodan was amazing from North Carolina to the Chicago Bulls. I don't really want to say anything about his Wizards days...let's just block that out of our minds. Number 23 never stopped competing from the jump ball to the last shot each and every night. I was into the NBA with Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, Magic, George Gervin, Bernard King, etc...when Jordan came into the "L," but never had I seen someone take over like he did. I don't care who it was (trying) to guard him, no one could compete with that guy. I know that it's hard to say that he is the best basketball player to ever live because of course we haven't seen everyone yet, but come on...who is going to beat what he did. 1982 National Champs with UNC, lead the league in scoring TEN TIMES with seven consecutive, All NBA Defensive First Team nine times, five regular season MVPs, and SIX titles (two three peats) to just name a few. I know there are alot of people out there that are head over heals with Lebron James or Kobe Bryant, but there will never ever be another Air Jordan. No one will be able to accomplish what he did in his career. As far as his speech last Friday went...I found it to be very heart felt, except about Jerry Krause, but also very cocky! But can you blame him? I don't. When you know you are the man...mind as well talk about it!

If anyone has any opinions on the speeches or careers of the above mentioned people, please let me know. I could talk basketball all day! BK...OUT!

Mountain West Conference...

2009-09-11T16:11:00.002-05:00

Hey sports fans! I am going to keep this really short, simple and sweet. The MWC deserves an automatic bid to a BCS game. The big east can drop out from a BCS conference and become a mid major in football.

MWC showed how good they were beating two big 12 teams, one of them being Oklahoma. Big East teams lost to two division two schools.

Sit on this, think it over. You agree? Mountain West Conference is only going to get better. Have a great weekend, I am so glad football is back. My life is now complete!

Shaking up the College Football world........

2009-09-09T11:01:00.003-05:00

Wassapening,

I hope everyone had a great LONG Holiday weekend.....I know I did I watched some great Games 1st thing's 1st big up's to Nebraska they are looking good Defensively for sure I also like some things on offense as well. Also how bout BYU?? that is the biggest shake up of the top 25 (in my opinion) although I am not a fan of either Miami or Florida St. it was good to see the Cane's whoop em' :) I was telling someone that I sometimes wonder to myself what it is we do when Football is not on?? but really though the Trojans are at Ohio St. this weekend and I feel that USC rolls The Buckeyes (easily)

I also watched another episode of Mayweather/Marquez 24/7 on Saturday if you did not see this episode there was some interesting facts about both fighters but in particular Marquez. Did you know that he while training when he is eating/drinking at his healthiest he drinks his own Urine??? (crazy huh??) he also did something I thought was rather odd he eats raw Quail eggs 25 of them after training for hours at altitude. All in all with him you never know if he believes these things help or if he is showing Floyd he will do literally anything to gain an advantage be it psychologically or otherwise.....but a dude that is willing to put himself through that kind of stuff is a mentally prepared fighter.

Like I said I hope everybody had a good holiday weekend and let us know what you think of the site/blog we appreciate all feedback whatever kind..............Ciao' David

david@wecoversports.com

Gimme Five: Volume Two

2009-09-07T14:58:00.001-05:00

Here are the five college football head coaches who should be on the hot seat.

1. Charlie Weis, Notre Dame- Charlie Weis came to South Bend in 2004 with a ton of promise. Viewed as the mastermind behind the New England Patriots offense and given credit for developing Tom Brady as a superstar quarterback, Weis has yet to live up to expectations. After a solid record of 19-6 in his first two seasons, Notre Dame was just 10-15 in the next two seasons under Weis. Now I’m the first to admit Notre Dame fans have unrealistic expectations. A lot of them believe they can contend for the national titles every year like Florida, USC, Texas, Ohio State and Oklahoma. In this day and age of college football I just don’t see it. Academic requirements at Notre Dame are much higher than that of some of the big time programs now. That being said Notre Dame should be a school that’s in the top 15 most years and contends for BCS games. Kids still want to come to Notre Dame no matter how many Super Bowl rings the head coach has. However, Charlie is flat out not getting the job done. I believe he thought this job was going to be easy. Notre Dame is just nowhere near being a contender right now and if Weis does not win nine or more games in 2009 with as soft as their schedule is I believe he will and should be shown the door.

2. Randy Shannon, Miami- If you are going to fire a coach who goes 60-15 in six years you better have a good reason. Larry Coker was fired by the University of Miami in 2006. In his first three years Coker was 35-3 with a team built by current North Carolina head coach Butch Davis. In his last three years Coker was 25-12. That’s just not acceptable at the “U”. Enter Randy Shannon. A starting linebacker on the Hurricanes 1987 National Championship team and Miami native, Shannon had a reputation as one of the best defensive coordinators in the country. In six years running the Hurricane defense Shannon had a defense that ranked 7th in the country or higher five times. Those defenses would not only beat you but would steal your lunch money. In his first two seasons at Miami, Shannon has led the Hurricanes to a 12-13 record. Now I hate Miami to the point where I won’t get into it because this is a family board but this is the freaking “U’! Miami should be a program that contends for the National Championship most years and at least BCS games. With the fertile recruiting ground in The Sunshine State Miami is loaded with talent year in and year out. Last season Miami lost to Cal in the Emerald Bowl. The Emerald Bowl? What the heck, Miami? Much like Notre Dame you are NOT playing like champions today. With their first four games on the road against Florida State, at home against the vaunted option attack of Georgia Tech, at Virginia Tech which is one of the toughest places to play in the country, and home against Oklahoma it’s not out of the question to think Miami starts 2009 with an 0-4 record. If Miami does not turn things around soon they need to move forward and look in another direction.

3. Dan Hawkins, Colorado- If you thought I didn’t like Miami I could make comments about Colorado that would make a sailor blush. However, at the time in 2006 when Colorado hired Dan Hawkins I thought it was a good hire. Well, I’m wrong once every few years so it looks like this was a case of that. Hawkins did a fantastic job at Boise State going 53-11 and winning two bowl games. It’s obvious now the offensive mastermind at Boise State was the offensive coordinator Chris Peterson (Boise State’s current head coach) who has kept that program moving forward. Hawkins on the other hand has put Colorado behind just about every team in the Big 12. After an embarrassing 19-10 loss at home to Montana State to start the Hawkins regime, it didn’t get much better. The Buffs started 0-6 and finished 2-10 in 2006. With a new, complex offensive system Hawkins got a free pass form a lot of critics. However, he inherited a team that won the Big 12 North the year before. Throw in two more losing seasons and a season opening loss this season to in-state rival Colorado State and the Buffs are now 13-25 under Hawkins. As much as I’d love the Buffs to remain a doormat they should be able to contend for the Big 12 north most years and make bowl games. The Buffs don’t have the best facilities but they seem to recruit well most years. In the 24 seasons prior to hiring Hawkins the Buffs won 175 games and eight of those were bowl games. Success in college football in Boulder, Colorado can happen again but I don’t see it under Hawkins.

4. Al Groh, Virginia- In the first half of this decade it seemed to be the hip trend to hire an NFL guy as your college football coach. It didn’t work for Nebraska when they hired Bill Callahan and it sure as heck isn’t working at Notre Dame with Charlie Weis. Virginia fans will more than likely be saying this soon as well if they are not already. Al Groh was a good assistant coach in the NFL working with Bill Parcells and coaching in two Super Bowls. In 1996 Groh was the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots and was the leader of the attacking 3-4 defense the Patriots still run today. Groh took over as the head coach at Virginia in 2001. He had some success early. In his first four seasons Groh compiled a record of 30-21 with two bowl victories. However, the fact remains there is little consistency for Virginia under Groh. After a 5-3 start in 2008 Virginia went on to lose their last four games to finish 5-7 not to mention they lost to Duke 31-3. Yes, this story is about football and Duke beat someone by four touchdowns. . In his eight seasons in Charlottesville, Groh has had three seasons under .500. To make matters worse, Virginia was upset by William & Mary in their opener this season. That’s a 56-45 right now for Groh. This won’t get the job done at a school like Virginia where the High School football talent is solid and in a conference like the ACC which is up for grabs more years than not. Groh is also 65 years old. Unless you are a legend like Joe Paterno, Tom Osborne, or Bobby Bowden I don’t see how 17 year old kids will listen to what you have to say or want to come play for you. Groh is coaching on borrowed time right now.

5. Mike Sherman, Texas A&M- I have long thought Texas A&M is a sleeping giant in college football and with the right hire they would be dangerous. With state of the art facilities, a passionate fan base, and fertile recruiting ground in the lone star state Aggie football should be in the upper echelon of the Big 12 if not the country. Athletic Director Bill Byrne wanted Mike Sherman to take over his football program in 2008. After a 4-8 season you have to wonder if this was the right move. Now I know it was one season but 4-8? Really A&M? I mean they lost five home games in 2008. Remember when Kyle Field was a tough place to play? Remember when their defense was nicknamed the “Wrecking Crew”? A&M finished 114th in total defense in 2008. The offense wasn’t much better finishing 78th in total offense and averaging only 88.5 rushing yards per game. Sherman was a decent NFL coach with the Green bay Packers going 59-43. Of course he had Brett Favre, Donald Driver, and Ahman Green in their primes for most of those years but still someone had to be the coach and Sherman won three division titles. Sherman was open about how being the head coach at Texas A&M was his dream job. That’s awesome and all Mike but I want to be the general manager for a Major League Baseball team. I haven’t checked my voice mail in a few hours but I don’t think the Chicago Cubs have called me today to make an offer. Byrne is a good athletic director and he might give Sherman a year or two more to see what he can do but make no mistake about it if A&M has the right head coach they can win a national title.

Dishonorable Mention- Mike Stoops, Arizona/ Rich Rodriguez, Michigan/ Tom O’ Brien North Carolina State/ Tim Brewster, Minnesota

Boom!

UFL...Are you ready for some football?

2009-09-03T21:13:00.004-05:00

The United Football League. This is a new league that will start this fall and for those of you that haven't heard of it yet, here's a little bit about the league. Right now there are only 4 teams. Each will play 6 games with the two best teams playing in one championship game. The first game is October 8, 2009. They will play their games (mostly) on the television station Versus (check your local cable company). The teams are the California Redwoods, the Florida Tuskers (it's supposed to be some kind of wild boar I guess), the New York Sentinels and the Las Vegas Locomotives. I, for one, am excited about this league. Not only because it is new and will bring some of the players that I once watched back to playing football at a high level, but because I think this league will really blow up over the next couple seasons. After reading about it more and more, it seems to be the NBDL of the NFL. They aren't messing around either. Each team is coached by a very well know coach from Dennis Green to Jim Fassel. The teams have mostly guys that were once drafted and kind of slipped through the cracks on an NFL team roster or undrafted guys that just didn't make the cut. Now that Arena Football is gone (not sad about that) and the CFL still around...but when Pacman Jones can get a contract who knows what that league will hold in the future; the UFL is going to give us, the viewers, a chance to see some guys that we watched in college to see if they still "got it."

Just a few players on the teams that I noticed and jumped out at me...being a Husker fan (GO BIG RED) I will first mention Cory Ross. Little 5'10 200 pound running back. He was drafted by Baltimore and had a few snaps with them, but haven't seen him in awhile. Holds the Nebraska school record for receptions and receiving yards in a game by a running back; and if you know Nebraska all we have is running backs! Most excited about watching him run up and down the field like the good ol' days in Cornhusker Land! Another guy that a buddy of mine knows that was really good at UNLV (and if you ask him "has a star under his name on NCAA Football so he must have been good") Casey Flair...gotta do it dude;"WOOOOOO!" Walk on wide receiver from UNLV...walk on people...walk on! Mr. Flair caught at least one pass in 35 consecutive games, I don't know if alot of walk ons even PLAY that many games. Another few notables...QB Brian Johnson from Utah, QB JP Losman from Tulane but most notable for his playing days in Buffalo and LB Maurice Crum from Notre Dame who had an awesome college career but went undrafted.

Michael L. Huyghue is the commissioner of the UFL. He is a sports lawyer and was a long time legal rep for the NFL Players Union so he knows how to work players on and off the field. He was also the VP for the Detroit Lions and the Jacksonville Jaguars. One player that he represents I have spoke about already...Pacman Jones; I am sure we will see him soon in the UFL.

With all that said, I really believe that this will be a league to watch out for if not now, in the upcoming seasons. Can't wait to be honest. It will give football fans the excitement and highlight plays of the NFL with the "I want to win" mind set of the NCAA. Check out wecoversports.com to make sure you keep up to date with all the scores and any upcoming news with what's going on. Later for now guys and, if any gals read this stuff....BK OUT.

Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez.....

2009-09-02T07:53:00.001-05:00

Hump Day is here,
Today I am writing about Diego because I feel he is slept on as a fighter and is deserving of a title shot immediately!!! I don't know if everyone saw the Guida Vs. Sanchez fight a few months ago but that was a war just to tell you how much of a "glue yourself to the T.V." fight it was my 11 year old son who does not like combat sports was so impressed he has since said "Dad tell me the next time Diego Sanchez fights again"
But.....the dude's intensity at times seems like made for T.V. but I feel that he just gets so wrapped up in going into combat that he has no other way to express himself I even hear he is a HUGE Tony Robbins fan.
All that stuff aside he does bring action and excitement to an already exciting sport if you can please watch either the Guida fight or scope out Diego Sanchez Vs. Karo Parisyan which was also a war where Parisyan even had his tooth knocked out in the fight so please check it out you will not be disappointed....Hope all is well with everybody and please drop some Comments/Disses without either this site would be nothing Gracias..........Ciao'-David
david@wecoversports.com

My top 10 Fighters EVER!!!!!

2009-09-01T16:44:00.001-05:00

10.Shane Mosley-A warrior and always shows up to fight which was evident this January against Antonio Margarito who was the Bully of the Welterweight Division Mosley handled him with A KO Victory looks like he is negotiating a fight with Andre Berto for December

9.Roberto Duran-The Hands of Stone he was such a devastating puncher and body puncher but was often flustered by Slick Boxers but a legend nonetheless..

8.Joe Frazier-He was not the bad guy that Ali made him out to be he was built up that way by the media (surprise,surprise) he was another Blue Collar fighter with a ton of Heart and fought 3 memorable fights against Ali my favorite of the 3 you guessed it The Thrilla in Manila

7.Mike Tyson-Before you start hating please remember before all the antics and crazy talk he was by far the most devastating KO Puncher ever!!!!!.......EVER

6.Felix Trinidad-When he was in his prime he was as strong as a Light Heavyweight and there was a vulnerability about him that added to his appeal he had been knocked down numerous times and until his loss to B-Hop got up to knockout his opponent in almost every fight

5.Ike "Bazooka" Quartey-Not too much of a mainstream fighter being he was from Ghana but he was feared by most opponents in his division in the 1990's he fought Oscar De La Hoya in 1999 and lost the fight by decision but to many people he was robbed as he pushed the action and even traded knockdowns with America's "Golden Boy" and demanded a rematch on numerous occasions and was shot down every time....

4.Alexis Arguello-Was a true warrior up until his fight with Aaron Pryor which he lost due to controversy (Pryor's Trainer was accused of putting asthma medication in Pryor's water bottle that gave him a boost of energy in late rounds) he never really bounced back after that loss but he was definately something special

3.Arturo "Thunder" Gatti-What can say that everyone does not know the Human Highlight reel a throwback fighter that was the last true Blood and Guts warrior of my Generation he will be missed

2.Julio Cesar Chavez-If you grew up in the late 80's on through the 90's you know this name he went 85-0 before his 1st loss he fought everybody that was in front of him he exposed fighters took there heart and eventually changed there careers with his relentless body punching and constant pressure he was something special and is a true legend that deserves his props.......

1.Sugar Ray Leonard-He had it all power speed style he was hands down the breath of fresh air that Boxing needed after Ali left the sport he was marketed as a pretty boy but proved he was nothing of the sort in his 1st fight with Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran he was unafraid and fought everybody came out of retirement and beat Marvin Hagler he is in my opinion the pound for pound Greatest non heavyweight fighter of all time.....

What are the Broncos doing?

2009-09-01T14:00:00.005-05:00

I promised my fellow writers that I wouldn’t talk about all Denver all the time, but how can I not? Many of my friends know that my favorite teams are located in Colorado. My most favorite team is the Denver Broncos. All I have to say is… this is going to be a very long season.

It all started when Denver lost their final 3 games last year and didn’t make the playoffs. Pat Bowlen decided it was time to make a switch on head coaches and Mike Shanahan was bounced from Denver. I didn’t like this move, but I put my trust in Mr. Bowlen that he would make a smart decision and hire the right guy.

Boy was I wrong. So we decided to get Josh McDaniels from the Patriots. He has never been a head coach in the NFL and he is coming to a city who still lives in John Elways shadow and is still trembling that their long time coach was recently fired. The very first thing Joshua does… he tries to trade Jay Cutler to KC for Matt Cassel whom was the QB last year for the Patriots. If your going to make this move and make it public, you better freaking make sure the trade goes through. Of course it doesn’t… so now Jay is upset because his new coach tried to trade him. After that, Jay told management he wanted out in Denver.

People all around Denver were saying Jay was crying and the media was laying into Jay about wanting to be traded, but can you blame him? You got this young coach that hasn’t proven anything at all trying to get rid of you. I don’t blame Jay Cutler.

So long story short Jay was traded for Kyle Orton who is terrible and now Denver is looking like they are going to be the worse team in the AFC. Yes I said it, worse team in the AFC. Today I heard Kyle Orton probably won’t start in week one because he got his finger hurt during Sunday’s preseason game against Chicago.

Picture this Denver fans, week one we have three rookies starting in the NFL. Mark Sanchez (round 1 pick), Matthew Stafford (round 1 pick), and Tom Brandstater (round 6 pick). Buckle up Denver its going to be a long year in Denver. I haven’t even talked about the Defense yet in Denver…

bobby@wecoversports.com

Here is some good humor for your day… Maybe my next blog will be about Brett Favre…

Ricky Rubio stays in European Basketball…

2009-09-01T13:32:00.000-05:00

September 1, 2009

I just finished reading up on the Ricky Rubio soap opera, and it sounds like the 5th pick in the NBA draft will play his “little league” ball in Europe. It said something in the article it was because Minnesota could not “buy” him away or get him out of his contract from a team in Spain. I don’t know if I really believe that or not. I know that Rubio did not want to play in Minnesota and I think that if he really wanted to join the NBA he would have made it work. It also said that Minnesota now has the rights to Rubio which means they can trade those rights to another team. Now if Rubio doesn’t come to the ‘L’ until the 2011 season that would mean that Minnesota basically has two seasons to shop him around. One place that the “Spanish Pistol Pete” wanted to play for was New York. So what do you guys think if Rubio gets his rights to the Knicks…Lebron James decides to take his Kingdom to New York…and then Chris Bosh follows? Wow. That would be nice. I know it probably won’t happen, especially if Jay Z takes the Nets to Brooklyn and, as everyone has heard, Lebron would be there in a second, but to imagine a lineup with Ricky Rubio, Lebron James, Chris Bosh and David Lee…I would take that lineup in real life or on NBA2K9. Below I have added a Rubio video for your enjoyment. In summary, I believe that Rubio is a great player. At 18 he probably has a lot to learn, and I feel that he skipping out (if he had a say in it) on going to the league right away will hurt him in the long run. But…that does give one of my favorite players Johnny Flynn pure reign on that team! And I feel weird saying it, but I feel Minnesota is about to turn it around. Good luck Kurt Rambis…you will need it! BK…out! brandon@wecoversports.com

Tell me what you think........

2009-08-31T11:30:00.002-05:00

Oh Monday.......,

How's everyone doing??? anyways I hope everyone watched Mayweather/Marquez 24/7 if so what did you think?? I feel that both fighters are looking ready and close to peak shape the catch weight is 144lbs which is Big for Marquez but he is a Warrior and seems to find a way to either beat or make Top fighters at least look ordinary the next episode is September 5th on HBO check it out!! if you missed the 1st one it is replaying all throughout the week and of course they will run all 4 episodes on the night of the fight.......also on this fight card Zab "Super" Judah is fighting Antonio Diaz who is tough Cat respect to Judah for fighting him also Rocky Juarez is fighting Chris John in a rematch 1st fight was a war so definately worth a watch,these 2 undercards are HBO Boxing After Dark caliber fights.......also Floyd looks like he has some recent Beef with the Police as far as a shooting at some Skating Rink.....hope all is right with Him he says he was not there and is currently NOT a suspect so hopefully he stays focused and ready to do this thing......alright Everybody I hope all reading this are good in life,love,health Hit me with a Comment or Diss you know me :)..........Ciao' David G.

David@wecoversports.com

Gimme Five! By Nick R

2009-08-29T11:11:00.001-05:00

Here are the top five players I would pick to start a baseball team.

1. Albert Pujols, First Baseman, St. Louis Cardinals- Albert Pujols is one of those players you will tell your kids and grandkids stories about. Every generation has these kind of players. The 1940’s had Joe Dimaggio. The 1960’s had Mickey Mantle. Pujols is the best player this decade and he is not even 30 years old yet. What sets Pujols apart in my opinion is his patience. He struck out 93 times as a 21 year old rookie in 2001 and has not had a season of over 70 strikeouts since. In a day and age where a 160 strikeout season is not uncommon for a power hitter, Pujols knowledge of the strike zone is a major weapon. About halfway done with his career, Pujols is on pace for career numbers of 700 home runs, 2200 runs batted in, over 3,000 hits and a batting average around .330. These are Sega Genesis numbers. If the Cardinals resign Matt Holliday to hit behind Pujols and protect him in the order it’s possible Pujols has some of his best years coming up.

2. Joe Mauer, Catcher, Minnesota Twins- A great athlete, Joe Mauer turned down a football scholarship from Bobby Bowden to play Quarterback at Florida State. The number one overall pick in the 2001 baseball draft made the right call. I’m not sure what Mauer needs to do to win an MVP award. Prior to 2006 no American League catcher had ever won a batting title. Mauer won one in 2006 and in 2008 hitting .347 and .328. The only knock on Mauer coming into 2009 was he didn’t have a lot of power. Through 390 at bats in 2009 Mauer has belted 25 home runs. With all due respect to Justin Morneau (Mauer’s teammate) and Dustin Pedrioa who won the American League MVP award in 2006 and 2008 respectively they are nowhere near as valuable to their teams as Mauer. Playing the most physically demanding postion in baseball, Mauer is among the best hitters in the game. Much like Pujols, what makes Mauer such a great hitter is his patience. As a 22 year old rookie in 2005 Mauer walked 61 times and struck out 64. Those are great numbers for a rookie, but Mauer was not impressed. He has not struck out more than he has walked in any season since, and in 2008 he walked 84 times while only striking out 50. Mauer is also great at handling a pitching staff. The development of young Minnesota pitchers like Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, and Nick Blackburn can be attributed to Mauer. A Saint Paul native, Mauer can be as big in Minnesota as Prince or ice fishing if he plays his whole career with the Twins. As a small market team the Twins will have a hard time resigning Mauer. Due to be a free agent in a couple years, if Mauer hits the free agent market teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers will give Mauer a blank check.

3. Hanley Ramiez, Shortstop, Florida Marlins- Few times over the course of history does a trade in baseball work out for both teams. In November 2005, the Boston Red Sox traded three prospects to the Florida Marlins for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. Beckett and Lowell helped Boston win the World Series in 2007. Acquired from the Red Sox for Beckett and Lowell, Hanley Ramirez has become one of the best players in baseball with the Marlins. In his first three full seasons in the majors, Ramirez has seen his on base percentage and home run totals increase every year. So far in his fourth full season in 2009, Ramirez is enjoying his best season to date in what looks to be a promising career. After 117 games played Ramirez is hitting .361 with an on base percentage of .422. That will do. Moved to the three hole this season in the Marlins lineup, Ramirez has responded with 85 runs batted in so far. Ramirez, who doesn’t turn 26 until December 2009, looks to have some great years ahead of him. The question shouldn’t be will Ramirez hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in the same season but how many times will he do it. Ramirez has also become a gold glove caliber short stop.

4. David Wright, Third baseman, New York Mets- David Wright made his major league debut on July 21, 2004. Since then, Wright has been the Mets starting third baseman. As a 22 year old in his first full season in 2005, Wright played in 160 games and batted .306 with 27 home runs, 99 runs, 102 runs batted in, 42 doubles, and 17 stolen bases, leading the team in average, runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs batted in, and doubles. However, Wright made 24 errors tied for the most by a third baseman in the majors. Known for his work ethic, Wright became significantly better in the field in 2006 while making his first all star game. On August 6, 2006 the New York Mets signed Wright to a 6 year contract extension worth $55 million. After signing a huge deal like this some players get complacent. Not David Wright. He finished up his 2006 season with 116 runs batted in, and in 2007 Wright had an MVP caliber season. Wright became a gold glove winner at third base in 2007 and hit 30 home runs, stole 34 bases, hit for a .325 average, and had an on base percentage of .416. Decimated by injuries in 2009, the Mets have had a sub-par year in 2009. The power numbers are down for Wright this season with only eight home runs in 426 at bats. A lot of this has to do with the Mets new ballpark where the ball doesn’t carry. Only 26 years old, Wright is still hitting .324 with 31 doubles so far in what critics are calling a “down year”.

5. Carl Crawford, Outfielder, Tampa Bay Rays- As the old adage goes, speed kills. Carl Crawford is the best athlete in major league baseball in my humble opinion. Crawford was offered a basketball scholarship to UCLA and football scholarships to play Quarterback by Nebraska, Oklahoma, USC, and Florida. Crawford chose to sign a letter of intent to play for Nebraska, but he turned down the offer when he was drafted in the second round of the 1999 baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (yes yes, I know they are the Rays now but they were still the Devil Rays when they drafted Crawford, count to ten, you will be ok). As a 21 year old in his first full season in 2003, Crawford stole 55 bases. Well, when I was 21 I could make a grilled cheese sandwich. Crawford followed his 2003 season by stealing 59 bases and making his first all star team in 2004. Despite his early success, critics began to wonder in 2005 if Crawford would be able to hit as well as he could run. He didn’t disappoint. Crawford had 63 extra bases hits in 2005, hit for a .301 average, and stole 46 bases. Known for one of the most exciting things in baseball, the triple, Crawford hit 69 triples from 2004 to 2008 and was a key member of the Rays making their historic World Series run in 2008. So far in 2009, Crawford is enjoying his best season yet and is an MVP candidate. Through 124 games, Crawford already has 54 steals, 44 extra base hits, and is hitting .315. Once a weakness, Crawford has added patience to his game in 2009 with an on base percentage so far of .371. At 28 years old, Crawford is entering his prime and the Rays need to do everything they can to hold onto him.

Boom

nick@wecoversports.com

Why Brock Lesnar is STILL the man! By Brandon K.

2009-08-28T14:50:00.000-05:00

August 28, 2009

I have seen Brock Lesnar since day one. I remember sitting in front of my buddy’s television watching Wrestle mania X8 (because my mom wouldn’t let me get it) and seeing Lesnar rush through the crowd and attack Al Snow, Spike Dudley and Maven turning normally “bad dudes” by WWE standards into pudding pops. I remember saying out loud, “Who the hell is that guy?” From that point on I tuned in each Monday night to watch and see who was next to be ran over by this giant with the huge back tattoo. And by the way, how many times did he have to go back to get that thing done? Then finally becoming the youngest WWE champion every. I know, I know, it’s all staged yes, but to be the “head guy” of a franchise at the age of 25 is pretty impressive in itself. After he won the title and started to get a big head and thinking no one would “beat him,” the owner of the WWE Vince McMahon decided to turn him into a bad guy. Once he did that and beat up on a few wimpy guys, fans including myself, started to shy away from him because of his attitude and the way he was acting in and out of the ring. I did grow up liking other wrestlers like the Ultimate Warrior, the Legion of Doom and the Undertaker, so when he started saying he was the best, the 12 year old “hey you can’t say that to my idols” came out. I think that is how a lot of people felt too. Then the biggest insult to wrestling fans, Brock leaves at the peak of his career to try the NFL. That lasted about 20 minutes…and Lesnar was found without pay. I heard him say on a television program that the reason he quit was because of all the pain and “crap” he had to deal with in the WWE. But instead of sitting on his hands and trying football over and over again (ala Brett Favre), he decided to do what he does best…beat people up. I don’t mean like Hulk Hogan doing a fake leg drop to a man’s chest, but the real sh#!...Ultimate Fighting! When I heard that Brock Lesnar was going to fight MMA I was pumped! I really didn’t think anyone in their right mind would come close to matching up with that man child! His first match against Min-Soo Kim (video below), he looked so dominate but he did fight Min-Soo Kim who to me looked like he wet through three pairs of tights before he came out to fight. His second match, first in the UFC, Frank “pretty boy” Mir made him submit with a knee bar. Lesnar under estimated Mir and if he would have been less psyched up and more reserved, he would be undefeated. He did get Mir back though in July 2009 and made him look like a kid in the play ground that didn’t want anything from the bully. After that fight, Brock went on a little bit of a “babyish” rant, flipping the crowd off and even telling the Bud Light sponsor that he was going to “Go home and have a nice cold Coor’s Light, because Bud Light didn’t want to pay” him. Wow.

So to sum everything up on how I feel about Mr. Lesnar…he is awesome! I don’t care how cocky or arrogant he is. He is THEE dominant force in the UFC and he would be a dominant force in any type of fighting, with gloves or without, that he chose to do. I don’t think that anyone in this world can beat him from here on out. There is no little chump that got lucky against Kimbo Slice out there or no dominant force like Fedor Emelianenko that can stand toe to toe with Lesnar. Please feel free to speak your mind on this, but I am sure that anyone that steps in his way would be smashed to the ground like a finished cigarette. Truth… BK OUT…

brandon@wecoversports.com

Mayweather Vs. Marquez 24/7........ By David G

2009-08-28T10:56:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday everyone!!!,

Tomorrow on HBO is the premiere of the Countdown show for This HUGE fight..... 9:15 cst-10:15 est this is a 4 part series that goes through both Fighters training camp and personal lives. I am a huge fan of this series the 1st one that ever aired was for the mega fight between Oscar De La Hoya Vs. Floyd Mayweather Cinco de Mayo 2007 and that's when we as Boxing fans were introduced to Mayweather as a person and Character he made that series in my opinion he is so candid and is not trying to be soft or PC about anything he does not hold back. On the other hand you have Juan Manuel Marquez who is very quiet and reserved he most def a blue collar kind of fighter and is currently regarded as the #2 fighter pound for pound I will be posting a link to his Greatest Hits so folks that are not familiar with him you will see that he is a big risk for Mayweather. And props to Floyd for even fighting him everyone says that Floyd is ducking Manny Pacquiao (current #1 pound for pound) but in my opinion (again) JMM is just as big of a risk he has 2 fights against Pacquiao and 1st was a draw (that he should have won) and the 2nd was a controversial loss to Pacquiao.

So please,if you are not quite a fan or a long time fan like myself treat yourself to Mayweather/Marquez 24/7 you will not be disappointed......also does anyone have any predictions for Nogueira Vs. Couture??? comment and let me know who you think will win and how I welcome all comments/feedback and disses like I said here is the Link for Juan Manuel Marquez's Greatest Hits.......

Ciao' Errybody-David G.

David@wecoversports.com

Quit Whining! Top 5 Biggest Cry Babies of the NBA: Past and Present. By Brandon K

2009-08-27T14:02:00.003-05:00

August 27, 2009

One thing that I have a huge problem with are players that are constantly crying over calls that didn’t go their way or that they feel were “unfair.” Below I have listed my top 5 biggest cry babies, past and present in the NBA.

1. Charles Barkley. I love this guy, don’t get me wrong, but he cried about every single call he never got! I have seen more videos of him crying about stuff on the court than I have my oldest son trying to ride his bike.
2. Dennis Rodman. He would have been number one if he wasn’t my favorite player. He took crying about calls to the next level, even to a point of kicking a camera man in his “man parts” because he felt he got shoved out of bounds. I heard the camera guy’s wife tried to sue Rodman for making her husband “unable to perform.”
3. Rasheed Wallace. Wow. This guy never has a nice look on his face. The most technical fouls in league history. That alone deserves a nice hand shake from Stern and a trophy that says, “Shut the hell up.”
4. Hedo Turkoglu. This is a player that I have followed since he was in Sacramento, and he has been a big cry baby ever since. The one thing with Turk is that he only complains and whines when he is having a bad game. Once his game is on, he shuts his trap.
5. Reggie Miller. I am not a huge fan of this player, and that is saying it nicely. He used to get in the face of each and every referee every single game. The only reason the refs let him say what he wanted was because each one of the refs could beat him up! And the little side kick on each of his three pointers that he shot to try and draw a foul…lame!

Thanks for listening to me. Have a great rest of the day. BK…OUT. brandon@wecoversports.com

Nogueira Vs. Couture....... By David G

2009-08-27T13:08:00.000-05:00

I don't know if anyone who is reading this saw Nog's last fight against Mir @ UFC 92 but I could not believe the outcome Nogueira KO'd??? and By Mir??? Frank is kind of a Phenom in his own right I mean he did catch Lesnar in a foot lock because Lesnar was 2 fights into his MMA career (Mir fight was #2) and just got caught. It was a rookie mistake....I'm sure most of you heard what happened in the Rematch, Brock handled him but as far as Nogueira goes I don't think he will be able to deal with Couture. I mean Randy has been in some wars too respect to "The Natural" for this people. He has his legacy on the line as does Nogueira but if it was not for the UFC Nogueira would be about half as pop as he is now and Couture is one of the OG's so my prediction is Couture will outlast Nogueira for the decision......

Anyways on to some other MMA jargen Looks like Franklin Vs. Belfort for UFC 103 This will be interesting Belfort is back in the UFC after a while and Franklin recently decisioned Wanderlei Silva. Anyways Vitor Belfort is one of the guy's that turned me on to MMA 1st fight I ever saw was Belfort Vs. Abbott and he KO'd Tank so fast it was like watching throwback Mike Tyson in the late 80's $75.00 and 60 seconds later and a dude was twitching on the ground. Back to Belfort I say he wins this by Referee stoppage hope everyone is good and thanks for reading please drop me some feedback or comments,disses or just say whatever Ciao'-David

David@wecoversports.com

PRACTICE? The AI saga… By Brandon K

2009-08-27T10:51:00.001-05:00

August 27, 2009

First time blogger long time reader. My first topic will be the “who the heck is waiting to pick up Iverson” story. I am a huge NBA follower. Allen Iverson has been a particular fun player to watch all the way from Gtown to the Sixers to the Nuggets to the Pistons (kind of) and to the … I guess I understand why certain owners do not want to pull the trigger with the Answer, because he has been more of a question the last few seasons. In Philly he was basically allowed to reign free and to skip PRACTICE anytime he wanted. If you out there don’t know why I am capitalizing practice, YouTube the video sometime and see what I mean. Larry Brown for some reason was able to bring Iverson on board with what he was trying to do, and guess what; he got the Sixers to the finals. Iverson stepping over T. Lue in the corner after a three…priceless. After Iverson was traded to the Nuggets for (basically) Andre Miller; which being a Denver fan was a wrong move, but that’s another story. He didn’t work out too well there because in my opinion he just didn’t fit the system. Denver is not a one on one team, unless you are Carmelo, and it just didn’t fit his style. Then he was sent to Detroit for B B B B Billups, which again being a Denver fan was an awesome move! I don’t know if Iverson looked more weird in the “slow down and throw it in the post” offense or just in the Pistons uniform in general. Joe Dumars took a gamble on someone that didn’t even travel for the last couple games thinking that he could change him. Iverson will not change people, I don’t care who you are. But, I do think that there are some teams that should take a chance on him. The latest news is that Memphis has made an offer, and at this posting has not been accepted yet. WHAT!?! I do not see that happening at all. How do you bring in someone like Iverson to a team that has a great nucleus in the back court with Mike Connelly Jr. and OJ “don’t call me Simpson” Mayo? I just think that is a wrong move, but does anyone remember when Memphis made a great move? In my opinion there are two teams that would be a fit for Mr. Iverson. New York. They need someone to push the tempo that D’Antoni wants to run. Also, if the Knicks can get David Lee to resign and get Nate Robinson, Wilson Chandler and Al Harrington to get on board they could be a sold team in the East. And let’s face it; you don’t need too much to be a solid team in the East anymore. Again, Denver fan. The only other team that I can see taking Iverson would be Charlotte. There are two words why I would say that…Larry Brown. That man has some kind of hold on Iverson, kind of like the good old’ days with Dennis Rodman and Phil Jackson. I have written enough for today and hope that you didn’t get bored with this. Please comment and let me know what you think. Thanks for listening and have a great rest of the day.
BK OUT… brandon@wecoversports.com

Boxing by David G

2009-08-26T19:41:00.001-05:00

Hey Everybody,

Just thought I would talk some Boxing with everybody.....last weekend I watched the Paulie Malignaggi Vs. Juan Diaz fight even though the decision went Diaz's way if you watched the fight you know that Malignaggi schooled him (Diaz). I guess what I saw and what Judge Raul Caiz saw were 2 different fights Caiz scored the fight 118-110 for Diaz........huh??? even the 116-112 scorecard from David Sutherland was like wow. So I guess that it is ultimately Malignaggi's fault for not trying to put Diaz away and not leave it in the judge's hands but hard to do when your record only has 5 KO's in 20 some odd fights (26-3, 5 KOs) his rant after the fight to Max Kellerman was a good laugh talking about how Boxing is Bulls**t and that he only does it for the paycheck......I guess nobody knew that Paulie LOL. Anyways the 19th of Septemer is Floyd Mayweather's comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, I like this fight people....Floyd is a counter puncher and so is JMM so it could go either way,could be both guys try to be careful and just try to edge each other on the scorecards but Juan Manuel Marquez will eventually not be able to resist going for the KO if you have HBO the countdown show for this fight Mayweather/Marquez 24/7 is on this Saturday check it out it so interesting to watch the training regimen. Anyways everybody hope all is good with you all if you read this and think I am crazy about the Diaz fight I welcome all comments/Feedback until next round......Ciao' everybody-David G
david@wecoversports.com

NBA Western Conference Race

2008-03-09T18:45:00.002-05:00

What were seeing this year in the NBA's Western Conference is amazing. 8 teams separated by 5 games with the Denver Nuggets sitting 9th and out of the playoffs just 7 games out of first or 2 games out of the playoffs. Also, the Hornets are currently in 5th just 2 games out of first place and the best record in the West. Every single game counts because it could cost teams not only playoff seeds but simply making the playoffs. The Sacramento Kings are currently 11th in the West, 17 games out of first, 12 games out of the playoffs yet they would be 8th in the East. Anyway, its going to be an outstanding finish this regular season in the West and even greater playoff. The good thing about all this is that the teams that get into the playoffs are all pretty much balanced so there really wouldn't be any unbelievable upsets this year like there was last year with the Warriors and Mavericks. The Warriors are currently in 8th just 5 games out of first place and can run the court with anybody in the league so them beating a top team wouldn't be all that crazy. I can't forget to mention the Houston Rockets either, 18 straight and counting, and six straight without Yao. I don't think they can carry this hot streak through the playoffs though without a dominant big man like Gasol, Duncan, or Shaq. I think top eight team in the West up to date are the same teams that are going to make it into the playoffs. I think the Lakers will finish with the number one seed and I think the Mavericks are actually going to finish 8th with the Warriors finishing 7th. As for those Denver Nuggets, I don't think their going to get in, which is honestly pathetic. As good as Coach George Karl has been in his career, if the Denver Nuggets really don't make the playoffs then his job should be under scrutiny because his team is stacked with talent and has two players (Carmelo and A.I.) in the top 5 in the league in scoring. They are just too inconsistent. There is still hope for them to get into the playoffs and if they can start playing good basketball right now consistently then they really can be a force in the playoffs. Being two games out of the playoffs right now is going to be really hard to catch up because I don't see the Warriors hitting a downfall as the season ends, especially with how they finished last season. I think The Lakers and Spurs will finish with the top two seeds in the playoffs and will end up meeting in the Western Conference Finals. As good as all the teams are in the West, I think its going to come down to the two best big men in the West with Gasol and Duncan. What a great matchup this will be with them two along with Kobe and Ginobli. ---CJ Prutch

Kobe or Lebron

2008-03-09T18:17:00.003-05:00

This is a really tough argument but I would have to give a slight edge to Kobe. I believe both Kobe and Lebron are at the top of their game right now and I also feel their are the top two players in the league to give the ball to if you want the best chance at winning a game but I have to give this award to Kobe. It's ridiculous that he doesn't already have an MVP award under his belt but if there is any season to do so its this one. Lebron is averaging 30.8 ppg 8 rpg 7.4 apg while Kobe's numbers are slightly less at 28.1 ppg 6 rpg 5 apg. I still give the edge in the MVP award to Kobe because the fact that the Laker's schedule is much harder than that of the Cavaliers and Kobe seems to be a bit better to go to in the clutch than Lebron. I think if Kobe was in the east and had less of a supporting cast around him he would also average what Lebron does. Its hard to really argue something like that but its obvious how weak the Eastern Conference is and I think that hurts Lebron in MVP votes. I think if you saw Kobe's game last week against the Dallas Mavericks then you might feel the same too. Either way, both players are great and we are lucky as fans to see these two players in action. There is no question these two will battle out MVP awards for years to come and this might be the closest race since Magic and Bird. I don't think either Kobe or Lebron really truly cares about the MVP award as much as they do leading their team to an NBA championship. I'd love to see them face each other in the finals one day. ---CJ Prutch

Farewell to a hero, make way for a rising star

2008-03-09T17:21:00.003-05:00

It's hard to imagine the Green Bay Packers without Brett Favre and I'm not even a Packers fan. For as long as I can remember Favre has been their Quarterback every single game. I can't imagine what Packers fans are going through right now, having to say goodbye to one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and one of the greatest idols in sports history. Even though Favre owns the touchdown passes, yards, and wins record by an NFL quarterback, the most impressive stat is his consecutive games started streak. Baseball's consecutive game streak by Cal Ripken Jr will never be broken and I believe the same thing goes for Favre's streak in the NFL. It's unheard of for a football player to be that durable for so long. I'm going to miss Favre's toughness, and how daring he is with some of the crazy passes he attempts, and am especially going to miss how he still has fun playing the game. Brett Favre is a for sure first ballot lock into the NFL Hall of Fame, but enough about him now because we all know how great he is; so what about Aaron Rodgers? I don't think Packer fans have anything to worry about with a transition from Favre to Rodgers. I think he is going to have a Steve Young type affect on the team where he will be able to step in there as the new starting quarterback and be successful, even after a legend has retired and his team went to the Conference Championship the year before. The one game that Rodgers did play last season was against the Dallas Cowboy's where he was outstanding. (18-26 201 yards 1 TD 0 INT 104.8 QB rating.) I think backing up Brett Favre and being surrounded by a lot of young talent, along with a great coaching staff and overall organization is going to help Rodgers fill in nicely for Favre. Rodger's has the arm and leadership to be able to keep this team at the top of the NFL for quite some time. Rodgers is just 24 years old, and if things go right, he really could end up finishing his career in Green Bay. I like him and I really believe Green Bay fans will feel the same way just after one full season. Nobody can compare to Favre's character, and maybe never catch his records but Rodgers could still bring Super Bowl's to Green Bay. ---CJ Prutch

POW!!

2008-02-28T20:20:00.002-06:00

Yes, I know how to spells Pau Gasol's name, but "Pow" is a nice way to describe what has happened to the Lakers since they acquired the big man earlier this month. The Lakers are 10-1 with Gasol and currently winners of 9 straight. They have the best record the Western Conference, just came off an 8-1 road trip, and look like the favorite to win the NBA championship this season...and oh yeah, Kobe is happy. Even though the Lakers had a respectable record before trading for Gasol, they definitely did not look like a championship team, more like a team with a lot of promise. This great move by the Lakers turned the team around, and this is without their other big man Andrew Bynum. It seems like the Lakers won't be able to lose another game once he comes back. Their starting five is just ridiculous and it seems like they blowout their opponents every night. The funny thing is their only loss in the last 11 games came to the Atlanta Hawks. Since acquiring Gasol and being 10-1, the Lakers are averaging 110.5 points per game, which is 2.7 points per game higher than their season average. They are allowing opponents to 97.3 points per game, which is down 3.2 from their season average and their average margin of victory the past 11 games is 13.2, which is 6.1 up from their season average. So the Lakers as a team are improving in every category on both offense and defense. Kobe Bryant for the season averages 27.8 ppg 6.1 rpb 5.4 apg. During the last 11 games his points per game dropped to 23.5 and rebounds to 4.9. But what I like is that Kobe is trusting his teammates a lot more and he is averaging 1 assist more per game over the last 11 games. It may not seem like much but it really is for him. Gasol's numbers are about the same as his season averages but what the has done to the Lakers is astonishing. He has not only improved their team but triggered trades by the rest of the contenders in the West. Teams realized that the Lakers are a force to be reckon with Gasol and they had to act quickly. I like how the pinky finger scare of Kobe Bryant faded away when Kobe decided to put 41 points up last game versus the Suns. The Western Conference is stacked and any team can beat the other in a playoff series but I truly feel the Lakers will represent the Western Conference in he finals and win. I don't think their is a team in the league that can hang with the Lakers in a seven game series. They are extremely fast, they score a lot of points, and lately have been playing great defense. Good job to Lakers on listening to Kobe to get him some help on scoring and not giving in by trading him away. He is one of the most talented players in the league, if not one of the most talented ever. ---CJ

URI Gymnastics

2008-02-17T15:30:00.003-06:00

University of Rhode Island Gymnastics team came out on fire at their first home meet and defeated Brown Unveristy 189.850-183.550. Your probably wondering why I am writing about gymnastics let alone URI gymnastics. Well the big news out of URI is they are replacing gymnastics with womens lacrosse. Its effect start of next season. Being a member of the media and shooting college gymnastic events I can't go into my full thoughts or tell you what to do, but I do recommend checking out the tips I give below to learn more about it.

One thing I have really noticed in shooting gymnastics the past couple of years is how close all the girls are and how much support they give each other. It really is a close knit community and I am glad to be able to shoot gymnastic meets every year.

Where can you learn more? The first place you can learn more is on facebook. The facebook group "Save URI Gymnastics" is the best to check out. The link is http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10180038645 Don't have a facebook account? Get one!!! Read about the group it will tell you everything you need to know.

Next thing I suggest is go to a meet!!! I wish I lived a little closer to Rhode Island to cover a meet, but Nebraska is far away! :) If you live in the area, I really suggest going and checking out the team.

What if you can't make a meet, then show your support and buy a gymnastics t-shirt. I contacted the URI bookstore and you can't buy the t-shirts online but you can order one by calling 401-874-2722, they only have sizes L and XL at this time.

I wish the URI gymnastics team the best of luck the rest of the season. You guys are an inspiration to a lot of people and stick together like I know you will.

What Else Can You Say

2008-02-04T21:07:00.000-06:00

The New York Giants pulled one of the biggest upsets in the history and I think everyone who watched last nights Super Bowl will always remember where they were at when they saw it all go down, the New England Patriots Empire that is. I canis 't help but get the jitters everytime I think about it and how every single player on the Giants must feel after pulling off a miracle. It's so exciting to see such a great team like The Patriots fall when they were on top of the world. 18-0 folks, 18-0! One more game, the only game that really matters, the Patriots can't win it. Give vredit to the Giants more than anything though. They did it, they did the unthinkable. Not only is it amazing that they were 12 point underdogs but more amazing at how they shut down the Patriots record setting offense and made Randy Moss and Tom Brady look human again. Eli kept his composure all game, and by the Giants scoring on the first drive, I really believe it set the tone for the rest of the game. The Giants came to play, and just like their players said, they didn't beat themselves before the game started like other teams. They came to play and they came to win, not to be just another road block on the Patriots road to perfection. They came to the Super Bowl and absolutley hit the Patriots right in the mouth and nobody saw it coming the way they did it, holding the Patriot offense to just 14 points and making Plaixco look like a prophet. It was clear that the Giants intensity was at a much higher level than the Patriots and you can really tell who wanted it more, not who wanted it handed to them. Congrats to Eli for overcoming any obstacle who would ever have to face in his career on being compared to his brother because now both Mannings have a ring. Congrats to Plaxico for being so confident in his prediction and congrats to Tom Coughlin for sticking to his hard nose style coaching strategy and finally getting his team to the big game again and winning it. Most of all, the Giants are awesome for not believing in the false sense of confidence garbage people said they have from their week 16 close loss to the Patriots. It was real confidence and it was the biggest tool they used in winning this game, believing they are the better team in the game and truly believing they can beat the ever powerful Patriots. For the first time ever last night I was really a Giants fan and for the rest of my life I will never forget how amazing Super Bowl XLII really was. Eli is the man and maybe one day it will be a Manning vs Manning Super Bowl!

Super Bowl XLII

2008-02-02T16:15:00.000-06:00

After two weeks of thinking about this game and if it is going to be close or not, I have finally come up with my prediction. New England Patriots 41 New York Giants 27. At first I was really thinking that the game would be closer, maybe a once score game with the Patriots still winning but my thoughts changed this weekend. After all the new speculation of spygate and the possibilities that the Patriots cheated when they first won a Super Bowl under Belichick when they beat the Rams in 2001; I have changed my mind and really think the game won't be as close as I had first thought. I think the recent news of the Patriots cheating is going to give the entire team a bit of a boost, even though I can't think of either team needing one because they are playing in the biggest game of thier lives. Either way though, I really think the spygate allegations is going to bolster the Patriots just like it did after week one when they were first charged. Also, this is Tom Brady's 4th Super Bowl, and he already has 3 Super Bowl MVP Trophy's, so he's been on this stage before and has performed great, so we can rule out any Super Bowl jitters. On the other end, there's Eli Manning. Now he has ben playing great throughout the playoffs and most of all, he is controlling the ball and the pace of the offense which has been a big issue for Eli in past seasons and playoffs. After winning 3 straight road games in the playoffs, the last being at Green Bay, and having played the Patriots really tough in week 16 (lost 38-35) I really believed the Giants would make this a close game until now. Not to say that 41-27 is bad but I just don't see the Giants coming within single digits of the Patriots, just because most of the Giants have never even played in the Super Bowl and Eli Manning hasn't played in a game this big in his entire life. Either way, the Giants are a fabulous team with extreme talent everywhere on both sides of the ball. They have the best pass rush, a dominating running game with Jacobs and Bradshaw and very talented wide recievers and linebackers. Now we all know the Patriots are amazing everywhere on both sides of the ball as well but I do think the Giants have more strength at the linebacker and running positions. In a nut shell, I think the the game will be close in the first half, with the Patriots getting an early lead, a close third quarter, then the Patriots pulling away in the 4th. I want to see the Patriots win, but I also want to see Eli and the Giants pull off what could be the greatest upset ever. NE 41 NYG 27.

Santana update

2008-02-01T19:08:00.001-06:00

Well I was close, the news just came out about the details of Johan Santana's contract extension with the New York Mets. Six-year, $137.5 million on top of the one year he does have left for $13.25 million, making this deal be 7 years $150.75 million! Wow, Wow, WOW. What is up with some sports reports coming out that the Mets wouldn't do this? They made the trade knowing how much it was going to cost and they did it anyway, making Santana the highest paid pitcher on average per season ever. Nice job Mets.

Big Deals

2008-02-01T17:59:00.000-06:00

There have been two big trades in the American Sports World this week and both were complete today. The first was between baseballs New York Mets and Minnesota Twins in which the Mets sent 4 minor league prospects to the Twins in exchange the highly sought after pitcher Johan Santana. Santana has arguably been the best pitcher in baseball for the past 4 years in which he has had 4 straight 15 win seasons and his highest era was last season at 3.33. Even though his era was up and his wins were down last season compared to the previous three season, Santana still managed 235 strikeouts and was still dominate almost every game. The Twins last year were plagued by early injuries and just never really got on the winning track the rest of the season, compared to winning the American League Central Division Title 4 of the past 6 seasons in which Santana played a huge part in that, if not the biggest. Santana will make a huge impact in the National League and now has the Mets in the driver seat as the team to beat. Already a team stacked with offensive talent the Mets last season lacked a strong starting pitching staff behind John Maine and in turn the Mets couldn't repeat their divison title. Johan Santana will get them back over that hump and the Mets really will be an amazing team and should finish with the best record in the NL. I also feel that he will lead the NL in wins and probably era. Its not a bold prediction what so ever, but a Cy Young should be in his hands by the end of the 2008 season. As for the Twins, they received 4 minor league prospects, 3 of which are pitchers. All have decent minor league numbers, nothing to turn our heads about just yet but the Twins have been very good about bringing players up from the minors and them having success in the big leagues. I can't wait to see how much Santana is going to get on his contract extension because he can definitely get above 7 years 125 million like Barry Zito got last season, and you know the Mets didn't do this trade without knowing what the cost was going to be.

The next trade was today in the NBA between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Mephis Grizzlies. I don't think the idea of this trade was ever surfaced and I really don't think fans saw it coming. The Lakers traded the 2001 number one overall pick center Kwame Brown, last years first round pick guard Javaris Crittenton and two future first round picks in exchange for center/power forward Pau Gasol. This trade is good for both teams but in much different ways. After losing Andrew Bynum to a knee injury on January 13th the Lakers have gone just 3-5 since. Kwame Brown has stepped but hasn't done much and has been criticized for not being nearly as atheltic as Bynum, I agree with the critics. Now, the Lakers look like they have a real shot at the NBA title this season, especially when Bynum returns. That will give them Bynum at center, Gasol and Odom at power forward, Derek Fisher at point guard, and of course Kobe Bryant at shooting guard. Now how is that for a starting five? I say best in the West. Is the NBA going to see two of the best NBA franchises of all-time meet in the NBA championship with the Lakers vs Celtics? Maybe its too early for me to bark something like that but I think it just might happen. Gasol has been a great player throughout his career but has just been on a bad team with the Grizzlies. Gasol is always around 20 ppg 9 rpg 3 apg and 2 bpg which are stellar numbers and any team would love to have him. Oh yeah, Gasol is 7 feet tall, just like Bynum. As for the Grizzlies, this trade was actualyl really good for them too if your optimistic because they are getting 2 future first round picks, and 2 previous first round picks, and it will open up some salary cap room. I'm happy for Gasol though because now he really has a good chance of winning a champioship before the end of his career. The Lakers are now in the elite teams in the west with the Spurs, Mavericks, and Suns.

**any stats used I borrowed from espn.com**

USC is #1

2008-01-01T22:03:00.000-06:00

Today's Rose Bowl game was an absolute massacre. Congratulations to the USC Trojans for dominating Illinois and thus proving that the BCS is jacked up. USC deserves to prove themselves vs Ohio State or LSU or in my opinion, Oklahoma. What a joke the BCS is, putting Illinois in the Rose Bowl when a better game would have been Missouri or Oklahoma.Not to say that Illinois isn't a good team, because they really are but USC is just that much better and I feel they would have done that to anyone they played. USC had a few injuries in the beginning of the year but now that everyone is healthy they just dominate everyone. Yeah they lost to Stanford, but who didn't get upset this year? At least they went on a good winning streak to end the year rather than lose within their last two games of the regular season like Ohio St and LSU did. What a joke this BCS system really is, there is so much proof this season to implement a playoff system. In every sport, the champion should be the only team to win their last game, that's what makes a championship team. I am a USC fan and am not being biast at all because 633 yards of offense and 49 points in the Rose Bowl against the number 13 team in that nation just goes to show you how good USC really is. Watch out next year when they go and play Virginia and Ohio St to start the season, not this weak scheduling like the Nebraska Huskers playing Western Michigan, San Jose State, and New Mexico State to start their season. I'm not trying to bag on the Huskers, but am a little peeved at some of you who told me that the USC Trojans are "posers" and will never be champions like the Huskers were in the 90's. Get that talk out of my face, the Huskers were definitely one of the best teams ever back in the 90's and USC is one of the best ever now in the 2000's. Pelini is an awesome coach, but come and talk to me when you play Virginia Tech rather than beefing up your win column by playing weak teams in the beginning to help your chances at getting into a bowl game because you will havea better record by playing guaranteed wins in the beginning. Back to USC though, great job Trojans and it looks like were going to see at least 5 players go in the first round of the NFL draft, probably more than any other school will have. One more note, Hawaii is on right now and thats a joke as well, maybe if they would play some harder teams during the regular season you would stand a chance against an SEC team, bravo BCS voters and the system for putting that game together. Hawaii should be playing Kansas or even someone like Texas Tech, they can't hang with the PAC-10 or SEC anyday. So many teams like Cal would go undefeated in the WAC, and it also looks like Colt Brennan can't hang with real teams in College Football, good luck going first round, I say Brennan is lucky if he goes late in the first round of the NFL draft, probably in the 2nd or even as low as the third. GO USC!!! ---CJ

16-0

2007-12-29T23:42:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to the New England Patriots on their amazing feat of an undefeated season. I think this is something sports fan may not see in the NFL for at least another 35 years and tonights game with the New York Giants really proves how hard it is to go undefeated in the NFL. The Giants were amazing by making the game so close but a true champion will prevail and that is exactly what the Patriots did. Brady and Moss was like watching Montana and Rice, or Manning and Harrison. I was a little said to see Jerry Rice and Peyton Mannings records broken tonight but either way it was amazing andI give my props to them on a job well done. The Patriots are well on their way to another Superbowl, Tom Brady will get the MVP with Randy Moss right behind him in the voting. I will tip my cap to the Giants as well for putting up such a good fight and espeically for not throwing in the towel as they easily could have. Instead the Giants wanted to stop the Patriots in their tracks rather than just letting them go undefeated. This game meant something not only to the players and coaches of the Patriots but just as much to the Giants who were last on the Patriots regular season schedule and the last hope for anyone who didn't want to see the Patriots finish with a perfect season. I would also like to thank the NFL for putting the game on more cable channels rather than just the NFL network and I bet they are also thanking themselves for it becuase the ratings had to have been exceptional. What a game. Now, how much longer is the string of greatness in Boston sports going to last? ---CJ

Heisman Race

2007-12-08T14:23:00.000-06:00

Tonight College Football will announce the winner of the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and it will probably be the closest race ever. Although I still believe that Tim Tebow should be the winner, I would also be really happy if it went to Colt Brennan. I think that Tebow had the best overall season of any single player and was most important to his team. He lead all players in overall touchdowns and is the best dual threat player in the game, 29 passing touchdowns and 22 rushing touchdowns is just amazing. I think what hurts Brennan is the fact that last year he had better season statistics than he does this year. Even though his numbers are always phenomenal, it would be hard to vote more for someone who had better numbers the previous year and didn't win. The edge Brennan has over the other candidates is that he is the quarterback of the only undefeated team in College Football this year and he holds 27 NCAA Quarterback records. A lot of coaches are saying the winner should be Darren McFadded. His numbers are great, he was last years runner up, and he already won the nations top running back award. McFadden's numbers have improved even from last year when he had an outstanding season and he plays in College Football's toughest conference. McFadden became a leading candidate after he helped Arkansas beat #1 LSU where he rushed for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns. The final candidate is Chase Daniel, who led the Missouri Tigers to a 10-2 season in which both losses came to Oklahoma. Daniel is a clear leader and has that x-factor that pro scouts like to see. Daniel is in the top 5 in passing yards and top ten in passer rating. I believe Daniel is a great quarterback and he does play in a great conference but I think he is just a bit behind Brennan and Tebow for quarterbacks. My pick is Tebow for Heisman since he was the best overall college football player this year. I know that all these players are incredibly talented and will all succeed at the next level. Its going to be one of the closest races ever, if not the closest. In order. Tebow, McFadden, Brennan, and Daniel. ---CJ Prutch

Sometimes I even stop thinking about sports.

2007-12-07T15:06:00.000-06:00

Before I get into what I really want to write about I thought with the heisman presentation tomorrow, I thought it was about time to slurp a little more Colt Brennan. A couple months back I saw Colt in person and put in this blog that he was amazing and I thought Hawaii could win out. Well they did! I am dissappointed they struggled with Washington, because if they would have won BIG over Washington I think they would have a case to play for all the marbles. Now after the season is over and if they beat Georgia I will be crying for a play off cause I would love to see them try and win the National Championship. If they lose to Georgia it was still a great season and I am happy I got to see Colt play this year.

I would love to keep talking sports and going off about sports, but this week sports has taken a backseat a couple of days this week. Monday I watched Sean Taylor’s funeral and to hear everyone speak and to see the video tribute it really makes you realize that athletes are human too. I am in my 20’s and I still look up to a lot of athletes and often times you forget how human they are. But to see the human side of Sean Taylors family, friends and teammates really makes you stop thinking about sports for the time being. I even got a little emotional Monday watching the funeral, the video tribute they showed was just amazing. One thing that I think helps people to move on is sports. The Redskins played last night and won, which I am happy for them.

The other thing that happened this week was in Omaha. A guy went to the Von Maur at Westroads Mall and opened fire and shot eight people and then killed himself. I live just 50 miles from Omaha and have been to that mall several times. For something like this to happen just really puts a little fear into you and makes you greatful for the things in your life. I usually watch sports everynight, but Wednesday night I was glued to my TV watching all the reports on what happened. Why someone would go and do this sort of thing I have no clue. We will probably never find out why this happened or what exactly set him off to do it. Its just a really sad story in a good city. Omaha may never be the same, but trust me, its still a city with good people in it. --- Bobby bobby@wecoversports.com

Bo’s A Perfect Fit

2007-12-04T14:51:00.000-06:00

On Sunday December 3, 2007 Tom Osborne and the Nebraska Cornhuskers announced Bo Pelini as the new head coach of their football team; the same day it was announced that the LSU Tigers would be playing in the BCS Championship game. Pelini, who is the defensive coordinator at LSU, is the best man for the job at Nebraska and I couldn’t agree more with Tom Osborne and his choice. The Blackshirts, who were once known as having a stingy defense, had lost their character in recent years under previous head coach Bill Callahan and the program took a turn for the worst this 2007 season when the Huskers had some of their worst games and losses in school history. The Nebraska Cornhuskers were one the dominant college football teams throughout the 90’s under Tom Osborne and also had a dominant defensive team under Frank Solich, with Pelini as the defensive coordinator. Many Nebraskans had hoped that when Solich was fired in 2003 that Pelini would get the head coaching job, instead they got Callahan and the rest is history.
After watching the press conference this past Sunday, it really made me feel good about the Husker football program and I’m not even a fan. Like Pelini said, “One of the unique aspects of this job…is everything it means to the state.” I don’t think Callahan had this same state of mind when coming to the program, and as a result, it brought the Huskers down. Pelini is totally defense minded and with that, he coached the LSU Tigers to three straight years of being ranked in the top 3 in overall defense in the nation and when he coached her at Nebraska, he had the defense lead the nation in turnovers and pass efficiency and second in takeaways and scoring defense, very impressive. On top of that, which really makes me a fan of Pelini, is that fact that he used to coach in the NFL along side Pete Carroll and under George Seifert with the San Francisco 49ers back in the 90’s when the 49ers were one of the NFL’s most dominant teams. I am a huge USC and 49er fan and knowing that Pelini has ties to these teams and coaches really makes me a fan and a believer that Bo Pelini will turn the Husker’s back in to one of College Football’s most dominant programs. Pelini being the coach and Osborne being the Athletic Director is going to have a great positive spiral affect. More players around the nation again are going to want to come to Nebraska to play football and hearing past players under Pelini, players want to win for their coach. Pelini is known for inspiring his players and Osborne took that into account when he hired him. You can tell that the Huskers had lost their desire to win this year after they played USC and that all attributes to the coaches. The coaches can’t let their season go just after one game, because it’s now how you start, but how you finish. Nebraska could have ended the season on a high note if the coaches knew how to inspire their players, but obviously they didn’t. Pelini has that x-factor that players need from a coach to succeed and I believe that the Nebraska Huskers will completely turn around their football program in 2008 and will have a winning record and strong defense. I am happy for Husker fans and players because Tom Osborne made the best choice with who should “restore the order” here in Nebraska by hiring Bo Pelini, but what else would you expect from Tom? Only the best right? ---CJ Prutch

College Football Mess Continued...

2007-12-04T10:26:00.000-06:00

The College Football bowl games are officially set and what a mess it has been. If you look up and down the BCS bowl games it is clear that there is a problem with the system today and it’s quite obvious that the BCS is all about the money. I can not believe some of the match ups that are going to take place when it is obvious that there are better match ups and more deserving teams that should be in the BCS bowl games. The first example of the mess is the National Title game itself. Now, with today’s ridiculous system, the Ohio St vs. LSU championship game is the right call, but this game is a true reflection of how bad the BCS system really is. I said a few days ago that with the way the BCS system works then the correct title game should be between Ohio St and LSU but that doesn’t mean that these are the two best teams. Since the BCS started there has always been controversy on who should play in the National Title game and who should play in the other BCS bowl games. The 2007 College Football season has proved that the only way to make the National Title game between to two best teams in the nation is to implement a playoff system. There really is no clear team right now that stands out as being the best team in College Football. I can argue that USC and Oklahoma should play for the National Title because they are both on fire right now and both are conference champions. But both of them lost to unranked teams in the regular season and for that reason it has held them back from being the top two teams. However, Ohio St and LSU don’t have a better argument since they both have lost to unranked teams and even worse, these two teams have lost within the last two weeks of the regular season. In my opinion, it shouldn’t always be who you lose to but also when you lose. If you lose early in the season, it gives a team time to rebound and catch up, just as Oklahoma, USC, Georgia, and Virginia Tech did. How is it fair that LSU has lost twice when being #1 and is still in the National Championship game? Not only that, why is it that LSU jumped 5 spots in the polls just because they beat Tennessee in the conference championship? Oklahoma crushed a much better Missouri team and Virginia Tech beat a much better Boston College team to win their conference titles. It’s not fair but it’s the way the BCS system. I think that of all the teams, Virginia Tech got the biggest shaft in this system. Virginia Tech was ahead of LSU in the polls before this past Saturday, they had a commanding victory of Boston College but somehow LSU still climbed ahead of them. Virginia Tech’s two losses this season are to LSU and Boston College and I think the loss to LSU is the reason that voters couldn’t put them ahead of LSU in the final poll since they got beat 45-7. Their loss to Boston College was a close one that was lost in the last 2 minutes of the game but they got their revenge this past weekend. For some reason voters just love LSU. No matter when they lose, how they lose, or who they lose to, it is practically impossible for LSU to drop out of the top ten or to not be mentioned in the National Championship. Why? I don’t know, even though I think they really are one of the best teams in the nation, just like I thought USC was earlier this year, if you lose to teams you shouldn’t lose to then it should hurt you. Even though LSU lost both games in triple overtime, they still did give up 50 points to Arkansas. USC didn’t give up anything near 50 points, either did Oklahoma. Another team that got the shaft was Missouri. Why is it that they lose both their games to Oklahoma but beat Kansas and somehow Kansas is in a BCS game? It’s because Kansas has just one loss, even though Kansas didn’t beat a top 25 team this season. Another laugher is the fact that USC is playing Illinois in the Rose Bowl. Are you kidding me? Illinois? I know they handed Ohio St their only loss but Illinois doesn’t deserve this. The only reason their in is because the Rose Bowl wants to keep the tradition of the Pac-10 champion vs. the Big 10 champion, but since Ohio St is in the National Championship, they bumped Illinois into the Rose Bowl. Illinois is an up and coming team but I think it would be a fairer and better match up if they could have put Missouri was in there. They can’t do that though because the BCS doesn’t allow three teams from one conference to play in a BCS bowl game, thanks voters for putting an undeserving Kansas in there. And what’s up with the Hawaii vs. Georgia Sugar Bowl match up? This could be interesting since each team has a completely different style but I think if the BCS is all about the money then they should satisfy fans and have Hawaii play Missouri or Kansas so we could see a shootout. Congrats to Hawaii though for finishing as the only undefeated team in Division 1 college football in what has been the hardest season to go undefeated. I really hope Oklahoma crushes West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl so voters can see that West Virginia and the Big East aren’t that good, but I do think with the way the system is that the Fiesta Bowl got the match up correct. The Orange bowl would be a great game too if Kansas wasn’t in it. I think they will put up a great fight against Virginia Tech but I don’t think they are deserving of being in the game. I like to see Missouri or Kansas vs. Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl and Georgia vs. Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Now those would be great game. Then to top it off, they should have just put USC up against either Missouri/Kansas and disregard the three team rule, or override the Big 10 and put Florida vs. USC in the Rose Bowl. The 4 major bowl games should include the 8 best teams not playing for the National Championship! One final note, if Tim Tebow doesn’t win the Heisman Trophy, then there is truly something wrong with the College Football system. ---CJ

College Football Mess

2007-12-02T11:24:00.000-06:00

Here We Go Again

The College Football regular season couldn't have finished any different. Number one Missouri gets crushed by Oklahoma and number two West Virginia gets totally upset by Pittsburgh. The Oklahoma win over Missouri wasn't a shocker, considering they had already done it once this season, but West Virginia had the National Title Game sitting right in front of them but instead, just like it has happened all year, a number two team falls to an unranked opponent. Coming into the game, Pitt was only 4-7! Crazy, just crazy. I think most fans wanted to see this or were at least praying to see this happen for two reasons. One, most people don't think West Virginia was good enough to be a title contender, and number two, it helps make another great argument for a playoff system. Now the real question is who should play in the title game. I'm going to give my "For and Against" with each team that makes a case to play in the National Title Game.

Missouri
For: Only two losses came to the Oklahoma Sooners...
Against: Two losses to the same team, didn't win the Big 12, lost on the last day of the regular season.
My Vote: No
West Virginia
For: Just two losses, one to a pretty good South Florida earlier in the season.
Against: they lost on the last day of the regular season to an unranked opponent, and they play in the Big East which isn't that tough of a conference. Put a power SEC, Pac-10, or Big 12 team in that conference and watch them roll up and down it.
My Vote: No
Ohio St
For: Only one loss and it was to an up and coming Illinois team, big wins at Michigan, Wisconsin, and Penn St. Big 10 Champs.
Against: Big 10 isn't as strong as it used to be, Buckeyes didn't play any tough non conference games.
My Vote: Yes
Georgia
For: Both losses are to pretty good teams (South Carolina and Tennessee) and are on a 6 game win streak.
Against: Didn’t win the SEC championship
My Vote: No
Kansas
For: Only one loss which came to Missouri so it’s not a bad loss
Against: didn’t play anyone else in the top 25 all season besides Missouri and they lost that game, not to mention they didn’t win the Big 12.
My Vote: No
Virginia Tech
For: Won 5 straight, ACC champions…
Against: Big loss the LSU early in the season and last minute loss to BC shows me that they are capable of blowing games and getting blown out
My Vote: No

LSU
For: Toughest Schedule of any team in this conversation, SEC champions, only losses came in triple Overtime to a pretty good Kentucky team and a pretty good Arkansas team.
Against: Has a loss within in the last two weeks, you can’t lose late in the season and expect to get in, unless you want to be like 2001 Nebraska.
My Vote: Yes
USC
For: One of the toughest schedules of the teams we are talking about, PAC-10 Champions crushed Arizona St and won 4 straight.
Against: The loss to Stanford kills them here, I can’t vote for a team that lost to one of the worst team in college football, and at home!
My Vote: No
Oklahoma
For: Big 12 Champions, big win against Missouri late and beat them twice
Against: lost to unranked Colorado and unranked Texas Tech
My Vote: No
Hawaii
For: Undefeated, and we saw last year that WAC teams can play with the big dogs (Boise St 42 Oklahoma 41)
Against: Don’t play a tough schedule and last night was a glimpse of how they would fair against a pretty good team at the least with just a 35-28 win over Washington.
My Vote: No
Arizona St
For: Great record especially for playing in the Pac-10
Against: lost to both Oregon and USC, the other top teams in the Pac-10, gotta win at least one to get in this argument.

Those were all the teams I feel that make an argument at least to play for the National Championship and with the way things are in the College Football System today, I think the National Championship game should be between Ohio St and LSU. Although I will say if there was a playoff system, the title game would end up being LSU and USC. I just cant’ see these teams losing anymore.

---CJ

A Legend

2007-11-28T07:36:00.000-06:00

Before Colorado State's final game of the season vs Wyoming Coach Sonny Lubick was asked to stepped down. He said no and that he wan't going to quit on his team. He wanted another year to turn around the football program. Well yesterday it was official, Coach Lubick is no longer the head coach of CSU. This is a sad day for all CSU Rams fans. He is an amazing coach, he was at CSU for 15 years and turned that program into what it is today. I don't think its fair they are basically forcing him out. For everything he has done for that program he should be allowed to stay for as long as he wants. CSU will not be same without him.

Sure the last four years has been rough, but look at Joe Paterno, they were wanting him to step down and he didn't. Penn State is back on the college football map with a couple of seasons in the top 25. Coach Lubick is a person that was well respected by his players, coaches, fans, and city of Fort Collins. Growing up I wasn't a big CSU guy. But when I lived out in Denver a few years ago, I became a big CSU fan and jumped on the band wagon. I make it to at least one game a year to show my support. Coach Lubick, you will be missed by everyone.

My final thought is of the Redskins Sean Taylor. As you probably have heard he has passed away from being shot. This was a cowardly act and I hope they find the person who did this. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and all of Redskins fans. As a Broncos fan, we lost two of our own over the off-season. I know how you feel Redskins fans, one of our own was gunned down as well.

Happy Holliday's

2007-11-20T14:18:00.001-06:00

Today Major League Baseball will decide who the National League MVP is. The American League winner was announced yesterday with Alex Rodriguez taking the MVP honor with an astounding 28 first place votes and an overwhelming 382 to 258 total votes over runner-up Magglio Ordonez. A-Rod finished with having one of the single greatest offensive seasons in Major League Baseball history and there really was no question that he would receive the MVP honor. It’s A-Rod’s third time that he was won the MVP in his career and his second with the Yankees. Now who does Major League Baseball choose in the National League since nobody really stands out over the each other as far as the three main candidates go? I say Matt Holliday all the way. Even though Jimmy Rollins and Prince Fielder had outstanding years and highly contributed to their teams success, I feel that Matt Holliday had the biggest impact on his team and in the National League. I won’t go over any statistics for these guys because Holliday and Fielder are in the top 5 for homeruns and RBI’s and On-Base Percentage and a few other categories as well. Jimmy Rollins is in the top 5 in hits, stolen bases, extra base hits, and a few other categories too. Holliday and Rollins separate themselves from Fielder though in batting average but I’m not going to use this information so much in my decision since all three have the stats to be named MVP. What this race is going to come down to is their contribution to their team’s success. Prince Fielder helped the Brewers finish second in the National League Central division, one of their best seasons in a at least 20 years, while Jimmy Rollins and Matt Holliday helped their teams reach the playoffs, and for Holliday, the World Series. I think what really separates these players too is who was around them and how it made the players around them better. Prince Fielder had rookie sensation Ryan Braun batting behind him, which really helped Braun’s offensive numbers, but not getting to the playoffs and having a lower batting average than Holliday and Rollins is going to hurt him in getting more votes. As for Rollins, when you think of the Phillies, you don’t only think of Rollins. They have Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, I think that Rollins play definitely helps those around him like Howard and Utley, especially with them getting more RBI’s since Rollins gets a ton of extra base hits and stolen bases; but at the same time, I think that Howard and Utley help Rollins. All three of these players are All-Stars, so to choose one guy from the team as an MVP doesn’t make prefect sense to me. I’m not saying that Rollins isn’t an MVP and nor do I think if he gets he doesn’t deserves it because he really does, but my vote for MVP is Matt Holliday. Holliday helped players around him have stellar offensive years. Troy Tulowitzki came out of no where like Braun and finished second behind him in the Rookie of the Year award. Also, Garrett Atkins had a career year, so Holliday makes a good case for contributing to the success of players around him. The reason I give him the edge over Rollins is because of the players he helped have good offensive years and getting the Rockies to the World Series. Utley and Howard have already proven themselves before this year as great offensive baseball players but Tulowitzki and Atkins haven’t. Also, some people don’t believe that the playoff picture should factor into the MVP race. I think it depends on the players in the running for the MVP personally because sometime there are people that have best offensive year ever but don’t get to the playoffs. If the Yankees didn’t make the playoffs do to what I think would be bad pitching, A-Rod should still be the MVP. In this National League MVP race, two of the players made it to the playoffs. I think that Holliday was the reason the Rockies made it and had one of the greatest regular season finishes in sports history. Rollins did close to the same by helping the Phillies catch the Mets in the National League East but Howard and Utley played a big role in that too compared to the rest of the Rockies. When Holliday was up to bat anytime in the post season it just felt like you were watching the one guy in the game who could do something great. Remember when he almost hit a walk-off homerun at home to take them to the World Series but instead it was a triple to bring it to extra innings? Amazing.

Anyway, I was just saying who I felt should be the MVP in the National League but obviously my say doesn’t mean anything at all because it was just announced on ESPN that Jimmy Rollins is the National League MVP. Good job Jimmy, so for what it’s worth, I voted for Holliday.

Hang on Kansas

2007-11-20T12:16:00.001-06:00

This year has been one of the craziest and most unpredictable years in College Football ever. However, there has been one common theme and that’s the number 2 team in the nation being upset. It started when USC lost to Stanford, then LSU lost to Kentucky, South Florida losing to Rutgers, then Cal losing to Oregon State, Boston College losing to Florida State, and our most recent with Oregon losing to Arizona. For some reason nobody can hang on to the number 2 spot in the BCS rankings or polls and it seems like every week a new number 2 is upset. One thing I do want to mention with the most recent one is Oregon is not the same without Dennis Dixon. I really think they would have won that game and probably would end up in the National Championship if Dixon didn’t get injured for the rest of the season. He is basically the Vince Young factor, the one guy who can completely take over a game and can single handedly win a game for his team. There goes the National Championship and there goes the Heisman, oh well, better luck next year. So this weekend there is a big chance that another number 2 team falls when Kansas takes on Missouri. Right now Kansas controls their destiny more than anyone else in the nation. There will be no controversy if they win out because they have to play the number 3 team (Missouri) and if they win that game then they play in the Big 12 Championship. So there is no way Kansas does not get into the National Championship if they win out because they will be undefeated and sitting in the number 2 spot. On the other end though, things could get real crazy here. If Kansas loses and continues the curse of the number 2, that means Missouri would move into the number 2 spot and would have to win the following week in the Big 12 championship to possibly go to the National Championship. If they win the Big 12 championship there is no guarantee for them to get in because they are like everyone else with one loss. Also, if Missouri beats Kansas, then loses in the Big 12 championship, who then is the number 2 team and who deserves to play in the National Championship? I think if that happens and LSU holds up, then they should play Ohio St, not West Virginia. West Virginia has not impressed me one bit and honestly, either has Ohio St. At that point I would not know who the right one to choose to play LSU and it only brings up what is brought up every year how there needs to be some type of playoff system. I didn’t mention Arizona State at all but if they win out, which means beating USC and Arizona, then they would make a great case (one which I will backup) to play for the National Championship because they are in one of the toughest conferences in the nation and their only loss would be against Oregon. I didn’t mention them at first because I think its going to be irrelevant because they are going to lose to USC this Thursday night. Go USC, coming off a strange loss to Stanford, only to be back in a position to win the Pac-10. Anyway, I can’t make any predictions or bold statements anymore about the National Championship because if Kansas loses, then it’s up in the air. If they win out, then hands down, bar none, Kansas belongs in the title game vs LSU. Don’t be surprised too if they pull what Florida did last year against Ohio State and go in there as heavy underdogs only to blowup the favorite and win. ---CJ

Can't be stopped

2007-11-20T12:15:00.000-06:00

While we still all are probably sick of hearing about the New England Patriots, I still feel like talking about them. I am totally impressed with everything they do and I am flat out amazed every time I watch them play. This past Sunday the Patriot’s absolutely murdered the Buffalo Bills 56-10 and had a halftime score 35-7. Some people really thought the Bills might do some positive things against the Patriots but that didn’t happen, and once again, the Patriots shut down the Bills only threat in Lee Evans by holding him to just 40 yards. It’s obvious that the Patriots are out to seek and destroy everyone in their path. Tom Brady threw 5 Touchdown passes without playing the 4th quarter, Randy Moss caught 4 touchdown passes in the first half alone, and Bill Bilichick didn’t stop the rain until it was more than obviously over when the 4th quarter started. You could see the upset Bills fans in the third quarter when the Patriots were still passing the ball, or going for it on 4th down. I think the Patriots are doing the right thing, and honestly, I think Bilichick was being nice by not playing some of his stars the whole game. Yeah it makes sense so the players don’t get hurt but at the same time, he is out to prove a point. The point is simple: nobody can stop the Patriots and they are not even going to let you think you can. If its 35-7 at halftime, it’s not enough. In my mind, if I was a coach it’s simple; if one team can put up 35 in a half, who is to say another can’t? Yeah it’s a little ridiculous to think the Bills can do it, but this is a game and the game is not over until the clock hits zero. A 56-10 lead in the 4th quarter is enough to take your stars out but I don’t blame the coach for keeping his team in until it got to that score. I like how the Patriots are going about their business. This is the NFL and coaches are paid to win, players are paid to perform, and fans pay to see their team win. With the early season “cheating” that went on, its makes total sense for the Patriots to run up the score and prove to everyone that no matter if they “cheated” or not, they are going to crush you. The Patriots will go 16-0 and will win the Superbowl to finish 19-0. I think some of the people like Don Shula and some other ex defensive back for the 72’ Dolphins (I seriously don’t know his name) that fueled the fire too for the Patriots. I highly doubt that the players and coaches for the Patriots really take it into consideration when they hear someone from the undefeated 72’ Dolphins talking about how the Patriots don’t deserve it, but I’m sure that it is in the back of their mind and it makes them go out on the field and prove a point. I think that destroying the opponent gets the media and ex Dolphins players and coaches to shut their mouth. Wow, you guys were undefeated, that doesn’t mean someone else can’t do it, and how childish do these guys look when they go on the air and bash the Patriots because they are so proud of their record. You don’t see Hank Aaron doing it to Bonds, when Bonds was in more of an asterisk situation than the Patriots. Back to the point though about how good the Patriots really are. Tom Brady is going to have the single best season for a Quarterback in NFL history, and Randy Moss is going to have the single best season for a Wide Receiver in NFL history. I saw Montana/Rice, which used to be touchdown tandem, then it turned to Manning/Harrison, but now it’s Brady/Moss, and its going to be that way for years to come. I am such a fan of Randy Moss now and listening to him after each game is very impressive on how much of a team payer he really is. He doesn’t take any credit for anything he does, he says its his lineman, quarterback, and coaches. I remember before the season started a friend of mine was trying to tell me that Moss would come in and ruin what the Patriots were trying to do and he is the last guy anyone would want when trying to win a Superbowl. I hope he’s eating those words now because I was on the other end of the argument saying that Moss went to the Patriots to become a champion and that he is going there to listen to what his coaches tell him to do because he is going to buy into their system and ultimately win a championship. I think he and the Patriots are well on their way. One thing the Patriots better do though soon is get a running game. Maroney was hurt so Morris stepped in, then he got hurt when Maroney came back. Both are not putting up big number, and when you watch the Patriots it’s basically and Brady/Moss/Welker show. I don’t think the lack of running game will catch up to them, because the spread offense is working magnificently, but to be complete, they will eventually need a running game, even if its in 2008 when their like 10-0 again. ---CJ

Miami Dolphins

2007-11-15T10:11:00.000-06:00

My good buddy and I were at a bar this past Sunday watching the NFL. His favorite team is the Dolphins and we started talking about them and what they needed to do. First of all the fins are 0-9, nothing is going right for them. So where do you start? We both agreed that Beck should be the starting QB. He is 26 years old and is ready to step into that role. What more do you have to lose? When your already losing, changing a QB will hopefully help. Just yesterday Miami announced that Beck will be starting this weekends game. I think that is a good idea, if he is your future might as well let him gain some experience this season.

The other thing we talked about was Ricky Williams. Where do you even start when talking about him? He has put that team threw so much. Well he is back in the league now and Miami has a tough choice to let him play or wait until the end of the season and try and trade him. I say let him play. What more harm could it do, it could only help you. Especially since that position is thin with the injury to the starter. I will say Chatman has stepped in nice for Brown, but I say get Ricky in there and let him play. If he plays well, then at the end of the season it will make him worth more if you try to trade him.

----Bobby bobby@wecoversports.com

Denver Broncos

2007-11-07T12:41:00.000-06:00

I know right now its tough being a Broncos fan. I know its a struggle to watch them and support them, but damn it Denver wake up. I am tired of hearing everyone say its time to part ways with Mike Shanahan. Do I have to remind you that if it wasn't for Mike we wouldn't have won back to back Super Bowls?

The reason the broncos are 3-5 is not all Mike's fault. There have been so many injuries this year with key guys. You can point to Cutler but first point to the run defence. I know Cutler isn't performing that well, but remember this is his first full year. Were not going to make the playoffs this year, I am ok with that. You give them the rest of this year and the off season and I promise you they will be back next year. Its hard to look ahead but sometimes you have to. We had really high expectations this year but its time to step into reality. Trust me I had high expectations this year for Denver too, but I realized it just isn't going to happen with a young QB and the injuries.

I have been dissappointed with the Broncos faithful this year. Alot of people have not been supporting the team and calling for everyone to get fired. That won't solve any problems, instead accept what is happening and stand behind your team. Isn't that what your suppose to do as a true Broncos fan? ---Bobby bobby@wecoversports.com

A Champion Arrives in LA

2007-11-07T11:06:00.000-06:00

Well my Los Angeles Dodgers finally did something that all fans can agree on, and thats hiring Joe Torre as the teams new manager. Torre, who comes from the New York Yankees after not re-signing their 1 year offer, is a huge pickup by the Dodgers. In 12 seasons in New York, Torre had the Yankees reach the playoffs all 12 seasons, including 6 AL pennants and 4 World Series Championships. On top of all that, Torre was the one thing that has kept the Yankees calm for the past 12 years. He's the best in baseball when it comes to manager/player relationships and the best when it comes to dealing with different personalities each player has. Torre knows how to combine star veterans with young players and be successful. This is seriously the best move the Dodgers have done in a long time. There are really only a few free agents out there that fans would rather have than Torre being signed. This is the first time in a long time where Dodger fans finally feel confident in the Dodgers GM decision. Torre is bringing along with him Hitting coach Don Mattingly and Third Base coach Larry Bowa. These are also going to be great moves by the Dodgers because they have had a lack of offense for years now, along wtih the fact that they haven't won a playoff series since winning the World Series in 1988; so it is good to get as much managerial and player experience in there as possible, espeically guy's that Torre wants in there. Listen to Torre, if he likes a player or coach and wants them to be a part of the team, then the Dodgers need to do whatever they can do accomplish just that. Torre knows what he's doing, as did Grady Little, who's contract was bought out so they can sign Torre. Little did a great job in the first half of last season, but once the team starting going under, and players starting pointing fingers, Little pretty much just sat back and didn't take action. Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent each had terrible seasons, and the only reason nothing happened to them is because of who they are. I think that the young guy's on the team should have been in over them once the season was toast, and quite honestly, the Dodgers should part ways with both of them and open up some finances to sign some other young big names. The Dodgers have everything they need now to be successful next seson except for a power hitter. There are plenty of players out there the Dodgers could use, like Miguel Cabrara, A-Rod, and Torii Hunter. I think if the Dodgers can sign just one of these guy's, then they have the prefect recipe for succes: Strong Pitching, Great Defense, Speed, Strong bullpen, and then...power offense. I am so happy the Dodgers got Torrwe becuase it shows that the Dodgers are trying to win a World Series ASAP. I don't want them to get rid of their young talent in exchange for veterans jsut so they can win now and I also don't want them to spend of ton of money to bring in a bunch of new guy's because it would be buying a championship. The best thing for the Dodgers to do is sign one or two good power hitters and one more starting pitcher like Johan Santana, combine all that with the young talent they have and some of the veterans they have, have Torre oversee everything as manager and boom, a World Series Championship should fall into place. Joe Torre is perfect for the job! ------CJ

Pats Come Back

2007-11-06T23:30:00.000-06:00

I would say that all football fans out there besides Patriot fans wanted the Colts to win this past Sunday's game between the obvious two best teams in the NFL. Down 10 points with under 9 minutes to play in the game, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots rallied to beat the Indianapolis Colts 24-20. The game was exactly what everyone expected it to be. Good offense and good defense. Tom Brady was a little off is usual numbers this year by throwing two interceptions, but he still had three touchdowns, two of them coming in the final 9 minutes of play. For the Colts, Peyton Manning was sub par, but still had an pretty good game considering the defense he was up against. Joseph Addai led the way though for the Colts by rushing and receiving over 100 yards each. The Patriots are now definitely going 16-0. If the Colts can't beat them, then nobody can. The Patriots won in Dallas and now won in Indy. The only road test left is at Pittsburgh, who I think will be a tough game but the Patriots will still win. At least for the Colts they can win when it really truly matters, and thats in the playoffs, most likely in the AFC championship. The only problem is the game is going to be in New England. People think the Patriots won't go 16-0 because of a few common reasons. One: only one team ever has gone 16-0, Two: The Patriots will be so far ahead in the division that they can't afford to risk starting their star players, and Three: They aren't good enough to go 16-0. My thoughts beg to differ. I think that if a team can go 16-0, then it can happen again. Also, even if the Patriots are so far ahead in their division there are a couple things they do have to play for near the end of the regular season. One of those things is that they will want home field advantage throughout the playoffs and the other is Bill Belichick's ego. After what happened with "spygate" and now Don Shula's comments about the Patriots needing an asterisk after this season is just pouring gas on the fire for the Patriots. With all that talk going around there is no doubt in my mind that The Patriots as a complete team, top to bottom, want to go 16-0 and shut everyone up. Honestly, I hope they do go undefeated because I would like to see it. I like the way to Patriots handle their business and quite honestly, I like how they run up the score. This is the NFL folks, and anything can happen, so why not make sure of a victory and beat the living tar out of a team if you can. ------CJ

Surprising Pac-10

2007-10-31T01:08:00.000-05:00

I'm a USC fan, and have some love for Cal as well (family reasons), but what is up with USC being 6-2 and Cal being 5-3? These were the two teams who were expected to run the Pac-10 and the game between them would basically be the Pac-10 championship. Not to mention that USC was ranked #1 for awhile there and Cal #2 for a week. Now we have Arizona State at 8-0 leading the Pac-10 and 5th in the nation, and Oregon at 7-1, second in Pac-10 and 5th in the nation. This was unexpected for any Pac-10 fan besides a Sun Devil and Duck. How great is it that these two teams play this weekend. The Pac-10 is just money this year. UCLA actually has a better conference record than USC and Cal. The game this weekend though between ASU and ORE is going to be phenomenal and if Oregon wins (my prediction to come later this week) Dennis Dixon needs to be up there with Matt Ryan for Heisman Trophy candidates. I think what happened to USC and Cal though is the fact that they are both fairly young teams. Both are obviously very talented but both are having mental issues. USC has a ridiculous amount of penalties every game and Cal has lost three straight now after losing the first one to Oregon State. I think Cal's problem right now is they haven't recovered from their first loss because their hopes were so high. Its a crazy year in College football, and don't be surprised if not one team finishes undefeated. ---CJ

A little premature Boras, and the rest of the MLB

2007-10-31T00:51:00.000-05:00

In light of the Red Sox winning the World Series, what happened to the publicity and congratulations they highly deserve? Just because the series didn't turn out to be a thriller like everyone hoped it would doesn't mean the Red Sox lose recognition. It hasn't even been a story that they won the World Series because of everything else going on in sports. Its the WORLD SERIES people! A season that included 162 regular season games and 14 post season games. This is something that should be recognized a lot more than it did this year. People all over were loving the Rockies because of their magical run, and they too deserve another round of applause for what they accomplished. That all got tossed aside during game 4 of the World Series when A-Rod's agent Scott Boras decided to break the news that A-Rod would not be returning to the Yankees in 2008. Why couldn't this wait? I understand that A-Rod is arguably one of the biggest names in sports and that people want to know but at the same time it could wait. It's the Red Sox and Rockies time to shine biggest they were on the biggest stage in baseball but instead we had to hear that A-Rod wouldn't be back on the Yankees. Big Deal! That news can wait and anything about the Yankees can wait when the Red Sox are playing in a game that could win them the World Series. It sickens me. At least Scott Boras had the courtesy to apologize today even though he probably only did because Major League Baseball was a little upset with his timing as well. Now we are hearing more and more everyday about the Yankees, like who's going to be their new manager, or who will file for free agency? I would like to know all of these answers but it needs to stop being hyped so much. I got so excited last night when I heard Joe Torre is the new manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers (I'm a Dodgers fan) only to find out a bit later that the Dodgers and Torre are only talking right now and nothing has been signed. Semi good news though was that Grady Little, the manager of the Dodgers, resigned today, meaning the Torre speculation could be true. I really hope it is because he is one of the best managers of all time but I don't want to hear about it until a deal is done. Apparently Joe Girardi signed with the Yankees today as their new manager, so that is good news for Yankees fans. I also heard that A-Rod might join the Dodgers, now I would really love that even though I'm not a huge fan of A-Rod. Anyway, we'll see how the rest of the week goes with these stories but I just wanted to get that out about the whole thing having ridiculous timing and it deteriorated from the Red Sox celebration. Oh yeah, one more thing...go Dustin Pedroia, that is my new favorite baseball player. The guy is from my Dad's hometown and is an awesome rookie! Hits for average, good speed, great defense, pretty good power, and most of all...he;s a team player and understands his role in winning a championship. ---CJ

Favre is an Animal

2007-10-31T00:45:00.000-05:00

How about that game last night? I'm not going to talk any trash to you Bobby about that game between the Packers and Broncos because I don't like either team. Brett Favre though is just so sweet to watch. I could not believe what he did to the Broncos secondary last night, James Jones burns Champ Bailey for an 80 yard touchdown early in the game then Greg Jennings burns Dre Bly for 82 yards to win the game in overtime?? Crazy! What I love about Brett Favre is the mentality he has. Apparently he isn't supposed to be this good because of his age. I think this season is mind over matter. Brett Favre feels that because he is on the field, then his team should win. I love that attitude because you can't beat a guy like that. Although the Packers do have a pretty good team around him except for the running game; it is still a surprise that they are 6-1. Brett Favre is hands down then NFC's MVP thus far. ---CJ

Band Wagon and Hawaii by Bobby Ericson

2007-10-29T14:47:00.000-05:00

People that know me know my baseball team is the Colorado Rockies. I didn't just jump on the band wagon this year, I have been a fan for a long time. What I don't get is how people that just starting slurping up the Red Sox can try and give me so much crap. Last week when we knew it was going to be Boston vs Colorado I had alot of friends who starting raising hell with me about it, saying how they were Red Sox. I couldn't beleive, people i've known for over a year are now telling me how good the Sox are. Whats even funnier I asked two of them to name 5 Sox players and they couldn't! How do you call yourself a fan?

I can understand you root for the Sox in big games. But I don't understand if your just jumping on the band wagon why your going to start stuff with a loyal Rockies fan who has supported them through bad and now good? If you just jumped on the band wagon you better watch who you start stuff with, I just think its funny when you can't name me 5 players and I can name almost the full roster.

This leads me into my next topic Hawaii. Yes I just jumped on their band wagon but you don't see me talking crap to the top teams fans. I hope Hawaii can play a LSU or Oklahoma in a BCS bowl game. If that was to happen I wouldn't talk any trash to their fans because I just jumped on their band wagon. I would just be hoping they win and keep my mouth shut win or lose.

I got crap for saying how good Hawaii was my last blog. They are really good team especially at home. There two close games was on the road and in rain. You take any team to their home field and Hawaii would hang in there and I might even take them to win. Colt is a great QB that understands Hawaii's system.

I can handle trash talking but not by people that just jumped on the band wagon of a team. Its ok if you jump on it but don't talk trash to loyal fans.

Want to email me? bobby@wecoversports.com

World Series 2007, Colts or Patriots, 0-16 by CJ Prutch

2007-10-24T19:54:00.000-05:00

World Series 2007

Tonight’s Game 1 of the 2007 World Series is going to be like none we have ever seen. On the American League side we have the Boston Red Sox who are one of sports’ most prolific franchises and were heavy favorites to win the World Series when the season started. The Red Sox have stars up and down the lineup with Manny, Big Papi, Beckett, and Dice-K, just to name a few. As for the Rockies, they have a lot of guy’s we’ve never heard of until this recent surge of winning. They do have Holliday, who should be the leagues MVP, and then plenty of young stars like Tulowitzki, Matsui, Fogg, and Francis, along with the face of the Rockies in Todd Helton. It’s just crazy to see this as the World Series, considering the Rockies have never been to the playoffs in their somewhat short franchise history up against the Red Sox who are the story-book franchise in baseball behind the Yankees. I like to say they are ahead of the Yankees now since everyone hates the Yankees and the Yankees don’t win the World Series anymore, at least not in the 2000’s. I think this series will go seven games and it will be everything fans want it to be. The Rockies aren’t going to fade away like some critics think because of the break they had after sweeping both teams in the playoffs. They are hot as ever and ready to take o the Red Sox. Unfortunately for them, the Red Sox are hot now too having won three straight while facing elimination. I think the difference in this series is going to be Beckett. He is the real deal and is the difference when it comes to each teams starting pitching. If Beckett pitches like he did in the ALCS then the Red Sox will win this series and they will probably do it in six. I don’t think Beckett can go to Colorado though and pitch like he has all playoffs. Coors Field will be rockin’ like crazy. What more would you expect though from fans who are seeing their team in their first World Series. Even though the Rockies are the hottest team in baseball, it still seems like the series is David vs. Goliath. I’m going to say that the Red Sox win this series 4-3 and the X-factor is simply going to be experience. I know that the young players on the Rockies don’t give a hoot about experience but the World Series is a whole other level and I think the experience of the Red Sox in this atmosphere will be the difference in winning the World Series. It’s going to be all about the pressure situations. I’m saying Go Rockies, but I think the Red Sox will be victorious.

Colts or Patriots?

We keep hearing this question all week and we probably will hear it until week 9 when the two teams square off in Indy. I don’t think we can pick who is better right now. Yeah, the Patriots are crushing everyone in their path, but the Colts still are the defending Superbowl champions and they are beating everyone as well. Each team is 7-0 and both teams are firing on all cylinders. I think that if each team wanted to they could go undefeated if they didn’t play each other but both Tony Dungy and Bill Belichick don’t care about being 16-0 anyway because it is the Superbowl that matters and having your team healthy and ready for the super bowl. Week 9’s match up between the Colts and Patriots might as well be the Superbowl since these are the obvious two best teams. The Patriots are ranked 1st in offense and 4th in defense, while the Colts are ranked 3rd in offense and 3rd in defense. So both teams are very balances and very powerful on both sides of the ball. Also, both teams have played pretty much the same strength of schedule so it is very hard to say who the best team is right now. Let the game decide who is best because numbers don’t mean anything until it is settled on the field. I am also hearing a lot of question about who is the better quarterback, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. I think this is a stupid question, both are obviously far better than any other Quarterback in the NFL and both have already proven their stature with the Super Bowl rings, MVP honors and their career numbers. Right now Tom Brady is having a better season, but he is competing against Manning for having the best season of all time. Both are 7-0 and both are favorites to be in the Superbowl. To me, it wouldn’t matter which Quarterback is on my team if it was between them two. Both are amazing and both will be everything you want in an NFL quarterback. I am not going to make a prediction on the game yet of who wins just yet but the game is going to be the best game of the regular season.

0-16

I was just talking about the two best teams in the NFL so now I think I would like to discuss the two worst teams in the NFL, and they would be the St. Louis Rams and the Miami Dolphins. I don’t think either team can seriously go 0-16 because that just doesn’t happen anymore but they each pose a serious case for that winless title. I think the Rams will get a win first because they are getting their stars aligned again. Marc Bulger is back of the Injured List, and event though he was terrible in his return I think he will be fine after a few weeks back as long as his weak offensive line can protect him some more. I also think that the Rams will get their first win soon because they are getting Stephen Jackson back, who was supposed to be one of the top 3 running backs in the league this year. Once they both get back, there is no way they can go winless with Bulger, Jackson, and Holt starting. Now for the Dolphins, their situation is the opposite as they keep losing players. First, they lose star Quarterback Trent Green to a concussion that will sideline him the rest of the season and possibly his career, then they trade their best Wide Receiver in Chris Chambers to the San Diego Chargers for 2008 draft picks, and then the worst news came this pat Sunday when they lost running back Ronnie Brown for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL. Ronnie Brown was the number one running back in the NFL thus far by being 4th in rushing yards, 2nd in rushing touchdowns, and 1st in receiving yards for a running back. Not to mention he rushed for 100 yards in every game leading up to last week. Personally, I’m bitter about Brown because he is on my fantasy football team, but that’s beside the point. With all this that has happened to the Dolphins one has to think that they could very well go 0-16 for the 2007 season. At least there is hope because they are in a division where they have to play 2-4 Bill and the 1-7 Jets twice. On the bright side they would get the number 1 pick in next years draft, maybe this time they won’t pass up a Quarterback like they did with Brady Quinn last year.

BCS and ROCK-ON by CJ Prutch

2007-10-16T12:05:00.000-05:00

The first BCS standings came out this past Sunday with Ohio State at #1, South Florida #2, and Boston College #3. Probably the most unheard of top three any of us have ever seen. I don’t think these standings will hold though, just like we have seen the last three weeks of major upsets. Starting at the top, Ohio State still has to play at Penn St, who just crushed Wisconsin this past weekend, and at Michigan, who has won 5 straight since there two upset losses to start the season. In between those two games they face off against Wisconsin and Illinois at home who are both 5-2 on the season. I really don’t think the Buckeyes will win all four of those games, especially the Michigan game. As for South Florida, they are a legitimate top 5 team. They beat Auburn at Auburn, and West Virginia at home when the Mountaineers were ranked #5 in the nation. South Florida still has to play at Rutgers this week, and at home against Cincinnati and Louisville. Although Rutgers and Louisville have been a disappointed thus far, I think they both have the best chance of upsetting South Florida. I’m calling it for this weekend, Rutgers beats South Florida. Now Boston College really hasn’t played anybody worth noting besides Georgia Tech this season. The real test is this weekend when they face #11 Virginia Tech at Blacksburg. This game is going to be a good one but I think the Hokies will outlast the Eagles. I strongly feel that LSU and Oklahoma are the two best teams in the nation even with a loss. No team will go undefeated this season so LSU should be in the title game. The Tigers do have a tough schedule the rest of the season compared to Oklahoma but they have had on all year anyway. What is also amazing about the BCS standings is how far down USC is at #14. That’s where they deserve to be right now because of their huge upset loss to Stanford and the same with #2 Cal who just lost to Oregon State. Look out for #8 Arizona State, who lead the Pac-10 and have a 7-0 record. This team is the sleeper in the Pac-10. USC and Cal will be back at the top by the end of the season and USC could make a case for the national title if they can beat Cal and Oregon on the road, and Arizona State on the road. It’s the Pac-10 though and anyone in that league can beat any team.

Well the Colorado Rockies did it tonight; they are going to the 2007 World Series. Unbelievable! This team just won 21 of their last 22 games, arguably the most impressive winning span in sports history. Not only that, they are the first team ever in the wild card type playoff system to sweep the division series and championship series in the playoffs. Matt Holliday for MVP, I know your not supposed to include the playoffs, but the guy is amazing, he did it in the regular season and he has done it in the post season. The Los Angeles Dodgers were saying the Rockies are the best team in the National League back in the middle of September when this ridiculous streak started and it’s true. Colorado has just got to be going crazy right now, but can this continue in the World Series? It has to, even though they have to out the streak on hold for probably another week because of the Red Sox and Indians series, the Rockies are a well balanced team that is very capable of winning the World Series.

Nebraska Football News by Bobby Ericson

2007-10-15T14:46:00.000-05:00

Breaking news: Peterson fired as Nebraska’s AD. All I can say is about time. What I don’t get is he graduated from Nebraska and grew up in Nebraska. You would think he understood what Nebraska football meant. When he came in and ran Solich and his staff out, I knew the program was in trouble. I don’t know where Nebraska football is going to go from here, but I do know they are much better off without Peterson. Now they need to get rid of Callahan and get a fresh start. Bring in someone that knows and cares about Nebraska football.

College Football by Bobby Ericson

2007-10-14T20:00:00.000-05:00

If your not a fan of college football you need to be. In fact how could you not be? I can't recall another year where it seems like everyweek the top team or two get beat. What does that mean? Look out Ohio State! Looks like they will be next to lose, but don't count on it quite yet. Doesn't this crazyness have to end at some point? Who knows, all I know is i've really enjoyed this football season. I think one thing that makes college football even better is how smaller teams now can compete with the big boys. Now when it comes to college football I really enjoy just watching the game, I cheer for several teams any given week.

I live in Lincoln, so you know what the mood is like around here. Everyone is calling for Callahan to get fired here in Lincoln. I live and breathe Denver Broncos football and the people that live here live and breathe Nebraska football. I understand where they are coming from. I actually wouldn't mind seeing the coach get fired. He shows no emotions and I don't think he cares about what Nebraska football is about and what it means to this state. Alot of people around here want to get back to option style football, but I don't think running just that style will work anymore. Defenders have gotten bigger and stronger and if that is your heart and soul of your team, then I think your in for a long season. What Nebraska needs is a coach that has Nebraska ties. By either playing here or coaching here before. Someone that understands what Nebraska football is.

With all the upsets this year you still have your cinderella teams. Right now that is South Florida. How can you not be cheering for these guys. I know Boston College is saying what about us, but you have been there before and USF hasn't. The other team I want to mention is Hawaii. This is a fun team to watch. Now I know they struggled against Lousiana Tech and just this past game against San Jose, but there problem is they play down to competition. Both those games were on the road and they should have easily won. I got to see Hawaii in person this year against UNLV. Half the crowd was wearing green and Hawaii played very good. I think Colt Brennan is a great QB. His only problem is he seems to get injured. He is still very dangerous hurt or healthy. I would like to see Hawaii play in a BCS game, like Boise State last year. I think they could hang with the bigger programs. For them to make a BCS game they will have to beat Boise State, which I predict they will. Above is a picture I took of Colt at the UNLV game.

My last thought is the Rockies. As I am writing this they are playing in game 3 of the NLCS. They are ahead 1 to 0 in the 3rd inning. What an amazing run and makes for an amazing story. If this was an east coast team I think everyone would be talking Rockies, but since it is the Rockies there just isn't much chatter about it. Go Rockies!!!

CJ Prutch's latest blog:

2007-10-13T13:12:00.000-05:00

Patriots vs. Cowboy’s:

This Sunday, football fans are going to get a glimpse of what could be this years Super Bowl as the New England Patriots take on the Dallas Cowboys. Both 5-0 teams look to stay undefeated when the two teams square off in Dallas. This is a very good match up on paper as the Patriots rank #2 in overall defense and #2 in Overall offense and the Cowboys are at #8 in overall defense and #1 in overall offense. What’s more intriguing about this match up is the star battle at wide receiver between Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, the original 81 vs. the new 81. I heard some talk in the beginning of the football season how these two players are going to back to their old ways and be all talk and just cause problems on their respective teams. I think T.O. is too unpredictable for me to say he won’t do that this season and we did see the ol’ T.O. this week when he left a letter for reporters regarding the real #81.I like that T.O., it brings attention to himself which gets him hyped up for the game and normally boosts his performance. As far as Randy Moss goes, there is no way he will act like he has in the past while wearing a Patriots uniform. Moss went to the Patriots to be a part of a championship franchise. He has done everything this year besides cause controversy. Tom Brady is having an MVP year particularly with a lot of help from Moss and on the same note, Moss is having an MVP year thanks to Brady. On the other side of the ball, the Cowboy’s have Tony Romo. Even with the 5 interceptions and 1 lost fumble this past Monday night against the Bills, Romo is still the NFC MVP thus far. Even with the 6 turnovers he still showed great poise and champion character as he lead the Cowboy’s to an improbable comeback victory. T.O. may not be putting up the best number so far but they are still good, and is presence on the field is opening up holes on defense that is helping Jason Whitten and Patrick Crayton have career best years. I think this Sunday because the game is in Dallas the game will be really close but the Patriots will still win 27-24, but we’ll see them again in the Superbowl.

USC:
Ok I am a USC fan and am still recovering from last week’s unbelievable loss to Stanford but I’m going to try and move on and talk about this weekends game against Arizona. Though first, I would like to applause the Stanford Cardinal for pulling out one of the biggest upset win’s in College Football history and maybe even all of sports history. How is it that a team with 35 straight wins at home and ranked #2 in the nation and have the most talented team top to bottom lose to Stanford!? I don’t know, but good for them and good for Tavita Prictchard, Stanford’s starting Quarterback. who lost his father earlier in the week and dedicated the game to him. If there was any good that came out of this loss for USC fans it’s the perseverance of this Quarterback. Now this weekend the USC Trojans will be sending out backup QB Mark Sanchez due to John David Booty’s broken finger. I think Sanchez is going to have a huge game and it’s a great game for him to start by facing Arizona who is 1-2 in the Pac-10 and 2-4 overall. Sanchez is a much more mobile Quarterback then there has been in the past with Booty, Leinart and Palmer, but this type is Quarterback is the type USC fans have been dreaming of. A good passer and runner with that type of talent around him could be unbeatable. The road is tough ahead, but USC comes out big on this one 41-17.

USC at #10:

I’m just going to gripe about this for a minute. I know that USC was upset by Stanford last week against Stanford, I know they were 41 point favorites and I know that USC had won 35 straight at home but was it really right to drop USC to #10 in the AP poll? I don’t think so, yeah it probably because I am a USC fan but there is common sense involved in my feelings too. Just because South Florida and Boston College are undefeated does not mean they are a better team than USC. USC would crush those two teams, have you ever watched a USC game compared to one of their games? Yeah, they’re good team but not good enough to beat USC. And for that matter, South Carolina and West Virginia have no business to be ranked above them either. The loss to Stanford was a fluke and maybe with a loss like that they deserve to be ranked that low, but at the same time you have to believe that there is no way USC would lose to any of the teams ranked above them besides maybe LSU and Cal, that’s it! Oh well, the Trojans have an uphill battle the rest of the way and when they knock off Oregon and upset Cal, they’ll be considered again for the National Title game against LSU.

How about that NL West:

It’s about time that the NL west gets the recognition it deserves. Everyone used to say it was the NL worst not the NL west. Well it should be the NL best because that division is tough. I predicted the NL west showdown to be between to the Padres and Dodgers, just like many others. This year though we got the D-backs and the Rockies? Wow! That’s baseball for you though, anything can happen. These teams are no fluke and being in the NL championship series is right where they belong. The D-backs came in with the best record in the National League while the Rockies came in as the hottest team in baseball by winning 14 of their last 15 regular season games before sweeping the Phillies in the first round of the playoffs. Both teams are backed by great young talent around a few good veterans. Both teams have rookie of the year candidates with the D-backs rookie Outfielder Chris Young who led all rookies with 32 homeruns while the Rockies have Troy Tulowitzki who belted 25 homeruns, the most ever by a rookie shortstop. You can look up and down both lineups and see many players you have never heard of but when you look at their number its incredible. The Rockies offense is just stacked with speed, average, and power. Matt Holliday should be the MVP for leading this team to the playoffs and leading the NL in batting average and runs batted in and fourth in Homeruns. Holliday was closest person in baseball this year besides A-rod to the Triple Crown. There is no doubt now that the NL west is not a joke division. The reason the past few years that it has looked so weak is the fact that it has been so balanced. Every team in the division is comparable unlike other division where you have teams like the Yankees and Devil Rays where they may be separated by 30 games. This year 3 teams finished within 1.5 games of winning the NL west and now we have two of them playing to go to the World Series. The best division in baseball is still probably the AL East but the NL west is definitely the most exciting. Rockies win this series 4 games to 2.

College Football Top Ten:

Don’t get too excited by this week’s top ten college football teams because this year has been crazy. Two weeks ago we saw 5 of the top ten teams lose which scrambled the top ten last week, then last week we saw 3 more top ten teams lose. So there is really no good way to make the top ten teams right because I don’t think the rankings really show who is better than who. Now LSU, Cal, and Ohio St are far better than everyone else right now, but I think other teams like Boston College and South Florida are not top 5 caliber teams. I feel that USC and Oklahoma, even as far down as Florida and Texas are better teams then BC, SF, and even West Virginia and South Carolina. I am sad to say that the BCS rankings this year are a better determination of the top teams in than the nation than the polls. By the end of the year the real top ten teams will be there and I don’t think this year there will be too much controversy with the system, even though I hate the system and dream of a playoff. In the end, I don’t thin anyone can really compare to LSU, and Cal will make it to the title game if they can hold off USC, since nobody else has a chance of stopping them. The only controversy we’ll see is if Ohio St and Missouri stay undefeated because those teams still have a tough schedule the rest of the season.

2007-10-11T14:09:00.000-05:00

We Cover Sports just started this blog, here is recent writings from our website.

October 2nd, 2007: MLB Playoff Predictions

Round 1:Rockies over Phillies D-Backs over Cubs Yankees over Indians Red Sox over Angels
Round 2:Rockies over D-Backs Yankees over Red Sox
World Series:Yankees over Rockies in 7 games

August 19th, 2007: Shuck TJ Simers of the LA Times

Below is my article in responce to TJ. You can find his original article right after mine in bold print.

I am directing this straight to you TJ, so I really wish you can somehow read this with such a dumb head full of stupid thoughts. What a ridiculous article you wrote about the Nebraska Cornhusker football team and even more pathetic is what you wrote about their fans. There are a few things you did get correct in that article so I will commend you on how there really are no 7-11’s in Nebraska and people probably don’t know what a slurpee is, but who cares man. If you’re bringing slurpees into the mix to rip on a state and their people then you really are pathetic, and you sound fat too. Why are you talking about Nebraska women and their “big butts” and how when they sit down after the National Anthem they are going to break the seats and all that crap your talking about. Maybe they are bigger here in Nebraska, I don’t know, pretty sure America as a whole is fat and your probably fat too, we know your head is at least, and I’m just talking about the one on your shoulders, because I doubt there is anything downtown if you know what I mean. Sorry that your women are all skinny little bulimic chicks that think eat and 5 minutes later feed it too the toilet. Let me give you a little background of myself and why I am backing Nebraskans in this article. I am from California, and even more so I am from LA. I am a die hard USC fan and strongly believe they do have one of the greatest teams this year ever in college football and I do believe they will win the National Championship. I usually talk crap to my buddies out here about how badly the Huskers are going to get beat by USC but I never get personal with it like you did, bagging on their state, bagging on their values, their women, and their intelligence. Its Jackass’s like you that make Californians look bad to the rest of the country, especially out here in the Midwest. I will also have you know that I moved to Nebraska 4 years ago to go to school and to play college baseball. It worked out great and I love it. Now trust me, I can’t wait to get back to California once I am all done with school but there is no real hurry. The people out here are great people with great values. Nobody out here would ever write such a personal beating of an article like you did because people out here just aren’t so gutless and heartless. Good for you TJ, you wrote an article ripping on Nebraskans because you are just so much better than everyone because your from California. Dude, get that out of here. I was at the National Championship at the Rose Bowl when the Huskers got dominated by Miami, but oh well. This was even before I knew I would end up in this state. At that game I met some of the nicest people I will ever meet. Yeah, Nebraska doesn’t have much out here but it does have good people. It’s not their fault they don’t have any pro sports, so why wouldn’t they have so much love for their Huskers. Husker fans are arguably the greatest fans in College Football. They had over 75,000 Husker fans at that game alone, that’s dedication. Are you ripping on their dedication? Are you making fun of Husker fans because they love their team? You sound like the type that will bail on USC if they lose a game this year. I am so upset with your stupid article because I do live here and I am a USC fan from California who knows what it is really like out here, and it’s not like you say. Not all people like to sit in traffic and ruin their lungs by breathing in smog all day and have to deal with a million illegal immigrants everyday. Oh yeah, they don’t get as excited about Wal-Mart as much as you think they do, they actually don’t like Wal-Mart all that much because the people here are traditional and on top of that, they do have Direct TV out here, so, get you facts straight. There is so much more I can get you for but how about you do come here for that game and show your face. Wear a name tag too because people won’t know who you are but when they do, get ready to take it. You may have the last laugh because USC will win, but you trip home is going to have you second guessing you ever wrote such a ridiculous article like that. One last thing, you said you wouldn’t last a week out here because there are no slurpees, your right, you won’t last out here. It’s not the slurpees; it’s your big mouth, which needs a fat corn cob stuffed in it.
USC will be playing in Nebraska on Sept. 15, and I will be joining the greatest football team ever assembled as they strike out into the wilderness. If possible, I'd like to spend time boarding with some corn cobs, maybe getting a smell of what it's like to be around livestock — then leaving Lincoln to move around the state and spend a few days here and there. A stop in Wahoo at the Wigwam Café is probably a good start, but I was thinking it'd be interesting to stay with a real-live-boring Cornhuskers family somewhere out on the prairie so I can feel what it's like to have nothing to look forward to in my life other than a Saturday afternoon football game.I'll be going to Nebraska early in the football week, and while I'm not sure what corn cob hospitality is like, I'd like to remind folks that when they came to L.A., I tried to help. Remember when the Cornhuskers came to the big city to lose in the Rose Bowl? Everyone here knows there are no individual seats — just long benches for the skinny people who live here.I was looking out for the corn-fed porkers, of course, including all their big-butted women, when I told them that if everyone sat down after the anthem, there were going to be people falling atop each other at the end of each row.A number of corn cobs e-mailed to say they were unhappy with Page 2 but thrilled now to have their very own Internet machines.They also wanted to tell me about their wonderful lives, kids and the modern facilities being built right down there by the creek. Well, there's nothing like a Wal-Mart coming to town to excite the locals, so I was thrilled for them. But for some reason that didn't come across in our correspondence, and there might still be some hard feelings.I got to thinking last summer, though, as I drove the family-that-I-used-to-love across Nebraska in a RV what it must be like to actually live there most every day of your life. I can't remember for sure if it was Nebraska or Kansas where I saw a tree, but it just seemed as if there wasn't much there. That's why the corn cobs love their football. It's all they have, everyone wearing red, and sitting there like plump, ripe tomatoes with corncobs stuck to their heads, singing, "There is no place like Nebraska."Hard to argue. There's not a 7-Eleven in the entire state, thousands of people never once tasting a Slurpee, which got me wondering whether I could live that way for a whole week.I know there aren't a whole lot of cities in Nebraska, but I'm willing to spend a few days out yonder with a family if someone would like to show me what it's like to live without DirecTV and not ask me to kill a chicken for dinner. I can play checkers if forced, though, or make a run to the Feed Store. Right now I'm willing to go wherever the corn cobs tell me to go, and while several have already done that, I'd like to see for myself they're not talking about some place in Nebraska.

August 13th, 2007: Senior Comeback

Apparently there is a handful or two of retired NBA players considering making a come back. I guess Penny Hardaway jus signed a contract with the Miami Heat, bringing him back over 15 years ago playing with Shaq. But there are more, Reggie Miller is considering joining the Boston Celtics and Charles Oakley, Allen Houston, and even Dennis Rodman and Arvedas Sabonis are some names being tossed around as possible comebacks. I don’t blame any retired NBA veteran to make a comeback. Honestly, I would love to have one of those guys one my team just because of their experience. Look at Robert Horry. The guy gets to play on a winning team that just won a NBA title and has a good chance at continuing to do so. There are a ton of guys around the league that are 19, 20, and 21 years old that I feel have to business starting in the NBA. I think the retired veterans are sitting at home realizing that at 40 plus years old, they are better than some of the guy’s they see playing on the court. If these guys are just sitting at home, feeling that they can contribute something to an NBA team, then they might as well try. Why not go back, make a million dollars, play maybe 10 minutes a game and live the NBA life for another year or two. At the same time, they might as well just try and join a winning team that could use a veteran off the bench to make a big shot or to take up some space for some rebounds. I think it is a great thing if some of or all of these older guys do comeback. I can’t stand some of the teams out there who have guy’s on the team who we have never head of and honestly don’t feel like they will ever be a superstar. I would much rather have a seasoned veteran coming out of retirement on my team than some 19 year old kid who can’t make a big shot. Ok, the ones who are good enough to start should stay on the team, but some teams out there just have terrible bench players. I’m talking about these veterans coming back and being bench players. I think they are too old and slow to start and keep pace with the younger guys during a game but are definitely better to have late in a game to make a big shot or to drain some free throws. Another reason to come back is to just go out and have a good time with some players they used to play with and be friends with. Penny is going to have a blast playing in Miami with D-Wade and Shaq, even if he has a limited role, and Reggie Miller would love to be playing along side Garnett, Pierce, and Allen. Why not make a comeback you guys, I think it would really help the game get some more fan attention and really get some of the fans back that are starting to doubt the NBA anymore because there are so many young people playing now. A team with a few retirees is going to be much better than a team of young guys just because of experience, not talent. Not only will the team be better, but the young players on those teams will gain so much knowledge just playing long side and practicing with these guys who are considering coming out of retirement. I think it is a great thing if more comeback and am all for it.

Bonds

I would like to give my thoughts on Barry Bond’s recent breaking of the prestigious All-Time Homerun record. I understand anything and everything people have to say about how there should be an asterisk next to his name because of the steroid allegations and how he shouldn’t be praised for the record. Well, I am taking a different side to this one. I do believe Barry Bonds took steroids and I do feel that it did help him in his recent surge of homeruns over the past 6 years. The guy never hit over 50 homeruns in a season then busted out for 73 in 2001. Yeah, something strange happened. When watching the game the other night, when he was still sitting on 755, I truly wanted to see him break it. I do have the utmost respect for Hank Aaron and still feel he and Babe Ruth are the Homerun kings but I wanted to see history. Maybe it is tainted history, but still, it is history. The tainted part is what makes it cool to see too. We get to live in a time where there is what I feel, the best single sports record someone can have being broken but at the same time it is so controversial. This is what helped me really want to see it being broken because not only is there faults to baseball right now, but there are faults and scandals in all major sports. Now, let me get to the real point. I have played baseball my entire life and am not a Barry Bonds fan but do respect him. He gets so much scrutiny and media attention because he is now the poster boy for the steroid era because he is the one breaking the records. There is a good chance that over 50% of all major league baseball players have used steroids sometime in their career, but since Bonds is the one breaking all the records, he is the one labeled as a cheater. It’s safe to say that the performance enhancing drugs helped him the most but also helps bring him down in the public eye. I am still excited about the record and am not going to bring it down until he is proven guilty besides the fact of him gaining about 50 pounds and having a much larger hat size. The thing that makes me respect Bonds though still is the fact that no matter how much steroids or whatever it is he took, he still has to physically be able to see and hit the ball out of the park. It is the hardest thing to do in all sports and he continues to do it. Who is to say that the pitchers he faces aren’t or weren’t on steroids at the time. It‘s sad that it can’t be a clean record but at the same time, he still has amazing talent to do what he did. If you know anything about baseball, you could see that Barry Bonds has the best power hitting swing and best hitters eye in baseball. Steroids don’t help you swing the bat, they give you strength. I don’t think that too many of Barry Bonds homeruns over the last 6 years were ones that we could say wouldn’t have left the park if he wasn’t on steroids. Either way, I respect him and am happy for him to do what he did and I will not bring him down until he is proven guilty. I respect everyone opinion that feels he should not have the record because it makes sense. What makes me upset with fans is the ones that think Bonds is an arrogant jerk. Nobody should be saying anything like that until they have actually met the man. I have met Bonds, about 7 years ago, right before he broke any record. Maybe this is why I still respect him and don’t care if he took steroids but Bonds was a very nice man to talk to, he didn’t act anything like one would expect. I happened to meet him at a golf course and talked to him about one of the holes. It was a simple conversation, I didn’t ask for an autograph or anything like that because the conversation meant more to me than an autograph. Since then I have had nothing but nice things to say about Bonds, even when I do boo him because I am a Dodgers fan. If Bonds is going to be taking all this heat about steroids because he broke a record then everyone else in baseball needs to be questioned as well just for stepping on the field to play. If he is a cheater because he is breaking records, others that look like they are on steroids are just as guilty. Let’s wait, as fans, to get a verdict on this situation before pointing fingers.

August 4th, 2007: Hotlanta

The Atlanta Braves, without a doubt, had the best trade deadline acquisitions. Although they did give up a lot of future stars, they grabbed the best available offensive player with Mark Teixeira. Not only is this pickup going to help them right away in their hunt for the East Division title and playoffs, but Teixeira is a player that fits right into Atlanta and could be there the rest of his career. The Braves lineup is stacked now even more then it already was. They have speed and power and a great mix of young and veteran talent. If you look at their lineup from top to bottom there is really no weak spot. Their 8 hitter Kelly Johnson is silently hitting .300 and is one pace for over 20 homeruns and almost 100 RBI and runs scored. Andruw Jones is having one of the worst years of his careers, which deflated his market value considering he is a free agent at the end of this year. I think he will have a much better second half and some of that will be because of the recent pick up of Teixeira. With Renteria, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Jeff Francoeur, and now Teixeira, the Braves now have one of the best, if not the best offense in the National League. The only contenders on offense are the Mets and Phillies, who just happen to be in their division. The East division race is going to be amazing this year, like the one going on right now in the West. Teixeira is a switch hitting power hitter as is Chipper Jones. Having two switch hitting power hitters in that lineup give Bobby Cox a lot of options when writing his lineup everyday and makes it especially hard for opposing pitchers and managers. The great pickup by the Braves was getting Octavio Dotel. Dotel comes from an improving Kansas City Royals team who are in the toughest division in baseball over in the Central division of the American League. Dotel, who closed for the Royals will most likely be a late inning reliever setup man type player because the Braves already have Bob Wickman closing who is have a good year. Dotel really helps the Braves pitching thought even as a setup man because after Tim Hudson and John Smoltz, the Braves starting pitchers are nothing to get excited about. If the other starters can get them to the 6th or 7th inning, it is going to be real tough for teams to score runs on the Braves in the late innings. I am serious when I say this, the Atlanta Braves are now the team to beat in the National League and I believe they do have an edge on their eastern counter parts like the Mets and Phillies because the Braves have better starting and relief pitching. Great job to the Braves GM John Schuerholz for his moves this trade deadline. I am surprised that the Mets and Phillies didn’t make any moves for starting pitching because both teams are weak in that category and don’t have what it takes as far as pitching goes to make a good push into the playoffs.

August 3rd, 2007: Beantown is Booming

Wow, I am truly amazed at what Danny Ainge pulled off in Boston. Fans and the rest of the media scrutinized the man just a few months ago when he traded for Ray Allen. People were looking at the Celtics like they were still a weak team in the east even with two All-Stars because the rest of the talent around them just wasn’t good enough plus Allen and Paul Pierce are nearing the end of their careers. Ainge pulled off a huge deal which sent 5 players to the Minnesota Timberwolves and two future draft picks for Kevin Garnett. Some feel that the trade wasn’t good for Boston because they sent so many players for Garnett that the talent around Garnett, Allen, and Pierce is even weaker. I disagree as I bet most Boston fans do as well because its Kevin Garnett! The most sought out player on the NBA market this year. Having those three guys on the court at the same time is going to be tough for any opponent. I like how all of them are playing together in such a great sports city like Boston and for a team with a great championship history. Garnett, Allen, and Pierce have zero NBA championships and minimal playoff experience considering the length of all of their careers. It is exciting to see three great basketball players on and off the court playing for the same team at this point in their careers. What a story it would be for them to win a championship in the next few years because they really do have a legitimate shot to do so playing the in the eastern conference. Not too long ago I remember the media saying that African American’s don’t want to play in Boston because of the racism. I think that day and age is long gone in that city and if it is not, the fans are still going to back these trades to the end because of the caliber of players the Celtics have. Beantown is electric right now with the sports teams they have. The Boston Red Sox are the team to beat in baseball, no doubt. They snagged Eric Gagne to help their bullpen, and with that starting pitching, offense, and their closer in Papelbon, the Red Sox are only getting tougher for opponents and have a great shot at the World Series. Gagne was the most sought after pitcher in this year’s trade deadline and where else would you rather play right now them in Boston. Gagne had to waive his no trade clause, but I’m sure that wasn’t even an issue when he starting talking to the Red Sox, considering he was playing in Texas, who seems to never have a winning record. Then we have the New England Patriots who are already the team to beat in the NFL and are probably going to be the favorites to win the Super Bowl. They had some great pickups in the off-season both offense and defense but their biggest transaction was the acquiring of star wide receiver Randy Moss; who gets to leave the garbage Raiders for the best football team over the last ten years. I don’t even need to go into how much he can help the Patriots passing game because everyone already knows. I am saying it now though and it shouldn’t even be a surprise, Randy Moss will break out this year and have a season like he used to in Minnesota. Tom Brady has excellent targets out there for receivers. The city of Boston has it made right now with their sports teams and don’t be surprised if you see all three of these team going deep into the playoffs and possibly winning championships. It may take a year for the Celtics to get all cylinders firing because they don’t have a strong point guard or a strong center, but give it time. The Red Sox and Patriots should expect nothing less than a championship.

July 31, 2007: Thanks Cal and Tony

Congratulations to Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gywnn. These two players were deservingly a shoe-in to Baseball’s Hall of Fame yesterday. It’s really nice to see two great players who are arguably some of the two best to ever represent the game of baseball, get into “The Hall” so easily. Both Ripken and Gywnn played their entire careers for one team, something fans today don’t see to often in today’s game. Ripken, best known for breaking Lou Gehrigs’s consecutive games played streak when he reached 2,131 straight in 1995. Ripken also hit 476 career homeruns, had 3,189 hits, and a 19 time All-Star. I can still remember the night Cal Ripken broke the consecutive games streak and how amazing it was when he did. It is a record fans probably will never see broken again. Tony Gywnn is known for being one of the greatest, if not the greatest contact hitter in the history of baseball. Gywnn had an astounding .338 Career batting average and belted out 3,141 career hits. Gywnn was a 15 time All-Star and one of the most amazing stats about his career is the fact that he only struck out 434 times in 9,288 career at bats. Both Ripken and Gwynn are true representations of character in the game of baseball and both have zero reason to ever believe there was anything tainted about their career. What makes it special to me is that I got to grow up watching these guys play and can really appreciate them because of the type of people they are and the great careers they had. They are both true role models for any athlete and anyone out their can contend that they are the type of baseball players anyone would like to have on their team. Thank you Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gywnn for everything you have brought to baseball fans and with no question you truly deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.

July 27, 2007: Our Sports are Burning

There is so much to talk about this week in sports it’s ridiculous. Barry Bonds is always in the sports news for his steroid allegations and it gets talked about more and more every time he gets closer Hank Aarons homerun record. This week however had not only one story that made Bond’s look less criminal but two. Mike Vicks dog fighting story was just a rumor the last couple months but this week the story just blew up when Vick was indicted by the federal grand jury. The heavy talented Quarterback’s career is forever tainted no matter the outcome of the case. He was booed today on his way to the courtroom, extreme pet lovers are already lashing out against him, and the commissioner has ordered Vick to not show up to Falcons training camp. Vick will always be remembered for this incident, just like Bonds. It is going to be a surprise if Vick does play football this season with this on his shoulders and commissioner Roger Goodells rulings. There are so many issues that can stem from this story alone, like the Falcons parting with Matt Shaub who is supposed to be a great Quarterback and now they might have to turn the ball over to the under achieved Joey Harrington. Personally, I want to see Harrington start and have a good season. Anyway, enough about that because the scandal by NBA referred Tim Donaghy is the worst thing to happen in any major sport since Jose Conseco’s calling out baseball and steroids. I really can’t believe it took this long to figure out there is some type of scandal going on with NBA referees. This issue should have been looked at much more in depth after this past season’s playoffs. I remember hearing Commissioner David Stern talk with Dan Patrick on ESPN radio about how unfair his suspensions were that he laid down to Amare Stoudemire and Robert Horry and didn’t take really anything into consideration besides “A rule is a rule.” I’m not going to say I really believed there was this big of a scandal going on in the NBA but it really did seem like when I would watch some games last season that ref’s just call way too many meaningless fouls during and game and even more at the end of the game. Only time will tell with this case on how much of an impact Donaghy really had on some meaningful games. It amazes me though how the U.S. government is involved in baseball, football, and basketball right now due to scandals and criminal charges. It just makes the sports world look so dirty when there really are more good people than not in each of these sports. Maybe David Beckham coming to the U.S. isn’t going to be the only reason why people may start watching more soccer, or futbol! Its one of the only sports left that hasn’t been mentioned in any type of scandal. Even golf got mentioned possible steroids, which I don’t believe one bit. How could I forget though, the Tour de France is almost over and in a matter of one week we saw three riders get dismissed for doping or doping like allegations. What’s with this blood transfusion stuff? Is he serious, sorry for not having a name for the guy but who cares? This whole mess started when someone tried calling out one of our American heroes when he said he found steroids in Armstrong’s medicine cabinet and its back again. I don’t believe Armstrong took any steroids or any illegal substances and he flat out said so many times on national television. Everyone else that gets talked about steroids doesn’t say anything, and when you don’t say anything, you’re guilty. Curt Schilling was right today when he said that about Bonds and Mcgwire. Even the UFC was marred last week when two top fighters, Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca were suspeneded for anti-doping. I think its time the government steps in and investigates all sports and its doping and scandals to get things clean again. This is just absolutely ridiculous to even watch and hear about every single day. I want to hear more about Ken Griffey Jr. reaching 600 Homeruns, and A-Rod reaching 500, or Glavine getting to 300 wins. Or about LT about to have another amazing year, and of course, how great USC will be even with their tough schedule.

CJ
03/04/2007 Best in the NL West:Over the past few seasons, the National League West Division hasnt met up to the standards of the other divisions around baseball. I am from the west coast and have always backed the National League West division, but I can see why critics feel differently. No team from the division has won a playoff series since the San Francisco Giants did by going to the World Series all the way back in 2003, and no team has won the World Series out of the division since the Arizona Diamondbacks upset the New York Yankees in 2001. In 2006 however, baseball fans got to see a glimpse of how good the division really is, and what it has in store for the future. The National League West sent two teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the San Diego Padres to the playoffs last year. Both teams lost their opening round series but it was a good start for the division to show that it can compete with the rest of the league. The success of the division will carry over to the 2007 season and in my opinion, the division will be the most competitive division in the National League and second to the American League Central Division for the best division in baseball. The teams of the NL West have really spent some money this year improving their teams. Lets start at the top with the 2006 NL West Champion San Diego Padres. Playing at Petco field is an advantage for their strong Pitching Staff led by Jake Peavy. Peavy, who was plagued by a sore shoulder for most of the 2006 season, showed signs of Cy Young form down the stretch by having a 2.64 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in August and September, finishing with a record of 11-14 and a 4.09 ERA. If Peavy can carry over his finish in 2006 to 2007, dont be surprised if he comes out with 15 wins and an ERA in the twos like we saw in previous years. Backing Peavy will be Chris Young, who had a stellar 2006 season, where he went 11-5 with a 3.46 ERA, not to mention he was first in hits per nine innings, third in WHIP, and sixth in ERA. Young hasnt had too much success at the spacious Petco, but has outstanding road numbers. If he can improve his home number, Peavy and Young are going to be a tough one-two punch for opposing hitters. The biggest pick up for the Padres was the addition of Greg Maddux, who had a lot of success after a mid-season trade from the Chicago Cubs to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006, and is a great fit for Petco and the number three spot on the pitching staff. The bullpen is going to be tough to get by late in games with the returns of the all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman, and great set-up man Scott Linebrink. On offense, the Padres look the same around the field, except for the addition of Marcus Giles. Giles, who had a down 2006 season due to multiple minor injuries might not get back to the form he was at just a few years ago with the Atlanta Braves. His batting average, homeruns, and RBIs have all declined each of the last three seasons, and playing in a big ballpark in 2007 might not help bring up his offensive numbers. The loss of Mike Piazza wont help the teams power numbers either. Still, expect to see the Padres in the playoff hunt until the final week of the season. 2006s NL West runner up, and National League Wild Card winner, Los Angeles Dodgers, had one of the best off seasons of any team in baseball. The addition of Jason Schmidt to the pitching staff, and Juan Pierre and Luis Gonzalez to the outfield really help bring in some veteran experience to a young but very talented team. Schmidt should have the biggest impact to the team and I believe he will be in the running for a Cy Young. After coming off what some say was a down year, Schmidt still finished in the top ten in ERA, strikeouts, and hit per nine innings. Over his career, Schmidt has had great success at Dodger Stadium, posting a 2.93 career ERA in 87 innings pitched, and has had a winning season each of the last three seasons, along with an ERA in the threes in two of those seasons. With Derek Lowe behind Schmidt, the Dodgers have a one-two combo that can compete with any in baseball. Rounding out the rest of the starting pitching, the Dodgers have Brad Penny in the third slot, who was the National Leagues starting pitcher in the 2006 All-Star game. Pennys second half of his season in 2006 was miserable, but if he can get back to his first half form from 2006, the Dodgers have three starters that are potential Cy Young candidates. The addition of left-hander Randy Wolf should help the Dodgers staff with some lefty experience, but Wolf hasnt been an above average pitcher since 2002. The Dodgers bullpen had a great 2006 season, and this year they should see the same success. Takashi Saito has made Dodger fans forget about Eric Gagne after posting 24 saves in 2006, with 107 strikeouts in just 78.1 innings pitched. Saito led all relievers in strikeouts and fewest hits per nine innings. With Jonathan Broxton in the setup role, who was second to teammate Saito in the fewest hits per nine innings category, and fourth in strikeouts among NL relievers, the Dodgers make it tough for opponents to score runs late in a ball game. On offense, the Dodgers have great speed, great average, but slack on power. With Rafeal Furcal, and the addition of Juan Pierre in centerfield, the Dodgers have a lot of speed at the top of the lineup and the two could steal 100 combined bases. Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent should be in the 3 and 4 holes in the Dodgers lineup. Nomar has been a great addition for the Dodgers, coming of a season where he hit .303, with 20 homeruns, and 93 RBIs. The biggest aspect of Nomar was his at bats late in the game. Nomar was the Dodgers clutch hitter in 2006, where he hit .368 with runners in scoring position. Jeff Kents numbers were down in 2006 from his previous 3 years, but he was hampered with injuries. If Kent can stay healthy, expect him to hover around a .300 average, 30 homeruns, and 100 RBIs. With the Pitching, Defense, and Offense the Dodgers have, dont be surprised if they win the Division and contend for a pennant. Now I would like to talk about the San Francisco Giants. This is a good team on paper, but it is full of veterans. The offense revolves around Barry Bonds, if Bonds is healthy and playing, the rest of the offense will succeed. Every year, the players hitting in front of and behind Bonds have had great numbers, but when he is not in the lineup their numbers are down. Now, if Bonds is healthy, expect him to have a good year offensively. He will have a great on-base percentage, but dont expect too many RBIs because he wont be pitched to with runners in scoring position and he lacks on defense, especially if his knee acts up. The Giants did have a good off season, but they still picked up seasoned veterans. Barry Zito was the biggest pick up, but at 28 years old some say he is past his prime. I beg to differ. Zito eats up a lot of innings, and has pitched over 223 innings every year since 2001. Expect Zito to have a winning record and an ERA in the threes, and Im even going to go out on a limb and say he will e in contention for a Cy Young. There is only one problem though; Zito has decided to change his pitching mechanics, which could straighten out his popular curve ball. The rest of the Giants pitching staff isnt that strong, but has potential. Matt Morris isnt what he used to be. In 2006 Morris was 10-15 with an ERA just under 5, which does not make him a solid number two starter. The guy to watch out for besides Zito is Matt Cain. Cain had a great second half in 2006 and is on his way to being a premier power pitcher. In his rookie season, Cain finished third in strikeouts per nine innings, fifth in strikeout rate, and ninth in strikeouts. The rest of the starting staff consists of Noah Lowry and Brad Hennessey. Both have shown signs that they can compete at this level, but have not had great success. Armando Benitez is still the closer, but again, age is a factor and Benitez has not had a full healthy season in two years. The Giants also picked up veterans Rich Aurillia and Ryan Klesko at first base, both who have not had good offensive number in years, but things do change when you bat in the same line-up as Bonds. The Giants also added Dave Roberts in centerfield, who will bring speed to the veteran team and is a great hitter to have in front f Ray Durham and Bonds. The Giants picked up a good defensive catcher in Bengie Molina, who will have decent average and power numbers. The Giants best pick up besides Zito was Manager Bruce Boche. Boches playoff, World Series, and National League West experience will help the Giants contend in the division, but dont expect them to make the playoffs. A team that many might not expect to do anything at all is the Arizona Diamondbacks. I believe the Diamondbacks will make it tough for everyone else in the division and should not be over looked. Their team is young, but their pitching staff is experienced. They have a lot of young talent, with many players like Chad Tracy and Carlos Quentin who will eventually hit 30 homeruns and steal 30 bases, but not in 2007. Arizonas success will come from their pitching staff. The National Cy Young winner Brandon Webb will be back, and with his sinker, expect him to have another good year on the mound. Also, the addition of Randy Johnson was a huge pick up. Although he did not meet New York Yankee fan standards, he still posted back to back 17 win seasons and hovered around 200 strikeouts. Johnson has NL West experience, and already has a World Series ring with the Diamondbacks. Johnson will have a hug impact not only on the team, but the division and the rest of the National League. Johnson will contend for a Cy Young if his back holds up. Otherwise, Johnson will need to rely more and more on his slider and less on his over powering velocity. The rest of the starting staff consists of Livan Hernandez, who is getting older and less effective, but does bring veteran experience, and Doug Davis, who has potential for 200 strikeouts but has always been a .500 pitcher and walks to many batters. The Diamondbacks will compete in the NL west for awhile, but dont expect to see them in the playoff hunt in September. The Colorado Rockies cant be overlooked either. They have a strong young pitching staff, and a great core of young and talented hitters. 2006 was the best season for Rockie pitchers, posting a slim 4.72 home ERA and a 4.59 road ERA. Also, homeruns allowed at home were down, and opponents runs scored. Led by Jeff Francis, the Colorado pitching staff isnt as easy to hit off as it used to be, but still doesnt seem that strong on paper. Francis, and Aaron Cook are average pitchers and both will have a record around .500 with an ERA in the fours. The pitching staff did improve dramatically in 2006, but Im not sold that they will do it again in 2007. The Rockies will still win around 70 ball games because of their offense. The offense, which is usually led by Todd Helton, has a new power source in Matt Holliday. Holliday is for real. In 2006 he hit .326, with 34 homeruns and 114 RBIs and should match the numbers again, especially at Coors field. Along with him is another up and coming star in Brad Hawpe. Hawpe hit .293 with 22 homeruns and 84 RBIs in 2006 and 2007 he should pull it all together and improve his numbers as he has for three straight years. Having Garrett Atkins at third base is another player to look out for. Atkins, put up great number in 2006, hitting .329, with 29 homeruns and 120 RBIs. And then there is Todd Helton, who always hit at least .300. 2006 was a down year for Helton, who still hit .302 with 15 homeruns and 81 RBIs. Helton is not the same power hitter he used to be, but with the young, powerful talent around him, he doesnt need to be. The Rockies have four power hitters who can hit above .300, have potential to hit 30 homeruns and drive in 100 runs. I think the Rockies will be a contender in the first half of the season, but their offense can only carry them so far. Since Im not sold on their pitching in 2007, I believe the Rockies will fade off in the second half, but still have a bright future for many years to come. Prediction time. The Los Angeles Dodgers will win the National League West division, the San Diego Padres will finished second, San Francisco Giants third, Colorado Rockies fourth, and Arizona Diamondbacks. All will be contenders for the first half, but the Dodgers and Padres will pull away late in the season. I believe the Dodgers will be the only team to make the playoffs from the division, although the Padres will be in the hunt for the division and wild card title, they wont outlast the Dodgers for the division and the Phillies for the Wild Card.
“What I See, and what I think” 01-27-2007 No Respect Ok, after watching last Sunday’s game between the Patriots and the Colts, I couldn’t help to feel relieved. Now, I’m not a fan of either team, and I have the up most respect for the Patriots franchise, but it was time for them to lose. I know they didn’t reach the Super Bowl last year, but if they were to get there again this year for the fourth time in five years, then people would start to hate them. I really don’t agree with people who hate the Patriots and Tom Brady. Yeah I understand not liking them or not wanting them to win, but being that good for that many years deserves a lot of respect. What I don’t like is the way the Patriots carried themselves in the playoffs. Ok, you guys are good, and you somehow always find a way to win in the playoffs, but taunting the Chargers on their home field is ridiculous. I understand the competitive nature of the game of football and I’m sure there is a great deal of trash talking all over the field during every game, but the biggest trash talking is no talking. You win the game, you shake hands, and you walk off the field. Not the Patriots this year though. After they defeated the Chargers, some of the players decided to mock Shawne Merriman and his dance he does after a sack or big tackle. Others decided to dance at midfield on the Chargers logo. Sometimes I like the trash talking I see when I’m watching football, but I didn’t expect to see it from the Patriots. When a humble, quiet, and very respectful guy like LaDainian Tomlinson is livid after a game, and trying to find his way to some players on the opposing team to fight, then there really must have been something going on that is rude and disrespectful. I understand being angered about the game, but he’s a professional and can maturely accept a loss. That’s not what L.T. was mad at though. He was mad at the way the Patriots acted after they had sealed the victory, and he even went on to voice his opinion after the game about how he felt. The MVP of the NFL, who everyone around the sports nation loves and appreciates, came out and showed anger towards the Patriots players and their head coach Bill Belichick. I didn’t think too much of the situation at first because I just figured there was a lot of trash talking going on during the game and the Patriots had the last laugh. The following week changed my mind a little bit about the Patriots though. Like I said, I have a lot of respect for the Patriots and I think Tom Brady is an absolute stud because he flat out wins football games, but I did not like how he acted after the loss to the Indianapolis Colts. I’ve been in games before that I have lost and the last thing I want to do is shake the other team’s hand, but you do it anyway because it is sportsman like. The last guy I thought would ever leave the field with his head down is Tom Brady, and he did so after the loss to the Colts. In previous years when the Patriots were on the winning end of a football game, in the playoffs, Peyton Manning would still find Tom Brady and shake his hand, it’s all about respect. Then, when Manning finally overcomes the obstacle of “not being able to beat the Patriots in the playoffs”, his arch nemesis (Tom Brady) doesn’t even shake his hand or say anything to him. I would expect some kind of hand shake, or pat on the back from someone who has three Super Bowl rings. Guess not. Oh well though, I’m not going to say Tom Brady was wrong for doing because he is the one with the rings and in a way, I respect his competitive nature to where he is so mad at losing that he doesn’t even want to be around the winning team. I can say that I’m really glad to see Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl. I don’t like either team in the game though, but I will be rooting for the Colts because I want Peyton to quiet all the critics and prove that he can win the big one. The guy is arguably the best quarterback in football and could possibly be the best quarterback in the history of football, but none of that matters to any player unless they win the big one. C.J. Prutch