Category Archives: nfl

NFL Week 6: Fantasy Football Sit/Start

These are the weeks where a fantasy football team owner can build a team to win a championship. Teams will start dropping players to fill needs due to bye weeks. Mike Sims-Walker probably killed many of you last week, but if you started Austin Collie or Miles Austin, you won. These kind of pick-ups are what you need to win. Here are my fantasy football sit’em or start’em for Week 6.

It’s that time of year where you have to be rash judgments on players. You need to cut the dead weight before it causes you to lose games. I have listed a few guys that you need to cut and some guys that you need to grab off of the waiver wire right now. Continue reading →

NFL Week 5: Fantasy Football Sit/Start

My week 4 fantasy football sit/start post did pretty well. Steve Smith of the New York Giants caught everything, Vernon Davis had another big week, the Ravens running backs helped fantasy owners, and Visanthe Shiancoe caught a touchdown on Monday Night. I predicted a few sits from last week that came through. Willie Parker couldn’t even play and Thomas Jones is a shell of himself. Week 5 has some nice match-ups and see who you need to pick up on the waiver wire. Here is my fantasy football sit/start for Week 5. Continue reading →

NFL Week 4: Fantasy Football Sit/Start

My Fantasy Football Sit/Start picks from last week had some nice picks for you last week. I said to start Willis McGahee, Felix Jones, and Maurice Jones-Drew I told you to sit Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, and every Browns player. I hope everyone took my advice and here are this week’s fantasy football sit/starts for Week 4.

I’m sitting pretty nice in every league that I’m in, but I’m hurting in a league where I lost Frank Gore. I plan on picking up a few reserve running backs this week to fill in holes. This is the first wave of teams with bye weeks, so you need to hit up your waiver wire and pick up some bodies to fill in. I’ll try to help you with this with my fantasy football sit/start for this weekend. Continue reading →

NFL Storylines: Week 3

Joe Pasquali is back with another post here on America’s White Boy. He had stopped by a few times to rattle off some analysis and critique. He writes some thoughts about week 3 of the NFL season. Who are the pretenders and contenders this season? Which teams have a quarterback controversy brewing?

It’s only Week 3 of the NFL season and it seems like some of the same quarterbacks are getting injured. The fashionable injury these days is the “rib injury.” I think it would be a great time for McDonald’s to add the McRib back on the menu permanently, but that’s me.

Contenders and Pretenders

San Francisco (2-0)- Love the rushing attack of Frank Gore, but time has shown NFL backs take a ton of wear and tear, need someone to step up as a second option for a 16 game season. Also, Shaun Hill is NOT going to get the job done if you want to play with the big boys. Like the defense and the physical nature Coach Singletary has brought, but they aren’t there yet. Pretender

Denver (2-0)- Moreno is a great back and has this team rolling, but wins at Cincinnati on a fluke play and blowing out the hapless Browns at Mile High won’t impress anyone. The defense seems much improved, but we won’t really know how good they are till week 4 against Dallas. Kyle Orton isn’t a playoff caliber QB. Pretender

New Orleans (2-0)- Everyone knew the Saints would be good, but THIS GOOD?? Yeah, yeah, they stomped on the terrible Lions, but THEN went to Philly and smoked a pretty good Eagles defense. Drew Brees is firing on all cylinders and the running game doesn’t look to shabby either. The Saints defense is forcing turnovers and coming up with some big plays, something this team wasn’t doing the past few years. Contender

Cincinnati (1-1)- The only 1-1 team I am going to mention, and this is because I think a lot of people have them under the radar. They should be 2-0 right now and got their one victory at Lambeau field. The Bengal’s have shown they can run the ball AND stop the run, two things good football teams do. Add a veteran QB with that and you got the chance to do anything. Only problem is, they still play Baltimore and Pittsburgh twice…. Contender

QB Controversies

Detroit- You gave the team to the rookie, let them sink with him. It can’t get worse than last year and he needs time to grow.

Cleveland- You have scored one offensive touchdown in two games, and Brady Quinn has been sacked nine times. You got three options, try a new QB, buy a new O-Line, or fit Brady for a body cast.

Dallas- Tony Romo can’t win big games? Ok, maybe he can’t. But you think Jon Kitna can? Yeah, shut up.

Things to watch in Week 3

Detroit has a good shot at getting it’s first win in 19 games. Washington has looked bad and it’s in Ford Field.

Green Bay should destroy St. Louis by about 20+ points

Frank Gore may have a tough time running against the Vikings this week, expect a lot to fall on Shaun Hill.

Tennessee must win at the Jets. No team has ever started 0-3 and made the playoffs.

Michael Vick will play against the Chiefs. If the Eagles offense sputters, you’ll start to hear the Vick chants from angry Philly fans.

The Cardinals and Colts may score a combined 5012091 points in the Sunday Night Game.
Can Jay Cutler keep up the winning ways in Chicago? It was a close game against Pittsburgh, but was the game against Green Bay just nerves? We will see this week against Seattle.

Could the San Francisco/Minnesota contest be the game of the week? Frank Gore has been the only offensive weapon for the 49ers and Minnesota stops the run. Can Shaun Hill step-up and get his team to 3-0?

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Review – Doc’s Sports 2009 Football Journal

Doc’s Sports sent over their 2009 Complete Football Journal which has the complete schedule of college and NFL football and much more. I looked through this publication from cover to cover and there are is a ton of information that anyone who is in a fantasy football league, casual or avid sports betters, or even just a casual fan that is in a pool at their workplace can use. Check out this review and see where you can get a copy of your own.

Doc’s Sports, which has been in the sports betting business for 38 years, has issued their 38th annual guide for the hardcore football fan. The information that is compiled in this book is extremely useful. You have the scores from the entire 2008 college football season, 2008 trends from the NFL season, and some tidbits for each week of the season for college and NFL games. Continue reading →

NFL Week 1: What We Learned Today

Week 1 of the NFL season is always full of surprises and busts. Nobody leave Week 1 without a lot to talk about. Who was the White Boy of the week? I have a feeling that a player on Denver could be taking hope the award this week. Check out what we learned in week one, and I’m sorry, there is no mention of Kanye West or his performance at the MTV VMAs…maybe later.

We learned a lot this week, including who are pretenders, contenders, fantasy studs, and my favorite, fantasy goats. I think a few of my sleepers came through this year, which makes me happy.

– White Boy Of The Week – This week the nod goes to Brandon Stokley. That amazing tip catch that he made in the Dever game against Cincinnati earns him the award. I loved him when he was with the Colts and wish he was still in that uniform.

– The Seattle Seahawks look like they are back, but they played the Rams, which may not mean much. Hasselbeck threw two picks, but rebounded nicely. Look for Nate Burleson to have a big year. By the way, you can go ahead and drop Deion Branch.

– Marc Bulger looked bad, but at least he didn’t throw any interceptions. Torry Holt is no longer in St. Louis, so the best receiver he has is Donnie Avery, which would be a #3 receiver on any contender.

– The Cardinals have a case of the Super Bowl hangover. It didn’t help that Anquan Boldin is banged up and they switched it up by throwing to Tim Hightower out of the backfield more. The running game is still non-existent, so drop Beanie Wells and add Tim Hightower. If Kurt Warner has a few more weeks like this, he could end up on the bench by Week 8.

– Mike Singletary has the 49ers looking pretty good. I know that they always play Arizona tough, but Shaun Hill looked great. Frank Gore was horrible, but he usually gets better as the year progresses. Also, Patrick Willis is going to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year at some point his his career, what a great player.

– The Albert Haynesworth acquisition by the Redskins looks to have paid off a little. They didn’t beat the Giants, but holding the Giants to around 4.0 yards per carry was huge. Jason Campbell was accurate and that was a good sign for the season, since the Giants defense is one of the best.

– The Giants didn’t look great, but thanks to Osi Umenyiora’s fumble return for a touchdown, they beat the Redskins. Brandon Jacobs was bad and averaged less than 3.0 yards per carry. Also, Steve Smith is the go-to-receiver for the Giants, add him in every fantasy league.

– Adrian Peterson was a beast and ran for 180 yards and scored three touchdowns. Brett Favre didn’t have to do much, since it’s Peterson’s show. Once teams start putting 8 or 9 guys in the box, Favre won’t be a good fantasy option.

– Cleveland did better than expected this week. They faced a good Vikings defense and still put up a few scores. Brady Quinn was the smart decision as the starter and Robert Royal could turn into a nice fantasy pick-up, since he’s probably on the waiver wire right now. James Davis was hurt in a car accident earlier in the week and wasn’t 100%, don’t count him out as a possible sleeper this year.

– The Bengals was expected to put up some points against the weak Broncos defense, but that didn’t happen. Carson Palmer looked okay, but threw a couple of picks. Rey Maualuga looked great for Cincinnati, a nice addition to their defense.

– Kyle Orton didn’t throw any interceptions and he was helped out by a tipped pass to Stokely. Brandon Marshall looks like he’s still a few weeks away from learning the offense, but he’ll be a monster by Week 4. Brian Dawkins did the job for the Broncos, he’ll make that defense much better.

– Adding Tony Gonzalez to the team is making Matt Ryan look even better than last year. The Atlanta Falcons may not need to rely on Michael Turner and he was a non-factor. Michael Jenkins and Roddy White could see less looks because of Gonzalez.

– The Miami Dolphins are going to regress this season. They had a few lucky breaks last season and Chad Pennington can only do so much without any elite receivers. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are going to split time and neither should be started if you have a back that isn’t in a time-share.

– The Packers looked good against the Bears and their defense looks to be back. Aaron Rodgers is going to have a big year and Ryan Grant even looked the part. They could end up winning the division if they play like they did this week.

– Jay Cutler was bad, bad, bad. I know a lot of Bears fans are going to change their tune if Cutler keeps up this play. He threw too many interceptions and Matt Forte never got going. He will not see many receptions this year and may have a bit of a sophomore slump.

– Mark Sanchez had a pretty good rookie debut for the New York Jets. He threw for 272 yards and did his job against the Texans. Dustin Keller will be a great option for him and will finish the year as a top-3 tight end this year. Don’t count out Thomas Jones as a fantasy stud this year, Leon Washington is not an every-down back.

– The Texans’ offense didn’t live up to the hype and the Jets defense cramped their style. Steve Slaton looked like a boy against them and Matt Schaub never got them going and only averaged 5.0 yards per attempt. The Texans could turn it around, but this wasn’t the way they wanted to start the season.

– Joe Flacco is for real and he will throw it more this year. He threw for over 300 yards and the offense looked great. Ray Rice is for real and should be owned in all leagues, although Willis McGahee should be owned in deep leagues, since he could see some work.

– The Chiefs made it a game against Baltimore and it wasn’t expected. Matt Cassel was out and Brodie Croyle started the game and did a good job. He didn’t turn the ball over and he targeted Mark Bradley and Dwayne Bowe. Larry Johnson had a bad game, but they played the Ravens, you weren’t expecting much from him.

– Jake Delhomme is bad, he hasn’t been the same since his surgery and this could be the end of the road. Carolina signed him to an extenstion, but man did he look back against Philadelphia. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart didn’t do much, but the offense never had a chance today. Steve Smith was a non-factor and Asante Samuel held him to the minimal contribution.

– Donovan McNabb broke a rib today and looks doubtful for next week, but Kevin Kolb stepped in and went 7/11, but only threw 23 yards. The offense didn’t have many yards, but when Jake Delhomme is giving you the ball in good field position, you dont need many yards. Also, DeSean Jackson looked great and could be a nice option in any league at receiver or if you pick the Eagles special teams/defense for your fantasy football team.

– Who needs Terrell Owens? Tony Romo looked great against Tampa Bay, but many quarterbacks will this season. Patrick Crayton and Roy Williams racked up a bunch of yards and made it look easy. Marion Barber was dependable and Felix Jones wasn’t needed in this one. Jason Witten will always be Romo’s #1 target, so he will get his turn in this high-octane offense.

– Carnell “Cadillac” Williams is back and looks like a re-built version. He ran all over and Derrick Ward spelled him when he needed a breather. Tampa Bay’s rushing offense will be good and Byron Leftwich did his job and didn’t even get sacked today. He will get sacked a lot this season, but his offensive line did a great job against the Cowboys and their pass rushers.

– Matthew Stafford didn’t fair as well as Mark Sanchez in his rookie debut. He threw 3 picks and ran for a touchdown and the Lions lost. The Lions offense didn’t look that great and their defense looked much worse. Their corners did a horrible job and teams will be passing all over the Lions every week. Calvin Johnson didn’t score any touchdowns, but he had a good week, considering all of the factors.

– Six passing touchdowns, I’d say that is a pretty good start of the year by Drew Brees. He could challenge Tom Brady for his passing touchdown record by year-end. Mike Bell looked great and really ran it down the Lions defense. He could end up being a nice fantasy running back, if the Saints could play the Lions every week. Marques Colston didn’t see much love this week, but did catch a touchdown. The Saints receiving corps will be hit or miss, since Brees spreads the ball around, so if you have any of them, start’em.

– The Jaguars did a decent job against the Colts, but couldn’t get into the end zone, but once. Maurice Jones-Drew ran the ball effectively, but he has had a history of doing really well against the Colts. Torry Holt will be the only receiver on Jacksonville worth owning in Jacksonville and when he was open, he caught the ball, but that was rare. I’m not high on David Garrard this year, trust me, he’s going to have troubles this year.

– Reggie Wayne wasn’t missing Marvin Harrison at all. He caught 10 passes for 162 yards and scored a touchdown. Peyton Manning went over 300 yards passing, but Anthony Gonzalez went down with an injury, and that could hamper their offense for the next month or so. Joseph Addai and Donald Brown looks to be splitting time at running back, it’s a formula that worked in the past and could work this year.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

2009 NFL Preview: NFC West

I recently went through the entire NFL season and predicted every game. I will be using this information as part of my 2009 NFL Preview. NFC West will be the first division that we look at. Will Arizona run away with this division again? Can the Rams turn things around? With Hasselbeck healthy, can Seattle make the playoffs? Can Singletary straight out the 49ers? Check out our NFC West Preview.

Arizona Cardinals– (Projected Finish 10-6)

Arizona made an historic run last season to make it to the Super Bowl. They were just one play away from beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, but luck wasn’t on their side. Kurt Warner’s play was the difference between Arizona being a 6-10 team and an NFC Champion. If you subtract the game against the New England Patriots, Warner had one of his best seasons and Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald were the reasons for his comeback. The wide-receivers were great and even the tight end, Leonard Pope improved as more of an offensive threat. Their running game needed to be improved, so they cut ties with Edgerrin James and drafted Beanie Wells out of Ohio State. Tim Hightower will still be a factor, but they hope that Wells can stay healthy.

The Cardinals defense will be better in 2009. Karlos Dansby had a great year last year and so did Adrian Wilson. Players like Alan Branch and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are a year old and should improve even more.

It is crucial for the defense to step up, since Arizona will be tested a few times this year. They play Indianapolis and Carolina at home, but they have to travel to New York Giants, Chicago, and Tennessee. Those will not be easy games for the Cardinals. They should win the division, though improved a little, but is still very weak compared to other divisions. They will have a target on their backs this season, something that is very new for Arizona.

Seattle Seahawks– (Projected Finish 7-9)

The injury bug took a chunk out of the Seahawks in 2008. Matt Hasselbeck dealt with a back injury throughout the year last season. Their wide-receiving corps were a few men short since Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, and Deion Branch all miss considerable time. They have all their offensive weapons this year and have even added T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Edgerrin James, and rookie wide-receiver, Deon Butler. They should be much better and will be able to put a lot of points on the board.

Lofa Tutupu will be the anchor of this defense and it should be pretty good. They added Aaron Curry through the draft and will look nice next to Patrick Kerney. Their weakest part of the defense is their secondary. They don’t have the depth that most teams have. Kelly Jennings and Marcus Trufant are good, but after them, there is a drop-off. Teams should be able to pass all over them unless they get can get a consistent pass rush.

Seattle has a very hard non-divisional schedule. They have to play Dallas, Chicago, Tennessee, Tampa Bay, and Indianapolis, all of those games will not be gimmes. They have a distinct advantage with their home field, but many of their tougher games are on the road. I predicted them to be 7-9, but there is probably a 2 game margin of error with that prediction. They will be in a lot of close games, but it will probably take 10 games to make the playoffs in the NFC.

San Francisco 49ers– (Projected Finish 6-10)

Mike Singletary will have an entire season to improved the 49ers, since he took over mid-season last year. He is a disciplined coach and expects the most out of his players. When it played with the Chicago Bears, he was a field general and I expect him to add a few wins to this year’s win total. His quarterback situation is still a mess. Alex Smith is back from injury, but Shaun Hill has been named the starter. You never know what Singletary will do, if both of those quarterbacks see time and struggle, Nate Davis may get a shot. Frank Gore is expected to have a great year, since the wide-receiving corps lacks star power. Their first-round draft pick, Michael Crabtree, still hasn’t sign with the team, so Josh Morgan, Arnaz Battle, and Isaac Bruce will be the starters.

Patrick Willis is a superstar on defense and should be a Defensive Player of the Year contender in 2009. He has been nothing but phenomenal since they drafted him two seasons ago. Takeo Spikes, Dre Bly, and Nate Clements are the three veterans expected to help out this young defense. Ricky-Jean Francois is a rookie out of LSU and could help out a lot, if he can stay motivated.

The 49ers’ first-half of the schedule is very difficult. Their first eight contests have games againt the Colts, Falcons, Vikings, Titans, and Cardinals. The second-half of their schedule is more manageable and should see some wins toward the end of the year.

St. Louis Rams– (Projected Finish 3-13)

The Rams may have trouble at quarterback this season, unless Marc Bulger regains his 2006 form. They don’t have much of an insurance policy, since their only back-up with any NFL game experience is Kyle Boller. They may need to rely on RB Steven Jackson even more than in past years. He will have to carry the load, since Rams don’t have much of a receiving corps either. Donnie Avery is their only receiver with any experience as a starting receiver. They lost Torry Holt to free-agency and didn’t replace his productivity well, they signed WR Tim Carter to fill his spot.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo help lead the New York Giants defense into the playoffs the last few seasons. He loves to blitz and does it very often, but as the new coach of the Rams, he may not have the personnel to accomplish his goals on defense. The best players on defense are still very young. Chris Long, Adam Carriker, and James Laurinaitis are their young gems, but they don’t have much experience. They lack depth at any position and will have a rough time all season keeping the ball in front of them.

The Rams aren’t expected to do a complete turnaround this season. They didn’t go out and sign any big-name free agents and are looking for the draft to build their team. If they can get three wins this year, they should take it. They will have a hard time scoring points and keeping points from being scored. Spagnuolo will try and help the defense any way he can, but unfortunately he doesn’t have Michael Strahan or Osi Umenyiora on his team.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Review: The Class Of Football by Adam Shefter

NFL Hall of Fame speeches are great to listen to and everyone can take something from them. Former NFL Network, and currently ESPN football analyst, Adam Shefter knew this and he compiled a book of some of the best excerpts from speeches given in Canton, OH at the NFL Hall of Fame inductions throughout the years. Inductees always talk about the principles of life and lessons learned while playing the game and growing up within it. Check out the review of the book, “The Class of Football” edited by Adam Shefter, published by Harper Collins.

Listening to a Hall of Fame speech in any sport is great theater. They have spent hours, days, and weeks prepared his Hall of Fame speech and he knows that what he says at that podium will resonate with their fans. They talk about their mentors, their childhood, the history of the game, family, and teamwork. It’s as if each inductee has a checklist that every speech must have to ensure a great moment. They always dream of this very moment and is probably one of the first foe (nervousness) could get the very best of them. Continue reading →

NFL Football Free Agency – Week 1 Recap

It’s been a busy week in the NFL. The free agency period started on friday and after the first few days, a lot of activity has happened. The NFL doesn’t waste any time in signing prized players, since only a portion of their contracts are guaranteed, unlike the MLB and NBA. The Redskins and Jets have already made a big splash, but will it pay off with a Super Bowl ring?

Albert Haynesworth – Haynesworth was a major reason why the Titans dominated the AFC regular season. They were a different team when he went out with an injury. The Washington Redskins offered him a $100 million dollar contract and he couldn’t resist. I don’t know why this deal reminds me of Dan Wilkinson, ’cause I don’t see anyone really paying to see an NFL game to watch an interior lineman. The Redskins need help in other areas and they still need many pieces to compete in the loaded NFL East.

Kellen Winslow – The Browns traded Winslow to Tampa Bay for draft picks. I don’t like this trade for Cleveland. If they are sold on Brady Quinn being their quarterback, he needs a pass-catching tight end to be effective. He likes to dump off short passes, like he did to John Carlson when he was at Notre Dame. I know Winslow is a problem child, but you have to think that they could work this out.

Fred Taylor – New England signed Taylor this week to a short-term contract. This reminds me of Corey Dillon’s deal with the Pats. Taylor should have a similar role with New England. The backfield is a bit jumbled with Maroney and Faulk still there.

Sage Rosenfels – The Minnesota Vikings traded a fourth-round pick to the Texans for Rosenfels. I know Rosenfels gave a game away to Indianapolis early this season, but he is a proven back-up in the NFL. When he is in the game, he can rack up yardage.

Correll Buckhalter and J.J. Arrington – The Denver Broncos picked up both Buckhalter and Arrington. The Broncos don’t have a number one running back and they still don’t. Buckhalter has been a good fill-in for Westbrook and can catch out of the backfield. Arrington gives you a proven return-guy if they move Eddie Royal out of that role. I still see the Broncos drafting a young back in the draft.

Brandon Jones – The 49ers signed Brandon Jones for a multi-year contract. San Francisco must see something in the young receiver that the Titans looked over. The Titans lack and explosive receiver, but the Niners think Jones can fill that role. I think this signing could be a mistake.

Lito Shepherd – The Jets traded draft picks to Philadelphia for Shepherd. The Jets secondary is starting to take shape and I like what I see. Revis is a good, young talent and with Shepherd, it could be one of the best in the AFC.

Bart Scott – The Jets was busy and landed Bart Scott as their #1 target this free agency period. A lot of people thought that Ray Lewis would end up in New York, but they went with the younger, more talented linebacker. The Jets’ defense will be the best in the AFC East.

Matt Cassel – Kansas City landed their franchise quarterback by trading a 2nd round draft pick for Cassel and the verteran, Mike Vrabel. Cassel with be a better long-term fit than Tyler Thigpen. “Thiggy” did cement himself as a competent back-up, in case Cassel struggles.

Brian Dawkins – The Eagles secondary is getting more and more depleted by the day. The Broncos picked up Brian Dawkins and will trot out Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, and Dawkins in their secondary. I know they are all kind of “long in the tooth,” but they should play much better than last year.

Jon Kitna – The Dallas Cowboys traded their starting cornerback, Anthony Henry, to the Lions for Jon Kitna. This is probably the worst transaction since the Cowboys traded for Roy Williams. The Lions were going to cut Kitna, so I don’t know why they would trade Henry for him. It saves Dallas less than $2 million dollars, so it can’t be categorized as a money-saving move. I sure hope Tony Romo stays healthy or we will see the Kitna/Williams tandem once again.

Keith Brooking – Dallas signed the veteran and makes the Cowboys linebackers some of the oldest in the league. They should be adequate, but nothing to write home about.

Dan Orlovsky – The Texans needed a back-up QB, since they traded Rosenfels to the Vikings. Orlovsky did well last season, but has a lot to prove to be an adequate back-up to a fragile quarterback. The Texans need to draft a young QB in the draft as an insurance policy.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

The Biggest Choke Jobs of 2008

Since the year is winding down, we can look over the past year and put certain things in context. Some teams were supposed to have monumental years, but fell short. Some teams have better excuses for their lack of success. Injuries, arrests, or suspensions can lead to a team not fulfilling their potential, the following teams didn’t have any of those reasons for not living up to their hype by failing to win a championship.

6. 2008 New York Yankees – With a payroll of over $200 million dollars, this Yankess team was supposed to make the playoffs, if not win a championship. They were so cocky about their chances of have a good team, that they didn’t pull the trigger on a deal that would have landed them Johan Santana. The Minnesota Twins wanted either or both of the Yankees top pitching prospects, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes. The Yankees wanted to keep their young guns and it ended up hurting them in the end. Johan Santana had a Cy Young caliber season and the Kennedy/Hughes tandem struggled to stay in the Majors. The Yankees didn’t win the AL East and failed to win the Wild Card, making this the first season many of the Yankees players didn’t see a pitch in the post-season.

5. 2007-2008 NBA Western Conference – The Western Conference was the superior conference in the NBA last season. The Western Conference owned the Eastern Conference in head-to-head competition and looked like they would come out with the NBA Championship at season’s end. The only team that stood in their way was a team from Boston. The Lakers, Suns, Rockets, Hornets, Mavericks, San Antonio, and Utah had great seasons and looked like championship teams. After a long season of beating on each other, the Western Conference team that would make the Finals, had a long run. The Lakers finally won the Western Conference, but lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics. A few calls here and there would have changed the outcome, but the Western Conference definitely fell short of expectations in the end.

4. 2008 Detroit Tigers – With the move that brought Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Detroit Tigers and getting Edgar Renteria in another deal, Detroit was a lock for a World Series ring. The addition of Cabrera and Willis would have added to the depth of talent Detroit already had on their team. Magglio Ordonez, Ivan Rodriguez, Jason Verlander, and Gary Sheffield were already leaders on the team and could only perform better with the addition of more All-Stars. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as expected in Motown. Verlander’s ERA rose to around 6.00, Renteria couldn’t handle AL pitching, and Willis ended up in A-ball and struggled with command. The Tigers ended the season under .500 and started blowing up the team by trading Rodriguez mid-season.

3. 2007-2008 UCLA Men’s Basketball – After making the Final Four in the two previous seasons, the UCLA Bruins had their eyes on an NCAA Championship. Darren Collison, Russell Westbrook, and Josh Shipp were all coming back and they would add top recruit, Kevin Love, to an already great team. UCLA coasted into the NCAA tournament with a top seed and made another Final Four. The other teams in the Final Four were some of the best teams in the country, but UCLA was the only team with players who had Final Four experience. UCLA lost in the National Semi-Final game to a much younger Memphis squad.

2. 2008 Chicago Cubs – The Chicago Cubs have a history of letting their fans down, but 2008 seemed different. They had the pitching and offense to finally end the curse and win a championship. The Cubs didn’t stand pat and even improved their team by adding Rich Harden in a deadline trade. They had a great season and won the NL Central in a close race. The finished the regular season with the best record in the National League and faced the NL West champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the first round of the playoffs. The Dodgers were red hot going into the post-season and beat the Cubs in three games. The Cubs pitching and lack of left-handed bats were too much to overcome. This may have been one of the most disappointing ends to a Cubs season since 1984.

1. 2007-2008 New England Patriots – The New England Patriots played like they had something to prove during the 2007-2008 season. They won every game during the regular season very easily. The Vegas odds makers even started to fall for the Patriots dominance by throwing up point spreads in the 20s, something usually only seen in college games. New England used their 16-0 momentum by winning both the divisional game and AFC championship game and punching their ticket to the Super Bowl. The NFC champion, the New York Giants, was a team that barely made the playoffs and had to win on the road three times to just make the Super Bowl. Even though the Giants nearly beat New England in the final game of the season, no one gave them a shot at winning the Super Bowl. New England had trouble with the Giants from the start of the game to the finish. The Giants defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, had the perfect gameplan, he blitzed Tom Brady and caused chaos for the New England offense. The New York Giants, thanks to an insane catch by David Tyree, ended up ruining the Patriots perfect season. 18-1 is usually as good as it gets in the NFL, but 19-0 was so close, but the Patriots couldn’t finish.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

God, Help Me!

After a rough day of college football and non-competitive college basketball games, I am stuck with the Browns/Bengals game on my television. These teams are two of the worst teams to watch since 50% of each of their teams are on injured reserve. Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson (Ocho Cinco), Kellen Winslow, and about thirty other players are not going to play in this game. This leaves me with watching a Ken Dorsey vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick match-up.

I want to have fun while watching this game, so these are the things that are going to keep me interested.

– Drink every time Braylon Edwards drops a ball.

– Over/Under 2 minutes into the game that they start talking about next season for both of these teams.

– Over/Under 4 times, that the announcers talk about Ken Dorsey’s college career.

– Count the amount of people with bags over their heads vs. the idiots without any shirts on

– The Bengals should have less points than people in the team with felony charges

– Realize that Romeo Crennel outweighs most of his offensive linemen

– Laugh repeatedly when the announcers describe the history of this rivalry and try to make it sound watchable.

I’m not sure if I will be able to make it through this game, this might be my last post. If I don’t make it, I hereby bequeath this blog to my roommate.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Breaking News – Vince Young Likes Fried Chicken

I woke up to a lot of banter on morning sports talk shows about the state of mind of Vince Young. Chris Mortensen may have said the most absurd, semi-racist thing I’ve heard before 9am. He was describing the situation where the police was searching for Vince Young and worried about his state of mind. They found him at his buddy’s house watching Monday Night Football. Mortensen said, “He was just at his buddy’s house eating fried chicken and watching football.” I think a better use of words could have been used when describing what Young was doing at a friend’s house. I mean you either refrain from using “fried chicken” in reference to a African-American male or you go all out and make it like he was re-enacting a scene from the movie “Friday” or “Don’t Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In Your Hood.”

Vince Young seems like a pretty weak person. The kind of person that has went through life where he’s been showered with praise. I know he may have had a harsh childhood financially, but you know he had the football field to rip the local guys up when he was feeling a little down. He hasn’t had the chance to do anything in the NFL yet, the only reason they were in the playoffs last year was due to Indianapolis playing Jim Sorgi and resting Peyton Manning in the final game of the year.

Yong has a few weeks to heal up physically and get his mind around the situation. I think he may need a mentor to help him through everything or he’ll end up like Michael Vick. I’m not saying that he is going to be the Don King of professional dog-fighting, but he will end up being a bust and never maturing into the kind of NFL player he should become. The Titans did sign Chris Simms, he also went to University of Texas, I don’t think they have much in common, but maybe he can help Young out. The best situation would have been the Titans drafting Limas Sweed, Young target at UT in last year’s draft, but that didn’t happen.

Kerry Collins isn’t going to steal anyone’s job away. Collins has had some success in the NFL, he lead a star-less NY Giants offense to the Super Bowl nearly a decade ago. If the Titans signed Daunte Culpepper or drafted another young quarterback last season, Young would have been all but out of Tennessee, but it’s still his job to lose.

I would have checked the clubs out first before I called the cops.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.