2009 MLB All-Overachiever Team

Due to injuries and roster changes, there are always guys who perform way better than expected. In 2009, there were plenty of those players who could have either helped your fantasy baseball team or your real life team. These players are all players who came out of nowhere or players who everyone gave up on, but have done a great job so far in 2009. Here is my 2009 All-Overachieving Team, did I miss anyone?

This team is full of players on the Tampa Bay Rays, Colorado Rockies, Texas Rangers, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Rays haven’t transferred these players having career years into a playoff spot, but the other teams are at least in the discussion to earn a playoff spot this season. Is this a coincidence? I doubt it, if a player overachieves, the team will benefit from winning games that they may have not won if that player wasn’t contributing at such a high level. Likewise, if you have these players on your personal team, you are probably near the top of your fantasy baseball league.

Catcher – Rod Barajas – He hit 11 homers and had 49 RBIs all of last season, but he may nearly double those numbers in 2009. He is already sitting at 18 homers and 64 RBIs with a batting average comparable to last season at .241. He has had much better seasons than Geovany Soto and Russell Martin, who were expected to do much better this season than Barajas.

First Base – Kendry Morales – Mark Teixeira left for the Yankees and the Angels needed a first baseman to fill the offensive void that he left. Kendry Morales was their answer with 30 homers, 98 RBIs, and currently batting .307 so far this season. He is a great find for the team and he should be there for a long time for the Halos.

Second Base – Ben Zobrist – After Akinori Iwamura went down early in the season with an injury, the Rays were scrambling for a long-term replacement for him. Ben Zobrist was a utility player who bounced around between Triple-A and the Majors and they picked him to fill in. He has had a career year and he’s been a key to the Rays success this year. He has hit 23 homers, drove in 72 runs, stole 16 bases, and is slugging .517 so far this season. They would be hard pressed to move him next season when Iwamura is 100% healthy from his injury, it should be his job now.

Shortstop – Jason Bartlett – Speed and defense was hit game, but this year he has added some power and boosted his batting average by 50 points. He has hit 14 homers this year, after hitting one all of last season. He has also soared his batting average up to .331 and stole 24 bases for the Rays this year. He has been a big surprise and his defense has helped them stay in games.

Third Base – Mark Reynolds – He has always shown power at the plate, but hasn’t ever hit for average, let alone steal bases with consistency. He has done all of that and managed to already hit 41 homers while hitting for .271 and stealing 22 bases. He is the lone bright spot for the Diamondbacks this year.

Outfield – Garrett Jones – He was a career minor-league player and as soon as the Pirates called him up, he has been a hitting machine. He has already hit 19 homers, drive in 38, and has batted .304 in only 247 at-bats this year. Not only has he been hitting, he has also stolen 9 bases, this was totally unexpected from Jones this year or ever.

Outfield – Juan Rivera – He only received around 250 at-bats in 2008, but didn’t put up any numbers to brag about, but in 2009, it’s a different story. He has hit 22 homers, drove in 79 runs, and is hitting .292. He has been a big key in the Angels locking up the AL West title, since they weren’t expecting these kind of numbers from Rivera.

Outfield – Jake Fox – I would file him next to Garrett Jones in this category. Fox didn’t have a great 2008 in the minors, but at the beginning of 2009, he was leading the minors in homers and the Cubs had to bring him up. He has already hit 10 homers with 39 RBIs in only 178 at-bats. They have to find a regular position for him, because his bat has been on fire.

Starting Pitcher – Jason Marquis – He was the fifth starter for the Chicago Cubs for the last two seasons, but he never pitched very well for the team. He did pitch well for St. Louis, previous to the Cubs, but he failed to make the post-season rotation with either the Cardinals or Cubs. If the Rockies make the playoffs, Marquis will definitely make the rotation and he could very well be the anchor. He currently 15-10 with a 3.65 ERA for Colorado this year. He has never had explosive stuff, but he has pitched smart this year and is having a career year.

Starting Pitcher – Barry Zito – He’s currently 9-12, but I added him to this roster because he has been so bad the last two years. His ERA is currently 3.99 and the last 30 days, he has a 2.36 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and three quality starts. If he can pitch like this the rest of the way, the Giants could be making their way to the playoffs.

Starting Pitcher – Jorge De la Rosa – He started the season very bad, but has made up for lost time by winning nearly every game since. He is 14-9 with a 4.37 ERA and has 170 strikeouts. Over the last few months, he has been averaging more than a strikeout per inning and has lead the Majors in wins. This turnaround in the middle of the season is amazing and he could be in the Cy Young conversation if he didn’t start out so poorly.

Starting Pitcher – Scott Feldman – In 2008, Feldman had an ERA over 5.00 and was bouncing around between the rotation and bullpen. Nolan Ryan started him in a throwing program this off-season and he has benefited from this the most. He is currently 16-4 with a 3.46 ERA and is in the AL Cy Young discussion. He has been a huge reason why the Texas Rangers have been in the AL Wild-Card race this late into the season.

Starting Pitcher – Joel Pineiro – He has been struggling since he had one good season in Seattle. In 2008, he had an ERA over 5.00 and looked like he could lose his rotation spot this year. He isn’t flashy and he doesn’t strike many guys out, but he is currently 15-10 with a 3.21 ERA, more than the Cardinals were bargaining for in 2009.

Relief Pitcher – Darren O’Day – He was an unknown, but in 2009 he has came out of the bullpen and has helped keep leads for his starting pitchers. He has pitched 51 innings and has 51 strikeouts, while sporting a 1.76 ERA and an impressive WHIP of 0.98. He has single-handedly brought the Rangers bullpen from embarrassing to impressionable.

Relief Pitcher – Trevor Miller – Miller has always been a power pitcher out of the bullpen, but this season he has kept the ball down and kept up his strikeout rate. He has a 1.80 ERA with a 0.88 WHIP and has recorded 41 strikeouts in 40 innings of work. The Cardinals bullpen has been great as a whole, but Miller has kept up the pace and more.

Relief Pitcher – LaTroy Hawkins – Maybe I discount what Hawkins can do because he was so horrible with the Chicago Cubs. The 2009 version of Hawkins has been very good and has been a jack-of-all-trades for the Houston Astros bullpen. He has a 2.38 ERA in 56.2 innings of work so far. He has plenty of holds on the year and has filled in as the closer, scoring 11 saves.

Closer – David Aardsma – Aardsman was bad, bad, bad in 2008 with an ERA of 5.55. After Brandon Morrow doing horrible as the closer at the beginning of the year, the Mariners gave Aardsma a shot and he has ran with it. He has 34 saves, 73 strikeouts in 62.2 innings, and an ERA of 2.15. He wa a closer in college, but hasn’t had many chances in the pros to keep a job. I believe he has done a great job with the Mariners and it should be his job to lose in 2010.

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

Is Jay Cutler To Blame For Chicago’s Loss?

The Chicago Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers tonight in a pretty ugly game. Aaron Rodgers out-played Jay Cutler and the Green Bay secondary made Cutler look terrible. Was it Jay Cutler’s fault that the Bears lost tonight or is there a bigger picture? I look at the big picture and I lay the blame on someone else.

If you look at Jay Cutler’s line for the game tonight against Green Bay, it looks like either Jeff George or Rex Grossman were under center. He threw for 277 yards, completed less than half of his passes, and threw four interceptions. He did throw one touchdown tonight, but the night was plagued by Cutler throwing ball after ball to one of Green Bay’s defenders. He should have thrown more than four picks, since there was a period in the first-half that Cutler threw five straight passes that should have been picked off.

I watched the game from coin toss to post-game show and I don’t blame Jay Cutler for the 21-15 loss tonight. The pair of balls that were intercepted could be blamed on him, but he’s dealing with receivers that quit on routes and aren’t very good at running them. His top non-tight end receivers are Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, and Johnny Knox, not exactly establish receivers. Hester runs sloppy routes and still lacks the ability to beat double-teams when the safety is in front of him. Earl Bennett looked decent, but he’s still catching up to the speed of the NFL. Finally you have Johnny Knox, he’s fast, but that’s about it. He looks completely lost out there, although he did show a flash of brilliance when he beat Charles Woodson on a play. If you run that play ten times, I doubt Knox will beat Woodson, on that exact play, more than once. If Cutler had an elite receiver, or even a veteran possession receiver, he could have a good year with the bears, but this team lacks that piece. The tight ends didn’t help Cutler out either. Greg Olson and Desmond Clark both dropped balls and didn’t do a good job of getting open.

Matt Forte caught over 60 balls last year and there wasn’t many balls thrown in his direction today. The one that I remember was actually intercepted by a defensive tackle, Johnny Jolly. Forte did carry the ball 25 times for 55 yards, but that’s only 2.2 yards per attempt, not up to par with his ability. He is a good running back, but you need to pass him the ball on the flat and let him work against cornerbacks and outside-linebackers more. It will open up the deep ball, which Cutler loves to throw. Forte wasn’t used properly against the Green Bay Packers.

Patrick Mannelly didn’t help the Bears out with his fake-punt audible in the 2nd-half. The Bears were up at that point and he thought he caught the Packers ill-prepared and sent a direct snap to Garrett Wolfe. He wasn’t ready for it and barely gained four yards on a 4th and 11 attempt. That kind of play isn’t going to win games when you just giveaway great field position so late in the game.

After saying all of that, I lay the blame of this loss on Offensive coordinator Ron Turner and General Manager Jerry Angelo. Clearly this team needs an actual wide receiver. Devin Hester would be a great slot receiver on a team, but he has yet to show the ability to be a solid #1. If they went out and signed a veteran wide receiver like Torry Holt or Marvin Harrison, maybe Jay Cutler wouldn’t have to guess where his receivers would be. A precise route-running wide-receiver can make play quarterback pretty easy. Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, and especially Brandon Stokely are great route-runners and you have seen what he can do with those kind of receivers. Ron Turner’s blame would lay on his lack of screen passes to Forte. I know Kyle Orton passed so many balls to him last year because he had to dump the ball off, but he did a great job after the catch. If would bring the defenses in and make them defend against it. The safeties and linebackers would play in and you could utilize the speed of your receivers and run a streak or deep post pattern with a higher percentage of success.

I thought the Bears would be good this season and it’s only the first game. Brian Urlacher and Pina Tinoisamoa were out for a good portion of the game, but if they played as sloppy as they did tonight, it could be a long season.

This may be a horrible end to this story, but can someone please tell me what the Bears’ obsession with players from Vanderbilt is? They have five players on the team and the last time I checked, the Commodores weren’t exactly a perennial BCS Bowl team.

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

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.

Serena Williams Loses Match, Threatens Judge

Serena Williams lost the semi-final match in the 2009 U.S. Open match because of her temper. She isn’t known for her temper, but she let it get the best of her tonight. What did Serena Williams say? Check it out with a video of the incident.

Serena Williams faulted on the serve and she tried again and she looked to have her foot on the line while serving, thus causing a double fault. It was nearing the end of the match against Kim Clijsters. The line judge instantly called the double-fault and Serena had a few words for her. I saw the replay a few times and it appears that she said “You’re dead, you’re dead!” to her, or something that looks like those words. The line judge went to the head judge and claimed that Williams threatened to kill her. Williams denied the claim, but she received a one point penalty, which caused her the match, since it was match point for Clijsters

Imagine how many time that John McEnroe threatened to kill the judges when he was playing. I never noticed that him ever getting such a penalty, but I could be wrong.

Here is the video of the Serena Williams incident.

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

College Football: What A Weird Day!

I can barely begin to point out all the surprises that happened this week in college football. You had big upsets, teams looking like crap, crappy players looking amazing, and the Big Ten not looking so hot (well, that isn’t much of a surprise). Here are the weirdest things that happened today in college football.

– Tate Forcier looked like Fran Tarkenton against Notre Dame. He was passing with precision and even made a guy lose his joke when he faked him out on a touchdown run on 4th and 3. Is Michigan for real or was this just bad clock management by Notre Dame?

– The University of Houston made Oklahoma State look like Big 12 title pretenders. The Cowboys started the game out in a hole and even Dez Bryant’s return touchdown couldn’t save this team from imploding. This was Houston’s biggest win in a long time.

– Northwestern was supposed to be good, but barely sweaking by Eastern Michigan? That isn’t going to cut it, they aren’t even the good directional Michigan school. They are going to lose a few before the Big Ten season begins, but as bad as some of the Big Ten teams have looked, they could fair well during conference play.

– Speaking of bad Big Ten teams, Michigan State let Central Michigan win this game. Dan Lefevour will be playing in the NFL, but the rest of the Chippewas aren’t up to his level. The Spartans shouldn’t forget this game or they will be doomed to repeat it.

– Ohio State actually gave USC a game tonight. I thought for sure that USC would roll them in Columbus, but it didn’t look like the Trojans’ offense could ever get started. I think they were taking the Buckeyes lightly, but OSU’s defense brought it’s A-game. I still think Ohio State will lose a game or two more this year and USC could be in danger of losing a game to Cal or even Notre Dame in South Bend.

– Oklahoma didn’t lose a stride without Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham. I know that they were playing Idaho State, but this could mean that BYU could actually be for real. The Cougars rolled over Tulane today and should move up even more spots up the rankings.

– North Carolina has to be better than this. Butch Davis is a great recruiter and he has had some great recruiting classes since he’s been the coach at UNC. They will need to develop these guys into winning games by more than a lucky holding call against Connecticut.

– The Georgia vs. South Carolina game was supposed to be a low-scoring game, since both offenses looked bad in their previous games and both defenses are above-average. Well, they ended up scoring a combined 78 points with Georgia barely hanging on for the victory. I don’t think anyone saw this coming.

– Is the MAC good again this year? Bowling Green took Missouir all the way to the wire today and this is coming a week after Mizzou spanked Illinois. Bowling Green wasn’t supposed to be that good this year, but this will get people’s attention.

– Wasn’t this supposed to be the year that Tennessee finally beats UCLA? They have had their number and the Vols lost today against a freshman quarterback. Things won’t get any easier as Tim Tebow and the Gators face them next week. I have a feeling that the Lane Kiffin won’t be happy with the outcome of that game either.

– I know that Kansas State wasn’t going to be great this season. They lost Josh Freeman to the draft, but they are supposed to beat teams like Louisiana-Lafayette. I’m not sure why KSU agreed to play this game on the road, but it bit them in the ass.

– Florida State almost loses to Jacksonville State, really? Ryan Perrilloux came back from suspension and almost leads his team past the Seminoles. How would that rank in the all-time worst loses for Bobby Bowden? I would guess that it would have been top 3, not knowing any other loses that would equal that, but he’s been coaching for longer than even my dad has been alive, so I’m sure there had to be a few bad ones.

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

I’m Now Officially A Fan Of Tottenham Hotspur

I posted something about Footytube a little over a week ago and it made me think that I can’t be a true fan of soccer if I don’t have an English Premier League team. I was a free-agent, but after a phone call with our friend, Joe Pasquali, we made up our mind. We are officially announcing our fanhood for the football club, Tottenham Hotspur. You guys have to help me out a little, ’cause I’m new at this soccer fanatic thing. Read why I chose this club and why ESPN may have made me choose sides.

I was a soccer fan before today, but I was a casual fan. I am going all-in with this soccer thing. I have been a fan of international soccer, but I realized the reason I was a fan, I had a team to root for. I root for the United States soccer team and that makes me follow the sport. I know a little about the European Premiership, but I felt like I needed to pick a team to really get myself into this whole thing. I grew up a fan of the Chicago Cubs, Indianapolis Colts, and Indiana Pacers. Mostly because my dad liked those teams and I watched sports with him. I follow baseball, football, and basketball because I was vested in those teams.

I had a similar situation a couple years ago when I moved to Columbus, Ohio. I didn’t have one single NHL team to root for and since I was in town and I liked hockey, I became a Columbus Blue Jackets fan. I have became so knowledgeable about the team that I now a correspondent for the team over at Fanball.

I know what you’re thinking, I can’t pick an EPL team that is close to me, so I might as well just throw a dart and pick one. If a dartboard was nearby, I would have chosen that route, but Joe talked me out of it. He said that I should choose a team that would stay in EPL for awhile and wouldn’t be relegated down. I know that I didn’t want to be a bandwagon fan and pick Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, or Chelsea. Joe is a fan of Aston Villa and I couldn’t pick his team, because I kind of need to be against his team, it’s just good for my psyche. I almost picked Hull City, because of Jozy Altidore, but I didn’t want to get emotionally attached to that team, because they may not stay in the league long. I narrowed it down to West Ham, Portsmouth, or Tottenham Hotspur, three middle-of-the-pack kind of teams that fits my style. I looked at the rosters and being a Tottenham fan just felt right.

From what I understand, being a fan of the Lillywhites, I was grandfathered into a rivalry that I know little about, but I’m used to it. Apparently I am going to grow to hate Arsenal, which I’m okay with. Most of the teams that I dislike have red in their uniforms or logos like Arsenal. Also, I found out that Tottenham Hotspur was named after a character in the Shakespeare play “Henry IV.” I am fine with it and I actually like a little Billy Shakespeare, so everything lines up perfectly.

I am excited to be rooting for Robbie Keane, Ledley King, and Peter Crouch. I am not very familiar with them right now and I can’t wait for the time when these people become real and not just names on a piece of paper.

I will be tail-gating for the Ohio State/USC game this Saturday, but I want to be able to catch the Tottenham game at Manchester United. I need to sneak away and find a television where this game would be televised in the U.S. I may need to try and find the game online and watch it at a later date. The lack of televised games will not stop me from my goal of being a EPL soccer fan.

This is where ESPN comes into play. They have started to show EPL games on Saturday, which will help me scout other teams in the Premier League and catch a few Spurs games. I can’t wait for this, it’s going to be a lot of fun and I hope more Americans take the steps that I am going to take. I’m tired of being a fan for about 2-3 months every other year when the Olympics or the World Cup gets near. I am all-in and all I have left to say is, Go Spurs and kick Man U.’s ass!

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

Why Your Team Will Not Win The Super Bowl

Right now, every NFL fan thinks their team is going to be a Super Bowl contender. Only one team wins every year, so most fans leave the season dejected and deflated. I want to help you out and push you off the ledge and take that cup of kool-aid out of your hand. It’s better to realize now that your team is bad, rather than wait until the playoffs, or if you’re a Lions fan, Week three. Read this and see why your team isn’t going to win the Super Bowl in 2009.

Arizona Cardinals – Your quarterback is nearly a grandpa and you drafted a fragile running back to anchor your backfield. If the injury bug hits, it could devastate worse than the plague.

Atlanta Falcons – Michael Turner aged four years last season by getting more than 370 carries and Matt Ryan isn’t Peyton Manning….yet.

Baltimore Ravens – If you take Derrick Mason out of the line-up, I have more career catches than the rest of the wide-receiving corps combined.

Buffalo Bills – Remember when Marcus Stroud was good? Buffalo fans have no memory of it. The NFL Odds will be stacked against them this year.

Carolina Panthers – You had your chance last season, but Delhomme literally gave the game away. Also, the Panthers have never had back-to-back seasons of over .500 football.

Chicago Bears – You traded two future first-round picks and a neckbeard for a diabetic quarterback. Is it me or does he have a little Jeff George in him?

Cincinnati Bengals – Ask the Chiefs and Cowboys how they did after being on “Hard Knocks.” Also, Chad Ochocinco will have his twitter feed pumped through his helmet by mid-season.

Cleveland Browns – Braylon Edwards can’t catch a pass Josh Cribbs isn’t your answer. Also, your quarterback has been on the cover of Men’s Fitness once every fiscal quarter. How about Brady Quinn spend more time watching film and less working on his abs.

Dallas Cowboys – Jessica Simpson is gone…the jinx is gone! Unfortunately, Wade Phillips is still your coach. Good news, you have a sweet tv above your field.

Denver Broncos – Your quarterback has broken finger and a neckbeard and your #1 receiver hates your city.

Detroit Lions – Let me know when you win a game and then we can think of something witty about you losing a Super Bowl.

Green Bay Packers – Your defensive backs are so old that they probably owned pagers. I remember when they played in college, I did quite a bit of NCAA football betting on the teams that they played for.

Houston Texans – A lot of people are picking your team as a dark horse. They forgot that you have to play the Colts and Titans twice every year.

Indianapolis Colts – Bob Sanders is injured again, I guess you better get Maurice Jones-Drew, Steve Slaton, and Chris Johnson on your fantasy team, they are going to be racking up a lot of yards against the Colts.

Jacksonville Jaguars – If you lose a game and no fan is there to watch it, did you really lose a game? The way that they are selling tickets there, maybe they won’t lose any games this season.

Kansas City Chiefs – Your team still smells like Herm Edwards.

Miami Dolphins – Your team is partially owned by Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. They sent a memo that the “wildcat” formation will now be known as “El Gato Loco”

Minnesota Vikings – Brett Favre has a torn shoulder and he’ll want to pass on every down. Adrian Peterson might as well line up as the slot receiver.

New England Patriots – Your team traded or forced all of their veterans on defense to retire after last season. You better get used to 49-48 games this season.

New Orleans Saints – They can definitely score points, but let me know when their cornerbacks can cover an NFL receiver.

New York Giants – The last time Mario Manningham caught a pass, he was in college. Now he’s one of your main targets. Good luck with that Giants fans.

New York Jets – New coach, rookie quarterback, old running back, weak receiving corps…Super Bowl Champions! Mike Greenberg’s head would explode, leaving a thick film of hair gel on everything.

Oakland Raiders – Maybe if Tom Cable took some of that aggression and punched some of his players in the face, they would win some games.

Philadelphia Eagles – Your quarterback looks like he has gained 20 pounds and he’s very thin-skinned. The fans are already chanting Michael Vick’s name, I’m sure McNabb can handle it, right?

Pittsburgh Steelers – Your team has the most obnoxious fanbase of any team. No matter what I say here, you’re still going to be crazy. So go wave your yellow blankies and drink your Iron City beer.

San Diego Chargers – It’s not good when you’re star linebacker is choking bi-sexual asian women.

San Francisco 49ers – Mike Singletary is a scary man, the Niners will be pissing themselves if they drop a pass or miss an assignment. I would recommend wearing a diaper under your jock strap.

Seattle Seahawks – Jim Mora Jr. is your head coach. That’s not the better and more entertaining Jim Mora. Remember when Jim Mora Jr. called on a cell phone during a game? He’s clueless.

St. Louis Rams – They let their best player leave, Torry Holt, and they still have no quarterback.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Someone should tell them that you can only play one quarterback at a time, so there is no need to have that many on your roster.

Tennessee Titans – Kerry Collins is an old man and your back-up still has his tail between his legs from an interception he threw last season.

Washington Redskins – Was Jim Zorn ready to be a head coach? I think I know at least 53 guys who wouldn’t think so.

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

How Ohio State Can Beat USC

It looks like the deck is stacked against Ohio State this weekend. The game is in Columbus, but nearly every analyst, even myself, thinks that USC will win this game. The Trojans have owned this series the last six games and the USC Hall-of-Famers will be in town to intimidate the home crowd. Here are a few things that Ohio State can do if they want to come out victorious.

Stack The Box And Make Matt Barkley Throw – USC is loaded in the backfield and they usually don’t fair well against teams who run the ball effectively. If they can stack the box and keep Joe McKnight and C.J. Gable from running the ball, they can force the freshman quarterback to pass the ball. If they can make USC a one-dimensional team, maybe they have a chance.

Unveil The Trick Plays – I know Ohio State isn’t known for their trick plays, but if you can pull one off early, you will get their defense guessing. The linebacking corps is young and does not have much in-game college experience. If you can get them to shoot a wrong gap or get them going in an opposite direction, maybe Boom Herron, Brandon Saine, or Jaamal Berry can get into the secondary. Pryor’s elusiveness could make a trick play turn into something special. Maybe a halfback pass to Pryor?….Okay, I’m now just speculating.

Put A Laxative In Taylor Mays’ Gatorade – The guy is a stud safety and if they want to pass over the top on USC, Mays needs to be out of the game. I don’t endorse this action, but if they want any deep passing game, he can’t be in the equation.

Put Ray Small’s Jersey On Ted Ginn Jr. – Ginn Jr. has a game on Sunday, but you’re Ohio State, you have access to airplanes! Ray Small has been a disappointment, since he was supposed to turn into a Ted Ginn clone, but that has not happened. If Small is looking a little bigger on Saturday….I’m just saying.

Damage Ohio Stadium And Demand The Game Is Played In December – I think it’s ridiculous that USC never plays a team in cold weather. When Notre Dame plays at USC, it’s one of the last games of the year, but when USC visits South Bend, IN, the game is in early October. If USC ever played in the snow, they would lose about two touchdowns off of their average point total.

Those are only a few ways that Ohio State has a legitimate shot at beating USC. I could have written a post on “How USC Can Beat Ohio State,” but unfortunately it would be very short and most likely read “Arrive In Columbus, Put On Shoes.”

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

A Michigan Fan’s Journey To The Season Opener

Our resident University of Michigan fan, Joe Pasquali, went to the season opener against Western Michigan last weekend. He starts out pretty timid, but ends like any true Wolverines fan, cocky as hell. Here is his detailed experience from the season opener.

We drove up, parked in the same place off the Michigan Golf Course, fired up the same grill, played the same game of corn hole (or bag toss, whatever you want to call it) and downed the same beers. On the exterior the 2009 Michigan opening game would look like every opening game I have been to over the past years, this being my 8th in a row. But, if I told you it felt like any of the others, I’d be lying.

Nervous
Worried
No Confidence
Quiet

These are things I would never expect to feel at an opening game in The Big House. And frankly, I shouldn’t have to feel. But I did. And I can tell you 100,000 other people were feeling the same way. Sure, we hid it well by going through our normal routine and pretending this year is just like every other, when deep down we knew it wasn’t.

Even before the game started, one point to hammer it home was when a Western Michigan fan started trash talking to me while walking up to the gate. We had struck up polite speculation on the game ahead when all of the sudden he started into it.

“Man, we are going to hang like 40 on you guys, just like App. State, Utah, Oregon, and everybody else that comes into the Quiet House. You got no defense, I mean, who do you got??”
Any other year, ANY OTHER YEAR, I would have just spat back a few curse words and told him to head back to crappy Western and hope he gets to head back East sometime for the Motor City bowl. But not this year.

I actually found myself defending UM to a Broncos fan! I said, “Well, Brandon Graham is good, and Obi Ezeh, OH and Donovan Warren is a great cornerback.” The Western fan laughed, cursed Michigan and yelled a projected Broncos whooping in front of 100 Michigan fans. No one yelled back. Everyone was too nervous to back UM.

I say now, thinking of the pre-game and the Western fan, that a University of Michigan fan should never defend his team to a Western Michigan fan, or really, most fans for that matter. And I never will again. Ok, two bad years, yeah we had that. Lets start counting your teams bad years. Yeah thought so. Below are the teams that I will defend my team to in the future, because I have respect for their programs and their winning traditions.

Ohio State
Penn State
Florida
USC
Oklahoma
Texas
Alabama
Nebraska
Tennessee

That’s it. Yeah, I know I left Notre Dame off. Why? Because I will not take trash talk from a Golden Domer, no sir. Sorry, I got my UM hat on for this article and if you are a Notre Dame fan feel free to send me hate mail at Radioguy1486@yahoo.com

Anyways, back to the game.

The environment at Michigan could not have been summed up better than the first two drives for both teams. Western gets the ball first, Michigan forces a punt after a 3 and out. Place goes nuts, the typical DEFENSE chants arise and the student section erupts, all is well and good.

Michigan gets the ball……. the place goes a bit quiet…. AND MICHIGAN GETS A FIRST DOWN. OH HAPPY DAYS. Literally, everyone wearing maize or blue starts cheering like we just won the game. FOR A FIRST DOWN. Oh, but it gets better.

Forcier is leading us on a pretty decent first drive and are already in field goal range and he has thrown some good balls. People in the crowd are murmuring about how well this freshman is playing, but still a bit nervous. Forcier runs a play action and rolls out of the pocket, he is looking downfield, he makes a read and lofts a ball to a breaking Junior Hemingway. In 2008 this ball is intercepted, the drive stopped and Michigan Stadium falls silent. But, THIS YEAR, the ball is just out of reach for the defender and Hemingway catches it falling into the end zone. Michigan Stadium lifts off the face of the earth. 100,000 plus people are yelling, screaming, hugging each other and praising Tate Forcier.

Tate Forcier, the second coming of Christ.
Tate Forcier, Tom Brady, Chad Henne, Brian Griese, all rolled into one.
Tate Forcier, who the f%$k needs Pryor.
Tate Forcier, with him all things are possible.

Not joking, this is how we all felt after that one drive. One drive. The rest of the game Michigan rolled and as the points stacked up us fans felt our confidence returning, slowly but surely.

One of the funniest parts of the game came near the end when my Dad looked to me in the third quarter and asked when I wanted to get out of here. Since we got a two hour plus drive home, in the past openers we usually left late in the game when Michigan was rolling. It had been at least two years since I could leave a UM game early because WE were beating on someone!

I turned to my Dad and said, “Yeah, we got this one. Let’s get out of here.”
Because really, Western Michigan, was there any doubt?

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

Is Jim Tressel On The Hot Seat?

Ohio State faces USC this weekend and things could be getting pretty hot under Jim Tressel’s sweater vest. The last top 10 team that Ohio State beat was Michigan in November of 2006. They have been spanked in their last few bowl games and didn’t win at home against Penn State last year. This USC game is more than just a circled game on their schedule, for Jim Tressel, it could be for his job.

Jim Tressel’s approval rating in Columbus has been near 75-80% for nearly his entire tenure as football coach of Ohio State. He won a National Championship right away when he took over and he’s been a good ride. They have been a staple in BCS bowl games since it’s incarnation and he’s kept his nose clean when it comes to NCAA infractions. Why am I saying that he’ll be on the hot seat? It’s not only me, the local ESPN radio affilate here in Columbus has also brought it up. They say if he loses to USC, his approval rating would drop below 50% for the first time. We all know, once the approval rating drops below half, something little can sway people to the most popular side of the argument.

If Ohio State loses to USC and it’s close, even closer than their bowl game against Texas last year, I think he’ll be fine. He’ll be fine until the Buckeyes go to Happy Valley and play Penn State on the road. If they lose both of those games, they could be in danger of not making a BCS bowl game. There are a lot of good teams this year and especially in smaller non-BCS conferences. BYU and Boise State already have a pretty good win on their resume and there’s 12 more weeks of college football left.

I’m not saying that Jim Tressel will get fired if they lose to USC and Penn State this year, but it will be the first time this discussion will be taking place. If they lose to Michigan at the end of the year, the discussion could turn into screaming. The pressure will be turned up to win next season, since Terrelle Pryor could leave after next season, since he would be 3 years removed from high school. If Pryor puts up big numbers, he’ll be taken in the first round because of his athleticism and upside. Tressel would be left with another young quarterback and would have to start over. Troy Smith isn’t walking through that door. Ted Ginn isn’t walking through that door. A.J. Hawk isn’t walking through that door.

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

Did The Patriots Make A Classless Move?

If you call the New England Patriots a “class organization,” you may want to refrain from using those words going forward. Richard Seymour was traded to the Oakland Raiders for a 2011 first round pick a couple days ago and he has yet to report to Oakland. He was unhappy about the trade and didn’t want to play for the Raiders. Was this a classless move by the Patriots?

Richard Seymour has played his entire career in New England. They drafted him out of the University of Georgia in 2001 and he knows nothing other than playing for a winner. He is a five-time Pro Bowler and he helped the Patriots win three Super Bowl championships and a perfect regular season in 2007. He has done everything he could for the Patriots and he deserves a little more respect.

I’m not a Patriots fan, but I can respect Richard Seymour and his football ability. He has crushed the Indianapolis Colts on a few occasions and I have uttered a few curse words with Seymour’s name directly involved. I hate when a football player is kicked to the curb because a team gets either a good offer, or a player who is cheaper, but can at least fill their position adequately.

As I take Seymour’s side, I can see the Patriots side in this fiasco. Oakland is bad and they will probably be bad in 2010, so their 2011 first-round pick will be very high. In 2011, Seymour would be heading into his 10th season as a pro, and he has already had a few nagging injuries and they can only get worse. I do believe that the Patriots could have said no to this offer, out of respect for a player who was a cornerstone of their defenses that won Super Bowls. There is a bit of a shift-change going on in New England this season. Rodney Harrison, Junior Seau, Mike Vrabel, and Teddy Bruschi are all gone. They were an older defense last year and at times they were handled pretty easily, so a change was needed. Guys like Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork will have to step-up and become leaders on defense.

If I were Seymour, I wouldn’t want to play for the Oakland Raiders either. Over the last decade, Oakland has been a place where players go to die. They have a good defense, but if you take away Nnamdi Asomugha, the defense is swiss cheese. They won’t win more than five games this season and New England is expected to win at least twelve, since Tom Brady is back. I can see both sides of this situation, but if you can do that, always side with the player. I’m sure Robert Kraft could have handled being without Oakland’s 2011 pick and Seymour could have contributed to their defense this year. This trade makes New England worse and I’m all for it, but Seymour got screwed.

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

Ohio State vs. USC – Top 5 Previous Meetings

The Ohio State game against USC this weekend will be a star-studded event. The rumor is that some of USC’s famous ex-NFL elite will be at hand. The use this technique a lot and I think it intimidates the other team’s fans and it’s great for recruiting. I wanted post five videos from previous Ohio State vs. USC games here to get people to realize the history behind this game.

The Ohio State University and the University of Southern California have played each other 22 times. USC currently holds the edge with an overall record against the Buckeyes, it currently stands at 12-9-1. The Trojans have won the last six meetings and the last time Ohio State came out victorious was a 42-21 victory in the 1974 Rose Bowl.

Not only has some of the best players from each school’s history played each other during their college careers, but Pete Carroll was an assistant at Ohio State in the 80’s.

Here are moments from the top 5 Ohio State/USC games in history

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