Big Ten Preview: Michigan Wolverines

Joe Pasquali, our resident Michigan football fanatic, is back for another Big Ten Preview post. He is going to breakdown his favorite team and one thing jumps out and surprises us, he shows no bias in this post. This is a guy who stuck by Ryan Mallett and Lloyd Carr! The Wolverines really have nowhere to go but up, so where does Joe have them finishing this year in the Big Ten? Check it out.

Finishing #8 in the Big Ten
Michigan Wolverines (Predicted finish 6-6)

Summary– Only place to go is up for the Michigan Wolverines. Having their worst season EVER in 2008 has to make the Maize and Blue pessimistic for 2009, but fear not, it will be a better season. Last year was the first year of Rich Rodriguez’s new system, a system players do not learn overnight. Also, having their easiest schedule in ten years can’t do anything but help.

Offense (C+)– Michigan’s offense was dreadful last season, peaking with six lost fumbles at Notre Dame. Steven Threet was the starting QB most of last season but transferred away this past off-season along with RB Sam McGuffie. Freshmen Tate Forcier with share time with a couple other QB’s that will lead an offense that returns nine starters. At the RB and WR positions Michigan may have the most speed and depth in the Big Ten. It will just be a matter of the freshman QB can get the ball to them.

Defense (B+)– Five starters’ return to a defense that really wasn’t as bad as their numbers showed last season. The thing that hurt the Wolverines more than anything was being on the field most the game due to a impotent offense that turned the ball over a lot. Brandon Graham is a freak at DE/OLB and Donovan Warren is one of the better corners in the Big Ten. Look for the group as a whole to be better as long as the offense stays on the field.

Special Teams (A-)– Zoltan Mesko not only has one of the best names in the nation, but one of the best legs as well. The All American returns to boot the ball around the Big House for the Maize and Blue. If UM’s offense starts out slow, he could be one of the most important players on the team.

Coaching (B)– Rich Rodriguez will be judged heavily on what he does this year for UM. A program as big as Michigan should never have a rebuilding season that only produces 3 wins. If Michigan does not get to six wins this year, he will be on the hot seat.

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

Big Ten Preview: Minnesota Gophers

The Minnesota Gophers probably wishes that Brett Favre could help their team as well. They had a decent year last season, but can they build on it or was it a flash in the pan? Joe Pasquali is back to discuss where Minnesota will finish in the Big Ten this season.

Finishing #9 in the Big Ten
Minnesota Gophers (Predicted finish 5-7)

Summary– Minnesota is one of those teams that looks really great on paper. All-Conference Quarterback in Adam Weber throwing to a pre-season All American in Eric Decker. Eight returning starters on defense and a schedule that has five games that Minnesota should definitely win. The problem with Gopher football is that Minnesota doesn’t win the games they should, and they’ll go 5-7.

Offense (C+)– The Weber and Decker show should be fun to watch this season, that’s if Minnesota’s offensive line can keep Weber on his feet. Senior Center Jeff Tow-Arnett is the lone starter to a line that allowed 90 sacks last season, second worst in the conference. Minnesota was 104th in the nation when it came to running the ball. Calling them one dimensional is a bit of an understatement. Unless you got Drew Brees back there, one dimensional won’t cut it this year.

Defense (C)– All conference corner Traye Simmons is the lone bright spot on a defense that was very subpar last season. They ranked 10th in the Big Ten last year in total defense, giving up 383 yards a game, 240 of those yards coming through the air. Lee Campbell (MLB) led the Gophers with 80 tackles last year and will have to improve on that if Minnesota is going to stop anyone.

Special teams (C-)– Minnesota did not have a kickoff or punt return for a touchdown last season. They have a brand new kicker and punter, though both are upper classmen. This is not a “special” special teams unit.

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

Big Ten Preview: Indiana & Purdue

Friend of the White Boy, Joe Pasquali, starts off his 2009 Big Ten Preview with the lowest teams on the totem pole, Indiana and Purdue. One team starts out with a new coach (Purdue) and the other is stuck with an inept coach (Indiana). The 2009 season may be lost for these teams, but is there any hope for the near future, Joe discusses this and much more in this post.

Finishing #10 and #11 in the Big Ten
Indiana and Purdue (Predicted finish combined 5-19)

Summary– All twenty of you Purdue and IU football fans will surely be angry I combined your two storied (hahahaha) programs in my Big Ten breakdown, but I did for good reason. Both teams share so much in common that I couldn’t separate the two and was continually mixing them up as I tried to write. Both teams will not win a game September 19th EXCEPT for when they play each other November 21st. One of them has to win that game.. I hope..

Offense (D)– Purdue will once again throw the ball fifty times a game but all Boilermaker fans will be talking about what could have been since Justin Siller was suspended for the season. Purdue will be the worst team offensively in the conference…besides IU who could be worse. Dual threat QB Kellen Lewis was dismissed from the team and Ben Chappell will be taking over in his place. IU’s offensive line is very sketchy, and though Chappell has a strong arm he is not very mobile and will get hit. A lot.

Defense (C)– IU has two of the best defensive ends in the conference with Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton, both who received some national attention on All American lists. Austin Thomas and Nick Polk add legitimacy to the linebacker core and IU should actually be decent at stopping the run this season. Purdue is the exact opposite, with a weak front seven that should roll over like an obedient dog but a secondary that ranked 2nd in the Big Ten last season. The question is, did they rank so well because everyone just ran the ball on them? Probably, but I am trying to give them SOME credit.

Special teams (C)– Both teams have below average return games and place kickers who either did not get a chance to kick a lot of field goals (Purdue) or just missed a bunch (IU). Considering they have returning starters on special teams, this could prove to be a strong point. (insert applause)

Coaching (C-)– I am not saying Danny Hope (Purdue) and Bill Lynch are bad coaches, they will do as best as they can with the players they have, but they are not part of the Big Ten’s elite. Danny Hope is taking the reins from Purdue legend Joe Tiller and will catch a lot of flak for probably have a losing season, something Tiller only did twice in 12 seasons. Lynch had a great first season with IU at 7-5 but does not have the horses to make a dent in the Big Ten. Start hitting the recruiting trail.

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

Coming Soon: Big Ten Football Preview

Since our homebase is located in Big Ten Country, we feel that we have to do the token “Big Ten Preview.” Our friend, Joe Pasquali, is taking care of this task. He has been to plenty of Big Ten games over the last few years, he’s a big U. of Michigan fan, but shows no bias to the Wolverines. I don’t want to step all over his lengthy preview, so I will be releasing it in ten parts in reverse order of our predicted finish this season. Joe did a great job and I know you will like it.

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

Who Will Win American League Cy Young?

The American League Cy Young race is full of the usual suspects. You usually have a dominant picther from the Yankees and Red Sox (check), one from the AL Central division leader (check), and a few dark horses that are no longer in the divisional race (check). Check out who are the favorites and who could come from behind over their last 7 or 8 starts of the season.

Leading Candidates

Justin Verlander – He is tha anchor of a nice pitching staff in Detroit. He currently 14-7 with a 3.38 ERA and has an alarming 211 strikeouts in only 181 innings of work this season. He had a dismal 2008 season and it is nice that he bounced back. The Tigers are currently winning their division, but it could hurt him that he won’t get as much exposure as pitchers on the Red Sox and Yankees. I think he will at least finish in the top three in voting and could take the award.

C.C. Sabathia – He had a rough start to the season, but over the last two months, he has been great. It helps him that he gets a lot of run support from the modern-day “Murder’s Row” the Yankees have assembled. He has a fairly high ERA to be up for the Cy Young, he’s currently at 3.59. He is leading the league in wins (15-7) and his WHIP is 1.13, which is great. It will help him that he’s on the Yankees and that he probably should have won the award last season, but he switched leagues mid-season.

Roy Halladay – His season has been marred with “Am I getting traded?…okay, how about now?” banter all season. He has had a great year despite all of the distractions, he’s 13-7 with a 3.03 ERA. He has been a workhorse with five complete games and will easily get to 200 innings this year. He’s still a leading candidate for the Cy Young, even if his chances aren’t as great as Verlander or Sabathia’s at getting another Cy Young.

Zack Greinke – If the season ended at the beginning of June, then Greinke would have been the unanimous winner, but the Royals hit bottom and Greinke had a few bad starts. He still had a great year and is still leading the AL in ERA with a 2.43, a full .3 a head of the next guy on the list, Seattle’s Felix Hernandez at 2.73. Greinke has a 12-8 record with 5 complete games, if he were on a contender, I am confident that he would be a 20-game winner. He is also currently 2nd in the AL in strikeouts with 197. If he had run support, Greinke would be in stronger position to win the AL Cy Young.

Dark Horses

Josh Beckett – The Red Sox may not win the AL East this year, but they are fighting for their Wild Card life. Beckett has helped them by pitching well, but he has been erratic at times. He has a 3.65 ERA, but is 14-5 this year. He had a month-long stretch that he barely gave up any hits, but that streak has ended and he’s hittable again. I would say that he’s a dark horse to win it, unless he can pull out a perfect game between now and the end of the season.

Scott Feldman – The young ace of the Texas Rangers isn’t used to being considered for end of the year awards, but he deserves a little recognition. He’s currently 13-4 with a 3.87 ERA for the Rangers, but only has 84 strikeouts, but that isn’t his expertise. He has helped the Rangers contend for the AL Wild Card and with Kevin Milwood, Dexter Holland, and Tommy Hunter has transformed the Rangers starting rotation. He has too high of an ERA to win, but should garner some votes.

Jared Weaver – Weaver had a horrible first couple weeks of the season. At one point his ERA was nearing double digits. Over the last few months, he has trimmed his ERA down to 4.03. He is 13-5 with 143 strikeouts for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Over the course of his dominance, they have bolted all the way to the best record in the American League. Weaver also has a high ERA to win this award, but the way he has pitched lately could change some minds.

Jeff Niemann – At the beginning of the year, The Tampa Bay Rays were needing to trim down their starting rotation and Niemann was almost the odd man out. He has pitched great this year and especially at home in Tropicana Field, he has a 2.67 ERA at home. This season, Niemann is 12-5 with a 3.87 ERA, something that the Rays didn’t expect from him, those numbers were expected out of David Price, Scott Kazmir, or Andy Sonnanstine. He’s not a sexy pick for the Cy Young, but if can get the Rays into the playoffs and dominantly pitch the rest of the way, there’s a slim chance.

I would say that award is Justin Verlander’s to lose. He just has to stay the course and pitch consistently and he should take it home. C.C. Sabathia should finish second, but as much press that the Yankees garner, he could leapfrog Verlander if they keep winning and getting ample run support for their pitchers. At this point it’s too close to call, but when it’s all said and done, Verlander should finally win the AL Cy Young.

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

Who Will Win National League Cy Young?

The National League Cy Young race is as close as ever. There are many possible candidates and nearly all of them are on contenders. Will the Cardinals pitchers cancel each other out? Could Cliff Lee make a run if he stays perfect? Here are some of the leading candidates and darkhorses in the National League Cy Young race.

Leading Candidates

Chris Carpenter – He’s currently 14-3 with a 2.16 ERA this season for the St. Louis Cardinals. You have to believe that he is the front runner for the award at this point. His team is murdering the ball and the run support is definitely there. He doesn’t have the flashy strikeout total (111 Ks) that some of the award winners have had in the past, but he is just consistent. He did miss five or six stars near the beginning of the year due to injury, but if he can keep his ERA at his current level, that is what sets him apart right now. His one downfall at this point is that he hasn’t even pitched 150 innings yet, he needs to get near 200 by the end of the year.

Adam Wainwright – Wainwright is currently leading the league in wins and his current record stands at 15-7. He has been helped by the mid-season additions on offense. The only reason he’s in the discussion is because he does have a nice ERA (2.61) and the wins are high, but his Batting Average Against is good, but not great at .248. If the Cardinals keep winning, Wainwright would have to stay perfect to win the award.

Tim Lincecum – Last year’s Cy Young winner is at it again this year. He’s striking guys out at an alarming rate and has amassed 214 strikeouts in 185 innings this year. He is currently 12-4 and has 21 quality starts. The San Francisco Giants aren’t giving him as much run support as the Cardinals give Wainwright and Carpenter. He has been un-hittable this year, but with only 12 wins, he needs at least 17 to win the award again, especially if the Cardinals pitchers get near 20.

Matt Cain – If I were to compare the Giants pitchers with the Cardinals, Cain gets over-shadowed by Lincecum, like Wainwright gets overlooked because of Carpenter. Cain’s stuff isn’t flashy, but he is efficient. He is also 12-4 and currently has a Batting Average Against is .227. If he was on any other team, he would probably be their ace. He also sits in the same boat as his teammate, he needs to win at least 5 more games this year to overtake one of the Cardinals pitchers.

Dark Horses

Jason Marquis – The Colorado Rockies are on another run, just like they did a few years ago. Aaron Cook was a key piece in their run back then and Marquis is their man this year. He’s currently 14-8, but his ERA isn’t anything to write home about at 3.48. He only has 84 strikeouts, but if he keeps winning, he could be in the discussion. The chances of him winning are very weak, but at the very least he should get a lot of votes for Comeback Player of the Year.

Josh Johnson – He’s the ace for the Florida Marlins who got off to a blistering start this season. He maintained consistency, but the team has not helped him out with run support. He’s currently 12-3 with a 2.99 ERA and he has a K/9 rate around 8. If the Marlins were a playoff contender he would be in the discussion more. For Johnson to win the award, all of the leading candidates would have to go cold.

Tommy Hanson – He was called up a few months ago and he has helped the Atlanta Braves every time he pitches. He would take a miracle for him to win the award, but he’s currently 9-2 with a 3.04 ERA this season. He has only pitched 86.2 innings this year, but he goes perfect through the rest of his starts, he could get some votes. It’s an extreme longshot, but at the very least he has secured the NL Rookie of the Year and a contender for the Cy Young in 2010.

I really like Tim Lincecum in this race. He’s in a close race in the NL West and every start has a lot of exposure and publicity. Carpenter is the front-runner, but the Cardinals have a sizable lead in the NL Central and the Cardinals could give him some rest, since he has a history of injury. I think he’s his to lose, but Lincecum is breathing down his neck. It’s such a close race, it will come down to the last week of the season.

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

Is Isiah Thomas Scared Of Madison Square Garden?

Isiah Thomas is the new coach of the Florida International college hoops team and the team is already making news. They are set to play in the Coaches Vs. Cancer tip-off , but they are now threatening to pull-out if the organizers don’t change their opponent. Could Isiah Thomas be afraid to go back to Madison Square Garden?

They agreed to play Ohio State in their first game, but when they received their schedule, they are set to play the defending champions, the North Carolina Tar Heels. I’m sure it would be a tough game for FIU, but so would a game against Ohio State. Is there a bigger issue here? The game is being held at Madison Square Garden, the place where Thomas led the Knicks into the ground.

It’s a possibility, but of course they knew the game would be played there when they agreed to play. It’s a nice “get” to be scheduled in such a high-profile game early in the season for a program that isn’t very established. If they played Ohio State, they mostly likely wouldn’t be beat by more than 30 points. The Buckeyes don’t execute a very high scoring offense and Thad Matta, the coach of Ohio State, would probably start putting in people from “The Trillion Man March” (guys who never see the hardwood). North Carolina will be fighting for the #1 seed and will be looking for a large margin of victory to assure a high spot. Thomas doesn’t not want to get trounced in his first game coaching in college, but it would sting even more if it happened at MSG.

If I was Isiah Thomas, I would try to pull-out of this game too. The New York media is something that he tried to escape by taking a low-level Division I college coaching job. He would be laughed at by everyone who watched that game. If they end up playing North Carolina, they would lose by 75 points, because the Tar Heels 3rd-string players are still probably better than the talent at Florida International. Thomas said that he would like to play North Carolina in “two or three years, but now right now.” I have bad news Isiah, North Carolina will still be great in two or three years, but I have a feeling that FIU will still be bad and you probably won’t be coaching them, James Dolan isn’t the A.D.

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

The Ultimate Fantasy Sleeper: Deon Butler

I have been looking for the ultimate fantasy football sleeper. I have been looking through training camp notes, pre-season game box scores, and random internet/radio banter. I think I am ready to proclaim by choice, it’s Seattle Seahawks rookie wide receiver, Deon Butler. Am I crazy? Is this extremely bold? Maybe I am a little crazy, but I am not very bold with this pick, you just may not be aware.

The Seattle Seahawks have been a passing offense since Matt Hasselbeck has been the quarterback in Seattle. Was that because Mike Holmgren was calling plays? Maybe that is the case, but I don’t see them being a running offense like many analysts believe that they could be this year. It true that Jim Mora Jr. had one of the best running games when he was in Atlanta, but he had Michael Vick! People seem to forget that Vick had about 60-70 yards per game running the ball. If you add that to any marginal running attack, they would be in the top 5. Jim Mora has already spent time with the team over the last couple seasons, so I wouldn’t expect a huge change with the team this year.

When you look at Seattle’s wide receiver corps, Deon Butler looks to be the 4th or 5th option. I don’t see that being the case. I know T.J. Houshmandzadeh is probably the #1 and Deion Branch and Nate Burleson are the #2 and #3 targets. Heck, even my pick last year, Ben Obumanu is probably a good bet to see the ball some this year. Saying all of that, can you remember a year when Branch and Burleson were both healthy? They seem to be injury-prone and both are getting old. Hasselbeck has a tendency to spread the ball around, even John Carlson will be a nice late-round fantasy option this year. Bobby Engram is gone from Seattle, so he will need another option at wide-receiver, Deon Butler will be your man.

Butler was chosen in the 3rd round and many believe that this year’s wide-receiving draft class was extremely deep. I don’t see them picking him and letting him sit on the bench to season. He will be in games and he will produce. Trust me, no one will be picking him before the last round, unless you’re in a 20-team deep league. Take a chance with Butler, if he lays a goose eggs the first couple weeks, drop him and get someone proven, but he will be a low-risk/high reward receiver for your team. Seattle receivers can be a bit up and down, but stick with him if he produces early.

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

Review: WWE Allied Powers DVD & Summer Slam Anthology DVD

We promised you plenty of reviews this week and here is a double dose for your eyes. WWE Entertainment recently provided us with a few DVDs to review and they were great. “Allied Powers: The World’s Greatest Tag Teams” DVD set is full of nostalgic and current WWE tag teams. The commentary of the series was done by John Morrison and The Miz, and Bill Simmons was right, there is a lot of unintentional comedy.

The “Allied Powers” set is three-discs long and has so many good matches. You have matches by Degeneration X, The Hart Foundation, The Killer Bees, The Kozlov Brothers, Demolition, The Fabulous Freebirds, The Legion of Doom, The Smoking Gunns, The Dudley Boys, and many more. You have pretty much any notable tag team from AWA, WCW, WWE, ECW, and World Class Wrestling. There are plenty of matches and also a lot of highlights featuring certain tag teams. You can really get lost watching the matches, I wanted to go grab my WWF thumb-wrestlers and re-create a matches with my Hillbilly Jim and Junkyard Dog figures. Okay, not really, but it’s a must-buy for any WWE fan that has watched wrestling for any amount of years. Continue reading →

Michael Beasley Goes To Rehab

Multiple outlets are reporting the Michael Beasley, last year’s first round pick of the Miami Heat, has entered a rehab facility in Houston, TX. We wish him well and hope that he can get his addictions and demons under control and be a force in the NBA.

Michael Beasley posted a picture on his Twitter page showing off his new tattoo. He got “SuperCool Beas” tattooed across the back of his shoulders, but what was so troubling was what was in the background of the picture. There was a mysterious baggie next to a 7-Up bottle. Soon after his posted the picture, both of his Twitter accounts were shutdown. Here is the picture that he posted showing the tattoo and the baggie.
I don’t know what’s going on that the dude, but the tattoo was enough for me to question his mindset. The angel wings tattoo is horribly done, probably something he had done before the NBA money started rolling in. Anyways, I must have written ten posts about Michael Beasley and how dominate he was at Kansas State. If the NBA rule stating that his graduating class must be one year out of school in order to enter the NBA draft, he may have went straight to the pros. If he had done that, I doubt anyone outside of Miami Heat fans would be rooting for this guy.

He had a decent season last year with the Heat, but Miami must have heard some rumblings of his problem. Rumors started going around that they were offering Beasley for a draft pick. I hope he turns things around and gets cleaned up. If he was playing last year with lungs dull of THC, he should play much better this season. I hope Miami does the right thing and sticks with him, because if they cuts ties with him now, he could come back and hurt them by excelling on another team. But also, Miami is kind of a party town, maybe it would be best if he played for Indiana or Milwaukee…just saying.

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

Review: Major League Baseball Players of 1916 by Paul Batesel

I know what you’re thinking, it’s a long title for this post, but I didn’t want to cut the author short by cutting off his name. “Major League Baseball Players of 1916” is a great book for fans who loves the early days of baseball. It lists all of the players that played in 1916 and breaks down their careers while playing baseball and what most of them did after they retired from baseball.

McFarland Publishing is known for more in-depth books about single topic. They take something as broad as baseball and breaks down the game into tiny molecules, like a biographical dictionary of baseball player of 1916. Continue reading →

America’s White Boy Introduces "Review Week"

We have received a good amount of items to review and because of the other news in sports (Vick, Favre, Playoff Race, etc.) we haven’t had time to review them. This week we are going to review something every day this week. Things on the agenda are books by Adam Schefter, books about Thurman Munson, Satchel Paige, and old-timey baseball, and items such as sports merchandise and DVDs from the WWE.

Stay Tuned this week, we will be giving the lowdown on all of these items and also maybe a couple of giveaways. Check it out this week for more information.

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