tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30533772513961753872024-03-16T14:52:02.295-04:00Gimme Dat BrewYoung Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.comBlogger329125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-29307947550315461362010-02-15T21:02:00.003-05:002010-02-15T21:30:56.497-05:00NBA All-Star Weekend Recap<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVO5G45f4uNg3CEv0KJekmhepZ4akbA3sIdil18XcYWV3E1xYFCo7rwgp1wPILYv0Sw3kZj1prA79K6txkyTcX-YjyjEemUxkuSF_6eBwarcKY49H5m7tU1Ofd2sqNhLnBp6qfDg2c2Y/s1600-h/shakira.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVO5G45f4uNg3CEv0KJekmhepZ4akbA3sIdil18XcYWV3E1xYFCo7rwgp1wPILYv0Sw3kZj1prA79K6txkyTcX-YjyjEemUxkuSF_6eBwarcKY49H5m7tU1Ofd2sqNhLnBp6qfDg2c2Y/s320/shakira.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438663009527323378" border="0" /></a><br />The NBA's biggest weekend turned out to be mostly an embarrasment. If you missed it, consider yourself lucky. Here are some of the rare highlights, and myriad of lowlights that occurred over the weekend.<br /><br />- Maybe the sound wasn't good, but that sure was a quiet group of 108,000 fans yesterday. Seriously Texas, show some damn emotion if you are going to sit there. Most people in the crowd were probably just watching the scoreboard anyway. Probably the only noise that I did hear during the game was the organist GOING TO TOWN in the first quarter. Every single possession featured a new song, without let-up. I think Jerrah Jones killed the organist himself because it went dead silent in the 2nd half, which turned out to be the only way i could keep watching the game.<br /><br />- Lebron gets a lot of credit for being great with bad teammates, but NOBODY has it worse than Dwyane Wade. He gets forgotten to a certain degree because the Heat are so mediocre, but yesterday he proved that he is on Lebron's level (plus he already has a ring). If Wade gets any sort of players around him before his body wears down, he will do serious damage.<br /><br />-The only way to make NBA Saturday Night interesting is if more of the big stars participate. The dunk contest is what it is because the greatest players made it special. Yeah Nate Robinson is a good dunker, but everyone wants to see Lebron, D Howard and other STARS competing. It would also help if they cut out some commercials. There is no rhythm to the events because every 5 minutes TNT has to show a Geico commercial.<br /><br />-Paul Pierce is a good player, but he needs to check himself. Saying shit like he's one of the best shooters of all-time is dumb to begin with, but its even dumber when there is already a greater shooter on his own team. Ray Allen must have given the stink-eyes of all stink-eyes when he heard Pierce's victory speech. Truth should go back to flopping on drives to the hoop and pretending to show gang signs to boost his imagined street cred instead of staying he is an all-time great shooter.<br /><br />-Even funnier than Pierce's boasts was Kenny Smith saying he was a top-10 Celtic of all time. Rightfully so, he got clowned by Ernie and the gang immediately. It takes hard work to say something dumber than my boy Chuckster, but Kenny outdid himself this time.<br /><br />- Sadly, the most enlightening moment of the entire weekend when Mark Cuban pretty much guaranteed a lock-out after next year. I side with the players in the argument. Its not their fault the owners are dumb enough to give them so much money. Now its their responsibility to bear the "corrections" that need to take place? Bullshit. Maybe if teams didn't give fools like Samuel Dalembert 65 million dollar contracts, they wouldn't be losing money.<br /><br />- Finally, the best moment of the weekend, by far, were Shakira's hips. In retrospect, I don't really care that Saturday night blew and a somnambulant crowd ruined a really good All-Star game, because I got to imagine the severe dicking I would give to Shakira. My god, that girl is BAD.Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-8647686333787035872010-02-09T18:21:00.003-05:002010-02-09T18:50:33.367-05:00Deconstructing Danica<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://danspitstopracing.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/5B_Danica_Crash_Pratice_2_Yolanda.226114109_std.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 538px; height: 278px;" src="http://danspitstopracing.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/5B_Danica_Crash_Pratice_2_Yolanda.226114109_std.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Later this week, Danica Patrick is going to race in a Nascar Race at Daytona. (Well not a real Nascar race, just a Nationwide race). This has become THE big story in auto racing, as it is seen as a great step forward for women. However, once you peel away all the politically correct bullshit that will undoubtedly be spun, all you are left with is a hollow story about a bad driver with nothing more than a (sort-of) pretty face.<br /><br />If Danica Patrick's racing career in one word, it would be dissapointment. For a while it seemed like she might actually be everything she claimed to be: the first female driver in American auto racing history who could actually be legitimately competitive on a consistent basis. Then, we all found out that she sucked. Despite racing in some of the best equipment in the IRL and having a built-in advantage of weighing significantly less than her fellow <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.dailyradar.com/media/uploads/ballhype/story_large/2009/03/25/danica_patrick__28_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 261px;" src="http://images.dailyradar.com/media/uploads/ballhype/story_large/2009/03/25/danica_patrick__28_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>competitors (which would theoretically make her car go faster), she was an also-ran. Even her well publicized victory in Japan was more a factor of luck than skill. Danica didn't really win the race, she just had the good fortune of the best cars running out of gas ahead of her. She had about the same success of her much less-heralded female competitors Milka Duno and Sara Fisher even with all of her built-in advantages. In other words, she was the IRL's Dick Trickle.<br /><br />Now she's basically getting a free opportunity in NASCAR to try and force us to respect her, simply because she's a woman driving a car. Look, I have no problem with her racing, my problem is with her getting chance after chance to prove something that she is not, basically worthy of our respect and of her lofty stature in our society. She has never been anything more than a glorified novelty act her entire career.<br /><br />Now all of the feminine drones out there will probably scream that I am misogynistic, but nothing could be further from the truth. I'd be totally cool with her getting attention and accolades IF SHE HAD ACTUALLY EARNED IT. If she goes out and dominates this Nationwide Series and eventually becomes a solid competitor in NASCAR then I will be happy for her, but don't try to make me eat a turd sandwich by hiding it in a Five Guys wrapper.<br /><br />One more thing, I'd have a lot more respect for Danica Patrick if she was true to her word. She hypes up all this shit about how she wants, and deserves, to be respected as a female. Well at best, this leaves her as a hypocrite, because as we see in her advertisements for Godaddy.com and numerous auto care products, she blatantly uses her looks and not her driving skill to garner attention. At worst, this leaves her at a much uglier Anna Kournikova. Don't play the respect card and then turn around and stump for the most disturbing and embarrasing website I've ever seen. And don't expect respect as a woman when you pose half-naked in every magazine you've ever come across.<br /><br />Maybe this whole essay comes off as harsh, but sometimes the truth is. Danica Patrick is a fraud until proven otherwise. Maybe one day she will have earned her title as a solid race car driver and respectable role-model, but until then she's doing nothing but wasting gasoline and commercial time. There are better drivers than you Danica, and there are prettier faces too. Keep selling the lie, but Young Swole ain't buying.Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-14170176494196622322010-02-08T22:15:00.003-05:002010-02-08T22:22:29.050-05:00THE BREW IS BACK<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://funcfash.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/giant-beer-drinking-women-600x684.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 684px;" src="http://funcfash.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/giant-beer-drinking-women-600x684.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQnxVzOuVFE&feature=related"></a><a href="http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQnxVzOuVFE&feature=related"></a>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-6173741138868566652009-01-25T19:43:00.003-05:002009-01-25T19:59:56.672-05:00Aussie Open PredictionsThe Aussie Open is about to switch into overdrive, with some of the dankest matchups ever seen by man bound to take place. GDB's resident tennis experts Young Swole and Young Knucklers took time out of one of there battles at Cascade Courts to predict the winners of the remaining round of 16 matches and also 2 quarterfinals. Here are our predictions complete with cutting insight and brutally honest analysis.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.livenews.com.au/static/articles/171693/F_0_Aus_open_violence_news_320.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="http://www.livenews.com.au/static/articles/171693/F_0_Aus_open_violence_news_320.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Sweet 16 Matchups<br /></div><br />Rafael Nadal (1) -vs- Fernando Gonzalez (13)<br /><br />Swole - Nadal. "Gonzo makes errors, Nadal does not."<br />Knasty - Nadal. "Too much Peezy"<br /><br />Gilles Simon (6) -vs- Gael Monfils (12)<br /><br />Swole -Monfils. " Monfils has too much speed and youthful exuberance"<br />Knasty - Simon. "He is the happier frenchman"<br /><br />Andy Murray (4) -vs- Fernando Verdasco (14)<br /><br />Swole - Murray. "Murray is well-rested and is hungry for spanish blood"<br />Knasty - Murray. "I dont knowwwwwww"<br /><br />James Blake (9) -vs- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (5)<br /><br />Swole - Blake. "Blake is hongry and Tsonga's back condition will hurt him"<br />Knasty - Blake. "Bigger and Blacker"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Monday's Quarterfinals<br /><br /></div>Roger Federer (2) -vs- Juan Del Potro (8)<br /><br />Swole - Federer. "Potro is going to clam up on such a big stage."<br />Knasty - Federer "Del Potro loves the sticky too much"<br /><br />Andy Roddick (7) -vs- Novak Djokovic (3)<br /><br />Swole - Djokovic. "Djokovic advances in an epic 5 set brew battle, then throws a chair"<br />Knasty - Roddick. "Roddick has the hotter bitch and pleasures him in the sweet spot aka diggity deez nuts"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.oddjack.com/wp-content/maria_sharapova10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 410px; height: 365px;" src="http://www.oddjack.com/wp-content/maria_sharapova10.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-55447167359637256632009-01-22T13:32:00.002-05:002009-01-22T13:54:59.760-05:00Mid - January ObservationsBusy times in sports lately, so its only natural that Young Swole makes some of his famous observations<br /><br />- Congrats to the Steelers and Cardinals first off. All these announcers saying the Cardinals are a fluke need to get off of it. They have proven to have the best team in the NFC and are no doubt a worthy adversary to the Steelers. They have the best receiver in the NFC in Larry Fitz, and one of the most clutch quarterbacks in league history in Kurt Warner. Its <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.emqb.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/anquan-boldin_nc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 217px;" src="http://www.emqb.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/anquan-boldin_nc.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>funny how he is forgotten and everybody hypes up guys like Romo, Favre and the Mannings, while it can be argued that Warner has had a better career than all of them. If he wins the Super Bowl there is no doubt he is a hall of famer and will have passed all of the aforementioned in every important way.<br /><br />- People need to lay off of Anquan Boldin. All of these clowns eager to sacrifice another black guy for his actions probably do not realize the course of events that even led up to Sunday's game. Boldin got a low-ball offer from the Cards this past offseason, reported anyway, nearly got decapitated but balled out all season anyway, then got injured and courageously came back to play last Sunday. Now, because he has one argument with his offensive coordinator ( an event that happens ALL THE DAMN TIME) he is perceived as yet another selfish black receiver who thinks about himself more than the team. Fuck that. Do your homework before you crucify another man. Boldin has always been a team player and has sacrificed his own health fo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=202&size=550x550_mb&ptp_photo_id=6303572"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 231px;" src="http://pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=202&size=550x550_mb&ptp_photo_id=6303572" alt="" border="0" /></a>r the betterment of the team. He was only mad because he wanted to help the team, not because he was wanting to "get his".<br /><br />- Onto basketball. It pains me to say this but the Oklahoma Thunder are going to be very good in the near future. They already have the best 2nd year player in Kevin Durant, and now have the best rookie in Russell Westbrook. Their record is still terrible, but this may let them luck into getting a Blake Griffin type player this fall. If the Thunder get a top 5 pick, they are going to be battling the Blazers at the top of the West in no time. It sure would have been nice to have Seattle and Portland in a heated rivalry, and as a Sonics fan i can say that no one deserves the future success of the Thunder (wtf) less than Clay Bennet and his city of dust lovers. I hope Durant and Westbrook leave town the first chance they get and that franchise folds.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.baselinetennis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/20774785.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 319px;" src="http://www.baselinetennis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/20774785.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />- Aussie Open is the crunkness. Nothing beats watching tennis every night during the middle of January. If you can't appreciate the athleticism of these players than go kill yourself. It appears that the 2nd week of the tournament could go down as one of the best ever. 5 sick players are alive on the men's side (Fed, Nadal, Djok, Murray, Tsonga) and their quarterfinal/semifinal matchups are going to be incredible. Plus, darkhorses Marcos Baghdatis and Mardy Fish meet tonight in a crucial 3rd round matchup, and Federer still has to face the talented Marat Safin before he can even think of the other dudes out there. Incredible. The women's side may not be as exciting or aesthetically pleasing as last year (No Vaidisova or Kirilenko) but watch our for Caroline Wozniacki to make a big run. The top seeds have looked OK but not unbeatable, and young Weezy may be ready to go on a huge run. She has the talent, and Swole approves of her looks as well. Church.<br /><br />- What an awesome start to conference play in college basketball. Every night seems to feature a slugfest between ACC and Big East teams. These two conferences are so far ahead of the others its laughable. Depending on how the brackets are divided up, i think its entirely possible that these 2 conferences could make up the entire Elite 8. With that said, here is Swole's 1st team all-americans to this point so far.<br /><br />G - Jonny Flynn, Syracuse<br />G - Jeff Teague, Wake Forest<br />F - Gerald Henderson, Duke<br />F - Blake Griffin, Oklahoma<br />C - DeJuan Blair, Pitt<br /><br />(Hansbrough lovers go fall off a cliff. He can't pass at all, has no post moves besides a flailing half hook shot, and travels nearly every time he has the ball. He gets by on effort and physicality, but he is not half the player Blair is, and i hope they match up at some point so that Hansbrough's soul gets taken from him in front of a nationwide audience)<br /><br />There's a lot more going on that i will get to soon including: Football recruiting, the long wait to baseball season, the gayness of Winter X and more NBA analysis. Until then, peace out little clams.Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-19040495307520310392009-01-07T22:11:00.002-05:002009-01-07T22:51:53.037-05:00BCS Championship PredictionsI hate both these teams. I hate Tim Tebow. I hate that stupid song that Oklahoma plays after every 3 yard run they make. With that said, its still important to list some key factors to watch for tomorow night:<br /><br />FOR FLORIDA TO WIN:<br /><br />- The biggest reason that Oklahoma put up such ridiculous offensive numbers is because Sam Bradford barely got touched all season. For Florida to slow down the Sooners offense, it will be imperative to create some pressure. Remember that Texas had a premier edge rusher in Brian Orakpo, Florida is going to need a Jermaine Cunningham or Carlos Dunlap to provide a similar dynamic on the defensive side.<br /><br />- Florida also has to be careful to not become one dimensional on offense. Of course we all know Tebow is god and all, but the pattern has been to give him the ball too much when the game is on the line which makes the Gator offense highly predictable. This is why they lost to Ole Miss earlier this year. Even if Percy Harvin's inflamed pussy keeps him out of this game, Urban Meyer has to understand that Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey must get touches. It probably won't be too hard to score on Oklahoma, but Florida will be much likely to make big plays if they let other people than Tebow get the ball.<br /><br />FOR OKLAHOMA TO WIN<br /><br />- The first thing they have to do is set a physical tone. Florida has a reputation for being soft in big games. All those pretty boy recievers love to run around and look nice, but they shell up when they get hit in the mouth. If the Sooners can play some smash mouth offense and knock Tebow's weapons off their game, then they've got a shot.<br /><br />- The Sooners better have learned how to tackle better in practice too. Florida's skill guys are too damn dangerous if you don't wrap up on them. The only defenses that can slow down the Gators have to be fundamentally sound and not make mistakes. This means no yards after the catch, and no stupid penalties.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">YOUNG SWOLE'S BRUTAL PREDICTION<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Florida is going to lay the wood to Oklahoma for two major reasons. The first is obvious, Oklahoma's defense sucks. They haven't faced an offense with as many playmakers as Florida's to date, and the Gators team speed is going to leave the Sooners' inept defense constantly out of position. The second reason is that Oklahoma is not going to find things as easy on offense as it has lately. Sam Bradford got fat on facing awful defenses all year, but it is going to take him a while to adjust to Florida. Those easy throws are not going to be as wide open as they usually are, and i think this could lead to early turnovers. Combine these two reasons with Oklahoma's propensity to play like ass in big games and the fact that this is basically a home game for the Gators leads to an inevitable rout. Florida wins 55-27<br /></div></div>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-69980438023126297042009-01-03T12:23:00.008-05:002009-01-07T16:39:45.886-05:00LaDainian Tomlinson, We Hardly Know Ye<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOiBWHaIw32YZ-WXHTXPy1ujrIcY_Zm3MzW01YxhkSm5s6_LoYcK-OU8j5vC-_VvJjmE0WHKTiLAKo7cp679aaiV6HcQRrxTT8bC7KDdQmLQni21lMHMZem_n5LSwcVKMpjvIZsMufIa6/s1600-h/327344786_8668477f7b.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOiBWHaIw32YZ-WXHTXPy1ujrIcY_Zm3MzW01YxhkSm5s6_LoYcK-OU8j5vC-_VvJjmE0WHKTiLAKo7cp679aaiV6HcQRrxTT8bC7KDdQmLQni21lMHMZem_n5LSwcVKMpjvIZsMufIa6/s320/327344786_8668477f7b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287124810220048946" /></a>Earlier today, I was watching the ESPN NFL Countdown tools talking about the Colts-Chargers game this evening, specifically, about LaDainian Tomlinson's injury, when Tom Jackson stated "Well, LT is right now a first-ballot Hall of Famer". I turned to a roomate and said I didn't agree with that, that he may be a HOFer right now, but he still has some work to do before he is a first-ballot guy. He disagreed, and the argument ensued.<br /><br /><em>(Let me preface this by saying that while I am a Colts fan, I am not a homer. I have an appreciation for sports in general and you can usually tell when I am intentionally showing my bias.) </em><br /><br />I will not argue that LT is one of the most explosive and talented players that has ever played the game. For the past 8 years, he has consistently been the "best back in the game, today" (apologies to Adrian Peterson, the next big thing). He has an MVP and an impressive single season TD record that he seemed to achieve with frightening ease. But does this really qualify him as a first-ballot Hall of Fame guy? I would argue no.<br /><br />For you to consider Tomlinson a first-ballot player, then that opens the door for two other current players who would have to be considered first-ballot worthy. First, Kurt Warner.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibM13Eh_4IIWxlVLxxBN4AS_65cZ-bGf2AH6A_f4gyNGy53IhXGC2w6il939JRQEHp-Oh8Ds026aCiKu3nK_2nM2RqMXqMNcz9His8Xqm5X2ijk0FBGk-GX4IFem9IKKAapgSei7pXtoT8/s1600-h/kurt-warner.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibM13Eh_4IIWxlVLxxBN4AS_65cZ-bGf2AH6A_f4gyNGy53IhXGC2w6il939JRQEHp-Oh8Ds026aCiKu3nK_2nM2RqMXqMNcz9His8Xqm5X2ijk0FBGk-GX4IFem9IKKAapgSei7pXtoT8/s320/kurt-warner.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287125208047124946" /></a><br />The problem with Warner is that he has been so hit or miss over the course of his career. He started off his career hot out of the gate, but injuries and politics have shadowed what has otherwise been a great 10 year career:<br /><br />4-time Pro Bowler<br />2-time NFL MVP<br />1-time Super Bowl MVP<br />1-time Super Bowl Champion<br /><br />How does that stack up with Tomlinson? Tomlinson has 1 MVP and 5 Pro Bowl invitations, along with the aforementioned TD record. If Tomlinson is a first-ballot HOFer, then certainly Warner is as well?<br /><br />Ok, it can be tough to compare a RB to a QB with ease, so how about another back? How about Shaun Alexander?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbngTdkyaIroNIZvgwA0RU9DRaM4JvYXvyl9JCa_wQFVhvffQSl-H_OoGWAdtc-hcdcaG6y8sJu0bvEiknjy5ySAyZQeKwXvSYKcGQl064Q6gwfRgBjjSnd77Ipk6i1JAWupDT4MO_4Tpm/s1600-h/03_salexander_01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbngTdkyaIroNIZvgwA0RU9DRaM4JvYXvyl9JCa_wQFVhvffQSl-H_OoGWAdtc-hcdcaG6y8sJu0bvEiknjy5ySAyZQeKwXvSYKcGQl064Q6gwfRgBjjSnd77Ipk6i1JAWupDT4MO_4Tpm/s320/03_salexander_01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287125561552872018" /></a><br />3-time Pro Bowler<br />1-time NFL MVP<br /><br />So Alexander doesn't necessarily match up stat for stat with Tomlinson, but (unfortunately for all of us) statistics aren't always the main factor in HOF voting. Voters do take stats into account, but they also include things like MVPs, Pro Bowl appearences, and, for better or worse, Super Bowls. Before Indianpolis won the Super Bowl, and Peyton had his 2 MVPs and his single season TD record, it didn't matter who you asked, Tom Brady the better Hall of Fame candidate. I will not argue that, but the underlying theme here is that although Pey-Pey had the stats, Brady had the the greater glory. That's important in Hall of Fame discussion. Coming back to the subject at hand here, Alexander has the same amount of MVPs as Tomlinson, held that same TD record one year prior to LT breaking it, and (gasp!) played in one more Super Bowl than LT. Is that fair criteria to judge with? Maybe yes, maybe no. But the fact still remains that at this point, there are players who are just as, if not more deserving the be a first-ballot Hall of Famer than LT.<br /><br />As stated earlier, I will not deny that LDT is a charismatic and phenominal NFL player. He has achieved great success in his first 8 seasons that compare favorably with just about anyone you compare him with. He hasn't played in a Super Bowl (yet) and seems to be slowing down, but he is definitely Hall of Fame material down the road. <br /><br />But does this make him a first-ballot material at this point in time? I would argue no.dickmau5http://www.blogger.com/profile/09018462550049178197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-58145998574448704612009-01-03T12:12:00.003-05:002009-01-03T12:23:52.614-05:00Wild Card Weekend Part DeuxWildcard weekend is upon us tomorrow, closes out Sunday with two more great games:<br /><br />Ravens @ Dolphins (Sun 1:00) - Enough has been said about the turnarounds both of these teams experienced this year. Both rookie head coaches are tops in the Coach of the Year balloting. Both teams have stifling defenses that can shut down anyone. Both have efficient, game managing QBs and solid RB tandems as well. Homefield advantage won't matter much here, though, as Baltimore already showed in Week 7 this year. More of the same tomorrow: Ravens 21, Dolphins 14<br /><br /><br />Iggles @ Vikings (Sun 4:30) - The two most bipolar teams in the playoffs. Everyone in their mother claims that this is the worst case scenerio match-up for the Vikings: a team that can shut down the run, can spread out the field offensively with the pass, and a far better QB. But if there is one player in this league who can single-handidly change the direction of a game, it's Adrian Peterson (just ask the Packers). The Vikes will live and die by the tempo AP sets in this game, but the Eagles might be the most dangerous team in the playoffs. Eagles 31, Vikings 28dickmau5http://www.blogger.com/profile/09018462550049178197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-10290832411572895332009-01-02T00:48:00.006-05:002009-01-02T01:13:41.241-05:00NFL WIld Card Weekend - Where I'll take Terrance Newman's "Most Talented Team in the NFL" Won't Be for $500!Wildcard weekend is upon us tomorrow, where we're getting treated to a double header of some ill games Saturday and Sunday. We'll get it started with the Saturday games:<br /><br />Falcons @ Cardinals (Sat 4:30 pm) - Question: Are the Cardinals an actual playoff team? Answer: Fact, at 8-8 they are a playoff team (thanks Seattle, San Francisco, and St. Louis for remembering the season started). They deserve to be in the playoffs? False! Where has Kurt Warner been since, oh, November? This team is collapsing worse than the Mets in September (snap!).Oh, I'm sorry, am I not paying enough attention to the courageous and outstanding Atlanta Dirty Birds? Sorry, I just figured I had had enough of the media gushing about quaterback wunderkind Matt Ryan and essentially crowning him the next "Golden Boy" of the Media (Sorry Tommy, we're not talking about the Tabloids. Move over Favre). Anyways, I actually do like the Falcons and from every angle, I just can't see Michael Turner not running at will on the Cardinals shoddy run defense. Jonathan Abraham is going to eat Warner alive this Saturday. <strong></strong>Falcons 34, Red Birds 21<br /><br /><br />Indy @ Chargers (Sat 8:00) - It's world renown the love we have for the Colts and their almighty leader, Peyton Manning. The Chargers always bring the heat when they play the Colts (ahem 6 picks, anyone?), and the Colts play to their competition in the playoffs. Which LT is going to show up, if he does show up? Can the Colts offense keep the Colts defense from spending too much time on the field? Will Phillip Rivers a.) cry b.) bitch c.) break his helmet in a Colts victory? These are the questions that I can't wait to get answers to. While the Chargers are have won 4 straight, capped off by an epic dismantling of conference rival, the Mike Shanahan-less, but Shannon Sharpe still representing Denver Broncos, a 9 game winning streak with a win already at San Diego and a return of the buzzsaw that is Demond "Bob" Sanders gives the Colts the edge. <strong></strong>Indy 27, San Diego 24dickmau5http://www.blogger.com/profile/09018462550049178197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-16108834074204984892009-01-01T17:10:00.003-05:002009-01-01T18:01:39.743-05:00A Solution to College Football's Annual BS FestOver the years we've all been subjected to the debate about whether college football should stick with the bowl system or finally have a playoff to decide its national champion. There are pretty good reasons for both, yet all the dumb solutions we have heard so far conveniently ignore some of not all of them. So as i sit back to watch the likely USC-Penn State train wreck, i thought what better time to unleash a playoff system that can make everyone in college football happy. Read ahead if you have ever been frustrated by stupid bowl matchups, rolled your eyes at retarded playoff plans, or have ever been a pissed off football fan.<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">THE PLAN</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The basic plan that i am endorsing is an 8-team playoff that combines the winners of the major conferences, while leaving space for excellent at-large teams and accomplished mid-majors to be included if they so deserve. This way, the 6 major conferences would all be represented as they are today and there would also be a realistic chance for teams that fall victim to BCS's formulas to shut up and prove it on the field. The tournament would take 3 weeks, with the championship played the January 8th, the week after New Years Day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Participants</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here is how the 8 teams would be decided:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- The ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Pac-10 and SEC champions would automatically be in the field of 8 *IF* they finish the season in the Top 10 of the coaches and AP polls. Therefore, if you are a shitty team that won a wack conference, you can go get ghost. Virginia Tech was an OK team this year, but they in no way belong in a BCS game based on their accomplishment. Same with Cincinnati.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- Mid-Major champions would automatically be included in the field of 8 *if* they win their conference, go undefeated, and finish the season in the top 10 of the AP and Coaches polls. Therefore Utah and Boise State would make the field of 8 this season. </div><div style="text-align: left;">- If there are more than 8 combined big conference and undefeated mid-major teams, the top 8 seeds would be determined based on cumulative AP and coaches poll ranking.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- At-large teams would be selected by highest cumulative AP and Coaches poll rankings. This would reward excellent teams from deep conferences, such as the Big 12 and SEC, while still leaving a great importance on winning your conference and earning the automatic bid and not taking a chance on being an at-large. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This selection process would guarantee that the 8 greatest teams are in the playoffs every single year. If you think there's a better way to choose 8 teams, then tell me how.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">THE LOGISTICS</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bowl advocates have bitched about how a playoff system would add too many additional games to the crowded college schedule. Under my system, only two teams would play more than the 14 games that bowl teams play under the current rules, therefore eliminating this lame excuse while still keeping the bowl system under its current form. Here's how it works:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- 2 years ago the NCAA decided to extend the college season from 12 to 13 regular season games. It was basically a way to make more TV revenue. The problem is that most big college teams have filled this game with a worthless cupcake oppenent, making it the equivalent of an NFL preseason game. Under my formula, this 13th game would be eliminated from the schedule. Instead, the quarterfinal of the 8-team playoff would serve as the 13th game for the teams involved. This way, TV ratings would become even higher than they are now.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- Additionally, these quarterfinal matchups *Would be played in the home stadiums* of the 4 highest seeds in the tournament to reward regular season accomplishments and also to preserve revenues that a 13th game could bring into the universities and conferences.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- Both the quarterfinal winner and loser matchups would take place at the existing 4 BCS bowl games (Orange, Rose, Sugar, Fiesta). The locations of the national semifinals, and the consolation games would be rotated similarly to how they are now. That way the big bowl games still get the best matchups, the fans see the best games, and the teams determine who makes the championship in the most pure form. Now the Rose Bowl has been a big bitch in the bowl system for a long time. Their desire to have the Big 10 play the Pac 10 every year has led to decades of shitty matchups. Frankly the time for this is over. Tradition is great and all, as long as the tradition isn't worthless. If the Rose Bowl won't take the matchup its given, then it can peace out to the BCS. Its spot could easily be given to the Cotton Bowl at the new Texas Stadium or the Capital One Bowl at the refurbished Citrus Bowl. Either the Rose Bowl can play the same as the other BCS bowls, or it can enjoy the matchup of the best Big 10 and Pac 10 team outside of the top 8. We'll see how its precious tradition matters at that point.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- The remaining bowl games would be filled as they are now, based on conference rank below the BCS games participants. Under my system, all of these games would be completed by the end of January 1st, so no attention is taken away from the semifinals and championship. It makes no sense that the International Bowl is played on January 6th. Get that shit done with quick.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- Quarterfinals would be played the week after conference championships, which would be moved up a week with the elimination of the 13th game. Therefore, players would still have a break for finals and bowl preparation. The two semifinals would be played on January 1st, at 430pm and 8pm after the completion of all other bowl games.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- The Championship would be played a week from New Years, at a rotating BCS location just as it is now.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After all this, there would be 1 additional game played, the bowl hierarchy would be maintained, EVERYONE makes more money, and the fans see the best games. How can this be a bad thing?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">THE TEST RUN</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Based on the results of the 2008 regular season, and the system described above, this is how the 8 team field would be determined:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 seed - Oklahoma Sooners, Big 12 Champ</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 seed - Florida Gators, SEC Champ</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 seed - Texas Longhorns, Big 12 at large</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 seed - Alabama Crimson Tide, SEC at large</div><div style="text-align: left;">5 seed - USC Trojans, Pac 10 Champ</div><div style="text-align: left;">6 seed - Penn State Nittany Lions, Big 10 Champs</div><div style="text-align: left;">7 seed - Utah Utes, Mountain West Champ, undefeated mid-major</div><div style="text-align: left;">8 seed - Boise State Broncos, WAC Champ, undefeated mid-major</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here are the quarterfinal matchups, if these don't make you pitch a tent then go watch golf.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Boise State (8) @ Oklahoma (1), Norman, OK</div><div style="text-align: left;">Utah (7) @ Florida (2), Gainesville, FL</div><div style="text-align: left;">Penn State (6) @ Texas (3), Austin, TX</div><div style="text-align: left;">USC (5) @ Alabama (4), Tuscaloosa, AL</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From here the semifinals would be played on New Years day, and out of the bracket a champion would be determined on January 8th, fully earned and justified by regular season and post-season success.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This whole system probably will never work, because its too right and the people in charge are too dumb and greedy to realize a good thing, but it would ensure a rightful champion is crowned, all while keeping the remaining system fully intact and eliminating the ridiculous controversies that have recently plagued college football. If you think you can do better, please let me know, i'll be busy watching a meaningless bowl game. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-68853677289956457842008-12-31T17:17:00.003-05:002008-12-31T17:41:54.237-05:00GDB NFL All-Pro TeamBefore the playoffs start this week, GDB felt it necessary to honor the best players from the regular season. Don't feel bad if your favorite player doesn't make this list, we don't reward reputations here, only pure brilliance and achievement.<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Offense</div><div><br /></div><div>QB - Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints. It was a great year for quarterbacks, even with the injury to Tom Brady. Anyone could argue for Peyton Manning or Matt Ryan to man this spot, but come on. Brees threw for over 5,000 yards with his top 3 recieving weapons out for significant portions of the season and would have made the playoffs if he didn't play in the NFL's toughest division.</div><div><br /></div><div>RB - Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings. Any time you run for 1,700 yards without people noticing, you know you're damn good. All Day made people in the NFL forget that the Vikes quarterback was Gus F'in Frerotte for most of the year, and thats quite an achievement.</div><div><br /></div><div>RB - Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons. The greatest free agent signing of 2008 helped the Falcons make it all the way to an 11-5 record. </div><div><br /></div><div>LT - Stephen Roos, Tennessee Titans. A lynchpin of one of the strongest offensive lines in the NFL.</div><div><br /></div><div>LG - Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota Vikings. Still opening up big holes for All Diggity Day, even thought he may not be at an all-world level anymore.</div><div><br /></div><div>C - Sean O'Hara, New York Giants. Major part of the dynamic and versatile Giants O-Line, helped B Jacobs and Derrick Ward both get over 1,000 yards rushing.</div><div><br /></div><div>RG - Tyson Clabo, Atlanta Falcons. Symbolic of the Atlanta Falcons newfound success in the power running game.</div><div><br /></div><div>RT - Jordan Gross, Carolina Panthers. No team had a more dominant running game in the 2nd half of the season than Carolina, and Gross' emergence at right tackle had a lot to do with that.</div><div><br /></div><div>WR - Andre Johnson, Houston Texans. Simply a man among boys, Johnson is the most dominant individual player in the NFL.</div><div><br /></div><div>WR - Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers. When he ain't smacking teammates around, he's torching cornerbacks as the most explosive reciever in the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>TE - Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts. Him and Manning were a giant part of the Colts mad dash in the 2nd half of the season.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Defense</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">DE - DeMarcus Ware - Dallas Cowboys. Despite the pathetic play of his overrated teammates, Ware continues to emerge as the best young edge rusher in the NFL, as evidenced by his 19 sacks and countless QB pressures.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">DT - Albert Haynesworth, Tennessee Titans. Buy the hype. Everyone knew he had the talent going back to his Volunteer days, now that he's figured it out there are few as dominant in the game.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">DT - Haloti Ngata, Baltimore Ravens. Incredibly athletic for a 350 pound man, Ngata's run stuffing ability has allowed the Ravens' linebackers and safeties to be so aggressive and destructive.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">DE - John Abraham, Atlanta Falcons. As a pass rushing specialist there was none better in the game this year. His constant pressure helped save the Falcons in many games this year.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">OLB - James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers. The best Steeler linebacker since Greg Lloyd. Harrison is as good rushing the passer as he is at stopping the run, and he makes huge plays every game.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">MLB - Keith Bulluck, Tennessee Titans. This guy has been a great linebacker for over a decade. His leadership and talent helped make the Titans defense so imposing this year.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">OLB - Joey Porter, Miami Dolphins. I never thought i'd include Peezy in a list like this, but it would be ignorant to dismiss his contribution the the miraculous Dolphins turnaround.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">CB - Cortland Finnegan, Tennessee Titans. The most physical corner in the NFL.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">CB - Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers. A couple years ago he was benched by his coaches, now he has improved into as close to a shutdown corner as the NFL rules will allow.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">FS - Ed Reed, Baltimore Ravens. The best safety the NFL has seen since Ronnie Lott.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">SS - Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers. Spiritual leader of the best defense in the NFL this season. Can truly do it all on defense.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">P - Mike Scifres, San Diego Chargers. Led the league in average, good enough for me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">K - Steven Gostwowski, New England Patriots. Led the league in points, good enough for me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">KR - Johnnie Lee Higgins, Oakland Raiders. Not a great year for kick returners, but this guy scored td's and has an awesome name, which is good enough for me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Coach of the year - Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins. Took chances on unwanted players and then coached them up from a 1 win to an 11 win team.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rookie of the Year - Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons. How is it that he is better as an NFL rookie than he was as a college senior. </div>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-4319935491227213142008-12-30T14:29:00.003-05:002008-12-30T15:11:38.974-05:00NFL Regular Season Recap and other sports observationsFall Semester in grad school can be a pretty heady undertaking, and it pretty much claimed Young Swole. I apologize for the lack of content on GDB, but i'm hopeful that i will be able to provide the cutting insight that the millions of readers demand. With that apology, I reflect on the recently completed NFL regular season and other significant events unfolding in the sports universe.... <div><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 407px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://blogs.tampabay.com/juice/images/2007/10/31/romo.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div align="center">THE DEATH OF HYPE</div><div><em></em></div><br /><div>ESPN tried vainly to stuff aggravating stories like the Dallas Cowboys and Brett Favre down our throats all fall, and to the enjoyment of sane people across our country, both crashed and burned worse than the Hindenberg. First off we have the Cowboys, with their choke-artist quarterback, much-maligned reciever and the rest of the crew. I can't remember such a mediocre team being covered so closely, and I don't think a failure so rife with blame to be dispersed has ever been directed in the wrong directions. Recent days have seen TV commentators (Cris Carter) basically calling for Terrell Owens to be murdered while much greater problems have been largely ignored. Tony Romo continues to be excused of his pathetic play, mostly because he tries hard and bangs a girl that fat sportswriters jerk off to. Jerry Jones has recieved some blame for putting together a bunch of mercenaries and meddling with his coaches, but this has mostly been excused because he really wants to win badly, as if others didn't. Finally Pac Man Jones is made a laughinstock for his Sunday performance, as if he was responsible for Romo and Barber's fumbles and the entire defensive ineptitude. Bottom line here, everyone deserves equal blame, and to lump in entirely on loud black men while excusing white teammates screams of racism.</div><br /><div>Onto Favre, who was made the biggest story of the season by ESPN in late summer when he signed with the Jets. He was awful on Sunday, throwing two of the dumbest picks i've ever seen. No one is more responsible for the Jets collapse than him, as evidenced by his 2td to 9int ratio in December. Yet his poor play has been largely excused because he was supposedly injured (as if no one else plays hurt) and that he was "curageous" to try and play in new york. Now we have to endure another offseason of will-he or won't-he when it comes to retirement. If his play is any indicator, then ol' Brett should just hang up his wranglers and go back to nowheresville Mississippi where he belongs.</div><br /><div></div><div align="center">OTHER BIG STORIES</div><div></div><br /><div>- The biggest tragedy of the NFL season occurred late in the Tampa-Oakland game. It wasn't the ugly collapse by the Buccaneers against the hapless Raiders, no it was that Cadillac Williams got injured again. Last year, Williams tore a patella tendon in his right knee which doctors thought would end his career. Miraculously, Cadillac returned to the Bucs late in the season and was a big contributor for a team that suffered through injuries from Ernest Graham and Warrick Dunn. However, in the 4th quarter of Sunday's game, Cadillac tore the patella tendon in his <em>left </em>knee, and is looking at another career threatening situation. I've always loved the way Cadillac has run the ball way back to his Auburn days, and its heartbreaking that the same devastasting injury could happen to the same guy again. I just hope that he doesn't go the way of players like Willie Davis and Yatil Green and never make it back.</div><br /><div></div><a href="http://www.xcomment.com/g1/img/p1_reed091907021608.gif"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 204px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 346px" alt="" src="http://www.xcomment.com/g1/img/p1_reed091907021608.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>- All the NFL numbskull commentators aren't mentioning him, but Ed Reed would be my MVP this season. Reed was always a great player, but he has been simply dominant on defense this year for the Ravens. Every week it seems he's returning a TD for a touchdown or making a huge play on defense. His emotional contribution is arguably larger than any other player in the league as well, Reed is the identity of the Ravens and he has helped make them one of the most dangerous teams in the playoffs. My second place would be Peyton Manning, 3rd place Chad Pennington</div><br /><div></div><div>- As a Lions fan, all i can really do is shake my head in embarrasment. Unlike the Dolphins and Falcons, i have no hope in the Lions actually turning this around. They are sadly mismanaged and do not have the intellectual capability to even acknowledge that they are clueless. There is literally no hope for this franchise. Whoever they draft will be wasted because they can't find good enough coaches. The coaches they do hire are either inept or lazy. I honestly don't even think they will win a game next year either. There are no good young players on this team and no rookie is going to be able to make that much of a difference. its sad to see the franchise this damn bad, but what's even sadder is they will continue to be this awful for a lot longer.</div><br /><div></div><div></div><div>- I am convinced this is the year of Lebron. Silence me with that KG competitor talk, no one has had a greater will to win since MJ than Lebron. Plus he actually has decent teammates around him this year, which will lead him to his first of many NBA titles. Lock it in right now, he will be Sports Illustrated's sportsman of the year in 2009, unless Tiger comes back and sweeps the majors. </div><br /><div></div><div>- The college bowls are in full swing, and they have been very good so far. Unfortunately it looks like the big bowls could all be letdowns, thanks to the mismatches created by the greed of the BCS and college presidents. If anyone thinks Penn State, Ohio State or Utah actually has a chance in the bowl game, then they need to get some smelling salts.</div><div><em></em></div><br /><br /><div><em>Coming up in Future Days: Young Swole's NFL All-Pro Team, The perfect solution for a BCS playoff, BCS Bowl Predictions, Australian Open Preview, Young Swole's Life Observations</em></div><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-10865089730072833622008-09-26T14:28:00.005-04:002008-09-26T15:12:50.780-04:00College Football Preview<div><div><div><div>We haven't even reached Saturday and already we've had a colossal upset, as those wacky Beavers of Oregon State once again knocked off a supremely overrated USC team. Somewhere Mark May is fixin' to jump off a ledge, which would make everybody happy. And while this upset would be enough for most fans, we have a full Saturday to go, chock full of huge games across the country. Lets get it.<br /></div><div align="center"><strong>GDB Brew Battle of the Week</strong></div><br /><p></p><br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.myteamprints.com/images/college/lrg/1769georgiabulldogs.jpg" border="0" /><br /></p><br /><div align="center"><strong></strong></div><div align="left">Oh my god to be in Athens, Georgia right now. Everywhere you turn, and everyone you talk to, is completely enthralled by the game tomorrow night in Sanford Stadium between #3 Georgia and #8 Alabama. There are so many angles in play here: 2 top-10 teams, heisman candidates, spectacular freshmen on both sides, return to glory for a famous team, shit-talking, SEC football in primetime, and of course the trim. What this all adds up to is a game, and an entire town, that is nearing bedlam. Lets take a look quickly at how both teams got here and what they do well, and then i'll dare make a prediction for tomorrow<br /></div><div align="left"><strong>THE TIDE: </strong>It hasn't taken Nick Saban long to put his imprint on Alabama. If you watched any of the Tide's victories over Clemson or Arkansas, you would see a superior physical team that plays ball-hawking defense and runs the ball very effectively. And with such a fast start, Saban's young squad is brimming with confidence. Alabama goes 3 deep with solid running backs behind one of the best O-lines in the conference, and have ample playmakers on the outside. On defense, linemen Terrance Cody and Brandon Deaderick have allowed playmaking linebacks like Rolando McClain to feast on opponents running backs. The Crimson Tide is a tough team that is only getting stronger.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Them Dawgs: </strong>For some reason the Dawgs have dropped to #3 in the polls despite being 4-0. They are now coming off their most complete game of the season against ASU and look to be coming into their own just as they start the SEC gauntlet. Knowshon Moreno has b<a href="http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/48/483818.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/48/483818.jpg" border="0" /></a>een spectacular at running back, Matt Stafford looks like the most experienced passer in the conference, and AJ Green has given them the deep threat that hasn't existed in Athens since Fred Gibson turned into a biiig biiiitch. The Dawgs are also doing an incredible job stopping their opponents running game, holding foes to under 50 yards a game. A lot of the credit for the defense has to go to Rennie Curran, who has been without a doubt the best defensive player in the nation, regardless of what idiots in Bristol will tell you. He saved Georgia against Carolina and is good for about 10 impact plays a game. Watch 35 on Saturday and tell me he's not the best linebacker in America.</div><br /><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>What will decide this game: </strong>There are two huge issues that will decide this game. First is the play on both sides of the interior line. I doubt either Georgia or Bama can win this game if they can't establish the run. While Bama has had the better line units so far, they also have not faced an opposition as strong as the Dawgs. And despite the Dawgs struggles, the team is still averaging near 200 yards per game in rushing while leading the SEC in rushing defense. If young interior linemen like Ben Jones and Cordy Glenn can hold up against human sinkhole Terrance Cody, the<a href="http://media.2theadvocate.com/images/nick+saban_060907.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://media.2theadvocate.com/images/nick+saban_060907.jpg" border="0" /></a>n Moreno should be able to get to the 2nd level and make his huge plays. It will be key for the Dawgs to mount a pass rush on the Tide as well, something they have not done effectively so far this year. The second big issue in this game will be quarterback play. Georgia appears to have a huge advantage at this position, and John Parker Wilson will have to play mistake-free for the Tide to win. So far this season he has not made the debilitating mistakes he was prone to in years past, but this will be the toughest defense he has faced all year and one mistake could be deadly. For Matt Stafford, he has to be patient and take what Saban's defense gives him. It is certain that he will see some unique coverage looks this week, and he must lean on his running game and preparation to make the correct reads.</div><br /><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Prediction: </strong>In week's past I've been very nervous for each Georgia game. I knew we'd struggle against SC despite their shittiness, and I also thought the ASU battle was a definite trap game. Now we're going up against Bama yet i feel very calm about it, because it seems to me as if the Dawgs are starting to come into their own. This is the type of game that players dream of, under the lights against a big time opponent on a national stage. Mark Richt is an amazing big game coach and he will have his boys fired up for the 745 kickoff. And while i don't discredit what Nick Saban can do, I am not sure his young team is quite ready to handle an atmopshere like Sanford Stadium will provide tomorrow night. The first 15 minutes of this game are huge. If Bama can keep it close than anything can happen, if they make a lot of mistakes then Georgia could blow them out of the water. Deep down, I feel like this is the game that Georgia makes its statement to the world that they are still the top Dawgs, and behind the excellence of Moreno, Stafford and Curran, the Dawgs win 28-14 between the hedges.<br /></div><div align="left"><strong>Other SEC Games:</strong><br /></div><div align="left">Tennessee @ Auburn - This one could be really ugly for the Vols. Auburn is going to be pissed off at how they lost to LSU and that defense will be in full out search and destroy mode. Their offense is only getting better, and quite frankly it doesn't look like Tenneseee coaches have a clue of what their doing. I know the Vols usually win games like this and continue to annoy the shit out of you in the process, but i smell ass whooping on the plains. Auburn wins 34-0.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Ole Miss @ Florida - The Rebels seemed slightly frisky this year, until Vandy came in and stole their soul in the 4th quarter. Now they will either cave in or fight even harder against a big name opponent this week. The Rebs have the talent on the D-Line to make life difficult for Tebow, and Jevan Snead could give the Gator defense problems if he's on his game. I think this will be a pretty close game throughout until Flo-Rida pulls away late. UF wins 41-27.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Miss. St. @ LSU - LSU has the biggest win of the season to date against Arkansas. Now they come back to the Bayou to face a struggling MSU squad. If the Bulldogs get more than 7 points I will be shocked. LSU destroys MSU 51-6.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>OTHER BIG GAMES AROUND THE COUNTRY:</strong></div><br /><div align="left"><strong></strong></div><div align="left">Illinois (22) @ Penn State(12). The Nittany Lions victory over Oregon State is looking a lot better now after last night, but they still haven't proven much in their fast start. They finally get a ranked opponent with a chance to prove they are the cream of the Big 10 crop. Now that Anthony Morelli has been turned into dog food, Penn State's offense has exploded. And with Illinois sporting one of the wackest defenses in the nation, don't look for the trend to stop. Penn State momentum + a white out in Beaver Stadium = Zook Ether. Penn State wins big 45-14.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left">TCU (24) @ Oklahoma (2). Oklahoma has been raping scoreboards this year thanks to Sam Bradford's greatness. TCU is a strong team out of the suprising Mountain West Conference. While it appears to be a mismatch on paper, TCU has a chance to make things interesting. The Horned Frogs always play inspired defense, which has led them to upsets of Oklahoma the last 2 times in Norman, including in 2005. The Sooners appear unstoppable right now but they cannot afford to look past these guys toward the Big 12 slate that awaits them. Usually OU doesn't melt down until the second half of the season, and I think they will win this game pretty handily because they just have too many playmakes for them Frogs to contain. Sooners 38-19.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Ranked teams on Upset Alert:</strong></div><br /><div align="left">Keep an eye on South Florida at NC State, because the Bulls played like shit last week and could be looking ahead to bigger games. Plus Tom O'Brien is steadily improving his frisky Wolfpack. The other game I'm looking at is Clemson-Maryland. Both teams are about as reliable as a Charter Cable technician, and because of that its possible that those wacky Terps walk into Death Valley and knock off the still bitch-made Tigers. No Clemson word bond.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">With that I'm off to begin preparations for tomorrow's game. Hopefully there will be a GDB field report with the day's festivities in Athens, but you never really know whats going to happen in this towwwwwn. Look for Sweezy on Gameday, and then enjoy a spectacular battle between the hedges later that night. </div><br /><div align="left"><strong></strong></div><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.thehometeamsports.com/db5/00473/thehometeamsports.com/_uimages/sanfordblackout.gif" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div align="left"><strong></strong></div></div></div></div>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-9703237155533617672008-09-19T21:00:00.003-04:002008-09-19T22:10:30.435-04:00Saturday PreviewWith most of the inter-conference battling complete, its about time for conference schedules to start. Nowhere does conference play get off to more of a bang than in the Southeastern Conference, where all 5 teams ranked in the Top 10 face stiff competition. There are also many other great games across the nation, so lets take a look at whats on tap complete with the world famous GDB predictions you all love.<br /><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="center"><strong>GDB BREW BATTLE OF THE WEEK</strong></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><strong></strong></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 408px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 205px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="189" alt="" src="http://www.yarbroughandassociates.com/New%20Images/Our_House-Auburn.jpg" border="0" /> <div align="left">A lot of dumbass college football fans and announcers hype up more famous rivalries like Ohio State versus Michigan as the best there is in college football, but when it boils down to the bottom line, no game in the 21st century has mattered more in terms of relevancy and pure football talent and ability than LSU and Auburn. We've seen three national championship teams emerge victorious from this battle in the last 10 years, and such all-pro's as Glenn Dorsey, Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown have cemented their legendary statuses in this annual war. The calling card of the battle of the Tigers has always been defense. Nowhere in the college football landscape will you see such a combination of pure talent, athleticism and coaching excellence on the defensive side of the ball. What this means that every game between the two teams are close, low-scoring and filled with intensity. Two years ago Auburn knocked off Jamarcus Russell and LSU 7-3 and last year LSU won on a last second touchdown in Baton Rouge. This year, the battle should be just as close as usual. While both teams come in struggling on offense, there is no shortage of talent on that side of the ball, just a lack of familiarity with new players and schemes. There has been no fall off on the defensive sides of the ball, where both teams are led by stalwart defensive lines. As always, tomorrow's matchup will be filled with brutal physicality. Lots of fans assume that low-scoring games are boring, but if you can't enjoy this game, then you need to get out of our goddamn sport and go jerk off to arena football or something.</div><div align="left"><strong>Prediction:</strong> The passion on the field and in the stands will be incredible. Turn on ESPN at 745 to see what an SEC game in primetime is all about. All of that energy can mean one of two things early on: big plays or big mistakes. Look for a huge turnover early by the Auburn defense before both young quarterbacks settle into the game. Points will be at a premium, and the team that can run the ball most consistently will probably win. For that reason, I'm going to take LSU on the road in the upset. Charles Scott has been excellent so far this season, and Richard Murphy and Keiland Williams behind him are no slouches either. Auburn's offense is simply not ready to move the ball against a defense of LSU's caliber, and if they get more than 14 points I'll be shocked. Therefore I'm gonna take LSU on the road, 13-10, with a late field goal allowing them to pull out a thriller on the Plains.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><strong>Other Huge SEC Games</strong></div><br /><div align="left"><strong>Florida at Tennessee:</strong> The best rivalry in the SEC during the 1990's has continued into the 2000's as well. Florida has gotten the better of the Vols recently, and is coming off a 39 point pasting of them last year in the Swamp. It would seem that with a healthy Percy Harvin coming back to complement Tim Tebow that another Gator victory would seem inevitable, however I can't get over the feeling that somehow the Vols are going to shock the world tomorrow. Remember last year, they got embarrased on the west coast and then ended up winning the SEC east, and the truth of the matter is that the Vols still have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. The key to tomorrow's game will be their ability to run the ball. With Arion Foster and Montario Hardesty, they have the talent to control the ball and keep Tebow and company off the field. If Tennessee commits to the run, they can keep in a close, tight affair. If they try to match big plays with Florida, then they are toast. Florida still hasn't found a running back to complement Tebow, which means he will likely have to carry the ball 20+ times tomorrow in Knoxville. If the Vols can keep the Gators one dimensional, and rely on their running backs and Gerald Jones to make the big plays, then they've got a chance in this one.</div><div align="left"><strong>Prediction: </strong>F it, I'm going out on a limb and predicting Tennessee to score the upset. They are not as bad as they were against UCLA, and believe me they will be hyped up to prove to the world that last year was an aberration and that they aren't as shitty this year as everyone seems to think they are. The Gators didn't really impress me against Miami, and I have questions about their toughness in big games. Plus they are still really young on defense and have never faced a Knoxville crowd full of possum before. Look for the Vols to pound the ball all damn day and pull off the biggest upset of the season, 27-21.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Georgia at Arizona State</strong>: Both teams are coming off less than stellar performances last week. The Dawgs escaped with a hard fought victory over the Gamecocks while the Sun Devils were caught looking ahead to this one and ended up losing to UNLV. Tempe will b<a href="http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/49/493398.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/49/493398.jpg" border="0" /></a>e mad hyphy for this game, and one Young Swole wishes he was there to experience it along with the legendary ASU tail. Georgia has kind of been forgotten early in the season while the spotlight has gone to USC and other squads. Thats what makes this game so important. On a national stage in prime time, UGA has the chance to show that they belong with USC and Oklahoma. Thats why this game is so important not only in winning and losing, but also in perception. I have a feeling that tomorrow is when UGA puts it all together and shows off in dominating fashion against ASU. The Dawgs have the advantage on both sides of the ball in both speed and strength, and should be able to control the line of scrimmage. On offense, Moreno will run wild against a weak rush defense and on defense the pass rush will come out with a vengeance after being ridiculed all week for their wack performance against USC. Last year we made Colt Brenna cry on national tv, tomorrow night its going to be punk ass Rudy Carpenter's turn once we introduce him to Rennie Curran and a whole lot of SEC Speed.</div><div align="left"><strong>Prediction: </strong>UGA wins big 45-22</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong></strong> </div><div align="left"><strong>Other Top 25 Predictions:</strong></div><br /><div align="left"><strong></strong></div><div align="left"><strong>Temple at Penn State (16): </strong>Whats more embarrasing in Happy Valley, all the players arrests, Joe Paterno shitting himself regularly, or the early schedule Penn State has had this year? Penn State wins 48-16</div><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"><strong>Troy at Ohio State (13): </strong>Mark my words, Troy is not a bad team. They will move the ball against Ohio State with their spread offense. If OSU is still crying about their ass-whooping from last weekend, another brand of Trojans may give them more game then they were expecting. OSU wins damn close 28-26.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>East Carolina (15) at NC State: </strong>The Pirates beat a Tulane team last week thats better than NC State, and the Pirates will probably have a huge rooting interest at this game. This is one of their last best chance to prove themselves against a big conference school, and they will get it done once again. ECU wins 34-16</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Alabama (9) at Arkansas: </strong>The first SEC road game for all the young freshmen on the Tide. Arkansas is only going to get better as the season goes along, and they get 4 regular defensive starters back from injury this week. JP Wilson has to prevent mistakes in this game or else an upset could happen. Bama pulls away late behind a strong running game 31-21</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>S.C. State at Clemson (23): </strong>Stat padding game for Clemson, does nothing to prove that they aren't big bitches though. Clemson wins 52-9</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Buffalo at Missouri (5): </strong>Buffalo is an improving team, but it will be a shock if Chase Daniel plays into the 4th quarter of this game. Mizzou wins 49-13</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Wyoming at BYU (14): </strong>Max Hall probably won't throw for 7 td's again, but he also isn't facing a Pac-10 team this week either. 5 is probably more likely in another mormon domination. BYU cruises 45-17</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Boise State at Oregon (17): </strong>Imagine if this game was played two years ago. There'd probably be over 100 points combined. This year however its a freshman QB for Boise going up against the Ducks 3rd stringer. Look for LeGarrette Blount and Jeremiah Johnson to get the ball a lot and wear down the Blue Fielders. Ducks win 38-21</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Utah (20) at Air Force: </strong>I honestly don't know much about either team, but Utah would probably finish 3rd in the Pac-10 considering how shitty those teams are. Utah wins 28-17</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>South Florida (12) at Florida International: </strong>Any time 2 Florida teams you know it will be fun, and the Bulls have to guard against a let down after knocking off Kansas in a very emotional game last Friday. FIU will probably hang around early, before Grothe and company run away in the second half. USF wins 44-26</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>UMass at Texas Tech (11): </strong>The only thing more embarrasing than the Red Raiders inflated ranking is how they earned it. No wonder quarterbacks throw for 50 TD's a year in their system, they don't play anybody. Tech wins 70-13</div><br /><a href="http://i.ivillage.com/stuffwelove/Oct2007/F/cupcake_stand4_325.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://i.ivillage.com/stuffwelove/Oct2007/F/cupcake_stand4_325.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Sam Houston at Kansas (19): </strong>Any fan that says only the SEC schedules cupcakes can STFU after seeing who these big 12 teams go up against. KU kills 63-16</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Wake Forest (18) at Florida State (24): </strong>Easily the best game outside of the SEC battles. Its hard to believe that the Deacons are the proven entity and that FSU has something to prove in the game, but thats the ACC for you. Wake was lucky to beat Ole Miss at home, but they have confidence aginst the Noles since they've beaten them 3 times in a row. FSU's offense seems to have markedly improved in their second year under Jimbo Fisher's guidance, and they will have more depth in this game now that their suspensions are almost over. Their defense still swarms to the ball and will pressure Riley Skinner all day. (Quick tangent: Its bullshit that the media fawns over Tebow for his Christian beliefs and philanthropy while ignoring all that Antrel Rolle has done in his life. Go read up on the kid and tell me he's not as impressive as ESPN's love toy). This may be the game that FSU announces they are on their way back to the top, Noles win 35-24.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Rice at Texas (7</strong>): Who knows what mental state the Rice program is in after Hurricane Ike. What i do know is that Texas puts up 50 on the Owls, even though the game is a night game. Horns 55-17.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><strong>Fresno State (25) at Toledo</strong>: Pat Hill's teams usually play the big teams really tough, see USC a few years ago and Wisconsin last weekend. They also usually lose to shit tastic teams a few times a year as well. This is one of those cases. Toledo knocks off the Dawgs 38-24</div><br /><div align="left"></div><p><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247918760480990482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-__Ubw1IfsFQwuMQVkDE2b7-w8A4tMk48uelCF5pUMDl1s2l9aOMvBh82ZkFD4gIycQkJ9aU6wmiRB_v2PWnQ-0o_tpe5LpRrdYholH2Nf-eBzUxDpkDofW3fmZp2pArxJD5p_xnB9I/s320/asu_girls%5B1%5D+(2).jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center">(Yes, Yes, Yes, Maybe if i'm drunk, Yes, Yes, Yes)<br /><br /></p>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-87679585211774817622008-09-15T18:36:00.002-04:002008-09-15T19:09:56.041-04:00College Football Wrap-UpAnother huge weekend of college football is in the books. Thankfully, I and the Georgia Bulldogs survived a trip to Columbia, SC. Unfortunately, many other top teams fell hard this weekend, including Ohio State in what will probably turn out to be the most overhyped game of the season. Lets take a look back and see how things broke in Week 3 of the college season <div><div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Team of the Week:</strong> USC Trojans. OK so maybe Ohio State proved once again that they are an overrated and soft team that is slow to adjust and even slower to recover, but le<a href="http://cheerleading4ever.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/usccheerleaders.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://cheerleading4ever.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/usccheerleaders.jpg" border="0" /></a>ts not forget what USC accomplished. It wasn't that they only beat the Buckeyes, but the fact that they ripped their heart out and stomped on it was the most impressive thing about their victory. It would hard not to think they are the favorite to make the BCS Championship thanks to a weak schedule the rest of the way, but they will have to guard against complacency as they face inferior competition from here on out. But lets be honest, if the Trojans play that well each week, nobody is stopping them from Miami on January 8th.</div><br /><div></div><a href="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/si/2008/writers/stewart_mandel/05/06/mailbag/Hall.BYU.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 146px; CURSOR: hand" height="205" alt="" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/si/2008/writers/stewart_mandel/05/06/mailbag/Hall.BYU.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><strong>Player of the Week: </strong>With all due respect to the sublime talents of Chase Daniel and Sam Bradford, this week's honor has to go to Max Hall of BYU. Anytime you lead your team to a 42-0 halftime lead and end up throwing for 7 td's alltogether, you have to be the player of the week. Furthermore, he helped prove to the nation that BYU is a legit contender to make a BCS game this season. Its incredible the quarterback lineage that exists in Provo, and Hall has definitely proven that he is the next great Mormon quarterback.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>Wack Sauce Team of the Week: </strong>It goes without saying that this week's award goes to Ohio State. As if humiliation in the championship game the last two years wasn't enough, you have the audacity to get embarrased with the same team once again on national television. You are a squad full of inflated expectation and inflated sense of entitlement. The only reason you made those previous two title games was because you play in one of the worst conferences in America, one which is too<a href="http://www.benkepple.com/Images/buckeyes2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.benkepple.com/Images/buckeyes2.jpg" border="0" /></a> pussy to schedule a conference championship like real conferences such as the Big 12 and SEC. Your coach is overrated. Jim Tressel still hasn't adjusted after getting reamed by Florida. Your players are overrated. Your quarterback is a journeyman at best and his ballyhooed backup isn't ready for this level yet. Your offensive line is slow and fat, your running backs and receivers are slow and unathletic and your precious little linebacker James Laurinaitis is scared of contact and isn't half the player Rennie Curran is. Go enjoy your little trip through the Big 10 and your game in the Citrus Bowl, where you will probably get dismantled by an SEC team once again. Just don't ever say you never get respected and that your going to shock the world again, because just like the state you live in, Ohio State isn't worthy of our time or respect.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Wack Sauce Conference Alert: </strong>Its funny how Pac-10 fans have argued in recent years that they are on par with conferences such as the SEC and Big 12. In all actuality, all those little ass schools are really just riding the coat tails of USC. This was proven this week in spades. Cal loses to pathetic Maryland, Arizona State loses to pathetic UNLV, both Washington schools get destroyed by Big 12 opponents too. Even UCLA, which seemed to be turning things around, got killed by 59 points in mormon country. Sure, USC was impressive, but when are they not? The bottom line is the rest of the Pac-10 schools play soft football and think too much of themselves. You will never be as good top to bottom as the SEC because you simply don't care enough to be. Just accept the fact that your conference is going to be known as the Pac-1 from now on, because the rest of you quite honestly deserve to be in the WAC.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>GDB Top 10:</strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>1. USC - </strong>Destroyed what is supposedly the best that the Big 10 has to offer. They better be careful not to get complacent though, the last time they went up to Corvallis they took a fatty L.</div><div></div><div><strong>2. Georgia - </strong>Won a brutal game against South Carolina. I'm not going to punish them for winning like the AP did because the Cocks play us tougher than anyone on our schedule. If they go out west and obliterate Arizona State then the Dawgs will be right back up to number 2 trust me.</div><div></div><div><strong>3. Oklahoma - </strong>Even in the touchdown highlights, it was painfully obvious how physically superior the Sooners were to Washington on Saturday. They may have the best offense in the nation right now.</div><div></div><div><strong>4. Missouri - </strong>The Tigers haven't really played anyone yet, but their offense is outrageously good at the moment. I'm a little scared that David Maclin might be injury prone, and their defense has to get better if they want to make the Big 12 Championship.</div><div></div><div><strong>5. Florida - </strong>Gut check time in Knoxville this week. Tennessee isn't as bad as they showed against UCLA and they will be insanely hyped to play the Gators after getting murdered by them last year. Tebow better have his superman underwear on for this one.</div><div></div><div><strong>6. LSU - </strong>Despite the distractions from hurricanes and a new quarterback under center, LSU keeps on dominating thanks to their disgusting defense. If they can survive Auburn, they have a chance at another title.</div><div></div><div><strong>7. Wisconsin - </strong>Huge win against a very good Fresno team. With that one out of the way and the fact that they get Ohio State and Illinois at home, the Badgers have to be considered the favorite for the Rose Bowl at the moment.</div><div></div><div><strong>8. Texas - </strong>Their game was cancelled this week because of Hurricane Ike, and I feel this ranking is still inflated, but i can't punish them for not playing.</div><div></div><div><strong>9. Auburn - </strong>Won an ugly game against Mississippi State. That offense hasn't clicked yet, and it doubtly will this week against LSU. Their defense is still nasty as hell though, which will keep them in every game they play.</div><div></div><div><strong>10. Alabama - </strong>Their offense looked much better this week, but they better be careful not to look ahead to Georgia in 2 weeks or else they may suffer a similar fate that Arizona State faced. </div><div> </div><div> </div></div></div>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-53215254540906602882008-09-15T10:01:00.003-04:002008-09-15T16:21:23.405-04:00Chase for the Heisman...Literally<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SM7DZAJOZwI/AAAAAAAAAQA/VVn5nPngpwM/s1600-h/chase.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SM7DZAJOZwI/AAAAAAAAAQA/VVn5nPngpwM/s200/chase.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246345450236045058" border="0" /></a><br />With a third week of games in the books, we are inching ever-closer to that glorious time of year when the Football Bowl Subdivision teams start playing games that matter, instead of beating up on directional schools and hilarious also-rans like Nichols State and Florida International.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Front Runner:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chase Danie</span>l, QB, Missouri<br />Week 3: 23/38, 405 Yards, 4 TD, 0 INT.<br />Season: 65/90, 973 Yards, 10 TD, 1 INT.<br />-So long as Daniel keeps putting up video game numbers on a top-5 team, the Heisman seems his to lose. The Tigers' week 1 matchup against Illinois makes it one of the few top teams (along with UGA and USC) to have faced high-level competition early, which is another plus for Daniel.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Others In Consideration:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sam Bradford</span>, QB, Oklahoma<br />Week 3: 18/21, 304 Yards, 5 TD, 0 INT. 1 Carry, 1 Yard, 1 TD.<br />Season: 64/81, 882 Yards, 12 TD, 2 INT.<br />-Another week, another massive stat line from Young Bradford. As if tossing five scores wasn't enough, he used his legs to punch one in right on the goal line. The only thing that keeps him off Daniel's level is that OU has yet to play a challenging opponent like the Tigers have.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Knowshon Moreno</span>, RB, Georgia<br />Week 3: 20 Carries, 79 Yards, 1 TD<br />Season: 46 Carries, 306 Yards, 7 TD<br />-Week 3 saw rather pedestrian numbers for Moreno, at least by his standards. You can probably contribute that to his facing a tough SEC defense, the type of which he will see weekly from week 3 through the rest of the Dawgs cruel and unusual schedule.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Sanchez</span>, QB, USC<br />Week 3: 17/28, 172 Yards, 4 TD, 1 INT.<br />Season: 43/63, 510 Yards, 7 TD, 2 INT.<br />-The bye week did not seem to hurt USC or Sanchez much, as the Trojans gave the Buckeyes their yearly nationally-televised humiliation. Sanchez is quite efficient and is continuing the long line of impressive QB's at Southern Cal. However, he has only half the numbers of Daniel in 2/3 of the games.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tim Tebow</span>, QB, Florida<br />Week 3: BYE<br />Season: 30/49, 393 Yards, 3 TD, 0 INT. 22 Carries, 92 Yards.<br />-Being the incumbent winner is one of the only things keeping Tebow in this race. He will have to pick up the pace to become the first repeat winner in who knows how long, and this weekend against a injured-yet-dangerous Tennessee team is a perfect opportunity to remind the world how Tim Teabow rolls.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Crabtree</span>, WR, Texas Tech<br />Week 3: 8 Catches, 164 Yards, 3 TD.<br />Season: 24 Catches, 395 Yards, 5 TD.<br />-Week 3 saw a memorable "remember me?" 3 touchdown performance by Crabtree, the best wideout in the college game. However, it might also be time to give some respect to...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grahm Harell</span>, QB, Texas Tech<br />Week 3: 31/48, 418 Yards, 5 TD, 0 INT.<br />Season: 93/152, 1251 Yards, 8 TD, 3 INT.<br />-Harell is often dismissed as a "system quarterback," but hell, whatever that system is, let me get some of that! The dude is a machine, and Crabtree presents a perfect target to throw tons of touchdowns to all year long.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jeremy Maclin</span>, WR, Missouri<br />Week 3: 6 Catches, 172 Yards, 3 TD.<br />Season: 12 Catches, 223 Yards, 4 TD. 5 Kick Returns, 184 Yards, 1 TD.<br />-As the stats show, Maclin makes the most of his looks, often breaking out for huge yardage after the catch. His abilities as a special-teams threat make him doubly dangers for Mizzou's opponents.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-11449787475885236652008-09-09T17:49:00.006-04:002008-09-10T11:13:49.621-04:00Heisman Watch: Round 2Some interesting changes in the early-season Heisman Sweepstakes took place this week. Here's a look at the second week winners and losers:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">STOCK RISING</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Knowshon Moreno, </span>RB, Georgia<br />Week 2: 18 Carries, 168 Yards, 3TD. 3 Catches, 30 Yards.<br />This guy is obviously as good as everyone thought he would be, and apparently deserving of the preseason love-affair the national media had with him. Expect to see him on even more magazine covers as long as he continues to be a TD factory.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Todd Reesing,</span> QB, Kansas<br />Week 2: 32/38, 412 Yards, 3TD, 0 INT.<br />The completion percentage, total yards, and TD/INT ratio are no joke, even against Louisiana Tech. Reesing set the tone for what was the Week of the Big 12 Quarterback.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chase Daniel,</span> QB, Missouri<br />Week 2: 16/17, 245 Yards, 3TD, 0 INT.<br />Chillingly efficient as only 16 completions produced 3 touchdowns. And he only played for one-and-a-half quarters.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sam Bradford,</span> QB, Oaklahoma<br />Week 2: 29/38, 396 Yards, 5TD, 2 INT.<br />Young Bradford goes Boomer Sooner all over Cincy's face, but the 2 picks take some of the shine off his 5 TD's.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jahvid Best, </span>RB, California<br />Week 2: 24 Carries, 200 Yards, 3 TD.<br />Best emerges after a beastly performance in week 2. His stat line looks like 2007 Adrian Peterson shiz.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tim Tebow,</span> QB, Florida<br />Week 2: 21/35, 256 Yards, 2TD, 0 INT. 13 Carries, 55 Yards.<br />Teabow had a heavier workload in week two, but the completion percentage and rushing efficiancy are fairly pedestrian by his standards.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">HOLDING EVEN</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Crabtree,</span> WR, Texas Tech<br />Week 2: 7 Rec., 158 Yards, 1TD.<br />Another week, another TD for Crabtree. Lets see if he can live up to the TD-every-game prediction I made about him.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chris "Beanie" Wells,</span> RB, Ohio State<br />Week 2: DNP<br />Many would consider a missed game a big blow to a Heisman hopefull. However, I don't think a second-week game against Ohio is going to make or break a season. Being fully-healthy for a prime-time matchup with idle USC could be a restatement that Beanie wants to get paid.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Sanchez,</span> QB, USC<br />Week 2: DNP<br />An off week for USC before a huge matchup with Ohio St, and they still take the #1 spot in the poll anyways, so I guess Sanchez is just that good even when he doesn't play.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DROPPING LIKE TROW<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pat White,</span> QB, West Virginia<br />Week 2: 11/18, 72 Yards, 0 TD, 0INT. 20 Carries, 97 Yards.<br />After a spectacular start to the season, White shat the bed like Marwan after eating Chipolte. Losing to an unranked opponent makes this all the worse.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jeremy Maclin,</span> WR, Missouri<br />Week 2: 2 Catches, 20 Yards. 3 Punt Returns, 34 Yards.<br />Maclin failed to score or even make much of an impact against a SEMO team that he should have lit up like a wet fart. He needs to make an impact in the passing game as well as special teams to take any votes away from his own QB, much less any other candidate.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-60188341769780487542008-09-08T16:28:00.004-04:002008-09-08T17:08:47.973-04:00College Football Wrap-Up<div><div><div>We are now done with the first 2 weeks of the college football season. After two weeks of relatively uninspiring matchups, it appears as if the preseason is about over. This week we get the huge USC-OSU matchup and SEC conference play begins in earnest. Before we get around to previewing a massive weekend of action, lets take a look back at how things shook out in week 2 around the country.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Team of the Week:</strong> East Carolina Pirates</div><br /><div></div><div>The Pirates are honestly the team of the year so far, scoring two huge upsets over teams from the Virginias. This week's win over West Virginia was especially impressive, consid<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bf/EastCarolinaPirates.png/180px-EastCarolinaPirates.png"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 158px; CURSOR: hand" height="123" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bf/EastCarolinaPirates.png/180px-EastCarolinaPirates.png" border="0" /></a>ering they stopped a heisman contender for a top-10 team the week after an emotional victory. The Pirates have always had good talent, see David Garrard and Chris Johnson, and now with a good coach in Sthkip Holthz, they have definitely become the best team in the Carolinas and could possibly win the ACC if they were in that league. People hyped up the Mormons from Provo as the BCS crashers, but it sure looks as if the Greenville Geechies have the edge on any team from outside the big 6 at the moment.</div><br /><br /><div></div><div><strong>Player of the Week: </strong>Knowshon Moreno</div><br /><div></div><div>Quite frankly, Moreno is the most explosive running back in the nation at the moment. Every time he touches the ball he is a threat to score, and he also has the strength and endurance to be an every down back for the Bulldogs. Consider that on 27 carries this season, Moreno already has 6 touchdowns, which means he scores a TD 22 percent of the time he gets the ball. He helped lead Georgia to a dominating victory over a bowl team and has them primed for success in the face of the most daunting schedule in the nation.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>Wack Sauce Team of the Week: </strong>Ohio State Buckeyes</div><br /><div></div><div>Yeah I know West Virginia and their annoying fans took a huge L this week, but even that wasn't as embarrasing as the performance The Ohio State (of losing big games) University put forth against lowly Ohio. The Buckeyes were only up 5 in the 4th when they scored a punt return aided by a block in the back to secure a victory. Their offense was slow and uninspired and there appeared to be no athleticism anywhere on the field. For a team that cries so much about being disrespected and how nobody thinks they are any good, they sure didn't convert many people to their cause this week. I guess their fans can hope that they were just looking ahead to USC, but between lackluster effort and an injury to Beanie Wells, their struggles may very well be more endemic of a team once again ranked higher than they should be.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Wet Bearded C<a href="http://www.trojanwire.com/football/images/JIMMYCLAUSEN.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 162px; CURSOR: hand" height="197" alt="" src="http://www.trojanwire.com/football/images/JIMMYCLAUSEN.JPG" border="0" /></a>lam of the Week: </strong>This week's honor goes to Jimmy Clausen. This loser was a supposed 5-star recruit who arrived at Notre Dame in a limo and basically thinks of himself as god's gift to football. In reality, he's a weak-armed overrated whiner who built his reputation by beating weak competition at a joke of a school in California who has done nothing but underachieve and embarrass himself at Notre Dame by throwing interceptions to people on teams like San Diego State. Its the arrogance and pomposity of Clausen and his coach Charlie Weis that have made Notre Dame a laughingstock in college football. At any other program he'd be 4th string by now, but instead this dope with a face of an emu, the arm of a girl and the attitude of a spoiled superstar continues to make an ass of himself each week he suits up.</div><br /><br /><div></div><div><strong>Wild Bidge Action of the Week: </strong>To the homegirl who serviced her man on the mountain at the Texas-UTEP game, GDB salutes you. Not only did you console your boy who was suffering through an ass whooping, but you also got Bob Davie to become excited and circle your supple thrusting motion, way to go girl!!!</div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjn7FyTbXpk&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjn7FyTbXpk&feature=related</a></div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Top 10 Recap and GDB Rankings:</strong></div><br /><div><strong></strong></div><div>1. USC - Idle. They didn't play this week, but if they had they would have won so convincingly that they surely deserved to pick up the 20 votes in the AP poll that they did this week. Only at USC. Next Week - Ohio State</div><br /><div></div><div>2. Georgia - Defeated Central Michigan 56-17. Good performance for the Dawgs, who now go on back to back road trips to South Carolina and Arizona State. Next Week - @ South Carolina</div><br /><div></div><div>3. Oklahoma - Defeated Cincinnati 52-26. Another huge day for Sam Bradford (5 TD Passes). Its quite unfair how little attention is paid to this guy, who is putting up even better numbers that Tim Tebow had through the same point in his career. Next Week - @ Washington</div><br /><div></div><div>4. Missouri - Defeated SE Missouri State 52-0. The team with the best offense in the nation also gets a great effort from their defense, which makes this team downright scary. Next Week - Nevada</div><br /><div></div><div>5. Florida - Defeated Miami 26-3. Deceiving score because Florida was only up by 6 going into the 4th quarter. Huge concern that there still is no real running back to take the pressure off of Tebow. Next Week - Idle</div><br /><div></div><div>6. LSU - Bye week because of Hurricane Gustav. Bigger problem is that Hurricane Ike may cause this week's game to be cancelled too, which would mean the Tigers would have to play 12 weeks in a row after that (good luck). Next Week - North Texas</div><br /><div></div><div>7. Ohio State - Defeated Ohio 26-14. Buckeye fans better hope their team was saving the kitchen sink for the Trojans or else it could get really ugly on the west coast this Saturday. Next Week - @ USC</div><div> </div><div>8. Auburn - Defeated Southern Miss. 27-13. Tigers beat a pretty damn good team, and the longer the season goes on the better that offense is going to get. Next Week - @ Miss. State</div><br /><div></div><div>9. Wisconsin - Defeated Marshall 51-14. Best running game in the nation will get a severe test this weekend at Fresno State. Next Week - @ Fresno State</div><br /><div></div><div>10. Texas - Defeated UTEP 42-13. I still think this team is overrated, but an impressive victory for the Horns in a very hostile environment. Next Week - Arkansas</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-73568133264028470252008-09-08T14:51:00.003-04:002008-09-08T17:13:59.202-04:00Thank Brett Favre?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SMV1vytG8nI/AAAAAAAAAP4/a9r5vpDdErA/s1600-h/lance.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SMV1vytG8nI/AAAAAAAAAP4/a9r5vpDdErA/s200/lance.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243726805068083826" border="0" /></a>According to a recent <a href="http://www.velonews.com/article/82892/sources-lance-armstrong-coming-back">report from Velo News</a>, Lance Armstrong will come out of retirement to race in the 2009 Tour de France.<br /><br />According to an anonymous source close to Armstrong, the seven-time Tour champ will race for absolutely no pay.<br /><br />It appears that Armstrong will ride for Astana, a team that currently employs both Johan Bruyneel and Dirk Demol, formerly executives of Armstrong's previous team, Discovery Channel.<br /><br />The Velo News report also states that Armstrong plans to post all testing of blood samples online in an effort to make anti-doping measures fully transparent.<br /><br />Armstrong, a Texas native, turns 37 this year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-18515543240467919362008-08-31T14:44:00.006-04:002008-08-31T15:25:59.650-04:00Heisman Watch: Inagural Edition<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SLrvBaYjVmI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/LoaRiDuBzZo/s1600-h/trophy.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SLrvBaYjVmI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/LoaRiDuBzZo/s200/trophy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240763923940202082" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After the magic that was the first Saturday of college football, which yours truly celebrated by attending the Illinois/Missouri game in St. Louis, let's take a how the Heisman contenders started the season, and how they should finish if the voting was today.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: I realize we only have one week in the books, but we will take a look at the</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SLrvfnSjPbI/AAAAAAAAAPg/TBTgqnBV6ao/s1600-h/white.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SLrvfnSjPbI/AAAAAAAAAPg/TBTgqnBV6ao/s200/white.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240764442800766386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> Heisman Race every week and monitor how the situation changes. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Pat White, QB, West Virginia</span><br />Week 1: 25/33 208 Yards, 5 TD, 1 INT. 9 Carries for 63 Yards.<br />White put on an impressive showcase of all his skills yesterday, certainly faring much better than his former coach.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri</span><br />Week 1: 26/45, 323 Yards, 3 TD, 1 INT Passing. 9 Carries, 46 Yards.<br />Daniel looked like a maestro in St. Louis, doing his best Tim Teabow impression (which may have been better than the real thing). He has plenty of passing targets and is a smart, efficient runner.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri</span><br />Week 1: 4 Rec., 31 Yards. 3 Kick Returns for 145 Yards, 1 TD. 4 Punt Returns for 56 Yards, 1 TD.<br />Maclin put on a show Saturday reminiscent of Dieon Sanders or Reggie Bush. As thes stats show, he did most of his damage on special teams, living up to his reputation as a 1st Team All-American. Missouri is hoping a late-game ankle injury is not serious.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SLrv0DV2YZI/AAAAAAAAAPo/LkxjZrPb4EE/s1600-h/maclin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SLrv0DV2YZI/AAAAAAAAAPo/LkxjZrPb4EE/s200/maclin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240764793928180114" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia</span><br />Week 1: 8 Carries, 59 Yards. 3 TD. 2 Rec., 53 Yards.<br />Knowshon was incredibly efficient in Week 1, finding the endzone three times on just eight rushing attempts. The receiving yards are an added bonus that will drive defenses crazy this year.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SLrwHQVbmKI/AAAAAAAAAPw/l17BYvJvosI/s1600-h/beanie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SLrwHQVbmKI/AAAAAAAAAPw/l17BYvJvosI/s200/beanie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240765123833600162" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />5. Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State</span><br />Week 1: 13 Carries for 111 Yards, 1 TD. 3 Rec., 10 Yards.<br />Wells looked everything like the strong runner that Ohio State needs him to be if they want to actually <span style="font-style: italic;">win</span> a title this year. However Wells left the game with an ankle injury which would be devastating if he can't make it back when the Buckeyes play USC in two weeks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br /><br />6. Tim Teabow, QB, Florida</span><br />Week 1: 9/14, 137 Yards, 1 TD Passing. 9 Carries, 37 yards.<br />Teabow's teammates did a great deal of the work yesterday, which is great for the team but doesn't benefit Teabow's stat line.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />7. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech</span><br />Week 1: 9 Rec., 73 Yards, 1 TD.<br />Crabtree had a nice game to start the season. I'm betting this guy could catch a TD in every game this year with the pass-happy Tech offense.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-58319956132887860032008-08-28T17:33:00.002-04:002008-08-28T18:35:45.609-04:00College Football PredictionsA funny thing happened on my journey through the top 15 - life. Sweezy got a little busy with things and didn't have time to finish, but with the season kicking off tonight, I knew I had to get something together for the millions of readers out there who count on GDB to bring you the truth and knowledge. I'll give you the rest of my top 15 and then some specific predictions for each conference. Thank god the season is here.<br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>The Top 15</strong></div><div align="center"><strong></strong> </div><div align="left"><strong>15. Kansas </strong>(Tough schedule plus some big losses equals a tougher season in Lawrence)</div><div align="left"><strong>14. Arizona State </strong>(2nd place in a weak Pac-10, Erickson is turning it around in Tempe)</div><div align="left"><strong>13. Texas Tech </strong>(All the offense in the world, but they've always had offense, get some D now)</div><div align="left"><strong>12. BYU </strong>(Mormons have some good players and an easy sked, no drunk bitches though)</div><div align="left"><strong>11. West Virginia </strong>(Pat White is legit, but huge coaching and defensive questions)</div><div align="left"><strong>10. Wisconsin </strong>(Could be a Rose Bowl year if they can beat OSU in Mad-Town)</div><div align="left"><strong>9. LSU </strong>(Talent level will not drop off, Tigers still have the best D-Line in the nation)</div><div align="left"><strong>8. Clemson </strong>(Tons of talent and an easy schedule, Tigers only need to grow some balls now)</div><div align="left"><strong>7. Auburn </strong>(Best defense in the SEC + more explosive offense = Scary War Eagle</div><div align="left"><strong>6. Florida </strong>(Easiest SEC schedule of all the top teams, injuries could cripple them though)</div><div align="left"><strong>5. Missouri </strong>(Quite possibly could run the table before the Big 12 Championship game)</div><div align="left"><strong>4. USC </strong>(I'll believe the offense when I see it, that defense will need to be great early)</div><div align="left"><strong>3. Oklahoma </strong>(Best offense in college football, must prove they can win the big game though)</div><div align="left"><strong>2. Georgia</strong> (Brutal schedule and big target might be too much even for the Dawgs)</div><div align="left"><strong>1. Ohio State </strong>(If they lose the title game again, they should never be allowed back)</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="center"><strong>Conference Predictions</strong></div><div align="center"><strong></strong> </div><div align="left"><strong>Big 10</strong></div><div align="left">1 - Ohio State</div><div align="left">2 - Wisconsin</div><div align="left">3 - Penn State</div><div align="left">4 - Michigan State</div><div align="left">5 - Illinois</div><div align="left">6 - Purdue</div><div align="left">7 - Michigan</div><div align="left">8 - Minnesota</div><div align="left">9 - Iowa</div><div align="left">10 - Indiana</div><div align="left">11 - Northwestern</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"><strong>Big 12</strong></div><div align="left">North South</div><div align="left">1 - Missouri 1 - Oklahoma</div><div align="left">2 - Kansas 2 - Texas</div><div align="left">3 - Colorado 3 - Texas Tech</div><div align="left">4 - Nebraska 4 - Texas A&M</div><div align="left">5 - Kansas State 5 - Okla State</div><div align="left">6 - Iowa State 6 - Baylor</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"><strong>Big East</strong></div><div align="left">1 - South Florida</div><div align="left">2 - West Virginia</div><div align="left">3 - Pitt</div><div align="left">4 - Rutgers</div><div align="left">5 - Cincinnati</div><div align="left">6 - Who cares</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"><strong>Pac 10</strong></div><div align="left">1 - USC</div><div align="left">2 - Arizona State </div><div align="left">3 - Oregon</div><div align="left">4 - Oregon State</div><div align="left">5 - Cal</div><div align="left">6 - UCLA</div><div align="left">7 - Stanford</div><div align="left">8 - Washington</div><div align="left">9 - Arizona</div><div align="left">10 - Washington State</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"><strong>ACC</strong></div><div align="left">1 - Clemson</div><div align="left">2 - Wake Forest</div><div align="left">3 - Virginia Tech</div><div align="left">4 - Florida State</div><div align="left">5 - NC State</div><div align="left">6 - Who cares</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"><strong>SEC</strong></div><div align="left">East West</div><div align="left">1 - Georgia 1 - Auburn</div><div align="left">2 - Florida 2 - LSU</div><div align="left">3 - Tennessee 3 - Alabama</div><div align="left">4 - South Carolina 4 - Ole Miss</div><div align="left">5 - Kentucky 5 - Mississippi State</div><div align="left">6 - Vandy 6 - Arkansas</div><div align="left"><strong></strong> </div><div align="center"><strong>Awards</strong></div><div align="center"><strong></strong> </div><div align="left"><strong>Heisman - </strong>Pat White, West Virginia</div><div align="left"><strong>Best Running Back - </strong>Chris Wells, Ohio State</div><div align="left"><strong>Best Wide Receiver - </strong>Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech</div><div align="left"><strong>Best Lineman - </strong>Duke Robinson, Oklahoma</div><div align="left"><strong>Best Defensive Lineman - </strong>Ricky Jean Francois, LSU</div><div align="left"><strong>Best Linebacker - </strong>Rennie Curran, Georgia</div><div align="left"><strong>Best Secondary - </strong>Asher Allen, Georgia</div><div align="left"><strong>Best Coach - </strong>Tommy Tuberville, Auburn</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">Weekend Preview coming up tomorrow....</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-11810050880619522952008-08-21T19:27:00.001-04:002008-08-21T20:33:30.359-04:005 Reasons that Usain Bolt is more impressive than Michael Phelps<div><div><div><a href="http://s.wsj.net/media/dailyfix0821_art_400_20080821111332.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 235px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="198" alt="" src="http://s.wsj.net/media/dailyfix0821_art_400_20080821111332.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I was at work today with the dubious task of posting RFI's on construction drawings. For those who don't know, it has about the same enjoyment level of hand-washing septic tanks. After about 6 hours or so of looking through hospital drawings for miniscule details about elevator shaft openings, I began forcing myself to remain sane by focusing on the greatest debate taking place in the world today - whether Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps has been the more impressive athlete during the 2008 Olympics. The clear fact that Bolt has in fact been the greatest athlete in Beijing became more obvious as time passed, until I had in my mind 5 reasons why Bolt should be the lasting image of these Olympics. And for the record, I'm not here to rain on Phelps' parade, he was incredible, its just that in many ways he was upstaged and surpassed by a truly superhuman performance from Bolt.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div><strong>Reason #1 - Less Races, but even more dominant.</strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong></strong></div><div>The biggest accomplishment for Phelps is that he was able to win 8 events, not one singular performance in any of them. The problem in retrospect for this accomplishment, is that there were so many swimming races of similar distances and disciplines that it was easy for Phelps to win the majority of his races. On multiple occasions, Phelps ran the exact same distance and stroke and therefore won multiple gold medals. Other times, Phelps was racing against the same competitors he had already beaten, basically making the events deja vu as opposed to a unique accomplishment. Third, Phelps' main competitor wasn't even participating in these games. Ian Thorpe had impressively beaten Phelps four years ago in Athens, and could very well have challenged him again in Beijing. Without him, Phelps faced a weakened field that was much more vulnerable to domination. On the other hand, Usain Bolt has only had 2 chances to prove his greatness. It isn't Bolt's fault that there aren't multiple ways to run, and it isn't Bolt's fault that running different distances is much different than swimming different distances. The 100 and 200 meters rely on such different technical running styles that only three men have ever won both in the same Olympics. (The greatest track athlete of my lifetime previous to Bolt, Michael Johnson, didn't even bother running both events at the same time). In swimming, competitors often master one specific stroke and dominate at multiple race lengths (Peirsol, Janet Evans, etc.) Bolt didn't have that luxury, and yet completely dominated both of the toughest and most competitive events in track.</div></div><div> </div><div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><strong>Reason #2 - Bolt was so dominant, that he could afford to celebrate during the race.</strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong></strong></div><div>Another of the biggest criticism I'm hearing of Bolt that he was a boorish victor more interested in high-stepping that giving his best effort. I'll turn this around quickly in 2 ways. First of all, the way he celebrates has zero effect on the athletic accomplishments he made. He could strip naked, climb up to the olympic torch, and set himself on fire, but would that have anything to do with the race he just ran? Of course not. Secondly, Bolt was so incredibly domi<a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00386/Race385_386241a.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00386/Race385_386241a.jpg" border="0" /></a>nant that he could afford to celebrate during the race and <em>still </em>break world records. While Phelps broke many world records as well, in many races he had very tight competition so that he could never do what Bolt did, basically affirming his greatness during the race instead of after the clock stopped running. Its funny that most track experts biggest qualm with Bolt is how he could have gone even faster if he hadn't celebrated, possibly further obliterating the most storied track record in history even more than he already did. Phelps went all out and set world-records, Bolt high-stepped it home like Deion Sanders and did the same damn thing, edge Bolt.</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><strong></strong> </div><div><strong>Reason #3 - It's rarer for track records to be broken than swimming records.</strong></div><div><br /></div><div><strong></strong></div><div>Real talk, breaking 7 world records in swimming is incredibly impressive. More real talk, every damn swim race in Beijing had a broken world record it seemed. The Water Cube was specifically designed so that world records would be broken. The depth of the pool was greater so that there would be less friction between the surface displacement and the bottom, and there were extra lanes built on the sides to absorb the water energy created by the swimmers. Even the swimsuits issued by Speedo were the most aerodynamic ever created. The result was that world records fell in swimming events at an unprecented rate. Even in Phelps' most dominant events, he wasn't the only swimmer setting records. Many times there were 3 or even 4 other swimmers at record pace while Phelps was winning. This fact doesn't cheapen his victory, but it does cheapen the magnitude that should be given to his world records. Meanwhile, Bolt was running on the same type of track his events have always been run on. There we<a href="http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/image/2004/08/14/006306083.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/image/2004/08/14/006306083.jpg" border="0" /></a>re no modifications that previous sprinters didn't have the luxury of having, and there were no equipment advantages that had never been there before. Bolt set his records in spandex and Nike's, Phelps won his in a space age swimsuit. There's a reason why the men's 100 meter record time has dropped about 0.2 seconds in my lifetime, its nearly impossible for a human to possibly move that fast. Swimming records drop by the seconds regularly thanks to technology. Track events are just a man's legs and a hard surface to run on, which makes the pure athletic ability the reason for unprecedented events, not a supercharged pool or what clothes he's wearing.</div><div><br /><br /><strong>Reason #4 - Phelps got lucky on multiple occasions, Bolt didn't need luck to win</strong></div><div><br />The Olympics were barely 2 days old, and Michael Phelps was already on the brink of a swimming loss. In the men's 4x100 medley relay, the US was trailing badly after he had left the pool. The announcers were already saying his dream of 8 golds was almost gone, when out of nowhere his teammate Jason Lezak saved his ass by improbably coming back to pass a French swimmer at the last possible second. Simply put, the gold Phelps earned in that race had nothing to do with what he did, but all on the efforts of his much more unheralded teammate. Next Friday night,<a href="http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2008/08/17/image4356617.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2008/08/17/image4356617.jpg" border="0" /></a> Phelps found himself in another close race with his streak on the line. This time all his competitor had to do was outstrech his hands to win the gold, but yet inexplicably hesitated which let Phelps win in the closest swimming finish ever. Even after the event was over, the NBC commentary focused not on what Phelps did to win, but what his competitor did to lose. This race was not a victory earned by Phelps, but a victory given to him by the sheer luck of fate. Now lets compare Phelps' style of victory to Usain Bolt's. The Jamaican sprinter left so little doubt in the eyes of the viewer of his complete dominance, that there was no possible controversy or twist of fate that gifted him a victory. Bolt's own competitors, including previous 100 meter record holder Tyson Gay, were left in absolute awe of his sprints. Bolt not only set unprecedented records, but he did them in the most lopsided victory margins ever, even against the fastest fields ever assembled in the 100 and 200 meters. </div><div><br /><br /><strong>5. Bolt broke his records in unfavorable conditions. </strong></div><div><br />While Michael Phelps was racing to glory in controlled conditions at the Water Cube, Bolt was being thrown to the mercy of the elements outdoors. Sprinters can't choose what conditions they have to perform in, and in reality Bolt was performing in what had to be considered bad weather to try and set<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00792/usainbolt080819ap_792948c.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00792/usainbolt080819ap_792948c.jpg" border="0" /></a> world records in. In Bolt's 200 meter triumph he was actually running into a headwind, which tried to slow him down during the race. What is so incredible is that Bolt still broke the record despite this, and that its guaranteed he would have broken the record by an even greater margin had the conditions even been neutral, let alone if they were actually favoring him. Swimmers of the advantage of having the natural elements taken out of play in their races, Bolt wasn't this fortunate and yet was even more impressive considering the negative circumstances affecting his races.</div><div><br /><br />A lot of people have already made up their minds that Phelps is the better athlete. They don't like Bolt's celebratory style, they discount that he only won 2 races as opposed to Phelps' 8. They even put Phelps ahead because he's American and Bolt isn't. These same people will probably feel that i'm full of shit by even trying to argue for Bolt athletic superiority. I'm not even going to blast these people, for I am not of the ability to shape or change the beliefs of people who have already made up their minds on something. I am also not going to demean anything Michael Phelps did in Beijing, because he is an incredible athlete with incredible accomplishments. I just hope that people who read this and disagree with me at least read the points I tried to make and at least agree that Usain Bolt is worthy of just as much awe and praise for his athletic achievements as Phelps has earned, and that he is simply put the most incredible track athlete in the history of competitive sport. </div><div> </div><div> </div></div></div></div>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-85361391424820239962008-08-16T14:41:00.004-04:002008-08-16T15:21:05.804-04:00CFB Preseason Rankings - # 16<div><div><br /><div><a href="http://www.blipsy.com/graphics/layouts/Tennessee_volunteers_thumb.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.blipsy.com/graphics/layouts/Tennessee_volunteers_thumb.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The Tennessee Volunteers have always been one of the most successful programs in the SEC. They've won national titles, conference titles, and produced some of the best players in the NFL. This year looks like the Vols will have another solid team, but unfortunately for them they will play in the toughest division and conference and the nation, which will make it difficult for them to make a repeat trip to the SEC Championship game. What's in store for the Vols, and can they actually make a run towards success in the brutal SEC East?</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Offense: </strong>Erik Ainge developed into one of the best quarterbacks Tennesse has had since Peyton Manning left town, but him and quarterbacks coach David Cutcliffe have both moved on. Replacing Ainge will be Jonathan Crompton, who has talent but is unproven. If he can get the proper guidance from new coordinator Dave Clawson, then the Vols could be really good on offense because all around him are quality players. Arian Foster is one of the most underrated college players in all of college football, and now that he's running towards the end zone instead of running from cops he should be one of the best backs in the SEC. He'll run behind an experienced offensive line that returns 4 starters from a unit that only gave up 4 sacks last year. The man on the outside to watch is Gerald Jones, who looks poised to be the n<a href="http://www.volnation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/eric-berry-athlon.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.volnation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/eric-berry-athlon.jpg" border="0" /></a>ext great Tennessee reciever. Only a sophomore, Jones has Percy Harvin level talent and versatility and will give the Vols an explosive dimension that few other teams in the nation can possibly match.</div><br /><br /><div></div><div><strong>Defense: </strong>Quite possibly, the key to the Tennessee season will be how the front 7 on defense can play. The Vols already lost leader Jerod Mayo to the NFL, and many of the guys around him still have not lived up to their potential. Defensive end Robert Ayers must provide a pass rush, and the young linebackers on the roster must be disciplined and technically sound for the defensive unit to stop the run. Thankfully for Vols fans, their secondary is one of the best in the nation. Strong safety Eric Berry is quite possibly the best secondary player in the SEC since Champ Bailey was killin' kids at UGA and he will now be rejoined by Demetrice Morley, who was All-SEC before being ruled academically ineligible last year. The corners also have a ton of talent and have the ability to shut down any opposing reciever they will face this year. Its all going to come down to the front 7 though, if Tennesee can't stop the rushing game then the entire defense is going to suffer greatly.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>Coaching: </strong>Philip Fulmer is fat and disliked by many Tennessee fans. In recent years the Vols consistency h<a href="http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n180/volhater/fatphil.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand" height="171" alt="" src="http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n180/volhater/fatphil.jpg" border="0" /></a>as dropped off and many think its because Fulmer has lost his edge. He'll be under the microscope even more so now that Cutcliffe took the head coaching job at Duke. If you remember, Fulmer was almost out the door before he convinced Cutcliffe to return to Knoxville and resurrect his offense. It remains to be seen if this year's offense will be as good without Cutcliffe, or if Fulmer has the ability to lead his team to success without some of his top assistants around. Regardless, unless Tennessee beats either Georgia or Florida, Fulmer will remain on the hot seat in Knoxville well into 2009.</div><br /><br /><div></div></div><div><br /><div><strong>Predicted Schedule and Outcomes:</strong></div><br /><div><strong></strong></div><div>@UCLA - W</div><div>UAB - W</div><div>Florida - W</div><div>@ Auburn - L</div><div>Northern Illinois - W</div><div>@ Georgia - L</div><div>Mississippi State - W</div><div>Alabama - W</div><div>@ South Carolina - L</div><div>Wyoming - W</div><div>@ Vanderbilt - W</div><div>Kentucky - W</div><div></div><br /><div>Not many teams can say that they will face 3 top-1o ranked teams among their first 6 games, and make a cross-country trip to face a Pac-10 teams. If Tennesee can win 2 of those 3 games against<a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2006/10/26/2003324408.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2006/10/26/2003324408.jpg" border="0" /></a> their top SEC foes than the rest of the season can set up pretty nicely. I'm giving Tennesee a win over Florida early in the season, but I just don't see how they can win on the road at UGA, who will be fired up after last season's ass-whooping, or on the Plains the week after an emotional matchup with Florida. Its also going to be tought to win in Columbia after playing for 6 straight weeks prior to that game. However, as tough as the SEC East is this year, a 9-3 record wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, though if the defense does not improve its possible that the Vols could be looking at 4 or 5 losses too. </div><br /><br /><div></div><div> </div></div></div></div>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-24874294158309638342008-08-14T23:51:00.005-04:002008-08-15T00:13:24.966-04:00R.I.P. To A Football Pioneer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SKUCVxJpkyI/AAAAAAAAAPA/FMnHMyFbi5I/s1600-h/Schneidman_Thumbnail-240.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SKUCVxJpkyI/AAAAAAAAAPA/FMnHMyFbi5I/s320/Schneidman_Thumbnail-240.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234592714882388770" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />The following obituary appeared today in my local newspaper, the Quincy Herald-Whig. R.I.P. to the classiest guy ever to wear #4 for the Green Bay Packers.<br /><br />August 14, 2005:<br />Herman Schneidman, a two-time member of the NFL champion Green Bay Packers in the 1930's and a longtime Quincy businessman and civic leader, died Tuesday in the Sunset Home. He was 95.<br /><br />At 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, Schneidman made his mark in professional football as a blocking back, or the fore-runner to a fullback in today's game. He also played receiver, linebacker, and defensive back.<br /><br />"There's a picture in the Pro Football Hall of Fame display for Clarke Hinkle showing him scoring a touchdown," said Aurie McGee of Quincy, Schneidman's nephew. "He later sent a thank-you note to Herm that said if it wasn't for his blocking he wouldn't be in the Hall of Fame."<br /><br />After graduating from the University of Iowa, Mr. Schniedman joined the Packers in 1935 and in 1936 the team went 10-1 and defeated the Boston Redskins 21-6 in the NFL title game.<br /><br />Two years later, the Packers lost to the New York Giants 23-17 in the championship game. IN 1939, Green Bay made history by recording the first shutout in a championship game by beating the Giants 27-0. Some NFL historians consider the 1939 team as one of the greatest in history.<br /><br />After 1939, Mr. Schneidman briefly retired but returned to the Packers for the 1940 season. However, he was released before the season started and signed with the Chicago Cardinals so he could be closer to his home and business.<br /><br />Mr. Schneidman retired for good after the 1940 season and joined the U.S. Navy, where he played on the Great Lakes Naval Station Team with the likes of baseball star Dom DiMaggio and future NFL Hall of Famer Otto Graham.<br /><br />During his NFL career, Mr. Schneidman played in 46 games, rushing 13 times for 37 yards and catching 7 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns. He also had an interception.<br /><br />"He was pretty matter-of-fact about his pro football career," McGee said. "He really didn't talk about it his career unless you asked. One time he was showing us a team picture and pointed at one of the guys and said 'That's Curly Lambeau.' Curly Lambeau! Can you believe it?"<br /><br />In September 2006, Mr. Schneidman received a warm welcome when, as the oldest living Pakcer, he returned to Lambeau Field to take part in alumni festivities.<br /><br />During the weekend, he was introduced to players from Green Bay's 1996 Super Bowl team. "A lot of the guys were asking 'Who is that?'" McGee recalled. "Once they found out he was the oldest living Packer, they all came over and shook his hand."<br /><br />Mr. Schneidman, who wore jersey no. 4, even left a surprise for the most recognizable Packer to ever wear no. 4. He signed a hat at Brett Favre's restaurant and left if for the quarterback. Several weeks later, he received a personal thank-you note from Favre. "Everything was perfect. It was a perfect day," Mr. Schneidman said at the time.<br /><br />Mr. Schneidman was born in Rock Island on Nov. 3, 1912, and moved with his family to Quincy when he was 6. He was a three-sport letterman (football, basketball, track) at Quincy High<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SKUBsTeUQxI/AAAAAAAAAOw/YJkPLrD2Zxs/s1600-h/hall_of_fame.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qsKRdzLwplY/SKUBsTeUQxI/AAAAAAAAAOw/YJkPLrD2Zxs/s320/hall_of_fame.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234592002541372178" border="0" /></a> School from 1929-31, where he captained the basketball and football teams. He received the Watson Honor Cup and the school's sports award during his junior and senior years. Mr. Schneidman is a member of the QHS Sports Hall of Fame.<br /><br />Mr. Schneidman received an honorable discharge from the Navy and returned to Quincy in 1945 and entered the family business, Schneidman Distributors, with his brother Ed, who was then mayor of Quincy. Mr. Schneidman was also involved in many civic groups giving his time, expertise and money to benefit Quincy and the surrounding area.<br /><br />Visitation will be from 4 to 6p.m. Friday at Duker Haugh Funeral Home. Services will be held at 9:30a.m. Saturday at Duker and Haugh Funeral home followed by a funeral Mass at 10a.m. in Blessed Sacrament Church at 7th and Adams St. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery with military honors conducted by American Legion Post No. 37.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3053377251396175387.post-69171100942414803302008-08-14T19:26:00.002-04:002008-08-14T19:56:11.052-04:00CFB Preseason Rankings - # 17<a href="http://nwanews.com/blogs/slophouse/files/2008/02/texas-longhorns-logo.gif"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://nwanews.com/blogs/slophouse/files/2008/02/texas-longhorns-logo.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><div><div><div><div>Ever since Vince Young led Texas to the BCS Championship, it seems as if the Longhorns have been looking for a leader. Sure Colt McCoy put up big stats as a freshmen, but he certainly regressed last year and doesn't impose his will on the team as much as VY did. Now for the first time in many years, Texas will probably not begin the season in the top 10. While they have a ton of talent on the squad, there are huge holes to fill at running back and a shaky defense that needs to be filled. Can the Horns bounce back and make a statement in the tough Big 12, or will it be another Holiday Bowl come bowl season?</div><br /><br /><div></div><div><strong>Offense: </strong>It seems as is Colt McCoy has been around forever, but in fact he's only going to be a junior this season. A<a href="http://www.coltmccoyfans.org/images/colt-mccoy-pictures%20(13).jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.coltmccoyfans.org/images/colt-mccoy-pictures%20(13).jpg" border="0" /></a>s a freshman, he was a revelation who led Texas to a better year than expected and caused announcers to gush about his baby blue eyes (No homo Musberger). Last season he became mistake-prone though, and turned the ball more than Young Swole's main girl Alicia Sacramone fell during the gymnastics competition. For Texas to be really good on offense, McCoy is going to have to be more responsible with the ball. Last year he had Jamaal Charles to give the ball to, but now he will be turning around to a group of talent yet inexperienced running back options. It looks like either Vondrell McGee or the greatly named Foswhitt Whitaker will replace Charles, but it's going to hard to match his explosivness. Texas also lost playmaker Limas Sweed to the draft, but look for Quan Cosby to have a great season now that he is the number 1 option for McCoy. As always, Texas should have strong line play and be able to control the line of scrimmage against its opponents.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>Defense: </strong>Texas struggled immensely last year on defense, both failing to generate much of a pass rush or stop opposing recievers from burning an inexperienced secondary. For Texas to have any chance to win the Big 12 South, both these problems will have to be fixed because there are too many good quarterbacks and offenses in this league to try and <a href="http://www.carsonsofbrazoscounty.com/Bevo.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.carsonsofbrazoscounty.com/Bevo.jpg" border="0" /></a>survive with a subpar defense. The Horns have a ton of talent on this side of the ball, it just hasn't performed to the expected level yet. This is why it was so important that Texas hired Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator. Any observer who has watched Auburn's defenses over the past few years will know that Muschamp demands effort and intensity, as well as expecting his players to be fundamentally solid. With the talent at his disposal, and Muschamp's own coaching ability, I expect Texas to have the best defense in the Big 12 in a very short time. It may be too much to ask this year though, especially with the schedule loaded with great passing offenses.</div><br /><br /><div></div><div><strong>Coaching: </strong>Mack Brown is still the man in Austin, but if his team continues to play undisciplined and underachieve, his same old criticisms are going to start to be whispered again about how he can't coach talent or get his players to win big games. Many people already think he lucked into a title thanks to the extroardinary ability of Vince Young, and quite honestly he's done nothing to disprove that since VY moved onto Tennessee. His hiring of Muschamp was an excellent move, and no one argues that Mack gets that 'cruitin done every year. He may need to overachieve this year more than ones in years past if he wants to avoid criticism, because there ain't much grace time between accomplishments in Texas, and he's used up about all he's had already.</div><br /><br /><div></div><div><strong>Predicted Schedule and Outcomes:</strong></div><br /><div><strong></strong></div><div>Florida Atlantic - W</div><div>@ UTEP - W</div><div>Arkansas - W</div><div>Rice - W</div><div>@ Colorado - L</div><div>Oklahoma - L</div><div>Missouri - L</div><div>Oklahoma State - W</div><div>@ Texas Tech - L</div><div>Baylor - W</div><div>@ Kansas - W</div><div>Texas A&M - W</div><div></div><div></div><br /><div>With 7 home games, and only 3 true road games, the schedule sets up nicely for the Horns. The problem is that they face arguably the toughest 3 opponents from the Big 12 North besides the South mainstays. The early out of conference games will be tougher than expec<a href="http://images.burntorangenation.com/images/admin/cheerleaders4.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://images.burntorangenation.com/images/admin/cheerleaders4.jpg" border="0" /></a>ted, and any complancency could mean that either Florida Atlantic or UTEP could pull a big upset. The game at Colorado starts a rough 3 game stretch that Texas may be underdogs in each. Its also going to be tough for Texas to win in Lubbock, because that Red Raider offense will be licking its chops to get at Texas' weak secondary. 4 losses isn't going to make the natives happy in Austin, but this squad doesn't seem to have the vintage Texas explosivness and athleticism, and they are playing a very difficult schedule. This team is going to have to get mentally tough really quick if they are going to survive this year and make it any further than the Alamo Bowl. At least the cheerleaders are still hot as f*ck though, which is always appreciated. </div></div></div></div></div></div>Young Swolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05854049835437337998noreply@blogger.com0