College Football Review

Its time for my College Football Review, granted a day late because of my NBA Preview

Music to listen to: 18 and Life by Skid Row



While doing promotion for TNA’s show at the Wildhorse Saloon here in Nashville, I came across the promo for the Skid Row and LA Guns show at the same location in late November. That show may have to be attended by me. Granted, I will probably be the only Black guy in there but it won’t be the first time. Being a New Yorker, Skid Row isn’t as big as Bruce or Bon Jovi in the hierarchy of Jersey bands but the love is still there.



Crush of the Day: Kristin Holt-Adams (TCU)

Since the Horned Frogs earned a big win at BYU, lets show some love to one of their alums.

Florida State 30, North Carolina 27: I actually read journalist and heard analysts talk about how this win represented a turn in the right direction for FSU. Beating an average at best UNC team on the road by only three points when you were losing the contest at one point isn’t progress, it’s a sign that things need to change.

Rutgers 27, Army 10: The Black Knights are 3-5, so the hopes of playing a bowl game are dwindling by the week, something that I don’t like. Hope they can pull off the win at Air Force in two weeks.

Pitt 41, South Florida 14: Is this finally the year when Pitt puts together a one-loss type of season? They certainly have the looks of it.

West Virginia 28, Connecticut 24: Game effort by Connecticut with everything that the team had to deal with but this is still a good win by the Mountaineers.

Central Michigan 24, Bowling Green 10: How about the Chippawahs being 7-1 and traveling to Boston College this week. The Eagles better watch out.

Georgia Tech 34, Virginia 9: Two years ago, the Yellow Jackets lose this game by two touchdowns.

Kansas State 20, Colorado 6: Does Dan Hawkins get fired during the season or right after it?

Ball State 29, Eastern Michigan 27: Congrats to Ball State for getting its first win. Unfortunately for the Eagles, still no wins on the season. At least they can share having no loss with Miami of Ohio.

Notre Dame 20, Boston College 16: Congrats barely beating Boston College Notre Dame. If you end up in a BCS bowl, I’m done with college football on a major level, that would be a joke.

Alabama 12, Tennessee 10: Mount Cody did his thing It was interesting to hear Lane Kiffin deal with this loss. First, him whining about the officiating isn’t a shock.

BTW, can we all just stop complaining about the officials. Living in SEC country, it seems like every fan base is complaining about how the officials cost them the game. Officials are human, therefore, mistakes have been made since the beginning of time. Have some of the celebration penalties been bad, sure. However, teams have had plenty of time to recover and earn the win. Your team lost the game because they stink.

Coming home from work yesterday, I heard Kiffin on the local sports radio affiliate here in Nashville, 104.5 The Zone, talking about the game like Tennessee won. He talked about how hard the team played, this representing how fun it is to play for the Vols, helps with recruiting, etc. That’s all fine and good but you’re still 3-4. All he talks about is recruiting, which once again is good, but coaching is about a lot more then getting close losses to appeal to 18-year olds.

Finally, one fan today had the nerve to call into a station and say that the Vols are back. Back to what I ask?

Clemson 40, Miami 37: ACC continues to be unpredictable.

Nevada 70, Idaho 45: I’ve been writing about the virtues of the Vandals, but 70 points!?! I know that the Wolf Pack can put up some points with the Pistol offense but my goodness. I need to see some game tape to truly analyze what happened.

Kentucky 36, UL-Monroe 13: This was a decent win. I saw Monroe play MTSU a few weeks ago (it was a Tuesday night, nothing else was on), and Monroe wasn’t a bad team. The Wildcats are 4-3 and if they beat Mississippi State this week and defeat the Commodores, which will happen, Kentucky is bowl eligible for another season, which is a good accomplishment for that program.

Texas A&M 52, Texas Tech 30: Middle to lower pack of Big 12 continues to confuse me.

South Carolina 14, Vanderbilt 10: This week the Commies host Georgia Tech, the place where I used to work and started my sports career. I still have good friends that work at the Flats. I cheer for Tech in every game, follow the lineups, etc. Besides Vanderbilt, Tech is my favorite football program (for my Belmont and College of Charleston peeps, they don’t have football programs but you know I have love for them as well).

So who to cheer for on Saturday? Tech has BCS-bowl aspirations that would be crushed by a loss. Vandy can really use a win to improve on the 2-6 record but a loss would just add to an already disappointing season.

You know my answer.

Iowa 15, Michigan State 13: Survive and advance

LSU 31, Auburn 10: War Eagle wounded! Not shocked in the loss for my adopted 8-win team. That’s a tough road game. The disappointment is in the offense that got a garbage touchdown at the end. The Tigers need to beat Ole Miss at home this week.

TCU 38, BYU 7: The march for the BCS continues for the Horned Frogs

Fresno State 34, New Mexico State 3: Yeah Bulldogs!

Iowa State 9, Nebraska 7: Respect to the Cyclones for winning their first road game against the Huskers since the 1970’s but come on Nebraska, that shouldn’t happen, ever. It reminds me of when my Vandy Commies beat the East Tennessee Community College in Knoxville a few years ago. It was a tremendous moment for Vandy football but even at that moment, I realized that the win shouldn’t happen in normal circumstances. Anyway, to celebrate their win, here’s my main man Travis, an Iowa State alum and also known as The Abuser, trying out for the Vandy basketball team, keep playing player!



Looking ahead to this week:

Indiana at Iowa: The Hawkeyes better be careful

Georgia vs. Florida: This will be a close contest, dare I say a win by Georgia?

USC at Oregon: Taking the Ducks in this one

NBA Preview (Western Conference)

Greetings everyone, its time for my NBA Preview for the Western Conference

Music to listen to: One More Time/Aerodynamic Mix by Daft Punk



I gave you my Eastern Conference predictions last night so now it’s time for the West.

Once again, besides my main man Keaton, I’m pretty sure that the rest of you reading this post aren’t big NBA fans and that’s fine. So while you can go to all of the experts about true team breakdowns, I’m going to give you a guide that can help you at least sound like you’re an expert.

Here are my predictions first (all divisions in order):

Atlantic: Boston, Toronto, Philly, New York, New Jersey
Central: Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee
Southeast: Orlando, Washington, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte
Southwest: San Antonio, Dallas, New Orleans, Houston, Memphis
Northwest: Utah, Portland, Denver, Oklahoma City, Minnesota
Pacific: Lakers, Suns, Clippers, Golden State, Sacramento

Eastern Conference Finals: Boston over Cleveland
Western Conference Finals: Lakers over San Antonio

NBA Finals: Boston over Lakers

MVP:
1) LeBron James, Cleveland
2) Kobe Bryant, Lakers
3) Chris Paul, New Orleans
4) Dwight Howard, Orlando
5) Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City, Derrick Rose, Chicago (tie)
Rookie of the year: Blake Griffin, Clippers

Coach of the Year: Phil Jackson, Lakers

Sleeper (teams outside of top-five teams that can contend for conference title): Chicago (East) and Utah (West)

Best record: Cleveland (East) and Lakers (West)
Worst record: Milwaukee (East) and Sacramento (West)

Predictable NBA Finals: Lakers vs. Celtics
Respectable NBA Finals pick: Cleveland vs. San Antonio
Slightly outside the box NBA Finals pick: Orlando vs. Portland
Ballsy NBA Finals pick: Chicago vs. Denver
Not going to happen but you never know NBA Finals pick: Toronto vs. New Orleans
No chance in heck of happening NBA Finals pick: Charlotte vs. Minnesota

Los Angeles Lakers
Yea: Clear favorites to repeat as champions. Kobe is still Kobe. Bynum is back healthy to help in frontline, which may be the best in NBA with Gasol, Artest and Odom coming off bench. Derek Fisher is a steady hand at point guard. Phil Jackson does what he does.
Ney: Potential for so many distractions. Fisher is getting older and Jordan Farmar hasn’t shown development at point as expected. Kobe must wear down at some point. Artest demands too much attention on and off the court. Gasol is ok but can be better. Bynum is injury-prone.
Best player: Kobe Bryant
Most important player: Andrew Bynum
Best case: Repeat as NBA Champs
Worst case: Losing conference finals

San Antonio
Yea: Addition of Richard Jefferson gives them much needed athleticism at forward. Ginobili is back and healthy. Duncan is cementing his legacy as an all-timer and this may be his best team ever. Tony Parker continues to produce at an all-star level. Popovich always knows how to manage everyone, great coach.
Ney: Injuries have derailed seasons of Duncan and Ginobili and can happen again. Jefferson is a nice addition but has been overrated by many over the years, especially on defense.
Best player: Tony Parker (yeah, I’m shocked with that too)
Most important player: Tim Duncan
Best case: NBA Champs
Worst case: Losing conference finals

Utah
Yea: Starting five of Williams, Brewer, Kirilenko, Boozer, Okur and Millsap as the sixth man may be the best in the NBA besides Lakers. Williams is a stud at point. Boozer is back healthy in the fold and playing for a contract. AK-47 has seemed to return to form. Jerry Sloan is a great coach.
Ney: The dynamic between Boozer and Millsap can destroy this team’s plans for a long season. Millsap finally got paid, will motivation lessen? They are a Williams injury away from not making the playoffs. Where is AK-47’s head at?
Best player: Deron Williams
Most important player: Carlos Boozer
Best case: NBA Finals appearance
Worst case: Losing in first round of playoffs

Portland
Yea: Brandon Roy is a legit franchise player. LaMarcus Aldridge stepped up his game last season as well. Greg Oden looks healthy and trim for a good season. Andre Miller will be a nice addition at point guard and will relieve Roy of ball handling duties. Rudy Fernndez is an excellent bench player.
Ney: They NEED Oden to finally start playing like a top-pick but I don’t see it. Miller is a notorious sulker and how is he going to deal with Jarryd Bayless and Fernandez taking his minutes? Aldridge signed big money deal before season, is motivation lost? Has Nate McMillen worn out welcome as head coach?
Best player: Brandon Roy
Most important player: Greg Oden
Best case: Conference finals appearance
Worst case: losing in first round of playoffs

Denver
Yea: Addition of Chauncey Billups made Carmelo Anthony a franchise player. Run to conference finals last year was good for everybody. Kenyon Martin and Nene are excellent frontcourt bangers. J.R. Smith adds flair and outside shooting to team. Birdman is always fun to root for.
Ney: Key to team is J.R. Smith who can shoot them of games more than win them. Will Anthony continue to buy into team concept? Will Billups break down during the season? George Karl usually doesn’t deal with expectations well and people are looking for the Nuggets to do some things.
Best player: Carmelo Anthony
Most important player: J.R. Smith
Best case: Conference finals appearance
Worst case: losing in conference semifinals

Dallas
Yea: Like the addition of Shawn Marion. Dirk Nowitzki is still going strong. Jason Kidd is still producing at a good level and Josh Howard is a solid player. Can score points in bunches. Jason Terry gives you instant offense off of bench.
Ney: Can’t play defense and are old, which means injuries are a serious concern. Will probably win around 45 games but that isn’t good enough in division or conference.
Best player: Dirk Nowitzki
Most important player: Josh Howard
Best case: Conference finals appearance
Worst case: missing playoffs

New Orleans
Yea: Chris Paul is the best point guard in the league and a born leader. David West is a good complimentary player. Like potential of Julian Wright.
Ney: Don’t like Emeka Okafor at all. Depth is a major issue with these guys. Byron Scott is on his last legs as coach of team. He’s a good coach but message is not getting across anymore.
Best player: Chris Paul
Most important player: Chris Paul
Best case: Conference semifinals appearance
Worst case: missing playoffs

Los Angeles Clippers
Yea: On paper, this is a playoff team, seriously. Baron Davis looks ready to show his skills. Like Eric Gordon and Al Thornton a lot. Blake Griffin is going to be a stud. Watch out for DeAndre Jordan.
Ney: It’s the Clippers so something bad is bound to happen. Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby are injury-prone at forward and center, where they can’t afford an injury. Mike Dunleavy is an awful coach.
Best player: Baron Davis
Most important player: Blake Griffin
Best case: Make the playoffs
Worst case: lower half of conference

Phoenix
Yea: Can score points in a high volume again with return of high flying offense. Steve Nash is still producing at a high level, so is Amar’e Stoudemire. Jason Richardson can emerge as a 20 points per game scorer.
Ney: They still don’t play defense at a playoff level, let alone a championship one. Nash is wearing down and Stoudemire is still the biggest enigma in the league. Grant Hill is a good story but is getting older. Has Alvin Gentry inspired anyone as a coach, ever?
Best player: Steve Nash
Most important player: Amar’e Stoudemire
Best case: Make the playoff
Worst case: lower half of conference

Oklahoma City
Yea: The Kevin Durant love is legit. Said it since he entered the league. He has a chance to be the best player in basketball by his fifth year in league, this is year three, he will contend for a scoring title. Russell Westbrook is developing into a nice point guard and Jeff Green is a solid player. Really like the Nenad Krstic signing.
Ney: The entire lineup is so young and still needs experience. Will Durant improve the rest of this game besides scoring, therefore making the team better. Harden is slated to start at shooting guard but he’s too slow.
Best player: Kevin Durant
Most important player: Kevin Durant
Best case: Winning record
Worst case: Worst record in conference

Golden State
Yea: Score in bunches. Plays entertaining basketball. Everyone can shoot and small lineup creates potential matchup problems for opponents. Stephen Curry will thrive on this team as a rookie. Anthony Randolph has scary good potential.
Ney: Defense is embarrassing. Too many guard-forwards on roster. Guys like Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis are already cranky and the season has barely started, both guys can be season killers. How will Corey Maggette handle coming off of the bench? Does Don Nelson even care anymore as head coach?
Best player: Monta Ellis
Most important player: Anthony Randolph and Steph Curry (tie)
Best case: making the playoffs
Worst case: Worst record in conference

Houston
Yea: Subtraction of Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest may not be a bad thing, the distractions are gone. Young guys like Aaron Brooks and Trevor Ariza are given the keys to run the team. Luis Scola continues to impress.
Ney: They have grit but lack talent. How much are they really going to get out of McGrady at this stage. Ariza is a good player but people are making it out that he’s the reason the Lakers won the title last year, which is inaccurate.
Best player: Luis Scola (for this season)
Most important player: Luis Scola
Best case: Making the playoffs
Worst case: lower half of conference

Memphis
Yea: Good young nucleus of Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo. Zach Randolph is consistent with scoring and rebounding. Allen Iverson will give them sorely needed points. Mike Conley finally has the point guard position to himself. Like the rookie Sam Young.
Ney: Randolph and Iverson are notorious team killers. Gay and Mayo are playing for contracts and may be selfish because of it. Hasheem Thabeet is a major project that won’t pan out ultimately.
Best player: Rudy Gay
Most important player: O.J. Mayo
Best case: Winning record
Worst case: worst record in conference

Minnesota
Yea: Not a terrible team on paper with Al Jefferson, Kevin Love, Ryan Gomes and rookie Jonny Flynn in the starting lineup.
Ney: Injuries have already claimed Love and Jefferson early this season. The Ricky Rubio situation has ruined good karma for these guys.
Best player: Al Jefferson
Most important player: Al Jefferson
Best case: Winning record
Worst case: worst record in conference

Sacramento
Yea: Kevin Martin can score pints and is their go-to guy. Tyreke Evans will impress as a rookie.
Ney: Everything else. May contend for worst record in the league. Evans is good but is being asked too much as a rookie. Martin does nothing else but score and that’s bad. Spencer Hawes has underachieved at center and this will continue.
Best player: Kevin Martin
Most important player: Tyreke Evans
Best case: Winning record
Worst case: worst record in conference

NBA Preview (Eastern Conference)

Greetings everyone, its time for my NBA Preview for the Eastern Conference

Music to listen to: Harder Better Faster Stronger by Daft Punk



This year is going to be unique in the fact that we have five really good teams (Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, Los Angeles Lakers & San Antonio) and the rest of the league. You would think that with that proposition, there wouldn’t be intrigue, but there is for each and every team and I’m going to tell you why.

Besides my main man Keaton, I’m pretty sure that the rest of you reading this post aren’t big NBA fans and that’s fine. So while you can go to all of the experts about true team breakdowns, I’m going to give you a guide that can help you at least sound like you’re an expert.

Here are my predictions first (all divisions in order):

Atlantic: Boston, Toronto, Philly, New York, New Jersey
Central: Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee
Southeast: Orlando, Washington, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte
Southwest: San Antonio, Dallas, New Orleans, Houston, Memphis
Northwest: Utah, Portland, Denver, Oklahoma City, Minnesota
Pacific: Lakers, Suns, Clippers, Golden State, Sacramento

Eastern Conference Finals: Boston over Cleveland
Western Conference Finals: Lakers over San Antonio

NBA Finals: Boston over Lakers

MVP:
1) LeBron James, Cleveland
2) Kobe Bryant, Lakers
3) Chris Paul, New Orleans
4) Dwight Howard, Orlando
5) Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City, Derrick Rose, Chicago (tie)

Rookie of the year: Blake Griffin, Clippers

Coach of the Year: Phil Jackson, Lakers

Sleeper (teams outside of top-five teams that can contend for conference title): Chicago (East) and Utah (West)

Best record: Cleveland (East) and Lakers (West)
Worst record: Milwaukee (East) and Sacramento (West)

Predictable NBA Finals: Lakers vs. Celtics
Respectable NBA Finals pick: Cleveland vs. San Antonio
Slightly outside the box NBA Finals pick: Orlando vs. Portland
Ballsy NBA Finals pick: Chicago vs. Denver
Not going to happen but you never know NBA Finals pick: Toronto vs. New Orleans
No chance in heck of happening NBA Finals pick: Charlotte vs. Minnesota

Boston
Yea: Garnett is back healthy, Rondo has elevated game to top point guard-level in league, Rasheed Wallace adds depth to bench
Ney: Star players outside of Rondo a year older, is Garnett really healthy and can hold up for entire season?
Best player: Paul Pierce
Most important player: Kevin Garnett
Best case: NBA Champions
Worst case: lose in conference semis like last year

Cleveland
Yea: LeBron is still LeBron and in a contract year, if you didn’t know (my attempt at sarcasm, enjoy it), Shaq gives them someone to contend with Howard in Orlando, less pressure on Mo Williams, like Anthony Parker signing
Ney: Outside of LeBron, can they score enough in the playoffs, has offense improved from sad effort in conference finals last season, one LeBron injury from missing playoffs, literally.
Best player: You know who
Most important player: You know who…actually, let’s make it Mo Williams
Best case: NBA Champions
Worst case: Lose in conference finals

Orlando
Yea: Dwight Howard is a beast, Lewis finally playing to potential, Nelson is back healthy to run the point, Vince Carter can add scoring to already lethal scoring attack. Like the Brandon Bass pickup.
Ney: Howard can’t hit free throws and tends to disappear in big games (yeah, I said it!), will miss Hedo Turkoglu more then they even realize, Carter isn’t a prime-time player, it would have happened by now.
Best player: Dwight Howard
Most important player: Rashard Lewis
Best case: NBA Champions
Worst case: loss in first round of playoffs

Chicago
Yea: This is Derrick Rose’s breakout year, meaning double-double average, get Deng back healthy, Noah looked like a major player in the playoffs, Tyrus Thomas seems to have finally seen the light.
Ney: Is John Salmons ready to be a starter and take over Ben Gordon’s departed points? Was the efforts of Noah and Thomas in the playoffs a mirage? Is Kirk Hinrich going to get more playing time, which can be both a good and bad thing.
Best player: Derrick Rose
Most important player: Rose
Best case: Conference finals appearance
Worst case: Missing playoffs

Washington
Yea: Gilbert Arenas is back and healthy, finally! Caron Butler is also back healthy. Antawn Jamison is stil scoring at a nice rate, like the pickups of Mike Miller and Randy Foye. Flip Saunders is a nice addition as the new head coach.
Ney: Brittle team, health-wise. If Gil goes down again, problems, major, major problems. Team didn’t play defense with Eddie Jordan, now they get a notoriously bad defensive coach in Flip Saunders. Might score 110 points per game and be entertaining, but give up 115 points and lose, not a good recipe.
Best player: Gilbert Arenas
Most important player: Caron Butler
Best case: Conference finals appearance
Worst case: losing in the first round of playoffs

Atlanta
Yea: Finally got out of first round of playoffs last year, looking to build on it. Joe Johnson is one of the best players of the league that you don’t think of. Al Horford is always solid and Josh Smith is frustrating but talented. Like Jamal Crawford coming off of the bench.
Ney: Still one of the worst coached teams in the league because Mike Woodson stinks. Josh Smith is frustrating and lacks discipline. Mike Bibby is on his last legs. Johnson is a nice player, just not a franchise-player. Marvin Williams still hasn’t progressed as much as you would like.
Best player: Joe Johnson
Most important player: Johnson
Best case: Conference semifinals appearance
Worst case: lower-half of conference

Toronto
Yea: Can score in bunches. Hedo Turkoglu is a perfect fit for their offense. Chris Bosh is in a contract year and finally has help. Jose Calderon is a good point guard and Andrea Bargnani finally showed some skills of top pick. Like DeMar DeRozan as a rookie.
Ney: Defense still needs work. Will Turkoglu still be motivated after finally getting his money? Bosh is in final year of deal, meaning that if Raptors start bad, he gets traded and season is over. Does Bosh sulk over bad start to season?
Best player: Chris Bosh
Most important player: Andrea Bargnani
Best case: Conference semifinals appearance
Worst case: lower-half of conference

Miami
Yea: Dwayne Wade returned to MVP-level form last year after injury-filled previous year. Jermaine O’Neal is a nice complimentary player. Mario Chalmers is a good point guard in development. Actually like Quentin Richardson. Michael Beasley is still a supremely talented player.
Ney: Wade can’t do this alone and on this team, he’s going to have to. You have to worry about Beasley’s issues off the court. Where do the points come from?
Best player: Dwayne Wade
Most important player: Dwayne Wade
Best case: First-round playoff win
Worst case: Missing the playoffs

Detroit
Yea: Finally settled on backcourt of Rodney Stuckey and Rip Hamilton. Rasheed Wallace is gone, relieving some tension. Additions of Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon are good. Tayshaun Prince is a good player who gets overlooked too often nationally.
Ney: Lack talent to compete in conference. Gordon is not a consistent player, at least for this team. Defense is going to lack significantly for team known for defense.
Best player: Rip Hamilton
Most important player: Rodney Stuckey
Best case: Making the playoffs
Worst case: lower-half of conference

Philadelphia
Yea: Healthy Elton Brand is back. Andre Iguodala has emerged as go-to player. Thaddeus Young is continuing to improve. Eddie Jordan is an excellent coach that will be a positive for the team. Still have love for Sam Dalem-Beast!!!!
Ney: Is Lou Williams really ready to step up to the starting point guard role to replace Andre Miller? Can Brand stay healthy? Will offense stall with lack of skills on that end from Dalembert?
Best player: Andre Iguodala
Most important player: Elton Brand
Best case: Making the playoffs
Worst case: lower-half of conference

Indiana
Yea: Danny Granger emerged as an All-Star player. Troy frickin Murphy averaged a double-double last year, really. Tyler Hansbrough will have his moments. T.J. Ford is ok.
Ney: Outside of Granger, what does this team have. Hansbrough will be a terrible pro player, FYI. Nothing personal, just stating a fact. T.J. Ford is ok but is also selfish.
Best player: Danny Granger
Most important player: T.J. Ford
Best case: Finishing with a winning record, which will get you into the playoffs in East.
Worst case: Worst record in East

Charlotte
Yea: Boris Diaw emerged as best player on the team, which was a nice revelation. Tyson Chandler may revitalize career this season after rough go last year. Gerald Wallace is a good player, so is Raja Bell.
Ney: This isn’t a good team. They need to decide between playing Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin at point and stick with it (my vote is for Felton). Larry Brown has mailed it in as a coach three years ago (yes, I’m a bitter Knicks fan).
Best player: Boris Diaw
Most important player: Gerald Wallace
Best case: Winning record
Worst case: Worst record in East

New Jersey
Yea: Young core of Devin Harris, Brook Lopez and Courtney Lee is solid and exciting. Losing Vince Carter is a good thing. Bench of Terrance Williams, Josh Bonne and Rafer Alston isn’t that bad.
Ney: Losing Vince Carter is also a bad thing. How does Harris handle accolades? Yi Jianlian is what he is and that’s not a good thing for the Nets
Best player: Devin Harris
Most important player: Brook Lopez
Best case: Winning record
Worst case: Worst record in East

New York
Yea: Play an entertaining style of basketball for the masses. David Lee tries hard…that is all.
Ney: Everything else…that’s not fair. When Nate Robinson is averaging 17 points a game, that’s not a good thing for a winning basketball team. I’ve never liked Al Harrington. Darko Milicic is terrible. Eddy Curry can go kick rocks.
Best player: David Lee
Most important player: David Lee
Best case: Winning record
Worst case: Worst record in East

Milwaukee
Yea: If healthy, Michael Redd can still put up some points. Andrew Bogot tries hard.
Ney: Projected starting lineup besided Redd and Bogut is terrible. Furthermore, those two guys are extremely brittle. Don’t know a lick of rookie Brandon Jennings based on his year in Europe.
Best player: Michael Redd
Most important player: Andrew Bogut
Best case: Winning record
Worst case: Worst record in East

Western Conference coming tomorrow…

Sunday Reflections (on a Tuesday)

What going on everyone. Sorry that I didn’t have my Reflections up on Sunday, computer issues. Fortunately, they’re getting taken care of and things will be back to normal today, especially when I launch my NBA Preview, which is always one of my favorite posts.

Not having access to the internet this weekend was an interesting experience. I never realized how reliant I am of my computer. I use it to check my e-mails daily, watch most of my TV shows, get nearly all of my news and even use it to communicate with family. I didn’t even find out the results of the Machida and Shogun Rua UFC fight until Monday morning.

However, I did appreciate having the clarity of not being consistently reliant on technology.

Here are some other reflections:
-Saw two women in a store during the weekend. One of them had a Notre Dame t-shirt and the other one had a Yankees cap. I didn’t know which one I wanted to look at in a condescending way more. Speaking of which…

-One of my co-workers is a big Yankees fan and asked me who I was cheering for in the upcoming World Series.

As a Mets fan, this is one of those Series where you hope that no one wins. But, I would prefer to see the Yankees win and I’ll tell you why.

First, I resigned myself to the fact that the Yanks are the best team in baseball back in the middle of August. I’ve accepted it and if the best team wins the title, you really can’t knock it.

Second, as many times as the Yankees won the World Series in the 1990’s, my disgust wasn’t as strong as seeing those frickin Phillies win the title last year. While I will never openly cheer for the Yankees, I will never, ever wish success on any level for Philly.

I will never wish success for any teams in that city. I despise the Eagles with a passion, want to see the Flyers struggle on a yearly basis, have no love for the Sixers, even Temple can go kick rocks.

Bad part is that Philly is one of my favorite cities. I’ve enjoyed many fine moments there. Even the Phillies seem like good guys. I actually enjoy Rollins, Howard, Victorino, Hamels, even Brad Lidge barley holding on to his job as a closer is enjoyable. Just can’t cheer for the team, was raised that way.

As for the Yankees, it is what it is.

College Football Review

What’s going on everyone. Its time for the College Football Review

Music to listen to: Cut That City by The Mars Volta



Crush of the Day: Vivica A. Fox (Purdue)



I tried to find an attractive alum of Purdue to celebrate it’s win over Ohio State but couldn’t find one. Instead, I’ve picked Vivica, an Indianapolis-native, to represent.

Let’s get to the games:

Boise State 28, Tulsa 21: Enjoy the Fiesta bowl, Broncos.

Cincinnati 34, USF 17: Thought that the Bulls could pull off the upset especially after Pike went down with his injury but the Bearcats are tough. Over/under of Brian Kelly staying the Natti’s head coach is 16 months. I’m taking the under.

Pittsburgh 24, Rutgers 17: Underrated road win for the Panthers. This may finally be the year Pitt comes through with a conference title.

Clemson 38, Wake Forest 3: The unpredictable ACC got even more confusing with this score. I never thought that I would see a Jim Grobe team get beaten like that by anybody.

Iowa 20, Wisconsin 10: I read somewhere that if a team like Iowa was replaced with Ohio State, Michigan or even Penn State, we would be talking about them as a national title contender. I kinda agree with that. The problem is that while the Hawkeyes had a nice run in the early 2000’s, the past few years have been underwhelming. However, you have to respect road wins over two decent teams, Wisconsin and Penn State. Enjoy the Rose Bowl!

Michigan State 63, Delaware State 6: Usually I ignore these blowouts but this one came with a caveat. The Hornets turned down a conference game to head to Ann Arbor for the big payday. While earning six figures to take a beating is fine and capitalism in practice, what about the players? Surprising thing is that the State players didn’t mind missing their conference game and enjoyed facing Michigan. Its not often you get to play in front of 100,000 people.

Purdue 26, Ohio State 18: I posted on Facebook after the game “Thanks for not showing up Ohio State,” in a sarcastic tone. Multiple people were quick to point out to me that this is typical of Big 10 football. I should have known better. I’m the same dude who takes pride in talking about “crappy Big 10 football,” similar to “crappy Big 10 basketball,” sensing a theme? So I should have realized that the Buckeyes have been the most overrated program outside of Norman, Oklahoma the past decade and this loss was bound to happen. However, Ohio State usually loses its big games but wins the games where their talent is better than the opponent. Now that the Buckeyes have mastered this art, lets get the Fire Jim Tressel bandwagon started. Just kidding, I like the sweater vest. But Terelle Pryor, I don’t like. Should have gone to Michigan kid.

Texas 16, Oklahoma 13: When Alabama beats Texas by two touchdowns in the national championship game, we will be asking ourselves why the Longhorns were even in the game. Thanks BCS. Oh and Sam Bradford, feel bad for you bro but I said from the day after the championship game last year, you should have gone pro. Screw this whole “stay in school” mentality. You can’t play that game in football, too much risk for injuries. If you’re a first round pick, especially like Bradford who was projected to be in the top-10, at worst, you HAVE to go pro.

Georgia 34, Vanderbilt 10: Was at this game, score was about right with the flow of the game.

Florida 23, Arkansas 20: Its too easy to say that the refs had too much influence in the game, but the thing that would worry me most as a Gator fan is that your leading rusher was Tebow with 69 yards on 27 rushes. He’s not going to last the season going at that rate.

Texas Tech 31, Nebraska 10: This truly proves that any team from the Big 12 North is going to get smoked in the conference title game.

USC 34, Notre Dame 27: All of the Golden Domer fans will point to the final score as an indication that things are improving by their inflated standards but it isn’t. The Trojans were up by three scores early in the 4th quarter and many of us will agree that this is USC’s weakest team in about six years. The gap is still wide.

TCU 44, Colorado State 6: Good job by the Horned Frogs to not look ahead to their game against BYU this week.

Idaho 35, Hawaii 23: Break up the Vandals!!! Bowl-eligible!

Georgia Tech 28, Virginia Tech 23: Good win by the Yellow Jackets.

Colorado 34, Kansas 30: Did this win save Dan Hawkins job? More importantly, why did it take this long for Hawkins to bench his starting quarterback? Oh I forgot, its because it was the coach’s son. That’s the second-worst case of nepotism behind Skip Carey doing MLB playoff games. He’s terrible. Actually, Joe Buck is the worst case of a crappy announcing son of a broadcasting legend. War Jack Buck!!!

Kansas State 62, Texas A&M 14: Confusing score, I have no explanation.

Indiana 27, Illinois 14: Looks like it’s the end of the Ron Zook era. Fun while it lasted.

Kentucky 21, Auburn 14: War Eagle Down!!! This is still a good season for the Tigers but the schedule gets a whole lot tougher. They still have to face Ole Miss, Alabama, LSU and Georgia. They can go 0-4 in that stretch and it wouldn’t surprise me. Realistically, I see 1-3 and then winning that homecoming game to bring their win total to seven games, one off of my prediction.

Arizona 43, Stanford 38: Pac-10 may be the deepest major conference in the country…seriously.

Alabama 20, South Carolina 6: Ingram saved the Tide’s bacon against the Gamecocks because South Carolina was game for a battle. Only thing missing from Alabama is getting Julio Jones and the passing game going. I see this happening against Tennessee on Saturday.

Looking ahead to this week:

USF at Pittsburgh: This is your chance to step up Pitt.

Georgia Tech at Virginia: Typical Tech would lose this game after the big win against Virginia Tech.

Tennessee at Alabama: The annual third Saturday in October battle, well it’s the fourth Saturday this year, darn TV. Bama wins this by only seven points.

Iowa at Michigan State: Calling the upset.

TCU at BYU: Game of the weekend. Upset #2 happens here.

Sunday Reflefctions

Hey everyone, hope your week went well. Time for Reflections…

Music to listen to: The Call Up by The Clash



I came across this song while looking for some songs from a rapper called The Coolout. Good stuff.

This weekend was good for me. My nephew and older brother came into town for the Vandy/Georgia football game. They are from Georgia and this normally wouldn’t be a major deal but it was different this time because my nephew was here for a recruiting trip.

Before all of you start asking me about what schools he likes, how good of a player he is, etc., I’m not going to go into all of those details. You will know what you need to know at the right times. I will say that he’s a junior and is receiving interest from Division 1 schools.

So he came up to have an unofficial visit at Vandy and it was a surreal feeling.

My nephew is really like a little brother to me because we are only 11 years apart in age and were very close. Having him visit my alma mater and even consider attending it is a good feeling.

He had a good visit and enjoyed seeing everything. When we drove up to Dudley Field and walked to the check-in area, he was quiet, which isn’t normal. This was his first college football game and the large scale of everything was good for him to see from the facilities to the players and everything in between.

My proudest moment came when I was in the press box preparing for the game and saw my nephew on the sidelines of the field seeing the warm-ups of the players. Seeing him in that position was great and almost got emotional but you know I kept my composure in the press box because I’m a professional and if there’s no cheering in the box, there can’t be crying as well.

I began thinking about the first time I ever saw him when he was about seven-months old, in one of those mechanical swing chairs. I picked him up and didn’t want to let him go. I would feed him, change the diapers, even rock him to sleep every night in a rocking chair. Sometimes I would stare at him sleeping because he was the cutest baby boy. He was my little buddy that I would sacrifice anything for him to be successful.

Of course, he’s now 6-3, 195 linebacker who is a sturdy young man and not a little boy anymore and I realize this, especially when he towers over me.

So he had a good visit and hopefully things work out how they’re supposed to. I’ve tried to stay out of the process this weekend as much as possible because I want him to go to the best place for him, even if it isn’t Vandy.

The main thing now is for him to focus on doing well in school and avoiding distractions which at his age is tough but we’ve all been there. I never liked anyone telling me when I was his age to do stuff like stay in school, don’t do drugs, don’t have sex, etc because it would feel like I was being lectured to and no one wants that. With all of the younger family members, I talk with them and not at them, and there’s a difference. The most important thing is to live a good life and be honest. If I’m encouraging them to live a good and positive life for themselves and others and I’m living a sinful life, that’s not right and not fair.

But this weekend also made me reflect on my misappropriation of priorities.

For the past two and a half years, I’ve been very focused on my career and academics when I was in graduate school. These are good things to work on because if used properly, they can be worthwhile pursuits.

However, they aren’t important as other virtues of your life. Not to sound military like, but your values should really be your family, your faith, your country and your beliefs in some order.

I think that I’ve been unhappier in the past month or two because I haven’t incorporated those virtues into my daily life. I should call my mother more, I should check in on my brothers and sister, I should acknowledge God’s presence, I should expand my cultural horizons, you understand what I’m trying to say.

Put it this way through a football analogy. I’ve been concerned with my receivers when my offensive and defensive lines have been terrible. In football, when you have bad line play, everything falls apart. You can’t run the ball, you can’t stop the other team from running the ball, your quarterback gets sacked a lot, bad things all over the place. Furthermore, if this happens, you can’t function and everything falls apart.

For me, I’ve been concerning myself with wide receiver-like things like my jobs, finding a girlfriend, making money, etc. These things are nice to have and can be valuable aspects of your life, but it doesn’t serve as good structures for your core.

If I work on my core values, the family, faith, my offensive and defensive lines, then the other things, the wide receivers, will take care of themselves.

So, this weekend has been good for me. Hope your week is going to be well.

NFL Week Six Preview

Time for the NFL Picks

Music to Listen to: Cover version of 3 Libras by A Perfect Circle



This guy does an awesome job with maybe my favorite A Perfect Circle song.

Kansas City (+6.5) WASHINGTON: What about President Obama winning a Nobel Peace Prize? Good for the dude but what has he done to earn that award? I think that he has potential to be a peacemaker but winning an election over a calendar year doesn’t really make the cut in my opinion.

Actually, I really don’t care about that, but I did say that I would get political on the Blog.

CINCINNATI (-5.5) Houston: Really wanted to take the Texans but Houston’s quarterback doesn’t inspire me.

PITTSBURGH (-14) Cleveland: I know that it’s a lot of points but the Browns are terrible. Derek Anderson went 2-17 for 23 yards in a win over Buffalo. Another performance like that against the Steelers and Pittsburgh wins by four touchdowns. As for the Steelers, they are definitely feeling the post-Super Bowl blues but this is a game where they get healthy.

MINNESOTA (-3) Baltimore: Jared Allen continues his beast ways. The quarterback who will not be named will throw some picks in his worst game of the year but the Vikes find a way to win.

New York Giants (+3) New Orleans: This is pretty much a pick em’ game and I’m covering myself with this one. I think that the Giants gain the win but if the Saints win, I think its by a point or two.

TAMPA BAY (+3) Carolina: Does this game even have to happen?

Green Bay (-13.5) DETROIT: If Stafford and Calvin Johnson were playing, this would be an easy pick for the spunky Lions. However, I think this is a game where the Packers get healthy and win comfortably.

OAKLAND (+14) Philadelphia: Still too many points for an average Eagles team.

Arizona (+3) SEATTLE
NEW YORK JETS (-9.5) Buffalo

NEW ENGLAND (-9) Tennessee: This game can get ugly

ATLANTA (-3) Chicago: Another Cutler national TV implosion?

Denver (+3.5) SAN DIEGO

Last week: 6-8
Season: 19-23
Money left: $1,200

College Football Review

Hey everyone, I’m going to do my College football review of last week and give a little preview of

Music to listen to: Shamrocks and Shenanigans by House of Pain



HOP’s Jump Around was on VH1 a few minutes ago and it reminded me of the group’s favorite song.

Crush of the Day: Bob Vila (Florida)



Just kidding…

Jenn Brown (Florida)

On to the games:

Nebraska 27, Missouri 12: The question that has been brought up is whether their defensive lineman, Ndamukong Suh, should receive consideration for the Heisman trophy.

He should definitely get consideration because the award should go to the best player in the nation. I get annoyed when only quarterbacks and running backs get respect for the Heisman. Another annoying thing is when you see people have their top-five players during the season. Let the year finish out first.

BTW, Nebraska has a better shot of beating Texas or Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship than Kansas.

Penn State 52, East Illinois 3: Why even play this game, Penn State?

Arkansas 44, Auburn 23: War Eagle Down! I said last week that this was a possibility. Auburn was playing its second-consecutive SEC road game against a decent opponent that can put up points. Auburn still needs three more wins for my prediction to come true.

South Carolina 28, Kentucky 26: Is this finally the year that the Gamecocks emerge as a legit contender for the SEC East. If they win out, they can make an appearance in Atlanta.

Oklahoma State 36, Texas A&M 31: Good win without Dez Bryant.

Alabama 22, Ole Miss 3: The scary part about Alabama is that Julio Jones hasn’t even gotten off in a game yet this season and he may be the best receiver in college football. When the Tide get their offensive passing attack flowing, no team may beat them this season.

As for Ole Miss, the expectations were too high.

Oregon 24, UCLA 10: Ducks are quietly making a run for a Pac-10 title.

Texas 38, Colorado 14: The score makes this look like an easy win but Colorado dominated the first quarter of this game, which shouldn’t happen. No way that they’re in the class of Alabama or Florida.

TCU 20, Air Force 17 and Florida 13, LSU 3: When you’re the top team in your conference, any road contest is tough. There was crappy weather at Colorado Springs and a night game in Baton Rogue, situations typical of upsets but both teams held out.

National championship game between the two winners later in the year?

Georgia Tech 49, Florida State 44: You already know my thoughts on Bowden needing to go but that defense needs an overhaul as well.

This upcoming week:

Oklahoma vs. Texas: If Texas doesn’t win by at least two scores, the Longhorns will lost two more times this year.

Arkansas at Florida: Some are seeing this as a potential upset. I get that but the Hogs defense isn’t good enough to win this contest.

USC at Notre Dame: If USC doesn’t win this by at least five touchdowns…actually, this game will be competitive in comparison to the past few years. Notre Dame still loses.

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech: Wish I can attend this game because this may be the biggest game in the Flats in ten years.

Second Chance at a First Impression

What’s going on everyone. I was going to do my weekly post on college football but something else came up that I think some of you could relate to.

Music to listen to: Late Nite Tip by Three 6 Mafia



I’m about to write about my Vandy days and I still remember learning about three-six coming down here to Tennessee back in 1999. We didn’t hear this music in the NYC but down here, they’re legends and I’ve been a fan ever since.

About a week ago, I decided to contact a variety of old friends from my past on Facebook because I had some free time and wanted to know what everyone was doing in their lives.

We often becomes friends with someone on Facebook from our past and exchange some initial information but don’t follow it up further. I wanted to change that.

I heard back from several people and that was nice, however, I heard back from one girl who I spent time with back in college that peaked my interest. You know that I don’t give real names here so we will call her Gloria. We kicked it back in college and were friendly but nothing more than running into each other at some parties, taking a class or two together, the usual stuff for college. She was a nice girl that if I was smarter, would have at least taken on a date in college but that’s in the past.

Well, five years have passed since graduation and we are both in Nashville. She even runs her own media relations company, working with musicians. We’ve never crossed paths here and I decided that we should get together. Gloria says its cool and we exchange numbers via e-mail. I was looking forward to catching up with an old friend.

On Friday, I saw that she was in the NYC on business and we texted each other over the weekend about my hometown, so things are going well.

We were scheduled to meet up for a coffee on Tuesday but she had some business come up and couldn’t make it. I wasn’t crushed about it, but I wasn’t apathetic about it as well.

I talked to my advisor, Diaz, and told him about all of this. He told me that I wanted to have a second chance at a first impression.

Besides sounding like a line from a Counting Crows song, it makes sense.

Honestly, I had an interest in Gloria back in college but never stepped up and told her about it. Furthermore, looking at the Facebook pictures, she has gotten even more attractive over time. Part of me would be intrigued about the romantic possibilities of the future.

But its more than that.

College was an OK time period of my life. It wasn’t great but it there were enjoyable moments. I wouldn’t call it the best time of my life but it wasn’t the worst. Post-college, ages 22-25, were the worst. Point being that I don’t completely look back at my college years with the happiness and excitement that it seems like many other people do.

I’ve been trying to run away from the college years-version of myself for a long time. Of course, moving back to the same city and even doing work there during the school year may not be the smartest method of this, but it also serves as a healing process for me.

After going through my personal experiences, both good and bad, I can look at my college years as a phase of my life that was positive overall. I was very sheltered in high school and going to college opened me to lifestyles that I’m accepting of. Looking back at the 18-year-old version of me, I see a narrow-minded individual who struggled with accepting others, especially himself.

Now at 28, I’m not perfect and don’t want to be but I’m in a better place. Most importantly, I’m more accepting of myself, realize my flaws and try to embrace them.

However, I sometimes want to go back to the 18-year-old version of me and have the mentality that I have now. It would have made things a lot easier for the younger me.

But you have to let the past go, accept your present and prepare for your future. This sounds good conceptually but in practice has difficulties.

This brings me back to Gloria. I remember my five-year college reunion during homecoming last year and seriously debated going to the alumni events. I worried what people would think of me. I was a graduate student making minimal money, single and low prospects while my old college friends were making a large amount of money, owning homes, had girlfriends, married, starting families, pretty much being successful while I feel like a failure in comparison.

I got over it by realizing that my life is my own journey and I can’t compare myself to others. I went to the events and had a good time.

Some of those less positive feelings came back when Gloria canceled our meeting.

But why am I projecting this stuff on Gloria or anyone else for that matter? Do I think that we’ll meet up again and tell me that I’m more awesome now then I was in college, which would be positive reinforcement?

In the end, when we finally do meet up, it will be all good because this is my life and should be proud of my accomplishments.

However, I still think that I want a second chance at that first impression.

Some Reflections

Hey everyone, hope you had a good weekend and are enjoying your Columbus Day. I didn’t even realize that this was a holiday until someone mentioned it on one of the early morning shows today. I haven’t had a Columbus Day off since high school.

Today was a busy day at my job because my company is preparing for its biggest event of the year on Sunday, meaning that everyone is on edge making sure that everything is taken care of. I’m trying to keep my calm and do the best that I can.

Music to listen to: Protection by Massive Attack



Good to see that my Cardinals vs. Yankees World Series prediction is still in place, wait…nice exit St. Louis.

Actually this brings up my belief on baseball playoffs. I’m not going to go so far as to say that they are a “crapshoot” like Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane says, but there is an element of luck involved. The Dodgers are good but not that much better than St. Louis to garner a three-game sweep. Boston was a 95-win team this season and looked like the Washington Nationals against the Angels.

Every team goes through a three-game losing streak or drops four out of seven games numerous times during the season, however, when this happens in the postseason, your year is over.

That’s what makes runs like the Yankees in the late 1990’s so remarkable. Sure they had a high payroll, but to win three straight championships and four within a five-year period is remarkable and will most likely not happen again for a few more decades.

OK, sorry for the short post but I have to catch up on some rest and TV shows before another long day tomorrow. Later.

NFL Picks: Week Five

Time for the NFL Picks

Music to Listen to: 24’s by T.I.



This has become the Behind the Music section of my Blog. I had Bobby Brown while his special was on VH1 and now T.I. gets the honor. I remember when I first heard this back in 2003 down here in Nashville and knew that T.I. would be a star.

Interesting week in the NFL last week, here’s my prospective, perspective and prognostication of all things:

Minnesota (-10) ST. LOUIS: Under normal circumstances, I would take the Rams to at least cover the spread after the Vikings had an emotional win at home over the Packers, and then you consider that the Vikings are on a short week. But the Rams are terrible. They got shut out by San Francisco. People talk about how bad Cleveland is, and they stink too, but the Rams are making an equally terrible run of football.

BTW, thoroughly enjoying my World Series pick in the National League being down 0-2 in their division series. Get it together Cardinals.

Dallas (-8) KANSAS CITY: I know, I know, Dallas is not very good and at a point of implosion, explosion and disaster but once again, Kansas City is terrible.

What’s up with the state of the NFL teams in Missouri?

CAROLINA (-3.5) Washington: Crappy first three games of the week.

I’ve always said that I have no sympathy for fans of a bad team because you can always stop cheering for them and not put yourself though the negative emotions. This really came about last year when I said that I didn’t have any care for Lions fans last year. However, I may have to change that with the Redskins.

My theory was based on if your team had a bad coach, bad players, even a bad president. However, I haven’t accounted for an owner.

I thought about the odd scenario of what if an incompetent owner like Dan Snyder owned the New York Giants, my favorite team since childhood. That would be a problem.

The problem with owners is that despite the fact that you may detest them, they aren’t going anywhere.

Tampa (+15) PHILADEPHIA: The Michael Vick experiment is not going to end well and this week is the start of it.

Oakland (+14.5) NEW YORK GIANTS: Raiders are bad but Manning is hobbled and the Giants’ defense is banged up as well.

BUFFALO (-6) Cleveland: What about Braylon Edwards getting into a fight with LeBron James’ boy at a bar and gets traded the next day. Love the power.

Cincinnati (+8.5) BALTIMORE: Like Baltimore but the open loving for them by everyone needs to take a notch down. I think the ‘Natti makes this game close.

DETROIT (+10.5) Pittsburgh: Why aren’t people making a bigger deal of Detroit blowing the Central to the Twins?

SAN FRANCISCO (-2.5) Atlanta: I was going to talk about the lack of knowledge of Michael Crabtree and his terrible holdout but everyone is doing it for me. I think that he can actually make a positive contribution to the team.

New England (-3) DENVER
Houston (+5.5) ARIZONA

SEATTLE (PK) Jacksonville: Who made this line? I know that Jacksonville looked good against Tennessee but do you really trust them on the road across the country? Didn’t think so.

Indianapolis (-3.5) TENNESSEE: Titans keep it close at first and then lose by two touchdowns by the end.

MIAMI (+1.5) New York Jets: Upset of the week.

Last week: 7-7
Season: 13-15
Money left: $1,400

College Football Review: Week Five

Time to review the past week of college football.


Music to listen to: Head Like a Hole by Nine Inch Nails



Crush of the Day: Katy Mixon (LSU)



She’s from Louisiana, a huge LSU fan and the Tigers had the biggest win of last week, a road victory over Georgia. Plus, Eastbound and Down is the business and she’s a major player in the show.

Let’s get to the games:

West Virginia 35, Colorado 24: What has happened to Dan Hawkins? When he was hired by Colorado, I was feeling the move but now it looks like he’s in over his head. That’s a good job where a good coach can have a winning program. Hawkins just isn’t the right guy for the position. As for West Virginia, sometimes you just have to give the ball to your best player, in this case Joey Devine, and let him work.

Pittsburgh 35, Louisville 10: Looks like “The Ville” has had a rough year. Their coach will be fired but wasn’t this team in an Orange Bowl only a few years ago. Of course when you lose the likes of Bobby Petrino, Michael Bush and other pro players, that happens.

Michigan State 26, Michigan 20: You can see this loss coming. An overachieving Michigan team playing its first road game of the season at a rival. Michigan is still building in the right direction.

Wisconsin 31, Wisconsin 28: Does the Big 10 championship come down to Wisconsin and Iowa? Anyone had that going into this season. Much respect to my favorite rivalry trophy, the Paul Bunyan Axe.

South Florida 34, Syracuse 20: While some have started discussing if South Florida deserves to join the trinity of elite Florida programs, the Bulls still have to win a conference title before that talk becomes legit. Winning a trap game against Syracuse before facing fellow elite Big East team Cincinnati is a step in the right direction.

Maryland 24, Clemson 21 and Virginia 16, North Carolina 3: I place these two games together because you could flip the scores and teams and I wouldn’t be shocked. Trying to predict the ACC is a lost cause.

Toledo 37, Ball State 30: How is a team that won 12 games last year now on a seven-game losing streak dating back to last year? I know that Nate Davis was a great quarterback and losing him was tough, but not this bad.

Alabama 38, Kentucky 20: Brutal stretch of football for Kentucky. After hosting Florida and Alabama, the Wildcats now have to travel to a dangerous South Carolina team. As for Alabama, they keep rolling along and when they beat Ole Miss by 17 points this week, sure a prediction was just made, they should be ranked #1 in the country.

Boston College 28, Florida State 21: I touched on it last night, Bowden needs to leave after this season. You have to be business-like if you’re Florida State and not let emotions get in the way.

LSU 20, Georgia 13: Excellent game and I’ve been one of LSU’s biggest doubters but I have to give them credit for getting that road win. Still think they lose to Florida, Tebow or no Tebow, but respect to the win.

Penn State 35, Illinois 17: What’s the deal with Illinois? Two years ago the Illini were in the Rose Bowl and now they’re 1-3. We all know that Ron Zook can recruit but we’re starting to learn that he lacks in coaching.

Notre Dame 37, Washington 30: I’m tired of Notre Dame barley beating crappy teams and inflating their record. Weis wants to talk about not being ranked, I want to talk about barely beating Nevada, Purdue, Michigan State and Washington, none of which will probably make a bowl game. I hope USC wins by 40 points, can’t stand the Irish.

Stanford 24, UCLA 16: The Cardinal will still finish third in the Pac-10, shoot, I’m going to make them second behind USC. I like when my predictions go well.

Ole Miss 23, Vanderbilt 7: I was at this game and it wasn’t even this close. I would be very concerned with Snead if I was an Ole Miss fan.

Arkansas 47, Texas A&M 19: I didn’t see a snap of this game but that shouldn’t happen. I know that Arkansas has a good offense but that’s a beating on a neutral field.

Auburn 26, Tennessee 22: War frickin Eagle!!! Auburn is only three wins away from reaching my prediction of eight wins for them. Granted, the Tigers still have to face LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama and Georgia, but this is much better than I expected. As for Tennessee, enjoy another morale victory and looking at these losses as a way to gain in recruiting. Kiffin doesn’t last three years in Knoxville, I’ve been saying this since day one of that hire.

Miami 21, Oklahoma 20: Entertaining game that most of us expected.

USC 30, Califorina 3: I’m done with you Cal.

UTEP 58, Houston 41: The Cougars were a nice story but now its back to contending for the C-USA title, which they haven’t done in a while I’m sure.

Idaho 31, Boise State 29: Break up the Vandals! Will Boise State’s toughest test of the season come against it’s in-state rival? I think so.

Some previews of this week’s games:

Auburn at Arkansas: War Eagle will probably lose its first game of the season.

Wisconsin at Ohio State: Will the Buckeyes finally put together a good performance against a decent team? I say no.

Colorado at Texas: This one can get ugly quick, speaking of which…

Georgia Tech at Florida State: Either Florida State wins by 14 or loses by 30.

Florida at LSU: Don’t play Tebow, Urban Meyer. Head injuries are no joke.

OK, later everybody.

Random Observations

What’s going on my people’s? I know that I should do a subject-specific post but that will come eventually. The college football review will be tomorrow. However, there are still some observations that I’ve had since Sunday. Here they are:

Music to listen to: With Rainy Eyes by Emancipator



First, excellent band name. Second, this song came up on my Pandora and I bookmarked it immediately. Love the chill songs.

-I’m going to hit on it a little more tomorrow, but Bobby Bowden created this situation for himself. His constant ambiguity with when he’s going to leave Florida State has created an environment where people outside of himself have to potentially make the decision for him. I know that he built the program, is a legend, yada, yada, yada. College football, especially at places like Florida State is a business and winning is a necessity. FSU hasn’t done that in the past five years by their standards.

The biggest problem is that no one wants to be the bad guy. No one in the FSU administration wants to fire Bowden or even force him out, fearing the wrath of negative publicity. Furthermore, everyone is connected to Bowden. The athletic director used to play for him for goodness sake.

Bowden isn’t going to leave because coaching, outside of his spirituality and family, are the most important things to him. The guy doesn’t have hobbies or even a business to occupy his time when he retires. Furthermore, I think that he doesn’t want to leave the baby that he’s created. He fears that if he leaves the program, things aren’t going to operate properly or even function at all.

It’s similar to when someone has a startup business, lets just say it’s making clay pots. You become so good at making these clay pots that you are regarded as one of the best pot makers ever. However, the past few years haven’t been kind to you and your pot sales have decreased greatly. Your executive board suggests that you step down from your position as president and retire. You make the amendment to hire a vice president who will eventually take over the business in a few years but you fear that the pots will become terrible when you leave. You think that no one will know what clay to buy, how to shape the pots, what to price them at, what colors to paint them, etc.

However, you as the pot maker, and Bowden as a head coach for that matter, have to realize that football will go on, just like pots will be made. The world will not stop when you step down.

I guess I said tonight what I was going to say tomorrow.

-The most insulting thing from the Titans and Jacksonville game on Sunday were the two idiot Tennessee fans who had the nerve to wear paper bags over their heads and mark them with 0-4, like that’s a bad thing.

Going 0-4 isn’t bad. Being a Vanderbilt football fan and witnessing 2-win seasons, that’s bad. Being a New York Giants fan and living through the Ray Handley-era, that’s bad. For Jets fans, Rich Kotite and that one-win season, I was there, that was bad. Being a Cleveland Browns fan, that’s just depressing. Supporting the Buffalo Bills, that’s a downer for your day. Worshiping the Chicago Cubs, that’s rough. Being a Tampa Bucs fan in the late 80’s and early 90’s, that’s painful. Supporting the Los Angeles Clippers, that’s not fun. Supporting the Pittsburgh Pirates, I can go on…

Seeing your team start the season 0-4, when that same team has been to a Super Bowl and has been one of the decently consistent teams of this past decade, IS NOT BAD!!!

Sure the Titans will probably only win five games this season, maybe six. That’s not a good season but not enough to break out the brown paper bags.

I have a love/hate relationship with fans, because as positively passionate as they can be and contribute to the game, they can have a lack of prospective and be honestly stupid as well. I’ve been on both sides and those fans are the latter.

-Actually surprised that Rio won the Olympics bid. I knew that Chicago didn’t have a chance. I’m assuming that most of you reading this is an American, but we have to be honest that the world is beyond our borders. I didn’t think that Chicago had everything in place. I honestly thought that Madrid was the leader, with Tokyo a close second.

And not to get political, but I don’t understand why people were mad at President Obama petitioning for the Olympics to come to Chicago. Every other leader of the cities in the running were there. Its part of the process. Oprah being there was a little much but heck, if Pele can make a cameo, she can do the same as well.

-It’s good to know that I’m not the only one who follows the Real World/Road Rules Challenge.

-Kate Beckinsale may not be the sexiest woman alive, but she’s pretty darn close.

-Excellent game between Detroit and Minnesota tonight, but the Twins are going to struggle in that series against the Yankees.

My World Series prediction is New York vs. St. Louis, fyi.

-Love that Braylon Edwards wants to pick fights with LeBron James. Only in Cleveland.

-The Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian marriage is just wrong. I actually like both parties. Lamar represents the NYC and I’m always contended that Khloe is very attractive, its just when you compare her to Kourtney and Kim, she looks less attractive. However, you place Khole alone, she’s not bad.

The problem is that both of them have always been in the shadows of their contemporaries and this is their moment to shine. Funny how the marriage happens at the same time the Lakers open training camp with Kobe Bryant, arguably the best player in the league and attention-magnet Ron Artest, while the other one has a pregnant sister getting magazine covers and another sister who is a tabloid star.

It’s a perfect storm and when the divorce happens after the Lakers repeat their NBA Championship in June 2010, it will be a glorious moment.

But remember, I’m the same guy who said that Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony wouldn’t last six months and they’re pushing several years now and have kids, so who knows.

Maybe I should stick with writing about sports and 80’s sitcoms and not gossip.

-OK, that’s all for now. Good night.

Sunday Reflections

What’s going on everyone. I guess its time for my Sunday Reflections

Music to Listen to: Is it Because I’m Black by Syl Johnson



I finished the second season of the Boondocks and this song was featured in the Uncle Ruckus Reality Show episode. True soul song.

I don’t have much to report from this weekend. I watched a lot of WWE wrestling because of my job in TNA and that wasn’t too bad. Its always intriguing to see your competitor at work from a different light. One of my responsibilities at TNA Wrestling relates to the licensing department and our advertisers. What this means is that I will now look at which companies are advertising or sponsoring WWE-related shows and how it relates to my company. I like having the chance to look beyond the matches and truly analyze the product.

Saturday was lax for me because I worked the Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss game, which was good. For this contest, I worked with the ESPN crew in the booth and that was enjoyable seeing the production from that side of things. I actually learned some things about TV production, can’t complain about that. Unfortunately Vandy lost but that happens.

After the game, I got home around 11 p.m. so I watched some TV and went to bed. Today was not too exciting, I did some laundry.

However, at the laundry mat, I saw this cute looking couple that looked happy together. They were in their early 20’s and that made me think about my lack of a girlfriend and that was sad for a moment. I’m currently experiencing a period of loneliness in the dating department so when I see a happy couple together, my natural reaction is to internalize it towards myself and that’s where the sad moment comes in.

I’ve intentionally kept a lot of personal stuff off of the Blog in the past few months because looking back at my old posts, I exposed a lot of things about myself, which isn’t bad but I need to keep some things private.

I will say that it’s been a struggle adjusting to my new situation. I have a new job, which I like, but anytime you’re new to somewhere, there’s an adjustment period you have to go through which I’m still experiencing. I’m also trying to enter the next phase of my life, which is now my post-grad school period. Some of my closest friends aren’t in Nashville anymore, I do have some friends still here but the dynamics are different. I’m not in school anymore so ironically, I have more free time and I’m not used to that.

For many, the chance to come home after work and relax would be a nice option but for the past three years, I worked about 60 hours a week between having a full-time job, being a sports information director which includes weekend work and going to school full-time as well. Doing all of these activities occupied my time and minimized my socializing and now I feel this intense desire to make up for lost time.

But after work, I just want to come home and sleep, which adds to the isolation and loneliness, making the cycle continue more.

I think its time for me to break out of this rut. I used to be highly involved in community service back in New York and haven’t done anything of that caliber in years. I think that would occupy my time and more importantly, contribute some positivity to people less fortunate than me.

Also, despite the fact that I don’t talk about it much in this forum, I do have a strong spiritual side and that’s been lacking in my life as well. I don’t know what’s going to happen with that, it’s in God’s hands, but that’s something that I would like to take aim at as well.

Also, I’m going to learn French and play guitar darn it! Maybe do both at the same time!

OK, enough about me. I’ll work through this. Some quick-fire observations to ride home with:

-Rough times if you’re a Vandy football fan. I see maybe one more win on the rest of the schedule, two max, meaning a three to four win season. The offense has many problems.

-The Titans’ postseason hopes are over and their’s nothing any of us can do about it.

-I’ve given The Cleveland Show two chances and I haven’t been impressed. The show gets one more chance next week before I change the channel.

-I got roped into watching the Real World/Road Rules Challenge on MTV and it’s on. I tell myself every year that I’m too old to be watching this but darn it, when I saw Tonya, Kenny, Evan, Wes, Cyrus and even Veronica, I couldn’t change the channel.

-Yankees vs. Cardinals, that’s my World Series prediction. I actually may watch that one.

Have a good fight and a good night peoples.

NFL Preview: Week 4

Time for the NFL Picks

Music to Listen to: Don’t be Cruel by Bobby Brown



I saw the Bobby Brown Behind the Music and forgot how much of a badass he was back in the 1980’s. Between My Prerogative, Don’t Be Cruel, Every Little Step and the New Edition work, he had a great career. Of course he screwed all of that up between the drugs and legal troubles but he has one comeback left in him.

The People’s Champion made an excellent suggestion to me while we were having lunch at Otters this week. He suggested that I have a hypothetical amount of money on these games to see if I actually made a profit at the end of the year. I say sure. Better yet, let’s make it retroactive back to last week.

I will start out with $1,600 and I placed $100 on each game. Since I went 6-8 last week, I’m now down to $1,400.

Let’s get to the games:

HOUSTON (-9) Oakland: When does Oakland pull the plug on the JaMarcus Russell era? I hope so because there are only so many overthrown balls to receivers that I can see and I’m not even a fan. The question that needs to be asked is if he’s the worst #1 overall pick of this decade. I say yes. Only in Oakland.

JACKSONVILLE (+3) Tennessee: How is Tennessee favorite on the road by three points? I would like to think the opposite but Jacksonville wins this easily.

Speaking of easy, I got roped into watching the latest edition of the Real World/Road Rules Challenge on MTV. Every season, I tell myself that I’m not going to watch it and move on with my life, but there I was on Wednesday night viewing Wes, Kenny and Evan start arguing with each other…come on, you know who they are, admit it.

Baltimore (+2) NEW ENGLAND: Tom Brady is expecting a baby with his girlfriend around the Super Bowl, I believe. My question is what if Gisele has her baby during the Super Bowl. Does he have to leave the game to see the birth of his kid? Furthermore, how does he deal with his pregnant girlfriend during the season? I’m not the only one who has thought about this.

Cincinnati (-6) CLEVELAND: Joe Posnanski of Si.com did a write up about Eric Mangini being the worst NFL head coaching hire ever. Check out the article here, I’ll wait: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/joe_posnanski/09/29/mangini/index.html

The scary part about it is that he may be right and Mangini has coached only three games in Cleveland but when you look at the circumstances, I can see the argument.

KANSAS CITY (+8.5) New York Giants: So Sports Illustrated decided to put Mariano Rivera on the cover. As a Mets fan, I like the cover jinx karma, actually, I don’t really distain the Yankees as much as I used to. When the Yankees starting winning World Series again starting in 1996, I was 15 and that’s when your fandom for sports becomes more than just catching the game on TV, it becomes your identity, at least it did for me. So as a Mets fan, seeing the crosstown rival win all the time was sad and made me dislike the team greatly. However, the three guys that I always enjoyed on the Yankees was Derek Jeter (so what if he’s overrated and underrated at the same time, want to fight about it) David Wells and Mariano Rivera. We will never see another relief pitcher like him again.

But screw Paul O’Neill. I have my reasons.

CHICAGO (-10) Detroit: Break up the Lions. I called that victory over Washington and I still think that they get to five wins. However, one of them isn’t coming on Sunday. Speaking of wackiness in the Windy City, did you hear about Milton Bradley’s mother telling the media that her son was willing to return to the Cubs if they want him. First, why is your mother speaking for you? Second, this reminds me of when you have a prideful friend who was dumped by his girlfriend who was out of his league anyway and he then tells you that SHE can come back to him if SHE gets her act together.

Also, Matt Forte, you better start stepping it up. I need the points.

Tampa Bay (+7.5) Washington: I really want to pick the Bucs to win this one outright but I’m going to give the Skins the benefit of some doubt. Jim Zorn still doesn’t make it though the season though. You can’t have your team look that bad against the Lions and keep your job.

Speaking of jobs, looks like the young folks are moving to Washington, D.C. and Seattle before the NYC: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703787204574442912720525316.html?mod=WSJ_hps_RIGHTTopCarousel

This seems right to me. As a New Yorker, I like my city but there are several other places you can live for cheaper and have a more enjoyable experience than New York. Which brings me to my next point…

INDIANAPOLIS (-10) Seattle: Most of these major cities are starting to look the same anyway. The downtowns between a Chicago, New York, Miami, Denver, Nashville, Seattle, Houston, etc. contain large buildings, no parking and bad rush hour traffic. If you pick the suburbs, each of these housing subdivisions look like Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives. Every major city has the area where the hipsters hang out, the “alternative” people see bands you have never heard of, has an “ethnic” area, contains at least two professional teams to get your sports on, etc.

Why would you want to live in New York when you can kick it in Denver, Charlotte and cities of that level with just as many activities and 3/4ths of the cost?

NEW ORLEANS (-7) New York Jets: Some of you feel that the Jets are getting overhyped for their excellent early start of the season and I agree with you but you have to look at things from the team’s perspective, especially fans.

The Jets don’t get as much attention as the Giants and honestly never will. The team plays in Giants Stadium, that should explain a lot right there. The last time that the Jets had a good, young QB prospect was literally Joe Namath and don’t give me Ken O’Brien. I lived through the O’Brien years, I know. They haven’t had a cocky head coach that was willing to stare at the biggest dog in the yard, the Patriots in this case, and not flinch since Bill Parcells, but he was a Giant first.

Jets fans have had the second-worst lot behind only Cleveland in the past 30 years. Buffalo? Went to four Super Bowls and saw numerous Hall of Famers. Cincinnati? Went to two Super Bowls. Oakland? Not even close. Arizona is close but last year wiped a lot of bad karma away.

So if Jets fans want to get a little over-excited about starting a season 3-0, let them.

MIAMI (+1.5) Buffalo: I can’t believe that I’m saying this but leave Terrell Owens alone.

St. Louis (+9.5) SAN FRANCISCO: The Rams are awful but find a way to lose by less than that spread.

Dallas (-3) DENVER: The Broncos are frauds, just trust me.

San Diego (+6.5) Pittsburgh: Guess who’s hosting WWE Raw on Monday? Big Ben! I’m sure that the NFL can’t be too happy with that competing with Monday Night Football.

Green Bay (+3.5) MINNESOTA: I’m going with the Packers because you know who will have his first three-interception game to cost the Vikings.

Last week: 6-8
Season: 6-8
Money left: $1,400