You Can't Do That on Television

I am definitely a TV junkie. I tried to cut down on the number of tv shows I regularly watched this year, but I think I just shifted the shows I watch. No more "Biggest Loser" or "24", but I picked up "Community" and "Flash Forward". Summer television is always a wasteland of shows that weren't good enough to air during the winter months, though. I am always surprised to learn some of the shows that they air over the summer. To exemplify this, I have designed a quiz - I have 8 descriptions for television shows. One of these shows is a fake - it's not airing this summer. Your job is to come up with the name for the show based on these descriptions and to spot the fake. Bonus point if you can prove that you have watched any of these shows before. The answers are posted in the comments.

#1
Charlotte Payne is looking for love and has rejected multiple marriage proposals -- but she has yet to meet Mr. Right. When she joins a popular online dating site, she gets a little help from her dating counselor, Andrew, who requires her to take a 100-question compatibility test. The questions aren't easy for Charlotte to answer, and each one requires her to recount a poignant and humorous time in her life. The test becomes a journey of self-discovery for Charlotte who begins to realize what she truly wants in a relationship.

#2
Seven strangers must come together to solve the puzzle of their lives. All of them have been taken from their everyday lives and have arrived in a deserted town with no recollection of how they got there. While being held hostage, the strangers are constantly watched by omnipresent "security" cameras with no idea who or what is behind them. Every attempt to leave is thwarted by unforeseen circumstances, which seem to derive from mysterious forces. At every turn, these strangers-turned-comrades are threatened physically, psychologically and emotionally. Their chance at survival is to rely on each other. But who can they trust in this vulnerable state - either behind those cameras or amongst themselves? Their decisions will have moral and ethical consequences, as alliances are forged and relationships brokered.

#3
Somewhere between the demands of her career, her ex's wedding and her kids' busy schedules, Dana James is noticing her tight-knit family starting to unravel. An unexpected offer to purchase her family's mountain property sets up a weekend road trip, which she hopes will bring her family back together. But when they arrive, they quickly learn that the mountain is much more than it seems. An ancient secret and a treacherous quest will test the family like never before. It's an edge-of-the seat thriller that reminds us that when times are tough, families don't run away from problems - they run back to each other.

#4
Can a family of small-time criminals go legit? This is the story of the Wests, who are forced to change their lifestyle after the man of the house gets sent to the big house. Crime is their business. Cheryl, loving mother and devoted wife, will do everything she can to keep her family together and on the straight and narrow.

#5
Five gorgeous females and five hot men will live together while they compete (they think) to become the "Face of Vegas." Unbeknownst to them, they'll be deliberately challenged by moral situations to see if they really are kind, generous and compassionate and have what it takes to be truly beautiful inside and out. The attractive contestants assume they're being judged solely on their physical attributes when, in fact, the episodes will showcase two sides of each person, one that displays outer beauty as well as one that exhibits inner beauty. One person will be eliminated each week based on their behavior and how well they ranked in each challenge. At the end, the person who has successfully demonstrated both inner and outer beauty will win $100,000 and will be featured in People magazine.

#6
Todd Donovan works for Mid America Novelties, which sells products like whoopee cushions, foam fingers, and wallets made of bacon. This is the stuff upon which the American way of life is built, but try explaining that to someone who lives on the other side of the world. Todd must do exactly that when he's sent to run the company's call center in India. Todd's culture shock leads to hilarious situations with his new employees

#7
This new action comedy explores what happens when an old-school cop and a modern-day detective expose the big picture of small crime. Dan Stark is a washed-up detective who spends most of his time drunk or re-hashing his glory days. A stranger to modern police work, Dan has the reputation as being a bit of a wild card. Dan's new partner, Jack Bailey, is an ambitious, by-the-book detective, but is sometimes a bit too snarky for his own good. He has a dead-end position in the department and is stuck solving annoying petty theft cases that nobody else wants. Worse, he's been given the thankless task of babysitting Dan, the drunk pariah who can never keep partners for long.

#8
This family comedy is about three brothers who hire a charming, wayward schemer to stand in as their father when their real one goes to prison. What begins as a simple business relationship evolves into a family like no other. The three brothers find their dad-for-hire, Ron Snuffkin, working at the local sporting goods store. Ron, a lovable slacker who can't catch a break, is forced to draw from an array of skills and dig into a vast bag of tricks as he steps into the role of patriarch to the boys of the Gunderson family.

Sports Update

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired Dontrelle Willis from the Detroit Tigers today. In return, Detroit retains the rights to pay Dontrelle Willis the rest of his contract and receives a reminder that they got Miguel Cabrera for taking Willis off the Marlins' hands.

***BREAKING NEWS: LeBron Leaving for Florida***

Today's dose of unintentional comedy:
LeBron Leaving for Florida - Columbus Dispatch dispatch.com

Fads I Just Don't Get

I feel very old when I consider what's hot today in teenage pop culture. I just don't get it. As you can see by my list, I think our "youth culture" (another phrase that makes me look old) is very feminine-driven. When did teenage boys become pansies?? So here's my power rankings for things that I don't get (a.k.a. why I'm old).

1. Twilight - is it almost over??
2. Everything else "vampire inspired"
3. Two high school boy fashion trends - the long hair in your face and tight pants - when did looking like a girl become cool?
4. Justin Bieber - is he part of the reason for #3? How is he collaborating with Ludacris and Sean Kingston?? Does this not take away every bit of their street cred?
5. Glee - I enjoy some acapella now and then and I love hearing NPH sing, but come on
6. Twitter - again, nobody cares about your mundane everyday life
7. Teenage Mom shows - I thought that teenagers who got knocked up were outcasts. Is this because of Juno or because of Sarah Palin's daughter?
8. Dancing with the Stars - It's ballroom dancing!! There's nothing cool about ballroom dancing!!

Changes

As Stacey can attest, I don't deal with change that well. In the past six months, my office has had 5 new hires and added 3 new positions. Our office dynamic has swung so much I think I'm sea sick. I have been having to take more of a leadership position to keep things together and I'm glad I can step back now.

In regards to change I have implemented myself, I am very happy with how well painting our basement has turned out. It definitely wasn't a selling feature of the house. It is 1/3 finished, 1/3 laundry room, 1/3 crawl space. The part that is finished is modestly sized - big enough to hang out in but not enough to supplant our "family room". It has wood paneling, which gives me a "parents baseroom" vibe, even though my parents never had wood paneling. We decided to paint it an off-white color. The y-chromosome in me says it's white, but apparently it is off-white enough to appease Stacey. It brightened up the room nicely and makes the basement look a little larger than before. With the temperatures jumping past 80 recently, I could see myself spending more time down there to save a little on our energy bill. I think I want to take it one step further and add track lighting to really brighten it up. Now I need to study up on electrical maintenance.

Lost

I know neither of you watch Lost, but I am very excited for the end. How could you not be intrigued by this?? (It's not an actual promo, but was created by some fan with a lot of time on their hands).

King of the City

Chris Broussard's article on LeBron's recent MVP acceptance ceremony highlights what makes him different than a lot of other superstars (i.e., Kobe). Many people have looked for deeper meaning in his words about Akron; some say they indicate he's staying while others believe it was a farewell acknowledgement. I am not taking this either way, but I do appreciate LeBron for his attitude.

Since he gained nation-wide attention as a high school junior/senior, LeBron has been doing all the right things. He has been saying the right things, surrounding himself with the right people, and demonstrating the right balance of maturity and personality. I am not saying LeBron is a "good person". In a "post Tiger/Letterman/Roethlisberger/etc" world, nobody is willing to make strong value judgements about someone's character. But I do think he is fairly selfless, genuinely interested in his teams' success rather than his own (because he knows making his team better will lead to his own success), and is appreciative of his roots and the people who helped him get where he is. I think he appears to have better character and is a better teammate than Michael, the person who he is compared to most.

I am in the small minority of people who believe he will be returning to Cleveland. I don't think it will have anything to do with winning or losing a championship this year. I believe, through this event and many of his other actions, that he has a deep connection to Northeast Ohio. He is going to get a max contract no matter where he goes. I don't see him benefitting any more from a "marketing standpoint" by being in LA or NYC. I think he actually appreciates not having to deal with as much paparazzi in Cleveland. And, while having a good support group of teammates is necessary, I don't think he would be tempted by the opportunity of an "All Star Lineup".

I remember when he completely took over the 4th quarter series-clinching game against us in the playoffs a few years ago. He took his game to another level and everyone outside of Michigan was in awe of his performance. Now that the Pistons are in the crapper, I can appreciate LeBron a little more. I am by no means jumping on the Cavs bandwagon, but he is enjoyable to watch. I appreciate him thanking his hometown fans and acknowledging his teammates while winning an individual award.

Guess They Are Doing Something Right

NEW YORK -- U.S. viewership of the NHL playoffs increased 24 percent from 2009, the league's highest average first-round audience in 10 years.

The NHL said Friday that NBC and Versus combined to average 742,000 viewers per telecast. That's the most since ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 had 750,000 in 2000.

Versus averaged 595,000 viewers, a 35 percent increase from 2009 and the league's best showing on cable since ESPN/ESPN2 in 2001 (608,000). Versus averaged a .7 rating, up 75 percent from 2009.

NBC averaged 430,000 viewers for its four broadcasts, an 18 percent increase over 2009. Its 1.1 average rating was the best since 2006 and up 10 percent from last year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2010/news/story?id=5152366

Food Coma

For the first time in almost a month, I have a non-sports related post. I have been on an unhealthy kick lately. If someone can be a "health nut", what would an unhealth person be? A "health Milk Dud?" I'm not depressed or anything, but I definitely think I treat food as something that is comforting. I attach positive feelings towards food, which I know is bad. I think a lot of people wrestle with the same thing and that is why some people overeat or eat the wrong things. I am by no means in serious trouble at this point and I could only stand to lose 5-10 pounds. I think my main problem with health right now stems more from inactivity than from food. I am hopeful once we get our kayaks and spend more time doing yard work, I will be exercising more often (than never). So here's the items that have been giving me trouble lately - my "power rankings of junk food".

1. Doughnuts - my all-time favorite food and favorite vice. Power rankings of doughnut places - Honey Dip, Buckeye Donuts (I'm sorry guys, they're good so it's worth it), Tim Horton's TimBits (not their actual doughnuts though)

2. Taco Bell - my fourth-meal consists of the cheesy gordita crunch, steak quesadilla, fiesta potatoes, or the steak chalupa supreme

3. Cheetos - I find it humorous that on the back of the bag is a photo of corn. Is that because they want you to think that Cheetos are a natural food and aren't completely chemically produced? Because I'm fine either way - they're really good

4. City Barbeque beef brisket sandwich and mac & cheese

5. Burger King A-1 Steakhouse XT - A mix of steak sauce, fried onion strings, and beef that tastes great and leaves a bomb in my stomach to detonate 30 mins later

6. Sushi-KO rolls - doesn't necessarily sound like junk food, but the ones I like most are fried

7. Doritos - were recently bumped down the list by Cheetos - I'm a regular nacho cheese loyalist. Has anyone tried the cheeseburger ones? It tastes exactly like the different layers of a cheeseburger, but will make you vomit

8. Kid's cereal - Fruit Loops, Golden Grahams, Cinnamon Toast Crunch - I don't usually eat breakfast, but I've recently been eating cereal before I go to bed on nights where I'm still hungry

9. Potato salad

10. Smore Pop Tarts (yeah, you heard me Mike)

A Quiz and A Poll

Rank these teams in order of how important a championship run would be to you:
MSU Hockey
MSU Basketball
MSU Football
Detroit Lions
Detroit Redwings
Detroit Tigers
Detroit Pistons

The lack of the football championships in our lifetimes probably make them more meaningful. Here's my list:

1. MSU Football - College Football is my favorite sport and I am convinced this is the only one I will not see in my lifetime. Yes, that means I think the Lions are closer to winning the Super Bowl than the Spartans are to that ugly crystal football. I think college football lacks parity and offers a distinct advantage to about 15 prestigious programs. We are in that group of the other 100.

2. Detroit Lions - Again, this is artificially inflated because we're so far from it. I do believe that the roster moves in the past few years are leading us in the right direction. Then again, I remember how excited I was for "Harrington to Rogers" to light up our offense that I made it my fantasy team name one year.

3. Michigan State Basketball - I am excited for this one because I think it can, and probably should, happen next year. Yes, I am "one of those" people that are putting high expectations on them. We are returning 3 core people who have been in the Final Four the past two years, so I think it is fair to say they should win it.

4. Detroit Red Wings - Even though this is the most successful team of the group, winning the Stanley Cup doesn't ever get old to me. I have watched the entirety of almost every game (except for the one that wasn't on TV outside Detroit). I love hockey and we should win it every year.

5. Detroit Tigers - I will always contend that the baseball season is too long, but I can always get up for the Fall Classic. The lack of playoff teams in baseball makes winning the Division or Wild Card even more special. Unless you are the 90s Braves.

6. Michigan State Hockey - Hockey is my second favorite sport, but the NCAA hockey playoffs lack excitement. It doesn't get a lot of publicity, so I don't know much about the teams outside the CCHA. I was really excited when we won the championship, but it lacks the "remember when" factor in hindsight. For example, I can recall the Game 7 the Wings played against the Avs when they destroyed them (like 7-1) and Roy let in an "own goal" when he tried holding a gloved puck up high in the air. I remember the crazy goal that McCarty had while falling down against the Flyers in 97. I can't tell you who MSU played that year except for BC in the finals.

7. Detroit Pistons - I can remember sitting together leaned in close to the TV for every game when we were good. We yelled at every foul or missed free throw and celebrated every basket. I think LeBron killed my NBA spirit in 2007 with his ridiculous 4th quarter performance in the final game of the Eastern Conference Finals.

My fairweathered interest in the Pistons sparked an idea to create a quiz to see how much you really know about the team anymore. The questions are things I think you should know about "your team". My guesses and answers are in the comments. I fully anticipate that I will fail.

1. Who is the current coach of the Pistons?
2. Who lead the team in scoring?
3. Who lead the team in rebounding?
4. Where did they finish in the Division?
5. What draft pick do they have coming up in the NBA draft?
6. What is their starting 5?
7. Name the last player that they traded for.

Scars & Stitches

I've decided every post should be named after a Guster song. I had Keep it Together a few posts ago and now I'm making it a permanent trend. I have really enjoyed the Red Wings series against Phoenix, particularly the 2nd period of game 7 and the craziness of game 2.

Who's my Red Wing? Justin Abdelkader. The guy won State a National Championship and now he provides them with a great spark in our lesser lines. It was a great idea for Babcock to insert him into the lineup after game 1 to provide us with some checking and toughness. Whenever I see that number 8 come off the bench I get excited. The only think I don't like to see is the number of penalties. I didn't realize this until looking at the box scores, but he has 23 penalty minutes this series?! That's a whole game's worth of action and he didn't even play game 1!

Who's not my Red Wing? Todd Bertuzzi. He's got 4 assists, but there is just something I don't like about him. He seems to blow a lot of chances by whiffing on his shot or putting it wide of the net. (And of course 2 minutes after I typed that he scored on a rebound to make it 5-1 in game 7.)

What is going well
Scoring from Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Penalty killing in every game except 1 and 6. Crisp passing and getting the puck far up the ice in 3 passes. Jimmy Howard when the pressure isn't on him and he isn't forced to win the game for us. Scoring in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Datsyuk playing good defense and stealing pucks away. Poke checking.

What is not going well
Getting shots from in front of the net. Draw a triangle from the faceoff circles to the net - we're not seeing a lot of action in that zone. Holmstrom needs to do a better job of getting in front of the net and we need to corral rebounds better as a team. Faceoffs. Producing goals when the pucks aren't bouncing our way. Dan Cleary - he has been invisible. He's playing 15 minutes per game, has 9 shots, and 0 points. Lapses in energy to start some of the games.

Series-Altering Event Shane Doan's injury in Game 3. He had a goal and an assist in the action that he saw. Phoenix is a team with limited talent and losing their captain was a crushing blow.

How badly can it hurt you to not convert on a 5-on-3? Very early in game 6, Detroit had a powerplay, followed by a 5-3, followed by another powerplay, during which Phoenix scored a shorthanded goal. The momentum swing was very apparent. We were all over them in the beginning in what looked like a carryover from game 5. After the SHG, Phoenix was in control. Towards the end of the second period in game 7, Phoenix had a 5-on-3 for a minute followed by a powerplay. After we killed off both, Stuart came rushing out of the box, found the puck at center ice on a breakaway and scored to give us a comfortable 4-1 lead.

Looking Ahead
I predicted before the playoffs began that we would lose in the second round and I stand by that more than ever knowing that San Jose awaits. Their series was close in the beginning with Colorado taking game 1 and games 2-4 going into overtime. The Sharks found their stride and won games 5 & 6 handily. They have the advantage of rest and from traveling. This is where being in the Western Conference puts Detroit at a disadvantage. San Jose had to travel 1300 miles to Denver while Detroit's commute to Phoenix was 2000 miles. Keep in mind they played game 5 until 12:30am Saturday in Phoenix, game 6 at 2pm on Sunday in Detroit, and game 7 on Tuesday. That's traveling 4000 miles in 4 days. What did the Sharks have to do during that timeframe? Fly home to San Jose after finishing off Colorado Saturday night. I think that their defense and Nabokov's experience will be too much to handle. Outside of a wild game 2, San Jose held Colorado to 2 or less goals in every game. We allowed Phoenix to score 3 or more in 4 of the 7 games. Although we were 3-0-1 against San Jose during the regular season. Still, I predict Sharks win in 6.

WWJD - Who Would Jesus Draft?

http://jay-mariotti.fanhouse.com/2010/04/20/antidote-to-nfl-crime-tebow-in-first-round/?synd=fanhouse

Tim Tebow has certainly been a divisive personality. Many people praise his righteousness and purity and consider him a shining example of what a sports role model should look like. Others despise his evangelical ways and would like to see nothing more than Tebow to fail or to slip up and get into trouble. For Mariotti to call him "the perfect anti-toxin for what ails the NFL" is ridiculous. I know Mariotti and his "Around the Horn" cohorts are prone to exaggeration to sell themselves, but I completely disagree.

I am pretty indifferent on Tebow - he seems like a genuine, nice guy and I don't want him to fail, but I think he needs to cool it with the evangelizing. I didn't like seeing a new bible verse on his eye black every week and I think he will probably rub his a lot of his new teammates the wrong way. I also think that Roethlisberger probably got off lucky from a legal standpoint. I think a 4-6 game suspension was appropriate given that he was never charged with a crime. It was an important stance for the league because it proved they are willing to be tough with a high profile player. As one analyst said, "it's easy to suspend a Cincinnati Bengal, but what do you do with a 2 time Super Bowl winning Quarterback?"

I don't see a high draft spot for Tim Tebow erasing the Ben Roethlisberger situation from a PR standpoint for the NFL, however. Many teams have reasonable questions about Tebow, who threw from the shotgun formation, relied heavily on scrambling, was surrounded by tremendous blocking and receiving, and has recently adjusted his throwing motion. As a general manager, I wouldn't give him the benefit of the doubt on these issues just because of his character. The NFL dealt with the Roethlisberger situation appropriately for the amount of information we know. Should anything more be revealed, they should and would take more action.

Why the NHL is the Best and Worst League

First of all, let me say fuck you to the NHL for being the worst run league in professional sports.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are the best of any of the four major sports. They allow enough teams into the playoffs for it to matter to a wide variety of its fan base (unlike football and baseball) without watering down the talent level (like the NBA). For example, the first two NHL teams in each conference that missed the playoffs this year had records of 38-33-11 and 40-32-10. In my opinion, OT losses in hockey aren't the same as regular losses because of the shootout. Having player vs. goalie is a scenario that doesn't demonstrate who was the better team that night. It benefits teams that have a goalie that can exceed against better shooters or teams that have a number of better shooters/stick handlers. Some examples of the shootout records for teams this year including their spot in the overall standings:
1. Washington Capitals 5-6
2. San Jose Sharks 7-6
5. Vancouver Canucks 4-4
26. NY Islanders 8-6
29. Toronto Maple Leafs 4-4
30. Edmonton Oilers 8-6

I think I have made my point that OTL should be considered differently than regulation losses, but I don't want to get off track. If you still don't agree, I'll concede that the Montreal Canadiens technically had a losing record of 39-43 when combining losses and OT losses, but they were the only .500 or lower team.

The NBA, on the other hand, waters down the first few rounds with poor teams. This year's playoffs were a rarity because only one team (the Chicago Bulls) had a non-winning record. However, every other season since 2005 has included 3 playoff teams that ended the regular season .500 or worse (every one of which was in the Eastern Conference).

The NHL playoffs are also different in the sense that a hot goalie can propel a team deep into the bracket. Lesser teams are also more likely to pull off upsets by working harder than their opponents. In the NBA, an all-star player can disguise a lack of team effort for at least the first round or two.

Many sports writers and analysts, even those that aren't hockey fans, agree that the Stanley Cup playoffs are some of the most exciting games in sports. This year has already offered a number of close games, surprises from unexpected teams, and exciting action. The Coyotes and Wings scoring 5 goals in 5 minutes in game 2? Ridiculous. So why in the hell is the league still begging NBC (the worst run network on TV today) and Versus to play its games?

I was disappointed, but not extremely surprised, to find tonight's game 4 was not on TV here. I checked the NHL website to see if I could watch the game from my new laptop. After all, CBS is willing to stream every March Madness game online for free even though they did not make money on this year's tournament. What I found is that I can watch each of tonight's four games... for $19.95. That's not a "playoff pass" - that's just for 4 games.

The NHL has tried to regain the tremendous amount of respect, money, and fanbase that it lost with the boring "trap era" games (thanks New Jersey Devils!) and the lockout. They have instituted a number of great changes, including the rule changes to increase scoring and the Winter Classic. However they will not be able to grow any more unless they put their product out there for people to watch. ESPN will show almost anything and has made a huge push to buy the rights to more sporting events (MNF, early Masters coverage, bidding for the NCAA tournament) so why wouldn't they be willing to show the NHL playoffs. This would fill a significant void they have in a time of the year without college football or basketball. As I type, they are currently showing a movie about fantasy baseball, SportsCenter, and an NFL Draft Preview. Hockey may be a niche sport, but I can't believe their ratings wouldn't improve if they were airing the Stanley Cup playoffs right now instead.

Keep It Together

Is anyone else nervously checking the various sporting websites daily to see if Durrell Summers is going pro? I think we are going to be crazy good next year, but I think his tournament performance is going to play a big part in that.

When I saw the list of Kentucky players jumping early, I had the biggest smile on my face. I hate Calipari and this is what they deserve.

Would you like peanuts or a soft pillow?

I was up late last night when this story broke. Of course, in today's "report it now and ask questions later" environment, the story originally read "terrorist tries to light shoe bomb on Denver airplane". Well, let's give them credit that there was an airplane involved and it was headed to Denver. Those facts are close enough, right?

Once they received more information, CNN revealed that this person was a diplomat from Qatar and that he was actually smoking on the plane. They reported that when confronted, the man made a remark about a shoe bomb and the passengers responded. The topic of "diplomatic immunity" came up. Apparently, international diplomats cannot be charged with a crime in the U.S., although it can be revoked.

I was shocked when I woke up to hear that they decided not to charge this guy with a crime. The story, which had been "breaking terrorism news" at midnight had been brushed under the rug so quickly in 8 hours that it was buried on cnn.com's website (Tiger's return to Augusta, of course, was the featured article). The story evolved even more to say that he was "possibly" smoking on the plane. I was also appalled at the Embassy's reaction to the incident. In his statement, the ambassador didn't even come close to an apology. His statement was basically "Yep, he's cool. Don't worry about it - he works for me and I say he's fine." He even criticized the response and warned against "reckless judgements or speculation".

Today I expected interviews with some of the passengers, a debate on "diplomatic immunity" and a discussion on the response from Qatar. What I got was a poll on the new Tiger Woods Nike ad and a countdown until he teed off.

Say It Ain't SIzzo

Really Oregon?? Five days before we play in the Final Four and you are going to publicly announce that you are going to offer to make Izzo the highest paid coach in college basketball? Is this because we rejected Nike's proposed new logo and Phil Knight wanted revenge?

And come on Tom. This gets published and your response is "I haven't been contacted... I'm happy with the job I have"? That's like saying "I'm trying to lose weight" when asked if you want ice cream. That doesn't mean you're not going to end up eating it. We all think we know Tom Izzo. I know the arguement is "he has ties to the team and M-I-C-H-I-G-A-N is his State". He "cares more about making MSU an elite program than money". But then again, wasn't Tiger Woods the picture-perfect role model? A few years ago, wasn't Peyton Manning someone who always choked in the playoffs? And since then, wasn't he considered a sure thing?

This goes back to my age-old question: why doesn't this happen to Roy Williams and Coack K? You don't hear Mississippi State thinking they can lure one of them away from UNC or Duke.

And finally, come on MSU. Pay him $4 million a year and let's move on.

We're Final

Tom Izzo is 26-3 against teams that are seeded lower than MSU.

"I want them to tear down the statue of Sparty and put up Izzo. Forget the Spartan logo, I want Izzo's face on the 50 yard line of the football stadium too!" - Rece Davis

Our combined margin of victory, 13, is the lowest of any team to ever get to the Final Four.

Whatever we pay Izzo isn't enough. We don't just wake up the week the NCAA Tourney begins and decide to get serious. He has managed this team all year to come together at precisely the right time and has made adjustments like a skilled chemist.

I used to think, how good could we have finished if Kalin Lucas didn't get injured against Maryland? After all, he was the catalyst for our team in the first 1.5 games. Now I wonder, would they be this far if it weren't for Kalin Lucas' injury? Summers has taken his game to the next level, and a few more, and is producing arcade numbers each game. And Delvon Roe has ignored any pain his knee has given him and was a defensive force against Tennessee's taller forwards. Would Summers have risen above if it weren't absolutely required? Would Roe be playing with as much heart if Kalin wasn't on the sidelines in 100 times more pain than he is?

The field has been wide open this year. We have had to deal with a variety of playing styles and I think anyone left has a shot to win the championship. I am ecstatic about Izzo's 6th Final Four, the most of any coach in Big 10 history. But I really think this is our opportunity to win the whole thing. (Which I know I shouldn't say due to my penchant for being wrong.)

Maddening Thoughts

-There is only one region with three of the top four seeds still remaining: the South. How is it that the region that most people called "the weakest" still has Purdue, Duke, and Baylor? I still really like St. Mary's chances of making the Final Four among this group.

-On the contrary, the undisputed toughest region, our Midwest, only has 1 of the top 4 remaining (stupid Buckeyes). They now have a chance at making the Final Four without playing anyone seeded better than 6 (or at the very worst a 5).

-With West Virginia losing their point guard for the tournament as well, I propose that everyone else follow suit. No more starting PGs in the tournament.

I would rank the Sweet 16 teams in liklihood of making the Elite 8 and the Final Four as such. That means I think the top 8 will win this round and the top 4 are the Final Four. Yes, I know I am putting all of the #1 seeds left into finals. After all, they say the first weekend is about Cinderella and the second is for the top teams. I rank Cuse ahead of Kentucky because I don't think they face as tough of competition.

1. Syracuse
2. Kentucky
3. Ohio State
4. Duke
5. Baylor
6. Kansas State
7. West Virginia
8. Michigan State
9. Xavier
10. St. Mary's
11. Northern Iowa
12. Tennessee
13. Purdue
14. Cornell
15. Butler
16. Washington

-Call me crazy, but I am more concerned about losing Chris Allen against Northern Iowa than Lucas. Kalin has had some off-games and we can have other people provide the scoring (Summers, Raymar, even Lucious). All indications are that this will be a low scoring, half court offense game. Our defense, particularly keeping Fahroukmanesh in check, will be key and that falls on Allen. (Who would have written that sentence one week ago??) I'm really interested to see if Izzo comes out with the press at all. We aren't a press-team, but N. Iowa looked TERRIBLE against Kansas' full course pressure.

-My only hope for the Elite 8 is that OSU is a familiar opponent and it is tough to beat a Big 10 team twice in one year. With 2 days to prepare, I would rather have Izzo than Matta.

Get Us Some Respect
# Big 12 Teams left: 2
# Big East Teams left: 2
# Big Ten Teams left: 3

-Did anyone else think the silver lining in Lucas' injury is that there is no way he can go in the NBA Draft now?

-How many of the Sweet 16 teams would lose to UConn Women?

-Stacey asked me earlier tonight who was the last Big 10 team to win the title. Naturally, I figured MSU, but to confirm my guess I made a list of every championship team and their opponent for the past 10 years. I got every champion except for one and I correctly named the complete games from 05-09. Can you come up with this list?

Bracket Recap

Conference I've Overrated: Big 12
There's a lot of temptations with Kansas, Baylor, and Kansas State receiving high seeds. Plus, with weak South and West regions, it is easy to move several of the teams higher.

Conference I've Underrated: Mountain West
They have four teams in, but I only picked New Mexico to win in the first round. In a close second, I picked two of the A-10 teams to get upset in the first round, but I showed Xavier some love and put them into the Sweet 16.

Injuries I Just Don't Know About: Syracuse, Purdue, Notre Dame
Injuries to their key players have made them big question marks. For the most part, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and moved them on pretty far.

Team That Would Make Me Look Smart: St. Mary's
On paper, they look pretty good and I don't feel confident about their opponents.

Stats I'm Overrating: A strong center, how they finished the season, the strength of their conference

Stats I'm Underrating: Previous tournament history, defense, free throw shooting/three point percentage

Chalk Region: Midwest

Upset Region: West

Strongest Seed Number (besides #1): 3 - Pitt, Georgetown, New Mexico, Baylor

Weakest Seed Number: 4 - Maryland, Purdue, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt

Game I Would Really Want To See That Won't Happen: OSU vs. Kentucky

Giving Thanks

Thank you, Michigan State Spartans, for saving me from watching basketball all weekend by losing to Minnesota on Friday night. Your actions were generous on many levels. It allowed fans like myself more time to catch up on the Real World: DC (Will that Andrew guy ever get laid? Any why doesn't Callie get more attention from guys?) This was a prime example of "taking one for the team": their loyalty to the Big 10 lead them to give Minnesota a better shot at getting into the NCAA tournament thereby giving our conference a larger representation. Finally, they didn't want Chris Allen to feel left out. You have to follow through with the commitments you've made to your teammates, especially when it comes to including them in the victory celebration. "No man left behind," right?

Even though winning the game may have helped your chances of earning a better seed, you've been able to "turn on the switch" for the NCAA tourney. Remember last year when you, as the top seed, lost by 12 to the #5 seed Ohio State? And in 2005, you lost your first game to #7 seed Iowa! Neither of those losses prevented you from being able to make the Final Four (is what I have told myself over and over since Friday morning). And even though you watched Minnesota go on to defeat Purdue by over 20 points, that doesn't mean you would have beaten them too, right? Right?

Plus, you deserve the opportinity to take a little time off. It's been a tough season. You had difficult games against Florida, Texas, and North Carolina, all of whom were ranked in the Top 11 early in the season, and look how good those teams are now! I know you'll be successful despite your 5-5 record in the last 10 games. After all, this is the same team that made it to the National Championship game last year, except for Goran Suton who was consistently a leader on offense and defense. And having Travis Walton on the bench this year is just as good as having him on the courst last year, right?

Keep in mind, we were without Kalin Lucas for much of that time due to his foot injury. We were also without Korie Lucious for the Penn State road game due to his academic injury. And against Minnesota, we were without Chris Allen due to his teamwork injury. We also lost Durrell Summers and Derrick Nix in the second half due to their effort injuries which Tom Izzo himself diagnosed. After the game, a disappointed Nix said, “I’m mad he didn’t play me. There’s nothing I could do.” I know how left out you felt when the team was shooting 18-34 from the line. That's normally your job, Mr. 21.4%!!

So bring on Ohio, Cornell, or whichever #13 (or 12, or maybe even 11) seed the NCAA Tournament is going to throw at us first! Because at least North Carolina is in the NIT!

Sadness Revisited

On Wednesday, December 21, 2005, I wrote a post entitled "Sadness", which is copied below.


Johnny Damon is a Yankee. A little bit of my sports passion just died.
And this made me vomit a little in my mouth.

At the time, my Red Sox fandom was hurt by the fact that the lovable, cavemanesque Damon shed his trademark beard and went to the rival Yankees. Now, I don't want any part of him. Not because many label him a "traitor" for leaving the Sox, but because we traded a 24 year old, fast, outfielder who was adored by the community for one that is 36, slow, and has a poor arm. I get that we also got pitching out of the trade and the enjoyment of watching Mark Schlereth wearing the old English D everytime he shows up on Mike and Mike. And I understand that Granderson may have left us soon anyway. But I hate buying an expensive guy that is past his prime.

And in 4 months, I'm sure I'm going to be writing the third post in this series: Why I Love What Johnny Damon Brings to the Tigers.

Interesting Thought

After last night, isn't "What if the 2006 Dolphins had pursued Brees instead of stupidly going after Daunte Culpepper?" undeniably the best football "What If?" of this decade? If Miami gets Brees, the Saints don't win Super Bowl XLIV; Nick Saban doesn't flee Miami as quickly as he did, or at the very least, doesn't go to Alabama (now we're swinging this year's NCAA title as well); the AFC would have the four best QBs (Brees, Rivers, Brady and Manning); Miami's future is obviously altered; and the Saints are almost definitely playing in San Antonio right now. Good golly. -Bill Simmons

I think this is an excellent point. Taking it one step further, if the Saints don't have Brees going into the 2006 Draft, wouldn't they likely have taken Vince Young over Reggie Bush? Can you imagine how different both teams would be right now?

Remember when?

Let's see how much you were paying attention last year.

1. Which movie won the Oscar for "Best Picture"?
2. Name the top 5 top grossing movies that came out last year.
3. Who had the top grossing album?
4. What did Joe Wilson, Representative from South Carolina, shout during Barack Obama's September speech on health care reform?
5. Who won American Idol in May?
6. We all know Matt Stafford was taken #1 in the NFL Draft. Who was taken #2 and which team drafted him?
7. Who was drafted first overall in the NBA Draft?
8. Where did the Pistons, Lions, and Redwings rank among their Conference? Where did the Tigers rank among the American League? (Note: For each team, except the Lions, consider the season that ended in 2009)
9. What was the most searched term on Yahoo?
10. Place these events in chronological order.
a. Tiger Woods' infamous car accident
b. US Airways plane makes miraculous landing on the Hudson River
c. Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift's acceptance speech
d. A-Rod admits to using steroids
e. Kate Gosselin from "Jon & Kate Plus 8" files for divorce
f. Olympia Snowe makes a key vote to pass health care bill from Senate Finance Committee

Up In The Air

I was inspired to see "Up In The Air" partially due to all of the Golden Globe awards it has been nominated for (Best Actor, Supporting Actress (2), Picture, and Screenplay). Plus, I don't feel like there are too many interesting movies out right now.

Overall, I feel it was a very poignant movie "given our current economic climate" (I hate that term by the way, it is very overused). George Clooney's character travels the U.S. for a company that takes care of firing people. He travels constantly (at one point, he reveals he spent 46 days "at home" last year). Without giving too much away, the overall theme of the movie is "what is really important in life". While it was kind of uncomfortable to literally see like 50 people get fired, I enjoyed it. Stacey didn't like the ending and gave it 1/2 thumbs up. I don't need a "neat and tidy" ending as much, so I gave it 3/4 thumbs up.

On the way home, I had to think how I would handle being fired. Right now, I think I have as much job security as anyone could have. Our center's business is doing very well, especially G.O.C.E.C., and I am the only experienced person working there. But if I were ever fired, I think I would cry a little, try to ask why, and then quietly leave. I don't think I would be borderline violent, yell, or try to negotiate. I think understanding the relative importance of things is critical to keeping oneself grounded. To every life shattering problem, "there's a billion Chinese who don't care" ...or something. It may take a little while, it may take a long while, but everyone eventually moves on. Not just from losing your job, but from everything. And I think that developing that perspective, being able to understand how trivial some problems really are and to move on, is the way I've grown up most in the past two years.

If Mike played college basketball

...his name would be Mark Titus. Enjoy: http://clubtrillion.blogspot.com
(Especially the video he posted).

Strangely enough, I didn't hear about him on local news or around campus. I read about him on Sports Illustrated's website.

Help

I can't believe it has almost been two years since I signed my car lease. I was looking back at my posts when I first got it and had a few laughs...

"I am actually more excited for Dontrell Willis than Miguel Cabrera." (Yes, I actually fucking said that).

In response to my criticism of the Atlanta Falcons cutting a ton of people on their roster:
"I love what the Falcons are doing! Get rid of all that garbage and let's build something new. Roddy White turned out to be the first decent receiver they've had in years, and if they get a Matt Ryan in the draft they'll have a Ryan/Turner/Norwood backfield. A young backfield, but it's something to build upon. I think they're taking the necessary steps." - Mike (frickin' genius)

My first reaction to the Sentra:
"So tonight I test drove my first car, the Nissan Sentra. The car handles very well - it has some revolutionary transmission so you can't feel it shift. I love the look of the Sentra - especially in black."

My next post:
"I am still really happy with my new car. That's all I have to say in this paragraph - I love it."

...and now I treat it like crap and it's covered in salt.

Anyway, I need to figure out what to get by March 1st. I don't want a new Sentra, I can't get a Scion tc because that is what Stacey drives. And I probably don't want to spend more than $20,000 (though I am looking to lease). I need suggestions!

Annual BCS Post

(Note: Most of this was written before the bowl season began, so at that point Florida hadn't obliterated Cincinnati. When you read this, consider the overall picture of the BCS and try not to get caught up in a specific situation.)

We all know that the BCS is monopolistic, unfair, biased, inept, etc. I am sick of sportswriters using the late November/early December timeframe to write their own variation of the same column each year. However, it is too interesting of a sports story to ignore it. I want to focus on this year's rendition and a point that I have never heard from a single sportswriter. College Football this year, as it has in recent years, has given an unfair advantage to teams in the Big 12 and the SEC.

National Championship Games By Conference
When you look back at the history of the BCS National Championship, you have to throw out 2003 because there was not an undisputed champion and the top two teams didn't play in a BCS Championship game. Besides teams in the SEC and Big 12, only 5 teams have ever played in a national championship game (Miami, Virginia Tech, OSU, USC, Florida State). Below is a breakdown by conference of the number of teams represented.

Pac 10 2
Big 10 3
Big East 3 (Miami and Virginia Tech were B.E. teams at the time)
ACC 3
SEC 5
Big 12 6

People this season have been treating the SEC like the Big 12 was last year - as a power conference with several great teams. Last year, Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma were truly exciting to watch week in and week out. It is a shame that only one of them could participate in the National Championship even though they each only lost to each other. Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Nebraska were strong teams as well, so it was understandable that one spot in the National Championship game was reserved for the winner of the Big 12 even though USC and Penn State each only lost one game as well.

This year, the BCS voters and the media had the same attitude for the winner of the SEC championship game even though Cincinnati finished undefeated as well. Outside of Florida and Alabama, however, LSU has 3 losses, Mississippi has 4, and a whole bunch have 5. That is hardly the competitive level of a "power conference" that deserves an "automatic pass" to the national championship game. When you consider how the different conferences have performed this bowl season, the Mountain West Conference is 4-0, Big East is 4-1, and the Big 10 is 3-2 while the Big 12 is 3-3 and SEC is 4-4 (As of post time - 7:30pm on 1/2). Those hardly indicate the strength of the Big 12 and SEC this year.

Looking at the list of national championship competitors, you'll notice that none of the current Big East teams have ever made it there. I think this is a major reason why Cincinnati wasn't ever seriously considered for the the National Championship game this year. (Again, I agree Alabama and Texas are probably the two best teams. However, there is something wrong when Cincinnati was never really considered.)

Teams Benefit/Hurt From BCS Voting By Conference
I think it is important to look deeper into the history to consider situations where controversial BCS voting has benefitted teams in certain conferences and hurt others. To define the terms of "benefit" and "hurt", I have used the following criteria:
-A team benefits if they had the same record at the end of the regular season as another but made it into the championship game. The contrary team(s) are considered hurt by the system.
-I don't consider a team "hurt" if they lost to one of the teams in the championship game.
-The same is true if they lost to another team with same number of losses as themselves because they have less of an argument to be there.
-While I respect TCU, Utah, and Boise State, I am only considering BCS Conference teams because those are the competitive conferences and those 6 conferences are supposed to be on equal footing. I think the system should be changed to allow them to participate more, but that is a whole 'nother post.

Using that criteria, here's a look at the history of the BCS championships. The rankings used are the final regular season AP rankings.

1998 - #1 Tennessee (0 losses) over #2 Florida State (1 loss)
Other 1 loss: OSU, UCLA, Kansas State, Arizona (lost to UCLA), Wisconsin (lost to OSU),

1999 - #1 Florida State (0 losses) over #2 Virginia Tech (0 losses)

2000 - #1 Oklahoma (0 losses) over #3 Florida State (1 loss)
Other 1 loss: Miami (Beat FSU), Washington, Oregon State (lost to Washington), Virginia Tech (lost to Miami)

2001 - #1 Miami (0 losses) over #4 Nebraska (1 loss)
Other 1 loss: Oregon, Maryland, Illinois

2002 - #2 OSU (0 losses) over #1 Miami (0 losses)

2003 - #2 LSU (1 loss) over #3 Oklahoma (1 loss)
Other 1 loss: USC, Michigan
(Although, remember we are throwing out 2003 since there was a split national championship)

2004 - #1 USC (0 losses) over #2 Oklahoma (0 losses)
Other 0 loss: Auburn

2005 - #2 Texas (0 losses) over #1 USC (0 losses)

2006 - #2 Florida (1 loss) over #1 OSU (0 losses)
Other 1 loss: USC, Louisville, Wisconsin, Michigan (lost to OSU)

2007 - #2 LSU (2 losses) over #1 OSU (1 loss)
Other 1 loss: Kansas
Other 2 losses: Oklahoma, Georgia, Virginia Tech, USC, West Virginia, Arizona State (lost to USC), Missouri (lost to Oklahoma)

2008 - #1 Florida (1 loss) over #2 Oklahoma (1 loss)
Other 1 loss: USC, Penn State, Alabama (lost to Florida), (Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma each lost to each other)

2009 - #1 Alabama (0 loss) meets #2 Texas (0 loss)
Other 0 loss: Cincinnati

Of the 12 years, there have been 3 without controversy among BCS conference teams. That brings the final "Benefit vs. Hurt" tally to:

Benefit:
SEC 4
Big 10 1
Pac 10 1
Big 12 4
Big East 0
ACC 2

Hurt:
SEC 2
Big 10 4
Pac 10 6
Big 12 3
Big East 4
ACC 2

The system has clearly helped the SEC and Big 12 whenever one of their teams has an equal record as a team from another conference because of a perceived superiority among voters. The Big East, Big 10, and Pac 10 have been slighted as a result. When teams play a 12 game schedule, roughly 75% of which is comprised of conference games, how can we truly compare the skill level of the BCS conferences against one another? I think it is not surprising that the Pac 10 has been hurt the most and demonstrates the East Coast bias in college football (particularly against teams not named USC). Consider another aspect of the 2009 college football season, the Heisman Trophy race.

The Heisman Race
RB A: 1736 yards, 26 TDs, 5.6 yds/carry
RB B: 1542 yards, 15 TDs, 6.2 yds/carry
RB C: 1145 yards, 11 TDs, 5.7 yds/carry

Quick - if you chose a RB to give your Heisman vote to, which one is the best based on their regular season stats??

Ok, this one was obvious. If you've been following college football closely enough this season, you can guess that A was Toby Gerhart and B was Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. Running back C was CJ Spiller, who finished 6th in Heisman voting and received 26 first place votes despite finishing 28th in the NCAA in rushing yards and tied for 38th in rushing TDs. The Heisman race, in my opinion, has been rendered completely irrelevant since Jason White, Chris Weinke, and Eric Crouch won the award. Recently, it has been awarded to the best player on the best two teams, as evidenced by the fact that only 2 people in the past 10 years have won the award without making an appearances in the national championship game (Tim Tebow and Carson Palmer). Predictably, half of the last 14 Heisman trophy winners have come from the SEC or Big 12.

The Bowl System Defense
The bowl system has become a complete farce. College presidents and other BCS proponents argue that it is a great tradition in sports. You tell me what is really involved when the Flomax Bowl Update provides all of the scores from Capital One Bowl Week games, including the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. They have watered down the system to the point where we have mediocre teams playing games in mediocre cities (Toronto, Birmingham, St. Petersburg) sponsored by mediocre companies (I'm talking to you, Beef O'Bradys and San Diego County Credit Union). The rule used to be that teams must have a winning record to be bowl eligible. Now, you can go 6-6 (You can watch the Insight Bowl that features two of them!). Our very own Michigan State even has a losing record against Division I-A teams! Some teams don't even seem to want to go to a bowl game. Notre Dame declined any invitation because of their "unique circumstances" and rumor had it that MSU was privately campaigning for a trip to the Pizza Bowl to save on costs and increase revenue possibilities. Consider also the number of players that are ineligible for bowl games due to academic and disciplinary reasons (again, MSU boasts 8 plus the ones we kicked off the team earlier this season). Add that to the coaching carousel that occurs at the end of the season and you have many teams that appear to be shells of their regular season rosters. Of the 40 bowl games this season, I feel there are only a solid 10-15 that appear to be interesting games.

Of all of the factors that could lead to a playoff system (pressures from Congress, undefeated teams like Cincinnati being shut out, growing dissatisfaction from fans), I feel that the aspect that is most likely to lead to a playoff system is the current economic climate. After all, money is the major reason why we have so many bowl games. Companies are starting to pull back expenses everywhere and one of the first things to be cut are sponsorships. This year, Pepsi has cut all of their Super Bowl ads. Car companies, some of the most heavily invested brands in sports advertising, have been forced to drop most of their sponsorships (including the Motor City Bowl). Fans with less discretionary spending are less likely to make the trip and buy tickets to a game that is considered a disappointment for their team. The answer for athletic departments and college presidents could be a smaller number of bowls and a small playoff system. While there will always be a debate over who was left out no matter the size of a playoff, giving more teams a chance at the championship will reduce the level of controversy and will reduce the conference bias that favors the 24 teams in the SEC and Big 12. An 8 team playoff would allow the 6 BCS-Conference Champions and two additional teams an even playing level for the title without causing a serious disruption to the current system.

Coming soon....

Since we don't live in Knob Hill anymore, I think it's time to change our fantasy league name. In light of our performance in recent years, Stacey and I would like to invite you to participate in the Glatz Family Invitational Fantasy Footall League in 2010! To answer your question, no, I am not going to stop enjoying this.

Anyway, I am excited to announce that I have been working on a post about the BCS and the bowl system for about a month. This will be a completely new argument about the BCS that I have never heard before. It will be very long, full of statistics, and make you question how I spend my free time. It will be legen...

2009 - The Year of the Zoo

Although I was disappointed I didn't make the finals of our fantasy league, I was happy for Stacey and Kevin to have some success. It was exciting to see the finals come down to OT and Kevin standing a 40 yard Adrian Peterson TD away from victory. Since we live far apart, I wanted to share a little bit of Stacey's victory. But first, I want to take a look back at Mike's analysis of her team after the draft.

Zoo Tycoons
1) Are McNabb and Roethlisberger reliable enough? Both play in reasonably difficult divisions, and both have strong defenses with capable running games. The chances for 300+ yard games with 3 TDs are less with both of these guys, but they do have some decent receivers to throw to. Can they do it consistently?
Yes, they ended up being the #11 and #9 QBs this year respectively. Roethlisberger's 30 in Week 15 and McNabb's 23 in Week 16 were huge difference makers during the playoffs.

2) Will DeAngelo and MJD produce as top-5 backs? There are differing opinions on both. There are questions (time shares, workload concerns) about both, but at the very least they should be decent. If they are top-5, however, watch out…
Yes and no. MJD was the #2 fantasy back this year, but Williams was 12th and surprisingly ended up slightly worse than teammate Jonathan Stewart due to periodic injuries. MJD produced 9 double digit games, including 3 performances of 20+ points.

3) After Andre Johnson…who will step up? Antonio Bryant has been hurt and Tampa seems to be going towards a ground attack. Avery is in St. Louis with a dismal offense. Colston is in a great offense, but the ball gets spread around to everyone. Will there be enough touches for him? Can she get legit production from these guys?
Johnson finished as the #3 WR, but Marques Colston stepped up as a solid #2 with 1000+ yards and 9 TDs. Stacey's #3 WR position was definitely one of her weakest positions on the team. Also, Visanthe Shiancoe didn't get a ton of yards, but he finished with the 3rd most TDs among TEs.

Stacey didn't make a lot of moves this season, but she had a strong draft (As did Kevin with Adrian Peterson, Aaron Rodgers and Frank Gore). Her QBs held up through most of the season and MJD and Andre Johnson produced consistently. Even though she squeaked into the playoffs in week 14, I think she had a pretty solid team.

In the end, Adrian Peterson's fumble cost Minnesota the game and Kevin the championship.



I think she was equally excited to see Brett Favre lose the game and look very solemn.



And here's the 2009 Knob Hill Fantasy Champion, Zoo Tycoons! And the belt is staying in my house!! It was a fun season and I'm looking forward to next year.



I love the look on Boo's face, by the way. She's like "ooo - what's that?!"

Bowl Predictions Sure To Go Wrong

Ranked in order from games I'm most confident to least confident.

USC over BC
Ohio over Marshall
Texas Tech over Michigan State
Nevada over SMU
Pitt over UNC
Houston over Air Force
Nebraska over Arizona
Arkansas over E Carolina
Miami over Wisconsin
Clemson over Kentucky
Auburn over Northwestern
Oregon State over BYU
Fresno State over Wyoming
UCF over Rutgers
Florida over Cincinnati
Central Michigan over Troy
Middle Tennessee State over Southern Miss
Oregon over Ohio State
LSU over Penn State
Utah over Cal
Oklahoma over Stanford
Georgia over Texas A&M
Navy over Missouri
Minnesota over Iowa State
South Carolina over UConn
BGSU over Idaho
Temple over UCLA
Virginia Tech over Tennessee
Southern Florida over Northern Illinois
Oklahoma State over Ole Miss
Florida State over WVU
Iowa over Georgia Tech
TCU over Boise State
Texas over Alabama

Where Fantasy is Won and Lost

I've been working on this one for a while. Mike made a pretty good argument for the best draft moves and the worst draft moves, but I think the season is really won and lost in free agency moves. Here's a look at what I think are the best 5 moves for this season.

5. 9/14 - Add Percy Harvin, Drop Chris Henry (ipresstoocoolbuttons) and 10/20 - Add Percy Harvin, Drop Terrell Owens (Kevinvidious)
At the beginning of the season, many expected Henry to be the heir to Housh's production in Cincinnati. Grace caught on with Harvin for a few good weeks in the beginning of the season and Kevin took him over after a few week drought.
4. 10/30 - Add Vince Young, Drop Shaun Hill (Kevinvidious)
Ok, we were all wrong about VY this year. Kevin needed a solid number two QB and selected him before week 8. What has he done since? Scored double-digit fantasy points each week.
3. 10/18 - Add Miles Austin, Drop Roy Williams (Boston Massacre)
When I returned from my honeymoon, I figured that the guy who had a break out, 24 point game would be off the board. When I saw him still there, I found a reason to finally get rid of the very disappointing Roy Williams (who was one of my draft mistakes). Despite very limited playing time through the first quarter of the season, Austin has become the #4 WR overall.
2. 9/30 - Add Vernon Davis, Drop John Carlson (Boston Massacre)
After achieving 3.6 points in weeks 1 & 2 combined, Davis exploded for 16 points in Week 3. Since then, he has become the #1 TE this year.
1. 8/28 - Add Brett Favre, Drop Cedric Benson (Cumming From Behind)
It's not every year that the #3 player at the end of the year isn't drafted. Mike found a diamond in the FA rough and exploited it to 220+ points. I think this was the most important decisions anyone made all season.

On one final note, Mike applauded himself for drafting Brent Celek and called it the 10th best draft move. I agree Celek was a surpise at TE and kudos to him for picking up on that. However, Mike dropped him before the season began (9/1). After Celek put up 7.85, 5.20, and 11.20 in weeks 1-3, Mike picked him back up on 9/30. He had Celek for week's 5 (2.90) and 6 (3.75) before dropping him on 10/19. Celek only had .4 in week 7, but put up 9.05 and 7.95 in weeks 8 & 9. Mike began Celek's 3rd reign on his team on 11/12 and Celek scored 8.35 in week 10 (while on the bench). Weeks 11 (1.75) and 12 (1.65) forced Mike to drop him on 12/1. The next week, Week 13, Celek scored 6.8 points. Therefore, Celek's average while in 7 games of FA is 6.9 while his average for the 5 games Mike had him was 3.68 (in which he scored above 4 points only once). What I am getting at is this: smart move in drafting him, but you didn't stick with him through the bad times (which I assume is because you have the top TE for the past few years on your roster as well).

Glimpse into the Past

Just for perspective, a sampling of news bits from when Charlie Weis was hired as Notre Dame's head coach.

"A widely-respected disciple of professional coaching standouts Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick, Weis currently is the highly-regarded offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots (under Patriot head coach Belichick). He has played an integral role in New England's victories in two of the last three Super Bowls - and the Patriots currently own the best record in the NFL in 2004 at 12-1."

"Weis has been a winner everywhere he has coached - and he has received widespread notice as one of the most creative and innovative offensive coordinators in football."

"All along the way, Weis has displayed the ability to develop successful offensive players."

"Current New England Patriot wide receiver David Givens (he played for Notre Dame in 1998-2001) on Charlie Weis: "He's been a teacher and coach of high school kids and he's got so much experience coaching NFL players like myself. There's no doubt in my mind he would be an outstanding recruiter because he relates so well to young people. I can say this because I've played for Charlie and I played at Notre Dame. I understand the pressures of playing and the pressures the coaches had coaching us at Notre Dame. They're all things Charlie would do very well with."

"Former Notre Dame All-America quarterback and current ESPN analyst Joe Theismann on Charlie Weis: "I think Charlie Weis in the right man for the right job at the University of Notre Dame. He understands throwing the football. That's what this era of college football is today - the ability to put it in the air. He's been a student at Notre Dame so he knows the culture of the University. He's worked on a big stage, having been part of World Championships two of the last three years with the Patriots. He's very inventive - his offenses have included defensive ends at fullback and linebackers at tight end. He's inventive as well as creative. He's a man who will bring a quiet discipline to the program. I think it's a great hire."

http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121204aae.html

I have nothing against Charlie Weis. I am not pretending I thought he was going to fail. He was the hottest head coach prospect for college OR the NFL in 2004 and it was a clear choice for Notre Dame to make. I bring this up because I think it is ridiculous that anyone is blaming him completely for their recent disappointments. Their program is broken because they've lost the prestige of playing for the Irish. High school players aren't impressed by Knute Rockne, Touchdown Jesus, or the Golden Dome. Brian Kelly has done well in three seasons at Cincinnati. But don't forget his success came with players that Mark Dantonio recruited.

Glimpse into the Future

Irish No Longer Kelly Green December 11, 2013
After four tumultuous seasons, Notre Dame is once again looking for a new head football coach. Weeks of speculation of his ouster was confirmed when Brian Kelly was fired early Wednesday morning with one year remaining on his contract. The decision was made after Notre Dame's disappointing 7-5 season.

Kelly came to Notre Dame after leading Cincinnati to an undefeated 12-0 season in 2009. He was characterized by his skilled offenses and his ability to develop quarterback talent. He failed to bring turn the Fighting Irish into an offensive machine, however. Notre Dame ranked 64th this season in total offense.

In his four seasons as head coach of the Irish, Brian Kelly amassed an overall record of 26-23. His best season came in 2011 when he lead Notre Dame to a 9-4 record. He failed to carry this momentum into the 2012 season when Notre Dame finished with a disappointing 6-6 record. Notre Dame officials expect to begin interviewing candidates immediately.

Huh?

Can someone who watched the game explain this?

Bench:
Raymar Morgan, F 9min 0-4FG 0-4FT 1OREB 1REB 1AST 1STL 0BLK 1TO 2PF 0PTS
Delvon Roe, F 13min 0-2FG 5PF 0PTS

In Draymond Green and Derrick Nix I trust.

Nix: 15MIN 14REB 11PTS
(You're right, though, Mike - he needs to improve FT (1-5)

In other news...
"Curtis Granderson remains the talk of the town -- actually, the talk of the majors.
Newsday's Ken Davidoff reported Friday that the Angels are the latest team said to be in communications with Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski about a potential deal for the centerfielder. The Yankees, who have outfield openings with Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon as free agents, quickly leapt to the top of the list coming out of the GM meetings this week. But Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune reported Friday "there's no question the Cubs have interest in the homegrown Granderson" who is from Chicago. Rogers said, however, it was unclear what kind of talks the Cubs have had with Dombrowski, who would not confirm reports about any specific players." - freep.com

What the heck is this??? Why are they going to get rid of Granderson? Apparently, young, homegrown talent isn't important anymore. Did Illitch decide he wants to stop investing in the Tigers? Ooo - maybe we can get an aging, slow, overpriced LF Johnny Damon in FA instead!! I don't care who the Tigers get rid of except for Granderson. Just like Tayshaun with the Pistons - feel free to clean house, but don't touch his room.

The Blind Side

This is the movie based on the book I was telling you guys about - "The Blind Side".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYC1ulLHD6Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khtBvQdxta4

I like the concept and Sandra Bullock's character, but I'm worried that it is a large dramatization of his life. I know Michael Oher said there were some things that were exaggerated in the book, so a second-hand rendition is going to be even further from the truth. (For example, I don't remember a part where she goes "down to the hood" and threatens some guy). Still, I know I'm going to see it soon after it comes out. My favorite part of the movie is going to be seeing Nick Saban in LSU gear - he'll do anything for money.

Quick thoughts

-I was probably a little too quick to label "typical Spartans". Afterall, with a new quarterback and running back, expectations to maintain the performance of last year's team may have been too high. For the most part, we are a young team. I feel that I was dead on in declaring that the 3 game set against Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois would set the tone for the rest of the season. Cousins emerged as the starting (and finishing) QB and they won two of the three. I think the Michigan game really gave them the confidence that they needed for the rest of the season.

Here are my very unorganized thoughts on the Minnesota game:
-They were completely screwed by a horrible officiating crew. They issued the most penalities against Minnesota in a Big 10 game since 1957. Then, they awarded them the game by overturning a called completed catch and fumble by Minnesota with 6 minutes left to an incomplete pass. The game was 35-31 at that point and we would have had the ball in Minnesota's territory. Do the poor calls on both sides of the ball negate each other and create a "fair game"? Hell no. I think Chris L Rucker is getting a reputation as a dirty player because for the second week in a row he laid a receiver out by leading with his head. The biggest disappointment that I am seeing from the team in general is taking costly penalties that keep drives alive. The defense stopped them with less than 3 minutes to go to give us one last chance to win the game. Then the highly avoidable roughing the kicker penalty on the punt ended the game. We need more Keshawn Martin.

-After reading Mike's fantastic MSU basketball preview post, I am pretty worried about our schedule this season. It could act to challenge us so we're "battle ready" for the tournament. Or it could expose all of our weaknesses and pound them down. Florida, UNC, Gonzaga, Texas?? Who does that?

Crossroads

"Typical Spartans" - adjective
1. relates to the performance of the Michigan State football team.
2. a pattern of losing easy games in the final minutes due to lack of effort, focus, and/or execution.
"That loss to Central Michigan was 'typical Spartans'".
3. the act of winning early in the season and having a letdown in October.

I am not trying to exaggerate the importance of the next 3 games, but this really is a pivotal point in their season. From one perspective, their 1-2 record isn't as bad as it sounds. They have lost their games on a last second field goal and 2 minute offense that was very close to producing a go-ahead TD or a game-tying field goal. They have lost by a combined 5 points. Their starting QB is the best in the Big 10 in QB Rating (14th overall), which happen to also stand as our rankings in passing YPG in the conference and nation. Between Nichol and Cousins, they've thrown 1 INT all season. Greg Jones is #3 in the country in tackles.

From another perspective, they are in worse shape than they have been in years. They lost to a MAC team at home, which brought up memories of similar early-season losses in years past to Cal in 2002, Louisiana Tech in 2003, and Rutgers in 2004. The next game was headed to be much more of a blowout until Michael Floyd broke his collarbone and Jimmy Clausen injured his foot. (Side note: I propose we call the broken collarbone the "Charles Rogers" much like an injured ulnar collateral ligament is the "Tommy John"). MSU ranks 81st in Rushing YPG. They have only recorded 5 sacks and 2 INTs. Our secondary can't stop anyone. We STILL have not settled on a QB and the WRs don't look in synch with the QBs as a result.

This season has defied the third part of my definition because their schedule is uncharacteristically difficult early in the season. We have not met my expectations, but they really do start their new season this Saturday. Over the next 3 weekends, Michigan State plays at Wisconsin (a game we won on a last second FG last year), has a tougher-than-expected game against U-M, and plays at Illinois. If they were to somehow win all three of these games, they make a very strong argument for winning the Big 10. I assume they would at worst finish 3rd barring a huge letdown later in the season. If the opposite were to occur, which I think is entirely possible, they will stand at an abismal 1-5 on October 10th. To put this into perspective, here are the dates over the past 7 seasons when they lost their 5th game.

2002 Oct. 26
2003 Dec. 29th (Bowl Game)
2004 Nov. 6th
2005 Nov. 12th
2006 Oct. 28th
2007 Nov. 3rd
2008 We lost our 4th game against Georgia in the Citrus Bowl on 1/1/09

Playing difficult Big-10 teams this early in the season is rare, but disasterous when it occurs. Looking over this history, our schedule is most akin to that in 2005. After defeating Kent St and Hawaii at home they played at Notre Dame and won. They blew out an easy Illinois team on the road to make it 4-0. However, they lost a close game at home against Michigan and again against OSU after the bye week. Things took the "typical Spartan" downward spiral and they lost 4 of the last 5 to bring the season record to 5-6. 2006 was very similar as well with their Big 10 schedule opening home against Illinois, at Michigan, and home against OSU. That season, John L Smith's last, they finished 4-8 overall, 1-7 in the Big 10.

To prevent things from spiraling downhill, I think that Kirk Cousins must immediately be named the starting (and ending and everything in between) QB so he can get all of the reps with the first team. They must also begin game planning to defend against the spread offense immediately after the Wisconsin game. U-M, Illinois, and Northwestern, our next 3 opponents after this weekend, will rely on mobile QBs (to varying degrees) and spreading out the field. It could be a blessing to face them back-to-back-to-back since the defensive strategy can be improved each week. Finally, they have to find someone who can defend passes. I think the player we have missed most from last year, other than Javon Ringer, is Otis Wiley.

Compared to my preseason predictions, I think U-M is looking more like a Loss, but Minnesota and Wisconsin appear to have strong potential for MSU to be victorious. I don't believe they will start 1-5, but I think we should be looking forward to a low level bowl game and their potential for next season.

**UPDATE**

An update - not to one of my posts, but to Mike's rant on the Tigers before the Trade Deadline.

Let me recap...

"I write you this letter now because on Friday is July 31st- the MLB trading deadline. I know our payroll is still high, and I know we don't have much in the farm system, but from what I hear, you are one hell of a GM. I trust you and I trust your skills, and I'm hoping you can work some magic for our ballclub. Find that spark for us, Dave. Get us that hitter (and hopefully not Troy Glaus or Milton Bradley, like I've heard rumored...) that will get our offense going and carry us into October." - Mike

"I am actually going to contend that they are in an ok position to win the division without making any moves. We have a lot of guys hitting below their career averages, but I think they have a chance to put it together and peak at the right time. I am ok with them being in an offensive slump in July because it means they could hit their stride in Sept/Oct." - Adam

Since this post on July 28th:

-Record: 23-14
-Average runs per game: 4.9 (up from 3.65 in July)
-Percentage of games scoring 2 runs or less: 30% (down from 40% in July)

but...
-Average margin of victory: 2.35 (down from 3.38)
-Miguel Cabrera is the only starter with a BA above .300
-Their one acquirement, Aubrey Huff, is batting .167

MSU Season Preview

5 Questions about MSU

1. Will Kirk Cousins remain the starting QB or can Keith Nichol play into the starter role?
Mark Dantonio was very quiet on who was leading the QB battle until the Montana St. press conference. I was very surprised to hear he will continue to evaluate the two of them on a game-by-game basis. That really leaves the door open to making a switch, so one has to wonder how short of a leash he will keep on Cousins.

2. How will our trio of freshman RBs work out? Will one person end up taking over?
The other piece of info I was surprised to discover was that Caulton Ray, Edwin Baker, and Larry Caper are 1-2-3 on the depth chart. Actually, I was surprised to learn we have a player on our team named Caulton Ray. I can't believe that not a single one of Javon Ringer's understudies are ready to start at RB. Technically, the #2 guy was demoted this year. I am concerned that the decision indicates that the others weren't any good and not that these new guys are amazing.

3. Can Greg Jones remain an impact player?
He was voted the Preseason Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year. It is extremely rare that a Spartan Defensive player is recognized for anything. Players like James Laurinaitis, AJ Hawk, Lamar Woodley, and Erasmus James (all of whom have won Defensive POY Honors) were critical in their team's success and were taken early in the NFL Draft. If Jones takes his game to the next level, he will be critical in stopping guys like Juice Williams and Daryll Clark.

4. Can our young defensive line hold people?
Last year, we finished T-48 in Sacks with teams like Indiana and Notre Dame. The Big 10 is filled with great rushing teams (3 of our opponents ranked in the Top 25 in rushing last year). We will face strong offensive lines against Notre Dame, Iowa, and Wisconsin; each stand to have strong running games as a result.

5. Last year we won the games we should have won and were blown out by superior opponents. Are let down games really a thing of the past?
I think so, to a certain extent. Below is how I see each game playing out along with my confidence rating (1- high, 12- low) in my prediction.


Game-By-Game Predictions
Montana State - Win (1)
I really don't think FBS teams should be able to play FCS teams and count it as a win.
Central Michigan - Win (6)
The Free Press actually predicted CMU to beat us. I definitely see this as a trap game because Dan LeFevour is one of the best non-BCS conference QBs. I think they are going to win the MAC, which means they are capable of pulling an upset.
at Notre Dame - Win (8)
Another iffy game since Lou Holtz predicted ND to go to the BCS Championship game. Golden Tate is scary and I am concerned our secondary won't be able to keep up. I reluctantly gave us a win because the away team typically wins this game. Also, they were terrible last year and they haven't proved they are significantly better yet.
at Wisconsin - Loss (10)
Even though I don't see any playmakers in their offense, I don't think we will be able to pull out a win on the road against Wisco. We won last year on a last second field goal - our closest win of the season. The ND game on the road will be a challenge and Michigan may be in the back of their minds.
Michigan - Win (12)
I feel the least confident about this prediction only because it is Michigan. They almost beat us last year despite having an awful team. If one of their freshman QBs steps up like Terelle Pryor did last year for Ohio State, they will end up willing 8-9 games. I am hoping we're one of the other 3-4 games.
at Illinois - Loss (5)
I think Illinois will be similar to the team from two years ago rather than last year. If Juice Williams cuts down on throwing interceptions and the defense can hold people, watch out.
Northwestern - Win (11)
I hate this game. I think the key to beating Northwestern is to get a lead early and not allowing them to feel like they're in the game.
Iowa - Win (7)
People are very high on Iowa but I think they will finish 5th in the Big 10 or worse. Shonn Greene provided the success for their team last year and he's gone. They always have great offensive and defensive lines, though, so this will be a close, low scoring game.
at Minnesota - Loss (9)
It will be interesting to see the weather in late October for this game since Minnesota is opening a new stadium this year. I
Western Michigan - Win (2)
I really like that we have a nice, easier game against WMU toward the end of the season. Hopefully they can open a lead early so they can pull the starters at the half.
at Purdue - Win (3)
Purdue offers nothing to be excited about. Past Spartan teams would probably lose this one because they're looking forward to the next week.
Penn State - Loss (4)
...but past MSU teams also pull at least 1 upset each season and that didn't happen last year. I think Daryll Clark is the best QB in the Big 10 and that the game will go much like last year's.

So that puts us at 8-4, a slight step back from last year. With our youth at QB and RB, I would label that a success and a great sign of things to come in 2010 and 2011.

Predicted Big 10 Standings
1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. Illinois
4. Michigan State
5. Iowa
6. Michigan
7. Minnesota
8. Wisconsin
9. Northwestern
10. Purdue
11. Indiana

My Draft Analysis

I said before the draft that I was thinking about going RB/WR, QB/RB, and WR/QB. And that's exactly what I ended up doing (without much planning). Here's my thoughts on who is the strongest at each position.

QBs: Wicked Weasels - On paper, the Manning brothers and Kurt Warner have a lot to offer. Sure, there are questions on how Eli will fare without Plaxico Burress and whether Kurt Warner is too old, but they have had great performances in the past and have a strong TD/INT ratio. Keep in mind, each has won a Super Bowl. Close runner up - ipresstoocoolbuttons

RBs: Whisky Wednesday - It is hard to say anyone else has a better RB lineup since he took one in each of the first 5 rounds. Turner and Chris Johnson look like the solid starters for most weeks with Ryan Grant and Brandon Jacobs offering good starts based on their matchups. Close runner up - Zoo Tycoons. MJD probably is really a good selection and DeAngelo Williams was an absolute STEAL in the 3rd round. Plus, Marshawn Lynch and Larry Johnson are more than capable of pulling a huge week or two out of nowhere.

WRs: Cumming From Behind - wow - Randy Moss, Roddy White, Greg Jennings - numbers 4, 6, and 8 in Fantasy WRs last year. Plus, he has one of the WRs with the most potential to break out in 09 in Anthony Gonzalez. If Mike wins the championship this year, this is the reason why. Close runner up - Boston Massacre and ipresstoocoolbuttons (TIE). I think my WRs are my strong point. I think Welker, Roy Williams, and Devin Hester all have potential to greatly improve last year's numbers with their new QB situations. I like that Grace has consistent talent in Boldin, and Chad & Calvin Johnson.

Bench: Cumming From Behind - I feel like this is what a FF magazine would say your bench should look like. I think there is a lot of potential in Gonzalez, McFadden, and Brown to have big weeks early in the season. Close runner up - Boston Massacre. I probably drafted Leshaun McCoy 2-3 rounds before I could have, but at least I got my guy. If Chicago's offense pans out, Cutler and Hester will be nice starting options, but that is a big if.

Other notes:
-I own 3 of the top 9 Yahoo ranked players Tomlinson, Steven Jackson, and Fitz)
-Mike's highest ranked player in Yahoo rankings is 17th overall (Randy Moss)
-In regards to total projected points, Whiskey Wednesday's highest ranked player is 21st overall (Joe Flacco)

The Winner's Manual

How arrogant is it for Jim Tressel to name his book "The Winner's Manual"? Almost as arrogant as me titling it as my fantasy football preview post. I am so excited for our season to begin that I wanted to give my thoughts on the draft. Is it stupid or just arrogant of me to discuss my strategy? My goal is neither - I just really want to start a debate.

-You know you're marrying the right person when you're looking through Fantasy Football magazines and thing "hmm, would she want me to pick her up a copy?" She said she would've looked it over, if you were wondering.

-Most underrated player: Matt Hasselbeck (109). Quarterbacks rated higher: Cassel, Cutler, Eli Manning. Players ranked higher: Steve Breaston, John Carlson (his own TE), Sammy Morris. I understand he was bad last year (5 TD, 10 INT). However, he was injured much of the season, as were his WRs (who were sketchy at best). Don't forget in 2007 he threw for almost 4000 yards, 28 TDs, and 12 INTs. Plus, they added T.J. Who'syourmama to the team. Finally, they had to face the AFC and NFC East and struggled with the cross-country road trips every week. This year, they will get to face the Lions, Jaguars, Tampa Bay, Houston, and as always, two games a piece against the 49ers and Rams. Look for him to throw 3500+ yards, 24+ TDs, and 14- INTs.

-Most overrated player: Maurice Jones Drew (3). RBs rated lower: Deangelo Williams, Ladanian Tomlinson. The way I remember it, MJD had a bad season last year. I checked his stats and he only had 824 yards rushing. His 565 yards receiving, and 14 TDs improve his resume, however. I get that the fact that he is young and typically receives most of the carries (especially in the red zone) makes him a rare option in a 2-back heavy league. However, I just don't think there is a lot to be excited about with his team. The Jaguars play in an increasingly difficult division and, in my opinion, lack a strong passing game that can take some of the attention off of MJD. He put up a lot of points last year through his TDs and I don't trust a player to be able to repeat that year after year. That being said, I could very well end up drafting him at 8 or 9, which seems like a more appropriate spot for him.

-Teams to stay away from: Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs. I would say the only Brown you could consider drafting would be Braylon Edwards. I would stay away from him, however, because he is very inconsistent and drops way too many balls. He used to be a #1 WR option, but I think now he is more like a #3. The Chiefs used to have 2 solid draft picks in Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez. This year, Larry's stock has dropped tremendously and Tony's gone to Atlanta. Of their current players, I think Dwayne Bowe is a #2 WR, Johnson is a #3 RB, and Cassel is a late round QB (I'm not buying him at all).

This all leads me to how I see the draft shaking out. I am very happy to have picks #8 and 9 - this is supposed to be the year to be in the bottom half of the draft order. I think the following players will be taken before I'm up (in no particular order): Adrian Peterson, Ladanian Tomlinson, Michael Turner, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Deangelo Williams, Maurice Jones Drew. I am thinking heavily about going with RB/WR. This would logically give me the choice of Matt Forte/Brian Westbrook and Larry Fitzgerald/Calvin Johnson/Andre Johnson. I could imagine more WRs/QBs taken in the first round, however, which would force me to take two of the elite RBs. The second go around, I am thinking about going QB/RB and then QB/WR in the third. I have my eye on 2 particular defenses (I have to keep something secret) so I may take one of them in the 4th go-around, which would be the 7th and 8th rounds.

Regardless of how it goes, I cannot wait until Tuesday.

History Lesson

August 9, 2002

12-21, 117 yards, 2 INT, 0 TD


2009
4-0

The Sac Bunt

I want you to think for a second and decide what you do in this situation. You're a baseball manager, the only kind of coach that wears the same uniform as his players, as if he may step in relief in the 8th. Let's say the game is close late in the game - you are tied or down by one run. Your first at bat in the inning is a leadoff double. Ignoring the batting ability of the guy at the plate or the running ability of the baserunners, do you use him to sac bunt to get the runner over to third or rely on your next few bats to bring him home?

I ask this because I have seen Jim Leyland in this situation 3 times this year where he sac bunted. Two times there was a guy on second and one time was with a guy on first and second (it happened twice against the Red Sox tonight). And only one of the three times lead to a run. Because I feel outs are precious, I don't give them up to advance someone to third. A well hit ball can bring someone home from 3rd or 2nd, so what does it matter where they are standing? Keeping that first out will allow you more opportunities to get that hit. That being said, what are your thoughts?

Boycott Everything

Things I am currently boycotting:

1. The Subway near work - a few months ago, the staff completely turned over. The new staff takes their sweet ass time while making subs and don't know how to handle transactions properly. When I go in at 2pm, I should not be 4th in line and it should never take 5 minutes to make just my sub and take my money.
2. Twitter - I still have never used it because nobody cares about the mundane details of their friends' lives and nobody should care about celebrities' mundane lives. Especially when you see this http://twitter.com/THE_REAL_SHAQ and it makes you realize athletes are even less intelligent than you thought.
3. Facebook - because it lead to the growth of Twitter. Since I closed my account a few months ago, I have not missed it one bit. People always say "it's great because it connected me with people I haven't spoken to since high school". There's probably a reason why you haven't spoken to them since then...
4. Hiring this girl - because a good job is not a right, it's earned (and I am currently interviewing people to replace my old position). I disagree that a college education is something that should be available to everyone because it devalues its worth. The end result is that you have people who achieve mediocre grades from a mediocre school who expect to have a good job before they graduate. When I entered the job market, I was out on my own. The business school hosted interviews on campus, but that was pretty much it. You have to find your own opportunities and learn to market yourself because the college isn't going to do it for you.
5. Going to North Korea or Iran - seriously? You were vacationing in Iraq and accidentally walked into Iran? You went to North Korea, probably the most controlling nation in the world, for a journalism assignment?
6. The following reality TV shows: A Real Chance at Love, Dating in the Dark, Megan Wants a Millionare, Tori & Dean, Paris Hilton is My New BFF, Kendra, NYC Prep - because I have some standards (Quick test Kevin - how many of those have you heard of before?)
7. Allowing the Tigers to give up 5+ runs per game - I should have stopped allowing them to give up so many runs before, but no longer!

My current thought process

It has been about a month, so I thought it would be fun to get out every random thing that is on my mind.


Since we all make a field day about complaining about ESPN's faults, I compiled a list to vote on what truly ruins watching ESPN - and presented it in an overused playoff bracket! Vote Now!
1. Brett Farve's 4 year retirement tour
One can become sick of updates from Dr. James Andrews and Minnesota's pathetic desparation for him to become a Viking. Did they see the second half of his 2008 season??
vs.
8. Twitter updates
The media's reliance on twitter only helps it become more established. Using celebrities' posts as reaction to Steve McNair's death demonstrates their laziness in journalism... or is this just the "new" form of journalism??

2. Steroids in baseball
With the 100+ names on the 2003 list of failed drug tests, we have fuel for this story for the next 10 years. Steroids in football? Who cares. Manny takes estrogen? Let's follow it for 2 months!
vs.
7. ESPN becomes THE story
With the Sports Reporters, E:60, Around the Horn, and PTI, ESPN has often shoved their personalities into the sports spotlight. As a result, we have to watch Skip Bayless (who has never actually seen a sporting event in his life) for 3 hours a day. Plus, they shove Stuart Scott and Chris Berman down our throats.

3. BCS Backlash
We know that every year there will be dissention over who is #1 and #2; some more than others. With MSU rising in success, I fear that one year we will be able to put together a miracle season and will be brushed aside for Oklahoma to get clobbered in the National Championship game (OU is the new OSU). With contractual obligations tying up the system for the next few years, do we have to lament on teams that got screwed each year?
vs.
6. Who's Now
When the summer sports season gets boring, they invent a new ranking system or poll. Using "who cares" categories like "most commercial endorsements" and "salary", they try to fill a month of SportsCenter airwaves. Playoff voting systems are so uninventive.

4. (Insert WR Here)'s latest antics
Chad Johnson learned to count in Spanish, Plaxico shot himself, Hank Baskett married a famous stripper (and guaranteed upped his fantasy football draft stock as a result). These days, TO seems like a boy scout.
vs.
5. The Ticker
Sports updates... on a channel that provides you with sports updates. Excited to learn about the result of the game from the :30 highlight reel? Just look down and find out the Tigers lost! The ESPNNews tickers are the ADD playground - news video, reports on the side AND bottom of the screen!

In defense of ESPN, I present the best things about the network (in no particular order):
Erin Andrews
Bill Simmons' podcasts, mailbags, and chats
College (football) Gameday
Outside the Lines
Instant Classics
The Ombudsman - they hire someone to call themselves out!


If you run a humidifier and a dehumidifier in a room together and shut the door, what is the end result? I get that a humidifier helps your congestion when you're sick and a dehumidifier protects your basement from mildew, but which is more powerful?


One of the best shows you've probably never seen before is "30 Days". It's hosted by Morgan Spurlock, the guy from Supersize Me, and is based on a similar premesis. People spend 30 days living a life that is completely opposite of their own in some facet. I netflixed it and was impressed with the first 3 episodes. They followed an IT programmer whose job was outsourced on a trip to India, a border Minuteman Guard living with a family of illegal immigrants, and an atheist woman living with a devout christian family. For the most part, the subjects were open-minded and the participants left the experience a little more enlightened about the other side. In each hour long episode, the show did a good job of digging into the issues revolving around each conflict. I thought the India episode was really insightful because it presented the culture clash that is occurring with more women wanting to enter the workplace. It also portrayed the widening economic gap that is being created by an influx of corporations and the sometimes violent outlashes that come from their large poor population.


New Homeowner Lesson #12938 - Being able to tell the difference between grass seed and grass fertilizer is key. Spreading the latter in lieu of the former will scorch your lawn.


One of the most difficult things to cope with the loss of a loved one is running over old e-mails from them. It is such a false feeling because it is communication that lives on. You feel like they are still communicating with you, but in reality they are just words. It is tempting to dig through them because it makes them seem more alive, but that can be damaging as well. Deleting them is too hard because you feel like you should hold on to something from them. It is really hard to explain. ...seeing the Mii you created for them show up in Mario Kart is just uncomfortable.


Prediction for Home Run Derby:
2nd Round: Gonzalez, Howard, Mauer, Pujols
3rd Round: Gonzalez, Howard
Champion: Gonzalez


I got my Ohio drivers license this weekend and it still looks weird to me. I feel like I have lost the last piece of Michigan in me.