Turn Out The Lights

This has been a great NBA/NHL playoff season with both having multiple exciting games. I can't remember a better one in recent year. It is over though for sure after tonight. Game 7 should be a great hockey game tonight if the Penguins defense shows up. If not look for it to be a blow out again.

The Lakers could easily be down 3-1 right now with a mulligan on the Courtney Lee lob at the end of regulation in Game 2 and the entire Magic team making a couple free throws in Game 4.

What the hell is going on with these birds during night games in Cleveland? Coco can't make any excuses because he has a poop arm anyway and wouldn't have thrown the runner out. Maybe it's the reincarnation of Dick Jacobs! Red Sox continue to pown the evil empire.

Not Buying It

So the Vikings set a deadline for Favre to unretire again and play for them. So you're telling me that in a month when they realize they are screwed with Sage under center that they won't get on their knees and beg for Bret? The worst part of this whole thing is that they have a solid quarterback in TJ. Of course he needs some more work but who doesn't other than the brothers Manning? Before you even say it to yourself, think about it. Tom Brady is coming off a tough injury and still has to work to get back to what he was. Big Ben proved he is great, but he's more of a great football player that throws the ball at the correct time than a great quarterback.

As the baseball season is rolling, so are the hated Yankees. They are getting scary good and with Big Tex and Gay-Roid in the middle of the line-up, it's allowing other players to excel. But there is a lot of good baseball being played by everyone on any given day (except the Nationals, they suck).

Sorry Orlando but the season is over. They might be able to win one at home but this thing won't take longer than 5 games. ESPN.com had a poll up today asking who will win more championships in their career, Shaq and D Howard. It has be Shaq here. He already has 4 and has already let everyone know he's looking to get on a good team to win a 5th before retiring. No doubt about it Howard is the future of big men and could be one of the best ever if he polishes up his game from just off the block down low. The reason he won't win more than Shaq though is because he will never have the supporting cast for more than a year or two in his career to do it.

The NHL playoffs have been more exciting this year than in recent memory and I think it might even get better. If the Penguins can pull of Game 6 tonight then it comes down to the final game of the season. Hell yea it's tough to win in Detroit and their chances aren't great. Detroit's team is unreal but it looks like the Penguins have been playing on their heels when the Wings are on their home ice. If it goes to a 7th game I don't think they will have that same approach. It could easily be over tonight, but don't count out a great ending to a great playoff season.

Back With A Vengeance!

It's been well over a month since I have written anything. To be honest it just gets away from me and I have very little time to post. Between sleeping, working, coaching baseball, and playing call of duty online (up to a 39 since April 13), I have NO TIME!

Well now I am going to make time. For the four of you out there that have asked me where I have been, I promise to give you a post a day. It might be long, it might be short, but it will be there! It might be important, it might be stupid, but it will be there!

So for today... I don't know why I get my hopes up that my teams are going to win their championships. For the second straight year, both my NHL and NBA teams are in it, but truth is... they will probably fall again. One thing I'm not going to do though is cry over "how hard it's been", I've heard way too much of that from the Cavs fans that came out of the woodwork this year.

Kenny Chesney concert is this weekend in Pittsburgh and I can't wait. Just bought Dave Matthews and Jimmy Buffett tickets for the end of this month as well and can honestly predict that this summer has the potential to be one of the best yet.

Here It Is Folks...

Ok, so my plan of posting every hour was totally thrown out the window with the huge stack of papers on my desk. So instead of explaining why these teams should take certain players... I'm just throwing it out there. If you want an explanation you can comment.

1. Detroit Lions: Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
2. St. Louis Rams: B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
3. Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forrest
4. Seattle Seahawks: Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State
5. Cleveland Browns: Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
6. Cincinnati Bengals: Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
7. Oakland Raiders: Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
9. Green Bay Packers: Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
10. San Francisco 49ers: Mark Sanchez, QB, USC
11. Buffalo Bills: Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
12. Denver Broncos: Knowshawn Moreno, RB, Georgia
13. Washington Redskins: Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
14. New Orleans Saints: Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee
15. Houston Texans: Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss
16. San Diego Chargers: Rey Maulaluga, MLB, USC
17. New York Jets: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
18. Denver Broncos: Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
20. Detroit Lions: Alex Mack, C, California
21. Philadelphia Eagles: Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
22. Minnesota Vikings: Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
23. New England Patriots: Clay Matthews, OLB, USC
24. Atlanta Falcons: Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss
25. Miami Dolphins: Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
26. Baltimore Ravens: Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
27. Indianapolis Colts: Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forrest
28. Buffalo Bills: James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State
29. New York Giants: Scott McKillop, MLB, Pittsburgh
30. Tennessee Titans: Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland
31. Arizona Cardinals: Larry English, DE, Northern Illinois
32. Pittsburgh Steelers: Duke Robinson, OG, Oklahoma

Now, again, this is what these teams SHOULD do. Will they? No. They are dumb, I am smart. We will see tomorrow.

Friday Morning

So just as I am about to post my new mock draft yesterday, the Falcons and Chiefs agree to a deal sending Tony Gonzalez to HOTlanta, which totally ruins my #1 pick for the dirty birds. So back to the big board I went last night. Starting at 9:30 I will post 8 picks, and then another 8 every hour.

The only hockey I have watched thus far has been the Penguins who have played really well in games 1,2, and 4 (wins) but have totally sucked in games 3 and 5 (bad losses). Sorry to the Godbrother and his GVM people for the quick routing they took from the Red Wings. You guys will be back, but for now root for the Pens who need as much help as they can get having to go back to Philadelphia.

The NBA playoffs are heating up and after last night I am convinced that you can't predict anything. Kobe makes 5 shots all night and the Lakers still only lose by 2 IN UTAH!? They played like garbage, making my night very frustrating between them and the Penguins. But this whole thing of blowouts and then taking a total 180 and being a blowout the other way is crazy. Oh, and DAAA BULLS giving the Celtics all they could handle the first 2 games and having a 1-1 series should have crushed the C's when they went back to Chicago especially with no KG or Powe right? Wrong. Still leads me back to believe Tim Donaghy wasn't the only referee fixing games.

Gotta love baseball right now though...

Update

My new mock draft is complete. Should be posted by tomorrow.

Must See TV

Last night on national television there was a Boobie slip. No not this boobie slip, but this Boobie , slip.

Though funny, I enjoyed watching the cavs bench players hang with an Eastern Conference playoff team. Wally Scz was hoopin like he changed his last name to James. With KG probably out for the playoffs, it is likely that Cleveland will meet L.A. in the Finals where the world will see the best two players go at each other.

Tim Wakefield took a no-no into the 8th last night. How the hell can't you hit a 54mph pitch for 8 innings! The knuck is easily the most deceiving pitch in baseball, but come on. Maybe if Cust and Giambi were still on the roids they would have been able to hit it.

Ian Kinsler continues to be absolutely sweet.

The Penguins game was very exciting last night. Mostly because they were winning, but there was some fun pushing and shoving and a lot of checking into the boards. Didn't catch any other games but due intend to tune in tonight after The Office.

My Weekend Was Sports+Vodka Tonic

So Manny says he would like to finish his career up in Cleveland. I would love this. No, it won't change me back over to the tribal gang, but it would increase my attendance at Indians games. The thing is, they won't pay him what he wants and now that Travis Hafner is off the juice, he might be able to stay off the DL. Hafner can't play anywhere on the field (proven) and the Indians like their young outfield they have put together. I would love to see it, but there is no shot.

Bobby Abreu had a right to be pissed. Torii Hunter... you're an idiot. I like the thought of what Beckett did, but it was a little too close. A ball thrown on a line to the backstop is what is called for in the situation but that was a little to close too his head.

Godfather is pretty excited about CBJ. Too bad they have to play Detroit who is most likely going to repeat. The Penguins match up with the Flyers who are scum. Should be a very intense series.

Cavs will probably win tonight setting up for the Lakers to take the championship in game 6 in LA.

Yo

My new Mock Draft is still under construction due to these trades that have been going on. Will the Browns trade Brady? Will they trade Edwards (I've seen better hands on a snake)? It really doesn't matter because they are going to suck either way.

Sox are on the west coast this weekend to play the Angels. This will certainly be an emotional week for the Halo's and with their best 3 arms still hurt, I expect the Sox to take the series if not sweep. Godfather is home so that means I will have to hear about the crappy Indians and be forced to watch them be sucktacular.

Godfather also loves talking about the Blue Jackets. I'm pretty sure only he and his friends talk about this lowly hockey team. Congratulations you made the playoffs! Now go home after 3 games.

This afternoon Godfather has challenged me to some racquetball. To say the least I am good. I don't expect much out of him either so it should be a blood bath. I shouldn't though because the last time I whooped on someone (8 straight series wins) I forced Curious to basically quit on his 1 year membership to the gym.

Have a Good Friday. Literally.

The Show

These past 2 days have been filled with a lot of watching baseball. When it's not on I am playing my season in MLB The Show '09. I'm playing with the Sox and I am stacked. With about a month left in the season, I have already clinched the division and have over 100 wins. After numerous trades and letting go most of my young talent, my line-up goes...

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Hanley Ramirez, SS
4. Manny Ramirez, DH
5. Albert Pujols, 1B
6. Jason Bay, LF
7. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
8. Victor Martinez, C
9. Rocco Baldelli, RF

with a rotation of...

1. Josh Beckett
2. Jon Lester
3. Edison Volquez
4. Fransisco Liriano
5. Johnny Cueto

with my bullpen full of...

LHP Clayton Kershaw
RHP Justin Masterson

and sicknasty closer...

RHP Jonathan Papelbon

I am currently in a lot of debt to the bank, but for multiple World Championships, it is worth it. I believe Theo Epstein should hire me for help.

If you can't beat 'em... steal him!

My postings are continuing to be few and far between. I don't even know why. To everyone who knows me I can usually make up a bull shit answer or reason for everything. Oh well.

Sweet 16 starts tomorrow and I am thinking it is going to be a rather crazy weekend. Not in the sense of huge upsets because, well, all of them are gone. Arizona is not a Cinderella team. Yes, they backed in. Yes, they belong. No, they didn't play the best this year, but they are a storied team that has succeeded within the past ten years.

This weekend will be full of great basketball though that I think mostly every game will go wire to wire with excitement. Though tomorrow is only thursday, during March Maddness it is considered the weekend.

Watched the movie Celtic Pride last night. I thought it was going to be one of those movies that is great when you're a little kid but then you grow up and it's stupid (Ernest Goes To Camp/Jail/NBA/Grave(ouch) ). Well it wasn't the case. Sure it was set in the 90's and is a little out dated but the concept and the movie is still very well done.

It's Been A While

Haven't been writing as much as I want to lately. Actually, to about everyone's surprise, I have been reading. I'm finishing up "Boys Will Be Boys" which is about the Cowboy dynasty in the early 90's. It's pretty good, pretty crazy though. The picture up top has no relevence to this post. It could lead to a topic about my father but, hey I'm not going to do that.

My updated mock draft is not yet complete. Nor will it anytime soon I believe, especially with cry baby Cutler making a mess of things. John Clayton reported that Cleveland may be interested with giving away Brady Quinn. Mark this down right now, that if they do that, I will resign as a fan from the Browns. I will then become a free agent in the NFL market.

The big dance starts tomorrow and I don't think there will be many upsets. Some notable ones I have are Maryland (loved the way they played in the ACC tournament) and Temple (bunch of hard nosed kids). It's hard to predict upsets because if you miss, you look like a dumb ass. Oh yea sure, Michigan State upset in the first round? It can happen, but if you pick it and it doesn't, you're a retard.

I will leave everyone with these picks as the MLB season is coming upon us. Division winners in the league will be:

AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Minnesota Twins
AL West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California in the U.S. of North America
AL Wild Card: Cleveland Indians

NL East: New York Mets
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Chicago Cubs

That's right both World Series teams from last year miss the playoffs. The Dodgers are a shoe in in (what?) the NL West, and the Cubs get in over the Phills because they get to play Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and the downward Cardinals more than other teams in other divisions.

Hooping it up tonight. Real World after. Excited.

Start It All Over

Kansas City and New England messed up my whole mock draft. Obviously with trading for Cassel, The Chiefs will no longer take a QB. WIth this whole Jay Cutler pissed they tried to trade him mess, maybe the Lions will make a play at the already proven NFL QB. I am currently in the thought process of my new mock draft so if you have been following along (you haven't) then it will be a couple days until I figure this out. It will also probably be messed up again because of the overrated free agents that will be going places. The only worthy free agent to talk about at this point is Kurt Warner.

While we're on starting over, what are the Dodgers thinking? They got Manny for free last year and he single handedly got them to the NLCS. The whole team played considerably better when Manny came to LA and it would continue on this year. This is obviously a guy who you want to keep happy or else he will be a cancer. This guy will also make way more money for the Dodgers than they will have to pay him. Oh yea, and he produces. The Dodgers are lucky that no other team wants Manny because they would be screwed. I don't see why the Mets wouldn't try and get him in the middle of their line-up. The Mets NEED to win the division this year and get to the World Series after the past 2 seasons they had. Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, Manny, ew...

I am currently looking for a partner that roots for an out of town team to split the mlb.tv subscription with me so that I can watch not only the Red Sox, but any game I want. If you are interested, let me know.

Obviously I have to put in my two cents on the Browns trading K2. WHY!? This guy catches the ball! Wants to play! Wants to punish defenses. This is all the right things in a player. Sure he is a jerk but that doesn't effect his play. Brady Quinn is the future of the Browns and he hooked up with Kellen over 10 times in his Thursday night start against the Broncos. Should have won the game because of it. He loved him. These new guys are trying to make a statement and they picked the wrong guy to move. Dumb move.

Picks 9-12

Ok, so obviously Andre Smith messed up big time. This will hurt his draft status for sure and drop him down way further than #7 to the Raiders. Michael Crabtree may have hurt his status as well with his injury but I believe Seattle will still take him at #4 because if he is 80% of what he should be, Crabtree will still be great. This said, I'm not going to rearrange my draft. The Raiders suck anyway.

9. Green Bay Packers - Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State (6' 200 lbs.)
Two years ago the Packers secondary was tough. Last year they stunk on ice. Charles Woodson is getting older and this is why the Packers need to take Jenkins here. He is by far the best DB in the draft and can play both shut down corner, or center fielder as a safety. Green Bay could also use a big play wide receiver or interior lineman on both offense and defense, but Jenkins is the safe pick here at nine.

10. San Francisco 49ers - Jason Smith, OT, Baylor (6' 5" 300 lbs.)
Smith could be regarded as the best lineman in the draft but playing at Baylor kept him on the small stage. He now moves up in front of Andre Smith from Alabama after he left the draft early and could be taken higher up in the draft. I think this is the safe pick for the 49ers and they could definitely use the help on the offensive line. San Francisco could go after a play making receiver here or some help on the defense, but I think Smith is the smart choice here.

11. Buffalo Bills - Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State (6' 4" 238 lbs.)
Maybin is a tough player with a good motor. He has a nose for the ball, and an even better nose for the quarterback. Buffalo could use him coming off the end to help their pass rush. The Bills have lacked pressure on the quarterback for years and they are one or two players away from being a solid team. They could use some offensive line help but I think they have to think defense with this pick.

12. Denver Broncos - Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia (5' 11" 208 lbs.)
I see Denver looking for the return to great running backs by taking Moreno here. This is a solid pick for them as well because of their injury problems they had all year in the backfield. Moreno is a tough runner who is hard to take down and can put a hurting on defenses. He will be able to carry the ball 30 times again as a rookie and start right away for the Broncos.

13-16 tomorrow.

Picks 5-8

Ok, this first pick is a special one to me. This is the day in sports where all of us Browns fans know we are just going to either get disapointed or get our hopes up that this player we select with our high pick will be a difference maker. Either way I feel bad for this player because they will most likely be labeled a bust for their NFL career when it's not the case at all, they will just be playing in Cleveland. So here we go...

5. Cleveland Browns - Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC (6'2" 260 lbs.)
The Browns could use a pass rusher off the edge to compliment Wimbley but what they need more is a run stopper and smart middle linebacker that wants to take player's heads off. Andre Davis is too slow and can't play at the level the Browns need him to be at. He needs to go and Maualuga can fill this hole right away. The offensive line could use one of the big tackles here but the front office is hoping that it will return to the 2007 form they were in.

6. Cincinnati Bengals - Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri (6'1" 200 lbs.)
With the swirling winds about the Bengals losing their best two receivers, I think they go with Maclin here to secure Carson Palmer that when he returns he will still have weapons to throw to. If the Bengals lose Chad Johnson and T.J., it will devistate their passing game. If they only lose one of them and pick up Maclin here with Chris Henry still around, they can be potent. The Bengals also need help at defensive end, defensive backs, and running back. Maclin is a great return man as well filling a hole on the Bengals special teams.

7. Oakland Raiders - Andre Smith, OT, Alabama (6'4" 240 lbs.)
By no means will Al Davis make this selection. Don't believe it. I wrote it and don't believe it. They will draft the best skills player here even if they don't need it. A Malcolm Jenkins would be a great selection here to compliment Asomugha in the secondary shutting down receivers, but the Raiders need to build an offensive line to be able to move the ball. They put money and high picks into JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden, now they have to put a big left tackle in their to block for them.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars - Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest (6'2" 246 lbs.)
The Jaguars need help in a couple different areas. They do need a receiver that is a big play threat but not here. They need to draft a safe player that can fill a hole in their defense for years to come. A player like Curry can rush the passer and drop into coverage which is a large leap for the Jaguars.

9-12 coming tomorrow.

Picks 1-4

The Lions have been on the clock for a while now. I think it was ever since this happened. The Lions do not have a good quarterback and everyone just wants to tab them with the best available one in this draft. Well I have different ideas.

1. Detroit Lions - Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia (6'5" 315 lbs.)
Look, the Lions need a lot of things. They have two first round picks thanks to Dallas taking Roy Williams off their hands since they have a better receiver in Calvin Johnson anyway. They have a very talented running back as well in Kevin Smith. All they need is a good quarterback and they have the offensive fundamentals to be functional again. With this said, this is not the year to reach for an average QB with the #1 pick. The Lions will have a top 5 pick next year for sure and more talented quarterbacks will be available (McCoy, Bradford). Why settle for a QB who might be just as good as what you have on your roster now? If Drew Stanton can play a full year, he can take the job. Though this QB class is weak, it is deep and there isn't much seperation 3-10. Grab Graham Harrell in the 2nd or 3rd round in case he turns into a Drew Brees type. Eugene Monroe is a cornerstone tackle that can be their left tackle for years to come.

2. St. Louis Rams - B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College (6'1" 325 lbs.)
St. Louis made large leaps to fill a poor defense last year by taking Chris Long to seal off that side of the line for running backs. Though Raji is not big, he has the motor of a '67 Mustang and has shown he can take on middle linemen that are twice his size. Putting this talent next to Long can sure up their run defense for a long future. Now all they would need to do is stop that thing offenses call passing. Their problems don't fall too heavily on the offensive side of the ball when Steven Jackson, Tory Holt, and Marc Bulger are healthy. Look for them to add explosion to this unit later in the draft though.

3. Kansas City Chiefs - Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia (6'3" 236 lbs.)
Ok, I know I just bashed him up at the #1 pick and it shouldn't justify him being taken at #3. BUT, KC is more desperate for a quarterback right now than any other team in the league. Thigpen and Huard aren't going to win more than 5 games for you a season and though Stafford is fat and sub par, he does have a good arm and can read coverages well. I can see the Chiefs using this pick on a running back if Larry Johnson does decide to leave town before the draft but they more depth at running back than they do under center so I see them going with Stafford here.

4. Seattle Seahawks - Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech (6'3" 213 lbs.)
I feel Seattle is the least talented team in the NFL. Hasselbeck is getting older by the second and they really have no one to back him up which showed this year when he was injured. I think they could stretch and take Sanchez here but I believe they will also be in the top 5 in the draft next year which makes them available to take one of the many good QB's coming out. Maurice Morris and Julius Jones aren't going to run all over many teams so I could also see them going after a top running back here. Hell, they could take pretty much anyone and it would be an improvement from what they have. I think Crabtree here makes sense because he seems to be able to make plays no matter who is around him. He is the closest thing football has seen to Michael Irvin since his glory days with the Cowboys. He won't be the fastest or strongest person on the field but throw it his way and he is likely to make a play on the ball.

So there is the top four teams in the draft and how I have broken their needs down. Of course I am not a GM or coach in the NFL but as a fan this is what I have seen. Picks 5-8 will be broken down tomorrow.

NFL Draft

I get more excited over the NFL Draft than I do most NFL games. You have to take in consideration that I am a Browns fan. I know I have been gone a while but I just can't help myself from posting about the draft even with it being over 2 months away. Except for the terrible quarterbacks this year, this draft class is stacked.

First we will start with my mock draft. I will then go into detail of each pick and the reason why by fours. With that said, Detroit has been on the clock since about week 3 of last year and I hate to say it but they aren't going to take Matthew Stafford.

1. Detroit Lions- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia

2. St. Louis Rams- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College

3. Kansas City Chiefs- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

4. Seattle Seahawks- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

5. Cleveland Browns- Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC

6. Cincinnati Bengals- Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri

7. Oakland Raiders- Andre Smith, OT, Alabama

8. Jacksonville Jaguars- Aaron Curry, MLB, Wake Forest

9. Green Bay Packers- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State

10. San Fransisco 49ers- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor

11. Buffalo Bills- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State

12. Denver Broncos- Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

13. Washington Redskins- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas

14. New Orleans Saints- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

15. Houston Texans- Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi

16. San Diego Chargers- Brian Cushing, OLB, USC

17. New York Jets- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State

18. Chicago Bears- Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

19. Tampa Bay Buccanears- James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State

20. Detroit Lions- Alex Mack, C, California

21. Philadelphia Eagles- D.J. Moore, CB, Vanderbilt

22. Minnesota Vikings- Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

23. New England Patriots- Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State

24. Atlanta Falcons- Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State

25. Miami Dolphins- Peria Jerry, DT, Mississippi

26. Baltimore Ravens- Duke Robinson, OG, Oklahoma

27. Indianapolis Colts- Clay Matthews, OLB, USC

28. Philadelphia Eagles- Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina

29. New York Giants- Scott McKillop, MLB, Pittsburgh

30. Tennessee Titans- Fili Moala, DT, USC

31. Arizona Cardinals- Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri

32. Pittsburgh Steelers- Herman Johnson, OG, LSU

Be back tomorrow with explanations...

IU Weekend

What a great college town Bloomington is. Spent less than 24 hours there and am already thinking about traveling out there for the Ohio State football game on October 3rd. It's a fun little town where people just seem to enjoy other people. Noticed right away that there aren't many Teddy's, Samir's, or Hee Sop Choi's (except for the Godfather) which was quite enjoyable after living in Cleveland for 5 years.

Assembly Hall really needs to be bombed. Well I can't say totally because all I have to compare it to was this past Saturday that we went but seats don't get much worse in any stadium that exists. I would rather sit behind a pole at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

There will be many short stories to come in this week recapping the weekend but just wanted to throw out there that Bloomington was awesome.

Al Gore Is An Idiot

It is official. Al gore is the biggest liar on the face of the earth. Him and Roger Clemens think they are fooling everyone. They aren't. Global warming? Really? It is almost February and we are getting ten inches of snow here IN THE MID-WEST! Bring those polar bears to Youngstown, Ohio and they will be fine from December-April.

Basketball night is cancelled due to Boardman schools closing. It's the right choice. No one should be driving right now.

Snow days were the best in the middle school days though. Obviously you couldn't drive yet because you aren't old enough, but also because you still want to go out and play. What a great time it was to play football in the snow. Sure you can only run about 1/2 a mph but same with everyone else. It leveled the playing field for the slow kids and gave them a chance to light people up. Snow ball fight in the middle of the game? Always.

This is how football is supposed to be played. The Super Bowl needs to get away from wanting to please everyone except for the fans who's teams are actually playing in the game and have a venue that is cold and snowy host it. I would love to see the Super Bowl played in Alaska.

After this weekend football will be over for the year. That sucks bad. It is the in-between time which is full of unexciting NBA games, not-quite-serious-enough-yet college basketball, and baseball is too far to even start getting excited for. Hell, I don't even know who I am rooting for yet since no one has signed Manny.

Rumor has it that the Mets would love to see him in their line-up. I could deal with that even though I hate everything about New York. At least it isn't the evil New York team and it will make Gator happy if someone else he knows roots for the New York Mets.

Bounce.

Why?

Been gone for a while. Not really all that busy, just not in the mood to write anything. I've read a ton of stuff, and still haven't wanted to write. I know all 6of you have missed me but I am back now.

Even being gone for over a week, I don't have much to talk about. I went to the mall yesterday by myself to return a shirt I had gotten for Christmas. Some people out there, like the lady behind the register, will say "What took you so long!?" Shut up. I just didn't feel like going to the stupid mall how about that? Now that I had to go to pick something up maybe it would be the perfect time to return it!

Of course I gave her the "I just got back in town since Christmas and was hoping it would be ok...". Which it wasn't. No receipt, no return. After I explained I got it in an anonymous gift exchange (actually got it from my parents), she fake smiled and said "I'm sorry, I still need the receipt." After a long conversation of the tag is still on it and all I don't even want the money for it, I want to get something else, I finally threw in the towel.

My question is why? Why can't they take the shirt back? It's not like they would never sell a shirt like that, because they did. Does this girl making minimum wage take classes to become dumb and bitchy?

I got my bourbon chicken and bounced. I hate the mall and the Steelers.

Genius

My picks for Chmpionship weekend were pretty dead on. A couple points here or there but I was right for the most part. All weekend I was more intrigued by players I had on my playoff fantasy roster rather than the actual games themselves. I did find myself rooting for the Cardinals though because if they can do it, hell I guess the Browns can (no shot).

I trail by 18 points going into the Super Bowl and it is a heads up match, my Kurt Warner vs. the evil (slow) Willie Parker. With our whacky scoring system it could easily happen.

Gator emailed me the "new and improved" version of "Here We Go Steelers". This team song is quite possibly the most catchy but most annoying song in the history of team songs.

Basketball is being played tonight. Stoked!

Voting Post

Time for readers to decide...

Most memorable sports photo of 2008?

Michael Phelps and the U.S. relay team coming back to beat the French.

Usain Bolt blowing the rest of the world away.

David Tyree's catch on the final drive in the Super Bowl.

Jon Lester throwing a no hitter a year after battling cancer.

Mario Chalmer's shot to send the Championship game into overtime.

Wednesday Night Basketball Recap

I'm finding it hard to get around today after an intense night of basketball. Missing my meniscus and PCL in my right knee should probably keep me limited to how much time I bang on the court. Forget that though. Knee hurting and knee throbbing after the first game, I continued on. I have to say I played above decent for the second week in a row. Playing well through this torture made me feel like Jordan when he had a fever of 102 in the NBA Finals and still dominated. Alright well maybe not that good but a kid can dream right?

Much of the night I had the pleasure of guarding the Jewish form of Ben Wallace. Or so he thought because he told us he is growing out his jewfro. It turns out he was probably the furthest thing from Ben, as he stood behind the 3-point line all night waiting to shoot. In game 1 he sunk one in my eye. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, well that isn't going to happen. He went scoreless the rest of the night while I was on him.

I liked guarding him though as it kept me out of the lane, since we had a guest appearance by the Ram who took up much of the court. I hadn't seen the Ram in about 4 years and didn't recognize him at first because he looked like he belonged in a WWE Royal Rumble (coming up soon!!!). Still one of the most humble kids to talk to.

All in all it was a fun night. Some good hoopage was played and there were no major incidents (the hole in the ceiling I accidentally kicked the ball through was minor, I didn't even kick it that hard, Center sucks anyway). Gator and Jr were on the same team with me the whole time so it kept it pretty tame. Our team probably had the least talent overall but definitely the most hustle leading to...

MVP: Our entire team.

Divisional Weekend

I spent most of the weekend watching nearly every second of all four football games this weekend. I enjoyed it greatly, but I can't say the same for my girlfriend who truly believes that football has ruined her life and can't wait for February 2nd.

For some stupid reason, I got talked into watching the Sunday games at Steamers, a Bar & Grill owned by a Steelers fan. I thought it might be fun to go there and just be with people who enjoy playoff football. Well, I am an idiot. I hate Steelers fans worse than most other sports fans and it got even worse Sunday. It all started with the dumb songs they played at a volume that everyone agreed was way too loud. Songs like "The Pittsburgh Polka", "Big, Bad, Ben", and "Here We Go Steelers" (which needs updated) played the entire 20 minutes before the game, after every score, during halftime, and after the game. It made me feel like I was in the movie A Clockwork Orange. Being in a block pool made me stay there until the end and almost persuaded me to slit my wrists north/south.

Steelers fans make it easy to hate them too. Like the idiot at the bar who kept yelling "FIRE IN THE HOLE" every time the Steelers threw a pass over 5 yards. It makes a lot of sense right? So of course others started yelling it every time as well. Even better was the guy at the bar that we named Mike Tomlin, who after every good defensive play he would then stand up, point to someone across the bar, and then raise both arms flexing. He did a great job stopping the San Diego offense so he had the right to do this.

All in all I got drunk and had a fish sandwich that was so big that it's illegal in Rhode Island. This weekend should be about the same, minus the hell hole. Congratulations to the Steelers on their Super Bowl victory this year, and to Mike Tomlin flexing at Steamers. Fire in the hole!

My picks:
Pittsburgh 23 - Baltimore 17
Arizona 33 - Philadelphia 24

...and boom goes the dynamite.

It started as a typical mid week day as I left work and was heading home in the snow to go to the gym. On my way I get a call from the Gator, which is very unusual now days, to see if I wanted to join along in playing some open gym basketball at BCMS (weak, go Glenwood!). I believe he was surprised to hear my positive answer because normally I decline to play full court driveway ball at his house.

After being pushed back to 9:00 instead of 8:30 and having to play in the downstairs gym for half an hour (adding to Center sucking), we started to hoop it up. Inspired by Titus, I continued to tell people how "wet my j" was (I didn't play the first game because I wasn't one of the first 10 out of 14 to make a free throw).

While sitting there I thought to myself "don't embarrass yourself, just pass the ball and stand in one spot", but of course I began to throw that round thing toward the round thing. I actually surprised myself a little bit by making some tough shots and lay-ups. These cancelled out all of the easy ass shots that I've missed in my career.

Things got chippy toward the end with Gator and Jr., but when you're playing open gym basketball where everyone is between the ages of 22-35 you will have that. Us 22's think that these old men can't hang with us and those 35's think that we think we're hot shit. Well, we're both right which forces wrongs.

I can't wait to get back to it next Wednesday night.

MVP: Javis

See ya later, dude.

It came! It finally came!!!

My college diploma came in the mail yesterday because I decided I didn't want to do the whole "Oh my god I can't believe it's over" things with my parents. Talk about overrated.

Can you think of a more fun way to spend a spring if you are a baseball lover than being an assistant coach of a freshman team? Talk about bottom of the barrel. But the thing is, what a great time it will be. Get to see kids who should be good by now, continue to be bad. Don't have to worry about making line-up cards and knowing all the signs. Don't have to worry about anyone under me taking my job. Anyway, I'm stoked.

Change

I'm not a big fan of change. Though I have a great time drinking and pretending like I care about watching the ball drop, I think that New Years Eve is the most overrated night of the year. I would be happy laying on the couch watching college football and SportsCenter's Year in Review.

ESPN.com has been dismantled and I don't like it one bit. The old webpage was simply that, a webpage. It was easy to view and find things you wanted to know and read. This new thing they got going on is a little too much. I was trying to look up the remaining free agents in baseball and somehow wound up clicking on a video about the Yankee dynasty (can anyone remember that far back?).

Anyone up for a petition on getting the old ESPN.com back? While we're at it facebook.com as well.

Tonight is the Fiesta Bowl where ESPN is letting everyone know that "Both teams have something to prove." What is that? That they both played really well this year and are rewarded by playing in a BCS game? No, we're going to dwell on the bad things for the teams instead because everyone seems to hate these two schools more than any other in the country.

I wore an Ohio State jersey to work today, which is natural for Buckeye fans to do the day of a big game right? WRONG. It is pretty lenient around our office but somehow the topic of discussion has to be that I am wearing a football jersey. Did someone draw a swastika on my back or something?

I may be the only that believe the Buckeyes have a change tonight so I put money on them to win straight up. Just to cover my ass I also played them to cover. What's the worst that could happen? Oh, right...

"With all due respect, those are two great programs, I don't think anybody can beat the Trojans."
-USC coach Pete Carroll

"Umm what as that?"
-Oregon State coach Mike Riley