Justice Is Served

Shonn Greene honored as Best Running Back in the nation by winning the Doak Walker Award. Well done Greene. Thank you for putting together the best season by an Iowa back in history...

College Picks

Quick Post-

Virginia Tech +1.5 over Boston College

UCLA +33 over USC

UCLA is not winning, but they're losing by 30 either

Arizona -11 over Arizona St.

And once again, like a moron, i pick games involving ASU...

Oklahoma -17.5 over Missouri

Alabama +10 over Florida

This game is decide in the first ten minutes. If Florida gets up 10-14 early, they will blow out Alabama. But i think the Tide's defense is good enough to keep Florida in check and keep it close...

Ahh, The Minnesota Vikings

Great article over on the WWL, from their NFC North blogger, Kevin Seifert. Seifert has been covering the Vikings for years, and has an interesting run-down of all the weird things that have happened to the Vikings over the last 7-8 years. Some pretty funny stuff on there, and even a couple things i had not heard of before, including the Tice contract situation. Check the article out here.

The Steroid Suspensions And How It Affects The NFL CBA

As i'm sure many or all of you have seen, the NFL this week came down hard on the so-called StarCaps players, suspending the six players who tested positive for a steroid masking agent they supposedly took over the summer. Those six players were all suspended for four games on Tuesday by Commissioner Goodell, meaning they will miss the remainder of the regular season. Of those four players, perhaps the highest profile are the two Williams' Brothers of the Vikings, Kevin and Pat (not actual brothers). The Williams' wall have been a key component in the Vikings ability to stop the run, and as such are key components to the success of the team.

The Williams' responded quickly, filing a lawsuit in a MN court seeking an injunction against the NFL, which was quickly granted by a judge. The crutch of their argument is that a) The banned substance was not listed on the bottle of the diuretic, StarCaps, that they took, and b) The NFL knew the substance was in the diuretic but failed to alert the players.

The judge who issued the injunction has promised a quick 'trial', where he would like to hear both sides of the argument from the players' and the NFL. Of course, here's where it gets interesting. The NFLPA has now joined in, throwing the remaining four players that were suspended into the lawsuit, setting up a potential showdown with the NFL.

While it seems like a showdown over this issue could ultimately be a small battle, it's a piece in the cog for the impending negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which needs to be settled in the next two years. As i've detailed here and here, the importance of a new CBA before the 2010 season cannot be overestimated.

The NFLPA and the NFL figure to have many arguing points while negotiating a new CBA, not the least of which is a Rookie Pay Scale and the Revenue Sharing. Each point of contention along the way, such as the one looming over this StarCaps issue, creates a more hostile environment between the two organizations and more roadblocks to finding an agreement.

The NFL has a year and a half left to get a new CBA in place, and they have a lot of work left. Each time either the NFL or NFLPA flexes their muscle over any other issue, it serves only to create more obstacles to overcome. It should be interesting to see how things turn out...

NFL Picks

Holy hell i went 1-4 last week, a direct result of me throwing this together at the last moment. 24-23-3 on the year. I suck at this. 

Kansas City +3 over Buffalo (L)

I like the way KC has been playing, especially at home. And Buffalo is falling apart at the seams. 

Washington -3.5 over Seattle (L)

I'm a little worried that Clinton Portis may not play, but Seattle is terrible. 

New York Giants -3.5 over Arizona (W)

The Giants are too physical for the Cardinals, and the Arizona defense will not be able to stop the Giants ground game. That said, Arizona fucks me right in the ass every single time i pick a game the are involved in...

Indianapolis +3 over San Diego (W)

I have no idea how the Chargers are favored in this game. The Colts are really coming on. Though Bobby Sanders is out, which worries me a tad...

Tennessee -5.5 over New York Jets (L)

I'll be honest: I have no idea how this game will go. I've gone back and forth on who to pick. But everyone seem to be taking the Jets, so i'm going the opposite way. 

College Football Picks

3-2 last week, 28-27-2 on the year. I think next year i was cut it down to three picks each week. Three picks are usually easy to find good games. I start reaching after that, hence my chappy record. Anyway, on to the picks!

Penn St. -15.5 over Michigan St. (W)

Penn St. will get back to their dominating ways this week against an overrated Spartans team. 

LSU -3.5 over Mississippi (L)

LSU hasn't looked dominating this year, at all, but with the way they finished last week's game i think they come out on fire. 

Oregon St. +3 over Arizona (W)

A lot of people seem to like Arizona here, but i like the way the Beavers have been playing. I still think they lose at Oregon though...

Stanford +8 over California (L)

I'm riding this Stanford bandwagon right now. I like them to cover. 

Texas Tech +7 over Oklahoma (L)

Everyone has written this off as a loss for the Red Raiders, though i'm nto sure why. They still have the best offense in the country, and they're getting 7 points. I like them to at least cover, and possibly win outright. 

World Cup 2010 South Africa: It's A Go

As i've written about here and here, World Cup 2010 has faced many difficulties, questions, and concerns regarding whether or not the country will be ready to host the event in less than two years time. It would appear, however, that those concerns have been put to rest.

At least that's according to both the CEO of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee South Africa Danny Jordaan, FIFA Executive board member Chuck Blazer, and US Soccer President Sunil Gulati. All three expressed confidence this week that South Africa will not only be ready for the World Cup 2010, but also for the Confederation's Cup being held there next summer.

As for the US World Cup bid, it appears as if 2018 might be the soonest they could host, with a possibility of it being 2022. Looks like soccer fans in the US will have to wait a while to see World Cup action at home...

NFL Picks

23-19-3 on the year. Not exactly lighting up the scoreboard with my picks this year...

Miami -10.5 over Oakland (L)

Oakland is really, really bad. Especially on the road. 

Baltimore +7 over New York Giants (L)

I'm not sure the Ravens can win this, but i like them to keep it close and not get blown out. 

Green Bay -3.5 over Chicago (W)

I like the Packers at home, especially coming off the loss to the Vikings. Ha ha ha, i just had to point that out...

Kansas City +6 over New Orleans (L)

I like the Chiefs here. They've been playing well lately, and the weather in Arrowhead could affect the Saints passing game. 

Pittsburgh -5.5 over San Diego (L)

The Chargers haven't played great this year, especially on the road. 

College Football Picks

I'm having one hell of a crappy season, and with only three weeks left, i need to make an incredible run. I don't think it will happen, but you never know. 25-25-2 on the season. On to the picks!

Penn St. -35 over Indiana (L)

I don't usually like lines this big, but Penn St. is at home and will be mad. And Indiana is really, really bad.

Ohio St. -9.5 over Illinois (W)

Illinois is kind of in disarray, plus the Buckeyes lost to them last year and will be looking for revenge. 

Georgia -10 over Auburn (L)

Georgia rolls the teams it's supposed to roll. 

Standford +24 over USC (W)

Stanford is not pulling another upset this year, but USC hasn't been covering on the road, and Standford is playing fairly well.

Texas -14 over Kansas (W)

This might be my lock of the year. Texas ROLLS. They will destroy Kansas by about 35 points...

Press Conference

This week's Press Conference is a week old, but it's still a classic. Welcome to the head coaching ranks Mike Singletary...

Where You Came From

Well, it's been a while since i last ran this feature, but here we go again. In the past two weeks people have visited this site from The Republic of Korea, Romania, Canada (2), and China.

The search terms that have brought people here are:

1) i'd fuck brett favre (I really, really hope that was a female visitor)
2) jamie d'antona (A Dbacks minor leaguer)
3) "derek anderson" vikings 2009 (Now that's what i'm talking about!)
4) You fail at life game
5) dennis green interview (2)
6) dennis green we know who they are (4)
7) dennis green transcript (2)
8) post game conference bad
9) dennis green basketball (?)
10) dennis green press conference (6)
11) dennis green south carolina
12) shawn marion press conference
13) dennis green laughing commercial (2)
14) dennis green blow out (2)
15) vikings post game press conference
16) is bill cowher coaching the vikings in 09 (God i hope so...)
17) dennis green quote bears game
18) jamie d'antona diamondbacks 2009
19) denny green tampa bay tampa bay
20) 2008 nfl open tryouts (What is with the open tryouts??)
21) famous and funny press conference
22) The Big Shaqtus
23) texas college football open tryouts 2009

So there you have it. Thanks as always for stopping by and sticking with me through the last couple of weeks!

I'm back

Alright bitches, i'm back and better than ever. Been traveling a lot lately, and as a result my writing on this site has been infrequent. And by infrequent, i mean non-existent. 

Anyway, i'm back now and ready to write. The Suns and Coyotes are starting up, the baseball off-season is in full swing, and the college football season is getting to the good part. I'll be back in the following days with write-ups about all of them. For now, i'll leave you with this image from the Iowa-Penn St. game i was at this weekend:

Iowa 24, Penn St. 23. That's what i'm talking about. On Iowa!

NFL Picks

Much like with my college picks last week, ny NFL picks sucked last week. I blame it again on being on the road and not having proper time to prepare and research. Last week i went 1-3-1, putting my season record at 20-17-3. Not good enough. On to the picks!

Tampa Bay -9.5 over Kansas City (L)

The Chiefs are really, really bad.

Baltimore + 3 over Cleveland (W)

I understand the Browns have been playing better, but i still like the Ravens here.

St. Louis +3 over Arizona (L)

I'm beaking my own rule and picking a game involving the Cardinals, who manage to screw me over every time i pick their game. Still, i kinda like the Rams in this game.

Philadelphia -7 over Seattle (W)

The Seahawks are terrible. I've been saying this for years, but because of their crappy ass division they still manage to make the playoffs every year. Not anymore.

Pittsburgh +2 over Washington (W)

I'm still not sure i completely buy the Redskins, though Portis has been an absolute beast. They have to prove it to me Monday night, and i don't think they can.

College Football Picks

Jesus i had a crappy week last week. That's what happens when you're on the road and can't properly prepare. Anyway, 2-3 on the week which puts me at 23-22-2. At for good measure i'm late getting this so i can't even predict the Big Ten games, which i watch the most of. God i suck at this...

Pittsburgh +5.5 over Notre Dame (W)

Not sure why, just feeling Pittsburgh in this game. My blind hatred for Notre Dame not withstanding...

Florida -8 over Georgia (W)

I hate Florida more than most, but after what happened last year, with Georgia winning and doing their celebration thing on the first TD, i think Florida exacts some revenge this time around.

Oregon +3 over Cal (L)

My upset special of the week.

Boston College -3 over Clemson (L)

Clemson has almost given up on the season, and BC is playing better as of late.

Texas -4 over Texas Tech (L)

If the last few years have taught us anything, it's that Texas Tech can't hang with the big boys. I'd love to see a Tech upset so Penn St. would be in the National Championship game, but it's not gonna happen this time.

NFL Picks

19-14-2 on the year after yet another 3-2 week. On to the picks!

New York Jets -14 over Kansas City (L)

Kansas City is on their third string quarterback. Plus they suck. 

Tampa Bay +1.5 over Dallas (L)

I saw absolutely nothing from Dallas last week that would lead me to believe they can win this game against a solid Bucs team. 

Carolina -5.5 over Arizona (L)

I think this has the potential to be an entertaining game, but Arizona is a different team on the road, and the Panther's defense is pretty good. 

Washington -8 over Detroit (Push)

The Lions are really, really bad. And still have Dan Orlovsky playing QB for them. 

Tennessee -4 over Indianapolis (W)

Indy has been struggling this year, and the Titan's defense is good.

College Football Picks

Still in Pittsburgh, so another short post. 21-19-2 on the year. 

Northwestern -8 over Indiana (L)

It's only been a week, and Indiana hasn't gotten any better. They're still a horrific team. 

Wisconsin +3 over Illinois (W)

Wisconsin has been kicked around pretty bad the last few weeks, but they're back at home and i think they return to some semblance of the team that started the year on a roll. 

USC -15 over Arizona (L)

Sorry, UA isn't hanging in this game. 

Michigan +4 over Michigan St. (L)

We all know Michigan isn't a good team, but i still like them at home against the Spartans. 

Penn St. -2.5 over Ohio St. (W)

I am very, very nervous about this game for Penn St. But, i've been riding them all year, and they're a good team. So i'll pick them again. 

NFL Picks

Ok, i'm sitting in the Pittsburgh on a 4 hour layover. This will be brief, so i can get back to drinking beer and watching football. Also, i probably won't be posting much, if at all this week. I'm in Philly and Pitt all week. 3-2 last week, 16-12-2 on the season. On to the picks!

Tennessee -9 over Kansas City (W)

San Diego (Pick 'Em) over Buffalo (L)

Baltimore +3 over Miami (W)

New York Giants -10.5 over San Francisco (W)

Indianapolis -2 over Green Bay (L)

College Football Picks

3-2 last week, 18-17-2 on the years. Yikes. On to the picks!

Ohio St. -3 over Michigan St. (W)
Seems like it could be a trap game for the Buckeyes with Penn St looming next week, but i think OSU takes care of business on the road. Michigan State isn't as good as everyone thinks they are.

LSU -3.5 over South Carolina (W)
Speaking of teams that aren't very good...

Illinois -15.5 over Indiana (W)
Indiana is bad. Like, really, really bad.

Missouri +5 over Texas (L)
Not really sure why i'm taking this to be honest, but i don't like Texas after their big win last week, and i like Mizzou coming off a loss.

Georgia -14.5 over Vanderbilt (L)
Umm, i hate to break it to you, but Vandy isn't really that good. Georgia rolls.

You Have Failed At Life

This is a particularly early-week entry for my weekly feature You Have Failed At Life, mostly due to the complete and utter incompetence of this week's feature. See video below:

Yup, that would be an NFL quarterback not paying attention and accidentally running out of the back of the end zone for a safety. For those of you not in the know, a safety is wroth two points. Also for those of you not in the know, the Vikings won this game 12-10. Yes, that safety ended up being the difference in this game.

Dan Orlovsky: You Have Failed At Life (Though i thank you for giving the Vikings the win...)

NFL Picks

Much like with my college picks, i forgot to do a recap of my picks last week. For the record, i went 3-2, putting me at 13-10-2 on the season. Not terrible, not great. On to the picks!

New Orleans -7 over Oakland (W)

No way the Saints blow another game like they did against the Vikings on Monday. Look for the Saints to roll big. 

Houston -3 over Miami (L)

Houston might be the best 0-4 team i've ever seen. I don't think they go to o-5. 

Philadelphia -5 over San Francisco (W)

The Eagles are 2-3, and need a win to get their season back on track. San Francisco just isn't that good. 

Washington -14 over St. Louis (L)

This is a big line, but the Rams are terrible. Like, really, really terrible. 

Atlanta +3 over Chicago (W)

Atlanta plays much better at home than on the road. The Bear's haven't a meltdown game in a few week, they're due. 

CFB Picks

So apparently i forgot to do my recaps of my picks last week. My only defense is that i was without internet from sunday night to thursday night. Actually, that's kind of a good excuse...

Anyway, i went 2-2-1 on my college picks last week, which puts me at 15-15-2 on the season. Talk about a lesson in mediocrity. On to the picks!

Oklahoma -7 over Texas (L)

Hard to take a 7 point favorite in a game featuring two top-5 teams, but i still like Oklahoma and their QB Sam Bradford. Texas' secondary is young and inexperienced. 

Arizona St. +28.5 over USC (W)

(Sigh) God help me, i can't for the life of me figure out why i'm betting on any game involving ASU... To be clear, there is no way in hell ASU wins this game, but USC struggles as a big favorite in conference games. 

Penn St. -6 over Wisconsin (W)

As i said last week, i'm riding Penn St. until they fail me. They've been a huge money-winner so far this season. 

LSU +6 over Florida (L)

I can't bet against LSU in any bigtime, SEC night games. 

Michigan St. -2 over Northwestern (W)

There is zero chance NW is a 6-0 team. Hell, they shouldn't even be a 3-0 team. I think Javon Ringer will bounce back and go for about 160 and MSU controls the game. 

Where You Came From

It's been a couple of weeks, again, since i rolled out my weekly* feature, Where You Came From. Sometimes i fall behind, it happens...

In the past week, people have visited this site from: Canada (3), Germany, and Sweden. Man, that's pathetic...

Anyway, on to the search terms that brought you here:

1) cubs postgame
2) cubs
3) Cubs swept
4) October 4, 2008 Cubs press conference
5) post game news conference dodgers cubs
6) game 3 post game interview cubs
7) cubs post game interview press conference
8) oct 4 cubs press conference
9) arizona diamondbacks offseason 2009 blogs
10) game 3 cubs post game interview
11) dennis green, only one team can win
12) MARWAN WILLIAMS (There it is!)
13) Seitzer batting coach
14) jamie d'antona 2009
15) "they are who we thought they were" transcript (2)
16) dennis green laughing commercial stream
17) dodgers post game press conference saturday october 3, 2008
18) post game interview baseball
19) Bill Cowher vikings (2) (I like where this is going...)
20) open tryouts afl (Again with the open tryouts...)
21) vikings after game conference (After game conference?)
22) NFL CBA
23) nfl Denny Green picks
24) dennis green press conference (2)
25) dennis green (2)
26) marwan williams sentenced
27) nlcs press conference
28) nfl cba 2008
29) underground video george brett (I'm not sure i want to know...)
30) arizona diamondbacks game by game season

So there you have it. I could have condensed all the 'Cubs getting swept' searches like i usually do with similar searches, but i kinda thought it was funny to post them all. Sorry to all my friends back in Chicago...

As always, thanks for stopping by!

You Have Failed At Life

Again, an easy pick this week for the feature. It's not hard to choose someone when they've just been found guilty on 12 counts ranging from armed robbery to kidnapping to assault. I'm not going to get into whether or not this may have been a make-up call from his murder trial 11 years ago. Everyone already has their own thoughts on this. That said, it was proven 11 years ago that The Juice was at best a shady character, and this trial just confirmed it. Enjoy your time behind bars OJ, you may be there a while...

OJ Simpson: You Have Failed At Life

Cubs Swept

And that, my friends, is why the Cubs are the Cubs. 

Best record in the NL and swept right out of the playoffs... At least put up a fight Cubs. That. Was. Pathetic.

Make it 101 years...

NFL Picks

10-8-2 on the season. Had a couple of good weeks, let's keep it rolling. On to the picks!

San Diego -7 over Miami (L)

I don't care what Ronnie Brown did a couple weeks ago. The Chargers are a hungry team in need of wins. 

Carolina -10 over Kansas City (W)

I also don't care what Kansas City did against the Broncos last week. This is a whole other level of defense, and it's on the road. 

Buffalo +1.5 over Arizona (L)

This Arizona team has a bad secondary and is missing their best player. Buffalo is too physical for them. 

Tampa Bay +3.5 over Denver (W)

I went back and forth on this pick, admittedly. But Denver hasn't played a real defense yet, and the Bucs are pretty solid. That said, this is my least confidant pick of the week. 

New York Giants -7.5 over Seattle (W)

I don't buy Seattle, not for one bit. They are a bad football, and they won't fool me. I called Shaun Alexander's demise three years ago, and i called the Seahawks demise two years ago. They only made the playoffs because their division is the worst in football.

BoSox

You must be kidding me. 

Granted that was a Home Run, but the play before that at 2nd base the runner WAS OUT. It wasn't even close. He was out by a mile. Good job by the refs to FUCK IT UP.

I fucking hate the Bosox. Especially when they keep getting the benefit of the doubt from the umps over, and over, and over, and over, and over, AND OVER, AND OVER A-FUCKING-GAIN. FUCK! 

They're the 'luckiest' team in fucking baseball, and it's a fucking disgrace. FUCK.

College Football Picks

13-13-1 on the season. Need a good week this week to get a jump. To the picks!

Alabama -16 over Kentucky (L)

It looks like it could be a trap game, admittedly, but Bama has next week off and i think Saban will be pushing them hard to finish.

Ohio St. -2 over Wisconsin (W)

Ohio St. struggles against spread offenses. Wisconsin is not a spread offense. Ohio St. dominates the Big Ten.

USC -16.5 over Oregon (W)

Oregon has once again lost it's starting QB. Oh, and USC is coming off a bye. And a loss. And they're at home.

Penn St. -14 over Purdue (Push)

Penn St. is this year's 'ride them till they collapse' team. Did you know they're averaging 50 points a game? And they haven't given up more than 24 in any game?

Kansas -12 over Iowa St. (L)

I don't have nearly enough time to go into detail about ISU's struggles against Kansas lately, but let's just say KU owns ISU. And that was before Kansas was good...

My Brief Brush With Cubs Fandom

As anyone who knows me or reads this blog regularly knows, i grew up in iowa. Northwest iowa to be specific. Growing up there, you had three choices of baseball teams to root for: The Royals, the Twins, or the Cubs. 

Back when i was young and growing up, the Royals were actually good and had George Brett, who was a great player. In fact, my first professional baseball game was at Kaufman Stadium to see the Royals. 

The Twins were also good back then, winning the World Series in 1987 and 1991, when i was 6 and 10 respectively. In fact, my first memory of any World Series was listening to Jack Morris pitch Game 7 of the '91 series for a 1-0 win over the Braves. 

Then there were the Cubs. As usual for most of the last 50 years, the Cubs were terrible. Though they had some great players, with Mark Grace, Shawn Dunston, and Ryne Sandberg. To be honest, i don't really have any memories about the Cubs as a kid except for a poster of Sandberg my friend had in his room. 

When you're young, allegiances to teams are formed mostly arbitrarily, born out of things like 'this is my favorite player!' and 'this is the first team i saw live!'. It can also be passed down from family, from a mother or a father or an older brother. 

So which team was i a fan of growing up? None of them. In fact, to be honest, i didn't really like baseball all that much growing up. I thought the game was boring. I never played Little League. Hell, i never played tee-ball. I played hot-box occasionally with my friends, but that was the extent of my baseball interest as a kid. I was more interested in watching and playing soccer and football and basketball. 

Fast forward 15 years, to when i'm in college. By this point my interest in baseball had increased only to the point that i would watch the World Series every year. I remember Game 7 of the Indians-Marlins in '97, The Blue Jays repeating in '93, The great Braves winning their one Series in '95, and of course watching the Yankees dynasty in the late '90s. 

It came to a head in 2001. I was amazed by what the Yankees had been able to do the previous 6 years, and with them in the World Series again shortly after 9/11, i was captivated. Of course, i also happened to be in Phoenix for my brother's wedding at the same time, who was a huge Diamondbacks fan. We watched Game 1 during his rehearsal, Game 2 during his wedding reception. That Series turned out to be one of the best Series ever played, and to be honest transformed me into a baseball fan for the first time. 

Then came the 2003 season. In July of that year, halfway through the baseball season, i moved into a house with 10 other people (Yes, you read that correctly). A majority of those people were from the greater Chicagoland area; As such they were all huge Cubs fan. Cubs games became appointment viewing, playing every night on every tv in the house. Because i watched them every day, and because everyone around were big fans, and because they were actually good that season, i got swept up in Cubs fever. 

I became a fan of the Cubs. I even went to a couple games that summer in Wrigley. I can't say i completely immersed myself in them like some of my housemates, but i definitely cheered for them and followed them closely. When the playoffs rolled around and the Cubs were rolling, it was an exciting time. 

We all know what happened from there. In ways that can only happen to the Cubs, they collapsed and did not make the World Series. The rest of the house was heartbroken but not surprised. They seemed to sense something like that might happen. I was more dumbfounded than anything. How could that happen?

The following year i moved to Kansas City as baseball season was getting in swing. Royals games were cheap, therefore i went to quite a few that first summer. I started following the Royals. not because they were good (they were terrible), but because they were the local team. As i said, i was a baseball fan but never a fan of any certain team. I followed whatever team i had the most access to. 

Two years after that i moved to Phoenix. I moved in with my brother, who was still a huge Diamondbacks fan. As a result i became a Diamondbacks fan. Only this time was different. I became a fan not of the local team, as i had with the Cubs and Royals, but i became a fan of the Diamondbacks. I started following the team, looking at statistics, paying attention to the farm system. Things i had never done with any other team. The Diamondbacks became my team. And they were terrible that year. 

Since then they've remained my team, and to be honest will always be my team wherever i go from here. I've had season tickets each of the last two years, and was at each of their playoff Series' last year. 

All that said, the Cubs still have a special little piece of my heart due to that 2003 season. I keep my eye on them, to see how they are doing, and to be able to talk to all my friends from back home who are big Cubs fans. I will always root for the Dbacks first, but i pull for the Cubs. 

This long rant was to focus on one thing, as i sit here and watch Game 2 of the NLDS between the Cubs and Dodgers: The Cubs fans suffer. A lot. That is one tortured fanbase. Game 1 starter Ryan Dempster gives up more walks in 4 1/3 innings than he has in any start this season. In the 2nd inning of Game 2 the Cubs commit 2 errors and the Dodgers score 5 runs. This is a cursed franchise indeed. 

I feel bad for the Cubs and their fans. It's been 100 years since their last World Series win, and it's looking like it's going to be at least one more. The Cubs and their fans deserve more than this. No other fanbase is as loyal to their team as the Cub fans, and no other franchise has waited as long as they have for a World Championship. Things happen to this franchise that happen to no other franchise in baseball, from curses to bad luck to collapses. 

As this game goes on, i keep getting texts from my die-hard Cubs fans friends, and they all have varying ways to same the same thing: Of course this is happening. This is the Cubs. Why would i think anything else would happen?

I used to laugh at the futility of the Red Sox until they broke through; I can't do the same to the Cubs. It's too painful. The Lovable Losers are becoming less parts lovable and more parts loser by the year. And it is a sad sight to behold indeed...

The 2009 Diamondbacks Season

A few days back i wrote a (lengthy) piece on the 2008 Diamondbacks season, with a promise to write a follow-up post about where the Dbacks go from there. This is that post.

That 2008 column ended with a line about the Dbacks facing a mountain of questions going into the 2008 off-season and into 2009. While an admittedly cheesy wrap-up to the post, it was nonetheless true. The Dbacks have a ton of questions they need to answer, and i'm not sure where they (or i) will even begin.

Let's start with a big one: The Big Unit. Randy Johnson is sitting on 295 wins, just five short of they mythical 300. There's no denying it would be a great accomplishment for him, and based on the way he pitched the second half of this season he will get it next year. But will he be in a Diamondbacks uniform? Hard to say.

The Dbacks aren't going to pay Johnson a lot of money. They still owe him something like $41M for his last contract with the Dbacks (no, not this one. The one from before. You know, back from when he won the World Series here?). It's hard to tell what Randy will do; He's always been a bit of a selfish player, but i wonder if he recognizes he should stay here and win 300 with the team he's going into the Hall of Fame with. If he does re-sign here, look for it to be around only $4M, even though he could command upwards of double that in the open market.

Staying in the starting rotation, you have Webb and Haren as the unquestioned leaders. Behind that? Murky. Doug Davis is a crap-shoot as to whether he will be back or not. Max Scherzer will be your number 4, probably regardless of who is here and who isn't. A rotation of Webb, Haren, Johnson, Davis and Scherzer isn't bad. Webb, Haren, Scherzer, Petit, and a started to be named later not as much.

The bullpen is even worse. Depending on who you listen to, the Dbacks need to either get rid of everyone or everyone had an off year and will be better next year. Realistically it's somewhere in the middle. I don't know how you bring Jon Rauch back after his trainwreck of a season here. Chad Qualls is the 2009 closer, mark it down now. He will be fine in that role. Move Lyon back into the 8th inning, i think he will be fine there as well. Either Tony Pena or Juan Cruz are likely gone; Make the other the 7th inning guy.

Billy Buckner and Leo Rosales will be the long-relief guys. What the Dbacks are in desperate need of, and what they have been in desperate need of for years, is a left handed reliever. Sorry Doug Slaten, you are not the answer. Will Ledezma, a late season pickup, could be it. He pitched fairly well in admittedly limited action.

Looking out into the outfield, there is a logjam. Chris Young is the starting Center Fielder. His bat suffered this season, but his defense is gold-glove-worthy. Justin Upton is the Right Fielder. His defense is suspect, but he's only 21. And his bat became electric the last month of this season. In left-field you have some issues.

After the way CoJack adjusted to the switch and how he started to hit once out there, you are basically forced to leave him in left. Problem is you're paying Eric Byrnes $10M a year to be the left fielder. And i know not many people remember this, but when healthy Byrnes isn't a bad player. He hit .276 in his two full season with the Dbacks, 2006-2007, and has some pop in his bat. Not to mention he's the best base-stealer on the roster, something the Diamondbacks sorely missed this year. From the things Bob Melvin and Derrick Hall have been saying, it sounds like Byrnes will go into 2009 as the 4th outfielder. Hard to put $10M on the bench, but in this case it looks like the best option. He'll get plenty of chances to play.

On the infield you have a total disaster. Shortstop is the only position locked up with Stephen Drew. Drew really came around the last month and is poised to have a seriously good breakout season in 2009. The rest of the infield is completely up in the air. Mark Reynolds will be there, though there's no telling where. Third clearly isn't the best place to put him (though he played pretty well there in 2007). There are a lot of rumors about him moving to second, which is where he played in the minors, to replace Orlando Hudson, who will be gone. Just in the last week there has been some talk of putting Reynolds at first as well.

Where Reynolds plays will depend largely on what the Dbacks do in the offseason. If they can get a good third baseman, Reynolds moves to the right side of the infield. If the Dbacks get a stud second baseman, Reynolds may stay at third. The Dbacks do have some options already here. Augie Ojeda and David Eckstein wouldn't be a bad combo at second for the year. Both are good with the glove and good enough from the plate. If the Dbacks go that route, i could see them going after a third baseman in free agency or through trade, and putting Reynolds at first.

Either way, there are a lot of choices and decisions to be made. The Dbacks could also bring Jamie D'Antona up; He can play either corner infield spot. And, of course, all of this is assuming Adam Dunn is gone as well. There has been talk of the Dbacks trying to re-sign him, but i don't think it will happen. Dunn strikes out too much in a lineup filled with people who strike out too much, and is a defensive liability pretty much everywhere on the field.

The last position is catcher. Unlike every other position on the Dbacks, catcher is locked up. Chris Snyder is the starting catcher, he can play almost every day, and he brings a decent bat to the order. Behind him could be interesting. Miguel Montero has been rumored to be working out at third base in the offseason. If that's the case, Robby Hammock would likely be the back-up catcher.

No matter how you shake it, the Diamondbacks will be a very different looking team in the 2009 season. It would not surprise me to see 8-9 players from this season's team gone next season. And while that is a lot of change, it is not necessarily a bad thing. As we saw down the stretch this season, something needs to be done. Let's just hope the Dbacks can pull the right strings...

You Have Failed At Life

We have another NFL firing today, the second in two days following Scott Linehan's departure from the St. Louis Rams. This one surprises no one, except for maybe how long it took for the actual firing. Lane Kiffin was fired from the Oakland Raiders today. Finally.

Now i actually don't think Kiffin is a bad coach. He didn't have much to work with last year, and while the team hasn't had much success this year yet either, they're been playing fairly well for him. And, you know, it doesn't exactly build continuity or goodwill when you fire a Head Coach after just 20 games...

The Raiders are turning into a complete joke of a franchise, and as one local sports radio host puts it, "The Raiders will never win anything again until Al Davis is dead". Well alrighty then.

Scary pic huh?

Oh, and just for good measure, Davis is claiming he will not be honoring the remainder of Kiffin's contract.

Al Davis: You Have Failed At Life

The 2008 Diamondbacks Season

Now that the season has come to a whimpering end for the 2008 Arizona Diamondbacks, it's time to take a look back at the season that was. This will be part 1, with part 2 coming later this week in which i take a look at the Dbacks going forward.

First things first: No matter how you slice it, this season was a disappointment. Coming off a year when the Dbacks made the 2007 NLCS, this team was expected to compete for the NL West crown and return to the postseason. Contend for the crown they did, firmly planted in first place in the NL West for 136 games of a 162 game season. Unfortunately those other 26 games just happened to be at the most critical time of the season: The end.

Other than a fast start in April, the Dbacks played sub-.500 baseball all season long, though managed to finish 82-80. It just so happened they were in a historically bad division, which allowed them to remain in first place through most of the season. Which became a rallying cry for this team: "We're still in first place". No matter how bad they looked, no matter how many games they lost, no matter how many errors committed and games blown by the bullpen, the answer always became "Hey, at least we're still in first place".

Ultimately, i believe this is what led to the Diamondbacks demise. The Dbacks never took control of their situation. They never showed a will to win the games they needed. They never showed that killer instinct to step on teams throats when they could have. They were content to sit back and just scrape by.

The Dbacks, and admittedly Bob Melvin was behind this, showed an amazing knack this season for giving away games. This manifested itself in many ways, all of which were destructive. In a three-game series, if the Dbacks won the first two they would invariably trot out their b-team for game 3 as if it did not matter. 2007 was all about winning each series. While a good mantra, it just did not work for 2008. This season we needed more wins, more games. This Dbacks team could not afford to start 3 or 4 bench players at a time.

And don't get me started on giving away games by the bullpen. In 2007 this team had one of the best bullpens in the Majors, which is ultimately got them to playoffs and was the difference over the Cubs in the NLDS. With only one move, trading Jose Valverde to the Astros, the Dbacks thought they would be ok. Move Lyon from the 8th to the 9th, move Pena from the 7th to the 8th, and put Chad Qualls, who they received in the Valverde trade, in the 7.

Despite Lyon blowing two saves in the first 5 games, all seemed fine with the bullpen through April. That was, until it completely imploded, a disaster so complete that not only did every pitcher there go through stretches where they couldn't get an out, but you never knew who was going through the stretch and when. Each pitcher had times when they were completely awful, but it would come and go from week to week, game to game. How do you decide which relief pitchers to run out there when you never know which one is gonna suck, just that one of them definitely is going to?

Just so we don't place all the blame on the bullpen, we must also look at the offense. Arizona finished 27 out of 30 teams in Batting Average, with a paltry .251. They finished with the second highest number of strikeouts in the Majors. And for a team that played virtually no small-ball, you would think they would rely on the home run. Problem is, they finished 19 out of 30 in home runs hit this season.

With the exception of Conor Jackson, Orlando Hudson when he was playing, and Stephen Drew in the last month, the rest of the team could be described only as struggling. If you look at our 'core' 13 starters (Snyder, Montero, CoJack, Dunn, O-Dog, Ojeda, Eckstein, Drew, Reynolds, Tracy, Byrnes, Young, and Upton), 8 finished with a .250 BA or below. Only 3 finished above .290. That's not getting done.

Honorable mention goes to Mark Reynolds, who admittedly i am a fan of and will defend to the death, to his season that is a complete and total statistical oddity. Taking away Adam Dun, who played only 44 games with the Dbacks, Reynolds managed to: Lead the team in HR's, lead the team in RBI's, lead the team in Walks, 2nd on the team in Runs Scored, 3rd on the team in Total Bases, 2nd on the team in Stolen Bases, and lead the team (and set a Major League record) in Strikeouts. Oh, and just for good measure, he lead the team (and the Major's) in Errors as well. His season is on par with one of the most bizarre, inexplicable seasons by a single person in MLB history.

And as long as we're talking about fielding, let's not forget that the Diamondbacks finished 26 of 30 in team fielding percentage, and 6th in most Errors committed.

So to review, the Diamondbacks finished in the bottom 10% in team batting, and the bottom 20% in team fielding. At least we have pitching, right? Right?

Well, actually, in this case they are right. The Diamondbacks did have pitching, despite their horrific bullpen. Did you know the Dbacks had more Quality Starts than any other team in baseball? And gave up the fifth-fewest home runs in all of baseball? It helps when you have Brandon Webb (22-7, most wins in the Majors) and Dan Haren (16-8, tied for 7th most wins in NL). Every other person that started a game for the Dbacks went a combined 27-39. The Bullpen went 17-26 in case anyone was wondering. Special mention here goes to Jon Rauch, who the Dbacks traded for to be their closer, and managed to go 0-6 with a 6.56 ERA.

There are many other items i could get into regarding the 2008 season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. For instance the strange, almost complete refusal to attempt a running game (only 2 teams had less stolen bases than the Dbacks), and Bob Melvin's decision on pretty much everything. In 2007 Melvin was dubbed the Mad Scientist because seemingly every decision he made worked perfectly. 2008 was the exact opposite, as seemingly no decision he made worked out and was second-guessed by everyone. He may not be as good as the NL Manager of the year award he won last year, but he can't be as bad as he was in 2008 can he?

Regardless, everything that happened with the Dbacks resulted in one thing: An 82-80 record, and watching the playoffs from home. In the end, it wasn't enough, which amounted to a massive hill of disappointment for the Diamondbacks and their fans. Not to mention an even larger hill of questions going forward into 2009...

NFL Picks Review

Now that's what i call a good week, for the second week in a row. I was 1 point scored in the Denver-New Orleans game from being 4-1; instead i finished 3-1-1. Which puts my season record at 10-8-2. Two good weeks in a row have got me rolling, another one good put me in good shape...

CFB Picks Review

2-3 on the week, which puts me at an even 13-13-1 on the season. Not great, but not getting killed either. Need to get better starting soon though...

NFL Picks

7-7-1 on the season. This is the week i get back on top of it! On to the picks!

Denver -10 over Kansas City (L)

Kansas City is really, really bad. And Denver scores a ton of points. That's a recipe for a cover.

Carolina -7 over Atlanta (W)

Yes, i realize Michael Turner is a stud. And yes, i realize Matt Ryan has been playing out of his mind. But Atlanta is on the road, and hasn't faced a defense like the Panthers. I expect the Panthers offense, which has been sluggish, to break out this week.

San Diego -8 over Oakland (W)

Oakland is not very good, and the Chargers are trying to get back to .500. They need this game, and i expect LT to dominate. The Raiders as an organization are a complete disaster, so i don't expect much out of them.

Buffalo -8 over St. Louis (W)

Much like it's neighbor to the West, St. Louis is really, really bad. Not to mention they benched their QB this week and the team is on the verge of a revolt. Buffalo is a pretty solid team, and even though they're on the road i think they cruise.

San Francisco - New Orleans over 48 (PUSH)

I keep saying that i don't usually bet on over/unders, but most games involving the Saints deserve to be bet on the over. The Saints are capable of scoring a ton of points, especially at home, and they are also capable of giving up a ton of points. The 49ers have enough weapons to score some points with the Saints and turn this game into a shoot-out.

Happy Friday!

Congratulations on making it to the weekend everyone. Enjoy it. 

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College Football Picks

11-10-1 on the year. I have no idea about this week, i'll admit that now. On to the picks!

Michigan St. -8.5 over Indiana (W)

Indiana's not very good this year. And Michigan St. does one thing really, really, really well. They run the ball better than maybe everyone else in the country. That, my friends, is Big Ten football. And i love it. 

Penn St. -16 over Illinois (L)

Illinois may be ranked, but i'm not sold on them. Juice turns the ball over too much, and their defense isn't the same this year as it was last year. And Happy Valley is a tough place to play, especially at night. And, oh yeah, Penn St. is averaging 54 points a game this year...

Nebraska -7 over Virginia Tech (L)

Night game, in Memorial Stadium, against a big-time (sort of) opponent, for a program that appears to be back on the rise. I like Nebraska. 

Maryland +11 over Clemson (W)

Clemson, as usual for my picks, has massively underwhelmed this year with a team that should have been good. Maryland has been inconsistent, but Friedgen usually has his boys up for big games. 

Florida -22.5 over Mississippi (L)

Florida in the swamp will be looking to roll. 

You Have Failed At Life

This week's Life Failure is pretty much a no-brainer. In fact, at any time since i started this feature he could have been the star. Instead, i waited until the man finally, mercifully, got shit-canned from his job as GM of the Detroit Lions. It was a job he was monumentally horrible at, to the tune of leading his team to a 31-84 record since 2001, when he took over the team. That is, not surprisingly, the worst record in the NFL in that time, with 10 more losses than any other team during that stretch. 

Matt Millen: You Have Failed At Life

Where You Came From

It's been a couple of weeks, again, since i rolled out my weekly* feature, Where You Came From. Sometimes i fall behind, it happens...

In the past week, people have visited this site from: Canada (3), and an undisclosed Europe location (2). Man, that's pathetic...

Anyway, on to the search terms that brought you here:

1) Denis Green Washington Redskins

2) Denny Greene Rant Vikings

3) george brett (I really wish YouTube hadn't taken down this video...)

4) George Brett's bowel movements (On a related note, i saw the video, edited of course, on CNN today. I thought that was strange...)

5) georgia asu college football predictions

6) stupid dennis green quotes

7) Sept 15 football post game interview Tony Romo (Didi miss something good?)

8) denny green who we thought they were (3)

9) "marwan williams" blog (And yet again...)

10) "dennis green" quote 1st win

11) flacco post game interview bears

12) viking coach they are who we thought they are

13) Dennis Green To do that you got

14) commercial where dennis green just laughs (Very specific...)

15) COWHER AND THE VIKINGS IN 2009 (Preach on brother!)

16) iowahawkeyenews (Everheardofspaces?)

17) ditka criminal

18) possible replacements for scott linehan

So there you have it. I swear i must be the first blog that pops up whenever searches for Marwan Williams, all because of two articles i wrote last summer. Crazy...

Anyway, as always, thanks for stopping by.

End Of The Saga

Today marks the end of what has been a long, sad story involving the Phoenix Suns, the NBA, and sports in general. Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy begins serving his 15-month sentence in prison for his gambling conviction. The disgraced referee plead guilty more than a year ago, and was sentenced in July.

NFL Picks Review

Now that's the kind of week i'm talking about. 4-1, bringing my overall record to 7-7-1. I'm back in it bitches...

CFB Picks Review

Another crappy ass week for College picks. Remind me to never, ever, EVER bet on Tennessee again. Jesus i'm a fucking retard. 11-10-1 on the year. Losing money now...

NFL Picks

3-6-1 on the year. Pathetic. Feeling good about this week though...

Atlanta -6 over Kansas City (W)

Look, i don't think Atlanta is all that good, but have you seen the Chiefs? Really, have you seen them? And now they're starting Tyler Thigpen at QB? I like the home team to cover...

Tennessee -4.5 over Houston (W)

The Titans look pretty solid all around. Houston could be rusty after having last week off unexpectedly. Like the home team to cover here as well...

Denver - New Orleans over 51 (W)

Again, I don't take a lot of over/unders during the season, but both of these teams score a lot of points. Should be a wide-open, high-scoring game. 

Baltimore -2.5 over Cleveland (W)

Cleveland is all sorts of terrible...

Buffalo -9.5 over Oakland (L)

Oakland's two top RB's might be out, and they're not that good to begin with. I like Buffalo at home. 

Happy Friday!

In what is becoming my newest weekly feature, it's the return of the Happy Friday post.


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College picks are below, NFL picks will come out tomorrow. Enjoy your weekend everybody...

College Football Picks

Ok kids, i'm back and better than ever. Or, just back really.

After a horrible week in Week 3, it's time for a rebound. 9-7-1 on the year. On to the picks!

Auburn +3 over LSU (L)
Neither team has an offense worth a damn, and both teams have a great defense. Have to go with the home team getting points here.

Michigan St. -9 over Notre Dame (W)
Much like the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and ASU in college, Notre Dame screws me every time regardless of whether i pick with them or against them. And yet here i am again. Notre Dame's coming off a big win over Michigan, MSU is at home, and MSU can run the ball. I like the Spartans big.

Arizona State +7 over Georgia (L)
I'm not sure ASU can actually pull off the win, but they're been waiting for this game for 9 months. A night game, on the road, on the West Coast, a place Georgia hasn't been in 50+ years. ASU will be geared up for this game.

Penn St. -29 over Temple (W)
Penn St. is averaging something like 54 points a game, and are at home. Expect a blowout...

Tennessee +8 over Florida (L)
Again, i'm not sure the Vols can pull off the win, but i think they hang tough. Florida rolled them last year, then taunted them afterwards. Tennessee has also been looking forward to this game since then. I like Tennessee to keep it close. [EDIT: (Florida up 17-0 in 1st quarter): I'm a fucking moron. Tennessee is officially on my list of teams to never, ever, ever, under any circumstance, EVER bet on. Fuck them...]