Well, it’s impossible to miss the news that Tiger crashed his car in a distraught state, and it’s been widely debated on what the dispute was over. There’s about a 99% chance it was a argument with wifey Elin that prompted Woods to speed off into a tree. Either way it’s been on every media outlet from CNN to TMZ, so we know the story! I guess I don’t care THAT much what happened or happens, but along with everyone else just mildly curios from a distance. It’s always exciting to see something great come crashing down, maybe it’s just the American way. We like to destroy things that were or are the best. Showing the public any type of mortality just gives us more of a reason to pick on him. Anyways, I wouldn’t have written about him, unless dyslexic e-mailed this picture over that reminded me, even Tiger gets OWNED every now and then!
Monthly Archives: November 2009
The Tiger Saga…
NFL Power Rankings Week 13
Since I was unable to make my gambling picks for the weekend being away for Turkey Day, I’ll have to settle with putting out my Power Rankings through Week 12. Without having the advantage of seeing how the big MNF matchup plays out I’ll just assume that the Saints win. Since everybody might be in the mood to slim down, after all that turkey I’m only doing the top 16 teams. No need to write about all the other teams that would just rather have an autograph from the guys lining up across from them.
#1 Indianapolis Colts (11-0)
It’s tough to not pick the Saints, but I think the resilience of this Colts team puts them over the top. They’ve now won five straight trailing going into the 4th quarter. If you aren’t convinced by that, they have won an amazing 19 in a row, and is the most behind the Patriots 21 straight.
#2 New Orleans Saints (10-0)
Drew Brees blah blah blah, he’s amazing blah blah blah. We’ve all heard it. The impressive part of this team is that they are the 5th ranked rushing team, and it’s not all because teams are playing the pass, it’s because they are actually very good at running the football. People always say how the Vikings are so balanced, this team is just as balanced as them!
#3 Minnesota Vikings (10-1)
Unfortunately I was completely wrong about Favre signing with the Vikings. I guess the season isn’t over yet, so there’s still hope he could suck it up still, but I’m not holding my breathe. The Silver Fox, as Jared Allen calls Favre, looks to keep it rolling all the way to a first round bye.
#4 New England Patriots (7-3)
Yes, Brady is as flaming as ever, but damn it I respect him… He’s got a better rhythm with his receivers than Bostonian sports fans have with being completely annoying. Their young defense has been a lot better recently, and they will need them to keep up the good play when it matters. Should be a good one Monday Night, and they will be tested every play with the Saints!
#5 San Diego Chargers (8-3)
Who would’ve thought the Chargers would be this good? Not me, and not most of their fans until recently. I thought they were the best in the AFC West, but not the kind of team that could win six straight. Somehow Norv has this team rolling, and they still don’t run that often, but it doesn’t seem to matter with Rivers throwing the ball 40 times a game. They might be the hottest team in the league.
#6 Cincinnati Bengals (8-3)
They didn’t dominate Cleveland like I thought they would, but at least they won which is better than they could say for playing against Oakland. The Cardiac Cats have proven they can come from behind, they can win ugly, and they play surprisingly good defense. They look to be a lock for the division title with the Steelers loss.
#7 Dallas Cowboys (8-3)
I don’t know why, but I just don’t think they as good worthy of their record. Of course there’s always a little extra drama with them, and Romo feels about as reliable as betting on or against the Raiders each week. I hope Dallas stumbles along the way, it always makes it more fun when they go into panic mode!
#8 Arizona Cardinals(7-4)
I can’t say I’ve been a big supporter or had any confidence in them against the spread this year, but they DO pull out wins, and look as explosive as ever with another new gadget in Beanie Wells. Even though they lost to the Titans they are still the division leaders, and should wrap up the west sooner than later. As long as they get old man Warner back in there, and Leinart doesn’t have to face Vince Young anymore, they will be fine.
#9 Philadelphia Eagles (7-4)
Mcnabb has won two close ones in a row! Maybe we can put to rest those talks of him being the worst closer in Philly and slide him to the #2 slot behind Lidge. They’ve had tons of injuries, but I think they’ll be able to pull through when everybody gets healthy. Let’s just hope for their sake that DeSean isn’t out for long after his concussion he suffered today.
#10 Green Bay Packers (7-4)
Rodgers IS having an amazing season. If it weren’t for him, their defense would probably outscore their offense! If they didn’t have to play Minnesota twice, they could probably be 9-2. Even missing key guys in their D they destroyed Detroit on Thanksgiving. They finally look like what everyone expected when the season opened, a playoff team.
#11 Denver Broncos (7-4)
They had a nice bounce back game against the Giants, but once again they will have to prove themselves after those four straight bad weeks. If they can somehow beat Indy in week 14, I’ll buy them as “for real” again. At the moment I don’t see them winning a wild card spot.
#12 Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)
They’ve been up and down as all title defenders usually are. I think Polamalu was a bigger loss than Big Ben. I’ve always been a big Dixon fan, so I was glad to see him get a chance to showcase his abilities in the NFL. Baltimore barely beat them tonight, and with a third string QB starting and Troy out this should have been much more lopsided, so even though the Ravens won the Steelers are still the better team.
#13 Baltimore Ravens (6-5)
I don’t really think the Ravens D is all that great anymore. Thankfully they have Ray Rice to help Flacco put up some points, which haven’t been as plentiful as they once were. It was a big win for them tonight, but I don’t see that translating into a wild card berth…
#14 Atlanta Falcons (6-5)
With Matt Ryan hurt, I’m not sure this team is really going to go anywhere. Even if they get back Turner, I still don’t see them turning it around. It’s been a disappointing season for them, and I don’t expect to see them in the playoffs.
#15 Tennessee Titans (5-6)
I actually think the Titans are better than the two above teams, but since they are under .500 it’s hard for me to justify putting them at 13. Vince has made me a believer, and also may have cemented himself with Mario Williams as the best players from that 2006 draft.
#16 Miami Dolphins (5-6)
They haven’t missed a beat since losing Ronnie Brown, and I for one thought they would. The Wildcat has been as effective as ever with Rickey looking like the dominant back we remember from his prime! I like this team, because they show up every week whether they have a good chance to win or not.
More Than a Hobby
I wouldn’t consider myself a good juggler by any means, but I do mess around with it as a hobby. I went looking for a few new moves, and ran across this guy. I can’t say I will ever come close to these skills, but maybe one day!
Rivalry Week!
Today is the day the U ofs meet the States. That’s right, all the rivalry games go down this week. USC – UCLA, Florida – Florida State, BYU – Utah, Clemson – South Carolina, Oklahoma – Oklahoma State, TCU – New Mexico… wait, what? How did that game get in there? Now, it’s not mandatory that all rivalry games take place this weekend, but how did some of these games sneak into the schedule? Sure, Mississippi – Mississippi State makes sense, but where did LSU – Arkansas come from? Are they really rivals? How about last night’s matchup of Cincinnati and Illinois? Some of these games don’t make sense. Nonetheless, there are plenty of rivalry games on the docket today. Along with the aformentioned games, we’ll also be treated to Georgia Tech – Georgia, Virginia – Virginia Tech, and Arizona – Arizona State. At the same time, nonsensical games like Navy – Hawaii, Syracuse – Connecticut, and Southern Miss – East Carolina will take place. Is it rivalry week or not? Regardless of the meaningless, pointless matchups, there will still be plenty worthwhile games on the schedule today. Here are the upsets I’m predicting today….
Oklahoma over Oklahoma State
South Carolina over Clemson
Arizona State over Arizona
Utah over BYU
And…. I’m REALLY looking forward to seeing Stanford roll over Notre Dame in Charlie Weis’ farewell game.
Happy Saturday!!!
Thanksgiving Games of the Day
Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions, 9:30am PST
Sentiment for dropping the Lions from the annual Thursday docket has reached an all-time high this year, but personally, I think the Lions are a Thanksgiving Day tradition. They are the tryptophan to my NFL turkey. It’s just too bad they always play the FIRST game. At any rate, today’s game should be somewhat interesting, as Matthew Stafford will take to a national stage against a division rival. Today we’ll see if the Lions are headed in the right direction, or simply mired in another aimless so-called rebuilding phase. If only they had Mel Gray!
Oakland Raiders @ Dallas Cowboys, 1:15pm PST
Many are predicting this game to be an equally bad trouncing as the first game. However, the Raiders placed a little bit of hope in NFL fans’ minds with last weekend’s upset over the Bengals. Oakland is out to prove they are a new team with Bruce Gradkowski at the helm. Meanwhile, Dallas is out to prove, yet again, that they are a legitimate contender this season. Either way, today we’ll find out exactly who these two teams are.
New York Giants @ Denver Broncos, 5:20pm PST
About a month ago, it looked like we’d have a rare big game on Thanksgiving Day. Thanks to the Broncos, losers of four straight, this is no longer true. Instead, the Giants and Broncos will play with a large part of their season on the line. The winner will remain in the playoff hunt, while the loser, presumably Denver, will suffer a devastating loss that would likely kill any hopes for momentum down the stretch run of the season.
Orlando Magic @ Atlanta Hawks, 5pm PST
Atlanta owns the best record in the East, thanks to the spectacular play of Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Jamal Crawford. Orlando has had an equally impressive start while adjusting to the reinsertion of Rashard Lewis into the lineup. Three of the five best teams in the East reside in this Southeast Division, so tonight’s game will be a key step forward for the winner of this game in controlling the division – for the time being.
Chicago Bulls @ Utah Jazz, 7:30pm PST
Chicago and Utah are two teams sort of teetering on the balance between good teams and contenders. They both feature superstar point guards in Derrick Rose and Deron Williams, along with rising stars down low in Joakim Noah and Paul Millsap. With the Bulls sitting at 6-7 and the Jazz an even .500 at 7-7, both teams will be fighting hard to pull this win out and stay above the .500 mark.
Portland University @ UCLA, 7:30pm PST
There’s plenty of college hoops action today, but given our West Coast bias, this is the game of the day. Portland has become an unlikely threat to challenge Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference. On the other side, UCLA is unranked, due in part to a season opening loss to Cal State Fullerton. They rebounded with wins over Cal State Bakersfield and Pepperdine. Tonight will be UCLA’s final tuneup before a showdown with #1 Kansas two Sundays from now.
Mel Gray – The Greatest Video Game Football Player of ALL TIME
Say what you want about Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl. Mel Gray was an unstoppable force on Sega Sports’ NFL 95. Much like Jackson, he had a combination of speed and elusiveness that made him impossible to catch in the open field. While Bo gets plenty of recognition for his in-the-console achievements, Gray is largely an unsung hero. I remember entire games where my offense never touched the ball, because Mel Gray returned every kickoff and punt for a touchdown. By my count, I’ve probably searched for Mel Gray videos once a year every year since the inception of Youtube, to no avail. So, thanks, CruduxCruo, for posting this tribute to the greatest 16-bit player to ever play the game.
Christmas Shopping With Travis Henry
How fitting is this? A Travis Henry jersey in the toy aisle! Some people put on a Santa hat to go Christmas shopping, others put on their Henry jersey to get into the giving spirit.
Photo originally posted at http://straightcashhomey.net/
Two Man Race for NBA Rookie of the Year
Perhaps many would disagree with the headline. After his 55 point performance against the Warriors, Brandon Jennings had some signing, sealing, and delivering their ballots for Rookie of the Year. Combine his ridiculous 25.3 ppg and 5.5 apg – which apparently is Michael Jordan / Oscar Robertson territory for rookies – with Milwaukee’s 8-3 record, and Jennings does, in fact, look like the easy favorite. However, we can’t reasonably expect Jennings to keep up the pace he’s started off on. At the time of writing, he’s just 6-21 for 12 points against the Spurs, in what, barring a miracle, will be Milwaukee’s fourth loss.
Lost in all this, though, is the other candidate. While Jennings grabs all the headlines, Tyreke Evans is putting his own team on his back. His averages of 18 pts and 5 ast obviously are inferior to Jennings, but keep in mind Evans scored single digits in two of his first four games, which given the smaller amount of games played in the early going, are sure to go up. That was with Kevin Martin in the lineup though. Once Martin opted for surgery that would keep him out of action for two months, Evans realized the Kings’ were HIS team. He’s responded with SEVEN consecutive 20+ point games, including a high of 32 against the Jazz en route to a big road victory in Salt Lake. While Jennings has hit the ground running, Evans took a few games to find his footing, but has clearly established himself as the second candidate for the award. I’m not saying he’ll win it, but he’ll be right in the mix when all’s said and done.
Raiders Win!
The Oakland Raiders have done it again. Coming in as huge underdogs to a Cincinnati team that finally had NFL experts convinced they were for real, the Raiders trailed for 59 minutes but managed to score twice in the last 33 seconds to record an improbable, come from behind, 20-17 win over the AFC North division leaders. Don’t have much of a recap, since the game was blacked out, as usual, here in Northern California, but this win just goes to show the team has the talent to compete with anyone. Well, almost anyone. But with Jamarcus Russell on the bench, Oakland obviously has a little extra confidence. The running game wasn’t much of a factor, totaling just 92 yards, but they did manage to gain a respectable 3.8 yds per carry. But it was the passing game that led them to victory. What’s funny is Bruce Gradkowski’s line of 17-34 for 183 yards is hardly an eye opener, nonetheless it was a performance that Raider fans would be happy to have, based on what Russell usually brings to the table. Moving forward, this is exactly what the Raiders need. With their remaining schedule, which includes 4 of their last 6 on the road, they’re not likely to make a playoff push of any kind, but they can use these last 6 games to build some confidence for next season. It’s conceivable they can win half of the games left on the schedule, and a six win season, sorry to say, would be a step in the right direction. The Raiders go to Dallas next on a short week to take on the Cowboys on Thanksgiving day. Although the Cowboys have been inconsistent this season, including a close call against Washington today, there probably isn’t much hope for a win. One can only hope the team carries the momentum from today into this Thursday’s showdown and at least competes.
Thanks But No Thanks Lebron
Maybe I’m obsessed with numbers more than I thought. I mean, I’ve always known that I’m a stat freak, but never realized that it went even deeper. As I have written about a few numbers being retired from Rickey Henderson to whether or not Jim Brown’s proposed question on whether Kobe should get two numbers retired when his Lakers career is over, and followed that up by saying it was ridiculous that they retire MJ’s number league wide. I see what Lebron was getting at, but who makes him the ambassador of the NBA!?! Yes he’s great, but why do others have to change their number. Maybe their tribute to MJ is wearing his old number! On Thursday night, MJ finally spoke out on Lebron’s request to have his number retired here. I guess it took Jordan a little while to chime in on it between all those rounds of golf, er, I mean working hard to make the Bobcats better by acquiring SJax… Anyways, I fully agree with the man and his always politically correct statements that if they retired his number, they’d probably have to retire at least another five players numbers! His list included Bill Russell, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson to name a few. Not a bad list as none of them has won less than three titles, and all had just as much of an impact on the game as Jordan maybe not financially, but they were all legends.
A Stoner Gets Another Cy Young!
Did I win some money for this award to go grab some munchies?!?
Some more Bay Area baseball news came out today, and another award was given to another pitcher residing in Northern California. It was announced today that Tim Lincecum has won the Cy Young for a second consecutive year! It’s probably a little relieving to have good news since all the buzz lately has been about his Marijuana possession charges, which honestly, I don’t really see why people care about what he does as long as it’s not a Len Bias kind of habit! He’s just a long haired hippy at heart, hell, he probably scored his weed from Zito’s hookup! Let’s just hope he doesn’t follow the same career path as Barry or sign on for any denim ads. He’s only the second person to ever bag two in a row, and his teammate was the other, Randy Johnson, who won four straight (99-02)! The freak wasn’t the obvious choice for the award, but it’s hard to argue against giving it to him. He had more K’s, innings, and a better whip than runner up Chris Carpenter, but he had a higher era and less wins than Chris. I think Carp would’ve won if some of his votes weren’t taken from him by his teammate Adam Wainwright who also could have been a very deserving winner. I really like that the voters decided that Lincecum was the most dominant pitcher, and didn’t focus so much on just the wins column like they usually do. All in all, it’s been good award season for the Bay, as Tim Lincecum repeated his Cy Young defense, and Andrew Baily won the Rookie of the Year award.
Doin Lines Week 11
Can I get a Kool Aid Guy, OH YEAH! I went 5-2 last week, which brings me back close to .500 at 27-28-1 on the season! I have to thank blogmate MCeezy for helping my week start right, and jinxing the 49ers to cover by betting on the Bears! I guess now that I’m not working I have a little bit more time to make my picks more informed! Anyways, let’s hope it’s another good week, and as always the home teams are in bold.
Carolina (-3) Over Miami
Did Carolina finally decide to start playing this year? Last weeks’ surprising scoring output wasn’t just within their normal means of running the ball keeping it out of Jake’s turnover prone hands. They actually threw the ball for a good portion of the game, and Delhomme actually came out of it without throwing a pick! They beat an up and down Atlanta team that lost Turner part way through, but it was impressive to me nonetheless. It shows me that Atlanta isn’t all that good, and maybe Ryan is a little overrated. Ryan has been on a downward spiral for the past few weeks and has shown that there is definitely room for improvement. The loss of Ronnie Brown is the biggest factor in this game. He’s their best offensive player. Without him on the field how will they run the wildcat? With Pat White and Rickey Williams all game? I don’t see that having the same type of success as having Brown man the show. Since the Dolphins can throw the ball about as well as the Big Tuna, they should be one dimensional enough for the Panthers to stop.
Jacksonville (-8.5) Over Buffalo
What the hell is going on here? The Jags and Panthers in two straight picks! They both earned cheerleader pictures earlier this season! I guess we’re finally seeing a little of that parody thing they always talk about within the NFL. Mike Sims-Walker actually looks like a decent receiver, and Torry Holt is always dependable for a few grabs during the game. Garrard has managed just enough through the air lately to open up those holes for Mojo to run through, and he is doing just THAT! He’s scoring nearly twice a week, and should have last week but just missed in the fantasy kneel down heard round the world! Buffalo doesn’t seem to present any problems to stopping him, so he should have a big day. Buffalo still hasn’t named a coach since firing Jaron, but I don’t think that will make much of a difference unless the new coach or interim coach can put a completely new offensive playbook in before Sunday. Their conservative style has made them even worse than I imagined they’d be! Maybe they should just let TO coach, you know he’d be all over those refs all game even if he didn’t know what he was talking about. This already sounds better than the TO show!
Indianapolis (-1) Over Baltimore
I wonder if this was supposed to be the documentary on how he killed a man!
I haven’t really seen Baltimore look all that impressive in the games I’ve watched them play in. Even against the lowly Browns, they didn’t look great, which is opposite of how teams are supposed to look against them! Indy was dominated for most of the game against the Pats, and thanks to a lucky/risky move by Belichick they squeaked out with the win, and the Pats still covered for me! A solid win win situation! Indy hasn’t blown teams out very often this year, but I think they can win this game, and it will be by more than one point. Peyton should be extra pumped up for this one, as it looks like this could be their best opponent left on the schedule. Peyton has owned the Ravens going 6-2 against them, and with the announcement of Baltimore losing Suggs is surely going to hurt this Ravens defense squad. Ray can say what he wants about Peyton, but in the end he won’t be able to stop him. The undefeated season is looking more and more within reach for them!
Minnesota (-10.5) Over Seattle
Beanie Wells made an impact last week, and showed that Seattle can’t stop the run even against a team that doesn’t run. That might be pretty convenient for one Mr. Adrian Peterson. He seems to do very well against teams that don’t wrap up backs. Seattle at home can compete, but on the road I see them laying down early especially when Hasselbeck has to fear the Jared Allen and his mullet! With two of Seattle’s CB’s probably out, there is no way to convince me that this will be anything other than a blowout. Who knows, maybe even Tarvaris will be able to show off a few things that he’s learned from Brett at the end of this game!
New Orleans (-11.5) Over Tampa Bay
I think last week’s speed bump of St. Louis was a little too close for the Saints comfort level. This week should be different, after that reality check that showed them that any team can show up on a given week and could possibly take them down. So they better be ware that even the Bucs can win a game. I think Colston will bounce back nicely this weekend since he only had two receptions for 17 yards against a horrible Rams secondary, and it was his second straight bad game. He’s too good to be kept down for long. Brees hasn’t looked super sharp lately, so this feels like as good a week as any to break out as well! This might be a snorefest unless you like seeing the Saints put up points. It might be fun to watch them run up the score, but probably only if you happen to some fantasy players going in the game.
Denver (+3) Over San Diego
I guess this pick all depends on whether Orton starts or not, but I’m going out on a limb and assume he will play. I know Denver has been falling apart faster than a leper in warm water, but I think they’ll pull out a few extra tricks in this heated divisional game. Even if they don’t there’s no reason not to take the points for this home team. This game could go a long way to deciding the West, so I don’t see any problems with both teams being fired up. Even though the Broncos have lost three straight weeks and seem to be in meltdown mode, they have to break out of the funk sooner than later. If they lose this game it will be by a small amount so take the points. I hope they win, NOT because I like them in any way, shape, or form, but I just want to see Rivers cry a little. That would make my weekend!
Tennessee (+4.5) Over Houston
Tennessee is starting to roll now that they have Vince back in the mix. I’ve always been a believer that Kerry Collins was a retard since his days as a Raider. He couldn’t even get the ball to Randy f**ing Moss, so that just shows you how bad he is. The move to Vince, seems to have stabilized the offense. I don’t see them running away with it, but they look like they’ve righted the ship! I always believe in Fisher, he’s been one of my favorite coaches of all time! I don’t know what Houston’s deal is, I actually had them as a playoff team this pre-season, and at times they’ve looked like a playoff team, but at other times they’ve looked like Tennesee did at the beginning of the year, TERRIBLE! Just take the points when you aren’t sure!
Golden State Warriors Decade Summed Up In 22 Seconds
This might be slowly becoming my favorite NBA highlight of all time. I was at this game, but I didn’t think much of it at the time, because it’s Adonal Foyle. But years later, I think this clip pretty much sums up the last 10, or even 15 years, for the Warriors.
Fisher…. to Dunleavy….. finds Foyle wide open, he shoots….ANNNNDDDD it’s over the backboard and out of bounds. Sonics ball.
CSI – Gasol
In case you missed it – and let’s hope you did – here’s a short clip of Pau Gasol doing what he does best… acting. What you’re about to see hear is the aftermath of a possibly fatal car crash. Can’t tell if Pau is speaking with an American accent or not, he seems to go back and forth. Whatever the case, it appears he started a video game company with all the extra time on his hands.
Jamarcus Russell Benched For Remainder of the Season!
Great news, Raider fans! Coach Tom Cable announced today that Bruce Gradkowski will start this weekend against Cincinnati, and likely for the remainder of the season. This isn’t great news in the sense that Gradkowski will make the team that much better, rather it likely signals the beginning of the end of the Jamarcus Russell era in Oakland. No one can say he wasn’t given plenty of chances, he just simply couldn’t get the job done. Now, I’m not going to sit hear and say when they drafted him, I knew it’d be a bust. But, when they drafted him, I knew it’d be a bust.
Anyway, this gives Raider fans more of what they’ve come to know as the top of the mountain lately, which is hope. With the team looking primed for a high pick, it’s looking probable that they’ll go for Sam Bradford or Colt McCoy. That will the give the team and its fans plenty of, well, hope going into next season. Ah, what a great day to be a Raider fan.
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