Monthly Archives: January 2010

January 11, 2010

Monday Morning Randomness

By chappy81

Over the weekend there was one good playoff game, and the others turned out to be not so exciting, especially for someone like myself that doesn’t have any real connection to the teams playing. I just wanted to see some good contests, but that unfortunately didn’t happen for the most part. The Arizona and Green Bay game made up for it a little bit being the highest scoring playoff game of all time, but still, I really hoped for more this weekend. I have to say it was fun watching the Pats get blown out at home though! I guess I’ll talk about few other things I found interesting in the sporting world this weekend.

Aroldis Chapman signed with the Reds for $30 million. This made me happy since I won’t have to root against the man with the same last name as me wearing an Angels uniform. Seeing how he went to Cincy, I have a feeling he won’t pan out since most their moves don’t. Not too many guys I can think of fare well pitching in that stadium. Maybe he’ll end up being a closer, which would be slightly easier to be successful than a starter at least in Cincy…

Vlad Guerrero stays in the AL West, but is moving to Texas. If there’s anywhere to see if Vlad has anything left in the tank it’s got to be Arlington. If he doesn’t produce there it’s easy to assume that his bat speed has slowed, and IS out of gas. The Rangers kept busy by signing Kahlil Greene to a deal as well. It looks like the Rangers can be a team that will be tough in the west if they can get another pitcher besides the often injured Harden they might be in business!

I came across some more reason’s that Raines deserves to be in the HOF. This link on Sportsnation shows how voters picked Dawson over Raines 70% to 30% in an original poll when it was just their names, then they posted the best five season’s from both guys in a new poll using Player A and Player B. The percentages flipped, and 70% voted for Raines’s numbers over Dawson’s. Thanks for showing me I wasn’t crazy when I said Raines deserves to be in the HOF sportsnation!

Paquiao and Mayweather are fighting on March 13, but Pacman will be in Dallas fighting, and Mayweather will be in Las Vegas. Sounds like Mayweather must want to fight Pacman for the PPV purchases. We’ll see which fight is MORE worth watching as Mayweather hasn’t announced who his opponent is, but I don’t see myself buying either…

Kansas and John Wall dropped to #3 in the NCAA basketball rankings and Texas jumped to #1 with their perfect 15-0 record. Kentucky is #2, in case you were wondering at 16-0. It’s the first time anyone but Kansas held the top spot this year including the preseason. The Jayhawks lost to Tennessee on Sunday in an upset.

Jay Mariotti actually wrote something that I agree with about the Rooney Rule in the wake of the Pete Caroll hiring. Sure Seattle says that Leslie Frazier was a true candidate for the head coaching job, but does anyone buy that? Sounds like they went straight for Pete, and Frazier was only considered because of the rule. Like I said in my piece on Pete moving, just a waste of everybody’s time bringing him into interview…

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 10, 2010

Trojan Enz Boner of the Week Award

By mceezy

I’ve watched a lot of basketball in the last three decades, but I’ve never seen this. Clearly I’m not alone either. Check out this clip of Tyreke Evans’ airball, which JR Smith thinks goes in. As a result, he steps out of bounds and passes it in to Billups.

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 9, 2010

Pete Heading to the NFL… Again!

By chappy81

The Jim Mora era came to a quick end in Seattle with his firing. He only lasted one year, and yesterday was relieved of his head coaching position. He helped take a team that was okay, and turned them into one of my favorite teams to bet against in my Doin Lines picks. They were a lock to get blown out nearly the whole second half of the season. Today it was confirmed that the Seahawks search for a new coach started and ended with Pete Carroll. The former USC head coach is reportedly 100% on board with joining the Seahawks. Seattle adhered to the Rooney Rule by bringing in Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier yesterday, but sources around the league were already buzzing that Carroll and Seattle being close to a deal almost before they released that they met with Frazier, which makes me feel like they never really considered him for the job. I feel like this rule is just wasting peoples time, as it was completely obvious who Seahawks were targeting. Why should they even have to bring in Frazier when they weren’t really considering him? Carroll’s move from sunny Southern California to the cold pacific northwest might have a bigger impact on SC’s recruiting than it does for the Seahawks. It already sounds like a number of recruits might be changing their minds about going to SC next year. Luckily they don’t have to deal with the Rooney Rule that the NFL has to, and can pick a replacement coach quickly. Urban Meyer anyone? Ok, probably not, but that would be pretty comical. Continue reading

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 8, 2010

Doin NBA Power Rankings

By chappy81

Surprisingly we haven’t done any power rankings for hoops this year, so we were about due for this post! We’re approaching the halfway point in the season, and this is how we think the top 16 looks as of today.

1. Los Angeles Lakers – As negative as we are about the Lakers on Doin Work, we respect them. Aside from losing to their freeway rivals Wednesday, the Lake Show still have the best record in the league, and only have 7 losses on the season. I watch them more than I want to, and they’ve had a few injuries, but if Kobe is in the lineup they seem to find a way to win. Their defense might be a concern going forward, but when Ron and Pau are both healthy and back in the lineup they should be solid in the defensive department again. Bynum has been stepping up in a major way.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers – I’m not really sure how the Cavs lost to Charlotte, but other than that mini-speed bump they’ve been very consistent since destroying the Lakers on Christmas. I have a feeling that Nike could get their lame MVPuppet match up this year. It’s sad that I think beginning to be less of a Lebron fan because of those commercials!

3. Boston Celtics – No contending team outside of Portland has more injuries to key guys than the Celtics. Even without Rondo, KG, and Pierce they somehow beat a Toronto team that is playing surprisingly well lately. I guess it’s not a surprise for the leagues oldest team is having injury problems. I’m sure they’re just hoping that they are healthy at the right time.

4. Dallas Mavericks – If the playoffs started today, the Mavs would have the #2 seed. I was actually surprised to see this, but it’s true! Cuban has reigned over the Mavs for a decade now, and seems like he’s pushing the right buttons with his squad this year. They may have stunk up the court against the Lakers, but they beat all the teams they are supposed to and are deeper than I imagined they would be.

5. Orlando Magic – Matt Barnes has been playing some great ball since being put in the starting rotation. Unfortunately for the Magic, he has been their best player as of late and they don’t look like a very deep team anymore. Coach Van Gundy thinks they are in a rut, and it seems like he’s right as they’ve lost three straight. If guys don’t know their roles on the team, it always leads to unhappy players…

6. Denver Nuggets – I’m not sure how the Nuggets are hanging onto their division lead, but they are without Chauncey and Melo. The refs gave them a gift of a foul against the Warriors. They better watch out though, because the Blazers are closing in fast, and have overcome many more injuries than these Nuggets.

7. Portland Trailblazers – Can you say enough good things about Brandon Roy. He’s the ultimate team player. He didn’t have huge stats in the beginning of the year because the team didn’t need him as much. Now that 80% of the team is on the IR he’s playing with D-Leaguers and still has this Blazers team hunting down Denver for the division lead. Roy put up a stinker against the Clips, but if Kobe gets a pass, so does he!

8. Phoenix Suns – This might be too high for the Suns, but screw it. They have beat the best in the league and seem to lose to the worst. I really don’t know what to make of them, since they are so inconsistent, but as long as Nash is running the show they will win. If Richardson can get a little bit more consistent, I like where this team is going.

9. San Antonio Spurs – The Spurs started off the year slow, but as is the case every year, they’re right in the thick of things now. Winners of 12 of their last 15, the Spurs haven’t been flashy, but rank second in the league in FG% and third in 3PT%. Tim Duncan is averaging nearly 20 and 10.

10. Atlanta Hawks – The Hawks have stumbled as of late, dropping 5 of their last 7, but they have plenty of talent to carry them into the playoffs. With Josh Smith continuing to mature with each game, and Jamal Crawford finding his stride as a bench player, they simply need to keep pace in the top half of the Eastern Conference standings and they can be a dangerous playoff team once again.

11. Utah Jazz – It’d be easy to chalk up the Jazz’ early struggles to injuries, but they haven’t really had many. Carlos Boozer has played all 35 games, while Deron Williams and Mehmet Okur have missed a combined 7 games. As long as Williams’ wrist injury doesn’t linger all season long, Utah should find themselves right in the thick of the playoff race.

12. Houston Rockets – The Rockets have been proving doubters wrong all season so far, and despite their current three game losing streak, they’re sitting pretty at 20-16. Those three losses have come at the hands of the Hornets, Lakers, and Suns, all on the road. They’ve been beating the teams they’re supposed to. In this league, if you do that, you’ll find yourself in playing in the postseason. Houston currently sits in the 7th spot, but only by a half a game. In fact, only 3 games separate them from the 12th spot right now.

13. Oklahoma City Thunder – A trendy preseason pick to make the playoffs, the Sonics have not disappointed. Kevin Durant has carried the load, leading the team in scoring, rebounding, steals, and blocks. Their 19-16 record is impressive enough, but what really stands out is their 10-8 record on the road. The only teams in the West with worse home records are Minnesota and Golden State. It’s too bad they’re in OKC, as I’m sure the Seattle fans would provide them a much better home court advantage.

14. Miami Heat – The Heat were hot, no pun intended, to start the season but have since cooled off. Nonetheless, they’re still lingering around the .500 mark, which historically would get you in the playoffs in the East. Dwyane Wade should also garner some MVP attention should Miami finish in the top half of the standings. He’s averaging 27 pts, 5 reb, and 6 ast per game.

15. New Orleans Hornets – Riding a four game win streak, the Hornets are now over .500 for the first time this season at 17-16. That’s not good enough for the playoffs in the Western Conference, but with Chris Paul back healthy, they’ve got to like their chances to pass up Houston and/or Oklahoma City before the season ends.

16. Toronto Raptors – Let’s face it, this could be any team here at #16. The Raptors haven’t exactly impressed this season, but they’re still right in the thick of things. The Chris Bosh farewell tour is going strong. Now, if only Jose Calderon could regain his form, Toronto could have a good shot at knocking off a higher seed in the first round of the playoffs. I wouldn’t count on it though.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 7, 2010

Subtraction by Addition

By chappy81

Well, the A’s signed JacKKK Cust today to a one year deal of about $2.4 million. I was crossing my fingers he wouldn’t be back, and thought we did say our goodbyes, but sadly he he is back. He was our top home run hitter last year, so in the end I see why, especially for a discounted price… It’s funny how the Giants were rumored to be talking to him, they must be pretty happy the A’s stepped to the plate with a contract. I’m hoping we never have to see him in the field. We already have a few too many outfielders, and what looks like a good defensive team. Messing up that defense by putting Cust down there doesn’t make you feel all that excited. Adding one more outfielder to the mix isn’t going to help anybody feel like they have a set role on the team. Maybe Beane has some plans to make some more trades. I for one, hope he does. It’s still early in the off-season, so I won’t say this is a bad move yet. The signing of Duscherer was a major plus, but I think this signing could be bad. I hope he doesn’t clog up the bases with his walks and not give all our speedy guys a chance to run the bases or strike out with the bases loaded too much this year.

9 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 7, 2010

The Cuban Missile is Going to be a Gayngel

By chappy81

Awhile back you may remember me writing how excited I was for the 22-year-old lefty, Aroldis Chapman. I really couldn’t contain my excitement of seeing the next great bearer of last name Chapman (which is my last name), and was hoping he would be the best since Rex Chapman (the basketball player). I already had a nickname picked out for him “The Cuban Missile”. He has tons of upside, and will get his shot at the big league level just like anyone else who has hit 101 mph on the radar gun with some accuracy. I’m still curious if he really is 22, but that’s for Cuban immigration to figure out. I would still be behind him, but yesterday it was reported that the Angels agreed to terms and have locked him up for $21 million. I’ve been an advocate of not paying guys before they throw a pitch at the big league level, and do think giving Chapman and Strausberg contracts this size isn’t the smartest thing to do for unproven talent. Alas, I’m at a loss, because I can’t stand anything Angels related, so this might bring an end to me rooting for him to succeed. Donning the Halo’s uniform, I’m scared to hear what Rex Hudler (Angels Announcer) has to say about him. If you’ve never heard Rex Hudler announce, he puts Angels players on the same pedestal as NFL announcers put Brett Favre. If Aroldis does succeed, I hope they find out he’s really 33, and trade him away to a team I don’t care about so I can root for him again! Actually I hope they trade him before he ever gets to the bigs, but we all know that the Angels hold on to prospects  tighter than Gilbert and his guns.

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 6, 2010

My Apologies to the GMAC Bowl

By mceezy

A couple weeks ago, I picked the GMAC Bowl as my Least Exciting Bowl Game. Well, here I am, glued to my TV, much like I have been the entire second half. Sorry CMU and Troy. You got me now. OVERRRRRTIIIIMMMMME!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Sports

January 6, 2010

The Shake Weight!

By mceezy

Saw this over the Holidays. I’m not gonna say anything, but I’m sure we’re on the same page…

2 Comments   |  tags: | posted in Comedy

January 6, 2010

Doin Work Mailbag

By mceezy

Welcome to the first installment of the Doin Work Mailbag. Some of these go pretty far back, since we haven’t published any e-mail feedback to this point. You’ll be surprised at some of the letters we got….

Dear Doin Work,

I don’t caer for yor coments about me. I never listen to crittics. Oviusly you didn’t wach any of owr games. I’m the onley one out there playin good. You try throwin ta guys named Chaz, Louis, and Jonnie Lee. Shoot, I can’t even see past my center’s hair. Plus, the ofensiv line is teribel. As soon as I can get out of Oakland, you’ll see. I’ll be wining. A lot. You probbably see me holding a mvp trophey one day.

-Jamarcus Russell

First off, allow me to apologize. We didn’t want to make it look like you didn’t bring value to the team. You give fans something to cheer for – like, when you get hurt or yanked out of the game. You also keep things interesting. We love going into a game against a team like the Chiefs or Browns knowing that we could very well get shut out. We also love the fact that you could be replaced by a backup QB and we could beat any team in the league.

Dear Doin Work,

I really don’t appreciate your use of my likeness as the Joker in your Doin Lines feature. Was this supposed to be a subtle reference to my overdose? I don’t remember doing any cocaine that night, if that’s what you’re getting at. I’ll let you off the hook for now, but I swear, mate, if you put up a picture of Jake Gyllenhal and I the next time a pro athlete comes out of the closet, that’ll be the 10th thing I hate about you. You don’t wanna see that!

-Heath Ledger

Don’t worry, Heath. I’m sure that wasn’t the reason Chappy put your picture up. I think it had something to do with New Year’s, and how the Joker gassed up the Gotham City NYE celebration. Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.

Dear Doin Work,

Thanks for posting Brass Bonanza on Christmas Eve! It’s still the greatest sports song of all time. We may not have the Whalers anymore, but there’ll always be NHL 94 on Sega!

-Greg R. Hartford, CT

Greg, you don’t have to tell us twice! Brass Bonanza will live on for eternity with such classics as NBA on NBC and Rock and Roll Part 2.

Dear Doin Work,

Don’t blame me for “spoiling” USC basketball. I didn’t do anything wrong. Money was on the table, I took it. No one would do anything different – ask Stephen Jackson. Whatever, SC got what they deserved. I don’t care if they have to forfeit wins or postseason appearances. I was never a Trojan. I just wanted to play my one year of college ball in LA and move on.

-OJ Mayo

You’re right, and let’s face it, anything to keep eyes off the football team is a good thing.

Dear Doin Work,

What’s up with all the Tyreke Evans hype? Everybody knows Brandon Jennings will be the rookie of the year. He scored 55 points in a game! What’s Tyreke’s season high? It definitely wasn’t 55. He also has a lot more help on his team with great players like Sean May and Andres Nocioni. Brandon Jennings has no one, yet he scored 55 points in a game! It’s called the rookie of the year award, not rookie on the most surprising team of the year. Did I mention Jennings scored 55 in a game?!

-Jake R. Waukesha, WI

Perhaps we’re biased living on the West Coast, but Tyreke Evans has been having a more consistent, more impressive year. If Evans fails to notch a 55 point game, though, the award is all Jennings’.

Dear Doin Work,

I heard you wrote about me “having fun in Charlotte.” I tried to read the article, but when I picked up my laptop, I fumbled it off my foot and it went out of bounds.

-Stephen Jackson

Understandable. If you get it back though, just shoot it. I hope you don’t take that the wrong way.

Dear Doin Work,

Please take down the video of me blocking Kobe’s dunk attempt. True, it was a most beautiful block, but Kobe is the best player in the game. By posting this video, you are devaluing the game of basketball. I hope you will reconsider this practice in the future. Until then, go Lakers Warriors!

-Ronny Turiaf

First off, let me just say I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment of ‘Movie Time with Ronny’ on Warriors Weekly. Your analysis of The Hangover was fantastic. If I hadn’t seen it already, I surely would’ve rushed to Blockbuster to pick it up. I never would’ve guessed it was “very funny.” As for the video we posted, some of us are Warriors fans. We know you’re still a Laker at heart, but I’ve spent the last few years cheering against you, first at Gonzaga, then in Los Angeles. You wear a Warriors jersey and you blocked Kobe Bryant. We’re going to show that no matter what.

Dear MCeezy,

I’m sorry to hear about your frustration with Xbox. I can’t say that I’m sorry, because I really have nothing to do with that. However, you may be happy to know you can still play great games on your PC. It looks like you are running Windows 7, a fine choice. If you have any other questions, feel free to respond to this email via Microsoft Word, the best word processor available. How come there are no posts about the Seattle Sonics on your page?

-Bill Gates

Don’t worry about it Bill. I crafted a beautiful chart of my experience with Xbox on Microsoft Excel, then exported it to Microsoft Access for review. I’m just putting some finishing touches on it in Microsoft Publisher and I’ll show it to you once I set up my Microsoft Outlook. As for Sonics news, just search Kevin Durant and you’ll find plenty of mention of the Sonics.

Dear Doin Work,

Hey Brah, I really hope you weren’t making fun of us with the cross country snowboarding vid. Skootching a serious sport man.

-Tyler F. Kings Beach, CA

Not at all….. Not at all.


1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 6, 2010

Doin Wild Card Lines

By chappy81

Last week was a nice winning week of 4-3 and finishing the regular season vs. the spread at 49-45-3. I’m happier than Scott Boras every time a client of his signs a long deal that my predictions led to a winning season! The playoffs are a completely different story though. I usually struggle in predicting the outcomes in recent years. You really don’t know how these games are going to turn out, but I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction. As always the home teams are in bold.

Ochocinco will have a tough time on Revis Island

New York Jets (+2.5) Over Cincinnati

The Bengals have shown one thing since Chris Henry’s untimely death, which is, they aren’t past it. The gloom of losing a teammate has put them in the losing column in three of their last four games. The Jets meanwhile got two straight teams on bye weeks, and are amazingly in the playoffs. Indy and Cinncinati laid down for them, Tampa wasn’t hard to keep under 10 points, Atlanta WAS a tough opponent to hold to ten, but I’m tired of this double fist pump fetish on the Jets D. Sure they have Revis, who will shut down Ochocinco, but I don’t see them winning more than this wild card game. Sorry Cincy, but you’re injured at the wrong time, and playing your worst when it counts most. At least you were the most successful Hard Knocks team so far! The Jets will win, but I’ll be rooting for Cincy. Who knows Sanchez could choke on a pepper and throw a few interceptions and give this one away.

Philadelphia (+4) Over Dallas

Call me crazy, but I still think the Eagles are the better team. In the playoffs, they will pick up their game. They have been there, and will step up. McNabb is a perfect 3-0 in the wild card round over his career, and has 8 more playoff wins than Romo, who hasn’t won A playoff game. I can’t take anything away from Romo at this point as he has played some very good football lately. My lingering hope is that since he has played so damn well lately, he is bound to come crashing down to the Romo that looked so bad earlier in the season. Or even the Romo we saw four weeks ago will do. I know there’s a lot of doubters on the Eagles side after last week’s shellacking, but about this time a week ago, the experts were putting them in the Super Bowl. I guess everybody likes to jump ship every now and then.

New England (-3.5) Over Baltimore

Wes Welker this, Wes Welker that, is pretty much all you hear about this game. Although Brady hasn’t thrown many other receivers this year, that doesn’t make me believe he can’t throw to the other guys. Sure his completion percentage is going to go down with Welker out of the game, because Welker is that good. I’ve seen Tom be that good too without big names, and everytime I doubt the guy he proves me wrong. Plus his opposition is Mr. Flacco, and honestly I’m still not sold on him. He’s successful enough to keep his job, but I’ve rarely been impressed when watching him. Maybe it’s his weak receiving group. There’s also the Foxboro factor too, that seems to win them games somehow. I see Brady exposing Baltimore’s weak secondary in ways that the Raiders couldn’t last week.

Green Bay (+1) Over Arizona

I’m kind of surprised I’m picking three road teams, but you have to go with your gut on playoff picks. Green Bay opened up a can of offense last week, destroying Arizona’s 2nd team everything. It won’t be quite as easy this time around. Arizona will surely play all of it’s playmakers, and they aren’t short on those. Their main question going into the game has to be their defnese’s inability to contain teams. Green Bay has proved they can put up points in bunches, and seem to be rolling as good as anytime I can remember this season. Rodgers has turned into the anti-first round flop pick, and been the leader that they hoped he would be! They also have a defensive leader in Charles Woodson. He has been all over the field and deserves to be the defensive player of the year. Woodson should be all over the field trying to confuse old man Warner and his receivers. If he’s a major factor in this game ie. picks, tackles, or sacks I like the Packers chances. I’d love to see a Minnesota Green Bay matchup next round, and that would mean that Philly also won!

9 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 5, 2010

Tim Raines, A Hall of Famer in My Book!

By chappy81

Tomorrow the Hall of Fame elections will be made public, and there’s a possibility that two guys, Blyleven and Dawson, could be the first pair inducted after being on the ballot for over nine seasons, but I doubt it. I guess perceptions have changed since the first time they were on the ballot, and there is a possibility that they could get in this time around, but I won’t hold my breath or really care all that much if they do. I’m guessing that Roberto Alomar and Barry Larkin will make it in on their first attempt. Both were outstanding shortstops and deserve a spot in the Hall. Mark McGwire, who I feel should be in the Hall regardless of his steroid use, probably won’t get the votes, but will be in the conversations regardless of the percentages he gets. The whole steroid era is a little too heavily criticized by Hall of Fame voting even though everybody was using them, it’s just the era so let the best of that era in. If it’s pretty close to even across the boards, why not let those guys in? I won’t go down that road on this post since it’s a completely different topic altogether. The main reason for this post was to question why Tim Raines isn’t even being considered on most voters Hall of Fame ballots. They all have ten votes each, how is he not one of their top 10!?! I guess most voters don’t vote for all ten of their votes or even five of them for that matter, but I believe Raines should be on them.

Maybe I’m a little biased on leadoff hitters, since my childhood mancrush was Rickey Henderson. I guess my main question to the voters is why? I honestly didn’t like him when I was younger since he was a threat to Rickey’s league leading stat categories, but that doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t be considered worthy. He played in an era with the best leadoff hitter of all time, how can the second best in that era not garner a look from voters. The past two years he’s only received 24.3% and 22.6% of the votes, and I can’t figure out why. He had an amazing career, and was consistently battling for the league lead in stolen bases, batting average, and runs scored. He reached base more times that Tony Gwynn, Lou Brock, Roberto Clemente, and Honus Wagner. From 82-88 he led the league in getting on base. He’s the only player to ever steal 70 or more bases in six straight years. He is the only player with an on base percentage of (.385) NOT in the Hall. He hit .295 over his career. Out of the 808 stolen bases (4th all time), he was only caught 146 times. That’s fewer times caught than Juan Pierre has had so far in his career (156). Who knows, maybe voters are caught up on his former cocaine addiction that he once had. Sometimes lasting images stay in the heads of people, kinda like Mark McGwire’s congressional hearings. He was young, and did things that I’m sure he regrets, I get it, I’ve done that too. In case you forgot, Raines testified that he’d have gram of coke in his uniform pocket at most games. I don’t really see how that would help you while playing baseball, but since IT was the 80’s it was hard to avoid it. I’ll bet that half the league was dabbling in some blow at the time, and is probably fairly comparable to the amount of guys on steroids nowadays. Maybe it was his admission that he slide head first so it wouldn’t break his vile he carried around with him that makes voters shun him. I could care less what the voters reasons are, but here’s a couple of reason’s voters didn’t pick him last year which were lame. He deserves to be in the Hall even if he altered some of his playing style to support his habbit! Aren’t we used to that by now, give the man his due!

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 5, 2010

Athletes With Guns? Who Cares?

By mceezy

Who ride, I ride, hands on my 4-5. Yeah, I just quoted a Silkk the Shocker song. Not sure if many NBA players are old enough to remember that one, but they may as well be bumpin it in their cars as they ride to the arena. By this point, we all know Gilbert Arenas stored his unloaded guns at the arena. I do agree that is wrong, but this has opened up a whole new discussion about athletes with weapons, especially once Devin Harris publicly estimated that 75% of NBA players carry guns. It got me thinking, do I really care if professional athletes worth millions and millions of dollars carry guns? Not really. I don’t think someone like Gilbert Arenas is really a public threat. Broke people buy guns to commit crimes. Millionaire athletes buy guns for protection. Off the top of my head, I think of examples like Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce, and I’m more upset about that than any athlete carrying a gun. Let’s think about this. How often do we hear about athletes actually committing crimes with their weapons? Are you done? Let’s see what you’ve come up with. Plaxico Burress. Sure, he shot someone, but it was himself. I’d say karma handled that situation. Jayson Williams. Sure, he shot and killed someone, but after his recent car crash, something tells me he would’ve found another way to kill someone anyway. Oh yeah, then there’s Stephen Jackson, who shot some air. Unless I’m forgetting someone, the only other athletes who get busted for guns is for simply having them. So go ahead Stern, do what you do best and make an example of Arenas, but make it about bringing guns to the arena, not a witch hunt about athletes who own guns.

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 4, 2010

RECONNECTED: a short ski/snowboard flick

By mceezy

In honor of my recent trip to the Tahoe area for New Year’s, it felt right to showcase a little bit of our big backyard out here in Northern California. And, since we posted that ridiculous video of “Cross Country Snowboarding,” it’s only right that we share a little REAL snowboarding and skiing.

Video created, produced, edited, et cetera by Scott Hargrove. Keep an eye out for his new website: http://www.scotthargrove.com/

Filmed in Tahoe between the 2005-2007 seasons. Riders: RYAN PRICE TREVOR BROWN NATE FARRELL JARED DALEN AARON SEEWALD SCOTT HARGROVE and many others

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Sports

January 4, 2010

Going Up / Going Down: Alex Smith vs. Jamarcus Russell

By mceezy

This offseason, the other two California football teams will have many different decisions to make, but the most important one will be the same. Do we give our former #1 pick another year to become the franchise QB we need, or is it time to cut ties and move in a new direction? The 49ers and Raiders each had a number one draft pick within a three year span. They both took potential franchise quarterbacks, but neither has panned out to this point. Though there are plenty of pros and cons for both dilemmas, I think the answers are pretty simple. One is favorable and one is not. Let’s take a look at how both QBs got to the point they’re at, and the potential outcomes moving forward.

2005: The 49ers were coming off a 2-14 season and held the first overall pick. There was plenty of talent available, but SF’s biggest need was at Quarterback. The choice came down to Alex Smith or Aaron Rodgers. In the end, Smith was heralded as the better athlete, and more intelligent. Now, for every Ronnie Brown, Braylon Edwards, or Demarcus Ware they passed on, there was also a Cedric Benson, Pacman Jones, or Mike Williams that would’ve been worse. But, since Rodgers was the only other guy they were going to pick, he’s the only one it’s fair to compare with. To this point, Rodgers has thrown for more yards and touchdowns on less attempts than Smith, while throwing less interceptions as well. Smith got off to a rough start in his first year, throwing 1 TD pass to 11 interceptions. In 2006, he looked to be coming into form, completing 58% of his passes and connecting on 16 TD passes to 16 INTs. Last season was derailed by a shoulder injury, however, and when he came back this season, Shaun Hill had beat him out for the starting job. Smith, however, replaced Hill in Week 7, and had an up and down final 11 games to end the season. He finished with his best ever TD to INT ratio at 18:12. He also completed over 60% of his passes. The problem, though, is he still has yet to live up to his potential, and the 49ers are left to question whether he ever will. I can’t say with confidence that he will, but the chances are much better than his Oakland counterpart. Smith’s shoulder probably still caused him some discomfort early this season, but he should be back to full strength by now. The reason I see him getting better is his intelligence. While there certainly are exceptions based on physical gifts, the best QBs, like starting pitchers in baseball, are the smart ones who figure out the game and learn to play within it. I think Alex Smith can only get better the more he plays.

2007: The Raiders were coming off a 2-14 season of their own and held the first pick also. Also in need of a franchise QB, Al Davis couldn’t resist the size of LSU’s Jamarcus Russell, and despite new Head Coach, Lane Kiffin’s objections, selected him with the #1 overall pick. While I never really questioned the Niners’ selection of Alex Smith, I knew this one was doomed from the start. We all knew Russell could throw a ball across the Bay from his knees, but how does that translate to playing QB in the NFL? What he made up for in physical tools, he lacked in the mental department. Three seasons later, he has alienated himself from teammates and fans, something that’s hard to do in Oakland. The combination of bonehead plays, lack of accountability and complete lack of pocket presence has lead many to question his future as this team’s quarterback. He was given the keys to the franchise this year and repeatedly drove the wagon off a cliff, with an untimely interception, sack, or fumble. In his three year career, he’s completed just 52% of his passes for a lowly 65.2 QB rating. He’s also thrown just 18 TD passes to 23 INTs. Those numbers would all surely be lower if 90% of his passes weren’t dump off passes to backs. When he was replaced by Bruce Gradkowski this year, the rest of the team clearly elevated their level of play. It looked as if they felt they had a much better chance with anyone other than Russell out there. Now, whenever Russell gets into the game, it’s the result of an injury to another QB, and he is inevitably greeted with boos from the Raider Nation. Russell has shown no signs of getting better, and even worse, his drive and desire to get better have been called into question far too often. The Raiders need to make a decision, but if I know Al Davis, Tom Cable will be far more likely to be shown the door. My only hope is that the Raiders at least pick up a new QB who could challenge, and ultimately beat out Russell for the starting spot.

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

January 3, 2010

Mayo Spoils USC Basketball

By chappy81

USC Basketball will have to take a seat for next season as they admitted to the NCAA commission. They came down with their own self imposed ruling on the OJ Mayo investigation. They vacated all their 07-08 wins, and money earned from the Pac-10. Ultimately, the basketball program is banned from post-season play next year, and is stripped of one scholarship for the next two years, and have to make one coach sit out from recruiting, and have 20 less recruiting days per year (110 instead of 130) for the next two years. I’m far from shocked at the ending to this story. The facts seemed pretty stacked against them, and while I hoped it would prove to be false accusations, deep down I knew it wasn’t. That’s why the age eligibility rule that the NBA decided to impose has made the guys ready to get into the NBA too dangerous for the NCAA. Teams are hard pressed into trying to get these players, so if it means giving them a few extra perks, so be it. We all know that Mayo wasn’t there for school purposes, and the one and done type player accomplishes nothing substantial towards a degree. I wonder if the NCAA gave USC some sort of an ultimatum. Either we bust you for Mayo, or we bust you for Bush and McKnight. I’m sure the school would much rather lose hoops for a season over the losing the storied football team, and giving back a National Championship. Lucky for them it’s just the hoops squad!

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports