Monthly Archives: September 2010

September 29, 2010

Doin Lines Week 4

By chappy81

Lost in the Sunday sports shuffle I forgot fall was upon us. I was as excited about seeing the new “Eastbound and Down” series premiere as I was about the football games. There were a lot of shows just getting started, but this one was like watching the Raiders game for me. It didn’t disappoint, opening up with a messy cock fight, and ending with Kenny being left by his new Mexican homies, and returning to the mound. I’d recommend Eastbound and Down to any sportsfan, especially the ones that liked the movie Major League. Kenny Powers is basically a washed up Ricky Vaughn trying to remake himself into a star again. His mission is to convince himself, and everyone around him that he is still the best. There are classic lines every 2 minutes. Before we get to the real reason for the post, I’m wondering why didn’t I bet against every team that clinched a playoff spot yesterday, sans the Twins. They all lost, and hopefully typing this out will be a mental note to bet on those games after a team clinches a playoff spot in baseball. On to football, last week neither of us did well. I can’t get to .500, and By is going to have to have a helluva week to make up for this past one. Our results have me questioning if we can right the ship faster than the Raiders and 49ers!?! Hopefully so, or we could be in for a loooong season.

Well, I was absolutely destroyed last week.  I know I hit on 1/3 of my picks, but I don’t even want to look back at the two teams that came through for me.  Metaphorically speaking, last week was like eating a bad burrito that gave me the runs, now that it’s out of my system, I just want to forget about it.  I know it isn’t poetic, but it describes exactly how I feel.  But, as Jay-Z would say, “On To The Next One.”

Results for week 3 (Chap 3-3-0, By 2-4-0) Overall (Chap 8-9-1, By 5-8-2)

Denver @ Tennessee (-7)

By picks Tennessee (-7) Josh McDaniels was looking like a genius around this time last season, as his Broncos were undefeated and all the buzz.  Unfortunately they haven’t replicated the fast start in 2010, and heading into Week 4, things just got worse with the announcement of Knowshon Moreno missing his second straight game with a hamstring injury.  Kyle Orton has done a great job as the interim QB, but it hasn’t translated to wins.  Ultimately, Denver doesn’t have enough threats to compete with Tennessee.  For the Titans, Chris Johnson is a beast, we don’t have to get into it about him, what it all comes down to Vince Young.  If you throw away the Pittsburgh game, he’s done a good job directing the ship, and after dismantling the Giants in New York last week, I’ve seen enough from the Titans to feel confident in having them cover.

@ Pittsburgh (-1.5) vs. Baltimore Continue reading

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

September 29, 2010

Ryder Cup E-mail Thread

By dyslecix

With the Ryder Cup about to kickoff tomorrow, we chatted about the storylines (mainly Tiger) in our daily e-mail chain. It all started with this Gene Wojciechowski article.

Dyslecix: (Without reading it) Wild guess, the US team gets thoroughly trounced this weekend, and Tiger breaks even at 2-2 in his matchups sitting out a best ball or alternate shot round.

Cali4Dre: More along the lines of how much more Tiger needs this Ryder Cup than in the past… And how much getting a win would mean, how he can use it to repair his image, how he can mentor the 5 rookies, etc.

Chappy: I thought it was interesting watching Tiger’s interviews yesterday. I agree though Woods needs the Ryder Cup more than it needs him… And I agree with you Tony, the US team is going to get owned… I think the course favors the Euros… Aren’t there a bunch of hazards there that make the longer hitters club down right?

Dyslecix: I’m not really interested in individual story lines with the Ryder Cup, by Sunday when the single matches are going on, and the crowds are going crazy it’s more of a team story to me as they battle….It certainly didn’t miss a beat without Tiger in 08’ and was just as interesting to me at least.

I just read that despite what Monty said, the changes off the fairway to the course are pretty noticeable. It’s playing a lot like a US Open course with thick nasty rough.

Chappy: Yeah, I read that they were going to have the rough around 3 ½ inches, brutal… Oh and I disagree that this event alone would change Tiger’s image. I think winning Majors is the only way Tiger repairs that image…

Dyslecix: Nice little Monthly special…and predictable with Bubba, Phil, Tiger and crew and there wayward tee game.

Damm this is gonna be fun to watch.

How about just winning on the Tour again for starters?

Cali4Dre: I think that was Wojo’s point, not winning all year is weird for Tiger, this is his last chance since he usually doesn’t play in the Fall Series.

Dyslecix: Wasn’t Wojo a big Tiger supporter in the past?

Cali4Dre: Who wasn’t?

Chappy: I wasn’t 🙂

Dyslecix: Well at first everybody was on his side sure, but as he got older there was the crew of writers that were haters….Mainly the Lefty group, and the other group who thought he swore and cusses too much, the “gives the image of golf a bad name” writers.

Cali4Dre: Sure you weren’t, everyone loves a winner.  There does appear to be water on half the holes, and I believe the woods are in play on just about every hole looking at the pictures…

Dyslecix: It’s built along a river, and is amazingly incorporated in the country side. Visually it looks awesome in pics, should be fun to see it live on TV.

Chappy: Ok, I was on his side up until around 2002 or 2003, then I started rooting against him. He just rubbed me the wrong way, I never liked how robotic he was, he didn’t even seem human. It’s hard for me to like guys that don’t seem human at all…

Cali4Dre: I’ll admit, I only rooted against Tiger because I prefer to root for the underdog or no-namer, but who couldn’t be a fan of how Tiger dominated??

Dyslecix: You guys were a real minority…

Chappy: Totally, I was a fan of his game, and didn’t give a crap about how he acted on the course, but when he cussed and cried I was reveling in it. I guess just like MJ and Kobe, I just hate the best, and like to root against them. Not to say I don’t enjoy watching them, but still root for the underdog like dre…

Dyslecix: New article on the pairings.

Cali4Dre: Interesting… I think Pavin might be one of the bets mental players in terms of strategy in the game of golf because he has had to be since he wasn’t exactly the most physically gifted.  I think he’ll do just fan on the strategy parts… what do you guys think?

Dyslecix: I agree…Maybe he doesn’t have to with the “Pod” strategy because his players and pairings are developing despite it. Anyways, Pavin won’t get out “coached” by Monty in any way. This comes down to talent straight up I think.

Cali4Dre: It’s amazing how balanced the team is in terms of distance and accuracy, it’s almost too easy to make pairings that way…

Chappy:I don’t think it matters what the pairings are, the US is going to lose…

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

September 29, 2010

There Shouldn’t Be A Debate Between Felix and CC For Cy Young

By chappy81

I must really be fired up about this AL Cy Young race, because it’s the second post I’ve done on it, and I rarely go back to any subject I previously poured out my views on a post, but hearing people argue that CC should win it aggravated me enough to write a post on it again. It’s obviously a two man race for the AL Cy Young Award, and both Felix and CC made their final starts of the year last night. Like I said back in August, it was Felix’s award to lose. If anything Felix has strengthened his case over the last month and a half. Since I wrote in the original post (end of August) that it was Felix’s Cy Young to lose, they both have the same record (3-2), are within a few innings pitched of each other, have about the same K’s as each other, but CC’s ERA is two full points higher over that span. CC just happened to win his 21st game during that time span, which made more people jump on his bandwagon. Does that make him a better choice for the award? I don’t think so, because I don’t value wins and losses all that much. The award is supposed to be given to the best pitcher period, not the best pitcher on the best team. Greinke winning the award should show us that you don’t have to be on a good team, same with Cliff Lee on the Indians. Over the whole year it’s easy to see who should win the award. They both had the same amount of starts (34), but Felix threw 12 more innings, had nearly one less run on his ERA (0.91 lower), struck out 35 more hitters, and threw four more complete games (6 total) than CC. I will argue for King Felix on the points that I keep seeing light on why CC should be the winner. One last stat, 12 of 13 pitchers that held the lead in strikeouts and ERA won the award, so I’m hoping that it doesn’t go to 12 out of 14 this year.

Argument: CC won 21 games on the best team.

I know CC has won 21 games, but he’s on a team that scored the most runs in the league by nearly 50. Conversely, Felix is on a team that scored 70 less runs than anyone else in the league. You tell me which guy you’d put money on to win more games. Hell, I’d probably would’ve put money on AJ Burnett or Javier Vasquez to have more wins than Felix. If wins are so important, why aren’t Lester, Pavano, and Verlander in those Cy Young talks? They still could get 20 wins, and are comparable to CC in ERA and K’s.

Argument: CC is in a tougher division. Continue reading

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

September 29, 2010

DUBS 2010

By By

Basketball is around the corner, and I am uberly excited!  I hope the Lakers fail and Kobe finally starts to show some wear & tear.  I’m intrigued to see how the Miami Thrice unification plays out, 73 wins?  Although “Miami Thrice” as a nickname is just lame.  But, most importantly, I’m excited for my new look Golden State Warriors!  I got high hopes on my boys! 

Here’s a little snippet from the Warriors YouTube channel, led by the freshly gold medaled Steph Curry, the Dubs run some basic 3 on 2 and 2 on 1 drills, if I must say so myself, our squad has the look of a playoff team.

PS – I know it’s only rumored … but just in case Lacob & Riley read this, DO NOT TRADE STEPH CURRY EVER!

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

September 28, 2010

RFP of the Day: Matt Nokes

By mceezy

One of these things is unlike the others.

Tigers fans are probably cringing right now. Matt Nokes has got to be one of those names that just makes any Detroit fan shake his head. I may have been just a little whippersnapper in 1987, but I remember a pretty good AL Rookie of the Year race. Of course it would eventually go to my hometown hero, Mark McGwire, on the strength of 49 homers and 118 RBI. And first runner up may have gone to Kevin Seitzer of the Royals, but the guy I remember challenging McGwire for the trophy was Tigers’ catcher, Matt Nokes. Nokes was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 20th round of the 1981 draft. He spent a few years in the minors, made his big league debut in 85, went 11 for 53 and was dealt the following offseason to Detroit in a multiplayer deal that was essentially the swapping of poo poo platters between the Giants and Tigers. Nokes made just 24 plate appearance for Detroit in 1986, but then he broke out in 87. While batting .289, the Tigers new star player jacked 32 home runs and drove in 87 RBI, which earned him an All-Star berth, a Silver Slugger award, and third place in the AL ROY voting. He even got some clown to give him an MVP vote. The future looked bright for Nokes….. but it wasn’t. He never topped any of those numbers, and despite a slight resurgence in New York with the Yankees in 91-92, he never really made any noise. Those were terrible Yankee teams, so the numbers didn’t mean much. To be honest, I probably haven’t even thought of Matt Nokes in years. I was contemplating a feature on Glenallen Hill or Milt Thompson, and somehow I stumbled upon Nokes. Here’s to you Tiger fans!

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Random Forgotten Player, Sports

September 28, 2010

Mythbusters for Sports

By chappy81

I’m not usually big on gushing about every new site I run across, but the NBAplaybook.com is the exception to that rule. I spent numerous hours on the site reading most of the myths that they busted. It might not be the site for you if you aren’t into basketball, but yesterday they broke down a subject near and dear to me on whether Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis can play together, which made me want to write a post to recognize this site. Obviously this matchup is a nightmare for any team when they are on offense, but can be exposed when they are on defense. Monta has backed off his original statement from last year which is refreshing, so hopefully the mythbusters are right and they can play well together. If you love analysis and overanalyzing things like free throws, footwork, and Dwight Howards post game, then you will love this site. Just be sure you have some time to read for a bit!

13 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Blogs, Sports

September 27, 2010

Raiders Were Screwed Either Way…

By chappy81

I found myself saddened by the Bills decision to cut Trent Edwards today. It’s strangely the second pro athlete my mom has met since I left NorCal, and I was more excited to hear about her encounter with Ricky Williams, but Trent Edwards wasn’t a terrible silver medal. Edwards happens to be my mom’s neighbor’s wife’s cousin, so she has seen him a few times here and there. Anyways, the reason for this post wasn’t to be sad about Edwards getting the axe in Buffalo, but more to be happy that the Raiders couldn’t have selected a solid quarterback out of that 2007 draft when they gave their fate to arguably the biggest draft bust in the history of busts selecting Jamarcus. It might have been one of the ugliest classes in decades, unless Kolb somehow grabs the job from Vick (don’t hold your breathe for that one) it was a horrible draft for QB’s. It’s always fun to see where the top QB’s for the first 100 picks of that magical 2007 draft are today.

#1 Overall – Jamarcus Russell

I’ve said all I can say about this guy, but right now he’s probably pounding some sizznurup hoping the UFL will give him a call.

#22 Overall – Brady Quinn

He’s now hanging out in Denver behind Tim Tebow(another over drafted QB) of all people. I guess if Orton got hurt, he might see the field, but if his resume isn’t bust material I don’t know your definition of a bust is.

#32 Overall – Kevin Kolb

Can’t call him a bust yet, but can’t call him much of a success when Vick has already supplanted him as the starter in Philly after 6 quarters against bad teams. I’m not a beliver yet, but I guess there’s a chance he could be good…

#40 Overall – John Beck

Who? Took me a minute to remember who he was too. Miami didn’t like him all that much, now he’s a third stringer in Washington, not exactly a successful 2nd round pick.

#43 Overall – Drew Stanton

Another who? Is there an owl nearby or something?!? He is holding down the backup spot on Detroit right now, but when Stafford gets back on the field he’ll move down the depth chart.

#92 Overall – Trent Edwards

Just got cut, so the way I see it, if Kolb sucks the Raiders didn’t make a terrible choice in drafting Jamarcus, there was simply nothing to work with out of this QB class, so we were doomed no matter who ended up coming to Oakland.

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

September 25, 2010

Vincent Jackson’s Value E-mail Thread

By mceezy

In response to Michael Silver’s article on Chargers’ GM, AJ Smith vs. Vincent Jackson over on Yahoo Sports, the Doin Work crew sounded off on the San Diego dilemma. Should the Chargers continue to hold out for what they want for Vincent Jackson, or simply take what they can get and move on?

Chappy: Sure isn’t a fan of AJ Smith. Can’t say I disagree with his point of view though…

Dyslecix: I get both sides of this…in the end though, this falls on VJ….he didn’t hold the cards to play AJ Smith heads up, and he lost. That’s just business.

Chappy: I think having his team blacked out on TV on the home opener might be making him reconsider not giving in… His business should be to fill up the seats…

Dyslecix: I can’t speak for Charger fans…but Dre and a ton of posts in the comment section sure make it seem like there happy he didn’t give in.

Chappy: That’s true, dre was pretty bitter… I guess the weather is just too good to go to football games that cost $100 for crappy seats…

Anonymous Broncos Fan: i don’t think vj has a leg to stand on in the whole situtaion, but they should’ve traded him.  2nd round picks become starters in the nfl…

Cali4Dre: I disagree with what this guy is saying, AJ Smith is not acting “misguided” here, it’s definitely the player

This isn’t the first time AJ Smith has gone head to head with someone else in the organization, and he’s fried much bigger fish than the other Vincent Jackson (See: Schottennheimer, Marty).  Football is a business, Players are assets, and the Chargers are one of the shrewdest teams in the league when it comes to trades (See #1 pick (Vick) in 2001 for picks that tuned out to be LT and Brees; see: see #1 pick (Manning) in 2004 for picks that turned out to be Rivers, Kaeding, and Merriman in 2005).  Let’s not forget the Chargers spent a #2 pick on Vj, so it’s not like they signed him as an undrafted FA or something.  They kept him on the sidelines until he was ready and in the next couple of years VJ will cash in on how the Chargers groomed him.  You’d think he would have a little bit of gratitude towards the Chargers, but instead he turns into a punk and goes out and gets a DUI not once but twice and decides he’s bigger than the teams 3.2M offer to play out his original contract.

Chappy: Since you’ve followed it every step of the way, I’ll take your word for it

MCeezy: Are we sure Vincent Jackson is really that good? You know I’m the last to admit Philip Rivers is good, but maybe VJ is just a product of having a good QB? He could easily go to another team and completely disappear. I think they should take whatever they can get for him and move on with Floyd and Nanee, or whoever else they can sign

Dyslecix:69 catches is his high total, and 8 TD’s. Mehhhh

Chappy: Slightly better than Heyward Bey

MCeezy: OH, well in that case he’s a stud!!!!  hahaha.

Cali4Dre: Point is he’s valuable to the Chargers because he knows his their system and he moves the chains.  I saw a stat that said he averaged the highest percentage of catches for a first down in the league last year, and the highest average YPC.  He’s big, fast, and can out-jump any corner in the league for a ball in the end-zone, so while he might not have racked up say 100 catches, he didn’t need to.  They have Gates who catches more balls than most TE’s, and Floyd caught his fair share.  The Chargers also spent a lot of time leading in games so they didn’t need to pass as often.

MCeezy: I agree with every bit of that. That’s why I think Jackson’s expendable. I know VORP is a baseball term, but I feel like they’re good enough offensively that they can plug in someone else and be just fine. He’s not worth the headache, or holding out for a 2nd & 3rd round pick

Anonymous Broncos Fan: obviously not THAT valuable.

Dyslecix: Expendable and not worth the money he was asking for.

Chappy: Don’t need to pass a lot!?! They were ranked 31st in rushing last year…

Dyslecix: What was there passing rank?

Chappy: 5th http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/passing/year/2009

Cali4Dre: Point will missed on rushing when leading games, I would expect that from a Raider fan. I agree he’s easily expendable, but the Chargers aren’t going to let a punk or the rest of the league strong arm them into dealing their Pro-Bowl WR for something they don’t want…

Chappy: Ranked 19th in attempts and are 32nd in YPC… I guess when your ahead 3 and outs are acceptable…



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

September 24, 2010

Tacky Technical Fouls Grind My Gears

By chappy81

The NBA has decided to expand what rules they will use in handing out Techincal Fouls for the upcoming season. Are they kidding?!? They tried to do something similar last year, but didn’t really stick to it thankfully. It will be grinding my gears all season if they actually stick to these god awful rules that are solely based on a refs opinion! Some of the refs already head hunt for certain players they don’t like, and now they can T them up for looking at them the wrong way! Simply ridiculous! Here’s what officials have been instructed to call Technicals for this coming season;

  • Players making aggressive gestures, such as air punches, anywhere on the court.
  • Demonstrative disagreement, such as when a player incredulously raises his hands, or smacks his own arm to demonstrate how he was fouled.
  • Running directly at an official to complain about a call.
  • Excessive inquiries about a call, even in a civilized tone.
  • Players who use body language to question or demonstrate displeasure, or say things like, “Come on!”
  • They can also consider technicals for players who “take the long path to the official”, walking across the court to make their case.

So are they going to turn the players into a bunch of stiffs and mimes? Would yelling at your own teammate like Kobe constantly does a lot get you a T? I’ve always despised the NBA for changing the rules from its heydays where the Detroit bad boys and those mean Knicks teams ruled the 80’s and 90’s with their overly tough play. Those teams were exciting and fun to watch even if I was only 10 years old. I was young, and their style of play didn’t ever offend, scare, or influence me as a boy, it really just showed me what true competitors look like. The NBA took steps to make it tougher on defenders, and I get that, it made sense since some of those games were slightly too physical for a basketball game, and you were constantly wondering when the two tangled up guys were going to fight. Now though, I feel like the league is giving waay too much power to the officials that weren’t all that good to begin with. Shouldn’t the officials be an afterthought rather than the deciding factor? Of course they should, that’s why these rules don’t make sense.

I know Stern is protecting his BFF’s (the refs), so that they can get him the matchups he wants in the playoffs, but stepping up the technicals rules is above and beyond bad. It’s taking the fun out of the game. I don’t want to watch a bunch of robots on the court, unless that’s their style, I’m looking at you Tim Duncan. I like it when guys get fired up and argue calls showing you that they care about winning. If you don’t like any confrontation, maybe you shouldn’t be watching sports, because it’s a big part of every game. I know I get heated when I play pickup games, so I’m sure if a player is getting shafted at their job/on the court they will get pissed too, and rightfully so! I understand rules that protect players from getting injured like how the NFL babies quarterbacks, but what is this supposed to do? Clean up the NBA’s image? I didn’t know that they wanted their image to be as soft as a Justin Bieber song. Sure a lot of the players are “thugs” or trashy people, but who cares, that’s not why we are watching them. We are watching them because of their amazing talents on the court, and if they happen to get pissed off they shouldn’t be penalized in the heat of a battle, unless it’s warranted. I’m not against the technical foul in general, because you need some order, but the new way of handing them out is going to make guys too passive. They already added suspensions for excess technicals during the season. Now for players that probably didn’t deserve a T to begin with are going to be suspended, because they had too many technicals… They will regret implementing these rules in the playoffs when five or six key guys are suspended for games when their tempers are flaring on the ultimate stage.

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

September 23, 2010

Doin Lines Week 3

By chappy81
This week’s lines are brought to you by the legend Kenny Powers!

I can’t quite get to .500 on the season, and By fell just below .500 for the year. It’s always funny to see the games that you weren’t worried about go completely wrong, and the ones that you questioned picking, coming through without a hitch. I guess it just shows you how good those damn odds makers are, and just how much parody there is in the NFL, but they can be beat, and that shouldn’t be an excuse! Even if I’m more indecisive than all these head coaches are with picking a starting QB, it doesn’t mean that I can’t pick a winner, right?!? Now that I’ve completely lost you, I’m going to try to make this week’s picks without bias, ie. I’m not going to pick teams that I want to win! Rule number two for the week; if you see both of us pick the same team in the same game immediately pick the opposite way. We are 0-2 in games we both picked the same team; hopefully the odds will even us out soon.

Like Vernon Davis, I fell flat on my face on the guarantee to win ’em all.  I finished a dismal 1-2-2 last week, but honestly, I thought I came out better than that.  Philly was up big, and Oakland had St. Louis at home.  Those two should have been a lock to cover, but I check the final scores, and both teams let me down.  So this week I’m stepping my game up, not only more focused on spotting the winning lines, but I’m picking a career high six games!  So I’m giving you the quantity for sure, and perhaps … the … quality?  I guess we’ll find out come Sunday.  On to the picks!

Week 2 Results (Chap 3-3, By 1-2-2) Overall Results (Chap 5-6-1, By 4-4-1) Continue reading

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

September 23, 2010

Ode to Nellie

By chappy81

It was announced all over today that our new Warriors regime (Lacob and Gruber) would like a fresh start this training camp without Don Nelson holding the keys to their new investment. They can’t officially make moves for the team, but they made it clear to Cohan and Co. that they’d like Keith Smart at the helm to start this season. As By said, the Smart era is upon us! As much bashing as Nellie took over the last two seasons it’s hard to remember why they wanted him in the first place, but looking back he was easily my favorite Warriors coach of my lifetime, and for that I thank him for bringing me some joy in the postseason which is more than I can say about any of the other coaches they had.

Growing up people always wondered why I liked the Warriors. It was hard to justify, but in the late 80’s Nellie made me a huge fan throwing together the Run TMC package of Mullin, Hardaway, and Richmond. Sarunas Marcuilloneus is still my favorite international player of all time. From that moment on, I was going to be a Warriors fan for life, and going to their games every time I went to visit Grandma and Grandpa probably added to it as well. He retooled the dubs with Spreewell and Chris Webber after the Run TMC days were over. Nellie’s teams made the playoffs in four out of his seven years as the Warriors coach. Little did I know then that they wouldn’t make the playoffs for a loooong time after he left, because the beginning of the Cohan Era started in 1995.

His second stint with the Warriors was highlighted by his inability to get along with players, and that shouldn’t have come to a surprise to the fans, since he was behind selling Chris Webber away for a poo poo platter after just getting ROY honors. Alas, he did give us a magical season in 2007. It was probably one of the most exciting teams to watch in the league, unless you’re a big fan of defense for some reason. The year after they won the most games of anyone to miss the playoffs, so he still hadn’t lost the team yet, but that offseason he broke everyone up starting with Baron. Even in this day in age where we only remember what was said last, I still love the guy, even though he was the main catalyst behind breaking up two good teams. He gave me the best basketball for my team during my lifetime, and I’m grateful for that  no matter whatever other stuff happened. I wish him the best, and hope that the Smart Era isn’t like the Montgomery, Carlesimo, Musselman, and St. Jean Eras. It can’t be worse than them, and it looks like our new owners actually want to acquire talent that fits together. I’m cracking a Bud Light right now just for you Nellie!

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

September 23, 2010

Why Is Bob Geren Still Here?

By mceezy

That’s a rhetorical question. Bob Geren is still here because he’s Billy Beane’s BFF. I just really wish the A’s would try to find a good manager instead of apathetically letting the GM’s buddy run the show. Today, the Oakland Athletics exercised the option on Bob Geren’s contract for 2011, meaning he’ll be back for another year at the helm. It’ll be his 5th year as manager and he has yet to top 76 wins. Granted, he’ll most likely top that this year, but the guy hasn’t even managed a .500 season in his tenure. He has a career record of 302-334. What club actively brings back a manager after four consecutive losing seasons? It’s not like they’re a struggling franchise like the Royals where a 70 win season could be considered a success. This is a team that had EIGHT STRAIGHT WINNING SEASONS, capped by an ALCS berth. Then the Geren era began, and it’s been all losing ever since. Sometimes I feel like Lou Wolf and the A’s ownership are recreating the classic film, Major League – I probably allude to that every time I write about the A’s – except Lou Brown would probably do a better job.

I think it’s time for the A’s to do what the other Oakland teams did and bring back an old coach that had success. The Warriors brought back Don Nelson and before you knew it were back in the playoffs. The Raiders brought back Art Shell and they only gave up 332 points – their lowest in a season to date since the Super Bowl season in 2002. They went 2-14 but that’s neither here nor there. It’s time to bring back Art Howe. Maybe Ken Macha will be available after the Brewers finish the season. Shoot, Don Wakamatsu, former A’s bench coach, is available. Oh wait, we’re locked in on Geren for another sub-.500 year. I guess the A’s are just going to milk another revenue sharing season and let attendance dwindle even more so they can continue to build their case to leave Oakland. I’m fed up with this charade. The fanbase is there, but this ownership regime continues to alienate. I’m the biggest A’s fan I know, but it’s hard to support a group that simply can’t compete. Sure, there are some great young players, and the future is bright, yada yada yada. But Get Carter had a great cast and that doesn’t make it a good movie. Anyway, I’ll sit through one more year. It’s not like they signed Geren to an extension; they just exercised his option. That’s same thing as someone putting on Get Carter, so you sit through it, as opposed to going to the theater and buying a ticket. I’ll tell you this much though, if the A’s buy a ticket to Get Geren next year, I’m done. But by then they’ll probably have a deal in place to move somewhere so I won’t really care…..

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

September 23, 2010

One on One in Alcatraz

By chappy81

It’s no secret, during any sports off season I wish that sport was starting it’s season already. Basketball is no different, and with the World Championships over there’s not a lot of entertaining hoops going on, so instead of heading into the past like MCeezy did, I’ll have to make due with amateur’s playing in a one on one tourney at Alcatraz.  The venue makes it more entertaining than it actually might be!

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September 22, 2010

Karma’s Bite

By By

I am a strong believer in karma, and the majority of the time, karma works against me, but in the case of the first two weeks of the NFL season, it actually works in my favor.

Why you ask?  Because the Minnesota Vikings are 0-2.

Brett Favre has never been bitten in the butt, he’s never gotten what he deserved for the circus-like soap opera of a show he puts on every single off-season.  I’m going to retire.  I’m not.  This is it for me.  I love the game too much.  And on and on and on.  It’s disgusting.  Finally the football gods have had enough, and they’ve inflicted karma onto the divo.  The Vikings are 0-2, and yes they can talk about how they won the division two years ago after dropping their first two, but it ain’t happening again.  Not with Favre and the Scarlett Letter “K” he has sewn on to his jersey.  What I’m loving the most out of Favre, is the fact that he’s absolutely not having fun right now.  The media, NFL commentators, and all of his groupies always mention how he is a grown man kid, whose love for the game is similar to a child who loves his Legos.  Like he’s some innocent, wide-eyed infant.  You name me a kid who holds an entire organization and it’s fan base, in fact an entire league hostage.  Kid my ass.  Well watching Favre this season, it doesn’t look like he’s having fun at all.  Which means I’m having crazy fun!

I had high hopes for my San Francisco 49ers, and since they’re going nowhere fast, watching Brett Favre perform like a worn out pair of Wranglers jeans is a great consolation prize.  The thread is going to rip at any moment.

If Favre wins the gold medal in receiving karma, than Reggie Bush gets the silver.  I like Reggie Bush the player.  He lucked into a great situation because Sean Payton has done a brilliant job utilizing Bush in different formations to get him out in the open field.  Bush will never be the USC Bush in the NFL, but he’s definitely a weapon now.  But while at USC, he cheated, plain and simple.  And when the eligibility of his Heisman trophy was put into question, he returned the award, yet stated it was not an admission of guilt.  Seriously Bush?  Well he broke his leg in Monday Night’s win over the 49ers, it’s not career ending or anything, but he will miss a significant amount of time this season.  Karma strikes again.

So although I’m not karma’s bff or anything, as I’ve had my fair share of “getting my just desserts” … I’m glad to see that karma isn’t prejudice, and anyone can fall victim to its bite.

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

September 21, 2010

Old Guys Getting Up and Throwing Down

By mceezy

Ahh, how I love taking a trip down memory lane. It seems like the NBA is on its way back to being an exciting game, but until that day comes, there’s always youtube, where the legends of yesteryear are back in their prime. Enjoy some of the top dunks from the 1994-1995 season. Anyone else remember Sean Elliot getting up as much as he does in #9? Dude’s head was above the rim. That’s a big deal these days, and I didn’t know he was doing it 15 years ago….

5 Comments   |  tags: , | posted in Sports