Author Archives: chappy81

About chappy81

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I'm a dude that just hit 30 years old. Pretty much like everything that is funny, insightful, and has to do with the Warriors, A's, and Raiders.
October 25, 2010

Warriors 2010-11 Season Preview

By chappy81
The Warriors funniest fan as far as trash talking goes… Mistah Fab!

During yesterday’s football Sunday all I could think about was the hoops season that is right around the corner. This years Warriors team is completely different than last year. Aside from Curry, Ellis, Biendris, Reggie Williams, and Branden Wright everyone else is new. Change isn’t a bad thing for us, which started this off season with the arrival of  new ownership group, and a sort of new coach (sort of is because he’s been the W’s assistant for seven years). I was a little surprised that the Warriors made this many changes from last years team that we never really saw on the court together. The 2009 unit broke the record for games missed due to injuries, and half of our 9 man roster ended up being D-League call ups. Oh well, maybe management knew something, and this new crop of players can put up huge numbers in the games played column! I guess if you’re a new management team coming in, you’d want to get as far away from the Chris Cohan era as possible, so I don’t blame them for blowing up the team a little. I’m not expecting them to make the playoffs this year. I mean I could see that happening, but that would take a perfect transition with a lot of moving/new parts involved. I’m really just looking for improvement over the season. By had a much more optimistic expectations of them, putting them as the sixth seed in the west. I hope he’s right, but I’ll temper my expectations for the time being! Here’s the Warriors story lines I’m most intrigued with for the year.

David Lee

Lee was our big long term acquisition this off season. I can’t lie, I haven’t seen him play very much. He seems to be a great blue collar type player that will give you Brian Cardinal type effort when he’s out there. In the limited time I’ve seen him play I can’t say he’s great at any one single thing, but very good at everything. It’s refreshing to have Lee and Curry as the franchise face after having quite a few slackers as our stars over the years. I do have one big question for Lee. Is going against true power forwards every night instead of going against centers going to hurt his productivity? While in NY, he was their center, going against opposing centers nightly, which he could out quick 90% of the time. I think that was a reason why he was able to put up such big numbers in scoring and rebounding. Now he will be guarded by quicker and more talented power forwards while also having to contain them on the other end of the floor. I’m not saying centers aren’t athletic, but forwards seem to be a lot more polished presently in today’s NBA. I’m also wondering how the roll on the pick and roll will go with Biens out on the floor. Center’s don’t really need to cover Biens because he has very limited offensive abilities. Will the sagging/cheating center leave Biens to clog up the lane making it tough on Lee to finish? We shall see.

Defense Continue reading

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

October 23, 2010

Doin Lines Week 7

By chappy81

A so-so week for me. My picks have felt like Gary Busey looks.  I swear at halftime of every game this weekend I thought I was a lock to win each pick, but unfortunately a lot of my teams were outscored in the second half just to disappoint me. At least I pulled out a .500 week for the first time in a few weeks, and am moving in the right direction. Maybe I should just be betting on the first half scores!

I had a “whatever” type weekend finishing 2-3-1.  Any momentum or confidence I had from busting out the whooping sticks two weeks ago has faded.  For some reason, all I can think about after writing that, is a line from Eminem’s Lose Yourself track, “Snap back to reality, OH, there goes gravity …”  Anyway, Chappy and I both picked Baltimore over New England last week, and of course, both of us ended up on the short end of the stick with that selection.  I’ll try not to peek over at who Chaps got this week for fear of an automatic loss.  On a side note, picking teams this year has been terrible for me, I feel like a jester trying to entertain a King, only to fail and hear him say, “FEED HIM TO THE LINES!“

(Was that funny?)

Week 7 (Chappy 2-2-2, By 1-3-2) Overall (Chappy 12-20-3, By 12-16-3)

Pittsburgh (-3) @ Miami

Chappy picks Pittsburgh (-3), Will the Steelers defense be as good with James Harrison pulling up on hits because he’s scared of a fine? I doubt it! The Steelers stop teams that are good at running holding opposing offenses to only 63 yards a game on the ground. If the Dolphins have a shot in this one it will be because Bess and Marshall have big games. This is the first time in a couple of years that the whole Steelers defense is healthy, and they’ve shown what they can do when they are healthy. They usually fare well in these physical match ups. I think Ben shook off all the rust he may or may not have had against the lowly Browns last week, and could have a big game if they keep Cameron Wake out of his face. The Dolphins were blown out at home against the Jets and Patriots, making me think the Steelers should do the same…

By picks Pittsburgh (-3).  What’s one way to steer controversy away from Ben Roethlisberger?  How about steering it towards James Harrison?  That’ll work.  Ben Roethlisberger, in his return from suspension, wasn’t even mentioned last week!  All the attention went to the league officials and James Harrison.  Everybody saw the steep fine the league struck Harrison with for his “illegal” hit, then everybody witnessed Harrison “contemplate” retirement after, which resulted in everybody NOT believing in him , which followed by Harrison coming back to no one’s surprise, after his day off.  Back to the games.  As good as Pittsburgh has been these past few weeks, it’s pretty scary to see how they’ll look once Big Ben gets back into rhythm.  Pittsburgh may be my favorite to win the Super Bowl as of now.  I know Miami is coming off a big win against Green Bay, but nothing can prepare them for the beating they’re going to get from Team USA.  The United Steelers of America.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Harrison responds by trying to hit someone even harder than he did Masshisname?  Or his boy, Cribbs.  Pittsburgh big.

Cincinnati (+3.5) @ Atlanta

Chappy picks Atlanta (-3.5), Carson Palmer has been good at one thing this year, and that’s turning it over at the worst possible times, like in the redzone. Matt Ryan has been just as up and down, but his team is pulling out victories. For Palmer it doesn’t really matter who his receivers are when he’s throwing it to the opposing team. We might see Michael Turner re-emerge against the leagues 19th ranked rush defense. If Atlanta is for real, they need to beat this Bengals team convincingly, especially since they can’t really find their footing so far this year.

By picks Atlanta (-3). Atlanta ran into a road block last week in Philadelphia, but that doesn’t stop me from believing the Falcons are the top team in the NFC South.  I think we know what we’re getting from Matt Ryan, a star that’s just on the brink of stardom, but the inconsistencies of Michael Turner and the Falcons running game has to improve for Atlanta to be truly considered a threat to dethrone the Saints as champs.  The Bengals’ season has been filled with ups and downs, but surprisingly, there isn’t much controversy coming out Cincinnati considering who their star receivers are.  But, with that said, both Chad OchoCinco and Carson Palmer have performed mediocre at best, and for the Bengals to be competitive, their two main stays must step up their game.  I don’t see that happening at Atlanta this week, and I feel a three-point spread is too little.  Falcons by 13.

Washington (+3) @ Chicago

Chappy picks Washington (+3), I can’t really stand watching either of these teams play. I guess I kinda like McNabb, but after that not a whole lot of love for anyone else. The Bears are piling up the injuries on defense, and it looks like McNabb could take advantage of that in this one. After starting 3-0 the Bears are starting to look like who we originally thought they were, a crappy team. I sort of feel bad for Cutler these past few weeks. He gets pounded every time he drops back. The Bears gave up 35 sacks in 2009. So far they’ve given up 27 sacks in six games for 2010. With the defense struggling, and the offense moving backwards half the time, I’ll take the points and Washington in this one. Besides McNabb is from Chicago, so I’m sure he’ll get some home-made chunky soup to enhance his superpowers.

Buffalo (+13) @ Baltimore

Chappy picks Baltimore (-13), the Bills are probably the worst team in the league. They could threaten the Lions 0-16 record, and looking at their schedule they really only have three more chances to win playing Cleveland, Detroit, and I’ll throw in the Jets since they play them week 17 when they will likely be resting their starters. I wonder if there’s a reverse of the 72 Dolphins, where the Lions would pop the champagne when someone matches their record so they aren’t alone in being remembered as the worst teams of all time?

San Francisco @ Carolina +3

By picks San Francisco (-3). San Francisco is coming off their biggest win of the season, their only win.  I’m normally hard on the 49ers, and if it were any other opponent they were facing this weak aside from Carolina, I’d probably go with them.  But Carolina might be one of the worst teams in the NFL, if not “the” worse.  Not sure why John Fox elected to go back with Matt Moore at QB, he has shown he isn’t capable of driving a team down field.  I would have stuck with Jimmy Clausen and start his development process early.  Regardless of who Carolina throws behind center, they’re incapable of getting the job done, similar to the 49ers.  At least the 49ers have Frank Gore and a tremendous defense.  49ers cover, and go on a winning streak of two.

Oakland (+8.5) @ Denver

Chappy picks Oakland (+8.5), The Raiders have no passing game, the Broncos have no running game. Which one wins? Campbell threw for 87 yards and two interceptions last week against SF, and showed shades Jamarcus all game long. I’m not sure why I’m picking the Raiders when I’m certain Gradkowski isn’t going to be back in the lineup. As it is right now his shoulder is still too hurt to go. I think we’ll probably lose this week, but since we beat the Broncos last year in Denver with Jamarcus as our QB I feel like they can at least cover. Orton is somehow a top QB in the league right now, and with no running game hopefully the Raiders can get some pressure on him. This is my least confident pick of the week, but that being said, it’s probably the only game I’ll pick correct!

New York Giants (+3) @ Dallas

Chappy picks NYG (+3), How is a 1-4 team a three-point favorite over a 4-2 team? Tough question to answer… Wade Phillips might be coaching for his job, but that doesn’t mean they should be laying points? I think this is an easy pick the way the Giants have looked over the last few weeks. I thought they’d be a solid team this year, and they are finally showing that they are. I like their pass rush to disrupt anything that Romo gets going. When you’re pretty confident of a team winning outright, they you should definitely take the points!

Minnesota @ Green Bay -2.5

By picks Green Bay (-2.5). Brett Favre has had the worse luck in terms of the NFL probing on his “inappropriate s ext messages” going public.  He gets to go back to Green Bay now, where the Packers’ faithful should and will be heckling the crap out of him.  I expect some great signs at Lambeau.  With that said, the Vikings are not the same team they were last season, and despite Green Bay struggling as of late, the Packers should be more than capable of finally winning one in the Favre vs. Rodgers era.  I am concerned with one thing in this match up … Randy Moss.  It’s definitely going to be fun to watch Charles Woodson and Randy Moss go at it for four quarters, but Moss tends to have huge, huge games at Lambeau.  I still think the Packers have enough to win, and being that the spread is 2.5, I think the Pack by a field goal is fitting.

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

October 20, 2010

Doin NFL Hard Knocks E-Mail Thread

By chappy81

Chappy: So what do you guys think of the NFL putting down its foot on helmet to helmet hits? Honestly, I don’t agree with it. It’s a league that thrives on huge hits and contact, and although I’m fully for protecting guys I think it’s just part of the game. In those milliseconds before contact they aren’t thinking about if a hit is legal or not. They are trying to separate the ball from the receiver or get the ball carrier to the ground, so if that’s an objective of the game why is it so illegal because some guys are getting concussions? Is it really even that much more of a problem than years past?

Cali4Dre: I totally agree, and overreaction for sure.  These guys are grown men, let them make their own decisions.  They can easily hurt themselves just as bad or worse than the person they are hitting (Dunta Robinson, Kevin Everett).  Wide Receivers and TE’s don’t have to play football if they don’t want to, there’s plenty of other guys willing to take their shot at glory, which is why they are out there in the first place.  And I believe the NFL has turned itself into the biggest hypocrisy imaginable, profiting from players while trying to mandate the way they hit to protect their own liability.  The best argument I heard was this morning on ESPN, Mark Schlereth absolutely went off on the NFL and they’re double standards, the fact that they don’t even offer medical benefits to a guy like him after he retired with 19 surgeries due to injuries, yet they make billions off of the players and their image as a tough sport.

Chappy: Oh nice! I wasn’t completely sure how the players felt, but after hearing Harrison pondering retirement because of his fine, it’s great to hear that Schlereth ripped the NFL. It totally feels like a double standard. The league was built on tough guys and contact. I agree that the players know the risk/reward of playing or they wouldn’t be out there. It’s sad they say that they are trying to make it safer, when they don’t even support their own after they retire. I like TMQ’s idea of hiring some scientists to design better helmets that protect more. I never really liked how they baby QB’s, and we’ve seen how it changed the league to a pass happy one. If they make more rules like this are guys even going to be able to defend at all? I guess it might be good for gambling in that you can always pick the over!

Cali4Dre: I agree with how ridiculous babying the QB has gotten… I mean the whole “blow to the head” thing kinda sucked, but whatever, and then came the “diving into the knees” rule because of Palmer and Brady’s injuries.  Lame lame lame.  Neither was on purpose, both were because the defender was being blocked into the ground and they hustled to get that close to the QB.  Maybe they should force the defenses to count to 5 alligators before they are allowed to rush the QB as well… Continue reading

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

October 20, 2010

MLB Playoff Gloating, and Some Old Wounds

By chappy81

Rangers and Giants World Series

Did you seriously think I couldn't out coach Girardi!?! What planet are you on?

Is it really going to happen? The two teams I wanted to win could be squaring off in the World Series. I’m always a fan of the underdog, so usually my teams get knocked out just after I decide to root for them. Naturally, it makes me not care much who wins the championship when the teams I don’t care about are in the final series. This year has been different though, and the teams that I’m rooting for, for some reason, are actually winning. It’s like when I get excited seeing one of my bets at halftime correct, only to see said team fail to cover. Maybe, because neither series is over, especially the Giants and Phillies because it’s only a 2-1 series lead, and the Phillies have the pitching and hitting to come back. Plus the Giants seem to have a hard time closing out their opponent, (see the regular season against the Padres). The only reason I feel like that series is a done deal is because my 80 year old grandpa said to me over the phone last night that the Giants would win the WS. Sure, he’s been a big Giants fan his whole life, but MCeezy will vouch for him that if he says it, it will come true! It’s one heart attack win after another for the Giants all season long, so I hope grandpa didn’t jinx them. In the other league, my ALCS prediction was spot on. It’s been awhile since I was able to gloat about a prediction, so here it goes with the things I was right about! The Rangers made the Yankees look old, check. They scored every way imaginable while running all over Posada, check. Ron Washington out coached Joe Girardi by not over managing and getting his players motivated, check. The only thing I didn’t predict was how good the Rangers pitchers would be, and honestly aside from the bullpen meltdown in game 1, they dominated the best hitting lineup in the league. Now that the Rangers are up 3-1 I feel comfortable saying they will be in the World Series. Even if the Yankees somehow shake it off, and win the next two games they will have to face Cliff Lee in game 7. I’d say that means series over anyway you look at it.

Kirk Gibson Still Grinds My Gears

It’s been 22 years since Kirk broke my heart as a young baseball fan with his gimp pinch hit home run off the A’s unstoppable Eckersly. At seven years old, I didn’t think I’d hate his name still 22 years later, but reading about him selling off that historic pinch hit bat making me relive that experience yet again filled me with that same hatred. It’s bad enough they show his fist pumps around the bases every month or two during the season, but having to read about the intricacies of the bat and jersey made me throw up in my mouth a little. Here’s what Gibson said that made me relive one of my worst childhood sports moments,

If you look at the handle on the end of that bat, there’s an ‘x’ because it was a reject. I really only got it because it was so light, I was hurt, so I started to get that ready,” he said. “The cleat marks at the head of the bat where I hit my shoes, there’s indentations at the beginning of the bat. At the end of the bat, it was so deep, there’s really deep indentations, the red ink from the foul balls I hit is on it. You can actually see the spot where I made contact with the ball. It’s preserved very well.”

I can take a little solace in the fact that he is a dick, and many people don’t like him, but it just reminds me that some things you never really get over. I guess holding grudges is part of being a fan. Devastating moment #2 was probably the “Tuck Rule.”

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

October 19, 2010

CFL Is Entertaining

By chappy81

No, this isn’t the CFL, but HS football in Canada is pretty much the same thing. This is kind of what I pictured the XFL ending up like with the side storylines that had nothing to do with the game, and being more important than who won or lost. There was so much going on I had to watch it a couple of times, and I still don’t think I saw it all. Those must’ve been some experienced sh** talkers in the stands, because I’ve never seen a whole team get that pissed. Did those guys do some research and have a list of one liners to offend all their dead relatives?!? That’s the only explanation I can think of. This makes Artest-SJax’s rampage look like a Justin Beiber-Zac Effron slapping fight.

12 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Random, Sports

October 19, 2010

Storylines for the Upcoming NBA Season

By chappy81

Wow, the NBA season already starts next week! I’m always overly optimistic about my Warriors, and think they will be better than people think, but I always think that so I’ll spare you the preview. I don’t really expect it to be a playoff year for them, but am hoping that we at least find out what our strengths and weaknesses are with this newly formed squadron. I guess my hope is that we don’t have to sign five or six D-League players because the rest of our squad is on the injury report. If you didn’t know I love Curry starting at the point, but he’s been making a lot of turnovers this preseason. Maybe he’s trying to get too fancy with those passes or just isn’t used to his new teammates yet, but it did make this question pop up in my head. Do we even need him to be that great of a passer? David Lee and Ellis are fairly good at passing, so maybe we shouldn’t have the ball in his hands as much as we have been. I guess if Curry’s not worried about it, I shouldn’t be either. Anyways, the real reason for this post wasn’t to figure out how Curry, Lee, and Ellis fit together, it’s about the story lines for this season that I’m excited about that are non-Warriors related.

Too Many Technical Fouls

I wrote awhile back when the new rules for technical fouls came out that it would would ruin and take the emotion out of a game that really needs it. So far this preseason it’s already stirring some controversy. Some players feel that they will adjust to the new rules, while others feel that it’s going too far. I’ll lean towards the going to far side. Stern says that through the NBA’s research, fans want to see less complaining to the officials. This might be somewhat true, but was there a follow up question on that survey that asked  if they wanted all emotion taken out of the game? They probably forgot to include that one. Just looking at some of the ejections, you know that this rule is already getting out of hand. I understand if they want to keep guys like Rasheed and Stephen Jackson in check since they constantly bicker with the refs, but when stand up character guys like Grant Hill are getting ejected for a slap on the butt or KG for doing nothing, it’s just bad for the league. I never minded ejections or giving a player a technical if they gave overly emotional reactions, but now are they going to kick guys out for reacting period? Won’t this make the players more passive, and eventually soften the competitive fire? I think so, and I hope some of the true stars in the league push this to the limit. Imagine Kobe, Durant, and Lebron stepping up their arguing this year in a “boycott” of sorts, daring the NBA to throw them out of every game. Does the league want to keep kicking its best athletes out of games? You wouldn’t think so, because that’s bad for everyone from the fans to the players. This feels like worst imaginable way to show that the refs are doing a good job. Now were supposed to believe that if guys aren’t complaining, then the refs aren’t making bad calls? Yeah right, with super slo mo from ten angles we aren’t going to see less crappy calls. As much as they try to convince us that we will like this league better with these rules, they should’ve instead spent that marketing money on training the refs to get the calls right so there’s less complaining. Maybe next year they’ll make a new rule that you aren’t allowed to play defense with your arms!

Melo Continue reading

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

October 16, 2010

Doin Lines Week 6

By chappy81

Yikes, this season isn’t going so well for me on these picks, but at least I didn’t get skunked two weeks in a row in the win column. If my picks were a team right now, I’d probably be the Bills. Unlike the Bills, I still have hope for this season, because it only takes a couple weeks to drastically turn it around. The Bills might need at least two years to turn things around in Buffalo…

Big week for me last week, as I finally showed some life, going 4/5 on my picks!  But of course, the better news was the San Francisco Giants reaching the NLCS for the first time in eight years!  Oh, and taking Troy Glaus out in the process!  Aside from watching the Giants on Saturday, then a whole bunch of football on Sunday, I also have my fantasy basketball draft on Sunday, so needless to say, I’m a tad bit excited for the weekend to come!  Until then, let’s do some lines, shall we!?!?

Week 5 (Chappy 2-4, By 4-1) Overall (Chappy 10-18-1, By 10-14-2)

Kansas City @ Houston (-5)

Chappy picks Kansas City +5, last Sunday morning I was handed the Chiefs and Colts game on TV, so I watched. It was a lot closer than the 19-9 final score indicated. The Chiefs played Manning tough at Lucas Oil, and seemed to frustrate him most of the game. Seeing how well they did against Peyton and Co. makes me feel like they could do the same against Houston with their third ranked defense. The Chiefs were a couple of Bowe drops away from winning or being in the game in the fourth quarter, unfortunately he forgot how to catch the ball even when he was wide open. The biggest question in my mind is can Cassel actually get over 200 yards passing? I think he can against one of the leagues worst pass defenses. They made Gradkowski look like a top QB when they played the Raiders so why not Cassel? The Texans only put up 10 points against the Giants, and looked pretty bad, so they should be fired up and ready.  Problem is they aren’t usually that good at home going 4-5 in their last 9, so I think the Chiefs will be close enough to cover.

By picks Houston (-5): It’s hard to choose between these two teams, I like them both, but if it’s one thing I know about picking games, it’s not to have an emotional investment involved with it.  With that said, a good 73% of my picks come with emotional attachments, so if I can’t take my own advice, then I deserve the record I have.  Before I drown you all with self pity and sorrow, let me tell you why I chose Houston.  Simply put, they’re better than their 3-2 record.  They’re definitely better than what they put forth last Sunday versus the Giants, and you have to feel confident they won’t put up back to back stinkers at home.  I need Matt Schaub to show up this week, or else my fantasy season is over in football.  Kansas City hung with the Colts in Indy last week, but primarily based on their defense and Peyton Manning just having one of those games.  Their offense isn’t putting up consistent points, which they’ll need this week against Houston.  I have a feeling Houston’s offense will finally break out this week and turn this thing into a track meet.

Baltimore @ New England (-3) Continue reading

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

October 14, 2010

Who Thinks the Rangers Can Win? THIS GUY!

By chappy81

Even though I had my doubts when the Rangers drew the Rays in the first round, they still came through. For some reason I like the Rangers chances even more against the all mighty Yankees than I did against the Rays. Back in September when the Rangers swept the Yankees, I started to believe in them, and wrote a little about why. In that series they were without Josh Hamilton, and the Yankees were without A-Rod, so I figure those two injuries evened each other out lineup wise. What they got from that series more than anything was some extra confidence that they belong with the best. The Rangers have a swagger to them, there’s no way around it, and they’ve been that way all year. I know I brought this up in an older post, but I remember one game back in June when Ian Kinsler was yelling at the Angels players after the game in Arlington to get off their field. I thought it was kind of stupid since they played each other the next day, but it speaks volumes about this team’s mentality, and how together they are. I mean, how many teams would do a separate ginger ale celebration because one of their players is an addict? How many teams survive a manager’s dirty drug test? How many teams would have survived a bankruptcy during a season seeing guys that played in Texas eight years ago, still not being paid what was owed to them? Not many can go through that much turmoil in the workplace, but I think all those outside distractions just made them closer. They don’t roll over like the Twins did when things went wrong, they just move on to the next pitch. Continue reading

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

October 13, 2010

Team China Representing

By chappy81

Well, at least none of the players went into the stands, that would’ve been much more tragic. This was supposed to be a friendly exhibition game between China and Brazil yesterday, but there were no friends to be made on this night. It was slightly disturbing to see the fight fire back up by a cheap shot, but then again, that made the clip just that much better! I guess I’d be pretty pissed too if the refs blew a call in a meaningless game. I’m wondering if this is why Allen Iverson seems to be leaning towards playing in Turkey instead of China. Maybe he has gone soft from his gangster ways…

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

October 12, 2010

Two Things on Tuesday

By chappy81

Game 5 Rangers vs. Rays

This must’ve been the most even match up, because it’s the only game 5 we’ll get. These are two very similar teams. I’d argue that Texas has a little more pop in their lineup, but they also manufacture runs as well as the Rays. We get Lee vs. Price part II. I’m expecting Price to be a little sharper than he was the first time out. I don’t expect a shootout, and if I had to put my money on someone, I guess I’d pick the Rangers simply because of how Lee has dominated in playoffs past. I hear one of the knocks on the Rangers is that the only guys with much playoff experience are Lee, Vlad, and Molina. The Rays whole team went to the World Series a couple years ago, so they have the supposed edge there. People are also saying that the Rays have all the momentum after winning two in a row. I think momentum in baseball isn’t real. Maybe within a game, but even that theory fails on games like the Braves and Giants in game 3. What the Yankees did to the Twins wasn’t about momentum it was about owning them. For baseball, experience doesn’t matter, just look at those Marlins teams that took out the mighty Yankees. How much playoff experience did those teams have? Probably less than the Rangers! Prediction: Rangers win 4-2. My picks this year don’t seem to be working out, so confidently put your money on Tampa to win.

Brett vs. the NFL

Who cares about Brett Favre’s pending investigation? I sure don’t. I didn’t really like him before all this came out, so does this make me like him less? Thinking, thinking… Nope, same amount of hatred towards the guy.  Do I give two craps about the Vikings? No thinking. I could care less about them and what they are doing aside from a couple fantasy players. Throughout MNF game I tried to decide if I felt bad for him on any level while he was getting pounded into the ground by the Jets defense? Not at all. The theme of this story is that I don’t really care what is happening in Brett’s life. So what if he texted Jen Sterger pictures of his penis. Is she accusing him of harassment or something? That’s the only reason this story should stay relevant this long. I’m no superstar player with a huge bank account or the ego to match, so I don’t really know if this is the norm. Maybe it is. It seems like guys in the NBA text pictures of their junk, so why not the NFL! Whatever the reason was that Favre picked out Stergen for the sexts doesn’t really matter. Why couldn’t he have bought her off? There’s no way this story needed to see the light of day, and she started the rumor back in February. Those are some damn slow charges to bring up. Anyways, I don’t really find any of Brett’s actions all that bad, he’s just being the horny redneck he always was. If it takes some crazy Mel Gibson type twist, I might get more interested, but until then, I’m over this story…

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

October 11, 2010

Raiders Catch the White Unicorn

By chappy81

It’s been a looong time since the Raiders have beaten the Chargers. So long that I couldn’t even remember the last time I was able to talk sh** to my Chargers friends, and one of the reasons I picked the Chargers to piss on our rug in Week 5, but amazingly that didn’t happen! I guess I was just used to it, and even turned down the offer to go see this game live with MCeezy, because I figured I’d just be disappointed if I went. Their losing streak to the Chargers has gone longer than I’ve lived in Socal (6 years), and it was great to fire out those texts immediately following the game for once instead of just receiving them, and responding with something along the lines of “Congratulations, that was a shocker”. For the past decade the Chargers were the white unicorn that always seemed to get away. Yesterday with some improbable special teams plays, and just enough offense we outlasted that lightning bolt of a unicorn. It was kind of like how the Chiefs beat the Chargers on that opening Monday night game. Were the Raiders the best team on the field yesterday? Probably not, but they showed for the first time that they can close out a game, and will play the entire 60 minutes. Aside from week one, the best thing I’ve seen about this season is that they don’t give up even when they have some bad breaks that don’t go their way, a far cry from teams past. They actually seem to care, which might even make Raider Nation come back out for the home games and maybe save them from a blackout or two! How can I say the Nation is back? We had some high expectations for improvement this year (like me predicting a AFC Championship appearance), but there was one moment yesterday when I knew the fans had turned. Instead of booing the Raiders off the field they decided to throw stuff at Rivers all game long from the stands! That’s the classy way I remember the Raider Nation behaving, and I couldn’t have been more proud that they were doing it to Phillip cry me a river!

Why did the Raiders finally win this year against the Chargers? Aside from having some breaks go their way (blocked punts, Rivers fumble not being called a pass in a correct ruling of the tuck rule), but I believe the true reason was because they didn’t have LT. Tomlinson would always torch us to the tune of 150 yards, and two or three TD’s every time he played against Oakland. I know that LT went over 200 yards rushing against us on many occasions. LT always had an extra spring in his step when he faced the Raiders. This year is different though for the Chargers, they need to throw the ball way more than even their norm (which was a lot). Ryan Matthews was their leading rusher with 59 yards on 9 carries yesterday!?! They had the lead for nearly all the second half, and their top rusher only had 9 carries!?! Tolbert had 12 carries for 11 yards, but when you’re ahead don’t you think one of those guys should hit the 20’s in carries? As sweet as their passing game may be, they need someone to get some yards on the ground. Matthews might be good, but this year the Chargers are truly missing their running game of years past. Norv, should worry that Rivers arm might fall off throwing it 50 times a game. I’m happy they managed to pull out that win, and it’s a good sign of things to come as they fell just short against Houston and Arizona, so the way I see it the Raiders really are on the rise, and any rise is better than none. Who knows, now that the Chargers are 0-2 in the division, maybe the Raiders have a shot at the playoffs. With all the parody in this league, anything can happen, even at 2-3.

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

October 7, 2010

Doin Lines Week 5

By chappy81

That football is doing some serious lines!

Looks like we both need to re-evaluate how we are making these picks. We got one right out of ten last week, setting the lowest week total of wins since I’ve started doing this. Just like New Orleans picked itself up after Hurricane Katrina, we will have to do the same. We just need to hope that this turnaround happens a little faster than the real life one. This losing streak is showing me that no matter how much you think you know going into a game, you don’t really know crap compared to those lines makers. Just like the Geek and Sammy we have proven that we are good a pickin losers so far. It can’t be this bad for the rest of the year can it!?! I doubt it, so on to the picks.

What is the writing equivalent to being so ashamed, that you can’t even show your face in public?  Would it be, being so ashamed that you wouldn’t want to let anyone read your words?  Because that is how I feel after three consecutive, embarrassing weeks of football picks.  If you fancy my words, or my humor, or perhaps lack there of, I appreciate your loyalty to me.  But please, I beg of you, please do not read my picks for … *gasp* my picks.  After going 1/5 last week, it absolutely dawned on me.  I suck at this.  I suck at this bad.  Do I give up?  No.  But I am not cruel enough to wish bad upon our readers, so I hope you all either run as far away as you can from my picks, or simply pick the opposite.  My picks should have yellow caution tape surrounding them.  With that said, here are this week’s losers …

Last Week (Chappy 0-5, By 1-4) Overall (Chappy 8-14-1, By 6-12-2)

Denver (+7) @ Baltimore Continue reading

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

October 6, 2010

NBA Season is Creeping Up On Us

By chappy81

People let me tell you about my best friend!

D-Wade Officially Makes it Lebron’s Team

I actually caught some of the first look at the new Miami trio last night (only the first quarter). They looked really good even though D-Wade got hurt. I think the Pistons in general make most teams look good, especially ones that are supposed to be favorites for a title. At first I didn’t think much of Wade’s injury since he won’t really miss all that much time, and its still preseason. As the game progressed it became apparent that Lebron unsurprisingly would be the man without Wade in the lineup. Shocking revelation, I know. It seemed like as soon as Wade left the game, Lebron’s urgency stepped up a little. He took over that game, and showed us why this will eventually be his team. There’s no mistaking his godlike talents on the court, and even Bosh said after the game he’s never seen that many wide open shots. D-Wade is a fantastic player (easily top 5 in the league), but if you’re on the same floor as Lebron you are going to be overshadowed. Was last night the first step into the team transitioning to being all about Lebron? Probably. He even said in a pregame interview that he would not defer to anyone, and that was before Wade got hurt. Lebron endured the worst summer I can recall of any professional athlete. It was even more brutal because he didn’t even get into any kind of legal  trouble. Now it’s time for him to show us why we made such a big deal out of his decision, tanking the Boston series, and making retarded tweets and comments siding with Maverick Carter (the worst agent in the history of agents). After watching one preseason game, Lebron reminded me that he will overcome all the bad press, and will be vindicated this season through his amazing presence on the court. He is the Mike Vick of the NBA, he’s different than everyone else, and you can’t take your eyes off him when he’s playing. Miami might be Wade’s city, and it might still be his franchise, but after one missed meaningless preseason game from Wade, I think it’s already Lebron’s team.

Asian’s Breaking Ground in the NBA

You know we get up as much Asian pride posts as we can, so I couldn’t resist introducing our readers to this Chinese guy. Yesterday Sonny Xiao bought a small stake (5-10%) of the new Dallas expansion NBA D-League team named the Texas Legends. This isn’t all that exciting news since I can’t even name all the D-League teams nor have I really watched any of their games aside from a youtube clip or two. What makes Xiao so special? Is it because he’s only 27? Being 27 and owning a stake in a team was one of my goals, unfortunately it never came to fruition, and I’m older than 27 now… The real reason it’s unique though, is because he is the first Chinese born person to own a stake in a team. Mikhail Prokorov became the first overseas owner this year buying the New Jersey Nets this offseason, and now Xiao becomes the first guy from Asia to buy into the NBA, even if that happens to be a D-League team. Xiao came over from Beijing ten years ago as a foreign exchange student to attend SMU in San Antonio. He returned to Beijing to build up a couple of companies only to sell them off, and is now back in the states trying to help get this team going. It might be the first bridge to China that the NBA has been looking to find for awhile.

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

October 4, 2010

Doin Animal Attacks

By chappy81

CBS released the footage above today. This is the most recent chapter of when animals attack, unless you count a cowboy taking out a reporter in the pregame this past weekend. This however is as intense as gets in the circus ring. I guess that’s why I chose the safe career route, and instead sit at a cubicle all day where the biggest threat to my health is carpel tunnel. I never thought the trainers treated their animals very well, and these lions must have felt the same way. There’s no concrete reason as to why an animal would attack, but prodding them with that pole isn’t helping anything. The thing I didn’t understand about the trainers actions was that he kept prodding the lions after they had already attacked him, and the lion seemed to be pulling back. I doubt we’ll ever know what provokes animals to attack, but I know that this trainer is lucky to have both his arms still intact! This whole thing reminded me of a Dave Attell bit on why animals attack. Enjoy if you’ve never heard it!

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in News, Random

October 4, 2010

Doin Playoff Power Rankings

By chappy81

We haven’t put up any power rankings up for a long time, and don’t really need to anymore now that the regular season is over. Today we were debating about playoff teams, and some of us thought certain teams were stronger than others, and decided to rank them. No explanations for the rankings, just how we feel about each of these teams going into the October classic. Cincy and Atlanta seem to have the least support. Can you blame us though?!?

Chappy:

  1. Phillies
  2. Tampa Bay
  3. New York
  4. SF
  5. Texas
  6. Cincy
  7. Minnesota
  8. Atlanta

Cali4dre:

  1. Phillies
  2. New York
  3. Tampa Bay
  4. Minnesota
  5. Texas
  6. Atlanta
  7. SF
  8. Cincy

MCeezy:

1. Yankees
2. Phillies
3. Twins
4. Rangers
5. Giants
6. Braves
7. Rays (yeah, 7th)
8. Reds (although, I’ll be rooting for them)

Dyslecix:

1.       Tampa Bay

2.       Phillies

3.       NY

4.       Texas

5.       Minnesota

6.       SF

7.       Cincy

8.       Atlanta

10 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Sports