Author Archives: mceezy

About mceezy

Unknown's avatar
Let's Go Oakland....clap, clap, clap clap clap
January 16, 2011

NFL Weekend Wrapup Part II

By mceezy

Steelers Rally Back On The Ravens – Well this game certainly didn’t disappoint. After the Steelers got on the board first, Baltimore ran off three straight touchdowns to take a 21-7 lead into halftime. As the title suggests though, the Steelers rallied back and ended up winning 31-24. I still don’t like the holding call on that potential go-ahead punt return, but of course this game was going to have it’s share of close calls. The real interesting part in this game for me was the winner would be who I’d root for to come out of the AFC, since they’d likely go on to play the Patriots the following week. ……or would they?!?!

Packers Run Away From The Falcons – It’s a pretty fine line between whether the Falcons played that bad or the Packers played that good. The pivotal second quarter was the difference maker, where Matt Ryan killed both of Atlanta’s drives with costly interceptions. Aaron Rodgers became the star of the Joe and Troy Show. Buck and Aikmen displayed a level of mancrush that I haven’t seen on a broadcast since Brett Favre was in Green Bay. But honestly, why wouldn’t they? Rodgers is the only quarterback in the NFL who was fortunate enough to come from Chico, California, home of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. The only other big headline here is this sets the stage for a possible NFC Championship IN Seattle, home of the 7-9 Seahawks.

Bears Shut Down Seahawks – This game wasn’t nearly as close as the 35-24 score suggests. It was 28-3 after three quarters, and Seattle had to punt on their first 8 drives. At least they weren’t turning the ball over! The best part about this game being a blowout was it gave me a chance to make the hour drive back home from Walnut Creek in time to catch the start of the late game. It also gave me some time to reflect on the night before, where I paid my last respects to one of my favorite clubs in San Francisco, Gravity, on its last night in operation. I guess it’s fitting that the Bay Area backfield of Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett seemed to have an extra dose of gravity, and never really got off the ground, combining for just 11 rushing yards.

Jets Shock The World – Or me, at least. I gave the Jets zero chance to win this game and I was thoroughly impressed with their overall performance. They didn’t necessarily come out of the gate rolling, but they controlled the ball and once they pushed across two touchdowns, they never looked back. Sanchez seemed to be on a pretty tight leash to start the game, but he finished with a solid game of 194 yards and 3 touchdowns. He may just be the ultimate game manager, since he boasts an impressive 4-1 postseason record in his two year career. Not taking away from a solid Green Bay – Chicago showdown in the NFC, I can’t wait for this Jets-Steelers matchup next weekend. If you didn’t know from my Adrian Murrell RFP of the Day a while back, I was a huge Jets fan from 1995-1997. Having said that, I’m really excited to see Neil O’Donnell’s former teams battling it out. I’ll probably even have to bring out the Keyshawn #19 jersey…. again.

4 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Sports

January 13, 2011

Oregon’s New Floor

By mceezy

They may have lost the BCS National Championship, but they’ve got plenty to look forward to in Eugene. Always a trendsetter, or original at the very least, the Oregon Ducks are garnering attention for another fashion statement by one of their athletic teams. Usually it’s a crazy new jersey, but now the Ducks have taken it to the floor. The floor of “The Matt”, their new digs, full name Matthew Knight Arena. I think it’s cool to look at once, but playing on it must be a nightmare. It’s hard enough when the basketball court has volleyball lines on it, but now these guys gotta watch out for trees? Word is the halfcourt line is hard to see, if at all existent. I’ve got a feeling they’re going to have to darken that middle portion eventually to please the naysayers.

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

January 9, 2011

NFL Weekend Wrapup

By mceezy

Seattle Stuns New Orleans – Not a lot of people saw this coming, but the popular argument was that it was unfair that the Seahawks got home field advantage. Then the other three home teams proceeded to blow that ‘advantage.’ The highlight of the game for most will no doubt be the return of Beast Mode. For me it will be Bones Roadhouse in Gualala, CA. I decided to take a drive up the coast to Mendocino County to catch the game and wound up enjoying quite possibly the best brisket I’ve ever had, but at least top five. Throw in a couple of the finest offerings from the region’s best breweries (Hop Stoopid Ale by Lagunitas and Scrimshaw by North Coast) and this was a pretty solid game!

Folk You, Vinatieri – Peyton did it again, then Adam Vinatieri did it again. After what seemed like yet another game-winner for the future Hall of Fame kicker, as Al Michaels pointed out, Mark Sanchez and the Jets drove down the field for the improbable upset in Indianapolis. I feel like the Colts would’ve have a better chance against the Patriots. Sure the Jets were one of the two teams to beat New England, but we all saw what happened in Foxboro on Monday Night, when it mattered. This one matters even more, and Tom Brady will surely be out to prove to Rex Ryan that he’s a better quarterback than Peyton Manning.

Ravens Chop Down the Chiefs – The lone blowout of the Wild Card weekend, this one started promising for the Chiefs, especially when Jamaal Charles put them ahead 7-3 with a 41 yard TD run. It was all Ravens from there though. I kept saying last weekend that the Raiders were absolutely shutting the Chiefs down – how in the world were they supposed to move the ball against Baltimore? Well ultimately they didn’t, and Cassel threw three more interceptions and the Ravens earned themselves a showdown with the Steelers next weekend.

Eagles Pack It In Early – Michael Vick and company simply didn’t show up today. The Packers didn’t particularly dazzle on offense, but their defense kept the Eagles pretty well bottled up for the majority of the game. Watching Vick survey closely-covered receivers and dance around the pocket all day, I couldn’t help but think of Tyrod Taylor hopelessly trying to keep his Virginia Tech team in the game against an overpowering Stanford. The only difference is Taylor was making things happen.

8 Comments   |  tags: | posted in Sports

January 4, 2011

Tom Cable Out in Oakland

By mceezy

ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that the Raiders have informed Tom Cable they won’t be picking up his option. Don’t worry everyone, I don’t follow Schefter, or anyone for that matter, on Twitter. I just happened to catch it on their tweetfeed…..

Does that mean Hue Jackson will be taking over or are the Raiders going in a completely nonsensical different direction? Nothing would surprise me at this point….

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

January 4, 2011

RFP Of The Day: Marty Conlon

By mceezy

There’s not much to say about Marty Conlon. He played for 8 teams in 9 years. His best season came in 94-95 when he put up 9.9 ppg and 5.2 rpg for the Milwaukee Bucks. 20/10 is the benchmark for great power forwards, but a 10/5 guy is a rich man’s Marty Conlon. I got to enjoy him in his 2nd year in Sacramento when he was only a 5/3 guy, so I didn’t quite get to see him in his prime. He once had 9 pts, 5 reb, and 3 ast in a playoff game. Oh wait, those are his career playoff numbers….

Marty was born in the Bronx, went to high school in White Plains, and played college ball in Providence.  (see a them here?) His other NBA stops came in Seattle, Charlotte, Washington, Boston, Miami, and of course the obligatory stop with the Clippers. But this all what makes him Random and Forgotten. Let’s get to why he’s an RFP! Behold Exhibits A and B…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and then I found this bad boy….

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

January 1, 2011

Bowling In The New Year

By mceezy

New Year’s Day isn’t quite what it used be, but at least a few Bowls have remained committed to the tradition. There are still six games on the January 1 schedule, but the fact that there are seven more games after today really says something. Nonetheless, I’ve been glued to the TV today and plan to be for the remainder of the holiday. It’s always fun to see what games you end up watching versus what you were anticipating the most. I figured I may as well chime in with my observations periodically throughout the day….

TicketCity Bowl – Northwestern vs. Texas Tech – I don’t even know if I get ESPNU, because there’s never been a game on the channel that I’ve wanted to watch. This game was a pretty good matchup on paper, but I wasn’t going to go out of my way to watch it if there were better games on. Looks like there’s plenty of offense though. Taylor Potts seems to be making a case to be included in the “Year of the Quarterback” group. I’ve got it on in the background now, if nothing else just because it’s the latest into the game. Northwestern has the ball down 14 with 6:21 left right now.

Capitol One Bowl – Alabama vs. Michigan State – I might have been most excited for this one. Michigan State looked pretty good this year and Mark Ingram and Julio Jones would surely go out in style. The game’s turned out to be a lopsided affair, but it’s still been entertaining, despite the score. 35-0 Tide in the 3rd quarter.

Gator Bowl – Michigan vs. Mississippi State – I’ve ended up here a lot as a result of the aforementioned game being a disappointment. Denard Robinson is always entertaining, and the atmosphere’s been a electric. Mississippi State has taken a huge step forward this year, and win over Michigan would cement a Top 20 finish for the year. The Bulldogs lead 31-14 early in the 3rd.

Outback Bowl – Florida vs. Penn State – This one’s had the most hype. It’s Urban Meyer’s last game after six whole seasons. It’s also Joe Paterno’s 114th last game as head coach of Penn State. I don’t care too much for the coaching storylines, but I do hope Paterno coaches Penn State until he dies. I know the administration is pretty ready for some new blood, and I know they were pretty bad for a few years there, but despite a 7-5 down year, they’re still coming off three 11 win seasons in the last 5. They went 9-4 the other two years. Most schools can only dream of that kind of success. Who’s going to take them higher than they already are? Having said all that, this game’s turned out to be the closest of the bunch. Therefore, it will likely remain in sole possession of the TV screen for the duration of the final 22+ minutes. Tied at 17 now.

Rose Bowl – TCU vs. Wisconsin – I’m still pretty bitter this wasn’t a Pac-10 / Big Ten matchup. Sure Oregon got the BCS nod, so they weren’t obligated to have a Pac-10 team, but Stanford was right there for the choosing. TCU could’ve played in the Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech. All complaints aside though, this was still a pretty good matchup, and certainly the main event. I can’t imagine Oklahoma and UConn is going to blow people away. The Rose Bowl lived up to the hype though. After a fast start, the scoring become fewer and farther in between, and it ended up coming down to the last drive for Wisconsin.

Fiesta Bowl – Oklahoma vs. Connecticut – Yep, just like I thought. This game is teetering right on the border of too boring to watch, but too close to turn off. Now that the NHL Winter Classic is over, it’s not like there’s anything else to watch instead. Part of me wants Oklahoma to destroy UConn so it’s that much more obvious to the BCS the Huskies have no business being in this game. The other part of me wants them to at least make it respectable. I guess I’m pretty much getting both right now. Whether or not UConn pulls off a miracle is yet to be seen, but should they lose, as expected, they can find a consolation in the fact that they’ve put up a better fight than major conference schools like Florida State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Colorado, and Iowa State.

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

December 31, 2010

In Case You Missed It….

By mceezy

….And there’s a good chance you did. It’s a few days old now, but Kings-Grizzlies highlights probably don’t make the news in your local area. Even if you did see it, it’s worth another watch. There hasn’t been much to cheer about at Arco Arena this year, unless you’re a Warriors fan, but just when it looked like the Kings were about to suffer another devastating loss, Tyreke Evans seemed to resurrect his season with one long shot (figuratively and literally) to give his team an improbable win. Guess that’s what I get for turning down an invite to the game…..

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

December 22, 2010

Demarcus Cousins: Rookie (mistake) Of The Year

By mceezy

Demarcus Cousins thought the game was in the bag. So did I. So did every other fan in attendance last night.

Last night was a big one for me. Most of you probably didn’t know they even played, since neither are even close to relevant, but MY Golden State Warriors paid a visit to MY Sacramento Kings last night. I’m grew up a Kings fan, back when they were almost as bad as they are now, and these days, I root for them 78 games a year. The four that I don’t are – surprise – when they play the Warriors. Regardless of which arena the game is played, I remain pretty neutral. Ultimately I want the W’s to win, but I usually just hope for a close game. Sometimes that backfires and they end up in triple overtime in Oakland on a weeknight! They’re almost always good games though, and whichever team wins, at least one of my teams is getting a victory.

Last night though, I was a full-on Warriors fan for the first time. I’m running out of ways to remain a Kings fan. It’s not because they’re losing. I endured more losing from 1984-1997 than anyone can imagine. This year, they’re not even fun to watch. I knew they’d struggle, considering the inexperienced roster, but I thought they’d at least be fun to watch. They show flashes here and there, but for the most part just look like an overmatched JV team that knows it’s about to get its ass kicked. They don’t even try. Last night was another huge blow to the franchise as a whole. It’s like when you know an addict who refuses to get help. You finally realize that they just need to hit rock bottom or else they’ll never admit they have a problem. That’s where the Kings are at. So, last night was another step in that direction. It was so bad that we contemplated leaving early, since the game seemed out of reach for the W’s. Instead, I witnessed one of the biggest meltdowns I’ve ever seen on a basketball court.

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

December 19, 2010

Dodgeball

By mceezy

Alright…. this has gone too far. It’s gone too far, and we’re not even to the NBC Sunday night game. But this Matt Dodge kid is getting thrown under the bus pretty hard today. At some point during both Jets-Steelers and Raiders-Broncos, the CBS coverage crews were dumping on him pretty hard. Now, ESPN Sportsnation is getting a few kicks in with their latest poll. Who do you blame more, the Giants defense or MATT DODGE? Do we really believe he was told deliberately not to punt to Desean Jackson, and he just munsoned it? I’ve got to give him more credit than that. This one’s on the coaches if you ask me. In every operation, you’ve got people in charge of making decisions, and it’s their job to put certain people in the right situations. If you’re getting paid to run the show, then you should probably make a point to make sure your punter knows to not punt to Jackson. It’s just a simple lack of preparation. We all do it, but damn, they’re really letting this kid take the fall for it this time. Just because he’s the league leader in blocked punts doesn’t mean he’s an idiot. Not sure why I’m defending this guy – I’d never even heard of him before today. The Legend of Michael Vick just grew a whole nother chapter though…..

Which makes me want to weigh in, for the first time really, on Michael Vick. Chris Berman said (overdramatically) that players didn’t want to let Vick down. This is true because a lot of players could have been dragged down with him, but he basically took the fall for the whole league. He didn’t run a dogfighting ring; he bred dogs. He bred them and sold them to his colleagues. Naturally they wanted badass dogs that could fight and his business evolved. He made some costly decisions, but in the end, he took the fall for a lot of other people’s actions – and never threw anyone under the bus in the process. As a result, the majority of the NFL is going out their way to have his back in return for him having theirs. If there is a way for the Eagles to play in Atlanta against the Falcons in the playoffs, sign me up. That’s looking like the likely NFC Championship game right now.

In West Coast news, Tim Tebow made his first NFL start – in Oakland. The most Christian player in the league has to make his debut in the Black Hole, with demons and skeletons everywhere. It brought a smile to my face last night when I heard the news he was getting the start. Much to my delight, the Raiders pulled away in the second half and came away with a 39-23 win. That’s a total of 98 points on the Broncos this year in two games. Shanahan would’ve never stood for this, but he’s got his own share of problems right now. As for the Raiders, they’ll host the Colts next week, in a game that’s unfortunately important for Indianapolis. Oakland is now 2 games back with two to play. The upside is that they’re really only one game back from a winner-take-all showdown in Kansas City. The possibility of the Chiefs losing to Tennessee just got a little more promising today with the Titans showing signs of life and beating Houston. The Colts game is one the Raiders really have no business winning, but it makes the game worth watching, and those are two words I haven’t used to describe a Week 16 Raiders game in a long time.

 

 

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

December 16, 2010

Werthwhile Move For The Nats?

By mceezy

This post isn’t really about Jayson Werth, but his signing did trigger a chain of events that caused me to take notice of the Washington Nationals. In regards to his huge contract, Werth said something to the effect of it shows that the Nats are ready to win. He and Ryan Zimmerman make a solid nucleus. I immediately got curious to see where the Nationals were at in terms of talent on their roster. So I checked out their depth chart, and I’m not impressed. I like to think I’m a pretty big sports fan, but I literally have not heard of half of their roster. Half of the guys I do know are probably just the result of scouring the fantasy waiver wire. I mean, I’ve heard of Nyjer Morgan and Ian Desmond, but I couldn’t really tell you much about them. They have a pitching rotation full of marginal number five starters and I couldn’t tell any of the guys in the bullpen from a group of sales reps at my local Lowe’s. Then today, they dealt one of the few remaining familiar faces, Josh Willingham, to Oakland. Are they really ready to win now, like Werth believes? Hell, if my employer gave me $18mil a year, I’d be unjustifiably optimistic as well. But this brings me to another topic….. the A’s.

We try to not to overdo it with A’s coverage, but Chappy and I are diehards. With the exception of Athleticsnation, there’s not a lot of A’s blogs out there, no matter what Rob Neyer tells us. (Seriously, a blog that’s been around less than two months?) Anyway, people are starting to take notice of the moves the A’s have made this offseason. None are worthy of Carl Crawford or Cliff Lee type press, but Billy Beane is quietly putting together a team that many feel may be able to contend – especially while the Angels, Rangers, and Mariners seem to be hibernating for the winter. So far, they’ve added David Dejesus, Hideki Matsui, Josh Willingham, Rich Harden (pending a physical –  never a sure thing with Harden), and Brandon McCarthy. The only notable prospects given up were Vin Mazzaro and Henry Rodriguez. I liked both of them, but neither were a sure thing in the big leagues. Besides, in typical A’s fashion, there are plenty of young arms in the farm system. I can’t help but wonder if the Giants’ World Series victory has forced the A’s hand a bit. They’ve maintained that they’re waiting for a new stadium before they try to contend again, but clearly they’re getting tired of waiting. While I don’t really expect them to make any more major moves (not that I’d call any of the aforementioned moves major), I’m curious to see what happens with Adrian Beltre. He spurned the A’s original offer, which I’m not really complaining about because it was a lot of money and I’m not sure he’s worth it. But it doesn’t seem like anyone else is really making a play for him. Combine that with the bats they’ve added this offseason, and maybe Beltre is warming up to the idea of playing in Oakland. He may not have any choice, unless he wants to take less money to stay in Boston or go somewhere else. While I don’t think Beltre would single-handedly put the A’s over the hump, his addition would give the team a legitimate big-league lineup, as opposed to the AAA roster they’ve been trotting out for the last two seasons. Perhaps it’s time to take part in a favorite pasttime over at AN, and pleasure myself with a little rosterbation. Let’s say the A’s do manage to acquire Beltre. Here’s what the 2011 lineup would look like…..

CF – Coco Crisp

LF – Josh Willingham

RF – David Dejesus

DH – Hideki Matsui

3B – Adrian Beltre

C – Kurt Suzuki

1B – Daric Barton

2B – Mark Ellis

SS – Cliff Pennington

Rotation: Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez, Dallas Braden, Brandon McCarthy (or Josh Outman, or Tyson Ross, or Bobby Cramer, or Rich Harden)

Suddenly, 2011 is looking A LOT better than 2010!

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

December 15, 2010

Welcome Back New York

By mceezy

I’m watching this Knicks-Celtics game on ESPN and I can’t tell you how good it feels to see the Garden rocking again like it’s 1995. I’m not one to root for New York teams, but sometimes you get to a point where you need that hated team to be good again. It just makes the game more interesting. It’s been about 10 years since the Knicks were good. I rooted against them for all those years, but eventually, you want that team to be good again, so you can resume rooting against them. It’s just not as fun when teams like the Knicks, Lakers, and Celtics aren’t good. It helps that I have Amare Stoudemire and Wilson Chandler on my FIRST PLACE fantasy team (and Amare just threw down an emphatic dunk!), but it’s great to see Madison Square Garden getting loud for a game against the Boston Celtics. Guys like Amare and Raymond Felton are probably enjoying their best days as professional basketball players.

The Knicks are like the Yankees, the Cowboys, or even the Cubs…. You hate them, but it’s just not as fun to hate them when they’re not good. So here’s hoping the Knicks make it back to the playoffs this year, but ONLY this year. They’ll probably need to pick up a few more guys I don’t like though. Because, all these former Warriors and guys on my fantasy team are making it hard.

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

December 13, 2010

Once Upon a Time, In a Land Favre, Favre Away

By mceezy

Forgive me for the cheesy title, but it does seem like ancient times when Brett Favre last didn’t start a game. Many will compare Favre’s streak to Cal Ripken’s, but I think it’s more impressive. Sure, Ripken played more games, but they were baseball games. Favre’s streak lasted 18 years to Ripken’s 16. Favre went from hero to villain, while Ripken’s image never changed. We’re obviously not big fans of Brett Favre here at Doin Work – Dyslecix’s wife was even rumored to be working on a guest post about her dislike for Favre as a follow up to her Erin Andrew’s piece. Believe it or not, though, there was once a time was Favre was universally liked. It got me thinking what else has changed since the streak began in 1992. I’m sure it’s been done on other sites, but here’s a look at the world in 1992, when Favre succeeded the great Don Majkowski in Green Bay…..

  • In his debut as a starter, he threw TD passes to Sterling Sharpe and Robert Brooks (remember those guys?) en route to a victory over the Neil O’Donnell, Barry Foster, Greg Lloyd, and Rod Woodson-led Steelers.
  • The Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl – the Bills third of four consecutive SB losses, and the Cowboys first of two in a row over Buffalo
  • The Raiders and Rams played in the LA, the Cardinals carried the Phoenix name, the Oilers existed in Houston, and the Browns played in Cleveland before leaving for Baltimore and being replaced by the Cleveland Browns.
  • Steve Young was the NFL MVP
  • Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr led the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup over Chappy and I’s favorite video game team of all-time, the Chicago Blackhawks.
  • The Toronto Blue Jays, who look like an all-star team on paper, beat the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. (After they defeated the A’s in the ALCS)
  • Dennis Eckersley was named AL MVP and Barry Bonds won his 2nd of 7 NL MVP awards
  • Shaquille O’Neal was drafted #1 overall by the Orlando Magic. (Fun Fact: O’Neal is the only remaining active player from that draft)
  • The Washington Wizards were the Washington Bullets, the Hornets played in Charlotte, and the Dallas Mavericks spent most of the season looking like a lock to break the record for fewest wins in a season. They had losing streaks of 12, 15, and 19; were 4-57 at one point, but won three of their last six to finish 11-71.
  • The Dream Team. Nuff Said.

9 Comments   |  tags: | posted in Sports

December 8, 2010

End Of An Error

By mceezy

We’re still waiting for our first big free agent signing of the offseason out here in Oakland. Though the biggest move to date may be addition by subtraction, as another MLB club has finally taken Jack Cust of our hands. The A’s have been seemingly trying to get rid of Cust for a few seasons now, and today the Seattle Mariners took a chance on the slugger/walker/striker-outer. At the beginning of last season, the A’s designated Cust for assignment, hoping another team would claim him. After he cleared waivers, he reported to AAA-Sacramento until injuries on the big league roster would force him up. He played uninspired ball the rest of the season and helped the A’s to another underwhelming offensive campaign. Cust made popular the “three true outcome player.” Each of his at-bats would surely end in one of three outcomes: a home run, walk, or strikeout. Problem is, two out of every three ended in a strikeout. His homers never seem to come when they counted, and his walks were mostly the result of resting the bat on his shoulders for 6 or 7 pitches. Throw a breaking ball, and you’ll surely strike him out. I know what the Mariners were thinking, he’s a guaranteed 20 HRs a year, but does this mean they’ve been sitting there for the last three years thinking, “where can we find a left-handed Richie Sexson?” Seriously, Mariner fans, that’s what you should be thinking right now.

Cust has got to be my most loathed player on the A’s in the last decade. There aren’t many, since the A’s have a knack for having blue-collar hustle guys. Pitching, defense, and basically fundamentals reigned supreme. Cust is none of these. Instead, he occupied the fat, lazy designated hitter spot and led the league in strikeouts three consecutive years. His 197 in 2008 were particularly impressive. I won’t even get into his defensive shortcomings. The good news is this opens up a spot for a power hitter the A’s so desperately need. I share Chappy’s sentiment in that I don’t want them to break the bank on an older player who’s best days are behind them, but that may be our only option. And, if you give me a choice, I’ll take anybody over Cust. Right now it’s looking like Hideki Matsui, but I’d be happy with Doris Matsui at this point. Alright, so Cust isn’t that bad; I’m just happy for a change.

“You want to go where you’re wanted,” Cust said. “In Oakland, even though I always did pretty well there…I’m sure they’d say I struggled in spring and what I did the three years before wasn’t good enough to make that team, I guess…..When I talk about Oakland last year especially, it’s definitely not a very positive experience for me. So I’m trying to block that out a little.”

Aren’t we all, Jack. Aren’t we all…..

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

December 6, 2010

NCAA Bowl Schedule Isn’t THAT Bad…

By mceezy

Since I don’t work in professional sports anymore, I find it harder to keep espn.com open on my browser at work. Therefore, I’ve had to find alternate means of keeping up with my sports news. Recently, I’ve channeled my inner-old guy and have started tuning into sports talk radio on my way to and from work. This morning it was Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio griping about the bowl schedule. In the afternoon it was local sports clown Grant Napear ranting (what else is new?) about the horrible matchups. Now I’m not usually a glass-half-full guy, but I don’t see what the problem is. Yes, there are plenty of boring games and terrible matchups, but I wouldn’t call this one of the worst lineups in recent memory. Nevermind that none of my BCS predictions panned out, there’s still plenty of intrigue as far as I’m concerned. Here’s my Top Three and my Bottom Three for the upcoming bowl season….

#1 – BCS National Championship – Oregon vs. Auburn: It’s the national championship game, what else needs to be said? It’s tough to argue the only two major unbeaten teams – with apologies to TCU – being in the big game. It features two of the four Heisman finalists in Cam Newton and LaMichael James and two historically great programs. The only downside is we have to wait until January 10 to see it.

#2 – Rose Bowl – Wisconsin vs. TCU: Sure, a Pac-10-Big Ten matchup of Stanford-Wisconsin would have been the logical choice here, but Wisconsin is widely considered to be the next best team outside of the two unbeatens. Either they’ll solidify that spot, or TCU will make a good case for a share of the national championship – though they won’t get it.

#3 – Las Vegas Bowl – Utah vs. Boise State: I know, the Las Vegas Bowl isn’t exactly the pinnacle of postseason college football, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this will be a great game. I picked both of these teams to earn BCS berths, but a couple of late season losses killed those hopes. Nonetheless, it will feature two teams that have both put together undefeated seasons recently.

Continue reading

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

December 5, 2010

RAIDERS!!!!

By mceezy

I don’t really have any analysis on the game, since I was busy putting up Christmas lights at my parents’ house, but what a win for the Silver and Black today! I really didn’t see much hope for the Raiders to sweep the season series against a San Diego team that hadn’t lost in December since Philip Rivers became the most maligned player in the NFL, so I didn’t go out of my way to catch. I’ve wasted too many Sundays watching games like the ones against Miami and Pittsburgh. A December showdown AT San Diego didn’t really seem like one worth catching. But alas, the GOOD Raiders showed up once again and dominated the Chargers en route to a 4-0 division record – for the first time since 1990, which could prove huge with Kansas City leading the way just two games ahead. The two teams still have a matchup looming on the schedule. All I know is, being in the hunt at 6-6 this late in the season may be the best thing going for an Oakland fan these days. Even if they end 6-10, you can’t take away the fact that they won both games against the team that had won the division for the last I-don’t-know-how-many years.

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