Category Archives: Sports

November 10, 2010

Doin Eastern Conference Predictions

By mceezy

MCeezy:

#1 Boston Celtics – They’re still the best team overall in the East, there’s just too many variables with the Celtics. Of course age is always a question, but I think they’ll be driven this year…. enough to capture the top seed in the East again. They’ve got enough big bodies to let Garnett fade into the background (clearly it’s time), and as long as Rondo, Pierce, or Ray Allen is on the floor, they’ll be okay. They’ll come out on top in the regular season, but I don’t expect a similar result in the postseason.

#2 Atlanta Hawks – Quietly the second best regular season team in the East. The Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford core is good enough to contend with anybody, but they need to upgrade from Mike Bibby. Not saying he’s the weak link, but the aforementioned trio deserves a playmaker to run the floor with them. You know, someone that’ll rack up more than 4.5 assists per game. Do they even have a point guard on their roster? I guess Jeff Teague is the future. I bet they wish they still had Acie Law right about now!

Continue reading

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

November 9, 2010

Doin Big Papi Sightings

By chappy81

What do you do after you get your $12.5M option picked up by the Red Sox? Duh, you head straight to Vegas to celebrate with Chappy! Okay, okay I don’t really think that was Big Papi’s plan, but that’s the way I remember it, so I’m sticking to that story. It’s funny because I was against going to Pure night club, but was very happy my buddy followed some chicks there or this meeting wouldn’t have been possible. Sure, I might have seen him later on the $10K minimum blackjack tables, but it was much more fun being in the relaxed nightclub scene with some cocktails. What could make me like one of the most likeable guys in baseball more? The fact that he pushed aside his own Maverick Carter wanna-be, and let me chat for a little, and even let me get a picture with him. It’s refreshing in the TMZ age, where I’m sure he gets drunk guys like me bugging him all the time that he took the time to acknowledge my existence. He could’ve easily let his goon push me aside, but being the nice guy he is he pushed his goon aside. Unfortunately, I also found out that he won’t be voiding his contract to take Jack Cust’s spot as the A’s DH anytime soon. That question did get him to chuckle though!

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

November 8, 2010

Effectively Sloppy

By chappy81

It’s taken me a little while to collect my thoughts on the Raiders game, and I probably wasn’t coherent enough to write about it last night. All I keep thinking is, “I can’t believe they didn’t give up.” The first half was REALLY hard for me to watch, and I honestly thought they were about to get reamed worse than I did on the tables this weekend. It looked like Jamarcus threw on a #8 jersey and led the passing attack to 9 yards, but no, that was Campbell’s first half total. His throws were hitting feet and going over receiver’s heads, which made me think we didn’t have a shot. The refs weren’t helping much either botching calls, and making this game pretty stagnant when they couldn’t even figure out why they threw flags in the first place. The Chiefs first touchdown was the direct result of a pass interference call that the Raiders CB, Chris Johnson nearly intercepted. He had his head turned, beat the receiver to the ball, and for some reason there was still a 37 yard PI called. I’m still mad about that call. There were numerous curious calls in the first half that seemed to go against the Raiders a lot, and they were very fortunate to only be down 10-0 at the half. I thought they’d give up with all the bad luck they had, and would lose some confidence when there were some very questionable play selections like a McFadden pass into triple coverage, and a Rock Cartwright run on a punt fake on a 4th and 6, but they didn’t!

Then the second half started, and so did Jacoby Ford’s breakout party. I remember back when I wrote about the draft I thought he’d be a great return man, and yesterday he showed exactly how great he could be. I have no regrets handing over Kirk Morrison for the draft pick where we grabbed him. I thought he was somewhat one dimensional, but yesterday he showed everyone he might not only be a great kick returner, but he could be their best receiver we have. He sure was yesterday catching 168 of Jason Campbell’s 180 total yards passing including the catches that set up the tie in regulation and win in overtime. I’m not going to expect Ford to put up a performance to match this one anytime soon, but it makes me want to see him on the field A LOT more.

The other great thing about our offense yesterday was Darren McFadden. No, he didn’t have that amazing of a game (17 carries 89 yards), but he looked like a man possessed when he had the ball. I’d never really seen him looking for contact the he was yesterday. Any defender that came close to him he loaded up to either dish a hit or he tossed them aside with a stiff arm. I think all of his yards yesterday might have come after contact, okay, probably not all of them, but I’ll guesstimate over 50% of them.

None of the field goals or great plays by Ford would’ve mattered had it not been for our defense. We didn’t even have the services of the best corner in the league (Nnamdi) who sidelined with a high ankle sprain. We lost middle linebacker Rolando McClain early in the 2nd quarter. We lost starting safety Tyvon Branch early in the third quarter, but none of that mattered as the game progressed. Richard Seymour led the D-line, and completely suffocated the number one rushing offense in the NFL. Our defense also forced two turnovers against a Chiefs team that only has turned the ball over four times all season long with one coming in the redzone, and the other from sure handed Thomas Jones. The bye week couldn’t come at a better time having a few guys get dinged up. Hopefully Gradkowski will be back as well in Week 10. I just find it amazing that I care about this team half way through the year! Even if they don’t win the division, they have already shown that they want to win baby!

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

November 5, 2010

Doin BCS Bowl Projections

By mceezy

Without bashing the BCS, or fully knowing the rules these days (are the ACC and Big East still guaranteed a BCS berth? I hope not), here goes my predictions for this year’s BCS Bowl matchups. It’s tough because there’s so many teams from the West up high in the rankings, but we all know the BCS likes SEC schools, and even Big Ten and ACC teams. By factoring that in with projecting the rest of the season, here’s what I’ve come up with.

ROSE BOWL – STANFORD VS. OKLAHOMA

Stanford wins out and finishes 11-1, enough to let the Rose Bowl have a coveted Pac-10 team, and one who hasn’t been there very often, but has a huge following. Expect a sea of red on hand to cheer on the Cardinal against Oklahoma…. or maybe some other team. I’ve got Oklahoma finishing 10-3, but there’s going to be a logjam atop the Big-12, so this could easily be Missouri, Oklahoma State, or Baylor, or even a team from another conference altogether.
FIESTA BOWL – NEBRASKA VS. TCU

Nebraska will get the obligatory Big-12 berth in this game, thanks to a 11-2 finish with a conference championship over Oklahoma. TCU will be unhappy, but I see them losing to Utah. Having that one loss relieves some of the pressure on the BCS to include smaller schools that go undefeated.
ORANGE BOWL – ALABAMA VS. BOISE STATE

Also taking the heat off the BCS will be Boise State’s regular season loss to either Fresno State or Nevada on the horizon. Alabama will end up in Florida despite beating Auburn, because they’ll come up short in the conference.

SUGAR BOWL – AUBURN VS. UTAH

Utah will go undefeated, but once again get snubbed out of fear of a Utah-Oregon television ratings disaster. Like clockwork, they’ll opt for a one-loss goliath and Utah will be left to face another SEC team.

BCS CHAMPIONSHIP – OREGON VS. OHIO STATE

Ah, a BCS dream matchup. Despite being a West Coast team, the Ducks have a huge following, so ratings shouldn’t be a problem for the committee here. And Ohio State is always a slam dunk on a national stage. This should be one of the best National Championship games in a long time.

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

November 4, 2010

Doin Lines Week 9

By chappy81


Last week I couldn’t quite get all the bad luck out of me before I head to Vegas this weekend. Going 2-3 did get some of that bad luck out, and I was very happy that the Raiders were one of the two wins. The Raiders have their biggest game of the season taking on the division leading Chiefs, but I’ll get to that pick later. Just like the Raiders my bets are a little more meaningful this weekend, because I’ll probably raise the ante on them a little being in Vegas. Unless of course if one of the homies  slips a Jeffery into the mix, then I might be rubbing fuzzy wall instead. Although, having Puffy chase us out of Vegas by mind f**ing us would be an ultimate story.

In honor of the World Series champions, San Francisco Giants (Still can’t believe I’m saying that), I went 4-1 last week, tying my season high for wins!  Furthermore, I lucked out during one of the toughest weeks in terms of football lines this season!  I have to say, I’m pretty impressed by myself!  Well enough gloating, as it is time to get down to business.  Week 9 is upon us, and I have an opportunity to break .500 this week.  I’m feeling more confident than usual, and I expect to hit on at least an 80% clip this week!  I guarantee it, Joe Namath style!  Or Rasheed Wallace style, what ever floats your boat.  Of course, that is, unless  a Jeffrey is involved, then all bets are off.

Week 8 (Chap 2-3, By 4-1) Overall (Chap 18-25-3, By 18-19-3)

Chicago (-3) @ Buffalo

By picks Chicago (-3): I’ve been dogging Buffalo all season long and it’s backfired despite the bagel that represents the total amount of wins the Bills have.  But like a stubborn mule, I continue to pick against them.  My reasoning for this sounds like a broken record, but this team isn’t that good. I know solid showings against the Ravens and the surprise Chiefs should have me thinking they’re better than what their record shows, but nope.  I just think the Bills suck this year.  Ryan Fitzpatrick to Steve Johnson does make for an intriguing combo, except for Fitzpatrick won’t start next year when the Bills take Andrew Luck #1.  Damn Niners, stop winning.  I’m not all that impressed with Chicago lately either, but three point dogs only?  I have to take my chances with the Bears and hope for a Matt Forte explosion.

New Orleans (-7) @ Carolina

Chappy picks New Orleans (-7). Did the Saints just dominate the Steelers? I didn’t see that one coming. I think their Super Bowl hangover might finally be wearing off. I haven’t seen Brees that sharp since last season, and it was against one of the best defenses in the league. He did what he did with a fourth string running back, and showed that maybe the Steelers secondary isn’t as good as advertised. The Saints defense looked great as well last weekend putting all kinds of pressure on Ben, and stifling Mendenhall and the Pittsburgh offensive line. Darren Sharper should be 100% for this one, so that’s just one more play maker to take the ball away from Matt Moore and the Carolina offense. The Saints only won by two in week 4 against Carolina, but since Carolina is the lowest scoring team in the league (12.1) it’s really easy to pick against them. The Saints look a lot better than they did the first time they met, I see fireworks this time. Take the Saints even if the line goes up to 8 or 9!

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta (-8.5) Continue reading

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

November 4, 2010

DJ Porter Gets Randy

By chappy81

I didn’t see this a few days ago when it came out, but since I posted his other ones I figured I may as well throw this one up. It’s funny, but if I got anything out of it, that was just a reminder if why I should be glad the Raiders didn’t want to have a second fling with Randy. STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!

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

November 3, 2010

Mythbusters: There’s No Good Centers in Basketball Anymore

By mceezy

They say there just aren’t as many good centers anymore these days. It’s true, there’s only a handful of them, and many of them look like they’d have played power forward if they lived a generation earlier. I feel like we’ve been saying that about basketball for years now though. Could it be that there’s always been a shortage of solid, true centers and we’ve just always remembered there being more great ones before them? I’ve decided to put it to the test. Here I’ll list the top ten centers in the game, in my opinion, and then work our way back each decade. Let’s see if the quantity / quality of centers in the game has gone down over the years….

2010

  • Dwight Howard
  • Andrew Bogut
  • Marcus Camby
  • Chris Kaman
  • Al Horford
  • Amare Stoudemire
  • Andris Biedrins
  • Nene
  • Roy Hibbert
  • Brendan Haywood

2000

  • Shaquille O’Neal
  • Alonzo Mourning
  • Dikembe Mutombo
  • David Robinson
  • Dale Davis
  • Vlade Divac
  • Antonio Davis
  • Michael Olowokandi
  • Theo Ratliff
  • Ervin Johnson

Continue reading

9 Comments   |  tags: | posted in Sports

November 2, 2010

Sweet November

By By

Thank You Giants

I was trying to put into words what I’ve been feeling for the greater part of the last twenty-four hours, but I can’t.  As cliché as it sounds, there aren’t any words to describe this feeling.

So as I wait to gather myself from this high, I simply just want to thank the boys.  I want to thank the loveable cast of misfits that is our San Francisco Giants.  After the curse of the game ball that was handed out to Russ Ortiz by Dusty Baker in 2002, I honestly felt that I wouldn’t live to see the day San Francisco wins its first World Series pennant.

Last night, the short-lived curse was put to rest.  But for the fans who’ve been waiting decades for this moment, it was more than that.  History was made.  Life is good.  Thank you boys.

 🙂

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

November 1, 2010

San Francisco: World Champions

By mceezy

It was a bittersweet victory for me tonight. Although I rep Northern California like nobody’s business, I’m still an A’s fan, so it’s tough to see the other team win it all. The way I looked at it, there were four World Series trophies in Oakland, why do we need any on the other side of the Bay? But the fact remains, San Francisco is my home. I spent 7 of the greatest years of my life there, but I’ll admit I’m a little bitter they did it now, but couldn’t come through back in 2002 when I resided there. Nonetheless, I love this group of players they put together over there in the City. How can you not be happy they won?

Despite all the NorCal love on Doin Work, there’s only one true Giants fan on board here. Congrats to By on seeing his team win the hardware. And even though Chappy and I bleed Green and Gold, it’s GREAT to see Northern California bring home its first major pro sports championship since 1994.

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

November 1, 2010

Monday Dribblers…

By chappy81

Even Al is cracking a smile!

Oakland Going Streaking!

Yes, the Oakland Raiders finally can say they’ve won two in a row. It predates Doin Work’s existence, and is the first time that it’s happened since 2008 when Jamarcus made us think he was improving. This time it’s much different though as we are actually in the divisional race. We’ve looked good on both sides of the ball, and I think the guys are finally starting to believe they can win. McFadden finally has decided to be one of those elite backs we were all hoping he would be. Yesterday was the first time we’ve put up 500 yards of offense since 2002 when we had Gannon. It’s also the first time we’ve had fantasy relevant players! Heyward-Bey finally got over the century mark in receiving yards for a game, and scored his second career TD. Our defense has been sacking QB’s at an amazing rate, and already have 24 on the season witch is good enough to tie the Giants for third in the league. They are ranked 9th in defense overall, and getting pressure on the QB has helped the not as good corner opposite Nnamdi look a little better. The offense hasn’t been explosive per say, but just efficient enough, and chewing up enough clock to keep our defense from being tired like they were at the end of every game last year. That has been the biggest difference this year by a long shot. It feels foreign to me to see them actually improving from week to week instead of improving then regressing. I’m happy to say that my prediction for them making the AFC Championship game is still alive 8 weeks in. This weekend we have a huge divisional match up for what could be a factor in deciding the division as they take on the first place Chiefs. Thankfully this match up is at home and is supposedly sold out, so it should be on TV for once! Another thing I’m starting to love about these wins is it’s pissing off Patriots fans because they see their possibilities of having a top ten pick next year dwindle by the week!

Watching lots of NBA action, and I forgot about a team in the West…

Since we are all blessed with the NBA League pass for the first week of the season for free, I ended up seeing quite a few teams that I normally don’t get to see much since they aren’t contenders or in a big market. A few teams impressed me like Indiana, Portland, New Orleans, and Sacramento, but one team made more of an impression on me for some reason was the Memphis Grizzlies. Are they actually a good team? Memphis was nearly .500 last year, but I wasn’t really sure if they were a “good” close to .500 team or a “lucky” close to .500 team, since I didn’t get to see them play much. I watched good portions of them beating Dallas and Minnesota over the weekend, and have to say that this team actually has some solid potential. They got 22 steals against Minnesota, and pretty much dominated them. Dallas they snuck away with a victory, but got the W nonetheless. This team is very young, but they have all their starting spots filled with quality guys that are just entering their 2nd or 3rd seasons. Even though I don’t see any of them being superstars, much like OKC they have a solid core of young talent that likes playing with eachother. Everyone knocks Rudy Gay, but the guy was clutch against Dallas, and if they have a closer, they already have more than some teams. OJ Mayo is a great scorer. He’s not as exciting as I originally thought he’d be coming out of college, but he can fill up the cup. Marc Gasol is improving about as fast as his older brother did. Mike Conley is shockingly better than I thought he’d be when he was playing at Ohio State. Darell Arthur seems to be a great glue guy who you don’t have to run plays for but still finds a way to chip in 15 on any given night, and is filling in admirably for Zach Randolph nursing his tailbone. Their bench isn’t all that exciting, and may hold this team back, but just based off the starting five, they are pretty solid.

World Series Ratings

Yes, we get it, the World Series ratings are extremely low. So what if it means more people would rather watch a regular season matchup of either MIN/NYJ or PIT/NO. Does that influence me to watch those games over the WS? Not really, I still took in the fall classic, because I’m intrigued by the teams and storylines. I think this once again proves that the Eastcoast media bias has too strong of a hold on what were supposed to care about. Just because it’s non-Eastcoast teams we are lead to believe that we aren’t supposed to care about it. If you like baseball, why wouldn’t you be into the WS? I for one find the most important games of a sport that I watched for 7 months more intriguing than football games midway through the regular season… I think the problem with the ratings is more that far more people like football, its just a fact. If baseball had half of the football audience, and everyone didn’t hate listening to Joe Buck,  I’m sure they’d have higher ratings. If Lincecum vs. Lee doesn’t get you excited, then you probably aren’t a baseball fan.

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

October 28, 2010

Doin Lines Week 8

By chappy81

I finally had a good week, going 4-2. I didn’t think it was ever going to happen, but I knew the odds had to even out a little eventually. Sad part is I’m not sure what I did right last week, so it might be impossible to duplicate. Either way, I kind of hope I do bad this week to get all the bad luck out of my system, because I’m heading to Vegas next weekend, so I should save all that luck for when I’m there. Here’s to going 0-5 this week, ohh yeaaa!!

I can’t complain much about a .500 weekend in picks, I’ve definitely fared worse.  Coming into this week, it still baffles me how the 49ers are considered favorites almost every week.  It’s like the odd makers are just giggling in a back room somewhere, saying, “Could we actually get away with this, again?”  Fool me once odd makers, and shame on you, but fool me four times!  Well, as far as this week is concerned, I’m unsure where to find an edge when making a selection, as the slate of games on tap are tough to say the least.  So I’m going straight to the belly, and doing gut feeling picks.  Here goes nothing.

Week 7 (Chap 4-2, By 2-2) Overall (Chap 16-22-3, By 14-18-3)

Carolina (+3) @ St. Louis

Chappy picks St Louis (-3). You never really know what you’re going to get from week to week from the Rams. They play well and beat teams like the Chargers and Redskins, but then get blown out by a team like Detroit. Carolina on the other hand just doesn’t show up, and if I played for them, I’d question playing hard too. Why beat yourself up when you know you’re going to lose? The Panthers just make it impossible for me to pick them under any circumstance. The Rams will go into their bye week on a positive note with convincing win!

By picks St. Louis (-3): David Gettis looked like Randy Moss circa 1998 against the 49ers last week, enough so that I swooped him up in one of my fantasy leagues.  What I failed to remember is, the 49ers suck.  Matt Moore is a decent QB, but I don’t see a repeat performance against the Rams this week.  St. Louis isn’t exactly the team to beat in the “NFC Weak” division, but then again, who is?  A win here, coupled with a Seattle Seahawks’ loss, and the Rams are in good position.  Steven Jackson looks like he’s back, and he’ll be the difference maker in this game.  Rams by 10.

Green Bay @ NY Jets (-6)

By picks Green Bay (+6): Continue reading

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

October 27, 2010

Doin Western Conference Predictions

By chappy81

Two days into the season we decided to pick our 8 playoff teams from the West. We are probably way off not including Denver or Phoenix, but what can you do!?!

By:

#1 Seattle SuperSonics – This will most likely be the year of the “Durantula”.  Winning Gold over the Summer in which the ball was placed squarely in Durant’s hands has me believing that he’s prime to take that next step towards league dominance.  It’s like when Neo finally “got it” in the first (and only good) Matrix.  I can talk about Durant forever, but it’s not like he’s alone out there in OKC.  The maturation of Russell Westbrook has me thinking, Rajon Rondo?  Yes, Westbrook can be that good.  Plus in order to beat LA, you have to dominate the PG position, and Westbrook had his way with Fisher for the most part.  Expect even more improvement from him, as he too benefited from the World Championships’.  The pool of young talent doesn’t end there for OKC, as Jeff Green, James Harden and Serge Ibaka round out their core.  Each of these players will contribute substantially to the team, with Harden being the most intriguing piece.  Harden has looked good in the pre-season, and if he continues to play well, watch out!  It’s refreshing to see a team like this built from the ground up.  No huge free agent signings, no big trades.  Aside from my beloved Warriors, I’ll be rooting for this team to succeed!

#2 LA Lakers – The Lakers may finish second in standings out West by season’s end, but they’re still the best team coming out of the conference.  In fact, as much as it pains me to say it, they’re still the best team, period.  Only question surrounding the Lakers is health.  I’ve said this all Summer long, everyone’s worried about Kobe’s knee, but what they should be worried about is that finger he fractured last season.  I don’t think he’s ever fully recovered from it, nor will he ever.  Andrew Bynum’s timing on electing to have his knee surgery didn’t please anyone in the Lakers organization, but they’ll hold the fort down without him.  Now, can he stay healthy once he returns?  They’ll need Bynum out there come money time.  This might be the season in which Pau Gasol gets the credit he deserves as being the Lakers’ best player.  I still can’t believe the voters robbed him of the Finals MVP last season.  Kobe went 6-24 in the biggest game of his career.  Just saying.  Nothing else to touch upon with this team, it’s Phil’s last ride, will it be off into the sunset?  Hope not.  Probably will.

#3 Houston Rockets – I’m finishing up these predictions today, which means I got a chance to watch the Rockets in action last night against the Lakers, and I must say, I’m impressed.  Primarily by that explosive back court!  Aaron Brooks and Kevin “Drake” Martin can light it up in an instance!  I still like the combination of Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis a little better, but the Brooks/Martin duo can do some serious damage.  Of course the concern for Houston is if Martin can stay healthy.  Over the past few seasons, he’s battled Andrew Bynum neck and neck for the title of “Most Fragile”.  I’d put Greg Oden in that conversation too, but I feel sorry for the guy.  Speaking of injuries, Yao Ming looked solid in his first regular season action in quite some time.  He moved around fairly well, and once he shakes off some of that rust, he should be able to resemble his old self.  Hopefully he’s healthier than what he’s letting off, and those “set” minutes slowly increase during the course of the season, because he’s a huge asset to the Rockets.  Having Luis Scola makes up for a lot though.  Ultimately, good coaching, solid role players, and big upside is why I’m high on the Rockets, but I know having them atop the South West division might be a bit of a stretch.

#4 Utah Jazz – Continue reading

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

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 24, 2010

A Great Day In Denver

By mceezy

It wasn’t quite as exciting as the home win over San Diego two weeks ago, but it sure was nice to see the Raiders hang 59 points of the Broncos at Mile High. They’re lucky to get 59 points in four games, let alone four quarters. The Raiders got on the board quick with a 43 yard touchdown pass from Jason Campbell to a wide open Zach Miller. Right about at that point I realized, WE HAVE A GAME. It’s a great feeling that a Raider fan only gets to experience three or four times a year. You never know when they’re going to show up. Even if you try to guess when they will, they definitely won’t. So today when I saw Campbell and Miller connect on their opening drive touchdown, I decided I’d better knock out my weekly Sunday chores now rather than wait till the second half when the Raiders are long out of it. I bounced out to the garage for what seemed like 5 minutes to vacuum my car, and when I came back in, it was 21-0! Fortunately, they weren’t done, so I got to see the next 38 points that followed. It was bittersweet that Darren McFadden’s four touchdowns went to my fantasy opponent, but for a win like this, I’ll take it. At least he had Kyle Orton… Anyway, now that the Raiders sit firmly in second place, just 1.5 games back of division leader Kansas City, it’s time for one of those can the Raiders be a playoff contender? Let’s predict their win-loss record game by game for the rest of the season and see where they end up deals…

Wk 7: @Denver.  59-14 Win.  (3-4) The best Raiders performance of the last 7 seasons gives them a 2-0 record in the division.

Wk 8: Seattle.  13-24 Loss.  (3-5) Seattle realizes it’s suddenly 4-2 and in the driver’s seat in the NFC West and decides to make a run at it.

Wk 9: Kansas City.  10-35 Loss.  (3-6) The Chiefs continue with an easy schedule by cruising through Buffalo and have the division in their back pocket.

Wk 10: BYE  (3-6) A tough matchup, but it’s usually the one week the Raiders never lose.

Wk 11: @Pittsburgh.  3-35 Loss.  (3-7) Not sure how you manage to draw the Steelers in Pittsburgh two years in a row, but probably not gonna win two in a row.

Wk 12: Miami. 24-28 Loss.  (3-8) Oakland’s had a tough time with Miami, only winning once this decade in the regular season. There was a shutout playoff victory in there.

Wk 13: @San Diego. 6-27 Loss.  (3-9) I should’ve known they weren’t gonna be able to pull it off twice in a row.

Wk 14: @Jacksonville. 30-13 Win.  (4-9) Ah, finally a game against a bad team. That always helps remind the Raiders they can be good.

Wk 15: Denver. 34-42 Loss.  (4-10) The Broncos avenge their week 7 massacre behind three rushing TDs for Tim Tebow.

Wk 16: Indianapolis. 9-38 Loss.  (4-11) The Colts are fighting for a playoff spot and the Raiders are downward spiraling into draft position. This can’t end well.

Wk 17: @Kansas City. 17-13 Win.  (5-11) With the division sewn up, the Chiefs rest their starters and Oakland withstands a late game drive by Brodie Croyle to lock up another 5-11 season for Tom Cable.

Call me a pessimist if you must, just call me right when the season is over.

 

5 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