The Sports Junkies

And......we're back

2006-09-26T14:23:00.000-04:00

up and running again, I'll be providing my thoughts on the current sports landscape and even some gambling tips (for you to go against my picks)

Bryant Gumbel -- not very smart!

2006-02-17T15:37:00.000-05:00

"Count me among those who don't care about them and won't watch them. So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world's greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention." -- Bryant Gumbel on HBO's "Real Sports"

What is Bryant Gumbel getting at here? Is he saying that America, and other countries, left off more talented black athletes in favor of white athletes? Is there some awesome black dude who would demolish seth wescott in snowboard cross? What the hell is he getting at? I feel pretty confident in saying that America, and all the countries involved, have picked what they believe to be the best athletes at the represented sports. I hope he's not implying that by there merely being a paucity of blacks, that somehow diminishes the level of athleticism. This is skiing, hockey, snowboarding, luge, and figure skating -- not exactly sports where blacks traditionally dominate. What the hell is that statement he made supposed to mean? And can we all take a moment to think about BRYANT FUCKING GUMBEL complaining about a lack of blackness!? Christ.

Worst Super Bowl Ever! / I Hate Jerome Bettis

2006-02-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

THAT GAME STUNK! the level of execution on both sides of the ball from both teams was staggeringly poor. no problem with hines ward winning the mvp, but, really, was anyone the most valuable out there?

HOWEVER, i have a tremendous problem with the jerome bettis nonsense. He's the backup running back! what the hell was he doing on the podium for the trophies presentation? what the hell was he doing talking before hines ward talked? AND WHAT THE HELL IS THE COVER ARTICLE ON ESPN.COM TRYING TO SAY WHEN IT SAYS, "JUST LIKE JOHN ELWAY, JEROME BETTIS GOES OUT ON TOP?!" like john elway?!!! elway was the goddamn QUarterback!!! bettis is the backup running back. bettis had 14 carries for 43 yards and was stuffed on his short yardage carries. he had a really bad game. jerome bettis, last night, was a very inneffective backup running back. he's from detroit. WE ALL GET IT. but come on nfl! have some integrity, have some credibility, have some balls. Bettis seems like a really nice guy, but when has backup running back who had a bad game EVER been on the trophy podium answering questions before the goddamn MVP talks?! ugh.

Just watch on mute

2006-02-04T18:53:00.000-05:00

I remember a day when announcers added value to the sportsviewing experience. Maybe its just because I was young and naive, but when I was a kid, I would watch games and think"these guys are really helping me understand the game." I also assumed they knew what they were talking about, knew the rules and subtiltes of the game. Now that im older and wiser(?) I realize what clowns 90% of these guys are. Ive never had the pleasure of announcing a game so I dont know what it entails, maybe its much much harder to come up with things to talk about than I realize. But that doesnt excuse these clowns from the shit I have to listen to almost every game.

Example 1: In todays UL/ND game, Rick Majerus said that Colin Falls had "the heart of a gambler". WHAT????? Ive got 27 years without hearing this phrase, and now've its come up twice in a week (see JJ Redick post). Jesus people, the phrase is "nerves of a gambler/thief". It takes good nerves to be a gambler or a thief--that makes sense. It doesnt take heart.

2) In the Utah/New Mexico game, there was an alley-oop thrown from just beyond the half court line. The announcer proclaimed "you wont see a better pass than that from 60 feet". Im sure he knew he was wrong but he said it in the flow of the game so im willing to give the guy a free pass. But then they showed the highlight, and instead of admitting he was wrong, he continued to claim it was from 60 feet!!! In his explanation, he even proved himself wrong by saying the pass was thrown "5 feet behind half court"

Lets do the math: A basketball court is 94 endline to endline, or 47 feet to half court. Its a little more than 5 feet from the endline to the middle of the bucket (i pray to god this moron actually knows the dimensions of a basketball court), so thats 42 feet from half court to the basket. A pass from 5 feet behind half court to the rim would be 47 feet. Thats 25% less than this guys first guess, which he had ample time to alter. Instead he stuck to his original guesstimate, despite proving himself wrong when he reviewed the play!!!

I know its the Utah/New Mexico game and ESPN2 isnt sending out the A team..or even the C team probably. But get me someone who atleast knows the basics, am I really asking too much?

Fire Joe Morgan

2006-02-03T16:48:00.000-05:00

I want to give a quick recommendation for a blog my friend Podsednik turned me on to...Fire Joe Morgan (firejoemorgan.blogspot.com).

Besides the fact that one of the sites main contributors is named "Ken Tremendous" (pretty much my favorite name of all time), FJM does the best job I have seen on the web of expsoing "Sports Journalists" as complete and utter frauds. Its impossible to read his blog and not laugh your ass of (omg!!! lmfao) as well as learn something (generally about baseball)

FJM is everything I wish this blog could be, and potentially would be, if I wasnt such a lazy bum.

Keep up the good work fellas.

The Junkie

Fire Scoop Jackson

2006-02-03T14:53:00.000-05:00

His article today:

Before this happened, I picked him to be the Super Bowl MVP.
Had already told my editors about it, had already planned on writing a column about it.
Joey Porter has spent plenty of time in front of microphones this week.And it wasn't because of what he did on the field during the AFC Championship game. It was because of a comment he made after the Steelers' previous game.
You know, the one about the NFL trying to put Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl. Joey Porter's ultra-truthful conspiracy theory.
So up until Thursday, that was my role. Do a column on JP55, say he is going to win the SBXL MVP, look like a prophet on Monday.
But then, something happened.
All of a sudden, the cat I was dark horsing to be the star of the game -- while everyone else was picking Ben Roethlisberger or Willie Parker or was getting caught up in Jerome's exit -- became the star of the pre-Super Bowl hype machine. He became the story of the game before the game. The Greg Lloyd we love to hate.
And because of that, the come-from-nowhere factor that helps defensive players become stars in the Super Bowl is gone like "Emily's Reasons Why Not."
No longer is his Richard Dent moment possible. In truth, Joey Porter played himself by being himself. Not that he did anything wrong, or something untrue to his being or beliefs. But his loudness silenced any chance of his taking the world by surprise in the biggest game -- and television event -- of the year, any chance of his being the sports version of an "American Idol."
He killed that noise by bringing the noise.
This was supposed to be the Discovery of Joey Porter. This Super Bowl was supposed to be the game that caused those who don't follow football to fall in love with him, and those already in love with him to feel good about his finally getting the credit he's due.
A couple of sacks, eight quarterback rushes, 10 tackles, a strip or a fumble recovery, a third-down stop early in the third quarter that changes the direction of the game, a goal-line hit on Shaun Alexander -- you know, something like that.
The spotlight was supposed to find him first coming out of the tunnel. Through smoke, screaming, jersey pulled up exposing his LLs, sleeves rolled up exposing his guns. While stretching, a camera was supposed to be on him while Al Michaels and John Madden talked about under-the-radar players who could be the difference in the game. There was supposed to be a smile on Joey's face, the smile a cat has when the canary is no longer in his mouth because he just swallowed it. That's when the outside world was supposed to discover him.
And after the game, when he spit those Disney World words into the camera, that's when they were supposed to never forget who he was.
I discovered him last year. When the Steelers were 15-1, I knew there had to be another reason why they were unbeatable, besides the phenom rookie QB. I followed Porter in the playoffs last year. I saw the Rick James in him, the fire and desire.
But the love came a few weeks ago, when he spoke the truth about the refs' attempt to sabotage the Colts game. He was still under-the-radar, but he was on mine.
It was then, especially because no one was checking for him, that I had a feeling this same brotha that got shot in the backside two years ago was going to walk out of Ford Field with two trophies in his hands: one Lombardi, one Rozelle. One belonging to the Steelers, the other all his.
But now, because of his "now I got woke up" beef with Jerramy Stevens, that moment of autonomy will never happen. The outside world now knows Joey Porter. They know who he is and what he's about. They know he loves to run his mouth, they know he is (with Troy Polamalu) the best defensive player on the best defensive team in the league. They know about the conspiracy quote, they know about his verbal battles with Chad Johnson, they know his talk ain't cheap. And by the time Sunday comes, his name will have been Googled so many times the company's stock may bounce back to meet Wall Street's expectations next quarter.
Porter has been wrapping up opposing QBs, like Jake Plummer, all season.The only thing they don't know is how good he is. Because if they'd known that, Bus and Ben would not have been the public identity of this Steelers team coming in to Detroit. The media would have made sure that the general public knew who Joey Porter was. We would have labeled him "that Beast," the highest compliment anyone can give a professional athlete today. The world would have known No. 55 was the spiritual and emotional leader of the Steelers, and without him doing what he did on the field every Sunday, they would not be playing on Super Sunday.
Instead, the world knows No. 55 for something else.
Which is not a bad thing. But, the nation's becoming conscious of who you are on the Wednesday or Thursday before the Super Bowl takes away the element of surprise, which helped guys like Larry Brown (SB XXX MVP) and Dexter Jackson (SB XXXVII MVP).
Like they say: Real bad boys move in silence.
Personally, I think JP55 still has a shot at winning the MVP. But I think that shot became long.
The odds got stretched.
By flappin' his gums, Porter took himself out of the race. Now the writers who are in the position to vote for him are going to expect him to play big. Nothing he does on Sunday will take them by surprise. Everyone learned this week that the Beast loves a burden.
Did Joey Porter save the Super Bowl? Yes. He gave a vanilla week of media coverage some double-fudge chocolate. With some nuts and some sprinkles and some whipped cream with a cherry on top.
In the process, did he ruin his chances of being the Super Bowl MVP? Probably not. God don't like ugly, but He does reward those who speak the truth.
But in letting the world know who he is, Joey Porter did take away my chance of becoming a prophet.

Now, as i was reading this, i kept thinking to myself that maybe he's being really sarcastic and taking a shot at how miserable the media's coverage of the super bowl has been thus far. that actually would have been pretty funny. but he's serious. he's dead serious. he thinks he "discovered" joey porter last season and that this year's super bowl was gonna be the game where america "discovered" joey porter, his "darkhorse."

JOEY PORTER IS ONE OF THE BEST LINEBACKERS ON THE PLANET EARTH. HE WAS VOTED TO THE SECOND TEAM ALL-PRO TEAM THIS YEAR AND HAS BEEN TO THE PRO BOWL 3 OUT OF THE PAST 4 SEASONS. EVERYBODY KNOWS WHO JOEY PORTER IS!!!

THE SUPER BOWL!

2006-02-03T10:48:00.000-05:00

Seattle "at" Pittsburgh (-4)

Well, it all boils down to one game. We're still stuck at .500 for the playoffs, which isnt terrible, but now we've got a chance to finish on the plus side. Unlike most "experts" and other talking heads, i think this game is gonna be close. No matter how i look at it, it seems like a three point game. Pittsburgh is the better team and if this game were played outdoors, i'd love the steelers to win by 7. But, as you know, the game is being played indoors, in detroit. Larry Foote of the Steelers is from detroit. The Steelers' backup running back is also from detroit -- little known fact. I think both teams are going to be able to move the ball throw the air. Troy is a bit banged up and the Pittsburgh corners arent particularly special. The Seattle secondary is decent but not physical, and both ward and miller should have big games. The difference, in the end, will be Pittsburgh's ability to slow down shaun alexander. He's soft. There's no nice way to put it. He's an excellent running back, but Pittsburgh is just gonna beat the crap out of him. Ultimately, i'd stay away from this game if i could, but it's the super bowl and you've gotta bet on it. The pick: Pittsburgh 27 Seattle 24.

Hey, Peyton Manning

2006-02-02T13:11:00.000-05:00

YOU'RE INSANE!!!!

Quarterback Peyton Manning refuted charges that he blamed his offensive line for the Colts' playoff loss. "I was perceived to have done something that I was 100 percent trying to avoid doing," Manning said at an awards presentation in Detroit. "You're saying 'the offensive line.' I never said those words. I've never put the hat on anybody else. I never will do that and I did not do it that day. I've always been a team player. I think people wanted me to pinpoint where the breakdowns were and specify, which I 100 percent did not do. I said we had protection problems, which we did. When I said 'protection,' protection is a concept. It's the quarterback. It's the scheme. It's you-name-it. Those were the words I chose and obviously I was surprised by the reaction, but I just don't [criticize teammates]."

J.J. Redick

2006-02-01T22:27:00.000-05:00

during the ESPN broadcast of the Duke/BC game, some dumb broad (who is not Erin Andrews and therefore not of any importance) just gave this quote "JJ Redick has the heart of a thief."

What the hell does that mean? Ive heard the term "nerves of a burgler before", but "heart of a thief"?

what?

Final Note on Bonds

2006-01-24T11:25:00.000-05:00

One other little tidbit that wasnt mentioned in any articles i've read: as the WBC is an internationally regulated event, the drug testing is much stricter than it is in MLB. Didnt see this anywhere in print today, and i'm sure it has nothing to do with Barry's decision to sit this one out.

Barry Bonds Withdraws from WBC

2006-01-24T11:22:00.000-05:00

Barry Bonds has decided not to play in the WBC. I have no problem with this. Nobody should feel obligated to play in this silly event -- players are paid guaranteed money by their major league ballclubs, and that is there their loyalty ultimately must lie. But here's the thing: Bonds said he isnt playing because he doesnt want to risk injury and he wants to continue his rehab and be healthy for the season. That was his statement. BONDS WAS GOING TO DH FOR THE AMERICAN TEAM. HE WAS NOT GOING TO PLAY IN THE FIELD. What risk of injury was there? From swinging the bat? I think it's very safe to assume that he'll be swinging the bat many more times in cactus league / rehab than he would be in game action, so that cant be it. From running around the bases? Anyone who has seen Bonds play over the last 3-4 years knows that Bonds does not run. He jogs around the bases when he hits a homerun, but other than that, there is no athletic movement from him whatsoever. If he's not running in a MLB game, there's no reason to think he'd run in the WBC. Again, i dont think there is ANYTHING wrong with bonds not wanting to play in this thing -- frankly, it's a dumb idea at a dumb time of the year and nobody seems to really care about it. But dont say that you owe it to your SF teammates (whom everybody knows you dont give two shits about) and the fans (we ALL know you dont care about fans) and that it's a health issue. Just admit that you have no desire to play in this silly tournament and that you are much more concerned with rubbing flaxseed oil all over your enormous head and breaking hank's home run record.

Woody Paige, back again

2006-01-23T17:09:00.000-05:00

Woody Paige strikes again, showing off his complete and utter lack of a long term memory. On Around the Horn, Paige had this to say about the Carolina RB situation:

"they almost had to play Rod Smart, He Hate Me. We havent heard from him since the XFL title game."

1. He Hate Me played for Las Vegas, who did not participate in the XFL championship.
2. He Hate Me was the kick returner for Carolina in Super Bowl 38. They ran atleast 3 segments on him on Sportscenter in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, including an excrutiating piece with then Christina Aguilera boy-toy Jordan Cooper.

I dont mind that most sports jounralists are morons, its practically part of their job description. But I do have a problem when these guys cant remember what happened only 2 years prior or worse, dont even follow sports.

Phil Simms

2006-01-22T17:35:00.000-05:00

Phil Simms is one of the better announcers on TV so I dont like going after him all that much, but I did find this funny. Right after Charlie Adams 57 yard KO return to the Pittsburgh 42, Simms had this to say:

"A lot of ways to get back into a game, you can do it on offense, a big play on defense..."

You know what else Phil, a big play on SPECIAL TEAMS? Like maybe, the one we just saw.

Phil also noted that anytime you see a big play there is always a broken tackle, which anyone who has ever watched football knows is just patently false. oh well

Jason Whitlock

2006-01-22T11:33:00.000-05:00

On the Sports Reporters this morning, Jason Whitlock just said he doesnt think Troy Polamalu has been getting enough attention this postseason.

Something to (Willie) Ponder

2006-01-20T18:30:00.000-05:00

Only 1 team has ever won 3 games on the way to the Super Bowl, the 85 Pats. That didnt end too well in case you dont remember. This year, both Carolina and Pitt have a chance to do it.....

1st and 10

2006-01-20T16:12:00.000-05:00

1st and 10 is pretty much the worst show on ESPN (now that ESPN Hollywood has been cancelled). I try to avoid the show whenever possible so as not to get any dumber, but once in a while I catch the last few minutes and always feel worse off for the expeience. Today, Captain Senility himself, Woodrow Paige, uttered this gem:

"NFL teams should hire minority coaches to correct the ills of the past"

Read that again. Seriously, do you see what Woody Paige is sugesting? Reparations for black head coaches!!!!

Wow

Conference Championship Weekend

2006-01-20T10:50:00.000-05:00

Hello, boys and girls. We're back. Another 2-2 weekend in the books and we're still even steven on the postseason. Two real tough games this weekend, but let's go.

Pittsburgh at Denver (-3.5)
Both teams playing extremely well. The Broncos defense has been good against the run all year long. I think they're gonna be able to force the steelers into a lot of clear passing situations and force big ben to beat them. I think the altitude and the run defense puts denver over the top in this one. In Rod we trust.
Denver 24 Pittsburgh 17

Carolina at Seattle (-3.5)
This game should be AWESOME. Steve Smith. Wow. I cant recall a wide receiver being this dominant since jerry rice was in his prime. This guy is an absolute freak. If Seattle doesnt double him on EVERY PLAY (and he'll still get solid numbers), then Holmgren should be lynched. The Panthers were, for the most part, a one-trick pony when they had deshaun foster. Without him, look for smith to get about 20 looks. Reigning "MVP" shaun alexander looks to bounce back from a piss poor start and a concussion against the panthers stout defense. I dont really like alexander, but i'm expecting him to have a good enough day to let hasselbeck do his thing and get the seahawks and their TREMENDOUSLY UNDERRATED DEFENSE to the super bowl.
Seattle 31 Carolina 27
(by the way, LOVE the over in this one -- 43.5)

NFL Divisional Playoffs

2006-01-13T14:01:00.000-05:00

Went 2-2 last week. Didnt see that Giants debacle coming. Wow, that was ugly. Some tough games this week. Here we go.

Redskins at Seahawks (-9.5)
How are the redskins possibly gonna put up enough points to stay close in this one. The redskins were running on fumes and fortunate (not lucky -- i cant stand when people say lucky) to escape tampa bay with a win last week. Portis is banged up and seattle is rested, at home, and has a defense that is VERY underrated.
Seahawks 31 Redskins 10

Patriots at Broncos (-3)
Wow. 3 points. Not giving us much to work with. Denver has looked awesome at home, has a solid running game, and a stout run defense. Plummer has been good all year, they played well down the stretch, and that pats secondary is still very vulnerable. But the patriots are the defending champions, they have tom brady, and quite frankly . . . .
Patriots 27 Broncos 21

Steelers at Colts (-9.5)
People have been talking themselves into betting on Pittsburgh all week long. Yes, they looked good against cinci, but losing Palmer and throwing kitna out there was devastating for the bengals. I think if Palmer played the whole game, the steelers survive but barely. Yes, 9.5 points are a lot to give away, but this colts team is ready to run the steelers off the field and this one may get out of hand early.
Colts 30 Steelers 17

Panthers at Bears (-2.5)
Ugh. What the hell are we supposed to do with this one? I had made up my mind that i was taking either the panthers or the giants over the bears before they played last sunday. Here's why: Too much pressure on the bears defense. if they fall behind 10-0, they're finished. The panthers can put up points. They've got the most dangerous receiver in the league and a running game that is hitting on all cylinders. Plus they've got delhomme -- i gotta say, i like this guy. A young man's favre. Doesnt seem to get phased by hostile crowds, has played in an won big games on the road, and he's cocky. Lok for the panthers to strike first and the bears to panic. i just dont think rex grothman is winning a playoff game, i dont care how good his defense is.
Panthers 20 Bears 9

Quick Thought

2006-01-09T00:20:00.000-05:00

4 QBS started their first playoff game this weekend. All 4 lost (Palmer/Kitna included)

Tom Brady and the Patriots

2006-01-08T14:52:00.000-05:00

The Patriots opened their run at a 3rd straight Super Bowl title with a convincing, yet not overly impressive 28-3 win over an obviously overmatched Jaguars team. Byron Leftwich was rusty and lacked zip on most of his passes, and the Jags were never able to establish much of a running game. Tom Brady improved to an NFL record 10-0 in his career in the postseason with another great night, 200 yards and 3 TD's. Most important though, was what Brady DID NOT do, and that is throw an interception. A great deal is made about Brady being a "game manager" and not a 300 yards and 4 TD gunslinger like Peyton Manning or Brett Favre. But Brady knows an essential truth about playoff football, the team the turns the ball over least usually wins. Heres a breakdown on how teams have done in the playoffs based on the number of INTs they have thrown:

INTs	Record	Winning %
0	166-44	.790
1	127-97	.567
2	48-103	.318
3	14-73	.161
4	1-26	.037
5	0-10	.000
6	0-3	.000

Pretty convincing isnt it? How about these numbers: In 10 playoff games, Tom Brady has thrown 3 INTs, a rate of less than 1 per 100 throws. This is the lowest of any QB in postseason history. Brady is 10-0. Number 2 on that list is Bart Starr, who threw 3 picks in 241 attempts. Mr. Starr was 9-1 in his career in the postseason and made the HOF despite having average career numbers. And 3rd? Phil Simms. Those men went 6-0 in Super Bowls and were named the game MVP 5 times.

NFL WIldcard Weekend

2006-01-06T12:37:00.000-05:00

Quick Picks

redskins at bucs (-2.5)
Too many people picking the redskins. They run an offense that makes Tecmo Bowl schemes look complicated. Go with Gruden: he'll have the bucs ready.
Bucs 24 Redskins 14

jags at pats (-7.5)
Pats arent losing an opening round home playoff game and it wont be that close.
Pats 30 Jags 20
(Love the over (37) in this one)

panthers at giants (-2.5)
As usual, people taking the giants too lightly. A team from North Carolina, without a running game is not coming into New York in January and winning. It's just not happening and i dont expect the Giants to have that much trouble.
Giants 27 Panthers 10

steelers (-3) at bengals
Very strange line. My gut tells me this Bengals team is still a year away from winning a playoff game and they aint getting their first win against Bill Cowher's team. Bengals wont be able to match Steelers's intensity.
Steelers 23 Bengals 10

Rose Bowl Thoughts

2006-01-05T10:36:00.000-05:00

1. Vince Young is much better than I realized. No reason to think he wont be successful in the pros.

2. Reggie Bush's performance confirmed my worst fears about him. He's not gonna be the pro stud that everyone thinks. He's got an extra gear that only michael vick has (had), but this guy cant take a hit. Last night's game was the first time i've ever seen him get hit hard and he was not the same after that big fumble-causing hit in the first half. The Bush street team will point out that he 275 total yards, but can anyone think of a more quite 275 yards? The guy is 6 feet and 200 pounds. He's a 'tweener. If you're the Texans, you should be drafting an offensive lineman or trading the pick anyhow.

3. Pete Carroll. What can you say about this guy? Gets the ball back, UP 5 points with 4 minutes to play. Passing play on second down -- fortunately, he gets bailed out and the pass is completed. They get the first down. On the following second down, another passing play! This one falls incomplete. 4th and 2 from midfield, UP BY 5 with 2 minutes to play. HE GOES FOR IT, keeping reggie bush on the sidelines. Brilliant. After the inevitable stop by Texas, the Longhorns's drive gets a help from one of the more blatant face-mask penalties you'll ever see. 4th and 5 for the Longhorns. This is the game. NO WAY is Young gonna throw this ball. All you have to do is contain him and try and keep him in the pocket. The call? A blitz right up the gut!!! Young moves to the right and runs into the endzone. Ballgame. (Dont even get me started on calling the defensive timeout, THEIR LAST ONE, on the two point conversion try.) You had to see it to believe it.

4. How about a hand for ESPN and their two-week long segment comparing the '05 Trojans to the greatest college football teams in history? Whoops!

NFL MVP

2006-01-03T16:56:00.000-05:00

Lots of talk about who the MVP is. Shaun Alexander will probably win the award but i think Tom Brady deserves it. I'd put Tiki Barber ahead of Shaun Alexander. The Seahawks are #2 on everyone's power rankings and feature a pro-bowl qb as well as the all-world, Walter Jones (please disregard the game where Osi absolutely abused him) blocking for him. My point? You cant have it both ways. If Seattle is so good, Alexander cant be more valuable than barber. Tiki put up the second most yards from scrimmage in a single season of all time. He had 20 less yards rushing than alexander. Alexander gets all the hype because of the tds. It's impressive, dont get me wrong, but come on. Tiki played with the vulture, Brandon Jacobs, who stole 7 tds, whereas Alexander gets every goal-line carry, as well as touches after he has already been taken out of the game -- that was embarassingly similar to seeing peyton manning spiking the ball late in the 4th quarter of a blowout last year to get a td pass. Tiki plays with the most inconsistent and overrated qb in the league. In fact, the experts would rather have chris simms than eli manning (thank you sean salisbury for that one). Barber also plays with wildly overrated jeremy shockey and career underachiever, plexiglass burress at receiver. The Giants stink, yet Tiki put up insane numbers and they won 11 games. Oh, one more thing, seattle won 13 games playing in a division with arizona, st louis, and san francisco. Just wanted to get that off my chest.

The official Kovs Ballot

1. brady
2. barber
3. manning
4. alexander
5. palmer / steve smith

And a bit more on Reeves

2006-01-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

No titles
0-4 in SuperBowls
Drafted Tommy Maddox in hopes he could replace John Elway

A Bit More on Dan Reeves

2006-01-03T16:38:00.000-05:00

4 time coach of the year
4 superbowl appearances as head coach
Unparalleled 9 super bowl appearances as either player or coach

With regards to Maverick . . .

2006-01-03T16:34:00.000-05:00

Born in Americus, Georgia, Reeves attended school at the University of South Carolina, where he played quarterback. He was later inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1965, Reeves was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys to play fullback. Over eight seasons with the team, Reeves collected 1990 rushing yards and 1693 passing yards. His best year came in 1966, when he rushed for seven touchdowns, good for second in the fledgling league, and played extremely well in the Cowboys' losing effort in the Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers in the notorious "Ice Bowl". The Cowboys made the playoffs every year of Reeves's playing days, reaching the Super Bowl twice and culminating in a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins in 1971.
Worn down by multiple injuries, Reeves began serving on the sidelines as a player/coach in 1970 and after his full retirement in 1972 he took a job on the team as the running backs coach. After leaving the sport for a business position in 1973, he returned to the Cowboys again in 1974 as running backs coach, and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1977. The Cowboys made 3 more Super Bowls during Reeves' tenure as an assistant coach, earning him another ring in 1977 with a win over the Denver Broncos.
In 1981, the 37 year old Reeves was made head coach and Vice President of the Denver Broncos, making him at the time the youngest coach in the league. Over the next 12 years, Reeves led the Broncos to a 110-73-1 regular season record (7-6 playoff), six playoff appearances, and three appearances in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Reeves was never able to win the big game with the Broncos.
In 1993, Reeves took over as head coach of the floundering New York Giants. In his first season at the helm, the Giants went 11-5 and made the playoffs for the first time in three years, giving the fans and team hope that Reeves was the answer to the team's troubles. For his efforts, Reeves was named Coach of the Year by the Associated Press. However, Reeves could not duplicate his success, and was fired at the end of the 1996 season, leaving behind a 31-33 record with the Giants.
In 1996, Reeves took on his biggest challenge yet by accepting the head coaching job of the Atlanta Falcons. The year before the Falcons had gone 3-13, and they had done little to improve their personnel. Yet by 1998, Reeves led the team to a 14-2 record and his record 9th Super Bowl appearance on the sidelines. That year was particularly tumultuous for Reeves, who underwent emergency bypass surgery midway through the season. Although the team lost Super Bowl XXXIII by a 34-19 margin against Reeves' old team the Denver Broncos, Reeves was widely hailed for the team's turnaround, and was again awarded the Coach of the Year honor.

Step into my office

2006-01-02T19:08:00.000-05:00

The NFL regular season isnt even a day old and already several coaches have been given their walking papers. I dont think there are any suprises here other than maybe Mike Sherman up in Green Bay.

A qucik look at who is gone:

Jim Haslett, New Orleans: Should have been fired each of the past few seasons. The Saints are a talented team and havent cracked .500 since....since I dont even know when. You cant blame him for what happened this year, but this is a long time in coming.

Mike Martz, St. Louis: I dont even have a joke here. This is the guy STL forced Dick Vermeil out for? good work guys....

Dom Capers, Houston: If Reggie Bush honestly is the next Gale Sayers (i am dubious) then The Texans fans will forever be indebted to Mr. Capers. But since they dont actually have any fans....But seriously, how icompetent are you when someone hires Dan Reeves to tell you how to improve things....so sad.

Mike Tice, Minnesota: Kovs says it best, this guy should be setting pins in a bowling alley. I dont know how he graduated from High School, nevermind became an NFL head coach.

Mike Sherman, Green Bay: If Favre retires, does ANYONE want this coaching job? wow...

NFL Playoffs

2006-01-02T02:17:00.000-05:00

The NFL regular season has come to a close and the playoffs are shaping up nicely. We have some great great games in week 1 and some fantastic potential week 2 matchups, highlighted by a possible New England at Indy.

A quick look at the games:

AFC: Jacksonville @ New England: Will Leftwich play is obviously the big question. David Garrard has been serviceable as a backup for the Jags, but he doesnt have the talent to get Jacksonville a win in this game.

Pitt @ Cinci: Pitt won easily in Cinci early in the season, with Cinci exacting its revenge in week 13 against an injured Ben Roethlisburger. Pitt has won its last 4 games and Cinci hasnt won in 2 weeks, so we'll see how this plays out, but I like the Steelers.

NFC: Washington @ Tampa Bay: These two teams met earlier in the year in a game decided by a very controversial call. I dont really care otherwise.

Carolina @ NY Giants: Should be a battle. I cant wait to see how Eli performs. And honestly, why hasnt D Foster been starting all year?? This guy is a stud.

Take it easy

2005-12-30T20:35:00.000-05:00

Apropos to some of Kovs comments earlier, one thing I cant stand is when sports reporters throw around accolades without any factual basis. Maybe they dont understand what they are talking about, or maybe they do and they dont care that they are blatantly misrepresenting a players accomplishments. Just five minutes ago on MSG they reffered to Jeremy Shockey as "the Giants All-Pro tight end". Now that is just flat out wrong. Shockey is not an "All-Pro", hes a pro-bowler, which is very different. There are two pro bowl tight ends from each conference, there is only one All-Pro tight end in the entire NFL, and its Antonio Gates. Its pretty embarassing that people who do this for a living dont understand things that regular sports junkies like myself get intuitively.

Alright alright alright

2005-12-30T13:09:00.000-05:00

after a brief hiatus, im back....just like most of you, ive been enjoying my vacation time -- playing a ton of basketball and watching the SNL Chronicles of Narnia skit 50 times a day...

a couple things just want to talk about:

1) Jason Whitlock--im not gonna write about this guy every week, but honestly, how does he have a column? I can honestly say that I dont know anyone who is as bad at their job as Whitlock is, not even Scoop Jackson.

2) The Pistons--damn these guys are good. I hate Larry Brown, think hes a scumbag and overrated as a coach, so its very satisfying to me to see the Pistons just killing people and the Knicks as the worst team in the NBA.

3) Seattle--ive heard a lot of people jumping on the SEA bandwagon saying they are a really great team. And maybe they are, but does anyone really know for sure? During their 11 game winning streak, they've beaten STL twice, SF twice, Hou, Tenn, Zona, Philly and Indy (when they had already hung it up). Other than Dallas and the Giants at home, both games they had NO business winning, they havent beaten a decent team yet.

2005-12-29T10:01:00.000-05:00

Should obviously have read 1988 and not 1998. dont hold it against me. i was pretty fired up as i was typing. as you were . . .

My Biggest Pet Peve in Sports

2005-12-29T09:59:00.000-05:00

And really my biggest pet peve in all walks of life: the short memory of our society. Whether it's idiots who love that Ashanti song not knowing it's the beat to Biggie's "One More Chance Remix," or countless other instances where people today have no perspective that basically everything done today is derivative of something that has already happened years ago, it drives me nuts.

Perhaps the worst and most egregious isntance of this brutally annoying phenomenon is when sportswriters, analysts, experts, etc., feel the need to hyperbolize EVERYTHING. I've heard countless "experts" discuss USC's reggie bush as the next coming. Sean Salsbury went as far as saying that he's the best college football player he's ever seen -- and he wasnt alone. Dozens of media talking heads have said the same thing. Now dont get me wrong, this is not a knock on reggie bush. He's a very good college player -- in my opinion, probably the best since raghib ismail. But best ever or best Salsbury or the other morons have ever seen? PLEASE . . .

In 1998, a running back for Oklahoma State, had 344 carries for 2628 yards and 37 rushing touchdowns. Read that sentence again and let it sink in. Start doing the math. And then remember, those numbers do not include the postseason. The real problem is that I shouldnt have to point this out to you. Analysts should stop getting completely wrapped up in the moment and forgetting their history. Either way, i think we can safely put to rest ANY talk of reggie bush being the best college player of our generation or that we have seen.

Fuck you, Raffy!!!

2005-12-28T13:44:00.000-05:00

He has said former Baltimore Orioles teammate Miguel Tejada gave him vitamin B-12 earlier in the season, and suggested it might have been tainted with performance-enhancing drugs.

“I wish I could have turned in the vial for testing,” Palmeiro said. “But when I found out, it was long gone and I couldn’t come up with it. If something happened that I’m not aware of, an intentional act by someone else, I don’t know. I can’t rule out anything.”

Palmeiro also told the Times that he blames no one but himself for what happened.

“I’m going to take the responsibility, me being careless and taking something I wasn’t knowing if it was clean, having full trust in what I was getting. It was careless, stupid, naive of me to think it was safe.”

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE TAKING FULL RESPONSIBILITY TO YOU? ME NEITHER.

More Penalty Box

2005-12-23T13:19:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of Bill Simmons and his "More Cowbell" commentary, I'm gonna run a little nugget called, "MP" for "More Penalty Box."

From John Clayton's normally good, 1st and 10, column, this week:

First … San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs | Scouting report
For the Kansas City Chiefs, Saturday's game against the Chargers is more than a game. It could end a short era.

The Dick Vermeil portion of the Chiefs' history could be coming to an end. He's 69, but his mind and body are young. Vermeil wants to give Lamar Hunt and team president and close friend Carl Peterson a trip to the Super Bowl. Although Vermeil hasn't made a decision, it's unlikely he will return if he can't get this team into the playoffs.

As he's finding, the AFC road to the Super Bowl is much together than the road he took through the NFC with the Rams in 1999. The AFC has more established and elite quarterbacks. During Vermeil's time in Kansas City, the Patriots emerged as a three-time Super Bowl champion that was going to be hard for anyone to stop. Ask the Colts, who tried and failed. Now, it could be the Colts' time.

The Chiefs are 1-3 against the NFC and 7-3 against the AFC. I know everyone loves to pump up the AFC, but next time do your research, pal. John Clayton, welcome to the penalty box.

You're Dirk D-Diggler

2005-12-23T10:08:00.000-05:00

I love Dirk Nowitzki. Two nights ago, he's getting dunked on by Kobe and getting elbowed to the face by jellybean's son. Dirk responded by whining to the referees, throwing his mouthpiece to the ground (resulting in a technical), and ultimately, pouting on the sidelines while he appeared to be fighting back tears. Last night, however, against a crappy Kings team, WITHOUT peja and bonzi j wells, he was a wildman. I havent seen that much fist-pumping since the Heat-Nets series last year. He was thumping his chest, bumping chests with Jason Terry, and really dominant. They got hammered by the lakers and beat the kings.

And that's just it with Dirk. This guy has been tagged as soft since day one and absolutely rightly so. I think he'd be great in a horse contest or in some sort of two-hand touch basketball. If you're up big and/or playing against a crap team, he's your guy. (This is where the Sports Guy says that he's the basketball version of alex rodriguez -- and there's probably some truth to that) But, it's so painfully obvious, that this guy just wilts if you get physical and he wants no part of mixing it up down low. He's the best reason why basketball statistics are so misleading. I havent looked, but i'll bet he had good numbers against the Lakers and probably even had a bunch of boards -- but anyone who actually watches games (which eliminates most sportswriters and "experts") knows better. This guy has always been soft and he always will be soft. You think it's a coincidence the Germans are 0-2 in world wars? me neither.

Quick Picks

2005-12-18T12:16:00.000-05:00

Pitt (-4) over Minn
Dolphins (-8.5) over Jets
Colts (-8) over San Diego
Jaguars (-15.5) over San Fran
Texans (+1.5) over Arizona
Bengals (-8) over Lions
Seahawks (-7) over Titans
Saints (+9) over Carolina
Cowboys (+3) over Redskins
Raiders (-3) over Cleveland
Rams (-3.5) over Eagles
Bears (-3) over Falcons
Packers (+3.5) over Ravens

Jason Whitlock and Saturday Wrap Up

2005-12-18T12:01:00.000-05:00

Jason Whitlock is on the Sportsreporters embarassing himself again, and not just because he is a dead ringer for jabba the hut. Even though Jason writes a weekly column calling himself an "NFL Guru", he consistently proves that he follows football about as closely as he follows the USDA daily calorie rquirements. When discussing the possibility of a Patriots/Colts playoff meeting, Jason said he doubts the Patriots will be able to get by Cinci or Denver to face Indy. Maybe they didnt teach math at Ball State, or maybe Jason has problems with numbers with more than 1 digit, but even a quick look at the standings and the schedule would reveal that the Pats are locked into the 4 seed. Both Cinci and Denver will end up 12-4, with the Pats likely to finish 11-5. As the 4 seed, they would face Jacksonville in the first round (or possibly Pitt) and then drumroll please!!!!!! INDIANAPOLIS. Nice work Jason....nice work.

As for the saturday wrap up, we go 2-1 on the day and even hit the Denver/Buff score on the head. But for the second straight week Kansas City made me look stupid (which isnt really that difficult) with possibly the worst display of tackling I have ever seen in an NFL game. Tiki Barber had a monster game and still no one is talking about it, I guess he has to do it in the playoffs before anyone notices.

No write up today, ill just post some quick picks but my best bets:

Chi -3
Minn/Pitt UNDER 41
Tease Indy -2/OVER 46

Saturday Games

2005-12-17T14:43:00.000-05:00

Giants (-3) vs. Chiefs

Larry Tynes screwed us last week with his last second choke job and so we start out the picks missing our top play. This week is another tough road test for the Chiefs, who are fighting with Jax and Pitt for the last wild card spot (SD as well, but when Indy beats them they are done). Larry Johnson, running behind the best O-line in football, had another monster week against Dallas with 145 yards and 3 TDs. I traded him in week 2 in one of my leagues for Larry Fitzgerald, and even though im in the finals this week, id still like to have that one over.
Without Antonio Pierce, The Chiefs shouldnt have much of a problem moving the chains. On the other sideline, Eli Manning is looking for redemption after two horrendous games (which occured after he hit the cover of ESPN the mag...interesting). A lot has been made of Eli's second season and his 4th quarter comebacks, but he is still a second year QB. The Giants may be the most talented team in the NFC, but they wont go anywhere unless Eli can get it together and cut down on his mistakes.

Random Note: Im at a buddys place last night taking some Maxim sportsquiz and one of the questions is "who is the most underrated athlete." And you know what, I think its Tiki Barber. The guy is on pace to lead the NFL in total yards for the second straight year and you never hear anything about him. How is it possible a guy in New York is underrated? Almost every star to play here has been hugely overrated (culminating with the most overrated athlete of all time, Joe Willie Namath). I just dont get it....Lupica should be writing 3 columns a week on this guy.

Pick: Chiefs 17 Giants 14

Buffalo (+8.5) vs. Denver

I wont be staying in to watch this one...who cares.

Pick: Denver 28 Buffalo 17

Pats Vs. Bucs

2005-12-17T13:29:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite times of the year, not just because Christmas is right around the corner, but for the final 3 weeks of the NFL season we get games on both saturday and sunday. There are 6 seperate time slots for games on TV this weekend, plus MNF--7 games in total, almost half the entire NFL slate. Doesnt get much better than that. And lucky for me, two of the three games im most interested in , the Pats/Bucs and the Chiefs/Giants, are on today (the other being Indy/SD, obviously).

Pats (-4.5) vs. Tampa Bay

Not a huge game for the Pats in the grand scheme of things, their magic number to win the AFC East is 1, and Tampa is battling for a playoff spot. But this is TBs third straight road game, and the first real cold weather game of the season for them. Two stats here lead me to pick the Pats--Road Dogs playing their 3rd straight road game are 6-17 ATS in the last 23, and road dogs coming off a straight up road win and playing there 3rd straight road game are only 5-19 since 1995. Those are stats I like. Take the Pats giving the points

Pick: Pats 24 Bucs 16

A Couple of Quick Thoughts

2005-12-16T10:08:00.000-05:00

1. From last night's cavs/nuggets game: steve kerr, commenting on what it takes to win games down the stretch: "you've gotta get stops and make shots." I'd now like to share with the entire world, my guaranteed key to making money in the stock market: "buy low and sell high."

2. NOT SPORTS RELATED -- saw a billboard ad for "Rumor has it" on the way to work this morning. Underneath the tagline reads, "Based on a true rumor." I'm sure whoever came up with that little slogan gave herself a real nice pat on the back. Get it? Based on a true RUMOR? (not story!) But here's the thing, whatever twit came up with the slogan, didnt really think it through. If the rumor the movie is based upon is true, then there is no difference between using "rumor" or "story." Thus, the advertisement is claiming that the movie is based on a true story -- which i kind of doubt. Am i the only person who catches these things?

For the Record

2005-12-14T15:45:00.000-05:00

the best team of my lifetime, and IMO the best of all the Super Bowl winners, is the 85 Bears. They finished 15-1, ranked number 2 in offense and 1 in defense and had a 16.2 point margin of victory. The one game they lost was to a great Dolphins team (finished 12-4) in Miami on MNF, with Dan Marino playing at the peak of his abilities (if you were to design a QB to beat Buddy Ryan's infamous 4-6 defense, Marino would be it. Great pocket presence at a lightning quick release).

In the playoffs, the Bears shutout the Rams and the Giants before destroying the Pats 46-10.

The team had 9 prowbowlers, 5 HOF's and the greatest running back ive ever seen.

The 72 Dolphins vs. the 05 Colts

2005-12-14T14:49:00.000-05:00

The Colts quest for a perfect regular season has become the biggest story of this NFL season and is sparking a great deal of debate over who is the greatest team in NFL history. The 72 Dolphins like to lay claim to that title, based on their being the only team in the Super Bowl era to run the table for the entire season, finishing a perfect 17-0. But looking at the facts, you see that this accomplishment is not quite as great as Don Shula, Mercury Morris and the rest of the champagne gang would like you to believe.

The Dolphins finished the 72 regular season with a perfect 14-0 record. However, during the season they only faced two teams with a winning record. They defeated 8-6 Kansas City in KC, 20-10, and the 8-6 NY Giants, 23-13. The Dolphins most impressive feat of the season was finishing 1st in points scored and points allowed. The Fish scored an average of 27.5 points a game and gave up only 12.2 points, for an average margin of victory of 15.3 points. In addition, the team had 6 future Hall of Famers: Bob Griese, Larry Little, Larry Csonka, Paul Warfield, NIck Buoniconti and Jim Langer. Again, this is very impressive. The argument starts to unravel, however, when looking at Miami's run in the playofs.

In the AFC division game, the Dolphins beat the 10-4 Browns 20-14. For the AFC title game, they went into Pittsburgh and defeated the 11-3 Steelers 21-17. A good win, but not a dominating performance. In the Super Bowl, the Dolphins defeated the 11-3 Redskins 14-7. Another good win, but not dominating.

Compare all of this to the 05 Colts and you can see what they are on pace to do is much more impressive. The Colts lead the league in offense and are ranked second in scoring defense, scoring 30.1 ppg and giving up a mere 13.8. That works out to a margin of victory of 16.3, a full point higher than the Dolphins, but achieved versus a much more challenging schedule. Thus far, the Colts have road wins against the two time defending Champ Patriots, the Bengals and Jacksonville. In addition, they defeated the Jags and Steelers are home. While they have also played their share of cupcakes (SF, TENN and HOU), they have also beaten the best the AFC has to offer, and left little doubt as to their dominance. The 05 Colts have 3 sure fire HOF's on the offensive side of the ball (Manning, Harrison and James) and have a young, attacking defense that could produce a few future stars (Freeney, Sanders).

While I think it likely that the Colts run the table, it will not be an easy road. They still have to host San Diego and travel to the NFC best team, Seattle. In the playoffs, the Colts will likely face the Pats and the Broncos/Bengals. I dont think there is a team coming from the NFC that can stay with the Colts, but as the 01 Patriots proved, anything can happen.

The Colts still have several hurdlest that could keep them from achieving a perfect season, but the odds are in their favor. And if they do manage to pull it off, dont believe the old timers who say its not the same as the 72 Dolphins. Actually, believe them, they are right. Its not the same....its better

New Gym

2005-12-13T15:47:00.000-05:00

a little off topic but im pretty pumped today because im going to join a new gym. I just found out that my company has a great deal at the Reebok gym, making it only slightly expensive vs. absurdly expensive without the deal. You can check out the Reebok here:

http://www.thesportsclubla.com/Clubs/template.asp?Club=NYReebokSportsClub

Anyway, the best thing about this gym is that they have two pretty sweet basketball courts. I love basketball--I played hoops pretty much everyday in college and it kept me in decent enough shape. Out in the real world there arent open runs 4 times a day and it (usually) costs big bucks to play ball (especially in new york). Throw in the fact that I despise doing cardio, and I have become really fat. But for the first time im pretty confident that I can start getting back in shape...ill be sure to post updates from time to time....

Quick Thought on the Saints

2005-12-13T10:09:00.000-05:00

i'm officially done making fun of them or talking shit about them for the rest of the season. they suck, and have sucked for a few years, dont get me wrong. other than hollywood joe horn, there's not a legitimate pro on that team. but after watching the game last night and seeing how they're often times unable to even practice and have to go through a ridiculous walk-through in street clothes on an auditorium floor, i think it's time we cut them all a little slack.

Looking Ahead

2005-12-12T13:18:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things to do, and I think a great exercise for any gambler, is to sit down on Monday or Tuesday and try and predict all the lines for the upcoming week. Its a good way to get you looking ahead to next weeks matchups and see how you are thinking vs. the bookies. Always remember, spreads are set not to try and predict the actual score, but to attract equal sided betting...

My predicted lines for Week 15 (home team first):

New England (-4) vs. Tampa Bay
NY Giants (-3.5) vs. Kansas City
Buffalo (+7) vs. Denver
Minnesota (+2) vs. Pittsburgh
Indianapolis (-8.5) vs. San Diego
Jacksonville (-13) vs. San Francisco
Tennesse (+6) vs. Seattle
Houston (PK) vs. Arizona
Miami (-7) vs. NY Jets
New Orleans (+4.5) vs. Carolina
Washington (-2) vs. Dallas
Detroit (+6) vs. Cincinnati
Oakland (-2) vs. Cleveland
St. Louis (+2) vs. Philadelphia
Chicago (-1.5) vs. Atlanta
Baltimore (-3) vs. Green Bay

Sweet monday night game by the way....awesome. Ill be back to see how the picks looks tomorrow plus a recap of Week 14.

The Penalty Box

2005-12-12T12:34:00.000-05:00

For the most part, sportswriters are idiots. that's not my opinion -- it's a fact. look at the schools they went to, examine the language they use, and then check out their conclusions. we're not exactly talking about nobel laureates here. the real problem, however, is that there is no accountability for these guys. they put out whatever pointless drivel they want, and somehow, it's "newsworthy." well, not any longer. if you write something stupid, you're getting called out for it. right here and right now.

CNN/SI's peter king writes:

If the Steelers do get that sixth seed, Jerome Bettis should get a quadruple playoff share. What he did yesterday on the chewed-up winter pitch at Heinz Field, with a quasi-blizzard making it hard to see across the field for two quarters, will go down as one of the 10 best games of his Canton-worthy career. The stats: 17 carries, 101 yards, two rushing touchdowns -- against the best defense in football, a unit that had allowed four rushing touchdowns in its first 12 games. He proved himself to be the Mariano Rivera of football in the second half. Sixteen carries, 100 yards. And the Bears knew exactly what was coming.

alright, peter, let's examine this. bettis should get a quadruple share if the steelers make the playoffs? that sounds about right. i mean, he has played in 9 of the steelers's 13 games and i think he's even started 2 of those games. maybe playoff shares are distributed by weight. i dont know. 17 carries and 101 yards. 17 carries and 101 yards!!!??? one of the ten best games of his career? really? isnt that about what a pro-bowl caliber running back AVERAGES throughout the season? in fact, jerome bettis averaged over 100 yards a game for the 1997 season!!! so right there we have, um, i dont know . . . 16 games as good as the one yesterday! tone down the hyperbole, peter. and let's look even closer at those colossal numbers. in the second half, he had 16 carries for 100 yards. you know what that means right? 1 carry for 1 yard in the first half! what a dynamic back!!! and weren't the steelers leading most of the second half? why, yes, they were. makes it a bit easier to get yardage on the ground, playing with a lead, at home against an undersized (although very good) defensive front seven. and dont even get me started on the mariano rivera comment. what the hell is that even supposed to mean?! why not just say jerome bettis played really well in the second half? i'm not saying peter king's comment about jerome bettis is one the top 10 dumbest things he's ever said (hell, he may have said 10 dumber things in that column). just make the point and get on with it. peter king . . . WELCOME TO THE PENALTY BOX.

Manny for Miggy?

2005-12-10T17:43:00.000-05:00

Theres a lot of discussion on chat boards and in the Boston newspapers today about a potential Manny Ramirez for Miguel Tejada deal. There are several factors that are leading to the speculation, as the money matches up pretty closely and Miggy and David Ortiz are incredibly good friends (and represented by the same agent). While the deal would make sense for both teams, especially Boston (its as close to value as they will get back for Manny), I am skeptical that this deal will ever come to fruition. First, the same factors that have led to Miggy asking for a trade--lack of competitivness/desire to win--would likely lead Manny to veto the deal. More importantly, Manny has reversed his earlier statement that he would retire after his current deal ends in 2008, and is now looking for an extension. Any team willing to trade for the precocious slugger is probably going to give him a 2-3 year extension in the neighborhood of $15 million per. Orioles owner Peter Angelos has already said that no single player is worth that kind of money in todays game. I still look for Manny to be starting in left for Red Sox come opening day and, ofcourse, continue to be Manny.

We got Digits, baby

2005-12-10T13:05:00.000-05:00

Finally got the numbers for the season: Favorites are 108-80-4. Betting home dogs, one of the only consistently profitable strategies, has been a disaster, with the puppies coming in at 25-35. One of my main gambling rules is to fade any trend once it becomes patently obvious to the public. With this one im not so sure, the dichotomy between good and bad teams is only going to get worse as the season winds down. 17 teams are stil fighting for a playoff spot, and there are 9 games this weekend matching a team still alive vs. a member of group "suck". Should be interesting to see how that plays out, im taking the chalk in 6 of them.

Welcome aboard Kovs and Picks Part Deux

2005-12-09T18:34:00.000-05:00

First, welcome aboard to my buddy Kovs, a fellow sports junkie and my fantasy sports nemesis. Kovs is my go to guy when talking sports and even though we dont often agree, I still think he's a pretty smart guy. I look forward to his contributions, hopefully he'll have more to say than in his first post

Now, on to the picks....

Arizona (+4.5) vs. Washington

Does Anquan Boldin cover himself in grease before the game? Why cant anybody tackle this guy??? Im playing Clinton Portis in one of fantasy leagues this week, otherwise I dont care at all

Pick: Zona 20 Washington 17

Philadelphia (+8.5) vs. New York Giants

This line opened at 3.5 on monday but by tuesday had moved to 8. I hope the game gets middled and the bookies really getted F'ed in the A, but thats just me.

Pick: Giants 24 Phily 10

Seattle (-16) vs. San Francisco

My survivor pool pick. Lets just say if I sneak off to the gym during the 4 oclock games, I wont be worried about this one. Random thought: who scores more TD's for the rest of the season, Shaun Alexander or the 49ers? And how do the 49ers feel knowing they had the 1st pick in the worst draft in years and this year are gonna miss out on the two cant miss SoCal prospects?

Random Thought number 2: San Fran hosts Houston in week 17, think about whats gonna be at stake? Have two teams ever played each other with BOTH teams actively trying to throw the game?

Pick: Seattle 34 San Francisco 13

San Diego (-13.5) vs. Miami

Trap Game Alert!!! Im sure San Diego isnt looking ahead to their matchup in Indy next week...but Nick Saban just might be smart enough to pull this one off, especially with LDT banged up. Then again....maybe not

Pick: San Diego 27 Miami 17

Denver (-14) vs. Baltimore

Only one double digit underdog has won all year (San Fran at home vs. Tampa). Im betting this wont be number 2.

Pick: Denver 27 Baltimore 9

Dallas (-2.5) vs. Kansas City

Pretty much a must win for both teams, but heres something you might not know....Dallas SUCKS!!! Im making this my play of the week, take KC and the points and you can thank me on sunday night.

Pick: Kansas City 24 Dallas 17

Green Bay (-6) vs. Detroit

Pretty sure ill be watching the Simpsons and Family Guy on sunday night, even with Samkon Gado as my flex player. (Yeah, Samkon Gado is my flex, and I still finished second....sweet league huh?)

Pick: Green Bay 24 Detroit 20

Atlanta (-10) vs. New Orleans

The top pick in my survival pool, which means ill be rocking the black and gold on monday night.

Random Thought: Lost in the TO scandal and the weekly antics of Chad Johnson has been the complete dissapearance of Joe Horn. Did you guys forget about Joe Horn? Joe Horn is still a top WR in the NFL, and Joe Horn loves the spotlight. Joe Horn is gonna have a big game on MNF, mark Joe Horns words.

Pick: Atlanta 24 New Orleans 20

Year to Date Straight Up: Id post it but no one would believe me. Lets just say ive done better than just picking the favorites.

Against the Spread: No comment

hello?

2005-12-09T17:41:00.000-05:00

is this thing on?

The Picks (part I)

2005-12-09T16:10:00.000-05:00

Week 14!!!! For most guys, that means one thing--the start of fantasy playoffs (unless you are in some really lame league that runs all the way to week 17). More importantly, weve hit an important junction in the season with half the teams still playing for something and the other half counting down the minutes until the off season. And you know what that means? Theres money to be made....On to the picks!!!!

Random note: I do the bulk of my betting on TradeSports.com because a) its freakin sweet and b) I know a bunch of the guys who backed it. But for this column, well be getting the lines from the Stardust, which are available at www.vegas.com/gaming. Home teams listed first....

Carolina (-5.5) vs. Tampa Bay

Chris Simms, meet Julius Peppers. The last time these two met, Peppers had 3 sacks and forced 3 false start penalties. I cant imagine how much Lunesta Kneyatta Walker had to pop this week just to get to bed.

Pick: Carolina 24 Tampa 13

Buffalo (+3.5) vs. New England

Dont like this game at all. New England never plays well in Buffalo (31-0 anyone) and the Pats have little to play for. The only thing that makes this game remotely interesting is that the Vegas O/U on the Pats was 10.5 in the preseason, and if they can win this one they should run the table and finish 11-5.

Pick: Buffalo 23 New England 21

Minnesota (-7) vs. St. Louis

I had to endure 4 years of Ivy League football and not once did I think"hey, one of these guys could make it in the pros!!!". In fact, most of the time my thought process was "How bad would De La Salle or some other good HS team beat these guys." The moral of this story? Ryan Fitzpatrick will be out of the NFL in 3 years....

(Random note from emailer Matt in Minnesota: PSYCHE!!! Do I look like Bill Simmons? More importantly, do I sound like Bill Simmons? Thank god I do not....and Im not gonna write like him either. If youve got something to say post a comment, maybe ill even read them)

Pick: Minnesota 24 St. Louis 14

Pittsburgh (-5.5) vs. Chicago

This weeks teaser special!!! Ill take Pitt even money and the under 37.5. I bet no one else is thinking the same thing....

Pick: Pitt 17 Chicago 12

NY Jets (+3) vs. Oakland

NY Jets Fans : We want Reggie! We want Reggie! We want Reggie!

Dom Capers: You'll get nothing and like it!!

(actually, they're probably gonna get Matt Leinart...which isnt really so bad)

Pick: Oakland 20 Jets 10

Jacksonville (+8) vs. Indy

Indy can clinch home field throughout with a win. Lets see how they fare without the piped in crowd noise of the RCA Dome. Best of luck to rookie Khalif Barnes, who gets Dwight Freeney this week....heres a hint buddy, watch for the spin move!!

(Random note, Jason Whitlock thinks the Jags are better off with David Garrard at QB. Jason, youre a moron, please keep that stuff to yourself. In fact, the only time I ever want Jason's opinion is if im stuck in KC one night and want to find a good rib joint)

Pick: Indy 27 Jacksonville 13

Tennesse -6.5 vs. Houston

When Dom Capers gets fired this off-season, do they throw him a ticker tape parade for securing the number 1 pick? And how about the possibility of Pete Caroll coming to Houston with Reggie?? Its called showmanship, Pete, you hit that high note and walk away.

Pick: Tenn 27 Houston 17

Cincinnati (-12.5) vs. Cleveland

Do they play the Sam Wyche "you dont live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati" sound byte every time these guys play? And how lame does Cleveland feel now that Cincinnati is really good? Its like when your dorky friend who you only keep around to make you feel good about yourself somehow gets a cute girlfriend and stops hanging out with you....not that thats ever happened to me....

Pick: Cincinnati 38 Cleveland 21

Its Friday, you aint got no job, and you aint got Shit to do..

2005-12-09T14:30:00.000-05:00

Im wicked busy (yes, im from Boston) today so im not yet able to put up my NFL picks or to post articles from ESPN.com and discuss why im smarter than all the sportswriters in America, but hopefully things will calm down after the market closes.

On an unrelated note, the Reggie Bush for Heisman contract on TradeSports is trading @ 95. Ive got two words for you: free money.

Simmons Redux

2005-12-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

From Bill Simmons previously mentioned article:

"Does anyone else think that Daunte Culpepper is becoming the real-life Boobie Miles?"

Hey Bill, you know who I think is the real life Boobie Miles? James Boobie Miles, thats who. He was one of the best high school running backs in the country before he blew out his knee, and his team (Permian High) went all the way to the state SEMI-finals (not finals like in the movie) before losing to Dallas Carter. Im sure Simmons knows that Friday Night Lights is in fact, a true story, he was just trying to be funny. But you shouldn't go out there and sound that stupid, bro.

Simmons steals my idea, Blog loses all credibility

2005-12-09T12:58:00.000-05:00

over on ESPN.com Bill Simmons has penned a stunningly intelligent piece on the current state of the NFL titled "perpetual putridity". Simmons pretty much rips of my thesis as to why the favorites have been winning so often in the NFL this year, half of the league is terrible. By his count, there are 13 teams that flat out suck, and I cant really disagree with any of them. In all my years following the NFL, I cant remember more SUCKY QB's leading SUCKY teams with SUCKY coaches than right now. I will hash this out more once I get all the numbers I need to back up my point, but Simmons has done a pretty good job summarizing my exact argument so I wont be able to add much. And since I cant start of my blogging career by plagorizing Bill Simmons, youre better off just reading his article then coming back here for all the relevant numbers.

Stat Line of the Night

2005-12-09T09:31:00.000-05:00

Goes to the Washington Wizards, who turned the ball over a mere 6 times, lost the battle of the boards by 1 rebound and still managed to get blown out by 24 points!!! How does that happen? By shooting .341% from the field vs. .590% for the Pacers.

Now I didnt see the game so I cant speculate on how things went, but poor shooting is becoming more and more prevalent in the NBA, as teams continue to focus on drafting and signing athletes and not basketball players. Where have you gone, Dell Curry?

Take the Chalk

2005-12-08T21:54:00.000-05:00

Just checked the numbers, and favorites on the season are 142-50. That is incredible. I wish I had figures from other years to compare this to, but id be willing to bet this is a historically high percentage of favorites winning. For some context, there are still 20 guys in my survival pool who have gone 13-13 (myself included). In other years, the contests have generally been over by week 12 or 13.

Another way of looking at is this: if you bet 100 bucks on every favorite this season at +200 (the equivalent of a 5 point favorite), you would be up 2100 bucks.

Sportsman of the Year

2005-12-08T21:46:00.000-05:00

I know its old, but I just received my copy of S.I. with Tom Brady as Sportsman of the Year. While I obviously wont argue, Mr. Brady would not have been my first choice. Roger Federer, who is dominating professional tennis is a way we have never seen before and doing it with class uncommon to todays professinal athletes, is my sportsman of the year. There is a nice feature on him in S.I., but I think he got snubbed.

Also, early prediction for 06: Bode Miller. If he takes care of business in Turin, Bode is going to become a national celebrity.

If the Knicks win by more than 35, the bet pays 10-1!!!!

2005-12-08T16:04:00.000-05:00

Interesting article in the NY Post today on what was apparently a tough weekend for bookies:

http://www.nypost.com/business/58525.htm

The important part:

December 8, 2005 -- National Football League underdogs threw bookies to the wolves this weekend, winning 12 out of 16 games and showering gamblers with cash.
Odds makers had to cough up an estimated record $563 million for a single day's losses on professional football games after last Sunday's action.
Payouts were more than double what they should have been, said gaming industry experts

Couple thoughts on this article

1) The FAVORITES won 14 of 16 games this past weekend, not the dogs. Favorites were 14 of 16 straight up and 12 of 16 ATS. That has been a trend this season, a topic I will explore later.

2) The implication that the favorites winning games is bad for the bookies. This is only partially true--most decent books are hedged as to their action against the line. If they have too much on one side of a bet, they will lay it off somewhere else. Good sports books dont try and predict games, they just want to get balanced betting and collect the 10% vig. The problem that sportsbooks run into when favorites win all the games comes from parlays and teasers, which cant be hedged, and generally involve favorites (i.e. teasing two 6 point favorites down to even, or a 5 team money line parlay).