Looking back

Congrats to the Sox on their second World Series victory in 89 years. A tremendous amount has been written about the new Sox dynasty so I wanted to look back at the 1918 Sox.

While looking at the championship Sox team I stumbled onto a pretty interesting story.

Boston started the season with a 7-1 victory over Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's at Shibe Field. 23 year old ace left-hander Babe Ruth pitched a four hitter. Shortly after manager Ed Barrow started Ruth's conversion to slugger - he lead the team batting .325 in 1917 - by working him into seventy-two games as an outfielder-first baseman. Ruth would end up starting 19 games for the BoSox that season, while spending 47 games in left field, 13 at first base and even 12 in center -- this was in his more svelte/fit days.

As the cloud of World War I hung over the nation, baseball provided a valuable escape. Sunday baseball was officially legalized in Washington, D.C. on May 14th after district commissioners finally rescinded the ban in response to the large increase in the city's wartime population and the need for more recreational activities.

But not an escape from duty for the players. Secretary of War Newton D. Baker ruled that baseball was not considered an essential occupation and that all players of draft age were subject to the "work-in-essential-industries-or-fight" rule. Several players were shipped overseas. On October 5th, National League infielder Eddie Grant became the first Major League player killed in wartime action while leading a mission in the Argonne Forest offensive to rescue the "Lost Battalion" who was trapped behind German lines.

The World Series featured the Boston Red Sox versus the Chicago Cubs - who ran away with the National League totaling a baseball best 84-45 record.

During the 7th-inning stretch in Game 1 of the World Series, a military band played "The Star Spangled Banner" as a tribute to all servicemen on leave and in attendance. From then on, the song was played at every World Series outing and every season opener (though it was not yet adopted as the national anthem).

The World Series took a down turn when players threatened to strike prior to Game 5.

Chicago would take Game 5 - on the strength of a shut out from Cubs ace Hippo Vaughn - after players relented.

Boston would finish off the Cubbies in Game 6, 2-1. The Sox scored both runs in the third inning when left fielder George Whiteman - a spare backup who got the start over Ruth in left and hitting fourth - knocked a liner into right. Ruth did see action late in the game but Whiteman came up big as two runners scored. However Whiteman did not receive any RBI's for his work because the ball was hit right at Cubs right fielder Max Flack. The 5'7'' Flack had the ball tip off his glove for the game, and series, costing error.

Ed Barrow's move to bench Ruth payed off but there is no doubt that the Sox would have just been an ordinary club if not for the Babe. Despite hitting in just half of the team's games Ruth was at or near the top in virtually every offensive stat including home runs where he tied Philly slugger Tilly Walker with 11.

The only problem is that Ruth actually hit 12.

Prior to 1920 games were considered over immediately after the last out or winning run scored. On July 8th, 1918 the Red Sox went into a double header against rival Cleveland with only a half game edge in the pennant race. Boston sent 16 game winner Sam Jones to the hill against future Hall of Famer Stan Coleveski.

Coleveski (or Coleveske) was born Stanislaus Kowalewski in rural coal-mining Pennsylvania. Covey, as he was affectionately known, began working the coal mines at age 12 and after work would set up tin cans on a fence post and knock them off by pitching rocks. As he recalled some eighty years later, "The plate's a lot bigger than a tin can to throw at. When it come to throwing a baseball, why, it was easy to pitch."

The semi-pro ballclub in Shamokin heard about the aim he had developed and, short a pitcher one day, invited him to pitch for them. He only hurled in five outings for the semi-pro club but off the strength of his performance he signed a deal with the Lancaster Red Roses in 1909 at age 19. He made it to the bigs in 1922 for Connie Mack's A's but stayed there only briefly despite throwing a three hit shutout in his debut. The A's were in the midst of building a dynasty and Mack - known for his temper - had no room for a young rube. Coleveski was sent to the minors and it was there, in 1915 that he career changed.

Covey was introduced to the spitball in the Pacific Coast League he mastered it shortly thereafter and was back up in the show by 1916 with Cleveland.

On July 8th, 1918 Cleveland and Boston squared off for AL supremacy. In the important game, neither pitcher gave an inch and the score remained tied at 0 thru 9 innings. This was back in the days when men were men and pitchers regularly threw as long as their arms were still attached to their bodies. In fact the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves went head-to-head on August 1st for a Major League record of twenty scoreless innings. Marathon man Art Nehf went the distance for Boston, but was eventually beaten 2-0 in the twenty-first inning.

Each manager left in his starter in the game and Sam Jones set Cleveland down for a tenth straight inning - an impressive feat considering that the Indians lead the league in scoring and their lineup contained Hall of Famers "Smokey" Joe Wood and Tris Speaker.

Covey however had to face Babe Ruth with a runner on in the bottom of the 10th. The Great Bambino knocked a Coveleski offering over the right field fence in Fenway Park for a walk off home run.

But thanks to the official scoring rules at the time, Babe only got one of his 11 triples on the season and not one of his "11" home runs.

Finally

This took way too long, but at least justice prevailed.

College Football Picks

We started off the NCAA action right with BC beating Va Tech outright, much like we predicted. Honestly I didn't not think the game would be that close but that's because I didn't know that Matt Ryan-Leaf would be QBing Boston College. A win is a win and we'll move onto more wins.

Colorado (+13.5) @ Texas Tech -- The Buffalos could easily win outright

Ball State @ Illinois (-13)

Akron @ Buffalo

Memphis @ Tulane (-1)

Kansas (-3) @ Texas A&M

Virginia (-3.5) @ NCST

If you want the winning picks to the South Florida/UConn, Clemson/Maryland, Georgia/Florida, South Carolina/Tennessee, or Ohio State/Penn State leave contact info in the comments section.

This will be a winning weekend.

[51-29-2 against the spread]

Sports!

Thought I'd start things off with the Thursday night college football pick!

Boston College (+3) @ Va Tech

This game features "two" top 8 teams squaring off...I put two in "'s because Va Tech is not really a top 8 or 10 or maybe even 20 team for me. Their only quality win is over a two loss Clemson team and against their only really tough foe (LSU) they had no business being on the field. BC on the other hand has had one of the most efficient offenses in the country, lead by Heisman/#1 pick hopeful Matt Ryan. Tech has a good home field advantage, but give me the much better team WITH POINTS!!

A few random thoughts before we must adjourn...

Beckett should have been pulled after 5 innings in Game 1

Avery said in an interview with Norm on the Ticket that Jet Terry would be the 6th man this year... I love that idea

Bodog currently has Luis Scola as 75/1 to win the MVP...not a good bet

The Mavs o/u season win total is 56.5...have to be crazy to take the under

Watching the Stars game last weekend I got a new column idea - Crazy Sports Hair of the Week! The first winner is Ducks winger George Parros. He looks like the love child of Lawrence from Office Space and Earl

NFL Picks

We just made it through the first loosing Saturday of the year but no worry I have the NFL picks to make things right. Now let's all move on from that hell day (in which we only went 6-7) and start looking at some winners:

Jets @ Cincy (-6.5)

Pats @ Miami (+17)

Tampa Bay (+1) @ Detroit

Pitt (-3.5) @ Denver

Kansas City (+1) @ Oakland

College Football Picks

Ok...so that whole USF/Rutgers game didn't work out like I planned, but it took the Scarlet Knights reaching d-e-e-p into the playbook to win.

We haven't had a loosing session (college or pro weekend), and don't plan on starting now!

Penn State (-7) @ Indiana

Cincinnati (-9) @ Pittsburgh

Arkansas (-4.5) @ Ole Miss

Tulane (+6) @ SMU

Cal (-1) @ UCLA

Florida @ Kentucky (+6.5)

Iowa (+7) @ Purdue

Vandy @ South Carolina (-13.5)

Memphis pk @ Rice

Tennessee @ Bama pk

Texas Tech @ Mizzou (+3.5)

USC (-18) @ Notre Dame

Michigan @ Illinois (+1)



[27-13-2 NCAA vs spread]
[42-19-2 total vs spread]

Torre

It's almost hard to believe how little the Yankees and Steinbrenner in particular know about baseball.

In general I believe that the impact a manager has on a baseball team is very overrated and that most managers loose games for their teams with incorrect situational strategy and pitcher usage.

Torre is one of the few managers who has a tangible benefit to the team, to the organization, to the city both on and off the field. Maybe he over uses his bullpen, but the majority of the blame has to go to Cashman and the Baseball Ops people for allocating $200 million in payroll and only finding 2 reliable relievers. The ravenous fan base he has, his ability to work with the toughest media better than absolutely anybody, his ability to manage 25 different egos on a team composed with nothing but stars - the reasons for Torre's greatness stretch well beyond his record.

I'm a die hard Yankee hater, but I respect the hell out of Joe Torre...apparently much more than the Yankees do. For Steinbrenner and family to offer the most accomplished man in the game to take a 30% pay cut, give him no long term job security, to publicly announce while the ALDS was still on going that he would be fired if the team didn't win, and to have the gall to offer him incentive clauses in his contract -- pitchers coming off arm problems get incentive laden contracts, people who have to PROVE something get incentives. Torre has nothing left to prove to anyone -- either shows that the Yankees are completely ignorant about the difficulty in winning an championship or they were threatened by Torre's iconic stature in NYC. Either way it's atrocious.

Personally I feel it's the latter, that Steinbrenner & Sons are just incompetent. Remember the 80's and early 90's George? Steinbrenner seems beholden to the good old day when winning was preordained, when Paul O'Neills and Scott Brosius...Brosii?...roamed the earth.

Playoff baseball is different than regular season baseball, but the best teams don't always win in either. The Yankees weren't the best team in baseball this year, not even the best in their division.

But that's not Joe Torre's fault. I can't believe that I just got another reason to hate the Yankees.

College Football Pick

USF is legit and Rutgers doesn't haven enough talent, outside of Ray Rice, to have a real chance at winning. In general I don't like taking road favorites against in-conference foes, but its the friggin #2 team in the country against an unranked team...and the spread is only 3!! Rice will run early, but Grothe will lead the Bulls to a lead and force Rutgers to try and catch up throwing the ball - something they don't do well.

South Florida (-3) @ Rutgers

I really think everyone should be rooting for USF in this game, and all season long. For a school that didn't have a football team 10 years ago to now have a realistic shot at a national championship is just too good a story to root against. Even if they win out and get stubbed for the big game that's just all the more reason more a playoff!

PS I just saw an episode of the new FSN show Sport Science which is pretty much a Mythbusters for sports fan. I enjoyed the show, which focused this episode on measuring the hardest hits in sports.

The definitive highlight came when Rampage Jackson was summoned to body slam a crash test dummy. The scientists were trying to explain to Jackson how the sensors in the dummy worked while Rampage just stood there with a look similar to how Manny Ramirez would look at you if you tried to describe that playoff games are important and if you loose you go home. The vacant look was the highest of high comedy but I would never dare tell him that to his face. I don't want 400 G's of force on the back of skull.

[3-0 NFL past week]
[6-4-2 NCAA past week]
[27-12-2 NCAA overall]
[15-6 NFL overall]
{42-18-2 total vs spread}

Aggy Roundball

There has been a tremendous amount of hubbub surrounding Coach Fran and the brevity of his stay in College Station. While replacing Fran with a warm body that has seen a football game in the last 30 years would be an upgrade, the faithful Ags face a tougher road in replacing their hoops coach.

The new Kentucky coach made basketball A&M's best sport...but were they as good as we thought they were?

The new site Basketball Prospectus posted a very interesting article centering on the differences in official scoring for some teams at home vs. on the road. Turns out that A&M had the biggest discrepancy from home to road in their assist rate. As in biggest out of all 337 teams that play D-I basketball.

"So to summarize: At home, Texas A&M was one of the best assisting teams in college basketball history. Away from home, they were the worst major conference team in sharing the ball."

I love Acie Law IV as a player, I think he's an amazing talent who has the ability to take over games and is the best clutch shooter I've seen in NCAA ball since Laettner. Law was not a 'pass-first' point guard in college...whether that was by design of the offense, lack of skill around him, or an intrinsic part of his character is up for debate.

Hawks fans will be waiting anxiously for an answer.

Hawaii Winter Baseball Update

Here's my second article that can be found at Project Prospect: The Hawaiian Winter Baseball league is heating up. Players are getting acclimated to the time and culture shifts while playing an exciting brand of baseball. Let's take a closer look at some of the players making waves in paradise: Matt Wieters C - Honolulu Sharks (Baltimore) Batting line thru 8 games: .308/.424/.423 These articles could be renamed the "Weekly Matt Wieters Reports." All eyes have been on Wieters in his first foray into professional ball, and in the early going he has been impressive. Wieters got off to a somewhat tepid start in the league's first week of action – batted just .222 – but he’s 6 for his past 17 and has seen his batting average raise almost 100 points in a week. His best game of the young season was on Friday October 12. The talented backstop went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and 3 RBI. Austin Jackson CF - Honolulu Sharks (NY Yankees) 11 games: .244/.333/.341, 5 SB Jackson has showed what makes him an exciting prospect as well as what makes you scratch your head and wonder sometimes. He's hit safely in 5 of the past 6 Sharks games, collecting multiple hits in three of those, but he continues his disturbing strikeout to walk ratio. After whiffing 109 times and drawing 33 free passes across three levels in the Yankees farm system this year, Jackson has a nearly identical 3:1 mark in the HWB with 15 K's and 5 BB's. If the 20-year-old could start laying off a few of the pitches outside the zone, he would catapult himself into the upper echelon of prospects. Brad Suttle 3B - Honolulu Sharks (NY Yankees) 8 games: .000/.222/.000, 6 BB, 8 K The former University of Texas star has had a rough go in the extremely early part of his pro career. Suttle decided to leave college early with the encouragement of his family and the $1.3 million dollar deal that the sophomore 4th round pick inked just prior to the deadline. Suttle got his feet wet in affiliated ball, playing in three games for the Gulf Coast Yankees and going 1-for-8 at the plate. That one hit has been the only one for Suttle now in 29 professional at bats. The switch-hitter should eventually put up some nice averages, as he possesses very good plate discipline. Daniel Bard P - Honolulu Sharks (Red Sox) 5 games: 1.93 ERA, 4.2 IP A first round pick by the Red Sox in 2006, Bard was selected on the strength of a fantastic collegiate career at North Carolina – where he teamed with current Tigers' flame-thrower Andrew Miller – and a fastball that can truly dominate hitters. As tremendous has Bard's stuff is, he has been somewhat erratic on the hill. Bard walked 78 hitters in 75 minor league innings this year. Boston sent him to Hawaii with the hopes that a view filled with the ocean, palm trees, and hula girls would get him in the right frame of mind. In 4.2 innings of work Bard has struck out 4 and walked 3 but none of those freebies have come in his last 3 outings. As much as any facet of any particular player's game, Bard's control is one to keep an eye on this HWB season. Kris Medlen P - Honolulu Sharks (Braves) 5 games: 0.00 ERA, 5.2 IP, 12 K A converted shortstop, Medlen had one of the better minor league seasons that got no attention. He struck out 63 and posted a 1.53 ERA over 47 innings across three levels in the Braves system. Medlen gets docked points for his size, 5-foor-10, 175-pounds, but he throws 92-93 mph with his fastball and both his curve and over hand change-up are good offerings. What makes Medlen really interesting, besides his stuff, is his control. He only walked 12 batters in affiliated action this summer and is yet to walk a single batter this winter. Medlen will probably start next year in Double-A but he could make his way into the Braves bullpen before next year is out. Brett Sinkbeil P - North Shore Honu (Marlins) 2 games: 1.50 ERA, 6 IP, 6 K Selected in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft out of Missouri State, Sinkbeil has posted decent strike out rates, good control, and a demonstrated ability to induce ground balls. Florida had high hopes for Sinkbeil coming into this year, but an oblique injury limited him to just 14 starts. On Monday, the 8th, he started his second game of the year versus Honolulu. He held the Sharks hitless thru his 4.0 innings of work while retiring 5 on strikes. When healthy he's one of the better pitching prospects around, and a team like Florida who has to develop their staff from within will be keeping a close eye on his medical reports as much as his performance. Jamie Romak OF - North Shore Honu (Pittsburgh) 10 games: .273/.429/.424, 8 BB, 13 K Romak is your classic "to heck with batting average" hitter. The big Canadian outfielder hit just .256 this year but got on base at a .383 clip while slugging .496. The good news is that Romak hit 20 homers and walked 64 times, the bad is that he struck out 114 times in 363 at bats. Romak has continued those paces in the first couple weeks for North Shore as he has either walked struck out or homered in 22 of his 41 plate appearances. Romak has three-true-outcome All-Star written all over him, though he may need to alter his take-and-rake approach with two strikes. Bud Norris P - North Shore Honu (Houston) 2 games: 5.2 IP, 4 BB, 12 K Norris is one of the most exciting pitchers to watch in Hawaii, unless you're one of his fielders. He struck out 117 in 96.0 innings of work in the South Atlantic League this year, issuing 41 walks. In his first HWB outing Norris got all 5 outs on strikes over his 1.2 innings pitched, however he also allowed three runs. His second outing was much better as he worked 4 hitless innings, whiffing 7. The Cal Poly alum has one of the best arms in the league and with a little refinement could be special. Anthony Hatch INF - West Oahu CaneFires (Toronto) 8 games: .438/.474/.563 Hatch has been arguably the best hitter in Hawaii so far. He’s coming off a disappointing year in which he only managed a .249/.305/.418 line in Florida State League play, just a year after tearing the Midwest League up to the tune of .314/.406/.548. A second baseman by trade, Toronto gave the executive order to move Hatch around the infield. While the defensive spectrum has broadened for Hatch, his bat has regained its 2006 form. The mixture of good contract ability, zone recognition and power along with defensive flexibility could make him a very valuable utility player in the bigs.

NFL Mock Draft 1.0

The BCS rankings are out, there has finally been enough football played - at both the college and pro levels - for us to have a grip...even a tenuous one...on how good players are and what teams need. With that in mind....DRAFT!!!!

As a Dallas fan I'm dejected after getting killed by the Pats and (temporarily) stunning my delusions of Super Bowl grandeur. I know fans in Miami, Kansas City (but hopefully not Blue Springs...we're still pissed at that town) and Atlanta have been looking forward to each Saturday to see their potential football saviors. So let's get started with a very VERY early mock draft...a billion things can and will change but that's not going to stop me.


#1 St Louis Rams -- Andre' Woodson QB Kentucky

As all teams picking #1, St Louis needs help in lots of areas. The injuries to Marc Bulger and the fact that Gus Ferotte is their back-up means QB is chief among there many concerns. A stud defensive player like Glen Dorsey or Calais Campbell will be looked at hard, as will Jake Long who could be a long term replacement for former #1 pick Orlando Pace. But a rule of the NFL draft is QB's go fast. Woodson is the best QB in college right now AND the best prospect (those two aren't always the same guy...ex: Couch, Eric) Woodson possess an ideal combination of size, arm strength, accuracy, mobility and decision making. He has the best technique of any QB coming out of college since Manning the Elder...not to say he'll be as good as Peyton (maybe no one ever will be) but Woodson has absolutely everything you need to be a championship caliber franchise signal caller for a long long time.

#2 Miami Dolphins -- Glen Dorsey DT LSU

A surprising fact about the Miami Dolphins this year is that their offense is pretty decent -- thank you, Ronnie Brown. The Dolphins' once formidable D is now really old, their two best players are guys that Jimmy Johnson drafted. Adding Dorsey will immediately reverse that and add a couple years to the careers of Thomas and Taylor who, with a huge force in the middle occupying blockers and commanding double teams, will be freed up to make plays. Dorsey is the best defensive tackle prospect to come along in a really long time. He's as big as a mountain, has the strength of many men, amazing speed (with the fat guy caveat: 'for a man of his size') and he could prolly throw a football over them mountains. Fins fans will love this former LSU great...assuming he doesn't go to Alabama after two years.

#3 New York Jets -- Calais Campbell DE Miami

3-4 defenses need big ends, Campbell fits that mold. The 6'8'' 280lb behemoth is almost too big to play D-line...I wonder how well a guy that tall will do against the run since low man wins those battles. But if Too-Tall Jones can play, so can Campbell who has that kind of upside. Campbell notched 20.5 tackles for a loss to go along with 10.0 sacks as a sophomore and is off to a hot start this year. He's a true disruptive force off the edge with the size to play against the run. I'm sure Jets fans will be pissed for passing on McFadden but, then again...when aren't they pissed, I mean they have to root for the Jets.

#4 Buffalo Bills -- Jake Long OT Michigan

Michigan has gotten through a mildly upsetting start to the season - that was the nicest way I could put it - but with Mike Hart running the ball they've gotten right back on track (and even solved their problems vs the spread offense with a sound thrashing of Purdue.) Mike Hart makes the offense go, and Jake Long makes Mike Hart go. Long is so good that he won the award for best offensive lineman in the Big 10 last year...Joe Thomas' senior year. Long prolly would have gone #5 last year to Arizona, since he's better than Levi Brown...another Big 10 tackle..but for going back to school he misses a chance at the national championship but gains a few million bucks by going one slot higher.

#5 Atlanta Falcons -- Brian Brohm QB Louisville

This fits so well that you know there is no way for it to actually happen. Brohm came into the season with the cursed label of #1 senior QB and, despite his team not being as good as some thought, he has performed pretty well. I think Brohm is an outstanding college QB but I have reservations about him in the pros...landing with his former coach would alleviate many of those. Brohm has the size and arm of a pro-bowler but struggles against the rush and is used to playing only out of the shot gun and tossing the ball to wide open receivers. Brohm's biggest worry is injury. He had surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in January of 2007. He missed nearly three full games with a thumb injury in 2006 and suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the 10th game of the 2005 season. I'm not completely sold, but there is a lot to like and Atlanta would be as good for him as he would be for Atlanta.

#6 Dallas Cowboys (from Cleveland) -- Darren McFadden RB Arkansas

Another magical, perfect fit. Jules Jones is a free agent after this season and seems to think that he should be paided like he's a good player. Jerry Jones is an Arkansas alumnus and still a huge fan of the 'Backs. And, oh yeah, that McFadden guy is pretty good. With more and more teams going to the tandem running back system, the value of RB's has fallen in recent years. Guys like Bush two years ago and Peterson last year went further down in the draft - even if just a little bit - than there talent would dictate. On talent alone McFadden is the best player in the draft. He's not quite the runner that All-Day is, but he's more versatile...though not as much so as Reggie "please-don't-make-me-give-back-my-Heisman" Bush, but he's better between the tackles. McFadden does have an awesome nickname like those two, Run DMC. There is a good chance he could fall this far and if he does there is no way Dallas passes. If he's gone they'll look for DB help with Kenny Phillips from the U being the only real option.

#7 New Orleans Saints -- Kenny Phillips DB Miami

Amazing how I have Phillips going off the board right after I mentioned him...almost like I planned that. The Saints are in the midst of a really bad year and part of that is because they weren't able to fix the glaring problems in the secondary from last year. Phillips has the ability to play anywhere, corner/strong/free safety, and be really good at any of them. He's not quite in the LaRon Landry class from a year ago as a hitter, but he's a better cover guy. Phillips could step right into the category of "people who are better cover corners than Fred Thomas" - which includes most living humans - and play corner but he's best suited for work at safety where is abilities to ball-hawk and hit are on display.

#8 Kansas City Chiefs -- Sam Baker OT USC

KC needs a QB and could reach for a guy like Matt Ryan but they seem sold on giving Brodie Croyle a chance...for what ever reason. If they are going to give Croyle the reigns to the Herm Edwards "run the ball into 9 man fronts on 2 & 10" offense, they'd better get him some help on the O-line. KC used to have the best line in football, but father time remains undefeated and the current incarnation has their top player as a guy who was out of the game 2 years ago. Baker would be big help and immediate improvement. He's big enough, strong enough and fast enough to play the tackle spot at the highest level and going to KC, working with their excellent line coaches will help him improve his technique which is really all that stands between him and annual trips to Hawaii.

#9 Cincinnati Bengals -- James Laurinaitis MLB THE Ohio State

The Bengals could end up picking much higher than this and the #1 reason is their defense. Coach Marv Lewis is lending credence to the Brian Billick theory that coaches can be assigned the label "offensive" or "defensive gurus" simply by being assistants on teams with outstanding personnel. Lewis was set to upgrade to the defensive unit of team with lots of talent on offense when he took the job...but the team remains one with tons of talent on offense and no clue on D. This team gave up 51 to the Browns for crying out loud. Laurinaitis could give the Bengals something they haven't had in a long...a playmaker on defense. Laurinaitis, a junior, is a sideline to sideline athlete who plays with tremendous passion and aggression. As far as I know he is the only player eligible for this draft whose father was one of my favorite wrestlers as a kid, so he gets brownie points for that.

#10 New England Patriots (from: San Fran) -- Malcolm Jenkins CB THE Ohio State

Back to back buckeyes to round out the top 10. Maybe the Pats only weakness is depth in the secondary, last year's first round pick Brandon Meriweather is good but better at free safety than corner. Jenkins is the top true corner available in this draft and could take over for Asante Samuel should he depart via free agency this year.

#11 Minnesota Vikings -- Chris Long DE Virginia

DeSean Jackson will be very tempting but coach Brad Childress and the Vikings brass loaded up on wide outs in the middle rounds last year and seem to shy away from taking WR's early in round one. What the Vikings don't shy away from is taking defensive linemen. Kevin Williams, Erasmus James, and Kenechi Udeze could add Chris Long to the club come Draft Day. Howie's son plays a lot like his dad, which is high praise. He's incredibly strong and very stout against the run...which the Vikings covet. Long can get after the QB a little bit but it's doubtful that he will be more than a 6-8 sack a year guy. Good but not amazing. Getting to the QB is but one limited part of a DE's duties and Long is great at everything else. He'll fit right in with the Vikings D and form maybe the toughest front four in football vs the run.

#12 Oakland Raiders -- DeSean Jackson WR/KR Cal

Al Davis loves speed and play-making ability, Jackson is the fastest playmaker in college ball. DeSpite a down year receiving wise - currently on pace for about 700 yard with a 9.9 ypc - Jackson has remained maybe the most dangerous weapon in all of NCAA football with his Devin Hester-esque return ability (and I don't throw around that compliment often). Jackson has 7 returns for scores on 34 chances in his career with the Berkley Bears...I have NO IDEA why anyone still kicks to him. Jackson needs to improve his route running as he tends to rely too much on his speed to get open. He would have been my #2 WR last year behind Calvin Johnson and heads a strong receiver class this year.

#13 New York Giants -- Steve Slaton RB West Virginia

Slaton is the fastest back in this draft and would be a perfect match for Brandon Jacobs. With Eli at QB you need all the help you can from skill position players, Slaton represents the big time play making by running back that went grumbling out the door when Tiki left. People knock Slaton for the system that he plays in, but I'm still on the bandwagon. Adding Slaton and McFadden to the NFC East will drastically shoot up the caliber of RB talent in the division.

#14 Detroit Lions -- Derrick Harvey DE Florida

Harvey put himself on the map with a breakout performance against Ohio State in the national championship game...and forcing Troy Smith to fall 3 rounds in the draft. The 6'4'' 265 Harvey runs a 4.7 and is one of the best pass rushers in this draft. It's hard to predict what the Lions will do on draft day but Harvey is big, strong, athletic, fills a need, could start right away, and has big upside. Detriot was reportedly in on Gaines Adams last year, before they decided to take the better player in Calvin Johnson. In my mind Harvey is just as good as Adams, if not better. (note I thought Adams was pretty overrated...but I guess his one sack in 6 games is really showing me)

#15 Arizona Cardinals -- Quentin Groves DE/OLB Auburn

Groves is this year's DeMarcus Ware/Shawn Merrimen/Anthony Spencer type who was a really good end in college but will move to outside linebacker in the pros and be a disruptive pass rusher. The Cards may be switching to a 3-4, but even if they stay at 4-3 Groves could play either rush end or weakside backer. Arizona could end up picking higher than this, and Groves could end up being taken much higher than this. Groves is an excellent athlete who should really wow people at the combine. At 6'3'' 250 Groves runs a 4.4 and plays angry. He's battled some injuries, but plays through them. Groves is a great leader and where ever he goes, in whatever scheme, will be a difference maker.

#16 Chicago Bears -- Matt Ryan QB Boston College

BREAKING NEWS: The Chicago Bears need a quarterback. There is an outside shot that Ryan could end up being the best of the '08 crop. He's big, has a great arm, and while not a scrambler is mobile enough to avoid the rush. Very smart and a good leader, Ryan needs to work on progressing through his reads more quickly - there seems to be a delay when he must go beyond his 2nd read. But quick decisions tend to come with experience and Ryan seems to be a good student of the game and an apt pupil. I've been on the BC bandwagon all year and really like Ryan as a player. He would be a perfect fit for the Bears in the middle of round one.

#17 Denver Broncos -- Dan Conner LB Penn State

Denver is another team that is somewhat hard to pick for, as they like to go off the board from time to time. Conner however would represent a smart, sensible choice for the Broncos. A better athlete than he's given credit for, Conner possesses incredible instincts and is always in the right place at the right time. He doesn't wow you in any one area watching the game from the stands, but Conner is a football player (if you'll allow me to throw out a meaningless cliche). He plays hard, is very smart, and is always around the ball. Drafting Conner would let Denver move DJ William back to the outside linebacker spot where he's better suited.

#18 Carolina Pathers -- Sedrick Ellis DT USC

Ellis is another player that could be taken well before this, but I think the market for the one-gap defensive tackles isn't what it used to be with the prominence of the 3-4 defenses in the NFL. Despite the fact that he may be limited in where he can play, Ellis would be a tremendous fit a team like Carolina who plays the 4-3 and has a dominate force on the outside who will command double/triple teams. When given one on one opportunities Ellis rivals Dorsey in disruptive ability along the interior of the line. Ellis is a bit undersized...I know it's weird calling a guy 6'1'' 300lb too small but in the world of the NFL that is filled with the most freak athletes on earth it is...and may struggle against double teams. He could be shifted to DE by a team that runs the 3-4 but his pass rush ability is really special from the DT spot and pretty mundane for an end. The Panthers need depth along the D-line and if Ellis can get stronger he has a chance to be one of the better tackles in the game.

#19 Philadelphia Eagles -- Gosder Cherilus OT Boston College

Jon Runyan is getting old and Winston Justice apparently sucks. In Cherilus Philly would get a tackle prospect who has a chance to be pretty darned good. BC is known for their linemen and Cherilus is by far the best one this year. The left tackle is big enough, quick enough, and has really good technique. Gosder (really?...who names their kid that?) needs to get stronger but sitting for a year watching Jon Runyan and the-lineman-formerly-known-as-Tra-Thomas, while being in a NFL workout program could do him wonders. Cherilus has been very well coached and with a bit more work could be really good.

#20 Houston Texans -- Ryan Clady OT Boise State

This is the year Houston finally takes an OT high, right?...RIGHT!!?!?! Maybe the Texans are still banking on Toni Boselli working out. Either way Ryan Clady would be, really the only logical choice for H-town picking at this spot. Though he's not quite in the Long/Baker class Clady is extremely quick for a man of size, 6'6'' 320. Coach Gary Kubiak loves the Denver system that emphasises mobility for linemen and Clady fits that mold to a T. (where that expression came from I'm not really sure...if you know leave the answer in the comments section) He could stand to gain some strength, but he has the frame to add some bulk without sacrificing any of his quickness. Clady could be the legit franchise left tackle of Texans fan's dreams.

#21 Tennesse Titans -- Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma

Limas Sweed could be a real possibility here, due to his close relationship with former college teammate Vince Young, but his season ending injury will likely send him falling down the draft boards baring a quick recovery and good workouts. Titans fans, and VY, should be happy if the team goes for Kelly over Sweed because Kelly is a much better prospect. At 6'4'' 215 lbs Kelly has elite size for a wide out and still manages to run a sub 4.4. Despite being a junior, Kelly already holds virtually every Oklahoma record for receivers and will continue his terrific performance for whichever team is lucky enough to draft him.

#22 Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Early Doucet III WR LSU

Tampa is not as good as they have played this year and still have holes across most of their roster. Keith Rivers will get lots of attention if he's still on the board but Gruden (assuming this good season means he's still the coach) is an offensive guy and that offense needs more play makers on it. Enter Early Doucet. Doucet was one of the biggest recruits in the nation out of high school but has had to defer the spotlight until this year at LSU due to their outstanding group of WR's that included two first round picks last year. Doucet has good size, outstanding speed, and amazingly soft hands. He's been banged up a bit this year, but his talent is undeniable. The Early Doucet story should have a much happier ending than the Michael Clayton movie does in Tampa.

#23 San Diego Chargers -- Mario Manningham WR Michigan

I really think that Chargers will turn it around and finish with a good record...there's just too much talent on that team not to. One of the few spots that doesn't have tons of talent on the Chargers roster is wide out. Manningham runs nice routes and has great hands to go along with the speed to get down field. I like Craig Davis who they got at the end of the first round last year, and I think Vincent Jackson can be pretty good too. Add a Mario Manningham to that mix and all of a sudden you have a really nice group of young WRs to open things up for Gates and LT.

#24 Seattle Seahawks -- Keith Rivers OLB USC

Seattle is another talented team that I think will really turn it on in the second half of the season...I mean someone has to win all those NFC West games, right? I've seen Rivers' name in the top 10 of lots of drafts. I like him, but I'm not as high on him as some other people. He's got good speed but really needs to bulk up. It's really hard to be 220lbs and a successful linebacker in the NFL (I feel the same way about Ali Highsmith from LSU). Seattle would be a good fit for Rivers because they run a 4-3 and value smaller quick linebackers. Rivers, Peterson and Tatupu would drive opponents nuts with their speed, all three guys are versatile and play hard.

#25 Baltimore Ravens -- Reggie Smith CB Oklahoma

Few teams have as much talent on D as Baltimore, but age is starting to creep up on the Ravens ... including Samari Rolle who has battled injuries lately. Smith is a big physical corner - he played safety early in his college career - who has the speed to run with burners down field. A junior this year, Smith will probably decide to come out early since the senior CB group is pretty thin. Smith could step right in on Sunday and play the nickel for Baltimore and in a year or two could step up and be a full time starter opposite Chris McAllister. An added bonus should the Ravens nab Smith; he could work double duty as their return man thus saving them from a potential catastrophic injury to their current returner, Ed Reed.

#26 Jacksonville Jaguars -- Lawrence Jackson DE USC

Jackson is the type of big, strong, physically imposing defensive lineman that the Jags have built their team around. Jackson isn't a great speed rusher and has had to battle the injury bug but when healthy he's one of the best players in the country. Henderson and Stroud on the inside would help him work his magic on the outside and really bolster an already strong Jags front seven.

#27 Washington Redskins -- Frank Okam DT Texas

Everything has come easy for Frank Okam. At 6'5'', 325 lbs he runs a 5.15 forty and has the strength to easily shed double teams. As a senior, Okam is carrying a 4.0 GPA at Texas and looks to follow in the footsteps of Casey Hampton and Shaun Rogers as UT DT's who slipped in the draft but had Pro-Bowl careers. Critics accuse Okam of Alan Branch-ing too much, taking plays off and not dominating every snap despite amazing physical gifts. Okam has all the talent/smarts in the world and could end up being an outstanding pro.

#28 Green Bay Packers -- Mike Hart RB Michigan

Trying to project accurately draft choices this early in the process is almost and exercise in futility. "Almost" because you can chisel in stone that Green Bay will take a running back. Right now Mike Hart would have an edge over Ray Rice - should he decide to come out - and fellow senior Tashard Choice from Georgia Tech. Hart is a very quick back with great patience and vision in the open field. A tremendous natural runner, Hart would start for the Pack from day one and give another dimension to the offense that now consists of just four plays: "Favre pass right", "Favre pass middle", "Favre pass left", and "Favre run around for 10 minutes then make something crazy happen."

#29 Pittsburgh Steelers -- Mike Jenkins CB South Florida

Pittsburgh has gotten by on a lack of talent at corner for a while, mostly because of good safety play and the ability to get pressure on the QB. Passing a talent like Jenkins would be unwise in this spot. Jenkins has good size, 6'0.5'' 200lbs, and runs a 4.4. He's got smooth hips and is strong enough to jam big receivers at the line. Charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and opposing or obstructing an officer without violence during the 2007 off-season, South Florida suspended him indefinitely...character is a concern. Pitt has a strong locker room, a coach that everyone seems to have tons of respect for and with Joey Porter out the door Steeler fans would only have to worry about him hanging out with Santonio Holmes.

#30 Dallas Cowboys -- Justin King CB Penn State

King is a tall, slender, experienced corner who has seemingly been the man at Penn State since first setting foot in the Happy Valley. I suspect the Boys will address WR sometime the early rounds, but guys who can cover are of the utmost importance and King has man to man cover skills. He's not great in run support but has done a really good job of shutting down the opponents best receivers...and in the end isn't that what corners really need to do?

#31 San Francisco 49ers (from Indianapolis) -- Tommy Blake DE/OLB TCU

The 9ers are building themselves quite the talented roster: adding players like Frank Gore, Vernan Davis, Patrick Willis, Manny Lawson, and Joe Staley through the draft, Dexter Jackson, Larry Allen and Nate Clements via free agency and trades. Tommy Blake could be the next in the line of uber-talented players to suit up for the city by the bay. Blake is a highly disruptive pass rusher with the speed to play outside in a 3-4. Teaming up Blake and Lawson on the outsides would give San Fran two of the best young pass rushers in the league that could be teamed up together for a long time at a fairly low price. Blake has the talent to go higher in the draft but he may slip due to perceived personal problems. Before the season started for TCU, Blake was given a leave of absence from the team for what was only described as "personal reasons." Blake isn't a bad dude by any means but teams will definitely be checking into his background prior to the draft.

#32 New England Patriots -- N/A

Roger Goodell's ruling on the whole "spy-gate" kerfuffle was that the Pats will be docked a first round draft pick if they make the playoffs...I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the first round of the 2008 draft will only consist of 31 picks.

So good news Rams fans...it's like you get two first round picks this year!!

So...is South Florida really the best team in college football? After a day of crazy collegiate action I'm ready for some good ole predicable NFLings.

The thing about it is there's been a ton of talk nationally about the "unpredictable football season so far" and shocking upsets, like #5 Sconsin loosing to unranked Illions...only that wasn't an upset. The Illini were favored in that game. Sure there have been surprises, but in picking games 90% of the one's I've picked wrong have been by one score. But Purdue and Nebraska really put an end to that. LSU loosing at Kentucky isn't a major upset. They were facing a really good SEC team with the best QB in the country...but before I get off on too big a rant or before I go find Cal's QB and kill him for tanking their national championship hopes lets get to the picks.

Philadelphia (-3.5) @ J-E-T-S

Oakland @ San Diego (-9.5)

New England (-5) @ Dallas
It saddens me greatly but I really don't think the Cows have a chance in this one. FootballOutsiders has a really cool preview for all you football X's and O's lovers out there.

[4-2 NFL past week]
[6-4-2 NCAA this week]
[27-12-2 NCAA overall]
[12-6 NFL overall]
{39-18-2 total vs spread}

College Football Picks

Since this last weekend was crazy and I only picked a couple games I'm going to cut to the good stuff...starting with the Thursday night game and then onto Sat:

Florida State @ Wake (+4.5)

Purdue (+5.5) @ Michigan

UCF @ South Florida (-11)

Illinois (-3.5) @ Iowa

Boston College (-13) @ Notre Dame

UConn @ Virginia (-3)

LSU @ Kentucky (+9.5)

Aggy @ Tech (-10)

Louisiana-Monroe @ North Texas (+7)

Mizzu (+10) @ Oklahoma

Louisville (+10.5) @ Cincinnati

Ok State @ Nebraska (-3.5)

The Tradition Continues

The SportsBullies are still recovering from their collective heart attach during the Monday Night Football Game.

We all know that MNF home dogs are guaranteed covers but Dallas betting Buffalo is just much a cinch (two Super Bowls, Stanley Cup Finals...and yes he maintained control of the puck even though his skate was in the crease which made it a legal goal!!.)

A few really random thoughts....

• A great way to meet your neighbors is to run out of your apt because your roommate has work early in the morning so you have to go outside to scream for 5,000 different times during the game.
• DALLAS ALREADY RAN ANOTHER PLAY!!!! YOU CAN NOT REVIEW!!!!!!!!!
• Nick Folk is the Tony Romo of kickers.
• nickfolklore.com is going to be registered by the SportsBullies!
• Buffalo got every single possible break go their way and still lost.
• Who's excited for Boys v. Pats next week?????

One of the SportsBullies is so excited that he won't be able to sleep and will miss a lecture tomorrow, one is so excited that he will miss giving a lecture...which is worse???

Hawaii Winter League

This article was written for the greatness of Project Prospect, an online in-depth scouting system of which I am now a contributing author. We urge all of you to check it out.

The great thing about prospect hunting is there is someone playing somewhere every single day. While affiliated minor league clubs ended their seasons, baseball does not stop for every team other than the eight big league clubs vying to reign supreme in October. October in the land of prospects is the provenience of developmental leagues in Arizona and Hawaii. This series of articles will keep you abreast of the all the baseball-arific happenings on the big island.

Matt Wieters C – Honolulu Sharks (Baltimore) Batting line thru 4 games: .222/.462/.333 4BBs 1K

Wieters is the alpha male in the league. This past June’s #5 overall pick out of Georgia Tech is making his professional baseball debut for the Sharks as his protracted contract negotiations eliminated the chance for him to start in the minors this year. A two time All-American in college, Wieters doubled as the Yellow Jackets’ closer and, obviously, possess a strong throwing arm behind the plate. While his defense is solid what really makes Wieters special is his bat; hitting .358/.480/.592 last year in NCAA action. Bat control, zone recognition, and power are all plus tools for this 6’5’’ switch hitting stud who currently sits at #22 overall on our big board…and you could make a strong argument based on his skill and positional scarcity that that is too low.

Ryan Harvey OF – Honolulu Sharks (Chicago Cubs) thru 5 games: .353/.353/.353 0BBs 6K

Harvey joins Wieters in the “former #5 overall picks club” for the Sharks. The North-Siders hope the 6’5’’ 240lb slugger can regain the promise that he once showed. Harvey has been mostly a boom or bust type hitter with the emphasis on bust after posting just a .716 OPS this year in the Florida State League. That in and of itself is not terrible, but when a .716 OPS is turned by a 23 year old who struck out 53 times in 224 at bats while only walking 7, the outlook for the future turns dim. The thing that really stands out about Harvey’s HWB batting line is that he has 0 walks and all of his hits are singles making his batting average, on-base and slugging percentages the exact same.

Brian Jeroloman C – West Oahu CaneFires (Toronto) in 2 games: .429/.556/1.143

Conversations of odd batting lines should always lead to Jeroloman who hit an unusual .259/.421/.338 this year in high A ball. Great bat control and a keen eye have always been a part of Brian’s repertoire, going back to his University of Florida playing days where he was among the national leaders in on base percentage. The ball has been flying off of Jeroloman’s bat in the extremely early going of the HWB but if he can add even a modicum of power to his arsenal, he will become of the best catcher prospects around.

Justin Sellers SS/2B – Waikiki Beach Boys (Oakland) 3 games: .182/.308/.273

While Jeroloman remained an extremely productive offensive player despite a lack of pop this year, Justin Sellers has the unfortunate combination of no power and merely a good batting eye. After a solid .274/.350/.378 line in high A, Oakland sent Sellers to Hawaii where his skills and limitations are on display. A fine defensive player with good athleticism and bat control Sellers’ appears to have made a conscience decision to forgo power in-lue of contact. Sellers’ stance is conventional except for the fact that he holds the bat with his hands even with his back ear and far out in front of his head. While many players hold the bat in odd ways before the ball is pitched, Sellers keeps his position and simply pushes the bat out towards the ball. His unique set position makes his swing markedly shorter than most. For all our physics majors out there, shorter distance equals less acceleration which equals less force imparted on the batted ball.

Joshua Bell 3B – West Oahu CaneFires (LA Dodgers) 4 games: .294/.333/.412 1BB 6K

Bell is one of the most exciting prospects in the entire league. A 4th round pick out of high school in ’05, Bell has a tantalizing combination of athleticism and power that let scouts dream on the 6’3’’ switch hitter. Going .308/.367/.544 out of the shoot professionally in rookie ball Bell really opened the eyes of those who had not seen him in high school. While his power is a big league threat, from both sides of the plate, pitch recognition remains a prohibitive problem for the uber-talented Bell; he struck out nearly four times as often as he walked this year. His .412 slugging percentage may not seem like much on the surface but for a league where the average hitter slugged just .357 last year, Bell’s power is more apparent. The Dodgers hope that facing some talented hurlers in this extreme pitchers league will aid Bell in his development.

Austin Jackson CF – Honolulu Sharks (NY Yankees) 5 games: .067/.176/.067 2BB 7K 2SB

Jackson put up one of the best seasons in the minors this year and the Evil Empire rewarded him with a trip to Hawaii. It appears that Jackson is taking the early part of the season as a vacation after his marvelous .345/.398/.566 effort for the Tampa Yankees. Jackson was the beneficiary of a .395 BABIP while playing in Tampa, but he has all the talent in the world and still projects as a good big league player.

Jermaine Mitchell CF – Waikiki Beach Boys (Oakland) 4 games: .500/.588/.643

Mitchell is my early pick to be the break out star of this HWB season. Jermaine Cornelius Mitchell (his actual name) is a strong, speedy centerfielder with an impressive combination of raw talent and polished baseball skill. The A’s nabbed Mitchell in the 5th round of last summer’s draft out of the University of North Carolina…not Chappell Hill, but Greensboro where he lead the Spartans in every important offensive category and most not important ones as well. Always a multi sport athlete, Mitchell is still new to being a baseball player full time. Cornelius is off to a fast start in winter ball after a productive .288/.390/.413 year in Kane Country. The left handed centerfielder looks like Barry Bonds at the plate, the Pittsburg Pirates version, and has plus-plus speed in the outfield.

Mat Gamel 3B – North Shore Honu (Brewers) 5 games: .412/.474/1.059 3HR

Gamel is coming off a .300/.378/.472 triple slash season in the Florida State League and has one of the best bats in a system known for producing top notch hitters. Doug Melvin and the Brew Crew brass gave Gamel a round trip ticket to Hawaii with the express purpose of working on one area of his game, fielding. While playing for the Brevard Country Manatees, Gamel made 53 errors in 128 games. His future may ultimately be as a DH, which does not bode well for his future in the National League, but Milwaukee will give him every chance to prove himself in the field because his bat is for real.

Cale Iorg SS – North Shore Honu (Tigers) 4 games: .176/.222/.176 1BB 7K

Iorg is perhaps the most intriguing player in the league. After a year in which he hit .280/.331/.415 playing everyday as a true freshman for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Iorg left baseball all together for two years to pursue mission work in Portugal. Detroit felt strongly enough about the athletic, slick fielding shortstop to offer up $1.5 million dollars to Cale, who is Mormon. He played fairly well in the eight professional games he got under his belt this year, but playing for the Honu, which means sea turtle, will be Iorg’s first real test at extended playing time in almost three years.

Shane Lindsay P – Waikiki Beach Boys (Rockies) 2 games: 3IP 5K 2BB 3ER

Hitters have been the focus of this article as games have just been going on for a week and the league leader in innings pitched is up to a whapping 7. However, I got the chance to see Lindsay pitch on Wednesday night via the magic of Milb.tv and came away impressed with the Australian right hander. In Lindsay’s first game he did not fair well, giving up 2 runs in just a third of an inning of work. On the night I caught Lindsay however, he showed what makes him special; featuring a mid 90’s fastball that reached 98 mph to dominate hitters to the tune of five whiffs in two and two-thirds work. Shane looks a bit like a tennis player trying to get a serve in when he pitches as he moves his glove arm in a high sweeping arc and follows it with his throwing arm only slightly lower. This deceptive motion helps Lindsay, who is listed at just 6’1’’, throw with a sharp downward plane that when coupled with his velocity makes him especially hard to hit. His arm motion may also have something to do with the fact that Lindsay, despite his elite stuff, has been worthless as a prospect because he has missed most of the past two years, including all of last year, with shoulder problems. The fastball was great and he flashed a plus 11 to 5 breaking curve as well a few sliders that were not much more than rudimentary offerings at this point but the biggest plus for Lindsay is that he looked healthy.

Saturday Picks

I'm going to make this short and to the point, there's only one game that everyone around here cares about.

Oklahoma (-12) "@" Texas

The team with the paperclip on their helmet's loss was much more a mirage than the cattle's. OU is still the best team in the Big 12, by far, UT might not even be the best team in Texas...North Texas??

In somewhat related news, who knew Allen Patrick was as good as he's been? I think it was just that he always followed All-Day so by comparison he looked like crap but now that he's been able to get carries at the top of the depth chart he's been impressive. Kind of like that group of girls in high school where you're fixated on just one of them but after she leaves (goes off to college, starts going out with the older guy who rides a motorcycle but still hangs out with high school kids in a pretty seedy way but, hey, he can buy you beer and has a Harley so he's cool to a 17 year old, gets preggers, whatever) you realize that her friends are pretty freakin' hot in their own right and you get along with them better because they don't go around breaking their collar bones all the time.

Since you've been such a nice reader he's a bonus pick for ya...

THE Ohio State (-7) @ Purdue

Sportsalicious

An absolutely crazy amount of stuff going on in the sportsosphere over the past few days.

Half of the top 10 NCAA college football teams lose...although Texas should not have been that high anyway. This really illustrates a big problem with the preseason polls, if a team is ranked too high to start the season (like Texas...sorry Bevo) even if they play like crap, if they keep winning they won't be ranked in a manner closer to their actual skill level as opposed to the pre-season hype. Teams like South Florida, Kentucky, and BC have to wait for the Texas' Michigan's and Clemson's of the world to lose.

Sadly we haven't mentioned anything about Ok State coach Mike Gundy...I know, I know, I thought he coached basketball too...turning in one of the greatest press briefing tirades of all time. The reason for this omission is that we haven't been able to stop laughing enough to type. The best part is that he tacitly admits that the QB he covers for went crying to him because a writer at a newspaper said some mean things from him and called him names and stole his lunch money. I can't wait to talk to Trevor, SportsBullies resident OSU alumnus and sports expert, to find out his reaction...until then I'll try and find the differences between Coach Gundy and Will Ferrell on SNL, "I'M A MAN!!! I'M FORTY!!! I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS!!!!!"

Big NFL stories from this past weekend include the Patriots being really good (I know I picked them to win the Super Bowl, but I keep feeling like I underrated them)...nice to see that their brilliance on the field and the resurgence of Randy Moss have been the major story lines as well as Tom Terrific's accuracy...he's 95/120 on the season (that's Lincoln picking games good) his worst performance was his last one as on MNF he went a meager 25/32 or a Drew Bledsoe-esque 78.1%..., and not where Coach Belichick has cameras pointed. The national mass media really buried the lead with the whole "Spy Gate" story anyway. It should not be a shocking revelation that a paranoid coach would try and steal signs vs his prodigal disciple, the shocking news should have been the complete and total misappropriation of hidden cameras. Everyone knows that hidden cameras are used for filming sexy co-eds at their wildest, any use not to that ends is completely disregarding everything this technology stands for!!!!

I will say this as a HUGE Cowboy fan...the Cows have surprised me this year. I'm a big homer, but even I didn't think they would be this good. True, they haven't played a great team yet...Da Bears were their tuffest foe and the Boys had the fortune of playing them in Rex Grossman's last game as an NFL QB, BUT! the mark of dominate NFL teams is not battling hard and squeezing past mediocre to good teams...not the really great teams are those that consistently crush inferior opponents. Dallas has done that and is now, clearly, the class of the NFC (which makes them about the 12th best team in the AFC). I'm not buying non-refundable airline tickets to Phoenix in February just yet, but I keep getting the increasing feeling that this year is going to be special.

**Note of full disclosure: I had this feeling all during the Mavs season last year**

Tony Romo gave us the most incredible four yard run in history, and it was after this play that I really felt like things could break our way this year. I was really happy that Romo was able to make a big play out of a botched snap this time....too soon?

Speaking of the Mavs...which I know I really wasn't, I was typing of them but how gay would it sound if I said, "typing of the Mavs" yeah! That's what I thought!...They made their biggest roster change of the season by trading Greg Buckner to the ex-Kevin Garnet's for a younger, bigger, more athletic version of Buck. Kudos to Nellie and the crew for taking advantage of Kevin McHale (not like that has been overly difficult in his tenure as GM of the Wolves) and his emphasis on "veteran leadership" for an extremely young club.

The calendar rolling over to October means one great thing for the SportsBullies, PLAYOFF BASEBALL!!!! Now since the Rangers won't be participating in this year's playoff...I know, I'm as shocked as you...SportsBullies will have to shift it's allegiances somewhere else. JJ is the biggest Red Sox homer known to man...very interesting since he has born and raised in Dallas...but the rest of the SportsBullies share his view, Boston is the team to beat. Dominate starting pitching (Beckett, Dice-K, and Schill are the best 1-2-3 punch in the game) with an offense that can run teams out of the park any day, really underrated fielding and a closer with an Andy Pettite like ability to make his pupils vanish under the bill of cap making him really freaky looking to opposing hitters all combine to make Boston the odds on favorite to hoist the really odd looking trophy with a lot of flags on it for the second time in 3 years if you want to be nice or second time in 89 if you don't.

We will have much more in depth playoff coverage later but in the NL I, Lincoln, am officially calling the Cubs to reach the World Series. I called Sox/Cubs a few years ago...but a certain fan in a green turtle neck and headphones derailed that...but this year could make my once unrealized dreams come true. Big Z is as good a pitcher as there is in the NL, with only Webb and Cole Hammels coming close, and Hill and Lilly have both had really nice years. While the North Siders lack the same back end of the bullpen nail-it-down-ness...new word!!...as the Red Sox, their depth of pitching is good enough coupled with a lineup that has been injured most of the year but healthy at the right time. I really hope this will happen for the good of baseball more than anything, nothing would spark interest in the game like a Red Sox/Cubs WS.

The playoffs, kinda, started last night with the Rox winning in extras over the Fathers. It was one of the most exciting baseball games I've ever seen, tons of drama, excitement, high skill, and error on display. The Mile Highers got robbed on a Garret Adkins "double" that, according to the umps, hit the top of the wall and bounced back. One minor problem with that...it's physically impossible! There is no way for a ball traveling forward to hit on top of a flat surface and bounce back, it would have to hit a stationary object in front of it to have it's trajectory completely reversed...a stationary object like a handicapped seat. Karmic justice prevailed as Matt Holliday got the benefit of scoring one a play where his face hit more dirt than his hand hit plate. All Holliday, who is one of my personal favorite players, had to do was have the edge of his finger tangent to the black of the plate...and he may have. But the, suspiciously, slow call by the home plate ump mixed with TBS forcing thousands of viewers to go all Zapruder with their TiVo's because the production values were the exact same as a Braves vs Nats game in March.

Regardless the better team won...the Pads are the better team when healthy but having Milton Bradley and Mike Cameron out with injury makes Colorado the better team right now.

PS perhaps the biggest way the Pads got screwed by the umps was the board game injury. If an ump doesn't goat him into a fight, he stays healthy and makes at least one of the 10,000 plays that Brady Clark screwed up in centerfield.

PPS I can't believe I just saw a game where Doug Brocail out pitched Jake Peavey and Trevor Hoffman was worse than Jorge Julio.