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Stanley Cup

2009-05-30T21:56:00.001-04:00

And now we come to the main event, the featured attraction. After three weeks we are now ready for some Stanley Cup action! For some its a dream that started on lakes and ponds in there youth and for some they are trying to add to their legacy.

Stanley Cup Finals (2)Detroit vs (4)Pittsburgh-An exact rematch of last years Stanley Cup final and for those of you who don't know Detroit won it last year. That puts a challenge on for the Redwings as there has not been a repeat Stanley winner in eleven years. In case your wondering it was Detroit that did it last back in 97 and 98. This years playoffs was full of intense action and drama filled games. The conference finals.....were a let down. Carolina came into the Eastern finals having upset 1 seed Boston while the Penguins had a dog fight with Washington. Pittsburgh destroyed the Hurricanes in a 4 game sweep. Carolina could not answer the Pens offensive assault. Crosby and Malkin both are 1 and 2 in goals scored this playoffs, Malkin with 14 and 11 for Crosby. Detroit had a tougher time facing Chicago but where still able to handle them in a easy fashion. This series was more competitive with Detroit and the Blackhawks going into overtime twice in the series. However this series was suppose to be great and it seldom was with only games 2 and 5 being close. Chicago with all of it's offense couldn't score on Detroit. Nicklas Lidstrom and goalie Chris Osgood. Breakdown- Pittsburgh brings the tandem of Crosby and Malkin but in addition to them Bill Guerin is a 400 goal plus veteran and center Jordan Staal can provide great defense. Detroit is anchored by Marian Hossa and Henrik Zetterberg. Pavel Datsyuk was injured in game 4 with Chicago and is already out for game 1. Yet keep and eye on Dan Cleary. Cleary was a big factor in the win over Chicago. Edge-Detroit. Defenseman- Detroit brings Nicklas Lidstrom who in his career has won the Norris trophy 6 times in his career. Backing him up is Niklas Kronwal whose hit on Hawk's ace Martin Havlat is still being talked about. The Penguins bring Sergei Gonchar who is great at power play kills and Rob Scuderi who has flown under the radar these playoffs but I think the veteran defense of the Redwings will outplay Pitt in the end. Edge-Detroit. On paper Detroit goalie Chris Osgood has the edge but lets take into the factor of Penguins net minder Marc Andre Fleury's opponents. He had to contend with Alexander Ovechkin no easy feat. Osgood was critical in Detroit's success over Chicago. One could even argue that without Osgood Detroit and Chicago could still be going on right now heading into a game 7. Both have similar stats but the one key for both teams will be how they play the power play. Edge-Pittsburgh. Keys- Detroit is a very puck control team. This is their key, by keeping it out of the hands of Crosby and Malkin. Detroit also will need to capitalize on power play opportunities. The Penguins will need to keep the puck away from their third of the ice. Staying on offense will be key for Pittsburgh letting their great offense try to wear out the injury dogged Redwings. Verdict- It will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh has learned anything from last year. Pittsburgh can easily make this a fitness test with Detroit but I still think the Redwings can skate with the Penguins. I believe the injuries that surfaced during the Blackhawks series will come back to haunt Detroit. Penguins in 6.

photo courtesy of Carlos Osorio

Conference Finals

2009-05-17T00:43:00.002-04:00

Two stars, only one can go on...
And so we were left with four; one team loaded with star power that held the nations attention, one team an upstart destroying every odd against them, one the defending champs trying to make it a repeat and give their town something to cheer about, and the other the youngest but hottest team right now. One series with one of the stars of the game against the underdog, can do team that everyone, including myself, thought would be done in the first round. The other a rivalry as old as the NHL itself. This is the conference finals....

East

(4)Pittsburgh vs (6)Carolina-With the games two biggest stars in the same series, it was a no brainer that Pittsburgh and Washington would gain the most media coverage. Crosby vs Ovechkin as it was dubbed. And it did not disappoint for the most part. Syd the kid and Alex the great both lead their teams with 12 and 11 goals respectively. 3 games went into overtime with the Penguins taking two of them. The Capitals David Steckel forced a game 7 when he sailed the puck past Pitt goalie Marc Andre-Fleury in overtime. Many thought with all the action that this would be a great game 7. One that would be the big explosive ending for this series. It ended up being a sparkler on the 4th of July. Pitt destroyed the Capitals 6-2 scoring 5 unanswered goals until Ovechkin answered with 2 minutes left in the 2nd. Carolina on paper should not be here. But they are a prime example if when a team gets hot its hot. Whether you think the Canes beating New Jersey was luck they still had the talent to force 7. Then they stun everyone in the room by knocking off Boston. Carolina's Scott Walker sealed it with a goal late in the first overtime in game 7. Walker you might have heard was the guy who dropped Bruin Aaron Ward with a good right hook that many are calling a cheap shot. The win gave Carolina its 4th game 7 win in a row. Now Carolina has a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup just 3 years removed from their 2006 championship. Verdict- The Penguins naturally have the edge heading into this matchup. Carolina has a case for defying the odds but one can't escape the feeling that luck is about to run out. Carolina seems to not matchup with Pittsburghs offense so their goalie Cam Ward will have to carry the load much like he did against New Jersey. The Penguins just need to stay the course and rely on Crosby and Malkin to carry them, Pittsburgh in 6

West-

(2)Detroit vs (4)Chicago-The Anaheim Ducks turned the post season on its head by beating 1st seed San Jose. Anaheim fought hard, game 2 went into triple overtime and fell in favor of the Ducks. The Ducks followed up with a game 3 win but Detroit then showed why they're the defending champs. The Redwings outscored the Ducks 10-4 over the next two games. Goalie Jonas Hiller forced a game 7. But in the end Dan Cleary's goal cemented that there was more hockey to be played in Joe Louis arena. Chicago had something to prove against a talented Vancouver side. Heading in it was a question on if the Blackhawks offense can get past Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo. The answer was a dramatic yes. There were times it seemed as though the Hawks could score on will. Vancouver had its moments but they couldn't contend with the fact that all 4 Hawk lines can score, and they did. Chicago's young talent, youngest team in the NHL, showed the critics that they were not phased by the postseason atmosphere. The team put a exclamation mark on their series clinching win in game 6. Scoring 7 goals including a hat trick from Patrick Kane against one of the premier goalies is nothing to sneeze at. Verdict- This is an "Original 6" matchup pitting two of the oldest hockey teams against each other. You could argue this is the NHL version of the Red Sox and Yankees. The Blackhawks are officially back from obscurity. The past decade has not been kind to Hawk fans who had to deal with poor play and the owner refusing to air games on TV. The Hawks success has done something rare in Chicago, they have stolen the spot light from the baseball teams. The Hawks will try to advance to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1991 were they lost to Pittsburgh. Detroit is the veteran, with players like Marian Hossa, Cris Osgood, and Nikolas Lidstrom. They are the champs and seeing the Hawks growing better with each game gets their attention. Detroit fans are hoping for one last ride out of their players. In tough economic times the Redwings mean a lot right now to the city of Detroit. And what better way then to battle with a familiar foe. Detroit's experience is what will win this series for them. The Hawks need to keep wave after wave of offense at Detroit's defense to have a chance. In some respect this could be a passing of the torch game for both sides. The roar may be back in Chicago but Detroit is still Hockey town. Detroit in 7 to set up a rematch with Pittsburgh.

image courtesy of Bruce Bennett

Round 2

2009-04-30T17:08:00.003-04:00

Devils look on in disbelief as game 7 slips away

And then there were 8. After an upset and two series goin 7 its time for the second round. I accurately predicted most of the outcomes of the series but as with most playoffs this one has had plenty of surprises. First lets take a look east.

(1)Boston vs (4) Carolina- Boston, as predicted, swept through Montreal and did it with relative ease. Every game was won by two or more goals anchored by leading scorers Michael Ryder and David Krejci. Bostons depth carried them easily over the Habs. Simply put the Habs were just completely out matched. Carolina played in one of the game 7 series. Carolina meant trouble for New Jersey from the start. Games 2 and 3 went into over time with each team taking one game. Carolina goalie Cam Ward helped shut down the top line of New Jersey to help push a game 7. Then things got weird. In game 7 the Devils at home took the lead in the first period with goals from captain Jamie Langenbrunner to tie the goal from Carolina center Tuomo Ruutu. Followed by a goal from winger Jay Pandolfo. The Devils extended their lead with a powerplay goal from Brian Rolston. Carolina would pull with in one heading into the third. Future hall of famer Martin Broudeur shut down Carolina completely........until the last two minutes. With a buck 20 on the clock Carolina's Jussi Jokinen one timed a goal right past Brodeur to tie it. With the series third overtime game on the horizon the crowd at New Jersey was silent. Then with time winding down Chad LaRose floated a pass to Eric Staal and shot the goal with 31 seconds left to send Carolina to the next round. Brodeur, the all time goalie with wins, could simply stand with his team mates stunned. Boston has not lost against Carolina this season. Boston is riding on a few days rest while the Canes are still catching their breath. Verdict-Carolina will put up more of a fight than Montreal did but Boston is rolling, Boston in 6.

(2)Washington vs (4) Pittsburgh- Washington played in one of the more chippy series so far this playoffs. Even the coach for the Rangers was wielding a stick at the Washington fans. Rangers staying in the series to 7 can mostly be attributed to goalie Henrik Lundqvist fantastic play. This series had tough checks, both legal and illegal. But when all the smoke cleared the Caps advanced off of veteran Sergei Federov scoring the game winner in game 7. Of course having the great duo of Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin helps also. Despite the Flyers winning 2 games the Penguins where in control. Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin led the way combing for 8 goals. And that is what the media is paying attention to. Rather than its Washington vs Pittsburgh; it's portrayed as Sydney Crosby vs Alexander Ovechkin. These are the two top stars right now in the NHL. Having them in the same series is huge for TV. Verdict- This is another tough matchup that I think potentially will go 7. Washington and Pitt have equal the amount of offensive potential. This will come down to the goalies play and I like the Caps Simeon Varlamov, Capitals in 7.

Western Conference

(2) Detroit vs (8) Anaheim-Detroit breezed into the second round playing a Columbus team that was inexperienced and really just happy to have made the playoffs. Detroit crushed the young Blue Jacket team. Columbus rallied a bit in game 4 but it was all Detroit. I missed the San Jose prediction but I did say that if one of the number 1 seeds were to fall it would be the Sharks. Anaheim was the worst opponent for San Jose due to all of the home games San Jose had, Anaheim won the most. Anaheim silenced the loud crowd of the shark tank with stellar goalie play from Jonas Hiller and wing Bobby Ryan. Detroit lead the series in the season 3-1 with one win coming close. I can definitely see Anaheim winning a few games but I don't see them winning the series.Verdict-Detroit still has too many weapons for Hiller to handle, the Red Wings will score eventually, Redwings in 6.

(3)Vancouver vs (4)Chicago-As I write this game one has just wrapped up with Vancouver taking the first game at home. Vancouver had a similar route like Detroit with the Canucks sweeping St. Louis. Their success can be measured due to goalie Roberto Luongo. Vancouver and Chicago split the season 2 games a piece. Chicago delt with Calgary well winning in 6 as expected and I expect a similar series from the Black Hawks against another decent Canadian opponent. Vancouver is a stronger team than Calgary however. Verdict-This series could easily go to 7 games but the inexperienced Hawks could slip early and not recover. Vancouver in 7

photo courtesy of Bill Kostroun

Playoff time!

2009-04-18T02:07:00.003-04:00

April means for some that baseball has started but for others its the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 16 teams will enter but only one will hoist the famed trophy. So I'll lay down my predictions for the first round.

Eastern Conference

(1)Boston vs (8) Montreal- Boston won the season series 6 games to 2 and Boston was the first team to break 100 points as well. It doesn't help the Habs that Boston has nearly twice as few losses as them. Montreal barely made the playoffs and with a 4 game losing streak are in a dead skid while Boston has coasted the past month. At the time of this article Boston has taken the first game 4-2. Verdict- Sweep, Boston can easily take this in 4 games and they will.

(2)Washington vs (7) New York R- The Rangers axed their coach about 2 months back after seemingly collapsing from the top of the East. Rangers had a great start but fizzled due to injuries around January. Washington owns the season series 3-1 but the games were close. The Rangers have taken the first game in surprising fashion. Thanks to the goal tending of Henrik Lundqvist the Rangers held star Alexander Ovechkin and co off to win. The air around the Caps though is calm. Verdict- Rangers can win but not this series, the Capitals in 6.

(3) New Jersey vs (6) Carolina- On paper this was the worst opponent the Devils could get. The Hurricanes own the series 3-1 and were on a roll into the playoffs despite dropping the last two games of the season. Yet the Devils took the first game with no trouble. Goals by captain Jamie Lagenbrunner and others stopped the Canes 4-1. Carolina answered right back earlier tonite with an overtime victory with Tim Gleason scoring the game winner. Verdict- This one is gonna come down to the wire, The Hurricanes in 7.

(4) Pittsburgh vs (5) Philadelphia- Ah the old Pennsylvania rivalry. Pittsburgh with its stars facing off against it's in state rival should provide for some great games. The Penguins lead the season with a 4-2 record. Phily unfortunately is now in a hole. They've dropped the 1st two games of the series and now need to bounce back at home on Sunday. Verdict-Pitt is too strong for Phily to contend with, Penguins in 6.

Western Conference

(1) San Jose vs (8) Anaheim- San Jose owned the west and even earned the President's Trophy. Drawing rival Anaheim assures the first all California series since 1969. San Jose with Patrick Marleau and Devin Setoguchi anchor the first line and hopes the loud home ice advantage of the Shark Tank will propel them towards the Stanley cup. Anaheim, 2007 Stanley Cup Champs, are 7-2-1 their last ten games including a win at the Shark Tank. Anaheim stunned the San Jose crowd in the first game with a 2-0 win. Verdict-Unlike other playoffs, in hockey it is not uncommon that an 8 seed can knock off a 1 seed. This could happen but San Jose should hold their own with the home ice advantage, San Jose in 6.

(2)Detroit vs (7) Columbus- Detroit has rocked all year. The team is stacked with Zetterberg, Hossa, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Pavel Datsyuk. The team won 50 games this season for the 4th year in a row. Columbus is an underdog. This is their first postseason appearance ever. To be fair the team isn't even 10 years old but still. Their goalie Steve Mason has carried the load the whole season combined with smart play from the whole team. The only chance Colubus has realistically is to play every game perfect. So far that hasn't happened, they dropped game one 4-1. Verdict-No need for a bailout in Hockey Town, Detroit in 5.

(3) Vancouver vs (6) St. Louis- The Canuks had a stretch where they only lost 7 games in regulation. Having star goalie Roberto Luongo helps too. Vancouver had to hold off a stubborn Calgary much of the last have of the regular season. Thus the team is ready for the playoffs. St. Louis had been hit with injuries the whole season. There also young, four of their top scorers are under 26. This team kicked into gear at the perfect time to just get into the playoffs. Experience has shown, St.Louis is down 2 games in the series. Verdict-St.Louis has a bright future but not right now, Vancouver in 5.

(4) Chicago vs (5)Calgary- Chicago is returning after a 7 year absence of the playoffs. This team is lead by forwards Johnathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane, and Martin Havlat. Combine that with the wall that is Nikolai Khabibulin and you have yourself a dark horse in the west. Calgary has experience on their side. Anchored by Olli Jokinen and Jarome Iginla and NHL leading goalie Mikka Kiprusoff and you have a decent playoff match up. Verdict-Chicago just has more weapons offensively, Hawks in 6.

Check in when the 2nd round is about to take off for my analysis.

image credited to Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press

When we last left the NHL

2009-02-19T17:26:00.002-05:00

Nick Russ here to report on the events of hockey. Normally in the world of sports a visit to your championship is good in terms of job security as a coach. Even if you lose your championship they want you back to finally get the final push. Apparently in hockey this is not the case. The Pittsburgh Penguins who are the current defending Eastern conference champs fired coach Michel Therrien. Pittsburgh despite its talent with Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin the Penguins find themselves struggling at 4th in the Atlantic. They sit on the outside looking in, if the season ended now Pitt would miss the playoffs. The Penguins have gone 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. Some of those wins came against the Rangers and San Jose yet they dropped games against Toronto. Firing their coach has come off as a drastic move as we are now about two months away from the playoffs. Pittsburgh has Montreal tonight and rival Philadelphia on Saturday.

One of the hottest teams on the ice right now has to be the Washington Capitals. Winning seven of their last ten against teams like New Jersey and the Rangers and twice against division contending Florida. Powered by Alexander Ovechkin and the defensive efforts of Mike Green, Washington is starting to stake its claim as one of the best in the East. Washington has some true tests down the road for them with a still dangerous Pittsburgh followed by the Flyers. The last of their home game stretch ends with Atlanta before visiting Boston to wrap up the month.

Out west Detroit continues with their impressive season. They kicked off February with a 6 game winning streak. However they had a hick up with games against Columbus and a shoot out with dismal Colorado. Detroit keeps winning yet the teams they are beating are not exactly blue chip caliber. Some of their wins came at the expense of Nashville, St. Louis, Minnesota, and Phoenix all but Minnesota are bellow 500. and most are at or near the bottom of their divisions. The only real threat on the radar for Detroit is San Jose next week but they can't take it easy with their opponents due to the fact that Chicago has kept up with Detroit.

That'll do it for this time hockey fans!

Image courtesy of Haraz N. Ghanbari

The Beginning of the Season

2009-02-07T00:13:00.002-05:00

As I discussed last week, after an offseason that saw no testing at NASCAR sanctioned tracks, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is getting ready for the first race of the 2009 season. Now although it is a non-points event, the Budweiser Shootout is one of the most anticipated races of each NASCAR season. It is a chance for drivers to let it all hang out in a bid for the glory of victory (and the lion's share of a 1.2 million dollar purse).
From the inaugural Busch Clash in 1979 to the Budweiser Shootout in 2008, this has been a race for the drivers who won a pole position in the previous season. 2009 will be different as the Shootout has become a race between drivers representing the four manufacturers that race in Sprint Cup. The top six cars in 2008 Owner Points from Chevrolet,Ford, Dodge, and Toyota are joined by a "wild card" from each make which is either the most recent Series Champion or seventh highest points finisher from the 2008 season. This has caused the starting lineup to swell to an event record of 28 cars, which beats the previous record of 23 cars that took the green flag for last year's Budweiser Shootout. On Thursday night the field was set by a drawing and saw Paul Menard select the pole for his first race in a Yates Racing Ford. Elliot Sadler joins Menard on the front row in a Dodge for Richard Petty Motorsports.
It should be a wild race with a lot of excitement and perhaps a few fireworks. However, this race is merely a prelude to the 51st edition of the Daytona 500 to be run a week from Sunday. Join me next week for a preview of "The Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing!"

The month of January

2009-02-05T17:22:00.003-05:00

As the NFL packs away its pads for the next seven and half months, you might ask your self what now? How bout some Hockey! Last month kicked off things in grand fashion for the Hockey league with the playing of the now traditional winter classic. Pitting central division rivals Detroit and Chicago against each other, saw the home town Blackhawks jump out to the early lead in front of a national audience at historic Wrigley Field. After both teams entered the ice, crossing home plate bye the way, the game got under way. The Hawks jumped out to the early lead with a goal roughly 3 minutes in by Kris Versteeg but it was evened up with a Detroit goal from Mikael Samuelsson. Martin Havlat and Ben Eager would score before the end of the 1st for the Hawks. Detroit took over the next period with two goals from Jiri Hudler and Pavel Datsyuk to erase the Chicago lead. In the third Brian Rafalski nailed the dagger for Detroit and Brett Lebda threw the salt to push Detroit's lead to three. Duncan Keith managed to score one last goal for the Hawks with ten seconds to go to give the final of 6-4 for the defending Stanley cup champs. Although they lost the game the Hawks continue to pursue the Redwings behind by about ten points but are currently battling to be number 3 in the western conference. Looking ahead they have two crucial games coming up on the road, one tonight against Calgary; ranked 3rd in the conference, and one at Vancouver. Detroit started off after the classic with a great 4 game win streak they followed with a tough loss against League leading San Jose. Detroit faces off with an Edmonton team trying to find their way into the top eight before visiting Pittsburgh.

The New York Rangers started off as one of the best teams, now they have slipped out of 1st in the Atlantic. This is more to the play of the New Jersey Devils who rattled off an eight game win streak last month. The Devils scored huge wins over Pittsburgh, Montreal, and league leading Boston. The Devils have Atlanta and Los Angeles before a huge game against the Rangers. The Rangers are out of first but only by a mere 4 points or two wins.

Boston has vaulted itself to be the top team in the NHL. Boston stands with 82 points something that San Jose thought would be obtaining first. Boston road a ten game win streak right into 2009 and followed with wins over Pittsburgh, Montreal, and Toronto. Next week the Bruins have two important games that should be a great test. One game at home against the best of the west San Jose. Then they visit New Jersey. That'll do it for me until next time Ice fans.

Super Bowl XLIII

2009-02-01T14:54:00.004-05:00

And so we come to the grand stage. Arizona, the underdog through out the entire postseason has won over people across the nation. Pittsburgh, the old guard looking for their sixth Super Bowl victory a feat that has not been accomplished in the Super Bowl era. These two teams will meet tonight in the pursuit of adding their names to the history of this sport.

Arizona handled the Eagles well and proved that they belong in this game. The key for Arizona will be their offense. The Cardinals need to test the Steelers defense on every play to succeed. Using running backs Tim Hightower and Edgerin James early will help draw up the powerful safeties of Pittsburgh. Doing this will help free up receivers Larry Fitzgerald and the now healthy Anquan Boldin. Play action will be key for Kurt Warner as the pass rush will be fierce all night. On Defense the Cards will have a work load tonight. Quarter back Ben Roethlessberger will have an easier time with Arizona's defense. While Arizona has a decent run defense they allow 221 yards in the air. Arizona has to blitz Roethlessberger consistently and they will have to lock down recievers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes and others as well. Arizona should be able to contain Steelers running back Willie Parker but he is a big gain threat, they will have to watch him.

Pittsburgh has as much offense as Arizona but the Cards can answer their onslaught. The Steelers will have to fall back on their battle tested defense. Blitzing and rushing the Arizona offense will keep them guessing. Roethlissberger MUST avoid interceptions against this defense. Through out the playoffs the Cardinals managed to win their games using quick blitzes that threw off the QB's timing and left balls up for grabs. Willie Parker's success against Arizona will be pivotal for the Steelers offense. Running the ball will wear down the Cardinals front eight. The Steelers cant just rely on passing not knowing how Hines Ward's knee will affect his performance.

I predict that this will be an offensive game early on with a lot of back and forth action. In the second half expect Pittsburgh to start to pull away. It has been an amazing ride for Arizona but they wont pull off this one. Steelers 31-Arizona 23.

Offseason Almost Over

2009-01-28T14:29:00.003-05:00

As many of us take a look out the window we see conditions outside that could make us think that nicer weather will never come. However, for some of us this is a sign that racing season is just around the corner. In fact it has never really ended for some people with indoor races and races contested in Australia and New Zealand, where it is currently summer.
I was lucky enough to attend the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the second year in a row. For those of you who love racing ,and midget racing in particular, the Chili Bowl is truly a sight to behold as they are able to have a trade show, room for about 290 cars, a quarter-mile dirt track, AND about 15,000 seats under the big roof at the Tulsa Expo Center! It is absolutely a must see event in the world of racing. I was in attendance for the last three nights of the five-night affair and saw Tony Stewart Racing's Tracy Hines take Thursday night action and 2008 USAC Sprint and Silver Crown champion Jerry Coons Jr. was the Friday night winner. After a long day of racing on Saturday afternoon and evening, Sammy Swindell ,in a radical looking car, took his fifth Chili Bowl A-Main in the 23rd running of the event.

Sammy Swindell (1) passes Tracy Hines on the way to victory at the Chili Bowl (photo by Sean Mizell)

It has been a Winter of Discontent for many in North Carolina as the economy has hit NASCAR teams hard. Layoffs have been the common theme down south and no team has been safe from them as even the big teams like Hendrick Motorsports have had to make cuts. The economy has also caused some teams like Bill Davis Racing look like they won't be able to answer the Sprint Cup bell. Now new teams are beginning to pop up like Tommy Baldwin Racing, Nemco Motorsports, and a team spearheaded by former driver and current announcer Phil Parsons in an attempt to fill the fields that could potentially be short this season.
Many questions will be answered next week when things kick off at Daytona International Speedway a week from Saturday night with the Budweiser Shootout. Be sure to check in next week for a preview of the goings on in Florida!

Divisional Week

2009-01-16T17:48:00.002-05:00

Russ here with your NFL Recap. And then there were 4. Arizona is proving they belong. In my last blog I stated that turnovers will kill your chances in the playoffs. Carolina proves that. The Panthers allowed 6 turnovers. All can be credited to Jake Delhomme with 5 interceptions and a fumble that accounted to 23 of Arizona's points in their 33-13 win. Kurt Warner had two touch downs in the air connecting to Larry Fitzgerald and Tim Hightower. Hightower led the Cards in rushing with 76 yards on 14 carries with Edgerin James rolling for 57 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. Neil Rackers managed to make 4 field goals to destroy Carolina. The panthers never got off the ground people scoring the first and last touchdowns in the game. With only 20 minutes of time of possession and only converting 2 third downs the panthers had no chance.

The other game was set up to be a must see event. The Giants and Eagles didn't disappoint. It was a tale of two quarterbacks with Eli Manning and Donovan McNabb. Numerous opportunites were wasted on New York with the howling wind factoring into Eli's throws as he missed a couple of wide open receivers that could have easily scored. McNabb took matters into his own hands by even rushing for a touchdown. He would later hook up with Brent Celek for a 1 yard touchdown pass to seal it for the Eagles.

Both teams are hot heading into the NFC championship game. Arizona is 6-2 at home with Phily struggling on the road. However this playoffs have proven that home field means nothing. The Eagles are putting away the fact that they destroyed Arizona on Thanksgiving as they believe the Cards have changed so much and they have. Time of possession will be the key for the Eagles so they can keep Kurt Warner and the Cardinals offense on the sidelines. Running back Brian Westbrook will be getting a lot of carries to help with time and to limit any potential interceptions which have been critical to Arizona's success. The Cardinals will be able to add receiver Anquan Boldin after sitting out with a hamstring injury. The Eagles defense will have the twin running back attack of Edgerin James and Tim Hightower to contain. The Cardinals running game will open up their passing game. The Eagles will have to pressure Warner all game, the same goes to the Cards and McNabb. Truly this game will be Arizona's offense vs The Eagles defense.

Over in the AFC Baltimore, Tennessee was as good as I thought it would be. Immovable objects meet early early this year with Tennessee walking away the victor. Both teams swapped touchdowns early with Chris Johnson scampering on a 8 yard touchdown run while Baltimore answered late in the first with a Joe Flacco 48 yard bomb to Derrick Mason. From there it was all about defense as expected. Tennessee shot themselves in the foot turning the ball over 3 times in Ravens territory killing long drives. Matt Stover started off the 4th with a field goal to put Baltimore ahead. Rob Bironas of Tennessee answered with 4:26 left. Baltimore's Matt Stover kicked a 43 yard field goal to win the game. Flacco became the first rookie to win two playoff games with his game managing.

The Chargers simply were out gunned by the Pittsburgh offense. Philip Rivers out threw Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger by almost 200 yards but the Steelers had Willie Parker rushing for 142 yards with two touchdowns. The Steelers now face the Ravens for the third time this year. Much like the Titans Ravens game this will be a low scoring affair with both defenses trying to score. The Steelers will capitalize with their offense as they have more weapons. Ravens are going to pressure Roethliessberger all day to have any success at take away's.

My predictions are The Eagles over the Cardinals and Steelers over Ravens

Image courtesy of Kevin C. Cox

Wild Card Week

2009-01-10T00:32:00.002-05:00

Russ here with your recap of the Wild Card weekend.

After just barely getting into the playoffs the Chargers weren't expected to deliver much. Playing like a team with nothing to lose the Chargers managed to pull out a win in Overtime. The Bolts can hang their win on the play of Darren Sproles. In a story fitting a playoff game, the Chargers had to do without one of their marque players in Ladainian Tomlinison. The lingering injury sidelined the running back at about half way in the third leaving only 5 carries for 25 yards and a touchdown. Sproles was unstoppable. Rushing for 105 yards on 22 carries for 2 touchdowns including the game winner in OT. Not only did he hurt them running the ball but also returning the ball for 178 yards on punts and kick offs. The Colts entered the game on a 9 win streak but couldn't answer with a run game of their own. Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes combined for just 56 yards. Thus the offense was left up to AP MVP Peyton Manning. Manning threw the ball 310 yards on 25 out of 42 passes with a touchdown to Reggie Wayne. The TD to Wayne seemed like it would lock it up for the Colts but Philip Rivers led his team down the field to allow Nate Kaeding to kick the 26 yard field goal to send it into extra. Credit could also go to Chargers punter Mike Scifres whose punts averaged 52.7 yards kept Manning pinned deep in his own territory most of the game. San Diego has won five straight and now heads on the road to Pittsburgh where they will be without Ladainian Tomlinson.

After proving early in the season that they were a contender Baltimore hit a skid into the playoffs. The Ravens shrugged it off by easily handling the Dolphins 27-9. The story here was Defense and it was all over. Ravens safety Ed Reed made it seem like Baltimore had 13 men out on the field. The Defense forced 5 turnovers and sacked QB Chad Pennington 3 times and was in his face all day. Reed had 2 picks including one for a touchdown to put Miami in their mirror. Rookie QB Joe Flacco wasn't stellar throwing just 9 of 23 for 135 yards but made no errors. And in the playoffs error free+ capitalizing on the other guys mistakes= victory and with it he becomes only the third rookie to win his first playoff game. Like Indianapolis, Miami was plagued by poor field positioning starting their first few possessions on their 20 yard line and converted on 2 of 11 on third downs. Baltimore visits Tennessee this week in what has shaped up as the highlight of this weekend. It will be a low scoring affair to be sure as it was earlier this year. The winner is gonna be the one who can take advantage of miscues first.

I'll admit I was wrong picking against Arizona. Arizona was struggling heading into the playoffs but managed to rally in the second half. The defense picked off rookie Matt Ryan twice and limited running back Michael Turner to just 42 yards. 14 of the Cards 30 points came off of Atlanta turnovers. Arizona's win is their first home playoff victory since 1949. Back then they were still the Chicago Cardinals. It has been a fun ride but Kurt Warner and company will probably run out of steam as they visit Carolina this week.

The Eagles Vikings game was a sloppy one. Both defenses stopped the rushing attacks of each other. Truly the game could be broke up into a few plays that mattered. The key play came from Eagles running back Brian Westbrook who broke a screen pass run for a 71 yard touchdown and they never looked back. This Sunday marks the rubber match between New York and Phily who split the season a game a piece.

This week I'll pick New York to beat the Eagles

Carolina to end the story book year in Arizona

The Steelers over San Diego

And my game of the week Baltimore over the Titans

image courtesy of Jeff Gross

Season Recap

2009-01-08T17:23:00.002-05:00

With the playoffs in full swing its always fun to look back and see how we got here. I'll go ahead and kick off my season recap with my first award to Best up and coming team.

Runner up Tampa Bay- The Bucs just missed the playoffs and held a respectable 9-7 record. However they lost all 4 games in the month of December and allowed the Falcons to sweep in to the wild card. Yet the Bucs started the season 6-3 by the bye week and included a 27-3 romp over eventual number 2 seed Carolina. Really what didn't help the Bucs was nagging injuries all year to QBs and both Starting running backs. Tampa Bay will be force next year I predict a playoff appearance for them.

Runner up- New England. Heading into this season New England fans couldn't realistically expected another perfect season. However the gasps filled Gillette stadium once the crowd saw future hall of famer Tom Brady on the ground clutching his knee. Immediately it became a question of what now. Matt Cassel showed the potential that this team has with out Brady. Just missing the playoffs despite winning their last 4. I predict them to win the division next year.

Winner- New Orleans finished 8-8 and did so without Reggie Bush most of the season. Drew Brees showed his stuff and won himself the offensive player of the year award. Factor in the Saints were the most scoring offense in the league and led in most total yards. The only hang up with them is their defense and they'll be shopping for a new coordinator soon.

Where did they go?- Teams that got off to a great start but disappeared in the end

Runner up- Washington- Redskins started 6-3 by week 10 and were poised to challenge New York but an injury to top running back Clinton Portis really hurt the Redskins down the stretch.

Runner up- Tampa Bay just like Washington it looked as though the Bucs were a sure thing for January. But being bit by the injury bug limited their offense.

Winner- Buffalo- The Bills had their best start in over ten years winning their first 6 games. The Bills were turning as much heads as the Titans early on but going winless in the division killed them.

Most Disappointing team- Teams with the great seasons last year that couldn't repeat the same result this year.

Runner up- Jacksonville-Last year The Jags won a playoff game and gave the Patriots a good game in the next post season game. This year they went 5-11 and looked nothing like last years team.

Runner up- Green Bay- Following Brett Favre is a hard act but he took the team to the NFC championship last season and the Pack followed it up with a 6 win season this year.

Winner Dallas- This was the Cowboys year to make it back to the super bowl. After a decent finish last year they were poised as the favorite for the NFC to win. But internal bickering and injuries turned Americas team into a mediocre 9-7 team.

My MVP- Adrian Peterson. All Day had a great year. He rushed for over 1700 yards and had averaged 4.8 yards per carry. Without a decent passing game Peterson helped carried the Vikings into the postseason.

My Rookie of the year- Matt Ryan. In a town that first went threw Michael Vick last year. Then in the middle of the night their coach splits for Arkansas U after promising to stay. Matt Ryan seemed like he came from above. He actually came from Boston College. Ryan helped the town get over all of their trouble with Vick and their runaway coach. Sure Joe Flacco has had similar success but Matt Ryan had to start with nothing.

My Coach of the year- Dolphins coach Tony Sparano. It would be easy to factor in Jeff Fisher for taking his team undefeated for half a season but his team stumbled a bit in the end. Atlanta coach Mike Smith inherited a mess in Atlanta and brought them to the post season but Sparano took a team that had only 1 win last season to the division title.

Image courtesy of Donald Miralle

Week 17 Final Week

2009-01-03T00:10:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year and here's your final week recap. What was supposed to be an epic end of the season game turned into a one sided affair. Despite Jay Cutler out throwing San Diego QB Philip Rivers by over hundred yards, the Chargers out scored Denver 52-21. San Diego was an offensive machine scoring on 6 of their first 7 drives and only punting once, with 57 seconds left in the third. The story of the game was Ladamian Tomlinson. LT had 3 touchdowns on 14 carries for 96 yards. A total of 3 Chargers rushers had touchdowns totaling 5 on the ground. Rivers connected with Tight End Brandon Manumaleuna and running back Darren Sproles for touch downs. The result is a few firsts; The Chargers become the first team to make the playoffs with an 8-8 record since the 1985 Browns, Denver becomes the first team since division play began in 67 to blow a 3 game lead with 3 weeks left in the season. And as a result coach Mike Shanahan got the ax. San Diego won the division which means they will host the Colts tomorrow night and LT might not be there. Tomlinson suffered a strained abdominal during the game and is questionable. The Chargers fought hard and Denver's blundering allowed them to turn around an almost disastrous season but it will probably end against Indy.

As impressive Matt Cassel has been he still is not Tom Brady. For the first time in 5 consecutive seasons the Patriots will miss the playoffs. It was a windy game that saw the goal post actually get blown off into an angle prompting an in game adjustment. The Pats have won 16 of their last 17 against Buffalo including the past 11 straight games but it wasn't enough to reach postseason. New England needed either a loss from Baltimore or Miami and a win to reach the playoffs but the Ravens and Dolphins both were victorious. Miami clinches the division creating the greatest one year turn around in what I think is ever. Last year they had just one win! Now they host Baltimore who stumbled into the playoffs after seemingly challenging Pittsburgh for their division.

In the NFC Drama filled Dallas may finally have some relief to their problems. Dallas missed the playoffs in dismal fashion by being destroyed by the Eagles 44-6. The Eagles forced 5 Dallas turnovers and scored back to back on two of them. All of the turnovers led to Philadelphia points. The Eagles make an unexpected rally to the playoffs thanks in part to Houston beating Chicago, and Oakland upsetting Tampa Bay. Tampa missing the playoffs is a bit of a disappointment as they were considered a preseason favorite. Chicago on the other hand over achieved since they were predicted to be a 5 win team and in the end won 9 games. The Eagles will visit Minnesota on Sunday.

Many question if Arizona deserved their playoff spot. They've won only two of their last 5 games and all their losses were seemingly blowouts. There is even a threat to black out the home TV market from their first home playoff game in 60 years.

For my last regular season picks I went 1-3 making my grand total 25-27

My playoff picks will be Atlanta over the Cardinals

The Ravens over Miami

The Colts over San Diego

And The Vikings over the Eagles

Check back as I'll have a year in review along with my awards

photo courtesy of Jeff Gross

Week 16 in the NFL

2008-12-28T00:06:00.003-05:00

Nick Russ here with your Christmas week of pro football. In a week with plenty of playoff implications, one of the more important ones was not as dramatic as earlier thought. Give credit to Pittsburgh they played a tough game but Tennessee proved they were number 1. 21 of Tennessee's 31 points all came from turnovers. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger threw 2 picks, one as the final seconds ticked away, and two fumbles. The only scores in the first half for the Titans came from a Kerry Collins TD pass to Justin Gage for 34 yards and a Rob Bironas field goal. After his fumble led to Tennessee scoring Roethlisberger drove down the field and connected for his 100th career TD to Santonio Holmes. Then out of the gate he capped a 4 play drive in the third with a 21 yard pass to Hines Ward to give them the lead. Tennessee answered with a 4th down pitch out to Chris Johnson that ended with a 21 yard touch down. It was down hill for Pittsburgh from there. Michael Griffin intercepted Roethlisberger for the second time and returned all the way to the 1 yard line where Lindel White took it in. Tennessee sacked Roethlisberger 5 times all without pro-bowlers Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch. This marks the 8th victory in 9 games that Tennessee has won at home against the Steelers.

Else where the race has narrowed in one division while another will have its deciding game on Sunday night. The Jets trip to Seattle ended with a crushing loss. The score was only 13-3 but it pretty much eliminates the Jets from the playoffs and could very possibly mean Brett Favre's last game on Sunday. The other teams Miami and New England all won but Miami is in the clinch position. Miami lead by ex-Jet Chad Pennington has to beat his former team the Jets to clinch the division. A Miami loss and a New England win over Buffalo means the division is the Patriots. New England could reach the playoffs if Baltimore loses to Jacksonville. I personally cant believe that the AFC west is going to come down to the last game between Denver and San Diego. These two have stumbled around alllllll year and it has come to this. I've said before that the Chargers were one of the most disappointing teams this year and a win Sunday helps vindicate them of that. Denver loses that means they blew it and Mike Shanahan's job might be in trouble.

The Bears got a gift early this year. Every team that they needed to lose, lost including Minnesota. In an arctic setting the Bears fought a spoiler driven Packers team in to overtime. Special teams proved to be the deciding factor in the game as Bears QB Kyle Orton threw two picks and only completed 14 of 27 passes with a touch down to tight end Greg Olsen. The Bears managed to block 2 Mason Crosby field goals including one at the end of regulation. On punts the Bears managed to recover a live ball that bounced into Packers Jarret Bush that led to the Orton-Olsen touchdown. The Bears need help to make the playoffs. To their benefit their much alive in the division race due to Minnesota losing. If the Giants beat Minnesota and Chicago beats Houston they win the North. If both Tampa Bay and Dallas lose then the Bears clinch a wild card spot. But it all comes down to beating Houston. Minnesota losing Sunday is a possibility as Giants coach Tom Coughlin believes on maintaing momentum and might not rest his starters.

Speaking of the Giants the game was as good as predicted with Carolina. Anchored by running back Derrick Ward rushing for 215 yards, the Giants now set themselves up as number 1 in the NFC. It was really a rushing game. DeAngelo Williams had 4 touchdowns and 108 yards while Giants Brandon Jacobs raked in 3 touchdowns and 87 yards. One of his touchdowns came with 3:21 in the game to set up Eli Manning to throw to Domenik Hixon to tie the game late capping a 21-7 second half. Carolina had a chance to win the game with a 50 yard field goal but the strong wind pushed it wide left. After both sides swapped failed drives New York nearly gave the ball to Carolina after R.W. McQuarters muffed a punt on the Giants 13 yard line. Immediately after Derrick Ward ran 51 yards to the Carolina 36 and he eventually got the Giants to the 2 where Brandon Jacobs took it in for the score and win.

Last week I went 1-3 bringing my overall to 24-24

This week I'll take The Bears over Houston

The Jets over Miami

Baltimore over Jacksonville

And my final game of the week Denver over San Diego

Image courtesy of Nam Y. Huh

Hockey Talk week 9

2008-12-26T23:21:00.002-05:00

Nick Russ here with your NHL update. The youngest team in the league is a fire ball heading into the Winter Classic. The Blackhawks have won their last 8 straight games tying a franchise record. The impressive streak includes victories over Northwest division leaders Calgary and Vancouver. Powered by All Star vote leading wing Patrick Kane and team goal leader Patrick Sharp, the Hawks have division leading Detroit looking over its shoulder. All this with just a week away from the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. The Hawks go on the road for Minnesota and Detroit oddly enough before having New Years Eve off then hosting the Redwings at Wrigley.

Detroit has been a bit of a roller coaster the past few games. They dropped a game against dismal Dallas and the struggling Avalanche. However they shut out one of the best teams in San Jose. They also won over LA and St. Louis setting up a critical home game against the hard charging Hawks. With Marian Hossa, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Pavel Datsyuk set to make the All Star game, the most players in the West, Detroit could battle with Chicago for a long time. With the animosity towards the BCS in college football the Winter Classic could easily steal some ratings on Jan 1. Detroit visits Colorado before hosting Chicago then playing the Winter Classic.

Out East Montreal is starting to vanish in Boston's mirror. Despite having potentially 5 all stars the Canadiens have underachieved while Boston has soared. Montreal dropped 3 in a row with losses to Tampa, a tough Washington loss, and Carolina. Then they beat the Flyers and Sabres before losing in OT to Carolina. Put this into perspective, if Montreal where in the Atlantic division they would be tied for third with New Jersey one point just behind them. Montreal has a long road trip starting with Pittsburgh before wrapping it up at New Jersey.

The Atlantic division is the closest division race heading into 2009. The Rangers lead the division with 47 points followed by Philadelphia with 45 points, that's a win difference folks. The Flyers are followed by rival Pittsburgh with 42 points and injury plagued New Jersey. And of course the Islanders have fallen off the globe with 25, worst in the league. Rangers lost to New Jersey early on and lost a critical cross conference game with San Jose. The Rangers play the Devils tomorrow in the only worth while division game before playing Pittsburgh in two weeks. Phily plays no division opponents for a while but they still have been performing well against teams like Washington and Pittsburgh. They go on the road out west against Anaheim and LA before visiting the Capitals. Pittsburgh can get some momentum going against Boston twice in the coming week. Until next time Hockey fans.

Photo courtesy of Nam Y. Huh

Week 15 in the NFL

2008-12-21T00:42:00.004-05:00

With two weeks remaining its your NFL recap. With all the drama in the big D something came up that seemed to cool all heads, a win. Winning over the Giants keeps the Cowboys alive in the playoff race for now. Not having Brandon Jacobs limited the Giants to simply throwing against the Cowboys. With DeMarcus Ware being one of the leagues main sack machines combined with Terence Newman intercepting the ball twice, it became a long day for Eli Manning. Eli had 18 for 35 on his passes with 191 yards. The G men's only scores were two John Carney field goals and a safety when Dallas QB Tony Romo fumbled out of the end zone. Romo is 4-0 when facing the Giants. He was out when they lost earlier this year with his finger injury. Saturday night the Cowboys play the Ravens in what is a good matchup but not as important as the Giants game. This week the Giants face off against the Panthers for the number 1 seed in the NFC and the home field advantage. This is a game worth watching and could probably end up being the NFC championship game a few weeks from now.

Else where in the NFC this week is another battle with major playoff implications. After beating Arizona the Vikings place themselves in the driver seat of their division. A win this Sunday could lock it up for the Vikings, however it wont be against a cup cake team like Detroit. Atlanta after a man up or shut up game with Tampa Bay sit in the second wild card spot with Dallas holding the other. Tampa Bay and Atlanta share the same record but the tie break favors Atlanta. A loss to Minnesota could end the miracle season for Atlanta. Tampa Bay plays host to San Diego while another surprise contender visits the Redskins. The Eagles are sitting on the fringe just waiting for Atlanta to slip up. Chicago is right on the Vikings heels and with a home game Monday night against Green Bay the Bears could end up in first by Christmas should Minnesota lose. Normally a southern team heading north spells trouble for the south team. Minnesota plays in a dome just like the Falcons however, so the crowd will have to help throw off rookie Matt Ryan's rhythm so he cant connect to Michael Turner. The Vikings will have to do with out Pat Williams till the end of the season after injuring his shoulder last week.

In the AFC we might finally see a horse pull away in the AFC east. The Jets, Dolphins, and Patriots all won last week but time is starting to run out for the Pats and Dolphins. The Jets visit Seattle for another Mike Homgren Brett Favre reunion. Miami visits the lowly Chiefs while the Pats have the toughest task hosting Arizona. This one really could come down to next week when the Jets host Miami while the Pats visit Buffalo. If Miami wins out they win the spot. New England has quietly stuck around however and I wouldn't count them out.

Much like the NFC 1 and 2 squaring off this week, the Titans and Steelers have a head on collision in Nashville for the top seed in the AFC. Pittsburgh had a controversial yet still hard fought win over Baltimore last week while the Titans were upset by Houston. Like the Ravens Steelers game last week this game is gonna be a defensive stand off. Both teams D's are in the top 5 with Pittsburgh leading in total yards allowed and passing yards while Tennessee sits at 4th and 5th in both categories. Both teams are one and two in points allowed. Look to see Pittsburgh run the ball early with Willie Parker and open up their passing game with Ben Roethlisberger. The Titans might do something similar but my try passing earlier with short quick slants to test safeties Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark and to loosen up the defensive line to give Chris Johnson a chance to run for some big gains.

On a side note, this has to be one of the closest playoff races in recent memory. Usually this time in the season the stage is mostly set for the playoffs. I can't recall a closer race across the board other than college football. With that said I went 1-3 bringing my total to 23-21

This week I'll take Tampa over the Chargers

The Eagles over Washington

And I'm goin with two games of the week

Titans over Steelers and the Panthers over Giants

Have a merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah and enjoy the football this week.

image courtesy of Ronald Martinez

Week 14 in the NFL

2008-12-11T19:19:00.004-05:00

Nick Russ here with your NFL update. Its not over for Phily. The Eagles stunned the Giants at the Meadow lands on Sunday 20-14. While the media circus surrounds the Giants about Plaxico Burress the Giants failed to hook up on Sunday. Eli Manning threw 13-27 and only 123 yards and a touch down. Meanwhile the Eagles defense held the top ranked Giants rushing to just 88 yards. Giants running back Brendon Jacobs did leave in the third quarter but it has been indicated that it is not serious. The Eagles were consistent the whole game. In a tough wind Donovan McNabb threw 19-30 for 191 yards and a touchdown. Brian Westbrook rushed for 131 yards on 33 carries and a touchdown helping the Eagles grind out the clock. The Eagles had 34 minutes in the time of possession aided by 12 of 18 on third downs. The win gives the Eagles a small chance to make a wild card run. On the other side the Giants have clinched the division thanks to a Cowboys loss. However this brings the glorious home field advantage in jeopardy for the G-men. Next week the Giants get to put the Cowboys away while the Eagles host Cleveland.

The Giants established earlier this season they were the team to beat in the NFC. So the question came up who would play the defending champs. It is shaping up to be the Carolina Panthers. Carolina sunk Tampa on Monday night 38-23. It was an offensive explosion on Carolina's part by racking up 464 yards on one of the best defenses in the league. DeAngelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart both ran over 100 yards and both had 2 touchdowns. Jake Delhomme threw 14-20 for 173 yards and a touchdown. 117 of those yards and the touchdown went to Steve Smith. Tampa Bay not being out down had 384 yards. 321 came in the air from Jeff Garcia. Garcia hooked up 24 of 38 passes and 2 touchdowns. Antonio Bryant had a career high 200 yards on 9 catches including a 52 yard pass. Tampa cant rest as they play current wild card team Atlanta. Carolina now eyes home field advantage as they control their destiny with their division. They host Denver this weekend.

In the AFC the AFC east has become very interesting. There is a three way tie with The Jets the Patriots and the Dolphins of all teams. This came off of the Jets dropping a game against the 49er's. Miami is in position to have probably the greatest one year turn-around. The Dolphins face the 49er's this weekend and next week against the Chiefs. Then if its still deadlocked it could come down to the last game when the Jets play Miami. New England faces Oakland this week before facing Arizona then wrapping it up against the Bills. The Jets host Buffalo before visiting Seattle, then the show down with the Dolphins.

Elsewhere Pittsburgh has had a nice ride in the AFC north but something has been in their rear view mirror. That thing is the Baltimore Ravens. At 9-4 the Ravens have been a force in their own in the AFC. The Steelers won the first meeting with a field goal at Heinz field. But this time its on the road in Baltimore's house. A Baltimore win would put them in charge of the division and put them as the number 2 team in the AFC. One thing is assured is that this should be one hard hitting game.

Last week I went 2-2 bringing my total to 22-18

This week I'll take San Francisco over Miami

The Giants over the Cowboys

The Buccaneers over Atlanta

And my game of the week- Pittsburgh over Baltimore in another tight one.

image courtesy of Rick Stewart

Hockey Talk week 7

2008-12-10T22:11:00.001-05:00

Greetings Hockey fans its your weekly update. After falling behind Minnesota, Vancouver fought back to regain control of the Northwest. After a tough loss to Detroit the Canucks beat then division leader Minnesota on the road. They traveled then to Colorado and played to an Overtime loss. Which comes at no surprise as Vancouver has done well on the road. They've scored 56 goals on the road while scoring 32 back home. The Canucks end their road trip at fellow Canadian team Edmonton before returning to General Motors Place to face Florida, Edmonton again, and a resilient Blackhawks team. Minnesota is still right behind the Canucks. They did beat the lowly St. Louis Blues but they dropped their next two to Vancouver and Nashville. They pay a west coast visit to Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Anaheim. By next week either team could be in control of the division. Over in the Central the Blackhawks continue their pursuit of leading Detroit. After winning a game against Anaheim the Hawks faced off against Detroit. After falling behind 2-0 early in the first the Hawks scored 4 straight goals led by Jonathan Toews with 2. From there the defending Stanley cup champs took over. Answering with two goals in the 3rd period. This was the second meeting between the two original 6 rivals. The first one also played into an overtime decision. The Blackhawks need to start winning these overtimes if they want to catch Detroit, they lead the Western conference with 7 OT losses. The next time these two meet will be at Detroit on the 30th before the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.

Until next week Hockey fans.

Image courtesy of Bruce Klukhohn

Week 13 in the NFL

2008-12-06T13:58:00.003-05:00

Nick Russ here with your happenings of the NFL. The Redskins Giants game had a bit more coverage than predicted. In a game that was crucial to the NFC east, Plaxico Burress stole a bit of the spot light. Regardless Eli Manning threw for over 300 yards spreading his passes through out the Redskins secondary. Amani Toomer led the way with 85 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Jacobs ran for 71 yards and 1 touchdown on 21 carries. Eli had a rushing touchdown as well. The Redskins only score came from a Devin Thomas run. The Redskins couldn't score after in what was supposed to be a dedication to the late Sean Taylor. The Redskins woes continue after losing their last 4 straight while the Giants have won their last 7. 6 of those against winning teams. The G-men can clinch the division this weekend with a win and a Dallas loss. While the Redskins are slowly seeing their playoff dreams begin to vanish as they now have to fight for a wild card spot.

Over in the NFC north, Minnesota may have won the lead from Chicago but they have a tough road ahead. Also factor in that the Williams Wall may not be there to help them. Kevin and Pat Williams tested positive for banned substance. The NFL has blocked their suspension for Sundays game against Detroit but from there its up for grabs. The substance in question can serve as a masking agent which carries a four game suspension. If there ever is a chance that Detroit can win a game this year its against Minnesota this weekend. The Vikings must avoid this trap game due to the fact their next three opponents are Atlanta, Arizona, and the Giants, all three are playoff bound teams. The Bears have it easy going with the under achieving Jacksonville then their toughest game with New Orleans. They then have a chance to avenge themselves against Green Bay then finish with Houston. Did I also mention that three of these games are at home?

Over in the AFC the Broncos managed to upset the Jets on Sunday. Jay Cutler unleashed a passing attack that racked up 357 yards and 2 touchdowns one to Brandon Stokley and the other to Eddie Royal. Rookie running back Peyton Hills had a season high 129 yards rushing and a touchdown. The Jets only scores aside from a Jay Feely field goal came from another spectacular game from Thomas Jones. Jones ran for 138 yards on 16 carries for two touchdowns including a 59 yard run. Denver's win essentially nails the coffin for San Diego. The Bronco's face Kansas City this weekend but have a challenge next week at Carolina. Jets face the 49er's before Buffalo. If they win those two they could lock up the division.

The Colts pulled off a sloppy win over a battered Cleveland. Both teams combined for 5 turnovers and the only touchdown came in the forth quarter and it was a fumble return. Peyton Manning had an off day throwing 2 picks and only 15 for 21 and 125 yards. The Colts win all but cements their playoff birth. Their next three games are against Cincinnati Detroit and Jacksonville all three combine for 5 wins. Their last game is against Tennessee but by that point the Titans will be resting their starters.

Last week I whiffed going 0-4 bringing my overall to 20-16

This week I'll take Atlanta over New Orleans

the Dolphins over Buffalo

Baltimore over Washington

And my game of the week Tampa Bay over the Panthers

Image courtesy of Nick Wass

Hockey Talk week 6

2008-12-03T23:51:00.003-05:00

Nick Russ here with your Hockey update. San Jose continues on its winning ways. The Sharks are riding on a 7 game winning streak with big wins against the Blackhawks and division rival Phoenix. They lead the league in goals for with around 4 per game. It probably helps the Sharks that their next 4 games are home. Thursday they play Columbus before hosting a tough division opponent in Anaheim. The Minnesota Wild have taken the lead in the Northwest just edging out Vancouver. The Wild had some great wins over Tampa Bay and Washington and had a tough loss against Colorado. The Wild are second only to Boston in goals against and are second in power play goals. The Wild have a huge game against Vancouver this weekend then visit Nashville then Phoenix. Out east the Rangers still have yet to show signs of letting up. This despite splitting the Florida teams and dropping a game to Vancouver. Even if you get them in OT they have won 7 shoot outs. The Rangers visit Montreal and host Calgary this weekend. Until next week Puck heads.

The Good, the Bad, and the BCS

2008-12-01T17:59:00.014-05:00

NCAA Football Quiz

1. BCS stands for _________________.

a) Bowl Championship Series
b) Barely Comprehensible Scheme
c) Bafflingly Complicated Situation
d) All of the above

After this past weekend’s developments, many college football fans are beginning to view this question as a toss-up. With #3 Oklahoma’s 61-41 win over #12 Oklahoma State on Saturday, the Sooners finished the regular season in a three-way tie with #2 Texas and #7 Texas Tech atop the Big 12 South Division. But since one team from each division advances to the Big 12 Championship game, only one of these three teams can play in the conference championship.

Well, that should be an easy one to choose, right? Oklahoma and Texas have a consensus lead over Texas Tech, so we’ll just take a look at what happened when the Sooners and the Longhorns squared off earlier this season, right? Wrong. In an inexplicably atrocious move, college football has turned to the BCS standings as a tiebreaker. Yesterday’s updated BCS release has Oklahoma edging out Texas, .9351 to .9223.

Suddenly the Longhorns’45-35 triumph over the then-top ranked Sooners on October 11th seems completely meaningless. Head-to-head records apparently don’t tell us anything (sarcasm). Conventional wisdom says that the way to determine which team is better is to pit them against each other, but perhaps this line of thought is too advanced for the complex calculating of computers.

In summary, we have reached the climax of the college football season, and instead of relying on what happened on the field, we are putting the entire decision in the virtual hands of computers. When it comes to tabbing the better team, computerized calculations pale in comparison to actually going out onto the field and playing a game. The fact that Texas beat Oklahoma by 10 points on a NEUTRAL FIELD should be enough to put the Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship game ahead of the Sooners. Instead, they are forced to stay at home at watch a game between two inferior teams, BOTH of which Texas has beaten this season.

It’s only a conference championship game, you may say. It’s not like it’s the national championship. Well, it might as well be. The winner of the SEC championship game between #1 Alabama and #4 Florida has a lock on one of the spots in the title game, but the other will undoubtedly come from the Big 12. Oklahoma now has the inside track to grabbing that second spot. If the Sooners beat a fading Missouri squad in the Big 12 championship, they will play in the title game as well. The only way Texas can take that spot is if Oklahoma somehow loses to Missouri in a manner that convinces voters to bump the Longhorns past the Sooners in the polls.

By the same flawed logic, then, there can never be a playoff in college football. By using the BCS rankings as tiebreakers, college football is undermining its regular season and showing that what happened on the field doesn’t matter. It’s the computers that have the final say. This is diametrically opposed to the establishment of a playoff system, which bases its rankings solely on the in-game performances of two competing teams.

This entire quagmire, however, could be solved with one simple move: abolish divisions within conferences. Because Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech are all in the South Division of the Big 12, only one of those three teams can play in the conference championship…even though the Sooners, Longhorns, and Red Raiders (all 11-1) combine for the same number of losses as the North Division Champs, the Missouri Tigers (9-3). The top two teams in any given conference should get to face off in the conference championship; they shouldn’t be limited by their division classification.

Besides, you can’t tell me that Oklahoma and Texas players wouldn’t lick their chops at the thought of a rematch. Their regular season meeting provided plenty of drama already. Just imagine the atmosphere if they faced off with a berth in the national title game on the line.

But is shouldn’t have to come to that. Texas deserves a spot in the Big 12 championship game, and they are being cheated out of it because of the nuances of a flawed system. College football should be ashamed of this calamity, and the Big 12 should be embarrassed by the selection.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the answer is D.

Photos courtesy of ESPN.com.

Week 12 in the NFL Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T11:12:00.004-05:00

Rejoice and give thanks its your weekly NFL recap. The champaign has popped for the 72 Dolphins for another year. The New York Jets ended the Titans winning streak on Sunday beating them 34-13. Favre went 25 for 32 with 224 yards and 2 touchdowns. With the help from Thomas Jones going 96 yards on 27 carries while Leon Washington scored twice on eight carries. The Titans couldn't seem to click on Sunday. The offense punted away their first 5 possesions and couldn't establish their passing game. The Titans seem to turn away from their running game. Both Lyndel White and Chris Johnson combined for only 11 carries for 45 yards. The Jets win clearly puts them in the post season conversation. This week they host the roller coaster Denver Broncos. The Titans get to have their feast of Detroit today before hosting Clevland who just lost QB Brady Quinn.

It came down to the wire but the Colts managed to hold off the Chargers. With 1:35 on the clock the Chargers tied the game with a Nate Kaeding 47 yard field goal. Peyton Manning took over from there. The performance was clutch including a 14 yard pass from Manning to Marvin Harrison on 4th and 1. After Joseph Addai ran for two yards, Peyton spiked the ball and out came Adam Vinatieri. Vinatieri last season missed a field goal in the post season that allowed San Diego to continue in the playoffs while the Colts went home. From 51 yards out he exorcised his demons by making the field goal. The kick was Vinatieri 22nd game winning field goal and now sends the Chargers into a tail spin. The Chargers are now 2 games behind the Broncos who were upset by Oakland of all teams. San Diego hosts Atlanta in what could be the end for them. The Colts have now won their last 4 and now visit Cleveland.

Over in the NFC North the race is heating up. After being blasted by the Packers the Bears took out their frustration on St.Louis. Minnesota after losing a tough game to Tampa Bay, turned around and easily handled Jacksonville. Green Bay enjoyed the win over rival Chicago but got blasted by New Orleans. The Saints scored 51 points on the Pack that brings the race between Chicago and Minnesota who meet on Sunday night. Green Bay has a critical game against Carolina. This weekend should prove whose in and whose out in the north.

The NFC south is equally entertaining. Tampa Bay and Carolina have 8-3 records but Tampa holds the tie breaker over the Panthers. Atlanta is right behind them with a 7-4 record. New Orleans is talented but they wont factor in this race. Carolina plays the Packers in what should be a great game and one that has huge playoff implications. Tampa visits New Orleans while Atlanta goes west to San Diego. The big game in this division is next week on monday night where Carolina squares off against Tampa for the last time this season.

Last week I was a perfect 4-0 on my picks bringing my overall to 20-12

This week I'll take Washington over the Giants

The Jets over Denver

Green Bay over Carolina

And my game of the week The Bears over the Vikings

Have a happy Thanksgiving and until next time.

image courtesy of Kevin C. Cox

Give Thanks

2008-11-24T22:55:00.009-05:00

As #5 Oklahoma throttled #2 Texas Tech Saturday night and created what will likely end as a three-way tie in the Big 12 South, the national championship picture got a bit more complicated. But let’s not dwell on matters beyond our control. Seeing as how Thanksgiving is less than a week away, there’s no better time to take a moment and focus on a few things to be thankful for this college football season.

1) Fans witnessed one of the greatest college football games in years when Texas Tech took down then-#1 Texas in a 39-33 thriller. A gutsy comeback from Texas quarterback Colt McCoy had the Longhorns in position to win until Michael Crabtree’s touchdown grab with one second remaining sealed the deal for the then-#7 Red Raiders. The only other two games I can remember as that exciting were Notre Dame vs. USC in 2005 and, of course, that same USC squad vs. Texas in the 2005 title game.

2) Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford’s mastery of Texas Tech and Heisman frontrunner Graham Harrell on Saturday further muddied the waters of the Heisman race. Expect the competition for college football’s most prestigious individual award to come right down to the wire between Bradford, Harrell, McCoy, and last year’s winner, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow...which should make for some exciting football.

3) NCAA college football did not follow college basketball’s lead and make an unnecessary change to a key dimension of the game. The men’s three-point line was moved back one foot from 19’9” to 20’9” – right between the international length and the NBA length – prior to the start of the 08-09 season. Why they didn’t expand the lane OR move the women’s line as well OR settle for the 20’6” international length is beyond me. Can you imagine having to gain 11 yards for a first down?

4) Penn State lost to Iowa 24-23 on November 8th, dropping them out of the #3 spot and assuring that Joe Paterno and crew will not be included in the national championship picture. If the Nittany Lions had won out and received a berth in the title game, it would have been shameful to college football fans and embarrassing to Penn State fans. The Big 10 is a weak, overrated conference compared to the Big 12 and the SEC. For a recent history of how Big 10 teams have fared in national championships, see Ohio State: 2006 and 2007.

5) College football did not listen to Barack Obama and change the BCS to an eight-team playoff system. The president-elect is far from alone on this controversial issue, but BCS coordinator John Swofford has his reasons for keeping things the way they are. The importance of each and every game in college football makes for a season that Swofford believes is “the best and most meaningful in sports.” That’s not to say the current BCS system is perfect and free of obvious snags, but for now, let’s just try to enjoy college football for its uniqueness.

Hocky Talk week 5

2008-11-23T16:09:00.002-05:00

Nick Russ here with your NHL update. The Rangers are no longer the point leader in the NHL. San Jose has taken the lead by winning 8 of their last 10. Their overall record is 17-3-1 and lead the Ducks by ten points in the Pacific. They play Chicago before facing division trailing Dallas and Phoenix. Another team on roll in the Western conference is Vancouver. The Canucks have won 7 of their last 10 games including an impressive win against Pittsburgh. This week the Canucks square of against Detroit and Calgary however they might be without captain and all star goalie Roberto Luongo who suffered a pulled groin in a game against the Penguins.

The Redwings continue to perform well but so are the Blackhawks. Both teams have won 7 of their last 10. The Blackhawks continue to win against the teams with worse records but they're having trouble winning shootouts. The Redwings swept Edmonton and the Florida teams in rout to a five game winning streak. Tomorrow night the Redwings face a tough opponent in Vancouver while the Hawks visit San Jose.

Out East Boston continues their dominance in the Northeast. They've won twice against division opponents Toronto, Montreal, and Buffalo. their only loss this month was in a shootout against the New York Rangers. They face Buffalo again this week before taking on Detroit later this week. Elsewhere Pittsburgh is gaining ground on the Rangers. The Penguins fueled by the play of Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin the Penguins have big wins against Detroit and Buffalo. This week they play the Islanders and later play Buffalo and New Jersey.

Thats it for me until next week hocky fans.

Week 13 FBS College Football Part 2 and Picks

2008-11-21T15:18:00.002-05:00

This is Steven West with an FBS update and my picks for Week 13.

Big Ten: Joe Tiller is coaching his final game as the Boilermakers head coach tomorrow as Purdue hosts Indiana. For both teams this year was not the follow up that either had planned for the 2008 season. Purdue, with Curtis Painter at QB, was looking to improve on last year after winning the Motor City bowl against Central Michigan in a thriller that almost went into overtime. And the Hoosiers were looking to expand on last season's miracle run giving the Hoosiers their first bowl game in over a decade and give Billy Lynch, in his first season as head coach something to build on. Now both teams are looking to not just win the Old Oaken Bucket, on Saturday, but also to not finish in last place in the Big Ten. The top match-up this weekend is (8) Penn State against (15) Michigan State, not the traditional Michigan/Ohio State match-up. The Buckeyes, No. 10 in the BCS, are locked to win the match and give the Wolverines their record ninth loss of the season, which puts pressure on Penn State to defeat Michigan State and earn a spot in the Rose Bowl. Look for the other intriguing match-up to be Northwestern vs. Illinois, a win the Illini gives them six wins and makes them bowl eligible.

ACC: Last night showed me once again, that new ACC teams to the polls, don't stay in the polls for too long. Georgia Tech defeated (23) Miami (FL) 41-23. The Yellow Jackets have finished their ACC schedule at 5-3 and now need North Carolina and Virginia Tech to lose one of their remaining two games to clinch the Coastal Division. The top match-up on Saturday will be Florida State at (25) Maryland. The Terrapins have one constant, they can win at home. If that happens Maryland, will have a solid advantage in the Atlantic Division.

MWC and WAC: The one match-up this week that most of the country won't be able to see is (14) BYU vs. (7) Utah. A Utah win will give the Utes a perfect season and a very good chance that Utah will be in one of the BCS games. A BYU win will put (9) Boise State in a BCS game, provided the Broncos can win their final two games of the season at Nevada, on Saturday, and home against Fresno State, next week.

Now to my picks for the weekend:

(10) Ohio State wins easily against Michigan (Noon kickoff on ABC)

(22) North Carolina defeats the Wolf Pack of N.C. State (Noon kickoff on ESPN +)

(4) Florida gets an easy win over Citadel before facing Florida State next week (1:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN +)

(8) Penn State wins a tight one at home over (15) Michigan State (3:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC)*

(16) TCU wins their season finale over Air Force (3:30 p.m. kickoff on Versus)

(18) LSU edges out Ole Miss (3:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS)

(9) Boise State cruises past Nevada (4 p.m. kickoff on ESPN 2)

(7) Utah clinches the MWC title over (14) BYU (6 p.m. kickoff on The Mtn.)

Upset Special: Arizona defeats (21) Oregon State (7 p.m. kickoff on Versus)

(19) Cincinnati survives a close encounter with (20) Pittsburgh (7:15 p.m. kickoff on ESPN 2)

(25) Maryland continues their consistency at home by defeating Florida State (7:45 p.m. kickoff on ESPN)

And finally, (5) Oklahoma wins by less than 7 over (2) Texas Tech (8 p.m. kickoff on ABC)

* - check local listings for the game in your area.

Low Tide

2008-11-19T02:27:00.008-05:00

November is supposed to be when championship-caliber teams make their move and ascend the BCS ladder. Someone forgot to broadcast this to the college football world.

After a weekend of few upsets and little surprises, the top 16 teams in the AP poll remained in EXACTLY THE SAME POSITIONS AS LAST WEEK. Not one moved up, not one moved down. However, there’s one that should be on its way down, at least from the pedestal of power it currently occupies. For the last three weeks, top-ranked Alabama has been overrated and receiving undeserved praise.

Alabama may be ranked #1, but the Tide is low in Tuscaloosa. I don’t understand (A) how Alabama soared to the top spot or (B) how they have managed to hold onto it. The Crimson Tide does have three wins over ranked opponents, but let’s take at look at those teams now: #9 Clemson (now 5-5 and unranked), #3 Georgia (now 9-2 and #13), and #20 LSU a week ago in a 27-21 overtime squeaker. When you have an opposing quarterback complete just 13 of 34 passes with 4 interceptions and you can’t win in regulation – as the Tide did on November 8th – there’s something wrong. Congratulations to Nick Saban for the win over his old team, but Alabama needs to regroup by December 6 if they want a shot at the national title game. That’s when they will take on #3 Florida in the SEC Championship.

Here are the top four teams in the country, heads and shoulders above the rest, any of which I would pick over Alabama.

Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson has been
inconsistent at best (photos: ESPN.com and USA Today).

#1Texas Tech (10-0). It’s safe to say that the Red Raiders’ fumble on their opening drive against #9 Oklahoma State was a fluke. The machine-like Texas Tech offense followed that blunder with touchdowns on SEVEN STRAIGHT POSSESSIONS in a 56-20 win. It marked their second straight victory over a top ten opponent. Simply put, no team is playing better than Texas Tech right now, and no quarterback is playing better than Graham Harrell.

#2 Florida (9-1). Since losing to Mississippi 31-30, the Gators have outscored their opponents 299 to 63 in the last six games. That’s like winning 50-11 every week. You can make the same argument as with Alabama about quality wins; Florida’s biggest opponents have also been Georgia and LSU. But the Gators won each of those games by at least 30 points, which is more than the Crimson Tide can say.

#3 Texas (10-1). Colt McCoy and Co. have only one L on their resume, a six-point loss to Texas Tech that came on a Michael Crabtree score with one second left. More attention should be payed to their otherwise unblemished record that includes a ten point victory over the mighty Oklahoma Sooners. To be 10-1 in the Big 12 – home of 3 of the top 5 teams – is impressive enough.

#4 Oklahoma (9-1). Those who thought that loss to Texas ended Oklahoma’s national title hopes aren’t looking at the big picture. While the Sooners have only two wins over ranked opponents, they are lighting up the scoreboard against everyone. Oklahoma has topped the 50-point mark in six of its ten games, and it surpassed 60 points in their last two. Sam Bradford’s numbers have been nothing short of phenomenal, especially for a sophomore.

I understand that Alabama has had a great season so far, and the Tide has yet to drop a game. Being an undefeated team in a BCS conference lends itself toward a top ranking. It almost seems as if Alabama is #1 because they have to be #1, following the conventional logic of a computerized system. Are they the best team in the country, as far as their record is concerned? Yes. But are they the best team in the country, as far as being able to beat every other team? No. The Tide will lose before this year is through. And if it somehow doesn’t happen in the SEC Championship, Alabama better prepare for a rude awakening in the BCS title game.

Week 11 in the NFL

2008-11-18T20:40:00.004-05:00

Nick Russ here with your weekly dose of NFL. If there were any doubts on how good the Giants are, they were erased on Sunday. The Giants trampled over the Ravens defense rushing for over 200 yards. No team had yet to even rush over 100 yards against Ray Lewis and Co. let alone 200. Brandon Jacobs had a 73 yards on 11 carries and 2 touchdowns but was stopped short due to a knee injury. Eli Manning went 13 for 23 with 153 yards and 1 touchdown. The Ravens aired it out most of the game. Joey Flacco went 20 for 33 with 164 yards and one touchdown. Flacco led the Ravens in rushing with 6 carries for 57 yards. With the Giants handling the Ravens quite well they establish themselves as the NFC contender. The Giants play in a now more interesting game at Arizona. The Ravens host a sputtering Philadelphia this week.

Phily is comes off of one of the oddest occurrences in foot ball, a tie. What was worse was QB Donovan McNabb's reaction to it. The man didn't even believe it was a rule in the book! The Eagles record at 5-4 is quickly becoming inadequate in the NFC East. With the tie against

one of the worst in the NFL, the Phily Phans are starting to revert to their restless ways. This comes off of the Dallas victory against Washington. Tony Romo still had a taped finger but managed to throw 19 for 27 with 198 yards and one touchdown. He wasn't without his errors he threw 2 drive stopping picks. Marion Barber helped the Cowboys by rushing 24 for 114 yards with 1 touchdown. Clinton Portis surprised everyone by suiting up this week after many thought he would miss due to a sprained knee. Now its Washington's turn to pick up a win after dropping their last two. They visit Seattle while Dallas hosts the 49er's.

Over in the AFC The Colts have managed to look like their old selves after holding off a difficult Houston. The Colts ran up 474 total yards in the shoot out in the AFC South. Peyton Manning went 30 for 46 for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns. Joseph Addai carried the ball for 105 yards and 1 touch down and had one of the receiving touchdowns from Peyton marking Addai's best performance this season. The big stat for the Colts was 10-15 on third down conversions. The Texans had an equally impressive 356 yards in the game. In the end Houston's defense couldn't hold off the Colts who are starting to pick up steam. Else where in the AFC the Titans proved they can come from behind and win. Securing their undefeated season at Jacksonville, the Titans fell behind 14-3 at half but rallied behind QB Kerry Collins who went 13 for 23 and 230 yards and three touchdowns. The Titans rattled off 21 straight points on the way to their tenth victory. This week the Titans winning streak is at stake again this week as they host the resurgent Jets.

Last week I was 1-3 bringing my total to 16-12

This week I'll pick Washington over Seattle

The Colts over the Chargers

Falcons over the Panthers

And my game of the week The Jets over the Titans

Week 13 FBS College Football Part 1

2008-11-18T00:22:00.003-05:00

This is Steven West with a possible solution to the BCS dilemma.

No not the who should play in this years BCS games, but I am talking about an end to the BCS, period. Here's the formula:

Number of teams in a playoff (16)

Conference Champions (11)

At-Large Teams (5)

This is how it goes. First shorten the season by one week, not one game, one week. Each team in 1-A, no more FBS and FCS, plays 12 games in a 14-week span. Week 15 will be reserved for Conference Championships, all 11 of them. If a conference is split into two divisions (MAC, Big 12, ACC, etc.), the two divisions winners will face-off, if there is no division split (Pac-10, Sun Belt, MWC), the top two teams will face-off. The conference champion automatically gets in. The remaining five will be selected by an NCAA committee similar to the Men's and Women's Basketball tournaments. This committee would also determine the pairings. Other bowl games can still take place.

Only 17 of the Top 25 in the BCS are playing this weekend. The first comes on Wednesday night when (17) Ball State travels to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, to take on Central Michigan. Ball State took a dive in the BCS this week, falling from 14 to 17. I my opinion, the Cardinals were unfairly treated in the polls, as Ball State got passed by Michigan State and Texas Christian, both of who didn't even play last week. The Cardinals may use this as motivation come Wednesday night.

Week 10 in the NFL

2008-11-15T01:03:00.002-05:00

Nick Russ here with your weekly dose of vitamins N F and L. With a thrilling victory over the Patriots the New York Jets can now lay claim to the AFC East lead. Matt Cassel seemed to have transformed into Tom Brady. Cassel threw 30/51, 400 yards and 3 touchdowns including one to Randy Moss with 1 second in the game to tie it up. Favre, well looked like Favre going 26/33 for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns. Thomas Jones helped carry some of the Jets offensive load rushing 104 yards on 30 carries with one touchdown. The Jets take the lead in the division for the first time since November of 2001. Jets face a tough test next week against the Titans. The Pats heroics were grand. They were down 24-6 at one point in the first half. Cassel is continuing to prove that he can be a hot QB for some other team in the future. New England can take back the division with a win at Miami if Tennessee beats the Jets.

The Colts can breathe a sigh a relief with their huge win over Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger threw three picks that lead to Indianapolis points. Combined with Peyton Manning's 21/40 for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns. Roethlisberger blamed the loss on himself and now must pick up the Steelers, who have lost their last 2 games. The Colts now can keep pace in the wild card race. This was the first meeting since the 2006 divisional play off game where the Steelers upset then super bowl favorite Indianapolis. This was also the Colts first win in Pittsburgh since 1968. Pittsburgh hosts the struggling Chargers. Indy will host Houston in an important AFC game.

In the NFC east the Cowboys MUST win this game sunday to have any chance at all at post season play. With Clinton Portis out and QB Tony Romo returning the Boys have a shot this sunday. Washington needs this victory if they want to keep up with the Giants. The Giants have a huge matchup against the Ravens this week. Due to the fact that these two teams are most likely playoff bound, I'll make this my game of the week.

Another game of playoff importance is Green Bay hosting Chicago. Kyle Orton is listed as probable for the Bears on Sunday. The Bears proved they can shut down any run game with their impressive defense against Tennessee. The problem facing the Bears is that Aaron Rodgers can pick a part the Bears secondary much like Kerry Collins did last week. The Bears can take a step forward in winning the division with a win sunday. Elsewhere the Vikings face off against Tampa Bay where both teams are trying to be a factor in each others division race.

Last week I went 3-1 bringing my record to 15-9

This week I'll take Atlanta over Denver

The Steelers over the Chargers

Bears over Green Bay

And my game of the week The Ravens to upset the Giants

Week 12 BCS Picks

2008-11-14T18:38:00.002-05:00

This is Steven West with your BCS Predictions for Week 12.

For what is to be a "quiet week" I have this ugly feeling in my stomach that this will not be a good weekend for some of the BCS teams. Don't ask why, it just feels that way. Here are my picks for the weekend.

Tonight

(22) Cincinnati wins over Louisville (8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN 2)

Saturday

(8) Penn State avenges last weeks loss and destroys Indiana (Noon kickoff on Big Ten Network)*

(11) Ohio State defeats Illinois in a close one (Noon kickoff on ESPN 2)

(3) Texas wins a battle against Kansas (12:30 p.m. kickoff on FSN Regional)

(10) Georgia survives what might be Tommy Tuberville's final home game at Auburn (12:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN +/Raycom Sports)

(4) Florida wins their SEC finale over (25) South Carolina (3:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS)

(16) North Carolina triumphs over Maryland on the road (3:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC)*

(17) Brigham Young wins on the road against Air Force (3:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS CS)

(24) Wake Forest defeats North Carolina State (3:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN U)

(9) Boise State wins over Idaho (5 p.m. kickoff on ESPN +)

(6) USC avenges last years lost to Stanford (7 p.m. kickoff on Versus)

(1) Alabama improves to 11-0 with a win over Mississippi State (7:45 p.m. kickoff on ESPN)

(7) Utah also improves to 11-0 defeating San Diego State (8 p.m. kickoff on The Mtn.)

(13) Oklahoma State wins over Colorado (8 p.m. kickoff on ABC)*

In my only upset of the night Boston College defeats (19) Florida State (8 p.m. kickoff on ABC)*

(20) LSU gets back their winning ways by winning against Troy (8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN +)

(23) Tulsa defeats Houston (8 p.m. kickoff on CBS CS)

Hocky Talk week3

2008-11-10T20:21:00.002-05:00

Nick Russ here with your NHL update. Pittsburgh has vaulted into 2nd in the Atlantic. Going on a 3 game win streak and anchored by point and assist leader Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins scored wins over a decent St.Louis and the Islanders and along with Edmonton. Tomorrow night they have a rematch over last years Stanley Cup final at Detroit. Then they come home for a game against rival Philadelphia and against the Sabers.

Buffalo is locked with a battle with Boston for the Northeast lead. They helped their cause by winning against Washington and New Jersey. But then they had a hic-up against Atlanta and Boston. Buffalo is near the top scoring about 3 goals per game. They may have lost against Boston earlier but latter this month they face the Bruins 2 more times. They have St. Louis and Columbus at home then they visit the Penguins.

Chicago has caught fire winning their last 4 games and leading the league with nearly 4 goals per game. The Hawks go for their fifth win against Boston at home where they have won most of their games. They will then host St. Louis and San Jose. They are now only two games behind Detroit.

The Redwings are coming off of two impressive victories against New Jersey and Vancouver. The defending stanley cup champs face Pittsburgh tomorrow in a Stanley Cup rematch before heading to Florida to play Tampa Bay and Florida.

Until next time Hocky fans

Bonus Election Coverage

2008-11-09T01:54:00.013-05:00

Here’s what college football fans may have liked to see at the polls on November 4. If only voting for the Heisman was like voting in the presidential election…

LIBERAL TICKET
Heisman Candidate: Graham Harrell
Running Mate: Michael Crabtree
Campaign Headquarters: Lubbock, TX
Path to the Heisman: Harrell emerged from a highly competitive primary in the state of Texas a week ago. He faced one of his toughest challengers in fellow liberal player Colt McCoy and was actually tabbed as the underdog. However, thanks to an efficient campaign and a popular, last-second move by running mate Michael Crabtree, Harrell emerged victorious.
Candidate Statement: I believe in liberal football – lots of passing, lots of scoring. An offense should control a game and intervene when others are struggling or experiencing hardships. My offense has engineered many effective initiatives throughout this season with complete success thus far. I believe resources such as touchdowns should be evenly distributed, and I’m willing to make cuts when I carry the load myself. Finally, I believe in universal ball care, as evidenced by my 5 interceptions.

CONSERVATIVE TICKET
Heisman Candidate: Tim Tebow
Running Mate: Percy Harvin
Campaign Headquarters: Gainsville, FL
Path to the Heisman: Tebow is the incumbent running for reelection. His campaign is focused on his experience as Heisman winner and what he has done for the college football world. Although his numbers are more modest now than they were during his previous term, Tebow’s party has reached a higher overall level of success and is one of the best in the country.
Candidate Statement: I believe in conservative football – run the ball when you can, pass the ball when it’s advantageous. I’m a multi-faceted candidate and I prefer to mix things up a bit. Last year it seemed to work out, as I achieved numbers rarely before reached by anyone in my position. My running mate has experience keeping the campaign grounded, as well as helping it take flight, but I’m not afraid to take control myself. We have been campaigning through the Southeast with almost unanimous results, and we would like to add you to our long list of supporters.

Don’t worry if your candidate of choice is not listed above; that’s what the write-in line is for. Just get out there and VOTE!

A mid-season report

2008-11-07T17:19:00.002-05:00

At the half way point of the NFL season there have been a few surprises and disapointments. Here's a look at the surprises the what happened to those guys and some of my predictions for the rest of the season.

The Titans are without a doubt the one team that looks good heading into the half way point. The one argument against them is that they have had and will have down an easy schedule. Games against basement living Cinncinati, Houston, and Jacksonville haven't been really stellar. Their victory over the Colts was huge. Their schedule will allow them to have a great shot at home field advantage. This week they have a potential trap game against the Bears but I believe their first loss will come against the Jets in two weeks.

New England has had rough start. When you lose your starting QB thats rough. When its Tom Brady, it's devastating. Yet the Pats have not collapsed as many would have thought. They have hung tough with Matt Cassel. They say one man doesn't make a team and the Pats have proven that. Their next couple games can leave them atop the AFC East. They have winnable games against Miami, Oakland and Seattle. However they have to play Arizona but before that they have to go up against Pittsburgh.

Arizona has become the default number 1 team in the NFC west. They have a decent 5-3 record while everyone else is seemingly drowning with bellow 500 seasons. Add the fact they have MVP candidate Kurt Warner and an easy division the Cards can coast into the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

Disaster in Dallas- Going into this season everyone, including myself, picked the Cowboys to be the team to beat in the NFC and quite possibly a superbowl favorite. Yet something went wrong. Dallas has been roller coasting the whole year. They're on the brink of playoff elimination due to the fact that Washington has stepped up their game considerably. If Dallas wants a shot at the playoffs they MUST win their next game against Washington. Even after that its a tough road.

San Diego was thought to be part of the Indianapolis, New England race to form a triple threat in the AFC. San Diego has been nothing but inconsistent. Their one impressive win came against New England. They've dropped games against Miami and New Orleans. They're fortunate that Denver has been stumbling along the way with them leaving them one game behind. The Bolts can still catch Denver if they pull it together. They better they face a injured but still good Colts team and the Steelers down the road. It can be a turning point or the nail in their coffin.

My divison predictions are for the AFC: North- Its the Steelers to lose and that doesn't look like it will happen. Baltimore has a chance to catch them but it wouldn't be head to head. Baltimore gets a wild card spot.

East-We'll know for sure in the next three weeks. The Patriots can easily take back their helm. Buffalo is on a two game skid, if they can pull off the win against the Pats they can win the division but I think the Veteran Pats will pull off the divison. Buffalo has a chance for a wild card.

South- The Titans are a run-a-way freight train. They can go 14-2 if they want to. They wont go 16-0. The Colts have to fight right now to get into the playoffs. Colts have a better chance in my opinion than the Bills to make the post season.

West- I don't know anymore about San Diego. We all know the Raiders are not going anywhere nor are the Chiefs. There fore its a two horse race between the Chargers and Denver. Because the Chargers tough schedule I'll take Denver in a close one.

NFC:- North The Bears and Packers are gonna slug this one out till the bitter end in the cold midwest weather of December. Minnesota doesn't have the talent to keep up with the Oldest Rivalry in pro football. A Chicago win against Tennessee can inject them with a lot of momentum against the Packers the next week. This will come down to the end but I think the Bears can pull this off. Second place has a chance for a wild card.

East- Giants to lose. New York can say they're the favorite in the NFC. Redskins can keep pace but will fall short. Redskins will have a wild card and will play in the playoffs. Phily can try to get in the playoffs but wont make it compared to the Washington and New York offense.

South- Carolina has slid under the radar and can obtain the all powerful Home Field advantage. Carolina has a easy schedule but Tampa is right there. Tampa can pass Carolina if they slip up. I wouldn't be surprised if Tampa won the South and Carolina won a wild card or vice-versa.

West- Arizona will win this divison with out a hitch. How far they go I will discuss another time.

My awards for this half MVP- Kurt Warner. Kurt has stepped up and making everyone think its 1999 again. He could win this award and cement his hall of fame status. Clinton Portis could catch him however.

Rookie of the Year- Matt Ryan. Rookie phenome has helped the healing in Atlanta and make everyone forget all about Michael Vick.

Coach of the Year- Jeff Fisher. Can't deny undefeated season thus far. Fisher cant take this team all the way

I'll be back at the end of the season with a recap and playoff and Super Bowl predictions

Week 11 BCS Picks + 1

2008-11-07T16:10:00.003-05:00

This is Steven West. As guaranteed, here is the picks for Saturday's BCS Top 25 match-ups.

(4) Texas defeats Baylor (Noon kickoff)

(11) Ohio State fends off (24) Northwestern by less than 10 points (Noon kickoff on ESPN 2)

(18) Michigan State holds off Purdue (Noon kickoff on Big Ten Network)

(19) North Carolina improves their ACC Standing with a win over (20) Georgia Tech (Noon kickoff on ESPN +)

(13) Georgia wins on the road over Kentucky (12:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN +)

(10) Boise State continues to win over Utah State (2 p.m. kickoff on ESPN +)

(15) Brigham Young crushes San Diego State (2 p.m. kickoff on The Mtn.)

(1) Alabama wins the Saban Bowl II against LSU (3:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS)

(3) Penn State improves to 10-0 over Iowa (3:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC)*

(6) Oklahoma defeats Texas A&M (3:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC)*

(22) Florida State rebounds with a win over Clemson (3:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC)*

(14) Missouri wins against Kansas State (7 p.m. kickoff)

Cincinnati upsets (25) West Virginia (7 p.m. kickoff on ESPN U)

Upset Special: (9) Oklahoma State wins on the road over (2) Texas Tech (8 p.m. kickoff on ABC)*

(5) Florida wins over Vanderbilt (8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN 2)

(7) USC defeats (21) California (8 p.m. kickoff on ABC)*

+1 Special: Notre Dame wins at Chestnut Hill over Boston College (8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN)

*- Check your local listings for game and time in your area.

And as a recap of action so far this week:

(17) Ball State defeated Northern Illinois 45-14.

(8) Utah held off (12) Texas Christian 13-10.

And Virginia Tech upset (23) Maryland 23-13.

I love this game! A few early season awards!

2008-11-07T11:40:00.007-05:00

So we are about a week and a half into the NBA season. That means it's time for me to get

overzealous and pass out some hardware!

Biggest surprise: The Atlanta Hawks (4-0)

I've got to be completely honest. I completely expected this team to take a step back this year. Josh Childress leaving--and Mike Woodson not-- was enough to convince they were worse than the 37-win team they were a year ago. How they've managed to beat Orlando, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Toronto (all four should be playoff teams) I don't understand. Especially since Marvin Williams has only played in one game and Al Horford doesn't seem to have gotten that much better. The difference might be that Joe Johnson has become a true franchise player. Biggest disappointment: The San Antonio Spurs (1-4)

I thought they might struggle, but not like this. Without Manu Ginobili the Spurs rely almost

completely on Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, with the occasional big game from Roger Mason.

Nobody else can really score. If Parker's ankle injury forces him to miss too much time, this

team could be in trouble. For their lone win they had to get 55 points and 10 assists from

Parker in double overtime against the Minnesota Timberwolves... doesn't look good.

Best Rookie: Derrick Rose; PG, Bulls

I was one of the people who assumed Derrick Rose would struggle initially. I thought his lack of

a consistent jump shot would really hinder what he could do. But there were a couple things I

didn't count on. First, I didn't think his jumper would improve so dramatically during the

off-season. Second, no one can stay in front of him. He can get to the rim anytime he wants.

Sure, he gets a little erratic at times, but that's to be expected from a rookie point guard.

Bottom line... he leads all rookies in scoring (17.8 ppg) and is second in assists (4.2 apg).

MVP: Joe Johnson

Of all the undefeated teams, they Hawks have easily played the toughest schedule. Joe

Johnson has averaged 28 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 3.7 apg. Johnson will most likely not win

MVP award at the end of the season... so let's give him his 15 minutes of fame.

Week 11 FBS College Football Part 2

2008-11-06T16:45:00.003-05:00

This is Steven West with an FBS update.

MAC: With chants of "B-C-S" from the Ball State student section, the Cardinals rolled the Huskies from Northern Illinois 45-14 last night from Muncie, IN. Ball State upps their record to 9-0 overall and 5-0 in the MAC. Nate Davis was impressive throughout the night completing 18-22 passes for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns. Defensively, the cardinals first stringers forced a pair of turnovers and forced Northern Illinois Punter Andy Dittbenner got a workout, punting eight times. Davis may have been named Player of the Game, but Louis Johnson became the feature player of the games catching six passes for 165 yards and one touchdown (22 yards) while doing his best Michael Crabtree, working the sidelines like a tightrope. Overall the Cardinals were impressive on both sides of the ball against Northern Illinois and now has five days to prepare for Miami (Ohio) at Oxford, Ohio on Tuesday night. After Miami, Ball State is at Central Michigan then home for their finale against Western Michigan.

My quick predictions for tonight's BCS matches are Virginia Tech over (23) Maryland, it's not been good to be ranked in either the AP or BCS for the ACC. And I'll take (8) Utah to win a close one against (12) Texas Christian. If the game was played in Fort Worth, I would go the other way. I'll have the rest of my predictions tomorrow night. Till then, enjoy tonight's games and Brady Quinn's NFL starting debut against the Denver Broncos.

Week 9 in the NFL

2008-11-05T01:47:00.002-05:00

Nick Russ here with the events of Week 9. The half way point of the season has been reached and the players and pretenders are now visibly seen. In Pittsburgh the Steelers can lay claim to one of the top teams in the AFC. A strong defense completely shut down the high powered Redskins offense. Not only that but they did it with backup QB Byron Leftwich leading the way in the second half. The Steelers managed to pick off Jason Campbell twice, his first and second interceptions this year. They were in his face all night as the D sacked him 7 times. They held League Leading rusher Clinton Portis to 51 yards the first under 125 yard game in 5 games. Washington losses ground to New York and have Phily on a hot streak right behind them. They're on the bye this week and can use it to prep for Dallas in what could be big D's last stand. Pittsburgh takes their wrecking crew back to Heinz field where they hope the MRI on Roethlisberger is negative and to host the Colts in a critical game for Indy.

The Colts win over New England was huge. I

t helps them keep pace for a wild card spot because at this point Tennessee is starting to run away. The Colts managed to keep the Pats o

ut of the end zone limiting them to one touchdown. Most of the scoring came from the leg of Stephan Gostowski. The Colts managed 2 touchdowns from Peyton to Anthony Gonzalez. Both teams managed over 300 yards. The Colt

s climb back to 500 with a 4-4 record and will pay a visit to Heinz field to face the Steelers in my game of the week. The Patriots find themselves in a three way race in the AFC east with the Bills and Jets. New England will play both in the next two weeks starting with Buffalo. The Pats can easily be in first in two weeks time.

Titans avoided a trap in overtime over the Packers. Chris Johnson tore up the field rushing for 89 yards and Touchdown. The key stat was two turnovers from Aaron Rodgers. One was a interception in the redzone to halt a potiential scoring drive and a fumble deep in Packers territory that lead to a Titans field goal. Titans kicker Rob Bironas had a chance to win during regulation but missed a 47 yard kick as time expired. In OT the Titans won the coin toss and Chris Johnson took over driving the Titans down to set up Bironas redeeming kick to end the game 19-16. Titans have won their 5th straight against a NFC opponent and will pay the Bears a visit this weekend. The Packers take one the Vikings as Minnesota tries to facture in the NFC north.

Most people would've expected a one-sided affair in Chicago last week. However the Lions had another idea. After Chicago scored early the Lions took over scoring all 23 of their points in the 2nd quarter. The Bears started the second half without Kyle Orton under center. Thus enter (dramatic music) Rex Grossman. The crowd was less than pleasent to the former starting QB who took the Bears to the Super Bowl no less than two seasons ago. Grossman wasn't stellar at passing going only 9 for 19 with one touchdown pass. He also had a triumphant rush into the end zone where afterwards he spiked the ball capping a Bears comeback. More credit is probably due to rookie running back Matt Forte rushing for 126 yards, most of which happened in the second half after the Lions started to close down the passing game. The Bears stand alone in first and host the undefeated Titans without starting Kyle Orton. Early word is a high ankle sprain that could put him out at least 3 weeks. A win for Chicago can make them stake a claim as a contender in the NFC.

Last week I went 2-2 bringing my total to 12-8

This week I'll take Atlanta over New Orleans

the Giants over Philadelphia

Tennessee over the Bears

And my game of the week Pittsburgh over the Colts

(photo courtesy AP)

Attempting The Impossible

2008-11-04T17:53:00.003-05:00

When Carl Edwards won the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on October 26 and Jimmie Johnson fought from troubles throughout the race for an improbable runner-up finish, I believed that Johnson had just wrapped up his third straight title. I had good reason to believe that as the California driver led Edwards by 183 points, the biggest point lead during the Chase for the Cup since it began in 2004. As the Dickies 500 started this past Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, I thought that it resembled a coronation more than a race. However as the race went along the stars of the show appeared to not be following the script as Edwards began to runaway from the pack and Johnson floundered in the middle of the field. Suddenly the lead had dwindled under 70 points and was nowhere near as safe.

Johnson would continue to try and fight his way through the field while Edwards would make a strategy call that could make or break his championship dreams. As most of the other leaders stopped for fuel and tires, Edwards stayed on the track and hoped that his tank of fuel could last an unbelieveable 69 laps around the 1.5 mile track. Against all odds Edwards made it to the end and took the checkered flag to win the race.

Carl Edwards (99) won at Texas on Sunday and closed on Jimmie Johnson (48) in points (AP Photo/Randy Holt)

Johnson would soldier on to finish 15th and give up points to Edwards who now sits 106 points out of first with just two races left. To capture his third straight title, Johnson must finish seventh or better in both races to clinch. Things have definitely gotten a bit more interesting as the season nears a conclusion.
Elsewhere in racing, Ryan Briscoe was a popular home country winner on October 25 in the IndyCar Series race at Surfers Paradise in Australia. Ron Hornaday won the Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Friday night and closed to within six points of leader Johnny Benson Jr. as he searches for another title. Kyle Busch took his tenth Nationwide Series win of the season Saturday at Texas while Carl Edwards closed the point gap on Clint Bowyer as he tries for his second straight series championship. In California on Saturday night, Jesse "The Rocket" Hockett was the big winner at the Oval Nationals in Perris, California.

Week 11 FBS College Football Part 1

2008-11-04T10:59:00.002-05:00

This is Steven West with an FBS update.

SEC: Tennessee will have Philip Fulmar as the head coach for the remainder of the season. Afterwards, he'll step down and open the door for a new coach of the volunteers. Tennessee (3-6 Overall, 1-5 SEC) has gone through a down season, losing their season-opener at UCLA, getting hammered at home to Florida and Alabama, and on the road to Georgia and on Saturday to South Carolina. Tennessee's remaining schedule goes like this, Nov. 8th vs. Wyoming, Nov. 22nd at Vanderbilt, and Nov. 29th vs. Kentucky. The big match-up this week is BCS (1) Alabama traveling to Baton Rouge to take on (16) LSU. This will test whether or not Alabama is worthy of that ranking and a win on Saturday for the Crimson Tide, puts them in the SEC Championship Game.

Get out and vote. I'll be back with more later this week.

Halloween Weekend: Spooky-Good College Football

2008-11-02T02:42:00.014-05:00

Texas Tech students came to the showdown with #1 Texas decked out in Halloween costumes (Photos: ESPN.com).

Halloween may have come and gone, but there were plenty of tricks and treats in a Saturday full of college football action.

It all began with a fantastic finish in Minneapolis. Northwestern’s Brendan Smith received a treat from Minnesota quarterback Adam Weber with the score knotted at 17 late in the fourth quarter. Weber’s pass deflected off receiver Eric Decker’s hands and dropped into the open arms of Smith. Smith returned the interception 48 yards for the winning score with just 12 seconds remaining.

Purdue had its share of tricks against Michigan that led to the Boilermakers’ first conference win of the season. First, they converted a fake punt into a crucial first down midway through the fourth quarter. Then it was Justin Siller to Greg Orton to Desmond Tardy on a perfectly-executed hook-and-ladder play with 26 seconds left, providing the winning points in a 48-42 win. The Wolverines were ensured a losing season for the first time in 33 years, ending the nation’s longest current streak of consecutive bowl seasons.

Michigan State and Wisconsin brought some treats for each other in another game that went down to the wire. While the 21st-ranked Spartans spoiled the Badger defense with seven dropped passes, it was the Wisconsin coaching staff that offered the biggest gift. They called a timeout with 12 seconds on the clock to ‘ice’ Michigan State’s kicker instead of making the Spartan special teams crew rush onto the field to attempt a ‘May Day’ field goal. This allowed plenty of time for kicker Brett Swenson to relax and prepare for his game-winning field goal that capped the Spartan comeback in a 25-24 victory.

Were those sprinklers a trick at Notre Dame Stadium? Nope, just poor timing by the maintenance crew. Sprinklers on the football field suddenly turned on during the first of four overtimes between Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. The Panthers prevailed 36-33 in the longest game in the history of both schools.

Finally, it was a Stomp in the Swamp as #8 Florida dominated #6 Georgia 49-10. With no score in the first quarter, the Bulldogs offered the Gators a treat when a Tim Tebow interception was called back due to a Georgia personal foul. Florida would go on to score and seize control of both the game and the SEC East with the win.

The marquee matchup of the day, however, pitted #7 Texas Tech against a scary #1 Texas team. Behind a superior offensive line, an effective running game, and an unrelenting pass rush, the Red Raiders pulled off the upset 39-33 in one of the most exciting college football games in years. Oh, and Graham Harrell and the rest of the Texas Tech aerial attack wasn’t bad either. Harrell threw for nearly 500 yards, outplaying counterpart and fellow Heisman hopeful Colt McCoy. Even though McCoy led the Longhorns back from an early 19-0 deficit and took the lead 33-32 with 1:29 to play, he left too much time for the heroics of Harrell and receiver Michael Crabtree. Harrell’s 28-yard scoring strike to Crabtree with 1 second remaining sealed win no. 500 for Texas Tech and their first ever over a #1 team.

That’s some spooky-good play by the Red Raiders, whose ecstatic crowd – in the true spirit of Halloween – left the booing to ghosts.

Here are a few top performers from Saturday’s college football action…

Dez Bryant (WR), Oklahoma State. Bryant caught 9 passes for 171 yards and a career-high 4 touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 59-17 rout of Iowa State. Oklahoma State moves to 8-1 while eclipsing 50 points for the fifth time this season.

Brian Brunner (QB), Central Michigan. With star quarterback Dan LeFevour sidelined with a sprained ankle, the Chippewas didn’t miss a beat. Backup Brian Brunner went 35 of 53 for a school-record 485 yards and 4 touchdowns, and then ran it in from one yard out for the go-ahead score in a 37-34 win over Indiana.

Robert Griffith (QB), Baylor. The freshman quarterback set a college football record for the most passes at the start of a career without an interception, completing 209 passes before his first career pick secured a 31-28 Missouri victory.

The Heisman race is heating up, with a virtual 3-way tie for the lead between three deserving Big 12 quarterbacks...

1) Graham Harrell (QB), Texas Tech. Without a doubt, Harrell is the hottest quarterback in the nation right now after outplaying Colt McCoy in the Red Raiders’ upset of #1 Texas. He completed 36 of 53 passes for 474 yards and 2 scores, the last one a 28-yarder to Michael Crabtree with 1 second left for the win. Harrell leads the country with 3,621 passing yards.

2) Sam Bradford (QB), Oklahoma. Bradford continues to mold consistency with efficiency. He finished 19 of 27 for 311 yards, 5 scores and one interception as the Sooners embarrassed Nebraska 62-28. A big matchup against Harrell and Texas Tech looms three weeks away.

3) Colt McCoy (QB), Texas. Late in the game, McCoy made all the plays he had to in order to put Texas in position for the win. But it was his lukewarm performance through the first 2 ½ quarters – including an interception that was returned for a score – that helped Texas Tech pull off the upset. He finished 20 of 34 for 294 yards and 2 scores.

4) Tim Tebow (QB), Florida. The numbers are modest but methodical: 10-13 for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns; 12 rushes for 39 yards and 3 touchdowns. And he did it in perhaps the Gators’ biggest win of the season thus far, a 49-10 beatdown of #6 Georgia.

5) Chase Daniel (QB), Missouri. After falling out of national title contention with two straight losses, Daniel and the Tigers appeared to have recovered with a 58-0 win last week. However, Missouri struggled to a 31-28 win against a 3-6 Baylor team on Saturday. While Daniel finished 30 for 38 for 318 yards and 3 scores, his two interceptions nearly cost the Tigers the game.

Hocky Talk week2

2008-11-01T17:16:00.003-04:00

Nick Russ here with your NHL update. Montreal has bit more to celebrate right now than its 100th season. The Canadiens are 7-1-1 and have over took Buffalo in the North east division. They play the Islanders today and have winnable games on the road against Toronto and Columbus. The other New York has opened a huge lead on the rest of the division. The Rangers hold a 9 point lead over New Jersey. The Rangers are going for their second 5 game winning streak this season at Toronto. The Rangers have the best overall record in the NHL with 10 wins 2 losses and one overtime appearance. They lead goals against and are second in penalty kills behind The Wild of Minnesota. The Rangers face their neighbor the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay, then they pay Washington a visit. The Devils have a hill to climb to get any where near the Rangers. Bit by the injury bug, the Demons of Newark have gone on a three game skid. Tonight they try to right the ship against Atlanta. The road isn't easy after that with games at home against Buffalo and a resurgent Tampa Bay. Then they travel to Detroit.

Detroit has some time off coming up after what's been a rough road trip. Starting out with a shoot out win over division rival Chicago, the defending Stanley Cup champs won against Los Angeles then dropped their next two games to the Ducks and San Jose. Tomorrow they visit Vancouver before a five day rest before New Jersey and Pittsburgh roll into Hockey Town. It's The Red Wing's start that has kept them in front of Nashville and Chicago. The Predators have won 2 of its last 3. Nashville plays Florida tonight before visiting Canada's Calgary and Vancouver. The Blackhawks have kept pace with Nashville scoring a win against Dallas but losing to the Wild and a shootout against Detroit in a game that the Blackhawks should've won. The Hawks play a struggling Columbus tonight before hosting Colorado and Calgary. Until next time Hocky fans.

(image courtesy of Jim McIssac)

FBS Update and Week 10 Picks

2008-10-31T23:44:00.003-04:00

This is Steven West with an FBS update.

ACC: After making the jump from 25 to 15 in the BCS, Florida State is now the top team in the polls from the ACC. The Seminoles immediate schedule should give the voters a solid indication of whether or not this team is the legitimate favorite in the ACC. With Georgia Tech on Saturday, (3:30 p.m. on ABC), followed by Clemson, and Boston College, the last two at home, the nation should really know if Florida State can be the ACC representative in the Orange Bowl.

Big Ten: (3) Penn State is enjoying a much deserved week off after winning a close match-up against Ohio State, now number 12 in the BCS. The Nittany Lions remaining schedule is at Iowa, and back-to-back home games to close out the season with Indiana and Michigan State. Indiana should be the cake-walk game, Iowa is coming off their biggest win of the season thus far beating Wisconsin and will play Illinois on Saturday. One more win for the Hawkeyes, makes Iowa bowl eligible. (21) Michigan State of course, is feeling pretty good after beating the "big brother" in Michigan. Penn State can finish 12-0 and has a legit shot at making the BCS title game.

Big East: Cincinnati buried the South Florida Bulls on Thursday night 24-10. The Bulls have now dropped two in a row and third Big East match-up this season. The win for the Bearcats, currently puts Cincinnati at 2-1 in conference play. Next up for Cincinnati, is West Virginia who is playing at Connecticut, Saturday. Look for Cincinnati, now 6-2 overall, to make a run for the Big East title. At worst, a return trip to Toronto and the International Bowl, is in the Bearcats' future.

Big 12: Four teams are in the top 10, in the latest BCS standings. (1) Texas, (4) Oklahoma, (7) Texas Tech, and (9) Oklahoma State. Missouri is the only other team in the conference to be ranked at number 14. Texas and Texas Tech meet at Lubbock, Texas, (8 p.m. on ABC). A win for the Longhorns should all but give them a clear shot at the BCS title. After this week, Texas has Baylor, Kansas, Texas A&M, and the Championship Game (if and only if Texas remains undefeated).

Now to the picks for the week.

I see the Longhorns remaining undefeated, (1) Texas defeats (7) Texas Tech

(2) Alabama against Arkansas St. (from the Sun Belt Conference) easy call Crimson Tide Wins

(4) Oklahoma hosts Nebraska not an easy task but the Sooners get the victory

(5) USC takes on a Ty Willingham less Washington team. USC wins but not a repeat of the 69-0 shutout against Washington State.

"The World's Largest Cocktail Party" from Jacksonville, Florida. (6) Georgia takes on (8) Florida. The winner plays Alabama for the SEC Title. I take Florida by more than 10 points.

(9) Oklahoma State easily defeats Iowa State and stays in the BCS Top 10.

(10) Utah wins at New Mexico and (11) Boise State wins at New Mexico State. Not a good day for the New Mexico schools.

You can call this a "trap game" for (13) Texas Christian, but the Horned Frogs defeat UNLV.

(14) Missouri continues their winning ways at Baylor.

(15) Florida State shows they are legit and win at Georgia Tech 27-17.

(17) Minnesota continues to shine by defeating Northwestern.

(18) Tulsa's "Golden" season ends against Arkansas.

(19) LSU wins easily over in state school Tulane.

(20) Brigham Young goes on the road and wins over Colorado State.

(21) Michigan State continues to roll over Big Ten competition by defeating Wisconsin.

(24) Oregon has a tough task taking on California. The Bears pull the "upset" over the Ducks.

It won't be easy but West Virginia survives a scare from (25) Connecticut.

(3) Penn State, (12) Ohio State, (16) Ball State, and (22) North Carolina are on a bye this weekend.

Later.

Week 8 in the NFL

2008-10-28T20:56:00.004-04:00

Nick Russ here with a update on the NFL with week 8 in the books. With a win over Indy the Titans have legitimized their claim as a contender this year. Down for most of the first half, the Titans had to deal with the Colts scoring quickly in the third but answered with a LenDale White touch down run and tied the game with a two point conversion when Kerry Collins found Ahmard Hall in the endzone. From there it was all Tennessee as the Titans scored 24 straight points before the Colts answered late in the game with Peyton Manning taking it in himself but it was too little too late by then. The surprise of the game was when the Colts managed to contain the Titans running game, Kerry Collins began a aerial assault going 24/37 for 193 yards.

Titans defense is one of the best in the league and they showed it against the Colts intercepting 2 Manning passes at very critical moments and stopping the Colts on 2 4th down attempts. Colts shot themselves in the foot giving up 5 ill timed penalties. Some of which led to a Titans touchdown. The Titans host Green Bay before paying a visit to Chicago. The Colts take on New England this week in what has become a crucial game for both teams. Then visit the Steelers who along with the Titans are a legitimate AFC contender.

The Steelers couldn't hold off a Giants 4th quarter rally. Not to mention losing their long snapper and having the replacement snap the ball into the 4th row at Heinz field. The story of the game was the Giants defense who applied pressure to Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger and forced 4 interceptions. The Giants D stepped up on third down limiting the Steelers to just 1 for 10. The Giants win helps them establish themselves a top the NFC east. The G-men have some important division games against Dallas and Philadelphia. The Steelers visit the Redskins and host the Colts.

He's from the Old School

Meanwhile in the NFC, the 49er's most memorable highlight this season was interim coach Mike Singletary's rant about his teams performance, the benching of QB J.T. O'Sullivan, and the sending of Vernon Davis to the locker room. Shaun Hill has been named starter for sundays game against Arizona after a much needed bye week.

Dallas can breathe a sigh of relief after winning a hard fought game against Tampa. The key stat was after allowing 5 turnovers in the previous 2 games, Dallas didn't allow a turnover. Brad Johnson's performance earned him some boos in front of the Dallas crowd. Johnson was 19/33 for only 122 yards. The Cowboys allowed their fewest points this season...9. This is a boost to Coach Wade Phillips who took over the play calling. If Tampa wants a playoff aperance they need to win on the road where they're 1-3 and their next game is at Kansas City. Dallas goes on the road against the Giants and has a bye.

Last week I went 3-1 bringing my total to 10-6

This week I'll take Arizona over the Rams

New England over the Colts

Green Bay over Tennessee

And my game of the Week Pittsburgh over the Redskins

Images courtesy of Jeff Gross and Andy Lyons

The Weekend In Review So Far

2008-10-25T20:40:00.003-04:00

Alex Wollf here with a quick look at how the weekend in auto racing has gone so far. At the Atlanta Motor Speedway, qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday got rained out (big surprise) and yet again Jimmie Johnson will lead "The Chasers" down to the green flag in order. The support race on the card at AMS was the Craftsman Truck Series with a very interesting result. In the first truck start of his career, Ryan Newman took the win driving for Kevin Harvick Racing by passing his teammate Ron Hornaday Jr. on the final lap.

Ryan Newman won the Truck Race at Atlanta Motor Speedway
(Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

After a plane ride from Atlanta, Carl Edwards backflipped his way into victory lane at Memphis Motorsports Park on Saturday afternoon. The race was punctuated by a post race confrontation between Bobby Hamilton Jr. and 19-year old Landon Cassill that included Hamilton's wife signaling to Cassill that "he was number one" after the two drivers got together on the final lap. About two hours from the time that this is being written, the IndyCar Series finale (a non-championship event) at Surfers Paradise in Australia is going to go off. Will Power, the Aussie fan favorite, looks to be a man on a mission as he took the pole position for the 60-lap race over Scott Dixon (from New Zealand) and Ryan Briscoe (another Aussie). That is a quick look at what has happened so far in the world of auto racing. Check back early next week for a look back at what happened in the big races during the weekend!

Hocky Talk

2008-10-25T20:20:00.002-04:00

Nick Russ here for a NHL update. Today is super Saturday meaning every NHL team is playing today. One such game is the battle for Ontario between Ottawa and Toronto. The Leafs and Senators are both near the bottom of the North East division but it is still early in this season. The Maple Leafs are trying to get a winning streak going to help them become in reach of Buffalo and Montreal. Another rivalry being played today is between two of the Original Six. The Redwings and Blackhawks will meet for the 701st time in their history. Tonight they will also reveal their jerseys for the winter classic. The popular event will have its second game ever on New Years day at Wrigley Field. The Redwings sit a top the Central division with a 5-1 record with one overtime and are off to a great start, returning most of their Stanley cup team. The Blackhawks have yet to lose a game at the United Center and are tied with the Blues for Second. A surprise so far is the undefeated Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres score on average three goals a game and allow about 2 and have a 93% penalty kill rate. Add that they have League scoring leader Thomas Vanek and the Sabres are a pretty potent team so far. However it is still a bit early.

West Week 9 Picks

2008-10-24T09:57:00.002-04:00

This is Steven West with my Week 9 FBS picks.

Friday

(12) Boise State wins at San Jose State (9 p.m. on ESPN 2)

Saturday

(22) Northwestern grounds Indiana (Noon on Big Ten Network)

(20) Ball State soars over Eastern Michigan (Noon kickoff)

(8) Texas Tech survives (23) Kansas (Noon on ESPN)

Purdue wins at home against (24) Minnesota (Noon on ESPN Classic)

(10) Florida eats at Kentucky (12:30 on Raycom)

(4) Oklahoma defeats Kansas State (12:30 on FSN Regional)

(21) BYU avenge their first loss by winning against UNLV (2 p.m. on The Mountain)

(25) Florida State wins against Virginia Tech (3:30 p.m. on ABC)

(18) Georgia Tech stings the Cavaliers from Virginia (3:30 p.m. on ESPN U)

(16) S. Florida bullies Louisville (3:30 p.m. kickoff)

(7) Georgia escapes the bayou with a win over (13) LSU (3:30 p.m. on CBS)

(17) Pittsburgh defeats Rutgers (3:30 p.m. kickoff)

(14) Texas Christian leaps over Wyoming (6 p.m. on The Mountain)

(15) Missouri gets back to their winning ways against Colorado (FSN Regional)

(2) Alabama roll over Tennessee (7:45 p.m. on ESPN)

(3) Penn State ends losing skid to Ohio State in a close one (8 p.m. on ABC)

(5) USC wins against Arizona (10:15 p.m. on FSN Regional)

Sunday

(19) Tulsa survives against Central Florida (8 p.m. on ESPN)

On a bye this week: (11) Utah

* My rankings reflect those of the BCS ratings.

Week 7 in the NFL

2008-10-22T22:26:00.004-04:00

Nick Russ here with the happenings of week 7 in the NFL. A power outage at Ralph Wilson Stadium was ironic and a bit ominous for The Chargers and Bills. The Bills beat the Bolts 23-14 Sunday on the arm of a returning Trent Edwards. Edwards had suffered a concussion in the Bills loss at Arizona in week 5. Edwards went 25/30 for 261 yards and one touch down. The key for the Bills victory came from San Diego QB Philip Rivers. Rivers had a pick and two fumbles that ultimately added up to 10 Bills points. Rivers blamed the loss on himself but the Chargers have been inconsistent over the season. The Bolts are on their way across the pond to battle the Saints in London.

The one thing positive the Chargers can have is that they are in a weak AFC west and are only one game behind Denver. Their match up with a battered New Orleans is winnable then they can rest on the bye week and be ready for second half-season push. The Bills are off to their best start since 1995. They will pay Miami a visit this weekend then they're home for what could be a great game against the Giants.

Elsewhere in the AFC the Steelers have been cruising along in first place in the North. There only loss came at week 3 against the Eagles. The Steelers take on the Giants this week in what is gonna be a great match up. Its a tough road after that against the Redskins and Colts.

Colts are in a bad way right now. The Packers D stepped up against Peyton and co. as the Pack beat Indy 34-14. Penalties and turnovers did in the Colts as the Packers backup secondary returned to interceptions for long touchdowns. Packers running back Ryan Grant had his first 100 yard rushing game of the season and Aaron Rodgers with his bad shoulder threw 21/28 and 186 yards with one touchdown. The Colts did not need a loss with the Titans continuing to win. Speaking of which the Colts travel to Nashville to play the Titans in what doesn't seem like a must win for the Colts but a win against the Titans could help get the Colts back on track.

Last week I said that Dallas was on the verge of imploding and this week they are flirting with critical mass. A loss was not needed but it was against the Rams one of the worst teams in the NFC. After attempting a week of practice Tony Romo found himself on the sidelines Sunday as Brad Johnson took the snaps. Brad threw three picks and managed 17/34 and one touchdown. Rams running back Stephen Jackson had a track meet of 160 yards against the Dallas defense, but the real story for the Rams was for the second straight week the defense forced 4 turnovers. The Rams are 2-0 after firing coach Scott Linehan. Adding to Dallas's woes is the loss of pro bowl safety Roy Williams for the year with a broken forearm. The Cowboys have a critical game against Tampa because the next game is against the Giants.

We have word that the axe is being sharpened for yet another coach. San Fransisco's Mike Nolan's has been fired. 18-37 in three and a half seasons, Nolan failed to turn around the program and fielded the worst offense in the league his first two seasons. Mike Singletary has been given command for the rest of the year. The Bears and Vikings had a rarely seen shoot out. Both teams combined for 89 points total. The Bears secondary managed to grab 4 picks off of Gus Frerotte with their starters Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher out with injuries. The Bears special teams managed to score off of a muffed punt return, and a botched punt. The Vikings did managed to net 439 on a Bears defense that had their fans holding their breath. The Bears are atop the NFC North again and are on the bye and can rest some of their injured players. Then they can come back in force against Detroit. The Vikings still have the potential to be force in the North. Like the Bears they have a bye and come back home to face the Texans.

Last week I went 3 for 1 bringing my total to 7-5.

This week I'll take Buffalo over Miami

The Saints over the Chargers in London

Philadelphia over the Falcons

And my game of the week: The Titans over the Colts

(Photo Courtesy of Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

The Chase for the Cup (or Lack There Of)

2008-10-21T21:41:00.005-04:00

Jimmie Johnson is looking like a champ yet again(AP Photo/Jim Bounds)

For those of you that may have fallen asleep during Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway, you can wake up now, the race is over. And what a ho-hum race it was with Jimmie Johnson leading over half of the race to take his sixth win of the 2008 season and put a firm grip on his third straight series championship with a lead of 149 points over Greg Biffle after 32 of 36 races. Needless to say, this is not what NASCAR had in mind when they created the Chase for the Cup before the 2004 season. The Chase was created at the time to have the top ten drivers (or those within 400 points) after 26 races get their points reset before the final 10 races so first had only a 45 point lead over tenth. On paper it looked like The Chase would create nail biting action right down to the final lap of the season. Here is a look at how the first four editions went:
2004-Kurt Busch was seventh in points entering the first race of The Chase and was able to hold off Jimmie Johnson by eight points, Jeff Gordon by sixteen points, Mark Martin by 107 points, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 138 points to take the Inaugural Chase in an exciting finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Chase was off to an exciting start.
2005-Tony Stewart was the points leader after 26 races and held onto the lead to become the first (and currently only) driver to win a championship in the traditional and chase format. On this occasion, Stewart held off Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, and Jimmie Johnson to take the title. The final point separation between Stewart, Biffle and Edwards was 35 points. The Chase was still looking like a pretty good idea.
2006-Jimmie Johnson was just five points behind leader Matt Kenseth entering The Chase and was able to take the title over Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The final margin of victory in points was 56, the biggest in the short history of The Chase.
2007-For the second year in a row, Jimmie Johnson was the champion. The field for the chase was expanded to 12 and point differentials were set based on number of wins. Due to this, Johnson entered the chase with a 20-point lead over Jeff Gordon. In the end, Johnson took the title by a rather anti-climactic margin of 77 points as he and Gordon were the only two in the running at the final race.
The Chase this season began with Kyle Busch, hottest driver on the circuit in the first half of '08, holding a 30-point lead over Carl Edwards and 40-point lead over Jimmie Johnson. Bad luck for Busch has made him into a non-factor in the final ten races. Johnson has caught fire as he usually does in the second half and is looking like a certain champion as he heads to Atlanta, Texas, and Phoenix, three tracks that he always excels at.

The last two seasons have added fuel to the fires that many have been stoking since 2004 that the chase is an unneeded thing and that NASCAR should go back to the traditional points format. Those folks argue that the Craftsman Truck Series often have multiple guys going for the championship and they don't need a manufactured tight finish. In 2003, the year before the chase began, the Nationwide (then Busch) Series had six drivers separated by 89 points entering the season finale.
Fact of the matter is that some seasons a guy will just run away from the competition, like Matt Kenseth did in 2003, causing the chase to come to be, and other times drivers will have a hot streak and then that will be balanced out by a run of bad luck that tightens things up. We saw that back in 1992 when six drivers entered the last at that time Winston Cup race of the season in Atlanta with a shot at the title.
At the end of the day should The Chase stay or go? I think that the traditional format was fine. The Chase is a good idea on paper but needs something that guarantees that it will be exciting to end like maybe expanding it to 12 races and eliminating the low driver each week and resetting the point totals for those left so it would come right down to the wire. No matter what they do, all we fans can do is hope that in the final few races of 2008 the points race will tighten up so Jimmie Johnson has to do at least a little bit of work to secure his third straight championship.
Be sure to check back later this week for a look ahead at what is going to be going on in racing this weekend.

A Tale of Two Halves

2008-10-20T23:21:00.008-04:00

Penn State's Evan Royster rushes for a touchdown in the Nittany Lion's 46-17 win over Michigan (Photo: ESPN.com).

It has been said that to win a football game, a team must play well for the entire 60 minutes. The Penn State football team would like to suggest an alternate adage: to win a football game, a team must play GREAT for 30 minutes.

That’s just what the third-ranked Nittany Lions did on Saturday. Trailing 17-14 at halftime to the consistently inconsistent Wolverines of Michigan, Penn State rattled off 32 unanswered second-half points to secure a win and the team’s first 8-0 start since 1999.

Sure, quarterback Daryll Clark settled down and accounted for three scores, and running back Evan Royster gained 174 yards on the ground while averaging just under 10 yards per rush. Even backup quarterback Pat Delvin got in on the action, throwing one pass that went for 80 yards and a touchdown. But it was the Penn State defense that turned the game around. It caused a safety, partially blocked a punt, and forced a fumble on successive drives in the third quarter.

Why play hard for an entire hour when you are so good that all you need to do is turn it on in the second half?

This mantra was certainly alive and well in College Station, Texas, where #7 Texas Tech trailed Texas A&M 23-20 at the half. That’s when Graham Harrell and the potent Red Raider offense went to work, outscoring the Aggies 23-2 after the intermission. The lone two-point score came on a blocked extra-point attempt that was returned 97 yards for a “touchdown.” It was the 11th straight game in which Texas Tech scored 30 or more points and the first time since 1976 that the Red Raiders are 7-0.

And one team, #2 Alabama, played such a good first half that their poor second-half didn’t spell defeat. John Parker Wilson’s 219 yards and 2 touchdowns helped the Crimson Tide establish a 24-3 halftime lead that proved to be just enough. Alabama won 24-17 despite its second-half offensive output – four punts, a fumble, and an interception – looking, well, rather offensive.

Playing 30 minutes of great football and 30 minutes of lackadaisical football is never a good idea…but kudos to the teams that can do it and still pull off a win.

Some top performers from Week 8 in college football…

Mark Sanchez (QB), USC. Speaking of great halves, how about the one Sanchez had? He completed 15 of 20 passes for 253 yards and five scores, ALL before halftime of USC’s 69-0 domination of Washington State.

Shonn Greene (RB), Iowa. Greene accumulated 217 yards and 4 touchdowns on just 25 carries as Iowa handed Wisconsin its fourth straight loss. Not bad for a guy who spent last fall at a community college focusing on academics.

Dezmon Briscoe (WR), Kansas. Briscoe set school records with 12 catches and 269 receiving yards in Kansas’ 45-31 loss to Oklahoma. He also caught both of quarterback Todd Reesing’s touchdown passes.

And here’s how I see the Heisman race shaping up…

1) Colt McCoy (QB), Texas. McCoy put on a clinic in Texas’ 56-31 blowout win over #11
Missouri, completing 29 of 32 passes (including a school-record 17 in a row) for 337 yards and 2 scores. Hopefully Chase Daniel was taking notes from the sideline.

2) Sam Bradford (QB), Oklahoma. All Bradford did on Saturday was go 36-for-53 for 3 touchdowns and a school-record 468 yards in a 45-31 win over #16 Kansas. He singlehandedly made sure the Sooners bounced back from their only loss.

3) Graham Harrell (QB), Texas Tech. You can’t overlook Harrell’s numbers any longer. His 2,761 passing yards are tops in the nation, and he’s thrown 23 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions while guiding the Red Raiders to a 7-0 start.

4) Chase Daniel (QB), Missouri. A decent statistical game for Daniel against the Longhorns (31-41 for 318 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one interception), but the Tigers lost for the second time in as many weeks. And this one wasn’t even close.

5) Javon Ringer (RB), Michigan State. Not only did the Spartans get handled by #12 Ohio State by a score of 45-7, but Ringer was bottled up and held to 67 yards on 16 carries. He still narrowly leads the nation in rushing yards (1,179) and is tied for first in touchdowns (14).

Week 8 Recap

2008-10-19T10:42:00.003-04:00

This is Steven West with a recap of Week 8 in College Football.

I went 13-5 with my Top 25 picks this week. Some of my biggest shockers were Ohio State rolling Michigan State 45-7, either Ohio State got good really quickly, or Michigan State went south really fast. Either way, Ohio State should vault themselves into the top 10 this week, if not come very close. I said Maryland would win against Wake Forest, I didn't see the Terrapins winning in shut-out fashion, 26-0. Missouri ended up scoring more points than Texas, in the final 30:03, 28-21, but still ended up losing the game 31-56 to a Longhorns team that cemented themselves as the number 1 team in the nation. Here's how I have my top 25 for next week:

(1) Texas

(2) Alabama

(3) Penn State

(4) Oklahoma

(5) Florida

(6) Georgia

(7) Texas Tech

(8) Oklahoma State

(9) Southern California

(10) Utah

(11) Ohio State

(12) Louisiana State

(13) Boise State

(14) Brigham Young

(15) Missouri

(16) South Florida

(17) Pittsburgh

(18) Kansas

(19) Texas Christian

(20) Ball State

(21) Virginia Tech

(22) Tulsa

(23) Georgia Tech

(24) North Carolina

(25) Michigan State

West Week 8 Picks

2008-10-18T00:59:00.003-04:00

It's Steven West and time for the Saturday Top 25 game predictions.

First things first. Props to Texas Christian for winning in excellent fashion against (9) Brigham Young 32-7. That leaves just 9 teams in in the FBS undefeated, Boise State, who defeated Hawaii 27-7, Tulsa, Utah, Ball State, Texas, Alabama, Penn State, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech. Also to Florida State, who came from behind to defeat the North Carolina State Wolf Pack 26-17.

Now to the picks:

I'm already 1-1 in Top 25 picks.

(7) Texas Tech wins over Texas A&M (Noon kickoff on FSN Regional)

(19) South Florida wins against Syracuse (Noon kickoff on ESPN +)

Maryland upsets (21) Wake Forest (Noon kickoff)

(10) Georgia knocks (22) Vanderbilt from the Top 25 (12:30 p.m. kickoff)

(14) Utah will defeat Colorado State (2 p.m. kickoff)

(8) Oklahoma State wins against Baylor (3 p.m. kickoff)

Mississippi falls to (2) Alabama (3:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS)

(4) Oklahoma rebounds with a win over (16) Kansas (3:30 kickoff on ABC)

(6) USC rolls Washington State (3:30 p.m. kickoff on FSN Regional)

(12) Ohio State falls to (20) Michigan State (3:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC)

(18) North Carolina survives at Virginia (3:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC)

Navy wins against (23) Pittsburgh (3:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS College Sports)

(3) Penn State improves to 8-0 with a win over Michigan (4:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN)

(1) Texas, hesitantly, defeats (11) Missouri (8 p.m. kickoff on ABC)

(13) LSU wins over South Carolina (8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN)

(17) Virginia Tech wins at Boston College (8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2)

Lastly Arizona "upsets" (25) California (10 p.m. kickoff on FSN Regional)

On a bye this week are (5) Florida and (24) Ball State.

On Sunday, will be the first BCS Standings.

Week 8 College Football FBS Part 3

2008-10-16T14:45:00.003-04:00

This is Steven West with an College Football FBS update.

Tonight is the second big test for (9) Brigham Young, as the Cougars travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on Mountain West Conference foe, Texas Christian. BYU is 6-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play, and still has Air Force on the schedule one week before a possible undefeated showdown with (14) Utah. BYU will have to be at their best, the Cougars last game was a win over New Mexico 21-3 on Saturday. Meanwhile, TCU is also playing on five days rest, after beating Colorado State 13-7.

The other match-up tonight features Florida State (4-1, 1-1) at North Carolina State (2-4, 0-2). Florida State is one of the teams on the outside of the Top 25, looking in. A win against N.C. State might not add up to much for the Seminoles, but they need this win for the long run. Their remaining schedule goes like this, (17) Virginia Tech, @ Georgia Tech, also on the outside looking in, Clemson, minus Bobby Bowden's son Tommy after being let go earlier this week, Boston College, @ Maryland, and (5) Florida.

Here's my predictions for the three games today and tomorrow.
Florida State def. North Carolina State (24-13)
(9) Brigham Young def. Texas Christian (27-24)
(15) Boise State def. Hawaii (41-10)

The rest of my Top 25 predictions will come tomorrow. See you then.

Poised to Make Some Noise

2008-10-16T01:01:00.013-04:00

Amid the chaos and confusion of last weekend’s college football action, one thing became clear: Oklahoma State is more than just the team that upset Missouri. It’s one of the nation’s premier football programs and it’s fighting for control atop the best conference in the country.

In all reality, the Cowboys’ 28-23 victory over the third-ranked Tigers can hardly be called an upset. Oklahoma State entered the Big 12 showdown ranked 17th at 5-0 behind an offense that scored 50 or more points in four of its five games. Even after the five point squeaker over Missouri, the Cowboys still boast an average margin of victory of over 25 points. And if you hadn’t heard of quarterback Zac Robinson, you likely have now. The junior has completed over 70 percent of his passes and is third in the nation in quarterback rating…AHEAD of the likes of Colt McCoy and Chase Daniel.

But if you’re looking for proof that Robinson and Oklahoma State are for real, you needn’t look beyond their conference standings. The Cowboys are tied for first place in the Big 12 South Division with #1 Texas and #7 Texas Tech, all 6-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play. With Oklahoma State jumping into the #8 spot and Oklahoma dropping to the #4 spot after losing to the Longhorns, four of the top ten teams call the Big 12 South Division home. That’s right, FOUR of the TOP TEN teams in the NATION hail from ONE DIVISION of one conference. And geographically speaking, those four teams – two from the state of Texas, two from the state of Oklahoma – seem to point to the Southwest as a hotbed for college football.

This brings me to an issue that has been puzzling me: if Oklahoma State is actually that good – which their #8 ranking and 6-0 record certainly suggest – why did their 28-23 win over Missouri drop the Tigers eight spots to #11? Just a few weeks ago, USC was ranked #1 when they lost to an unranked, 1-2 Oregon State team by a similar score of 27-21. That loss dropped the Trojans eight spots as well, down to #9.

Doesn’t something seem a little off? Should a close loss to a ranked, undefeated team drop Missouri eight spots in the rankings while a close loss to an unranked, losing team dropped USC eight spots? Either the Tigers deserved some more love from the AP voters last weekend, or the Trojans were the lucky recipients of some extremely favorable voting. Perhaps USC gets the benefit of the doubt since it is one of the most storied and well-respected programs in college football. Or perhaps this discrepancy is merely a byproduct of the mysterious workings of the BCS system (more on that is sure to surface in future blogs). Regardless, Oklahoma State is a good football team that is poised to make some noise not only in the Big 12, but on the national stage as well.

Photo: crosscyed.blogspot.com

We interrupt this broadcast to bring you hockey!! maybe

2008-10-16T00:55:00.003-04:00

Last week the pucks dropped for the first time this NHL season. It was here we have a problem. The whole week has gone by and I have not been able to watch a game. Here on campus we, or at least I don't, get the versus network which carries most of the NHL games. This is the problem with the NHL. Unless your near a city with a team your not likely to see a game. There is interest in the NHL again as last year the league set an attendance record for the first time since before the strike. The only games available to us outside the Versus network are the games broadcasted on WGN in Chicago. That means you're guaranteed the Blackhawks are gonna be on. There truly is no choice if your a fan of any other team.In our time of on demand and hundreds of channels, why can't the NHL get a partnership on a cable network. The NBA broadcasts about two or three games a week on TNT. Baseball has a game on ESPN three or four nights a week. It's frustrating for hockey fan like myself. Until there is a network that people actually have on basic cable the NHL will struggle to gain advertisement dollars. I guess we'll just have to wait until New Years when NBC resumes it's game of the week coverage.

Week 6 in the NFL

2008-10-15T23:01:00.003-04:00

Nick Russ here reporting on week 6 of the NFL. The Indianapolis Colts finally won at Lucas Oil Field in grand fashion as predicted by yours truly. The Colts pummeled the Ravens 31-3. It looks like the Colts might be back to old form. This week the Colts take their show to Lambeau to face Aaron Rodgers and the Packers then the next two games are critical for both teams involved. The Colts will visit the Division leading Titans. Then they will host the Patriots in what has become the rivalry of the decade.

Elsewhere in the AFC the Cleveland Browns unleashed their fury all over the Giants on Sunday. The Browns, who rank near the bottom of total offense, railed off 454 against one of the best defenses in the league. The Browns D forced three picks off of Eli Manning and handed the G men their first road loss in 11 games. This week the Browns will pay the Redskins and move on down to Jacksonville.

The Chargers gave themselves a needed lift over the Patriots. Philip Rivers threw for 3 touchdowns and 303 yards. While Matt Cassel went 22/38 with one pick and now scores. In fact the Pats only touchdown came off of a Sammy Morris 1 yard run in the fourth. This marks the first road loss for New England in 12 games and their worst 4th quarter deficit since 2003. San Diego has what is sure to be a great game against the Bills while The Pats host the AFC west leading Broncos.

Previously on..I mean in Dallas, some one shot TR!!!. Okay maybe not shot but Tony Romo is gonna miss the next 4 weeks due to the broken finger on his throwing hand. This

came at the end of a tough loss for the Cowboys as Arizona blocked a punt in OT and returned for the win. It is the first time in league history that an overtime was settled on a blocked punt. The game was wild from the very first kick as Arizona's J.J. Arrington returned a 96 yard kickoff for a touch down. Despite having three turnovers the Cards pulled off the wild win. Adding more to the Dallas drama is the fact that Adam "Pac man" Jones has been suspended....again. This time he'll miss four games for violating personal conduct. In a effort to add to their offense the Cowboys acquired Roy Williams from the flat lining Lions. They gave up their 1st, 3rd, and 6th round picks in the next draft. This sounds on paper like pouring lighter fluid on the fire that is Terrel Owens. However T.O. says he welcomes Roy Williams as an addition to the team. What impact Williams will have is unclear as Romo's hand looks like it was dipped in a vat of cotton candy. The Cowboys should have a rebound game at the Rams this week but the Cowboys are set up to possibly implode.

The Falcons taught the Bears a valuable lesson, there are 60 minutes to a game not 59:51. In what was a truly great game led to an amazing finish for both teams. Kyle Orton drove the Bears down to the Falcons red zone and scored with a pass to Rasheed Davis with 11 seconds remaining. After a squib kick from Robbie Gould the Falcons took over with 6 seconds left. Matt Ryan with time ticking threw a bullet to Michael Jenkins for a 25 yard gain. With one second on the scoreboard Jason Elam, no stranger to amazing kicks, nailed a 48 yard field goal to snatch the victory from the Bears. The Falcons have the week off then will travel to Philadelphia in a game of two struggling teams. The Bears will play their second divisional game against the Vikings at Soldier Field as they try to wrench sole possession of first the NFC North. Then the Bears will have a buy in preparation for Detroit.

Last week I went 2 for 2 on my picks bringing my overall record to 4 and 4.

This week I'll take The Bears over the Vikings

The Giants over the 49ers

Buffalo over the Chargers

And my game of the week I'll take Denver over New England

(Photo courtesy of AP)

Week 8 FBS College Football Part 2

2008-10-13T16:02:00.005-04:00

This is Steven West with an FBS update.

High expectations for the Clemson Tigers have yielded poor results. Today, Clemson fired head coach, Tommy Bowden and offensive coordinator Bob Spence, has also been ousted. After losing to Alabama in week 1, Clemson has had an up and down season, and throughout the last couple of weeks, rumors of Bowden's departure started to stir. The final straw, came on Thursday after Clemson blew a fourth-quarter lead to (21) Wake Forest. The final was 12-7. Clemson must now look ahead with interim head coach Dabo Swinney for the final half of the season, and a potential bowl game. Next up for the Tigers is Georgia Tech, Saturday at noon.

North Carolina's win against Notre Dame came with a hefty price. Tar Heels Wide Receiver, Brandon Tate, suffered a season-ending injury to his right knee, tearing his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. The Tar Heels (5-1 Overall, 1-1 ACC) moved up to 18th in the latest AP Poll after debuting last week at 22nd. The Tar Heels are at Virginia Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.

Texas jumped to the top of the polls, this week, from 5 to 1, knocking the Sooners from the top spot to number 4. Missouri took one of the biggest drops in the polls this week, falling from 3 to 11, courtesy of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Cowboys won on the road at Columbia 28-23, vaulting the Cowboys from 17 to 8th. Oklahoma State's defense forced three Chase Daniels' interceptions including the game winner under two minutes to go. Daniels took a bigger hit in the running for the Heisman trophy than Sam Bradford. In the losing effort, Bradford tossed 5 TDs on 28/39 passing attempts and 387 yards. Watching the Oklahoma/Texas match was not pretty. Instant replay blew two big calls because there was no review. Oklahoma's first drive ended in Bradford's "first" touchdown pass, even though it looked like receiver, Manuel Johnson's knee was done half-a-yard short of the goal-line on third down. Oklahoma was potentially robbed of an interception, when Lamont Robinson caught the ball in the end zone, but as he hit the ground, the ball popped out, and the play was ruled incomplete. The refs and instant replay ruined a fantastic game.

More to come later this week. But before I go, one more shoutout to Toledo University for upsetting the Michigan Wolverines at the Big House on Saturday 13-10.

Say What?

2008-10-13T00:54:00.002-04:00

The Ball State "Fighting" Cardinals are the best collegiate football squad in the Hoosier State.

Yeah, I said it. Forget Purdue, IU, even Charlie Weis and the boys from South Bend. The undefeated Cards roll into their bye week with a sound defense who have given up 7 points the last two weeks and an offense who are making plays when they need it the most.

Last week, BSU cracked the polls for the first time in it's history and this week have moved up
one spot to lay claims to being the 24th best team in the nation. Ball St.'s record is it best start since 1965 where the Muncie squad rolled off 9 straight wins to start the '65 campaign.

The obvious question at hand is, how are they doing it?

It's simple really. It all goes back to the first fundamental for football success, coaching.

Coach Hoke, Stan Parrish, and Mark Smith know their strengths and how to maximize them. Outside a few key guys, this team is not loaded with super athletes or five star recruits. All 22 guys know their role and how to play them.

Hoke, with his Big Ten background, is running the ball down his opponents throat. Andre Ramsey, Kyle Cornwell, Dan Gerberry, Robert Brewster, and Nick Switzer are the best front five in the Mid-American Conference and the junior running back, MiQuale Lewis is reaping the benefits. Number 33 has 914 yards and 13 touchdowns through 7 games this season. He has eclipsed the century mark in six straight games.

After losing Dante Love at Indiana, changes would have to be made. Offensive Coordinator Stan Parrish knew this and has his offense back on track. True freshman Briggs Orsbon (not OSBORNE!) has taken advantage of this opportunity and adjusted nicely. Watching all 7 games, Parrish is calling some-what conservative plays that allow his wideouts to get open. As generic as that sounds, that's the best way to describe it. Wide receiver is the deepest position on this team and guys, like Orsbon, are great possession receivers. Orsbon has 28 catches, for 314 yards, on 3 TDs this year.

Week 8 FBS College Football Part 1

2008-10-13T00:46:00.003-04:00

This is Steven West with an FBS update.

The AP results are in, and here's the new Top 25:

(1) Texas

(2) Alabama

(3) Penn State

(4) Oklahoma

(5) Florida

(6) USC

(7) Texas Tech

(8) Oklahoma State

(9) Brigham Young

(10) Georgia

(11) Missouri

(12) Ohio State

(13) LSU

(14) Utah

(15) Boise State

(16) Kansas

(17) Virginia Tech

(18) North Carolina

(19) South Florida

(20) Michigan State

(21) Wake Forest

(22) Vanderbilt

(23) Pittsburgh

(24) Ball State

(25) California

No surprise that Texas jumps to Number 1. Florida makes one of the biggest moves of the week up from 11 to 5, but the biggest mover up the poll is Oklahoma State up from 17 to 8. California is the only new team to the poll, in at 25. Auburn falls out after losing back-to-back games to Vanderbilt, who moves down to 22 this week, and Arkansas. North Carolina was another big mover, up to 18 after a come from behind win at home, against Notre Dame. Here's the action lined up for this week:

Thursday, October 16

(9) Brigham Young vs. Texas Christian 8 p.m.

Friday, October 17

Hawaii vs. (15) Boise State 8 p.m. ESPN

Saturday, October 18

(11) Missouri vs. (1) Texas 8 p.m. ABC

Mississippi vs. (2) Alabama 3:30 p.m. CBS

Michigan vs. (3) Penn State 4:30 p.m. ESPN

(16) Kansas vs. (4) Oklahoma TBA

(6) USC vs. Washington State 3:30 p.m.

(7) Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M Noon

Baylor vs. (8) Oklahoma State 3 p.m.

(22) Vanderbilt vs. (10) Georgia TBA

(12) Ohio State vs. (20) Michigan State 3:30 p.m. ABC

(13) LSU vs. South Carolina TBA

Colorado State vs. (14) Utah 2 p.m.

(17) Virginia Tech vs. Boston College 8 p.m.

(18) North Carolina vs. Virginia 3:30 p.m.

Syracuse vs. (19) South Florida Noon

(21) Wake Forest vs. Maryland Noon

(23) Pittsburgh vs. Navy 3:30 p.m.

(25) California vs. Arizona 10 p.m.

More to come throughout the week. See you around.

The Makings of a Champion

2008-10-12T19:05:00.006-04:00

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy celebrates the Lonhorns' 45-35

upset over top-ranked Oklahoma (photos: ESPN.com).

Rivalries. They’re where top teams are tested, Heisman hopefuls are harassed, and champions are chiseled.

As the Red River Rivalry was renewed in the Lone Star State, there was anything but a shortage of stars on the field. Quarterbacks Sam Bradford of top-ranked Oklahoma and Colt McCoy of fifth-ranked Texas both delivered strong performances on a national stage, and their supporting casts didn’t disappoint. But in the end, one star shone the brightest. McCoy cemented himself as the best quarterback in the Big 12 and likely the nation in the Longhorns’ 45-35 upset over the Sooners.

In a game that saw more twists and turns than a Hollywood murder mystery, it all came down to execution. While Bradford finished with superior numbers – throwing for 110 yards more than McCoy and tossing 5 touchdowns to McCoy’s one – it was McCoy who got it done down the stretch. Texas’ final four meaningful possessions produced three touchdowns and a field goal, which allowed the Longhorns to erase a five-point fourth-quarter deficit and seize control.

If the Heisman Trophy truly goes to the best player in college football, McCoy has to be at the top of the list. The best player, in my mind, is the one who comes through in pressure situations, makes his teammates better, and WINS BIG GAMES. Forget the numbers; any of these Heisman candidates will tell you that their primary goal is to win the national championship. As of right now – and we know how transient college football supremacy can be – Colt McCoy has all the makings of a champion.

Up until Saturday, it looked as if Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel did, too. However, the third-ranked Tigers’ first big test of the season resulted in their first loss, a 28-23 heartbreaker to #17 Oklahoma State. After throwing just one interception through his first five games, Daniel threw three – all in the second half – in the Tigers’ loss. But Missouri still had a chance to win the game with two minutes left, and Daniel had the perfect scenario for a Heisman-deserving, game-winning drive. As a college football fan, it was disappointing to see Daniel end the game with his third interception; Missouri was playing for not only a potential #1 ranking, but also a possible 1-2 matchup against Texas next week.

In the end, three of the top five teams lost in the same weekend for the second time this year. And considering #2 Alabama was idle and someone had to win the #1 Oklahoma/#5 Texas slugfest, the pinnacle of the college football world experienced the biggest possible shakeup. As a result, several one-loss teams now find themselves back in the middle of the national title hunt. Most notable among these schools is Florida, which vaulted from #11 into the #5 spot following their win over fourth-ranked LSU. Even Oklahoma dropped just three spots to #4 after their first loss of the season.

Some top performers form Week 7…

Jordan Shipley (WR), Texas. Shipley came up huge in the Longhorns’ upset victory, finishing with 11 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. Did I mention he also returned an Oklahoma kickoff 96 yards for another score?

Percy Harvin (WR), Florida. Tim Tebow’s favorite target eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark….in the FIRST QUARTER. Harvin also caught both of Tebow’s touchdown passes in the Gators’ 51-21 blowout win over #4 LSU.

Tyrrell Herbert (S), Toledo. Herbert intercepted a Michigan pass and returned it 100 yards for Toledo’s only touchdown, but it was just enough to hand the Wolverines their FIRST LOSS EVER to a MAC team. The Rockets 13-10 victory wasn’t decided until Michigan missed a 26-yard field goal with 4 seconds left.

And my current Heisman frontrunners after this weekend’s action…

1) Colt McCoy (QB), Texas. While he finished with fewer yards and touchdowns than counterpart Sam Bradford, McCoy led the Longhorns to victory and the #1 ranking by playing efficient, mistake-free football (28-35, 277 yards, one touchdown).

2) Sam Bradford (QB), Oklahoma. Bradford is still in a virtual lead for the Heisman, as he was brilliant in defeat (28-39, 387 yards, 5 touchdowns) other than a few slip-ups (2 interceptions).

3) Javon Ringer (RB), Michigan State. With his fifth 100-yard game of the season (35 carries, 124 yards, 2 touchdowns), Ringer surpassed 1,000 yards for the second straight year while helping the Spartans knock Northwestern from the ranks of the unbeaten.

4) Chase Daniel (QB), Missouri. Despite throwing for 390 yards, his three second-half interceptions prevented a Tiger comeback and dropped Daniel from second to fourth.

5) Tim Tebow (QB), Florida. Last year’s Heisman winner fought his way back into the race, looking comfortable both inside and outside of the pocket (14-21, 210 yards, 2 touchdowns, one rushing touchdown) in a huge win over LSU.

Week 7 FBS College Football Final

2008-10-11T23:35:00.003-04:00

This is Steven West with the FBS Recap.

Who knew that this would be another wild weekend at the top of the polls. If memory serves me correct, the first BCS standings come out tomorrow. That, or it's next week. The polls are going to look a little hazy this week. Texas upset Oklahoma in Dallas, Oklahoma State survived on the road against Missouri, LSU got hammered at the Swamp, courtesy of the Florida Gators. Here's how I predict the AP Top 25 will look come tomorrow afternoon:

(1) Texas

(2) Alabama

(3) Penn State

(4) Oklahoma

(5) Texas Tech

(6) USC

(7) Missouri

(8) Brigham Young

(9) Georgia

(10) Florida

(11) Ohio State

(12) LSU

(13) Oklahoma State

(14) Utah

(15) Boise State

(16) Kansas

(17) Virginia Tech

(18) Wake Forest

(19) North Carolina

(20) Vanderbilt

(21) South Florida

(22) Michigan State

(23) Ball State

(24) Pittsburgh

(25) Tulsa

One of the biggest upsets of the week, wasn't even in the Top 25. After getting shut out by Ball State, last weekend, Toledo, went to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and won on a missed Michigan 26-yard field goal with 0:04 seconds to go. The ACC was all but left for dead, at the beginning of the season. My, how the tide has turned. Wake Forest survived Clemson on Thursday, 12-7, Virginia Tech has rebounded after losing to East Carolina in week 1, and North Carolina became a legitimate contender after coming from behind to beat Notre Dame at home, 29-24. Penn State rolled Wisconsin, 48-7. Either Penn State is really that good, or Wisconsin is not able to keep up with the big boys in the Big Ten. For now, Penn State is still the front-runners in the Big Ten, they still have to beat Ohio State to prove they can win the conference outright. Ten teams remain undefeated, including the same five non-BCS teams, Brigham Young, Utah, Boise State, Ball State, and Tulsa. The five BCS schools are: Penn State, Alabama, Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State. See everyone after the polls come out.

Week 7 FBS College Football Part 3

2008-10-11T16:21:00.002-04:00

This is Steven West.

WOW!!! (5) Texas upsets (1) Oklahoma 45-35. Impressive win for the Longhorns as the run game was not entirely in Colt McCoy's legs. Sam Bradford shouldn't drop much in the Heisman standings with 5 TDs. The door is all but open for (5) Missouri, provided they beat (17) Oklahoma State tonight, to run the table in the Big 12 and win the Conference Championship, and play for the National Title.

And I couldn't believe that Toledo, after getting shut out by (25) Ball State at home last week, goes to the "Big House" at Michigan, and wins 13-10. The win snaps a 24 game win streak for Michigan against the Mid-American Conference. A win tonight for the Cardinals only improves, their strength of schedule.

I'll have more later tonight.

Power Rankings #1! Let it begin!

2008-10-09T18:01:00.011-04:00

NFL season is awesome! Very little beats watching physically dominating gladiators pounding each other, QB's launching 50-yard bombs down the sideline in crunch time, and running backs blasting through holes so they can run over DB's. You'll notice that I cleverly and strategically inserted the phrase "very little" at the beginning of that sentence.

That's because there is one thing that tops the anything that the gridiron has to offer... the NBA of course! We are only a few weeks out and the elements of the NBA are already ricocheting back and forth inside my brain. I can't wait to see my first Lebron James dunk, CP3 no look pass, Kobe fade-away, and Carmelo Anthony cherry pick!

With all that said its time for my first edition of NBA Power Rankings...

1) Lets just get this out of the way... I'm a Lakers fan. I'm not even going to try to deny it. I love the Lakers. However, their numero uno ranking has nothing to do with that infatuation. It probably has more to do with them winning the possibly toughest conference the league has ever seen last year. I realize they were exposed in the finals for their lack of toughness (primarily on the inside). With that said they were still the more talented team. Oh and their getting a certain guy back that could help add some interior toughness. The questions are: How healthy is that guy and how well will he play with Gasol?

2) Lets just get this out of the way... I hate the celtics. What they did to my Lakers last June was ruthless and cruel... but impressive. This team is all set up to be the best team in the east again. As long as they continue the practice of that remarkable defense, they will probably find themselves being one of the last two teams standing. My first concern is I'm not completely convinced their defense will be as unbelievable this year as it was last year. Garnett's defensive effort won't waver a bit, but it was also built into his genetic makeup. For guys like Pierce and Allen it takes extra effort. Two straight years of that effort is a lot to ask of guys who have been scorers first their whole career. My second concern is they lost a guy like James Posey and replaced him with Darius Miles. Other options are Tony Allen, Bill Walker, and J.R. Giddens. We'll have to wait and see how that goes.

3) The New Orleans Hornets are scary good. They don't have many great individual players (except Chris Paul and even Peja Stojakovic at times), but have players that play really well with Chris Paul. They've got good defenders at every position in their starting line-up except the small forward spot. Even then they can have James Posey come off the bench and provide more defensive stability. My main concern is their lack of a low post scorer (and I don't count the alley-oop dunks Tyson Chandler gets as low post scoring and even David West is a better mid-range player than low post). But do they really need it? Paul is impossible to keep out of the lane so they get plenty of shots around the basket and they don't live and die by the three. However, if the rest of the league learns how to defend the pick and roll it could cause trouble for the Hornets' offense.

4) The window for the Detroit Pistons to get another ring is closing fast, but I still think they've got another year or two as a contender. Michael Curry supplanting Flip Saunders as head coach is a definite plus for a team that didn't really like Saunders much. Curry has played and coached with Detroit--including the 2004 championship team-- and understands the culture of the organization. This team will be refocused defensively and I like some of their young players. Look for Rodney Stuckey to have a great year. My concern is their scoring on the low block. Obviously, Rasheed Wallace is still one of the best power forwards in the game but is 34 years old and played only just over 30 minutes per game last season. Antonio McDyess has low tread on his tires and Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson are solid players but not real scoring threats. That leaves Walter Hermann and Kwame Brown. Ummm... moving on...

5) The Utah Jazz have been a really good team the past two years. And don't mistake their second round exit last year after a trip to the conference finals two years ago as a step backward. Playing the Warriors in the playoffs is a whole lot different than playing last years Lakers squad. If they continue to improve they could foreseeably win the west. Deron Williams is the second best point guard in the league, Carlos Boozer is a beast on the block, and they've got ample weapons surrounding them. What is holding them back? Fouling and poor road play. The latter is especially worrisome because they won't have home-court advantage against the Lakers or Hornets.

6) The San Antonio Spurs are on the decline. Every difference maker on the squad--besides Tony Parker--is over 30. With that said, they are still the most disciplined and well-coached team in the league. And when Manu Ginobili is healthy he's one of the most dynamic players in the league. They're still one of the best teams in the league, but if they want a chance at another ring they're going to need some pleasant surprises.

7) I know the Houston Rockets now have one of the three best trios in the league because of Ron Artest. However, I still don't see them finishing better than fifth in the western conference. Yao Ming has only played an average of 53 games each of the last three seasons. Tracy McGrady has only played an average 61 games over that same stretch. Ron Artest... only 56 games per season the last three years (granted not all of his missed games were due to injury). What good is a three-headed monster if only one or two of the heads ever work at the same time?

8) This Phoenix Suns team isn't as done as some people might think. Sure the S.S.O.L. (Seven Seconds Or Less) era is over, but they still have two of the top 15 (maybe 10) offensive players in the league in Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire. And maybe Matt Barnes and Robin Lopez can spice things up by adding a foreign ingredient... it's called defense. The Suns start out eighth in these rankings but don't be surprised if they move up.

9) The Portland Trailblazers are by far the most intriguing team coming into the 2008-09 season. There is so much potential...for both success and disappointment. As long Brandon Roy stays healthy this team will be fine. Greg Oden, Jerryd Bayless, and Rudy Fernandez might all end up as three of the top 10 rookies this year. LaMarcus Aldridge and Travis Outlaw will probably continue to improve and help put this team in the playoffs. Random prediction: Luke Jackson will flourish this year.

10) I don't feel like the Dallas Mavericks should be in top 10. It's obvious Jason Kidd doesn't mesh with this team on the court and I just don't feel like the players on this team really like each other (I don't really know why... it's just a feeling). Add Josh Howard to the mix and you've got a fairly combustible situation. And given Rick Carlisle's reputation for not getting along with players, he probably won't fix anything. But the Mavs will probably still make the playoffs.

11) The Orlando Magic are the third best team in the eastern conference, but they probably were last year also. What makes this year different? Well they could actually beat the Celtics or Pistons in a seven-game series. Courtney Lee is going to add scoring and I like the Michael Pietrus addition. But I'm not sure Anthony Johnson was the best answer to their point guard questions.

12) This speaks to the depth of the western conference.

The Denver Nuggets--who became a punch line after playing historically bad defense and about no team basketball in a first round series against the Lakers in the last year's playoffs-- probably won't make the playoffs but are would still be the fourth best team in the east. Still they won't play defense this year (especially after losing their only line of defense in Marcus Camby) and won't play in the postseason. But Mateen Cleaves' smile should be worth 30 wins by itself.

13) While I think the Magic are better than the Cleveland Cavaliers, I also think that Cleveland has a better chance of getting to the finals. I really want to like the acquisition of Mo Williams but I think he might just be a healthier Larry Hughes. I do believe drafting J.J. Hickson at #19 in the draft was a wise move. But this team probably isn't much better than they were the past couple of years.

14) The Philadelphia 76ers are immeasurably better with Elton Brand on the team. The question is: Will Andre Iguodala be as good as his new six-year $80 million contract suggests he is. He was a no-show in the playoffs last year, but when he's on his game he's worth every penny. This team could finish ahead of Cleveland and Orlando but they still have a lot to prove.

15) Trading T.J. Ford for Jermaine O'Neal was a genius move. It appeared that Chris Bosh may have reached his ceiling but now with another all-star caliber player on the other block we may see Bosh flourish even more. Now if Jose Calderon continues to improve and Andrea Bargnani reappears then this team could finally be poised for a deep playoff run... but don't count on it.

16) Well Baron Davis is gone and Monta Ellis is out for a few months (because of a moped? Shouldn't NBA players at least be riding those Segway thingys), but they've still got Corey Maggette and Stephen Jackson. Andris Biedrins could be a rising star and I expect a solid season from Brandan Wright. All of that combined adds up to an okay team.

17) This team might be twice as talented as last years Miami Heat. Having a healthy Dwyane Wade helps that cause. Having Michael Beasley will help Shawn Marion because now he can go back to being the glorified garbage man that we grew to love. Welcome back to the playoffs Miami.

18) The Los Angeles Clippers have some nice pieces. Obviously Baron Davis was a positive addition (if he stays healthy and happy). Also, Chris Kaman is much better than people give him credit for and Al Thornton could have a really good sophomore campaign. But I'm not completely confident in Eric Gordon (he doesn't completely understand the game and I'm not sure Baron Davis is the guard you want teaching him) and having Ricky Davis automatically throws a "Lottery" label on your franchise.

19) The Chicago Bulls are better than everybody thinks. And not because of Derrick Rose (I believe he will struggle this year), but because last year they underachieved. Things got off to a bad start and they just couldn't turn it around. They still don't have any low-post scoring, but I still expect to see the Bulls we saw two years ago as opposed to last years disappointment.

20) The Sacramento Kings actually have a nice little squad. They've got talent at essentially every position. Look for rookie point guard Bobby Brown to be a top 20 rookie and make an immediate impact. Head coach Reggie Theus had this team playing really well at times last year and they could potentially shock everyone by making a run at the seven or eight seed in the west.

21) I know the Atlanta Hawks made the playoffs last year, but I don't think they'll do it again. It's strange because they have everyone besides Josh Childress back. Both Josh Smith and Al Horford will be better and they even added Maurice Evans. But Childress was a bigger part of that team than people realize. It'll take more than 37 wins to make the playoffs in the eastern conference this year and this team is built to underachieve.

22) Injuries, injuries, injuries. The poor Washington Wizards can't escape them. Caron Butler is good, but he's not a franchise player. The rest of the cast isn't overly impressive either. Back to semi-futility for the Wizards.

23) The Indiana Pacers actually have pretty good perimeter players. Danny Granger is really good (not great), Mike Dunleavy Jr. can score, Brandon Rush is a nice addition, and T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack will bring stability to the point guard position. The problem is the Pacers have NOTHING down low. Troy Murphy might as well be a perimeter player and don't even get me started on Roy Hibbert.

24) Devin Harris just might be the best player for the Nets this year... not a good thing. Brook Lopez might be okay and Chris Douglas-Roberts will be fun to watch. But that's about it.

25) On paper the New York Knicks could be a playoff team. Then we remember that this is the most dysfunctional franchise in the league right now and everything makes sense. The only way this team avoids the lottery is if Patrick Ewing laces em' up. Oh wait...

26) Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook form a solid nucleus for the future. But for now... the Oklahoma City Thunder stink.

27) Maybe the Richard Jefferson-Michael Redd combination will be better than I think and maybe Charlie Villanueva will emerge as an all-star, but it's not likely.

28) There's a good chance that I am underrating this team. But they still have never proven that they're headed in the right direction... and I'm giving them a chance to over-achieve.

29) The Memphis Grizzlies have some nice guards, but nothing down low. They used to have this one power forward who was pretty good. I wonder what happened to him.

30) Al Jefferson might be the best player in the league that nobody has ever heard of. That's what playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves will do for you. Another year of futility is on the horizon.

Week 5

2008-10-08T22:55:00.004-04:00

Another week has passed in the NFL and the first week of October is in the books. The NFC East is shaping up to be a great show as the season winds down. So far the Giants remain undefeated after destroying the Seahawks. Doing it with or without Plaxico Burress. In the drama that is Dallas, the Cowboys seemed to have settled down after rebounding from a loss last week with win over the Bengals. Terrel Owens shouldn't worry about receptions seeing that Dallas has the second highest scoring offense in the league and the 3rd most yards per game. The Redskins are sitting comfortably in second behind the Giants, the only team to beat them so far. Jim Zorn and co. are one of the surprises of the NFL. Their next three games are against Cleveland and the terrible Lions and the worse St. Louis Rams. In Phili Donovan McNabb said that the Eagles should be embarrassed for the way they have been playing. They have a good match up this week against the 49er's then a bye. This could be a good week for the Eagles to turn it around.

Meanwhile as Chicago mourns the loss of it's baseball post-seasons, the Bears have flown under the radar and are first in the NFC North. Kyle Orton has lead the Bears offense to some great performances. Of course having the 4th best rush defense doesn't hurt either. Up north in the Dairy Land, Aaron Rodgers has missed some practice but is expected to start this Sunday against Seattle. The Packers are trying to prevent loosing a 3rd straight game against a sinking Seattle.

In the AFC, the Patriots are proving that they can win without Tom Brady. Matt Cassel threw 22 for 32 for 259 yds. with one touch down and two picks over San Francisco. New England has a game against the Chargers. A game in which its gut check time for the Bolts. San Diego needs a win in order to keep pace with Denver. Its hard to believe the only thing separating the Raiders and the Chargers is one win. Add the fact its gonna be on national TV and you got yourself a good game.

In the Circle City, the Colts are coming off a whirlwind comeback last week against Houston. Having suffered some injuries the Colts would seem to be limping back to Lucas Oil Field. There they will host Baltimore and try to win for the first time in their new home. The Colts haven't lost their first three home games since 1997. The Colts need a decisive victory this Sunday and a good showing against the tough Ravens defense would swing momentum towards the Colts this season as the Titans continue on their winning streak.

Last week I went 2 for 2 on my picks.

This week I'll take Carolina over the Bucs in a important NFC south match up

I'll Take the Colts to get their first home win over Baltimore

The Eagles over San Fran

And my game of the week I'll take New England over the Chargers

(photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated David Bergman)

The Weekend Past and The Weekend Ahead

2008-10-08T22:14:00.010-04:00

The NASCAR Race at Talladega Superspeedway was an interesting one with a lot of twists and turns with regards to the race itself and the Sprint Cup championship as a whole. Many of the championship contenders were involved in the always inevitable "big ones" and perhaps whittled the number of drivers with a shot at the title down to just a few. Jimmie Johnson is right now sitting in an excellent position to become just the second person in history to capture three straight Cup Series titles. Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, and Clint Bowyer are still sitting in a position where they could be able to at least try and capitalize on any kind of misfortune that Johnson may have.
However, the part of the race that has everyone talking without a doubt is the finish of the AMP Energy 500. Tony Stewart, winless coming into the race at Talladega and in his final few races with Joe Gibbs Racing, was leading Regan Smith, in search of his first win, as the race came to its final lap. In the tri-oval, heading towards the finish line, Smith went below the yellow line and passed Stewart to take the checkered flag first. Confusion reigned as this was a rules violation because drivers are told at a meeting on race morning that at Daytona and Talladega they are not allowed to advance their position by going under the yellow line. It seems to be cut and dry but a couple of factors cannot be ignored.

Regan Smith beat Tony Stewart to the line Sunday but the pass was disallowed because he went under the yellow line
(AP Photo/Glenn Smith)

1. Final Lap of the race-An argument that Smith brought up after the race was that he believed that on the last lap of the race, anything goes. His argument was supported by the finish of the Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona in 2007 where driver Johnny Benson Jr. attempted a pass at the finish. After the race, NASCAR officials said that if Benson would have advanced his position he would have been fine because it was the last lap of the race. NASCAR changed its position on Sunday saying that it didn't matter when it happens, if you go under the line, you are being penalized.
2. Forced Under The Line-Another argument that Smith made was that he was forced below the line. NASCAR has said in the past that if you advance your position by going under the line BUT you are forced under the line, you can keep your position and the driver doing the forcing could be penalized. It looked as if Smith may have been forced under by Stewart but then again, one man's forced under is another man's driving under.
My personal feeling is that I have never liked the yellow line rule and have always wished that they would get rid of it. Would the race have had a different outcome without the rule? Smith would have been able to legally make the pass. Then again, Stewart could have driven down there to block. We will just never know for sure.
Also at Talladega over the weekend, Justin Alligaier won Friday evening's ARCA race while Todd Bodine captured the truck race.
I was in Terre Haute on Saturday night at "The Action Track" for the 57th running of the Hut Hundred for the USAC Midgets. The prestigious race was a good one with Shane Cottle, in Levi Jones' backup car, coming from the back of the field after an opening lap crash to lead much of the race. Early race leader Cole Whitt got the lead back just past the three-quarter mark and never let go of the top spot as he took the win. A day later I was at the Anderson Speedway seeing Craig Haack of Tennessee take the Indiana/Midwest USAC Ford Focus Midget finale and Taylor Ferns become the first female to win a USAC Kenyon Midget race. Kyle Hamilton took the Focus Championships while Caleb Armstrong joined his cousin Dakoda as a Kenyon Champion.
This weekend the USAC Midgets are in Pontoon Beach, Illinois for the $15,000 to win "Gold Crown Nationals" on Thurday, Friday, and the big money race on Saturday. Scott Speed, former Formula One driver, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. former and sometimes current USAC competitor compete for the ARCA title at the finale Sunday afternoon at Toledo Speedway in Ohio. Also, the Nationwide Series is at Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte on Friday night while the Chase for the Sprint Cup continues at the same track on Saturday night.

Week 7 FBS College Football Part 2

2008-10-08T21:00:00.004-04:00

This is Steven West with your FBS College Football update.

Penn State head coach, Joe Paterno, may not be on the sidelines again this Saturday for the Nittany Lions match against Wisconsin. Paterno, was in the coach's box for the game on Saturday against Purdue. The 6th ranked Nittany Lions, (6-0) face a tough three game schedule. After Wisconsin, they host Michigan, then travel to the Horseshoe to take on Ohio State. A win against the Buckeyes could give the Nittany Lions the outright Big Ten title. Purdue is struggling in head coach Joe Tiller's final year at the helm of the Boilermakers. Tiller will start Curtis Painter, despite benching Painter in the fourth quarter against Penn State. Painter will take on an Ohio State pass defense ranked in the top 15 this year.

Big Ten Standings and Week 7 Matches:

(6) Penn State (2-0 Big Ten, 6-0 Overall)

(23) Michigan State (2-0, 5-1)

(12) Ohio State (2-0, 5-1)

Northwestern (1-0, 5-0)

Minnesota (1-1, 5-1)

Illinois (1-1, 3-2)

Michigan (1-1, 2-3)

Purdue (0-1, 2-3)

Wisconsin (0-2, 3-2)

Iowa (0-2, 3-3)

Indiana (0-2, 2-3)

Iowa vs. Indiana Noon Big Ten Network

Toledo vs. Michigan Noon Big Ten Network

Minnesota vs. Illinois Noon ESPN

Michigan State vs. Northwestern 3:30 p.m. ESPN 2

Purdue vs. Ohio State 3:30 p.m. ABC

Penn State vs. Wisconsin 8 p.m. ESPN

Back for more later this week.

Week 7 FBS College Football Part 1

2008-10-07T22:21:00.004-04:00

This is Steven West with an FBS College Football update.

First here is the AP Top 25 Poll:

(1) Oklahoma (5-0)

(2) Alabama (6-0)

(3) Missouri (5-0)

(4) Louisiana State (4-0)

(5) Texas (5-0)

(6) Penn State (6-0)

(7) Texas Tech (5-0)

(8) Southern California (3-1)

(9) Brigham Young (5-0)

(10) Georgia (4-1)

(11) Florida (4-1)

(12) Ohio State (5-1)

(13) Vanderbilt (5-0)

(14) Utah (6-0)

(15) Boise State (4-0)

(16) Kansas (4-1)

(17) Oklahoma State (5-0)

(18) Virginia Tech (5-1)

(19) South Florida (5-1)

(20) Auburn (4-2)

(21) Wake Forest (3-1)

(22) North Carolina (4-1)

(23) Michigan State (5-1)

(24) Pittsburgh (4-1)

(25) Ball State (6-0)

While everyone is talking about Ball State, I'm more excited about North Carolina and Michigan State debuting in the Top 25. Chapel Hill is getting love in the Football poll where we wouldn't see them in a poll until November, when College Basketball roles around. Hopefully with Michigan State entering, Javon Walker can finally start earning some respect for the Heisman voting. And now my conference breakdown.

ACC:

With the addition of the Tar Heels into the Top 25, the ACC, as a whole, is starting to gain some respect back. Virginia Tech is back where they started the year. Three of the last four victories for the Hokies have been by 3, 3, and 5 points. Their last win was against Western Kentucky by 14. This week,Virginia Tech is on a bye, afterwards, the remaining schedule is all ACC opponents, including Boston College, Florida State, and Maryland. If the Hokies are able to keep this win streak up, they need to get their passing game going. Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon have a combined 2 touchdown passes.

Big 12:

Last weekend all six ranked teams won their respected matches. This week's sleeper game is (17) Oklahoma State vs. (3) Missouri. ESPN.com Senior Writer, Ivan Maisel, believes that this is the game where the Tigers will prove they are a force to be reckoned with. But the big game of the week needs only two words, Red River. (5) Texas takes on (1) Oklahoma. The question for Texas is can they establish a run game that is not led by Quarterback, Colt McCoy. McCoy has 124 more rushing yards than Cody Johnson but 2 less rushing touchdowns. The first quarterback that throws for more than 300 yards, will win this game for his team.

Pac-10:

Mitch Mustain, the transfer from Arkansas, may make his first start for (8) USC as the Trojans play Arizona State on Saturday. The Sun Devils may also end up playing with a back up QB as well. Starter Rudy Carpenter, may miss with an ankle injury, suffered during Arizona State's 24-14 loss to California. Junior Danny Sullivan, may make his first ever collegiate start and not at a good place either, the L.A. Coliseum. Washington gets a much needed bye week before facing Oregon State on October 8th.

Look for more later this week.

Longhorns and Tigers and Sooners, Oh My!

2008-10-05T20:53:00.012-04:00

Two of the nation's top quarterbacks go head-to-head next weekend when Sam Bradford's Oklahoma Sooners take on Colt McCoy's Texas Longhorns (Photo: SportsIllustrated.com).

Say a big hello to the best conference in college football.

The Big 12’s big three teams opened conference play with big wins. #1 Oklahoma, #4 Missouri, and #5 Texas pounded their conference opponents by a combined score of 139 to 48. With wins also coming from #7 Texas Tech, #16 Kansas, and #21 Oklahoma State, it’s easy to see why this is the conference to beat. The Big 12 boasts five 5-0 teams, four of which are ranked in the Top 10 in the nation.

If you’re like the rest of the country, you’re probably wondering when these powerhouses will stop destroying lesser opponents and start beating each other up. The answer is next week, when the paths of Oklahoma and Texas collide. We can only hope the matchup of the top-ranked Sooners and fifth-ranked Longhorns lives up to its billing, unlike the last time a #1 team met a #5 team. In week 3, USC dismantled Ohio State 35-3 in an overhyped showdown. The Trojans then proceeded to follow that victory with a loss to unranked Oregon State.

Both the Buckeyes and the Trojans, however, have recovered from their respective losses and appear to be back in top form. USC routed #23 Oregon 44-10 on Saturday, while Ohio State squeaked by #18 Wisconsin 20-17 behind some late-game heroics from freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Look for both of these teams to be back in BCS title conversation by the end of the season (whether deservingly or not).

Elsewhere in college football, kudos goes to the following individuals…

Jimmy Clausen (QB), Notre Dame. The sophomore signal caller finished 29-40 for a career-high 347 yards – with three touchdowns and no interceptions – against a Stanford team coached by Captain Comeback himself, Jim Harbaugh. More importantly, Clausen has the Irish 4-1 through five games, a dramatic turnaround from last year’s historic 0-5 start.

Chris “Beanie” Wells (RB), Ohio State. In just his second game back from a foot injury, Wells broke loose for 168 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries against Wisconsin. Wells showed why he was a preseason favorite for the Heisman and, perhaps, that he still deserves consideration for the award.

Bruce Carter (LB), North Carolina. In the Tar Heels’ 38-12 victory over UConn, Carter blocked THREE CONSECUTIVE PUNTS. THREE! IN A ROW!!! Only three players in college football history had ever blocked three punts in a single game, but none are believed to have done so in a row. Including a block in last week’s win over Miami, Carter strung together FOUR STRAIGHT BLOCKED PUNTS. For those who witnessed this incredible feat, consider yourselves lucky – it will likely never happen again.

Also, congrats to the Ball State Cardinals, who are ranked in the Top 25 for the first time. Ball State received a #25 ranking in the AP poll this week after a 31-0 win over Toledo on Saturday. The 6-0 Cardinals are off to their best start since 1965.

My top five Heisman candidates through Week 5…

1) Sam Bradford (QB), Oklahoma. The Sooners remain on top after another offensive outburst from Bradford (23-31, 372 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception).

2) Chase Daniel (QB), Missouri. Daniel led Mizzou to its first win in Lincoln in 30 years while being his usual, efficient self (18-23, 253 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions).

3) Colt McCoy (QB), Texas. McCoy played well enough to pass Ringer into the #3 spot (23-30, 262 yards, 2 touchdowns) but furthered himself from the top two candidates (2 interceptions).

4) Javon Ringer (RB), Michigan State. Ringer drops to #4 on my list after a lackluster performance against Iowa (25 carries, 91 yards, 0 touchdowns).

5) Michael Crabtree (WR), Texas Tech. Crabtree turned in his third 100-yard receiving game of the season and a pair of touchdowns against Kansas State, moving to 7th in the nation in receiving yards (564) and 3rd in touchdowns (8).

Unranked and Undaunted

2008-10-02T15:39:00.003-04:00

Oregon State's Greg Laybourn celebrates with fans after beating top-ranked Southern California 27-21 on September 25 (AP Photo/Don Ryan, ESPN.com).

Forget March Madness. There’s plenty of madness going on this September and October in the world of college sports.

Just five weeks into the 2008 season of college football, we are beginning to sense an all-too-familiar pattern: overconfident BCS favorites running into overachieving opponents. The results are what sports fans excitedly refer to as upsets.

Enter unranked underdogs Oregon State, Ole Miss, and Michigan. Oregon State set the stage on Thursday night with their 27-21 shocker over top-ranked Southern California. Ole Miss followed suit by upsetting #4 Florida 31-30 in the Swamp, with a blocked extra-point attempt providing the winning margin. And it turns out Michigan can still win big games in the Big House, as the Wolverines stormed back from 19 down to upend #9 Wisconsin.

With a victory over #3 Georgia, eighth-ranked Alabama completed a weekend in which three of the top four teams fell from their positions of power. In fact, nine of the Top 25 teams lost last weekend, six of them falling to unranked opponents. When the dust settled, the Sooners of Oklahoma stood alone atop the college football world.

For now, at least.

The truth is, one-loss teams like USC, Florida, and Georgia still may have a legitimate chance of earning a berth in the BCS title game. Their schedules are, for the most part, strong enough down the stretch for experts to forget an early-season hiccup (especially if you’re a team like the Trojans, who seem to always get the benefit of the doubt from AP voters). Besides, there’s a LOT of football left to be played before January.

And if this year’s college football landscape proves to even remotely resemble that of last year, there are plenty of more upsets to come.

Here are my current top five Heisman candidates…

1) Sam Bradford (QB), Oklahoma. Last week, he did what fellow quarterbacks and Heisman hopefuls Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow failed to do: win. Throwing for 411 yards and four touchdowns while steering your team into the #1 spot doesn’t hurt, either.

2) Chase Daniel (QB), Missouri. In a virtual tie with Bradford right now for Heisman favorite, Daniel is fourth in the country in passer rating. His numbers are impressive despite the fact that he routinely leaves the field early; the Tigers are winning games by an average margin of 33 points.

3) Javon Ringer (RB), Michigan State. The hard-nosed halfback has a nose for the endzone, as his 12 touchdowns are tops in the nation. Ringer’s true tests of grit will come against Big Ten frontrunners Penn State (#6 in AP Poll), Ohio State (#14), and Wisconsin (#18).

4) Colt McCoy (QB), Texas. Texas’ all-time leader in touchdown passes has completed exactly 80 % of his passes for 14 scores and just one interception. He’s also the Longhorns’ top rushing threat with nearly 300 yards and four scores on the ground.

5) Nate Davis (QB), Ball State. Okay, I admit I’m a bit biased on this one, but it’s hard to overlook the numbers. Davis is the ONLY quarterback in Division I to be ranked in the top 10 in rating, yards, completions, completion percentage, and yards per attempt. Take that, ESPN analysts.

Week 4 NFL

2008-10-01T12:20:00.002-04:00

Week 4 has passed and there have been some surprises. Probably the one most people know is Tom Brady being out for the year. What most people don't know is that in his absence the Bills have gone undefeated so far and sit alone atop the AFC East. This week Jauron's Bill's face the Cards in the desert then have a bye. After the bye they face the Chargers. Then we'll see if this Bill's team is for real. Else where in the AFC is the red hot Tennessee Titans. Their Defense allows an average of 263 yards a game and have established themselves as the team to beat in the AFC. This week they have a tough matchup in what will most likely be a defensive game against the Ravens.

Over on the NFC the Rams just can't win and as a result the Rams fired coach Scott Linehan most likely due to the benching of quarterback Marc Bulger which drew criticism from running back Stephen Jackson. Linehan as coach had lost the last 17 of 20 games and had been outscored 147 to 43 this season. Linehan's three year stint in St. Louis gave him 8 million dollars and a 11 and 25 record. Defensive coordinator Jim Hasslet will take over the reigns and try to right the ship in St. Louis. Along with Scott Linehan's firing, Lane Kiffin was fired in Oakland. Proving that the black hole isn't the fans in Oakland, it's the franchise itself. The Raiders just can't seem to get anything right. Both the Rams and Raiders no less than ten years ago were on the top of the ladder in the NFL. Now they contend for the first round pick in the draft.

Some picks for week 5 The Eagles over The Redskins

I'll take Minnesota over the Saints

The Steelers over the Jacksonville

and my game of the week I will take The Ravens to hand the Titans their first loss.

Weekend Racing Recap

2008-09-29T17:58:00.004-04:00

While the temperatures are starting to cool off here in the Midwest, things are still hot in the racing world as we saw this past weekend. Of course, for most race fans, the big event on the weekend docket was race 3 of the 10 to be contested in the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. As has been the norm so far in "The Chase" this year it was a wild 400-mile affair with Jimmie Johnson, winner of the last two championships, beating Carl Edwards in an exciting final lap that saw Edwards bounce off of the turn four wall after just having passed Johnson for the lead.

Jimmie Johnson takes the win at Kansas Speedway

(AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

The victory gives Jimmie Johnson a ten-point lead as the series heads to Talladega Superspeedway this Sunday afternoon. Johnson has always been a strong second half performer and as the last two seasons have shown, once they get the lead, the 48 team is tough to beat.

Much closer to home than Kansas, the cars and stars of the USAC National Sprint Cars were a short trip down route 32 at the Winchester Speedway for their third and final visit to the famed high-banked, half-mile. With many of the legends of the sport looking on as part of "Oldtimers Weekend," 18-year old Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma wrote his own chapter in the history of the old track when he steered his Kasey Kahne Racing machine into victory lane. Further back in the field, Jerry Coons Jr. finished eighth and, with two-time and defending series champion Levi Jones coming home twelfth, took over the points lead by two heading into the final five races out west in just over a month.

In other racing over the weekend, two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso took the historic first ever Formula One night race in Singapore. Denny Hamlin was the NASCAR Nationwide Series race winner Saturday afternoon at Kansas Speedway. Saturday night I was behind the microphone for the final UMRA TQ Midget race of the season at the Mount Lawn Speedway in New Castle. In an exciting 50-lapper Brent Turner finished his rookie season with his third win while Terry Goff won his thirteenth UMRA Championship.

Watch out for a preview of this coming weekend's racing events later in the week!

NFL Draft Thoughts

2008-04-29T02:48:00.002-04:00

NFL Draft Winners:

Chiefs - Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, Brandon Flowers, Jamaal Charles. All steals. All Chiefs. End o' story, as White Goodman might say.

Cardinals - Quietly put together a solid draft. Snagged Dominique Rodgers (I refuse to use the addendum, the triple-named NFL players are getting ridiculous) a few picks after he was projected to go, added a couple of more guys who had been mentioned in the first round of mock drafts in Calais Campbell and Early Doucet, and bolstered their team.

Ravens - Joe Flacco, who in my opinion will be the best QB of the 08 class, Ray Rice (Ball State fans know all about him), and Tom Zbikowski - admittedly a biased pick because I'm an ND fan. Still, three pretty nice picks.

Bears - Although they didn't take a QB, which they should've done, they get one of the best linemen in Chris Williams, add a couple of decent MSU guys in Kellen Davis and Ervin Baldwin, and made a good pick with their final selection in Marcus Monk.

Giants - Got maybe the steal of the draft by landing a very good safety in Kenny Phillips at 31, then selected Mario Manningham, who would've gone higher without questions about his extracurricular activities. Andre Woodson had no business being available in round 6. Three great picks.

Losers:

Titans - Oh, boy. You desperately need a receiver to give Vince a target, already have LenDale White and Chris Henry at RB, so your first pick is...Chris Johnson. A guy who was a 1st round pick on...well...probably one board. The Titans'. Tennessee might as well run the option at this point.

Falcons - Any system that can result in Brady Quinn being passed over by everybody and their brother while Matt Ryan becoming completely irresistible despite one decent - not great, decent - college season is not a system I want to be a part of. I personally think Ryan will not be a very good pro. Trading back into the 1st round for Sam Baker, who likely would've been available for the Falcons' next pick, was also a little suspect.

Panthers - Carolina and Chicago's front offices, I am convinced, are purposely trying to prove you can win without a QB. That is the only explanation for why neither team took a QB. However, unlike Chicago, Carolina did not make a plethora of smart picks besides that, besides the Dan Connor pick in round 3. They took Jonathan Stewart over the superior Rashard Mendenhall at 13th, then traded their '09 1st rounder for a tackle, Jeff Otah, who I had honestly never heard of when I woke up that morning. The combination of no QB and the loss of their '09 1st rounder (probably a decently high pick since no one really believes Carolina's playoff-bound this year) puts them in this category.

10 Reasons to Not Get Discouraged About 2007-08 Ball State Men’s Basketball

2008-03-18T23:20:00.005-04:00

We all know the Ball State men’s basketball team was historically bad this year and that, barring an unfortunate mutation, its wins can be counted on two hands. But who likes a sour grape? As we take a final look at Cardinal basketball, let’s focus on some positives from the 2007-08 season.

10. The Cardinals finished the season on a bit of an upswing, relatively speaking. After earning just three wins in its first 22 games, Ball State proceeded to win three of its final eight, effectively doubling its win total. Ball State also went 3-3 in its last six MAC games to salvage a 5-11 conference record to go with its 6-24 overall mark.

9. Students didn’t walk away from home games empty-handed. In addition to gaining free admittance with a school ID, Ball State students received free t-shirts just for showing up to home games and filling the Nest. Anything that can stretch out laundry one more day is well worth the trip to Worthen Arena.

8. Six wins is not, in fact, the smallest win total in school history. The Cardinals went 5-17 under coach Jim Hinga in the 1959-60 season. The 1970-71 Cardinal club also won six games, amassing a 6-20 record under coach Bud Getchell.

7. A pair of freshman stepped into starting roles this year and delivered. Melvin Goins started 26 of Ball State’s 30 games on his way to being named to the MAC All-Freshman Team. Goins finished the season third on the team in points per game (8.0), first in assists per game (2.3), and first in steals (52). Malik Perry started all 30 games for the Cardinals and contributed 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. His low-post presence proved vital to an otherwise-undersized club.

6. A dismal record in a BSU head coach’s first season is not necessarily a sign of things to come. Steve Yoder took over the team in 1977 and coached the Cardinals to a 10-15 record. Just three years later, Yoder’s team won the 1981 MAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA. His Cardinals would go on to lose 93-90 to Boston College in the first round.

5. The Cardinals will have one of the top players in the MAC returning next year. Junior Anthony Newell led the team with 16.9 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game, and 10 blocks. Despite missing nine games due to injury, Newell was named to the All-MAC Honorable Mention squad. His points (16.8) and rebounds (8.1) per game in conference play ranked second and third in the league, respectively. If Ball State hopes to experience success next year, it will start with Newell.

4. The current Cardinal coaching staff is not in the process of being reprimanded for multiple NCAA rules violations, as last year’s staff infamously was. The charges against former coach Ronny Thompson, combined with his own claims that racially-offensive notes had been slipped under his office door, helped plunge the men’s basketball program to an all-time low. This year’s record on the court was worse, but least there was no record in the court.

3. Ball State played five NCAA tournament teams in Georgetown (#2 seed), Purdue (#6), Butler (#7), Kent State (#9), and Saint Joseph’s (#11). Although the Cardinals lost all five games, they fell to Big East regular-season champion Georgetown by just nine points and to MAC champion Kent State by just three in overtime. They also hosted the games against the Hoyas and the Bulldogs, both of which were nationally ranked for a majority of the season.

2. Peyton Stovall. A model of dependency, class, and humility throughout his five years in cardinal and white, Stovall oozes sportsmanship, and he’s got the resume to prove it. He was one of five national finalists for the 2008 Coach John Wooden Citizenship Cup and one of ten finalists for the Lowe’s Senior Class Award. In his Cardinal career, Stovall started more than 100 games, ranks second in school history in minutes played, and ranks tenth in school history in points. Ball State will miss much more than his 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, and the program is lucky to have graduated such a model student-athlete.

1. Despite their continuing post-season woes, the Cardinals, like this blog, prefer to be optimistic. Who really cares about the Big Dance, anyway? The Cardinals certainly don’t want to go dancing. It’s not worth the risk of Anthony Newell reinjuring his left foot while attempting the cha-cha.

Championship Games Begin

2008-03-08T22:20:00.001-05:00

Let the madness of March begin. The tournament field is now starting to take shape. The first team to clinch a spot in the tourney is the Cornell Big Red of the Ivy League. Every year the Ivy League gets a team into the NCAA tournament before any other conference because the league does not have a post season tournament. The league’s automatic bid goes to the regular season champion. This year it is Cornell, who ran the table in the regular season league play.

The Big Red finished 14-0 after defeating Princeton in the last game of the regular season71-64. Cornell finishes off the regular season 22-5. The only 5 losses for Cornell came to Duke, Syracuse, Bucknell, Colgate, and Ohio. With the exception of Colgate those are decent losses. The only home loss for the Big Red this season was to Colgate 76-73. Oddly enough the only home loss for Cornell was to the Colgate Raiders. Cornell has not lost a game since January 6^th at Cameron Indoor Stadium. On the flip side Cornell has not beaten any quality opponent. The four best teams Cornell played were Duke, Syracuse, Bucknell, and Ohio; they lost to all four of them for four of their five losses.

There will be three more teams to join Cornell today, so the Big Red will have their days of being the only team locked into this year’s tournament come to an end. Cornell has been locked into that spot since leap day, February 29^th. It was on that day that the Big Red took down the Dartmouth Big Green in a 75-59 rout. The championship games that are today are the Big South, Ohio Valley, and Atlantic Sun conference championship games.

The first championship game of the day is the rematch between the Winthrop Eagles and the North Carolina-Asheville Bulldogs. During the regular season UNC-Asheville took both match ups by a score of 71-56 at home in Asheville, North Carolina. Then the Bulldogs traveled to the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, South Carolina for the second game in this series and again came away with a lopsided victory with a 63-50 win. That loss was only the third home loss of the season for Winthrop. Both teams finished the regular season with a conference record of 10-4, but because of the season sweep by the Bulldogs they received the 1 seed in the conference tournament. The third game of the season between the two teams did not end the same way as the first two did. The Eagles avenged their two losses by going into Asheville and coming away with a 66-48 smack down of the Bulldogs. Winthrop gets the automatic bid to the tournament and has now made 4 consecutive NCAA tournaments.

The second ticket that is punched today came from the Ohio Valley conference. The game was between the #1 seed Austin Peay Governors and the #6 seed Tennessee State Tigers. The two teams split the season series but the Tigers outscored the Governors in the two games they played. Each team won at home but Austin Peay only managed a 79-78 nail biter on their home court. Austin Peay got the perks of being the number one seed by hosting their games in the Ohio Valley tournament. This time the Governors managed a much more comfortable game this time routing the Tigers by a score of 82-64. The Governors put their 14-4 regular season conference record on the line in the conference championship game in Nashville, Tennessee. This entire season was spent preparing for this game because last year Austin Peay lost in the OVC finals to Eastern Kentucky on a last second shot. The seniors that are on this year’s team were the juniors on that team that watched a lead in the last minute of the game slip away when they lost 63-61 in a thriller. This time the Governors put their opponent away to secure their 6^th tournament appearance and their first since 2003. Tennessee State was excited just to get to the finals. The Tigers beat the #2 and #3 seeds to get to this point. The last time the Tigers were in the OVC finals was 1998 and haven’t won the conference tournament since 1994.

The last team of the day to get sent to the big dance is the winner of the Atlantic Sun conference championship game. This was a match up of the Belmont Bruins and the Jacksonville Dolphins. The two best teams in the regular season will be deciding who goes to the NCAA tournament, go figure. The only meeting this season was a win by Belmont. Up 45-23 at the half the Bruins held on to earn another win, this one by a score of 79-61. The Bruins scorched the nets in their win. Belmont finished shooting 45 percent from 3 point range. Early on the Bruins were blazing the nets from everywhere on the floor but as the game came to a close the percentage took a nose dive from nearly 60 percent on field goals and 48 percent from three point range. Even so the Bruins will be in the NCAA tournament along with probably four other Tennessee teams. Austin Peay and Belmont are already in the big dance and another Nashville team (Vanderbilt) will likely join these two in the tournament. Just think, the state of Tennessee has three teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation and will more than likely have five teams in the NCAA tournament. Those teams should be Memphis, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Austin Peay and Belmont.

So far four tickets have been punched with 27 more automatic bids to follow in the coming week. Then on March 16^th the rest of the field of 65 will be finalized. It is just getting started.

The Time is Now

2008-03-04T21:37:00.002-05:00

Junior guard Porchia Green has been a big reason for the Cardinals' success this year (BSU Photo Services).

A year removed from being touted as the hottest team on campus, the Ball State women’s basketball team is once again showing signs of life.

The Lady Cards have rattled off four consecutive wins to even their record at 14-14 entering Wednesday’s home finale against Northern Illinois. Their 10-5 record in Mid-American Conference play is enough to put Ball State into a tie with Eastern Michigan for first place atop the MAC West Division. And with the Cardinals owning every conceivable tiebreaker over the Eagles, it’s win and…win (the division title).

While six players average at least eight points per game for the Cardinals, junior guard Porchia Green has almost singlehandedly kept the program on life support. Green’s constant presence on both ends of the court has helped offset the team’s lack of consistency. She currently leads the Cardinals in points (12.8 per game), rebounds (7.1 per game), assists (127), and steals (43).

Ball State also got a shot in the arm from sophomore guard Audrey McDonald on Saturday in its game against Western Michigan. Or, to put it literally, the team got nine shots from the arm of McDonald. Her nine three-pointers in a single game set a school record and tied a MAC record. McDonald now has 74 treys on the season, just four shy of the school single season mark. It seems as if these girls understand when to step it up.

Yet there still remains a significant gap between the Lady Cards and the hottest team on campus. That title now belongs to the men’s volleyball team, and rightfully so. Victories over their last five ranked opponents, including a sweep of 19-time NCAA Champion UCLA this past weekend, have earned the Cardinals a national ranking of #9. They sit atop the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association standings with a 5-1 conference record. We have a serious title contender here in Muncie! Can you dig it? Ian Peckler certainly can.

However, the Lady Cards are starting to look like the 24-7 team that qualified for the WNIT a year ago. They endured a subpar non-conference run to open the season, and with it, a great deal of disappointment in a team that – theoretically – had everything going for it. But after all the talk about a substandard season, the Cardinals are right where everyone expected them to be: in position to vie for the MAC West title. And in a sport where greatness is often defined by championships and entire seasons by postseason play, the Cardinals may still have their best basketball ahead of them.

That likely comes as good news to coach Lisa McDonald, who will direct the team into the MAC Tournament next week. Before that, however, the Cardinals will take the floor at Worthen Arena for the last time this season on Wednesday night. Come and salute the club’s two super seniors, Julie DeMuth and Lisa Rusche. The low-post powers have averaged a combined 22 points and 12 rebounds per game this year.

For Ball State women’s basketball, the time to believe is now. Players, coaches, and fans all know that anything can happen come tournament time. It’s March, and with the possible exception of hayfever, March Madness is what’s in the air.

National League Predictions....

2008-02-19T21:48:00.018-05:00

All logos copyright by Major League Baseball.

National League East

1.) New York - How can you NOT pick them to win the division? A historic collapse is the only thing that kept them out last season, and they improved their team. Having some guy named Santana essential take the place of Glavine is huge, both physically and mentally. Ryan Church is a nice add in RF. Hernandez and Martinez are health concerns, but Heilman can always be plugged into the rotation. Delgado should have somewhat of a rebound year. The closer spot, for me, really separates the Mets from the other two competitors in the East. It should be a fun pennant race.

2.) Atlanta - I’m going out on a limb here. Diaz had a monster season under the radar last year, and the team moved Renteria for Escobar, which lets you know what they think of their young shortstop. The rotation has question marks, mainly with Hampton, but I like it a little better than Philadelphia’s. A healthy Mike Gonzalez in the ‘pen will be nice. This team hung in the race last year, so don’t be surprised if they challenge for first this year. Jones needs to remain healthy for that to happen though.

3.) Philadelphia - I like the Phillies overall, but it’s a tough division. They have the three best hitters on any one team in baseball in Rollins, Utley, and Howard. Victorino is solid, but I have concerns about the rest of the lineup. Hamels is a stud, but you can’t be sure what you’ll get from the rest of the rotation. Even Lidge is somewhat of a question mark. Can Romero continue his midseason resurrection last year, and can Gordon stay healthy? He says he hasn’t felt this good since ’04. This team could very well win the division, but it won’t be given to them like last year.

4.) Washington - This is rather easy. They don’t belong with the big three, even with three Boones, but they are clearly better than Florida. They have several guys with questionable character on the team, but they do have talent. I doubt Young will have as good as season as last year, but the team has Johnson back this year, so they are strong at first base. It would be great to see Patterson stay healthy all season.

5.) Florida - No Cabrera and no D-Train? This really is Ramirez’s team. Hanley is an MVP-type player but has no one else in the lineup to protect him. Ugla must rebound from a less than stellar sophomore season. Maybin struggled last year during hiscall up but will have more of a chance to prove himself this year. Miller will show flashes of brilliance last year, but the team needs Sanchez to be healthy and shore up the rotation. Once again this team is rebuilding, but it might not be long before they’re good again.

National League Central

1.) Chicago - The only team with a descent starting rotation in the Central shouldn’t have too much of a problem in the league’s weakest (by far) division. A full year of Soto will be a plus. The bullpen is this team’s real strength. With Marmol, Wood, and Howry teams will have a tough go of it. It will be interesting to see how good Fukudome is and if he can stay healthy. I love Jon Lieber. I still think he has enough leftin the tank.

2.) Houston - This is the hardest league to predict, but I kinda like the lineup put together in Houston. Depends how Tejada does, but this could be a potent offense. Pitching is going to be weak, but they have a good closer in Valverde. This team made a lot of moves this offseason, but it won’t be good enough to even sniff the playoffs, but it just might squeeze out second in the division.

3.) Cincinnati - I picked this team second in the division last year, but I still think it can be a solid club. It has several young guys such as Bruce and Votto who will need to produce, but don’t underestimate the importance of Cordero in this weak division. Bailey will need to show dramatic improvement. The team loves Volquez, but was he worth Hamilton? The Reds could be the second best team in the division.

4.) Milwaukee - I love this lineup, except for Kendall, but the pitching will cause this to be a very disappointing year in Wisconsin. This team somehow managed to get worse during the offseason after a very solid ’07. They lost Cordero, Jenkins, and Linebrink and brought in the likes of Gagne, Kendall, and Mota. Plus, Cameron will have to sit out the first 25 games of the season. I think the Brew Crew will have an awful bullpen, and the starters aren’t strong enough to ease the load. They can’t afford for Sheets to get hurt again.

5.) St. Louis - Talk about a team in regress. There is little offense here aside from Pujols and Duncan and whatever Glaus can muster up. The Cardinals rotation is absolutely horrible. Reyes went 2-14 last year and Clement, who didn’t even pitch last season, isn’t expected to be ready for Opening Day. I’m really tempted to put them last, because I think the Pirates have a stronger rotation. It’s going to be a long summer in a city that loves its baseball.

6.) Pittsburgh - The team that finished last, last year, did absolutely nothing this offseason to get better. I think it has better starting pitching than several teams in the division but absolutely no offense. This whole division is a joke, but the Pirates may be the worst of the bunch. Wouldn’t surprise me if they climbed to fourth, but without any improvement, they have to be slated for sixth. Bay should have a rebound year, but, other than Sanchez, has no help.

National League West

1.) Arizona - By far the best division in baseball, I like the Diamondbacks again. I understand the offense was weak last year, but look at the roster. The only established players were Byrnes and Hudson, who both hit well. The rest are all young guys who gained valuable experience during last year’s playoff run. But even if guys like Drew, Upton, and Young don’t produce, the reason this team win’s the division is the stellar rotation. No team in the majors can compete with this rotation 1-5. Lyon will have to produce in the new closer role.

2.) Colorado - Last season’s N.L. champs are back again. The way this team gelled at

the end of the year is the reason they get placed so high in a tough division. The Rockies have the best lineup in the West, and they are a gritty team personified by Tulowitzki. Their young pitchers need to continue to mature, but like the D-Backs, they got invaluable playoff experience last season. It’s a good thing Torrealba came back.

3.) Los Angeles – Tough to pick them over the Padres, but I like the lineup better. Jones obviously has to hit better than last season, but Loney and Kemp could have bust-out years. The rotation will determine where this team places. If Schmidt is healthy and Kuroda is as-advertised this team can compete for first, or they could finish fourth. Lowe needs to stay consistent. Martin is the heart and soul of this squad.

4.) San Diego - The outfield is in decline, and no one on this roster really scares me. They all CAN hit, which says something, but there just isn’t enough pop. The rotation has lots of question marks like L.A. You know what to expect from Peavy and Young, but 3-5 could be All-Stars or could struggle to get through five innings. Neither would surprise me. How much does Hoffman have left? Missing the playoffs absolutely crushed him. Prior, Wolf, and Maddux have to produce.

5.) San Francisco - Clearly the worst team in a stacked division, there will be no more Barry Bonds drama this year….I think. There is precious little offense available and little power. The Giants do have some excellent young pitchers in Cain, Lowry, and Lincecum. If Zito can pitch consistently well, this can be a team to be reckoned with. But the pitching is going to have to be better than it will be to compensate for a weak offense.

Playoffs

I think there are eight teams with a legitimate shot at making the postseason: New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles, and San Diego. But the wild card goes to the defending champs, the Rockies.

NLDS

New York (1) OVER Colorado (4) - I think the Mets are just slightly better than Colorado in every area. The Rockies do have the charm of last season, but the Mets should be the better team. Having someone like Santana in the playoffs is huge. Just ask the teams that had to face Josh Beckett.

Arizona (2) OVER Chicago (3) - This will be close, but Arizona already showed that they can beat the Cubs last season. The young hitters must develop as planned to reach this point, but I think they will. The Diamondbacks have a fierce some rotation. Plus, Arizona should be ready for the playoffs after fighting for their division, but Chicago will have waltzed to theirs.

NLCS

Arizona (2) OVER New York (1) – I have to shake things up. At this point in the season, I expect Arizona’s young hitters to be in a groove, but the real reason they win is because of this: Webb, Haren, and Johnson. In the playoffs, with those three healthy, they should be unbeatable…….in the National League.

National League Champ: Arizona Diamondbacks

World Series Matchup: Detroit Tigers OVER Arizona Diamondbacks - No one should EVER pick an NL team over an AL team.

WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS: Detroit Tigers

2008 MLB Predictions - American League

2008-02-18T18:25:00.020-05:00

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I was pretty successful with last year’s regular season predictions, but it fell apart in the playoffs. Although I had Colorado finishing dead last in the West, I did have Arizona in the NLCS and picked five of the six division winners.

American League East

1.) Boston - How can you not pick the defending World Series champs when practically their entire team returns intact? Their rotation is somewhat suspect if they have to rely on Lester AND Buchholz (or Tavarez) instead of just one with Schilling being out. Trading Crisp for a SP could be a possibility, but if the Sox hold onto him, they could have the deepest outfield in baseball. If Schilling can return after the All-Star break, it could prove to be a huge momentum boost to the team. They should have the best bullpen in the majors.

2.) Toronto - Yeah.....this is going out on a limb, but this could be the year the Jays truly make a playoff push. Eckstein and Rolen are clear upgrades on the left side of the infield. Rolen should feel invigorated to get out of St. Louis. This team has no glaring weaknesses, but to finish second it will need Wells to hit much better than the .245 he hit last year. McGowan, Marcum, and Litsch are unspectacular but solid 3,4, and 5 starters to complement two studs in Halladay and Burnett. The return of B.J. Ryan should definitely help.

3.) New York - It was hard to not pick them second, and they could very well win the whole thing - especially when mid-season acquisitions are accounted for - but I think this is the year karma finally doesn’t go their way. They have no idea what they can expect from Pettitte or for that matter anyone in their rotation other than Wang. Mussina has nothing left, and Chamberlain could have to fill his role which would devastate the bullpen if that happens. Scouts say Jeter’s range gets shorter by the year, and I highly doubt Posada hits over .330 in two consecutive years. Although I think Girardi will eventually be an excellent hire, I’m predicting the team will miss Torre in Year One.

4.) Tampa Bay - They ain’t the Devil Rays this year so they won’t be finishing last. The Rays have three quality starting pitchers for the first time since.......well, ever. And clubhouse cancers Young and Dukes are gone. Floyd will prove a nice complement to Gomes at DH. If Percival can continue what he did in St. Louis last season, the closer role will be solid. Here’s to hoping that Longoria is everything he’s supposed to be. Has Pena really gotten it together now or was last season an aberration?

5.) Baltimore - Eeeek. No Tejada and no Bedard equals cellar dwellers for this club. Adam Jones could be fun to watch, but this team has no good position players aside from Markakis. This has to be the worst rotation in baseball. This team is building for the future and hopefully it works, because they haven’t been a factor since ‘97.

American League Central

1.) Detroit - I just can’t not pick this team. It’s loaded. I picked them to win it last year, and at the All-Star break they were the best team in baseball but faded after that. This is the best 1-9 lineup on paper that I have seen in my lifetime. I expect the rotation, including a rejuvenated Willis, to be fairly solid. The bullpen is weak, but...............look at that lineup! Renteria’s defense needs to be much better than the last time he played ball in the A.L. This team could always add a bullpen arm at the deadline.

2.) Cleveland - They were the second best team in baseball last year. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t have Josh Beckett, and this year the Tigers improved. This is basically the same team as last year. Hafner should have a better year, and Sabathia is playing in a contract year, which is a scary thought. They have a very good bullpen, but Borowski is scary- scary good and scary bad.

3.) Chicago - I don’t think this is a good team, but it’s better than the remaining two. I give them credit for trying to shake it up though. Cabrera will give some life to a lineup that is quite average. Swisher could be a positive influence in the clubhouse as well as the field. Linebrink is a solid addition to the ‘pen, but his contract borders on insane as his numbers continue to get worse. Dotel is good..........when he’s healthy enough to pitch. Ozzie says he’s going to be more strict this year. How will the team respond when they’re so used to him being so easy going. (No, not really).

4.) Minnesota - Losing Hunter and Santana and not being last in the division would be an accomplishment. Silva and Garza are also gone. Their season will depend a lot upon how well Liriano pitches after being out all last year. Except for Hernandez, the rest of the rotation is young. Young needs to have a monster year and an even better attitude. Too many questions about the rotation to put them above Chicago.

5.) Kansas City - The 1-3 starters are very solid. That’s about the only thing this team has going for it. Soria is an up-and-comer and so is Gordon, who should have a much better season than last year. I think 3-5 in this division are real close, but the Royals simply don’t have enough fire power in their lineup, and any team that starts Brett Tomko has to finish last. They should re-sign Reggie Sanders if for no other reason than his presence in the clubhouse.

American League West

1.) Los Angeles - This is another two-horse race but the Angels’ depth gives them the nod. They have four outfielders just as potent, if not better, than Boston’s. They might miss Cabrera, but they have Wood in waiting. Their rotation is very solid with all five starters having the ability to get a ‘W’ every time they go out. This team will need to stay healthy as they have several guys who have broken down in recent years. Sounds like K-Rod will be pitching mad and pitching for a contract. Other teams better be ahead going into the 9th.

2.) Seattle - So many A.L. teams have stellar 1-2 SP combinations, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Hernandez and Bedard are the best. This rotation is much better than last year’s and should match the Angels all year long. They too have an outstanding closer in Putz. Last year, I picked them last in the division and couldn’t figure out how they were keeping pace. I think their rotation is awesome, but still wouldn’t want to rely on anyone in the lineup other than Ichiro and Johjima. Vidro was relatively healthy last year. Think he can do it again?

3.) Texas - I’m really tempted to put Oakland here, because the Texas rotation is THAT bad. They have enough professionals in the lineup to hold onto third place though. Kinsler and Saltalamacchia need to step up and show they can be feared major league hitters. Too much would have to go right for this club to finish higher than third.

4.) Oakland - “Turn out the lights, the party’s over ” They’ll be back, but this is a rebuilding year. There’s no guarantee Blanton will be around after the All-Star break, heck or even Opening Day. Harden is a beast the 7 games a year he pitches but simply can’t stay healthy. Other than that, the rotation will be in trouble. You know they’ll have youngsters coming up to contribute, but there’s not way I can justify putting them anywhere besides last place. Probably will be the worst team in the American League.

Playoffs

I think there are seven teams who have legitimate postseason aspirations: Boston, Toronto, New York, Detroit, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Seattle. But the wildcard has got to go to Cleveland.

ALDS

Detroit (1) OVER Boston (3) - I just don’t trust Boston’s young rotation enough......yet. Although the same could be said for Detroit’s bullpen. Boston’s luck has to run out sometime.

Los Angeles (2) OVER Cleveland (4) - This is a tough call. Both teams appear to be evenly matched. I just like L.A. slightly more overall than Cleveland.

ALCS

Detroit (1) OVER Los Angeles (2) - I’m banking on the Tigers getting bullpen help at some point this season, unlike last year, and am going with the Tigers again. I think the Detroit rotation will be strong all year.....they’ll have to be.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMP: Detroit Tigers