NEW FORMAT

So, my first 5 posts disected a number of sports and I have decided to only focus on football from here on out. Talking about numerous sports takes a lot of time and dedication, but I just do not have the time to talk about everything. Don't get me wrong; I love all sports but I think football is America's true national passtime and focusing on the college and pro games is something that really excites me. I watch as many games as I can every weekend and have the help of NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL Network to get me even more coverage.

Plus, football was a no-brainer in accordance with the title of my blog.

Hike!

NFL, NBA and a Potential Baseball Catastrophe

Let me start out by talking about what happened last night in Philadelphia. The Phillies had the opportunity to finish off the Rays and win the championship, but inclement weather ruined the game. Rain poured heavily, drenching the field so much that puddles settled in the infield. Mighty winds carried the ball in different directions. At one point B.J. Upton stole 2nd base in the 5th inning and, to use announcer Tim McCarver's words, "hydroplaned" into the bag. The conditions were ridiculous and Bud Selig should be ashamed. He seemed like he had no clue what he was doing and did not even look at weather reports. Maybe FOX was pushing for the game to be played, but these kinds of events cannot happen in a possible clinching game to win a title. The next game will attempted to be played Wednesday, Oct. 29.

Football
After another weekend in the NFL, it is very difficult to distinguish who will make the playoffs and who will miss it. The Titans continue to get great play from their defense and running game, continuing their run as the only undefeated team in the league. Here are some other thoughts:

- The Chargers fired defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell today following a loss to the Saints in London in which San Diego looked like the Lions on defense. Looks like a sign of desperation for a team many picked to win the Super Bowl
- The Colts, after losing last night to the Titans on Monday Night Football, are looking at their division slipping away and a possible playoff berth slipping as well. Peyton Manning looks different since his knee surgeries
- The Giants are still the best team in the NFL...you gotta beat the best to be the best
- The NFC East is still the best division in football and this past weekend showed it

Hoops
The NBA kicks off tonight and all everyone is talking about is a Celtics/Lakers rematch in the finals. Let's face it - such a matchup can very well happen again one year later. The Celtics only lost James Posey, who was a great role player, but they still have a good bench and maturing players in Leon Powe and Glen Davis. The Lakers get back a healthy Andrew Bynum, a player who had the highest field goal percentage in the league last year before he got injured. And they still do have this one dude named Kobe. 'Nuff said.

So who can beat the Celtics in the East? The biggest challengers have to be the Cleveland Cavs. They have a superstar in LeBron James who isn't too shabby either. LeBron now has a solid scoring guard beside him in Mo Williams, a player who can score 20 points a game. He did not have that kind of help last year yet they still made it to the 7th game of the Eastern Conference Finals.

You still have the New Orleans Hornets continuing to mature in the West and the Detroit Pistons as stalwarts in the East. The Blazers are trying to break through as a young team with solid talent, but will Greg Oden stay healthy?


On a final note, I attended the Michigan/Michigan State football game last Saturday at the Big House in Ann Arbor. I have to say it was one of the greatest games I ever attended. The atmosphere was electric and my team obviously devoured the competition. Rich Rod has been choking like A-Rod in crunch time. Will he ever succeed running a spread offense with a slow white guy? Will he succeed with cornerbacks who cannot stop anybody? Maybe Mark Dantonio is starting a new trend and turning the table in the state. We can only hope. At least I only hope so.

You Gotta SEC This!

In Saturday's game (10/18) between LSU and South Carolina a funny incident happened along the way. It is hilarious....here is the link (with already 4 million plus hits): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcdWdBgUBqw

Wowzers. Was that Terry Tate posed as an SEC referee? Although, if you look closely at the play, it seems like the ref intentionally knocked Garcia down. It is all there in slow mo...he shuffled his feet like a linebacker and put his shoulder down like Brian Urlacher.

All I know is that the South Carolina QB must have been dogged by a lot of his close friends. I mean, he did get knocked down by a REFEREE.

Who's Hot, Who's Not

Can you smell that? Can you? Ahhh...fall is upon us and the world of sports is in full swing. There are those dog days of summer when basketball finishes, hockey finshes, NFL players report to training camp and baseball is barely halfway through. But the last few months of every year is a new thrill - it is like a pregnant woman knowing she is going to have a baby but she doesn't know when the bundle of joy is going to pop out. We all know what is upon us, but we have no clue what will unfold in the long run. I am diving into the minutia faster than Ronnie James Dio at the Headbanger's Ball. Oh, and I promise not to mention the Dallas Cowboys this week. Since they didn't show up against the once lowly Rams they aren't showing up in my column. I did just say I wouldn't talk about the Cowboys. Ah, hell...

Rays Your Fists in the Air
A wild ALCS Game 7 has come and gone and I cannot say how thrilled I am to see the Red Sox lose. Not only because Bill Simmons praises every New England team as if he gets residuals for salivating about them in his columns, but let's face it people: The Boston Red Sox are the new New York Yankees. You know, the Yankees won those championships under Joe Torre and everyone outside of New York wanted to stick a fork in their eyes. Every year was the same..."Will the Yankees win the World Series? Who has the best chance of beating the Yanks? Who are they paying millions to this offseason?" and on and on.

Suddenly everything changed. Down 3-0 to the mighty Yankees, the underdog (and much rooted for) BoSox pulled off one of the most amazing comebacks in sports history and beat the Messiah. They ended up winning the title that year and then added more hardware last season.

Then everyone hated them. They had all these great players and all everyone talked about was "Sox versus Yanks" (spoken using my best Wilbon impression). Sort of like the Patriots last year. I know I wanted nothing more than to see a gigantic upset and it happened and it was the
second most watched program in United States history! People love the underdog (no, not you John McCain). Of course I am talking about the Tampa Bay Rays.

The World Series starts Wednesday in Florida. The Phillies have been waiting in the wings for days after dismantling L.A. After seeing the Rays win the AL East, the best division in baseball, and holding off Boston when they had all the momentum in Game 7, I am a believer. Seeing young guys like Longoria, Upton and Price should make Rays fans happy for years. They have a strong franchise in place for the future. If Garza and Kazmir can pitch like they did in the ALCS then you have to give them the nod to win it all. I see another Game 7 looming ahead.

Vince Who?
When Kerry Collins replaced Vince Young a few weeks ago, coach Jeff Fischer had hope in the veteran. His hope has obviously paid off. With a strong running game featuring impressive rookie Chris Johnson and the big back out of SC, LenDale White, Collins hasn't had to win games for the Titans. He is sort of like the school bus driver just trying to drive straight and make sure everyone gets to their destination safely. And I didn't even mention the monstrous defense, featuring Albert Haynesworth and the rejuvenated Javon Kearse. Jeff Fischer is consistently one of the best coaches in the NFL and his undefeated team should not be a big shock.

However, all of that means NOTHING. The Titans have beat teams with a combined winning percentage under .500. And now a huge, huge matchup is taking place on Monday Night Football. Peyton and Co. are coming to the Music City. If the Colts lose they are an unprecedented 4 games back in the AFC South. It is a do-or-die game for the Colts if they want any chance to win the division. The Titans can back up their weak schedule and make a statement, but Peyton Manning on Monday night is no cupcake.

Sure, Marvin Harrison looks like he needs a cane on half the snaps and Joseph Addai has had injury problems. The offensive line isn't helping that much either. But counting the Colts out this early is a big mistake. They aren't the same team that won the Super Bowl a couple years back, but they still have the core group that got them there. And Tony Dungy.

NBA Preview Continued...
I talked a little bit about the NBA last time and threw out a prediction that Greg Oden will lead the Blazers to the postseason. This time I am talking about the defending champs, the Celtics. I hate it how I always seem to come back to Boston. Oh well.

The Celts are the team to beat. They beat Kobe and the Lakers after almost losing to the lowly Atlanta Hawks in the 1st round of the playoffs. Doc "I don't know what I'm doing" Rivers coached up three players who could never win a title. ESPN's NBA analysts have all picked the Celtics to finish 1st in the Atlantic Division and 1st in the Eastern Conference. There is no reason why any of that should not happen.

Yeah, the Celtics have lost James Posey to New Orleans. Posey was a solid defender, clutch shooter (especially from 3 point land) and was the king of the multi-colored mouthguard. Nobody on the Celtics can replace Posey at his position, but the emergence of guys like Leon Powe and Rajon Rondo can give Rivers a little sigh of relief.

Surely LeBron wants another crack at the C's. I wouldn't count out the experienced Pistons to make another run with a new, more disciplined coach in Michael Curry. No team has repeat since the Lakers at the start of the millenium and that team had 2 players that will go down as 2 of the best ever, regardless of position. More NBA to come as the season nears...

In other news, Cincinatti Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers is showing his friends and family how to eat through a straw. In Sunday's game he got decked, blindsided, jacked up, whatever you want to call it. Rivers is out for the year with a broken jaw. Hines Ward, the biggest little wide receiver in the league, shows again why he is one of the baddest mamma-jammas in the NFL.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCsDdIWvx3o

Ouch. Until next time people.

Deja Vu?

What a weekend in sports! Football fans, both college and pro, enjoyed a weekend of down-to-the-wire finishes and big upsets. And we almost saw a late timeout rear its ugly head on Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

The Dallas Cowgirls
"The team to beat"..."The most talented team in the entire league"..."They only got better in the offseason." All of these are descriptions for the Dallas Cowboys, the most underachieving 4-2 team in recent memory. After suffering an overtime loss to the once-lowly Arizona Cardinals (after scoring 10 points in the final three minutes) one weekend after almost losing to the (still) winless Cincinnati Bengals, I am sure owner Jerry Jones is having convulsions. Coach Wade Phillips should be held accountable as the coach, but the players are the ones who need to take responsibility for such poor play. Terrell Owens still pouts when he doesn't get looked at downfield, the secondary is full of talent and still allows many catches and now Tony Romo may be out to a month with a fractured pinky finger. They play the Rams, Bucs and Giants in the following three weeks with backup QB Brad Johnson at the helm. He did win a Super Bowl in Tampa, but that was years ago and he had an amazing defense. That Week 9 "bye" is looking pretty important for the 'Boys right about now.

NO-klahoma!
It was another crazy Saturday when many ranked teams lost, including LSU, Vanderbilt, Missouri and of course Oklahoma. Texas is the new #1 in the AP poll, vaulting past idle Alabama. The Longhorns deserve the ranking as they did beat the #1 team in the Sooners. Colt McCoy has really matured over the past season and is poised to bring a title back to Austin, a la Vince Young. Texas still has many tough opponents ahead, including Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. However, with the amount of ranked teams and parity in the Big 12, it must be considered as the best conference in the country. Usually the SEC reigns supreme, but this year's Big 12 crop is nothing to laugh at - it is actually something to fear. This year is becoming just as wild as last year. I guess the BCS has payed off for Myles Brand and the NCAA - at least in the entertainment department. The national champion could come out of the Big 12 conference this year, but then again, stranger things have happened.

NBA Preview 08 Extravaganza!!!
It is almost that time of year - seeing a player soar through the air, dunking a basketball while dousing their opponent under the rim with sweat from the pelvic area of his baggy gym shorts. Hoops season brings up a lot of questions. Is Shaq finally finished? Are the Blazers actually going to make the playoffs? Will the New Orleans Hornets get over the hump? Will the Boston Celtics repeat with a weaker roster? Many questions but no answers. Bold Prediction: I think the Blazers, if Greg Oden stays healthy, make the playoffs as an 8th seed. Brandon Roy is a gamer, LaMarcus Aldridge is good on the glass and Jarrett Jack is underrated in the point guard position. Nate McMillan is a talented coach and will motivate his young guns to step it up and finish games. There is always some team that breaks out of the mold and surprises everyone. It happened with Golden State a couple years ago and with the Hornets last year. The Blazers will blaze their way into the postseason, barring any health setbacks. Greg Oden is the real deal AND he looks 12 years older than LeBron James. Will somebody check their birth certificates? It is getting close to a Danny Almonte situation. More to come next time...

What to watch for:
Who will win a damn game first, the Detroit Lions or the Cincinnati Bengals? The Lions lost late (what a shocker) against the Vikings, whose own fans chanted for the firing of head coach Brad Childress. Yikes. The Bengals have no Carson Palmer, but they are playing hard. Ask the Cowboys. Till next time...

The Inaugural Post

Welcome to the blog! It has been something I have wanted to do for awhile and I finally got a chance to get it going. I could talk about sports for hours so I figured I should get my thoughts into the wide open. So whynot make a blog? Let's get to the fun stuff:

The NFC B-East
What a year it has already been in the National Football League. There have been big injuries, undefeated teams, winless teams, firings and a lot of parity. The biggest story thus far has to be the NFC East division. The four teams within the division (Eagles, Giants, Redskins, Cowboys) are a resounding 14-5, with the Eagles possessing three of the five losses. It is difficult in today's age of parity to have three teams in one division combining for only two losses, one of which was the Cowboys losing to, who else, the Redskins. And a large amount of credit should be given to the Giants, a team looking like it wants to be back in the spotlight in February. Putting up 44 points on the hapless Seattle Seahawks? Without Plaxico Burress?! Eli Manning has really come into his own in less than a year. Quite amazing.

McCarver vs. Manny
Manny Ramirez has made the Dodgers a legitimate threat to reach the World Series, which in itself is amazing when you consider how much he was maligned in Boston throughout the last few months of his tenure. Tim McCarver cited Manny's behavior as "dispicable," which may be a little too hard considering many of us do not know what was going on behind the scenes between Ramirez and the Red Sox front office. Yeah, Manny dogged a few plays because he wasn't given the money in Beantown. But when you consider Manny's career any logical person has to realize that he is one of the best right-handed hitters in baseball history. I understand McCarver's perspective because he is "old school." He was a hard knock. But if you can swing a bat like a golf club and hit a towering home run at Wrigley Field in the postseason, you are alright in my book.

Seeing Red?
Hockey season is about to be under way. Yes! Being from Michigan, hockey is in my blood. I obviously bleed red and white because of the NHL's best team, the Detroit Red Wings. There is no denying the amount of talent and experience the Wings have. They have Selke trophy winners, multiple Conn Smythe trophy winners, Lady Byng trophy winners and a six time Norris trophy winner (Nicklas Lidstrom). Oh, one more thing: EXPERIENCE. They were barely rattled in last year's postseason and went on to smother Sid the Kid's dreams. They have all the same talent back, but the disgusting aspect is how they also acquired a perennial goal-scorer in Marian Hossa. After Hossa was devoured in the Finals last year, he decided to sign a one-year deal to join his former enemy. He, along with Ty Conklin, made the choice to join a team that is always on or near the top of the standings, always in the playoffs and usually a team always mentioned to reach the Finals. I honestly believe the Red Wings will be back in the Finals again this season. Call me a homer if you'd like, but I am looking at the facts. The roster got better (which is rare after a Cup winning season) and they still have every other team's number. A rematch of last year's Finals could be a possibility as well because Sidney Crosby will surely be motivated after last year's somber ending. But when a team has four formidable lines as Detroit does, you put the money in their corner. Plus, they were the last NHL team to repeat (in 97 and 98).

What to watch for:
The Red River shootout between #1 Oklahoma and #5 Texas. We all get to see two of the best quarterbacks in the game in Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. They have "NFL" written all over them.