STR (Clemson Tiger) and Matt Melton's (Wake Forest Demon Deacon) view on Sports - www.SportsTalkRocks.com

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Reese and Matt's Spread Picks For Week 1

If you check out www.vegasinsider.com you can see the opening lines for Week 1 games in College Football. Keep in mind, I don't claim to be a professional gambler or expert, but I do love watching spreads go up and down and try to figure out what the men in Vegas are thinking and how they are coming to their conclusions. Matt and I will go through each week and just give you my input on a few games with ACC/SEC related teams participating on the spread and who to take.

Reese's Picks 1. (-7.5) Notre Dame @ GA Tech - Take Notre Dame to cover this 8 point spread - Reality is reality, Reggie Ball is a below average QB, Bobby Dodd Stadium is about as intimidating as a high school stadium, and whereas last year's Notre Dame team thought it could be good, this year's version knows it can and should be great. 30 years ago the jackets beat Notre Dame 23-14, and the jackets accomplished that by never throwing 1 single pass, true story. Well I think it's safe to say Notre Dame will get their payback this coming Saturday.

2. (-6.5) South Carolina @ Miss. State - Take Miss. State to cover this 6.5 point spread - Interesting that the line opened up at 8, now it's dropped to 6.5. I think the cocks will come out a little hungover from their Independence Bowl loss to Missouri. Home field advantage will play a big part and Miss. State will surprise some people this year.

3. California @ Tennessee (-2.5) - Take Tennesse to cover this 2.5 point spread - California bears are pre-season ranked #9, they just took a major hit with the loss of starting cornerback Tim Mixon who blew his ACL, I don't see them winning in knoxville, I take Tenn to cover the 2.5 spread.

4. Syracuse @ Wake Forest (-15.5) - Take Syracuse to cover this 15.5 spread - You got to ask yourself....what exactly has happened to Syracuse over the years? Syracuse may suck, but Wake isn't blowing anyone out.

5. Florida State @ Miami (-3.5) - Take Florida State to cover this 3.5 spread - This game will be a struggle offensively for a while, and I don't know if FSU wins this or not, but I do see them covering the spread.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt's Picks 1. Mississippi St +6.5 vs South Carolina - I definitely think this game will be close, and if it was a tad higher, say 8 or 9 points I'd take the Bulldogs. This will be a low-scoring affair, but I think USC wins by a touchdown.

2. Tennessee -2.5 vs. Cal - The Volunteer Navy be sinking. Tennessee won't finish with a losing record this season, but Cal is a legitimate top 10 team and they will knock off Tennessee in Knoxville.

3. Georgia Tech +7.5 vs. Notre Dame - As the Jackets say, in Dodd We Trust. Bobby Dodd Stadium will be rocking on Saturday night. Georgia Tech has a very good defense, and as long as Reggie Ball doesn't give the game away the Jackets will be right there. If he plays well, Tech will win. At any rate, they will cover.

4. Wake Forest -15.5 vs. Syracuse - My Deacs are favored by quite a large margin in this game. It ain't Duke, so they ain't covering.

5. Miami -3.5 vs. Florida State - Miami is missing 4 players for this game. As usual, this one will end in a missed field goal for Florida State. At least the Noles cover.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006


Let's get it on sports fans and gamers. Last week was Merry MaddenOliday. All I have to say is Bah Humbug. To all who have and played Madden the day it came out, BOO! I tried talking my wife into buying an XBOX 360 and she is not focused on the goal at hand. What is that goal you ask? To become the best Madden gamer this side of the Mississippi. The South will rise again to claim the Madden Bowl. No really I just want the opportunity to wax the floor with Michael and Joshua. However, in the mean time I will continue to keep it classy and go to Best Buy and act like I am shopping when we all know that I am just getting my game on for FREE!
.......Keep It Classy.......

P.S. Good luck Mr. Alexander in the upcoming season. Sorry you didn't make my fantasy team this year. I heard about that Madden curse!

Let's Look It Up

Well considering that someone has already devoted a blog to Danny Ford (http://dannyfordisgod.blogspot.com/) I will go ahead and assume that out of these 4 coaches, he goes down as the best. When it comes to Hatfield, West, and Bowden ..... when talking to friends, they pretend as if Hatfield was not that good of a coach. Well today, we are going to look at the numbers for all of these 4 coaches.

Coach-----------#Years------Games----Won----Lost----Tied---Pct
Danny Ford --------------11.1------------120---------96--------29---------4------.760
1978-1989
Ken Hatfield---------------3.9-------------46----------32--------13----------1------.707
1990-1993
Tommy West---------------5.1-------------59----------31--------28---------0-------.525
1993-1998
Tommy Bowden------------6--------------73----------44--------29---------0-------.603
1999-present
Now if you would like to go ahead and assume that Clemson wins 11 ballgames this year, then that would make Bowdens statistics look like so - Games - 86...... Win - 55...... Lost - 31 ...... Pct - .640
Either way, the thing that just has to make you scratch your head is when you look at Ken Hatfield's stats. 32-13 with a winning percentage of .707. Who was the Athletic Director at the time that fired him? Robinson? So I ask you today, who was a better coach while at Clemson. Of course, we need to take in mind that the ACC is a tougher conference now than what it was back in the early 90's. You tell me in which order do they rank.
1. Ford --------------------------------------------- 1. Ford
2. Bowden-----------------------O---------------- 2. Hatfield
3. Hatfield-----------------------R---------------- 3. Bowden
4. West--------------------------------------------- 4. West

Monday, August 28, 2006

Even Though Willy Korn Threw 3 Interceptions This Weekend .... He Could Still Start For South Carolina

Yes, believe it or not, the kid in the picture above is already better than South Carolina quarterback Blake Mitchell. Carolina fans over the weekend were running their mouth saying "Will Korn sucks, he threw 3 interceptions." One word that I have to say to that - bitter. And understandbly so.

If you honestly believe South Carolina QB Blake Mitchell is a better QB than Will Korn right now, you are dead wrong. Thing about it is, there's a great chance that Will Korn may already be better than Will Proctor at Clemson, but I won't go there. He's definitely a better athlete than Mitchell is and some will say that he already throws a better ball than Blake Mitchell.
Contributor Joshua Richards told me last night that Korn doesn't have that strong of an arm, and he doesn't think he's that good. Joshua Richards also went on to say that Korn reminds him of Phil Petty - he can only throw lob passes. Joshua....just because he threw 3 interceptions yesterday doesn't mean that much, that's only one game, he'll probably go the rest of the year without throwing another interception

I think you and I can agree on that Contributor Joshua Richards is a buffoon. Well, actually he also said last night that California and West Virginia will play in the national championship this year as well. It's okay, he's a South Carolina grad, I'm sure he was "high" on something when he said that. What do you think about Will Korn?
Could Will Korn Start Over Blake Mitchell Right Now?
Yes
No

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Do These Gamecocks All Look High To You Or What? Say Spurrier Is Tough On Discipline, I Dare Ya


Unlike last year, we haven't really seen much trouble come from the gameock camp this year. Last year in the papers we were reading lines like these: "Along with Johnson and Erving, nine other current or former Gamecock football players have been arrested on charges ranging from domestic violence to grand larceny since the end of last season. Also, running back Demetris Summers was dismissed from the team for violating a university rule."

It's good to finally see the Gamecock program cleaned up, or at least ..... I thought they were cleaned up. What were these guys smoking before they arrived to get their picture taken? Ty Erving, who was arrested last year, located in the top right hand corner was involved in violating team rules again this year! A couple of weeks ago, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier announced that wide receiver Noah Whiteside and safety Ty Erving will miss the first three games of the season for violating university policy. Spurrier also told reporters at his golf outing that the underlying cause of the suspension was academics and that Whiteside isn't eligible now but could be if "he passes everything at the end of the summer."

Why hasn't this Erving guy been kicked off the team yet? I just .... I don't understand. I like how this world is full of 2nd chances and all, but he's already received a 2nd chance. I would like to say that Spurrier has really cleaned up the program in Columbia, but after seeing this ..... I just can't bring myself to do it. USC will never get their program truly turned around until they clean their act 100% ..... not 88.5%.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

QB Controversy In Columbia?


Chris Smelley--------------------------------Blake Mitchell
6-3 / 206 pounds--------------------------6-3 / 212 pounds


The simple answer to this question is no...... at least not this year. I can see it now, USC will beat MSU by 3 points and Mitchell will have had just a horrible game. There will be tons of USC fans complaining and asking why isn't Chris Smelley playing. Smelley has the potential to be a great QB at USC. He has looked good in practices and in scrimmages. Like I said, he has potential. However, potential has never won a football game. Below I am going to list a few reasons why Blake Mitchell will start every game this year barring injury.

1. Smelley is a freshman - If you are a freshman that means that you have never been in a college game right? I know Smelley was a big deal in Alabama but he has never played in front of 80,000 people screaming so loud you can't hear. Never seen the athletes you will see on defense in the SEC. Never played a game on national television or felt the pressure that comes along with that.

2. Blake Mitchell produces - Blake completed about 60% of his passes for 2,370 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also threw 12 interceptions. I'm not a betting man but... wait a minute yes I am. I bet you Mitchell will throw for over 20 touchdowns this year and only 7 interceptions. Why you may ask. He has a year under his belt of seeing tough competition. He is more familiar with what Spurrier is trying to do. And he has Sidney Rice.

Now, I'm not saying Smelley will not play. I am just saying he will not start one game all year. If we want Smelley to be a great QB he has to play. I am going to make my prediction that Smelley will see his first action with 8:05 left in the 4th quarter of the Mississippi State game. So if Mitchell has a poor game at some point in the season don't call for his head. He is a good QB. Let's save the controversy talk for next year.

So.........I'm Really Not Digging The New NFL Referee Uniforms


Old Uniforms------------------New Uniforms

You're thinking it, I'm thinking it, and everyone in the broadcast booths are thinking it too. So I'm going to say it one time for all of us ....... "The new referee uniforms are terrible." There.....it's said.

This might be pretty dumb to post about, but I seriously don't like the new referee uniforms. I don't know whose decision it was to make this move or what the reasoning was behind it, but I demand today that they go back to the old ones. Was it the beer commercials with referees that forced them to change their look? Or was it just a new "cool and hip" style that all the young kids are moving towards and I'm just out of the loop on? Whatever it is, they need to change it back, do you like the new ones better than the old ones?

Monday, August 21, 2006

The Language Of Basketball


Sure basketball was created in the United States, however basketball is not dominated by Americans at the moment. The rest of the world has taken the game by the throat and decided to hold it for ransom. Flashback... 2004 Olympics: Who would have ever thought Bronze medals? Not me since I was able to see the DREAM TEAM mop the floor with the world by 36 ppg on their way to Gold. What happened to digging deep and bitch slapping the other teams for even thinking about taking our shine. I am so glad that we went out and grabbed Coach K for the World Games this year. I am a DUKE fan through and through and believe in his teachings as a coach. I watched USA VS. Puerto Rico this morning at 1 am as my wife snored away. It seemed intense on that court. I saw Mr. Arroyo get a little frustrated with King James a time or two. I think it is safe to say this year's TEAM has some balls. The three godfathers (Wade, Anthony, James) will not go through another ceromony that involves Bronze around their necks. Gold or Bust!.......Keep it Classy!

Friday, August 18, 2006

Yahoo College Football Pick Em' Group



Yahoo College Football Pick Em' Website
Group ID#: 215 Group Password: football


Overview
Yahoo! Sports College Football Pick'em is a free game that runs during the college football regular season.
The pick'em game will begin with the Top 25 contests played on Saturday, September 3. All you have to do is enter your selections each week. You'll get points for every correct pick you make.


Confidence Points System
You are picking the winners straight up, not using the spread, but we are using confidence points. Confidence points are used to give different weight to each of the games during a given week. You will assign a point value (from 1 to 15 if there are 15 games, 1 to 14 if there are 14 games, etc.) to each game based on how strongly you feel about the accuracy of your selection. If your selection is correct, you will receive points equal to the confidence point value you associated with that game.
So, if you pick Penn State to beat Notre Dame and assign the game a confidence point value of 15, you would get 15 points for a correct pick, but no points if Notre Dame wins. You do not lose points for an incorrect selection. Each week's points will be tallied, and the player finishing with the highest total at the end of the year will be the winner of the group. Each confidence point value may be used only once per week. So, during a 15-game week, after you have assigned 15 points to a game, your next highest available value is 14 points. Only Private Groups can elect to incorporate confidence points. This is free to play and free to join our group.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Forget Al Queda, We Need To Worry About Lonny

...

Osama had no comment when asked about Baxters ties to Al Queda

Former Maryland basketball star Lonny Baxter was arrested Wednesday by the secret service for firing shots near the White House. Let's take a minute for this to sink in. You read correctly, the secret service! I'm no sports historian but this has to be the first time an athlete has been arrested by the secret service for firing shots near the White House. Come on now Lonny!! I think that Lonny is one of these guys that just needs to experience everything. He won an NCAA national championship, I am sure with this came lots of sexual conquests, he played in the NBA, became a millionaire and then he realized he had accomplished almost everything. Everything that is, except being arrested by the secret service.

Ok, so Lonny wasn't actualy shooting at George W. Bush but still he was close enough to know better. He was arrested shortly after 2:30 a.m. I guess it is true what my mom says, "Joshua there is nothing but trouble after 12:00 a.m." Lonny had just signed a deal to play in Italy after being released by the Charlotte Bobcats. I'm not sure about going to Italy Lonny. Since you are shooting guns around the president of the Unitd States maybe you should play in France!

New Contributor Troy Gantt: The Second Coming, Bobby Cremins & Air Jordans XXII

Coach Cremins has been able to re-recruit Jermaine Johnson. Coach Cremins made a cross-country trip to Los Angeles to meet with Johnson and his family at their home. My sources have confimed that Johnson was quoted as saying "That made a big impact. That let me know he actually cared. That let me know he cared about me, he cared about my family, he cared about the team" If that is not proof that a coach can begin to make team better then I do not know what is proof. Only time will tell if this program is ready for a hall of famer to whip them in to shape. --------------- Keep it classy!
_______________________________________
For All My Sneaker Heads
Air Jordans XXII
Coming Out Soon!
Scheduled to release early 2007
Will these Air Jordan's be an addition to your collection?
Yes
No
Not A Chance In .....
Check out my blog at http://newsonthestreet.blogspot.com

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Rod Gardner: He Doesn't "Push," He Just Does A Good Job Creating Space Inconspicuously

South Carolina fans whining and screaming about as loud as a bunch of little girls at a New Kids On The Block concert because of the Rod Gardner catch back in 2000 still goes on even today. Well I'm here today to end it. We are finally going to put that game, the catch, and all the film to it to rest. This will be the last time you S. Carolina fans and Clemson fans will be able to watch it. So for the South Carolina fans who still lose sleep from this Rod Gardner catch, I will say this: there was contact on both sides. That call usually goes to the home team. I can see where it was questionable, but whining about it is ridiculous.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

It's Almost Time!

It's almost that time people. Of course I speak of college football. It's a special time of year. It's one of the few times you can drink beer on the fairgrounds with old and underage people alike and let's not forget the 4 year old girls wearing I love COCKS t-shirts . I am here to make one thing clear to everyone. When USC prepares to play Auburn they will be ...... .
4-0.........
.
I don't want to predict to far into the future but I feel very confident that USC will be 4-0 and of course I am going to tell you why.
.
1. Mississippi State- With all do respect to my good buddy Michael Reese, who seems to think the Miss. State game may be a trap.... this game is going to be a laugher. Sure, they have a lot of starters coming back but they are not very good. Congratualtions guys! You beat Ole Miss last year but then again beating Old Miss is kind of like being the smartest kid in special ed, it just doesn't matter. USC 38 - Miss State 10
.
2. Georgia - The Georgia game always seems to be a tough game and USC always seems to be right there and make silly mistakes that cost them the game. I believe this year will different. Georgia's starting quarterback will be suspect as well as their secondary. The 2 starters from lst year are gone as well as the projected starter. (suspended for 2 games) Steve Spurrier will have a game plan ready to take the Bulldogs down in front of 80,000 rowdy gamecock fans. USC 17 - UGA 14
.
3.Wofford- I will always be partial to the Terriers. However, even a few years ago when the Terriers made it to the semi-finals they were no match for a South Carolina team and this years Terriers team is weak to say the least. They are not even top 3 this year in the Southern Conference USC 42 - Wofford 9
.
4. Florida Atlantic - I know, I know.... the beginning of the schedule is a little weak. However the Georgia win will help people to forget that. The Florida Atlantic game will be nothing more than an opportunty to tweak the offense and get ready for Auburn with a chance to go 5-0. USC 31 - Florida Atlantic 17

Monday, August 14, 2006

How Much Will Clemson Miss This Guy?

By the end of his career, there were a lot of Clemson fans who were glad to see Charlie Whitehurst go. Glad you say?? Yes ..... believe it or not, they probably took a swig of Steve Spurrier kool-aid and took a hit off of Syvelle Newton's bong first before they said it, but they did say that they were glad to see Charlie go! I'm proud to say that I was not one of those.

No offense to Will Proctor. He'll be a great QB for us this year and may very well fit into the Rob Spence system better than Charlie however ........ If we run into a game as we did last year (Miami) where our short/quick screen plays and running game are stopped, we have to have a QB that can throw it and throw it well. (Not saying that Will can't throw good, I'm sure he can, but I doubt if he can throw as good as Charlie could)
Now hopefully...... between our Defense being so strong, our running game being solid, and just our overall system working and clicking better this year, hopefully it won't come down throwing the ball 53 times to try and win a game this year like Charlie had to against Miami.

What I'm saying is this. Even though Proctor might be a better fit for Rob Spence, and even though.... let's say Proctor is faster and smarter than Charlie, if we do run into a game or two like the Miami one, and we are forced to throw between 40 to 50 times ..... Clemson fans might then realize how much Charlie meant to our team!

Friday, August 11, 2006

Run the Clock

Every offseason in college football, the NCAA makes minor changes and clarifications to its rules. This offseason the NCAA made a very quiet change that could have a profound impact on the way the game is played. After every dead ball thats results in a change of possession (punt, fumble, int, turnover on downs, kickoff) or rekick the clock will run on the ready for play signal from the official instead of on the snap. This means prudent coaches can run about 25 extra seconds off the clock per possession. Over the course of a game this will lower the possessions per game by at least one and possibly two per team. What does this mean?

1) Underdogs will win more games. A smaller sample size (number of possessions) means more variability.

2) The 'under' wager may be a good play this season.

3) Hands off coaches (Pete Carroll) and those that should be living in a group home (Tommy Bowden) may get caught with their pants down on occasion.

I think this rule change lasts one year only. Here's a hypothetial situation. On Labor Day night in front of a national audience, Florida State scores with 35 seconds left to go up by a single point on Miami. On the kickoff Florida State inexplicably puts 12 gentlemen on the field. They kick it deep and tackle Miami after a short return with 30 seconds left. Thinking dimentia has finally taken hold of Bobby Bowden, Lary Coker takes the 15 yard penalty and has Florida State rekick from their 20 (instead of the 35). However, once the referees spot the ball ready for play the game clock begins to count down. Stunned, Larry Coker has two options. He can use a timeout (if he has one) to stop the clock, or he can watch helplessly as Florida State booms the kick with roughly 5 seconds left. Hey, it could happen.

Can I Have Your Attention? Maurice Clarett is officially a .......



Maurice Should write a book. He could call it 101 ways to screw up a promising life. I couldn't believe that Clarrett was actualy getting in trouble again. Hearing that Maurice was arrested again "is like hearing that they found another dead white girl outside OJ's house" (Chris Rock)

Apparantly, Maurice was driving around in Ohio with 4 loaded guns and a bullet proof vest on. I know he had on a bullet proof vest because the cops tried to shoot him with a stun gun and it didn't work. Anyway, so Maurice does a U-turn and the cops decide to pull him over. However, Clarett had other ideas. I guess he figured, well I have a bullet proof vest on, what the hell... I'll run. So Maurice is driving through Ohio from the cops and they finaly have stop the vehicle with spike strips. Now is when Maurice should have just given up but then again I think he felt invinsible... you know, because of the vest and all. So, he fights with police and they have to eventualy use pepper spray on him. I know what your thinking and the answer is no! He still didn't give up. The cops proceeded to place some sort of cotton mask on him because he decided it was a good idea to spit on police officers. I think the officers may have taken this action personaly because if you notice in his picture above he looks a little beat up.

They finaly get Maurice under control and take him to jail. This is when an interesting development occurs. The judge set his bail at $5 million dollars. Why so much you may ask? Well, as you may know Clarrett was set to stand trial on a robbery outside of a bar. It was suppose to begin next week. The bail is high because Maurice just happened to be driving around with 4 loaded guns and a bullet proof vest on only a few blocks from a womans house that was going to testify against him.

Maurice, you sure are officially a ............!!!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

FSU Cowgirl Jenn Sterger Update

This girl is so hot right now, she could take a crap, wrap it in tinfoil, put a couple fish hooks on it and sell 'em to Queen Elizabeth as earrings. FSU Cowgirl Jenn Sterger has turned her 15 minutes of fame into what's become a few months of fame. She's done Maxim, Playboy and likely a few dudes.

If you still don't know who Jenn is, then let me tell you a little bit about her background. During a Florida State game against Miami on September 5, 2005, a brief two-second shot on national television turned her into a phenomenon. After she and two friends, Danae Sims and Fabiola Romero, were featured in a bleacher shot during this game, announcer Brent Musburger commented that “15,000 young red-blooded American men just signed up to go to Florida State next semester.” Some of those young men found her in bikini photos on the social network site Facebook, sent the link to friends, and Sterger was soon the online embodiment of the concupiscent co-ed.

Jenn now has her on website http://jennsterger.com/. I've never made it down to Tallahassee before, but I think this year when Clemson plays at Florida State on September 16, I'll probably make a trip down there!

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad Boy.......You Make Me Feel So Good


Have you ever had a close female friend of yours date a "Bad" guy before? It's like shes in a trance and there is absolutely nothing you can do or say to her to change her mind. It's like how the song goes: "he's a bad, bad, bad, bad boy, but he makes me feel so good," ....... "he's a bad, bad, bad, bad boy, but still I wouldn't change it if I could." Well, that's kind of how the Atlanta Falcons are! The Atlanta Falcons are the close sweet female friend that you have, and the "bad" guy they won't get rid of is Michael Vick.

If his injuries, poor throws, and lack of smarts on the field over the last few years are not enough to get rid of him, then what is? Is it because he is bringing them loads and loads of money? Michael Vick may not have sold as many video games as the Super Mario Brothers did, or as many as Sonic the Hedgehog did, but he sure has come close. Michael Vick may not have sold as many jerseys as Batman sold costume outfits, but he has come really close to that as well. Maybe thats the reason they haven't got rid of him yet, but even if they did, I feel as if they would still make a good profit without him though.

In my opinion, this is why Atlanta won't get rid of Michael Vick. They care more about money than winning football games or winning a Super Bowl. Atlanta has hosted 2 Super Bowls over the last 12 years (94,00), isn't it about time that the Falcons finally attend one? Someone needs to rip that Michael Vick jersey off of Arthur Blank, yank the controller to Madden 2004 and tell him that he's wasting his time if he thinks Michael Vick will ever take them to the Super Bowl. Just because he's accomplished that 487,397 times on Playstation 2, that doesn't mean that he can do it in real life!
I'm not upset over this though. I am a diehard Panthers fan and I am happy to see the Atlanta Falcons have Michael Vick line up behind center. Thing is, as we saw last year, some teams have figured the Michael Vick show out ....... other teams are soon to follow. It's just a shame that its going to take 31 speedy linebackers to get the Atlanta Falcons to eventually figure it out and trade this bad, bad, bad, bad boy!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

This Sport Is Horrible



Let's just go ahead and design all of the other professional sports around the way soccer is designed. Imagine if Game 7 of the NBA Championship ended in a tie, and they decided the winners by shooting five free throws apiece. Imagine if the Superbowl ended in a tie, and they chose five players from each side to kick field goals to decide the winner. Imagine if the World Series ended in a tie, and they picked five pitchers aside to throw strikes, or five catchers to throw out base runners, or five batters to have a home run hitting contest.

This would be absolutely insane, and ludicrous, and unjust. America is based on a just and efficient meritocracy that thrives on measured competition. That's why soccer has never really quite caught on here. They play a whole game and often the only score is a single goal awarded based on a flop in the penalty area. Americans would never stand for it. It reeks of random injustice and unearned glory.

Could you imagine if they played a whole basketball game and no one was able to score and then based on one foul the other team got a free throw worth fifty points? That about sums up soccer. In America, we believe in second chances. There's almost always hope that you can catch up in basketball and football. In soccer, you fall behind by two goals and you're pretty much done.

Monday, August 07, 2006

High Speed .... Chases, Tasers and Steroids. Oh My!



A look at the latest sports criminals!

1. Floyd Landis -
Floyd, I am insulted. I saw you on Good Morning America yesterday.
"I have never taken any banned substance, including testosterone," "I was the strongest man at the Tour de France, and that is why I am the champion. I will fight these charges with the same determination and intensity that I bring to my training and racing. It is now my goal to clear my name and restore what I worked so hard to achieve."
I think I speak for the rest of the world when I say... shut up! We know you did it. There are only two things Americans hate more than steroids .... that's cycling and liars. You've got the trifecta. GO AWAY!

2. Dale Davis -
What was on Dales mind? For those of you not familiar with the story, Davis was arrested Tuesday at a Miami Beach hotel and accused of threatening police and security guards and shouting profanities, police said. The best part however is that he was shot with a taser gun. Apparantly he started walking towards the cops with his fist balled up. He was warned that if he continued he would be shot. Now this is where normal people would stop. I take that back, normal people do not threaten the police. So, Dale continued and was shot. Way to go Dale! But then again he did go to Clemson.

3. Barrett Brooks -
Brooks is an offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I point out Barrett being stupid for 2 main reasons.

1. Never run the cops, especially on a motorcycle. I mean, what's Brooks? About 350 pounds? Even if he gets away, the cops can automaticaly narrow their list of suspects. There can't be that many 350 pounders that own bikes.
2. Why was he even on a bike? Didn't someone else famous in Pittsburgh almost die on a bike. Where's your head at Barrett?

I can't wait to see what next week brings!

Friday, August 04, 2006

The little BIG man!



It's August, the Panthers are starting training camp in my home town and I am a little excited. How great is football season? Just think, in a few weeks we will be getting off work on Fridays and have a weekend full of football. I know it's still early and training camp has just began but I am very optomistic about the Panthers chances of returning to the Super Bowl. A huge reason for this optimisim is the man in the video above... Steve Smith.

Little Big Man

Steve Smith is a bad man. He runs the 40 in 4.38 seconds, has a 38 inch vertical leap and will absolutely out muscel DB's. He does all this at 5'9 and 180 pounds. Like I said he is a bad man! Let's take a look back at what he did last year.

Last year Smith won the "Triple Crown" of football. He led the NFL with 1,563 receiving yards and tied for first in the League with 103 receptions and 12 touchdown catches.The last person to do this was former USC star Sterling Sharpe back in 1992. What makes this so great is that he did this as the primary and basicaly only receiver Jake Delhome threw to. The opposing coach knew who the ball was going to, the DB's knew, the commentators knew and even the fans knew. Still Smith had 103 receptions. He is a bad man!

In the postseason Smith had 45 receptions and 6 touchdowns, rushed for 45 yards and one touchdown and had 7 punt returns for 73 yards and a touchdown. Let's not forget how he single handedly destroyed the Bears. He is a bad man!

With the addition of Keyshawn Johnson, a great posession receiver that can make the tough catches over the middle, I expect more of the same from Smith this year. GO PANTHERS!!

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Are There Any Clemson Fans Out There Confident Enough To Go Ahead And Buy Tickets To This Event?

Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship
Saturday, December 2, 2006
ALLTEL Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

You, me, USC fans, GT fans, FSU fans ....... we are all thinking the same thing. There is a really good chance that Clemson will be playing in this game in December. I know that I am thinking hard about purchasing some tickets this week before they sell out. Tickets to this game don't sell out as quick as a Pearl Jam or Metallica concert use to sell-out back in the mid to late 90's, but these tickets will still sell at a very quick rate.

You have 2 options here: A. Buy tickets to hopefully go see your Clemson Tigers make it or B. If Clemson does not make it, no big deal, you can sell them on e-bay and probably get your money back and make a profit. Let's play the "what if" game for a second. "What if" option B is off the table, how confident are you right now to go ahead and buy tickets to this game in confidence that your Clemson Tigers will be there on Dec. 2nd.

I have to admit it, I feel like we have a very strong shot to make it, but if option B was off the table, I couldn't see myself buying those tickets this early in advance because of "confidence" in Tommy Bowden. Keep in mind, I like Tommy. But for you Clemson fans out there who do have some balls the size of grapefruits, here is the link http://www.accchampionship.com . By the way, hopefully Charlotte will get the bid on this game for the next 2 years, that would be a better home for it.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Clemson Fans View of the World


As we all know I am a University of South Carolina fan. I have noticed one thing about our rivals, the Clemson Tigers. They are completely unrealistic. 96 percent of all Tiger fans are slightly insane. This includes my good friend Reese, which writes on this blog, and my boy Brad at The Bradford Report. It goes without saying but this definitely includes almost everyone on Tigernet.

Does Clemson have a good team? yes
Is Clemson more talented than USC this year? probably =)
Do they have a great running back? yes
Is he as good as Reggie Bush was in college? NO!
Will he ever win the Heisman? Has Hell frozen over?

Every major college football team has rabid fans that believe there team is great; USC included. The main difference with Clemson is that their fans believe they are far superior to everyone else. For example: Will Proctor can throw a football a quarter mile and Tommy Bowden is the second greatest coach of all time (right behind Danny Ford) and Clemson has a great bar scene =). There are a few things that obviously need to be pointed out to Tiger fans.

1. If you own a pair of orange overalls, you my friend are a loser.
2. If you wear them out in public, you do not deserve to live.
3. Will Proctor will set a record for interceptions in a season.
4. You will not win the ACC.... you will not even come in second.
5. CJ Spiller is on steroids. Someone needs to ask him to pee in a cup.

I want to end this with a message to the rabid Clemson fans. The next time you think of something to say about your team. Stop.... think.... say nothing.

Wilson, I'm So Sorry!



Wilson Betemit continued to show how great of a player he is Sunday. He went 3-4 with 2 doubles. Unfortunately it was for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Betemit was traded Friday in a deal that I absolutely hate.I have a lot of problems with this trade but for the purpose of this blog I am going only list my top 3 problems.

1.Betemit is a great player-
Obviously, I think Betemit is a great player. Not only is he a great player now but he has potential to be even better in the future when he gets to play everyday. Why would you trade one of your top prospects for a relief pitcher that has struggled horribly this year? It just doesn't make sense to me.

2. Chipper Jones-
Chipper Jones is a panzy! I said it! It needed to be said... PANZY! This guys stays on the DL. Whatever happened to players playing through injuries? Do you mean to tell me that Cal Ripken Jr. never felt a little sore during his playing days? He played in over 2,000 straight games! So, knowing Chipper Jones is as fragile as Terrel Owen's ego, why would you trade your best player to back him up.

3. Dodgers Farm System-
This isn't really a problem I have, just an observation. It seems that the Dodgers new farm team is the Atlanta Braves. 4 of the Dodgers first 5 hitters yesterday were former Braves. (Furcal, Lofton, Drew and Betemit)

My new wish is for someone really filthy rich to buy the Braves and start spending some money and my new pick for the NL wildcard is the LA Dodgers.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Notre Dame Will Win This "Reggie Ball" Game


First off, I apologize to Metallica for posting this. The Georgia Tech fan who put "Enter Sandman" in a Georgia Tech highlight video is a slap in the face to Metallica
I was goofing around today on the internet and found myself at http://www.SouthernPigskin.com and I saw where they had a list of games that they think could very well be upsets. One game that was on their list I totally have to disagree with though - Notre Dame @ Georgia Tech. It would be different if Georgia Tech didn't play all their home games in a high school football stadium - it would be different if they didn't run out of the tunnel with that stupid car leading the pack first - it would be different if their football team averaged more points than their baseball team did - it would be different if Georgia Tech actually had a quarterback who could throw. They call Reggie Ball a dual threat quarterback because he can run but they're forgetting about one thing.......he CAN'T THROW! So therefore he's not dual threat.

No, this game won't even be close. If Notre Dame is the favorite, (which they will be), and the line is anywhere from 10 points or lower .... take the Irish, and put a lot on them. Think about it, this Georgia Tech team lost to Utah in the Emerald Bowl 38-10 last year. No, I did not studder, you heard me correctly, the "Emerald Bowl." Just because Georgia Tech opened last years season up with a 23-14 win against Auburn doesn't mean that they will open up a win this year against #2 Notre Dame.

I don't care that Georgia Tech is returning 9 starters on the offensive side of the ball. I don't care that they had road wins at Auburn and at Miami last year. I don't care that All-American WR Calvin Johnson can jump up, touch the lights and come back down and catch a ball. By the way, Notre Dame has 8 returning starters on offense coming back this year, and 9 returning starters on defense. Reality is Reality ...... Reggie Ball is a below average QB, Bobby Dodd Stadium is about as intimidating as a high school stadium, and whereas last year's Notre Dame team thought it could be good, this year's version knows it can and should be great. Rudy, Rudy, Rudy, Rudy, .............