Mariners' Season Over, Ends With Win

Unfortunately, this up-and-down season for the M's is officially over today. Its fitting they end on a 5-game winning streak since the season was all about streaks. With all of the 6, 7, 8 game losing streaks there was a 15-0f-17 or 9-0f-12 game win streak in there as well.

I say unfortunate because they had a great opportunity to make the playoffs for the first time in 6 years and there is no clear favorite to win it all. But the starting pitching wore down, the bullpen became human, and the lack of leadership on this team became apparent. We already know that manager John McLearn and GM Bill Bavasi will be back next year, but what else will be the same and what will be different?

-What happens with Adam Jones? Does he play left field with Ibanez DHing? Do they let Jose Guillen go and Jones plays right? Do you move Ichiro back to right and let Jones play center? Does Jones go back down to AAA?

-How are they going to improve their starting pitching? Does Brandon Morrow have the stuff to be a productive starter?

-What do you do with Richie Sexson? Is he still your 1B? Can you trade him away with that contract?

-Are you still comfortable with Jose Lopez as your everyday 2nd baseman even with his 2nd half slumps the last 2 seasons?

-What about the other prospects, Wladimir Balentien and Jeff Clement? Do they go back down and waste away in AAA? Can you trade them for a quality starter?

There are a lot of questions to be answered this offseason. But hey, at least they aren't the New York Mets!

Mariners complete sweep of Rangers to end season [Seattle Times]

Expected Poll Shakeup, Unexpected New #1

You knew that the Top 10 would be significantly different, you didn't know LSU was going to be the new #1 in the AP Poll. Looking at the points LSU only has a 2 pt. lead, but I've got to believe that they will have an opportunity to extend that lead if they can beat Florida on Saturday.

The most disappointing thing about this is that so far this season the Pac-10 has proven that it is better than the SEC. It has a better non-conference record against BCS teams than all other conferences. The California-Oregon game is up there for game-of-the-year so far. For the SEC's Kentucky the Pac-10 has Arizona State, which I would argue is better then Kentucky and will prove it be the end of the season. If LSU struggles against Florida or loses, which is a very strong possibility, I expect USC to regain its rightful perch atop the AP Poll.

Week 5 Rankings [ESPN]
Which conference is worse? [Musings from the Coast]

WSU, UW Wrap

The Cougars officially have no defense. Arizona QB Willie Tuitama threw for 346 yards and 5 TDs. Not to mention the fact that their freshman RB had 186 yards and as a team the Wildcats had 567 yards of total offense. The best news was that Arizona actually had to punt the ball, unlike USC, but it didn't happen until 5:50 were left in the 3rd quarter.

Alex Brink had a good day statistically, 347 yards and 3 TDs, but he continues to make poor decisions. He threw a ridiculous interception, rushes his throws when the pocket breaks down, and is consistently inaccurate when he rolls to his left. The way this team is playing I would be surprised if they win another game besides Stanford.

Closer to home, the Washington Huskies were gift-wrapped an upset over the #1 team in the nation and couldn't deliver. USC kept turning the ball over, 3 times, getting a punt blocked, and missing a field goal yet the Huskies still come out on bottom 27-24.

While the close score may make UW fans optimistic, it should not. The only reason why Washington was close was because of USC shooting itself in the foot. Look at the UW scoring drives: 14, 22, and 9 yards. This offense was not driving the ball on the Trojans defense, it was scoring off mental mistakes. Jake Locker only threw for 90 and continues to be very inaccurate. Louis Rankin only rushed the ball 12 times for 39 yards. The UW defense played a better game then expected, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.


Arizona's new passing game leaves Cougars in desert dust [Seattle Times]
Huskies stay close to #1 USC, but mistakes hurt [Seattle Times]
Photos Courtesy of Seattle Times

Cal Survives Oregon

Wow, what a game! Although it wasn't the high scoring affair that everyone thought, I think it was an even better game then expected. When Cal's Marcus Ezeff hit Oregon's Cameron Colvin it left the game in the hands of the officials. After seeing the replays they clearly made the right decision. That ball was fumbled out the side of the endzone and Colvin lost the ball before it crossed the goal line.

No matter what, it was a great game and now California is still in the National Championship hunt. With Oklahoma's lose to Colorado and South Florida's upset of West Virginia the Bears will move up to at least 4th in the country.

No. 6 California 31, No. 11 Oregon 24 [ESPN]

Photo Courtesy of ESPN

NFL Picks - Week 4

I sure kicked my buddies' ass last week beating him by 4 games. I was 12-4, he was 8-8.

This week we are both picking the same, except 2 games. So here's the different games followed by our picks that are the same:

My Picks:
Seattle over San Fransisco
Cincinnati over New England

His Picks:
San Fransisco over Seattle
New England over Cincinnati

Games we Agree On:
Baltimore over Cleveland
Chicago over Detroit
Green Bay over Minnesota
Atlanta over Houston
Jets over Buffalo
Miami over Oakland
Dallas over St. Louis
Tampa Bay over Carolina
Indianapolis over Denver
San Diego over Kansas City
Pittsburgh over Arizona
Philadelphia over Giants

Cal RB Forsett, Willingham have History

I came across this article about Justin Forsett this afternoon when I was reading the USA Today. The article is about how Cal RB Justin Forsett was passed over by Notre Dame for a scholarship. What's interesting about it is that he believed that he had a scholarship from Ty Willingham and Notre Dame until he called Willingham a week before signing day when he was informed they no longer needed him.

Why would Forsett believe that he had a scholarship and say that RB coach Buzz Preston told him he did? Is this another case of Willingham's bad managerial skills when it comes to his players or potential players like what happened last season?

I have to believe that Forsett and his family are telling the truth. Why would they make this up when he is clearly better off at Cal and is flourishing in Tedford's system? Does this show the lack of knowledge Willingham has for talent since he passed on Forsett, while Tedford "thought this was too good to be true?" This may be a minor story but it may be the foundation for a bigger problem in Montlake.

Forsett rushes into limelight at California [USA Today]
Home Finale? Father hopes it isn't [Seattle Times]

Photo courtesy of USA Today

Husky Stadium is Hurtin'

The Seattle PI ran a great story about the state of Husky Stadium. The biggest thing I see that's sad about this story is that the University wants to get rid of the track around the field. The track is a unique, special part of the Husky Gameday experience. When you think about gameday in Montlake you think of going to the Bookstore and buying a new purple sweater vest, eating cheese and drinking a couple glasses of wine, and talking on your cell phone while watching the game being played behind the track.

I do think that Washington has to have its own stadium. The idea of permanently using Qwest Field as its home is not a good idea. Using Qwest as a temporary home would work while they renovate Husky Stadium. It will be interesting to see if they can raise enough money to make the changes that are necessary. Just make sure to keep the track.

Husky Stadium aging not so gracefully [Seattle PI]

Photo courtesy of Seattle PI

Bavasi, McLearn to Return in 2008

The Mariners annoucned today that GM Bill Bavasi and manager John McLearn will be back in 2008. Honestly, I don't really know how I feel about this. Like the article says, up until the 24th of August the Mariners were right in the hunt for the division and leading the Wildcard. Then they hit the wall which I blame on their lack of quality starting pitching, something Bavasi is in charge of acquiring.

Are Bavasi and McLearn doing anything that is hurting this ballclub and would be reason to replace them? I think the answer to that is no. While Bavasi may not be the best evaluator of talent and McLearn not the best in-game manager they have done nothing to hurt this team in the long run. The market for starting pitching is going to be scare this year so we will be able to evaluate Bavasi very easily depending on what he does since you know the Mariners aren't going to win without improvement there. McLearn has had 1/2 season under his belt as a full-time manager, his rookie mistakes should be gone next year and you can expect the good relationships with the players to continue.

Based on the facts I believe that both men have earned another season, but the Mariners were competetive till the end of August. That means that next year it should be expected that they make the playoffs or a new regime needs to take over.

Bavasi, McLaren to return for 2008 season [Seattle PI]

College Picks - Week 5

Wow, another bad week at for me, 44-16 with 1-3 vs. the spread. Maybe I'm not that good of a football game picker, but who cares. Here are this weeks' picks:

Thursday, Sept. 27:
Memphis at Arkansas State
Southern Miss at Boise State

Friday, Sept. 28:
West Virginia at South Florida

Saturday, Sept. 29:
Oklahoma at Colorado
Akron at Connecticut
Auburn at Florida
Clemson at Georgia Tech
Mississippi at Georgia
Hawaii at Idaho
Michigan at Northwestern
Florida Atlantic at Kentucky
Massachusetts at Boston College
Louisville at North Carlina State
Iowa State at Nebraska
Maryland at Rutgers
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at New Mexico State
Syracuse at Miami, OH
Kent State at Ohio
Sam Houston State at Oklahoma State
Baylor at Texas A&M
Kansas State at Texas
Pittsburgh at Virginia
North Carolina at Virginia Tech
Michigan State at Wisconsin
Temple at Army
Penn State at Illinois
Buffalo at Ball State
Northern Illinois at Central Michigan
Indiana at Iowa
Duke at Miami, FL
Florida International at Middle Tennessee State
Notre Dame at Purdue
Mississippi State at South Carolina
LSU at Tulane
Utah State at Utah
UC Davis at San Jose State
UNLV at Nevada
UTEP at Southern Methodist
Western Kentucky at Bowling Green
Louisiana-Lafayette at UCF
North Texas at Arkansas
UAB at Tulsa
Eastern Michigan at Vanderbilt
East Carolina at Houston
Colorado State at TCU
Northwestern State at Texas Tech
Western Michigan at Toledo
Louisiana-Monroe at Troy
Ohio State at Minnesota
Brigham Young at New Mexico
Cincinnati at San Diego State
Louisiana Teach at Fresno State

Non Pac-10 Games of the Week:
Alabama at Florida State
Air Force at Navy

Pac-10 Games:
UCLA at Oregon State
California at Oregon
USC at Washington
Washington State at Arizona
Arizona State at Stanford

Spread Games:
Indiana at Iowa (-11)
Notre Dame (+22) at Purdue
UTEP (+1) at Southern Methodist
California (+6) at Oregon

Durant, Green on Preseason All-Rookie Team

Dime Magazine has Kevin Durant as their favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors this year. It really isn't any big surprise because Greg Oden's out, but I have to wonder if the Sonics inability to win games is going to hurt him. I know it's just a stupid award and this in only a preseason list but I have to think that the Sonics arent going to win over 30 games.

Jeff Green also made the team off the bench according to the list found here at Fox Sports. Another interesting selection is Rodney Stuckey from Eastern Washington, via Kentwood High. I witnessed Stuckey first hand in high school when he beat Puyallup in a seeding game for the state playoffs. He was definitely the best player on the floor, but I never expected him to be a preseason all-rookie team selection. But since he's from the area, count me as a Rodney Stuckey fan.

Durant headlines preseason all-rookie team [Fox Sports]

Carlson Rips Another Amateur Athlete, Rex Grossman

The Oklahoman columnist, Jenni Carlson, is at it again. Just three days after she claimed Oklahoma State QB Bobby Reid had a bad attitude that led to his benching, and was handed her lunch by Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy at his press conference for attacking an amateur athlete, she attacks another amateur athlete in Rex Grossman.


Carlson calls for Grossman's benching because, "he continues to show that he has never looked at a playbook in his life." She also continues, "It would be better if he had an attitude problem like Bobby Reid, instead he just sucks."


When Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith found about the article he had this to say:

"I thought she had learned her lesson after Coach Gundy got after her. You can't attack amateur athletes like this and if she thinks we are paying Grossman to play for us she needs to do some more research before she starts to write. Have you seen this guy play, if anything, he should be paying us and the fans who have to watch that garbage."

Coach Smith reiterated that Grossman was a good kid that just had trouble playing the QB position on Sundays. He also revealed that Grossman has been using the lockers in the coaches' offices ever since the Super Bowl for fear that Brian Urlacher or Lance Briggs will "accidentally" slip into Rex's knee, hopefully tearing the ACL.

When reached for comment, Carlson would only say that no matter if the player is amateur or professional, if you are going to waste one of the 32 starting QB positions in the NFL then be prepared to be ripped on by any no-name columnist including one who wouldn't know a football if it smacked her upside the head.

Reid is still the most talented signal-caller, but attitude is reason for change [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy lectures The Oklahoman Newspaper [Deadspin]
Photo courtesy of ESPN

Daily 10 - Sept. 25

The Saints are becoming the big easy in the NFC South. Losing last night to Vince Young and the Titans 31-14. Maybe there is some truth to the 1-year wonder magic of 2006 in New Orleans.
[Yahoo! Sports]

Another big injury for the Rams, does anyone feel bad for them? Not I, said the Seahawks fan. [Fox Sports]

Another expert thinks the Pac-10 may be better than the SEC this year. Finally the country is realizing what we've been saying all along. [ESPN]

This is a bizarre story. Milton Bradley gets into with the 1st base umpire, then tears his ACL when his manager tries to restrain him. Now the Padres' are investigating if the umpire challenged Bradley. [CBS Sportsline]

Peter King's Monday Morning QB I must read for anyone who wants to know what Peter thought he thought. [Sports Illustrated]

R.I.P. Devil Rays, Welcome into the world Rays! [Deadspin]

West Virginia QB Pat White has crush on ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews. Whoa, Nellie! [The Big Lead]

MLB and ESPN are fighting again. This time about postseason commercials. Sounds like ESPN is doing a lot of crying lately. [Awful Announcing]

Steve Spurrier is benching senior Blake Mitchell and starting sophomore Smelley instead. [FanHouse]

The latest Seattle Times Prep Football Rankings are out. The Vikings of Puyallup are holding strong at #5, with their most impressive victory of the season over Bethel last week.

Alexander has cracked wrist

Apparently the cast Shaun Alexander has been wearing for the past two weeks may have been for something a little more serious. Coach Holmgren said today Alexander has a small crack in his wrist. He also said that its nothing to be alarmed about and he will continue to play.

If this gets anymore serious the Seahawks could be in trouble. Backup Maurice Morris has been out with a hip injury, but appears ready to return to action soon. If he gets injured again the Seahawks are down to Leonard Weaver or Alvin Pearman as their running backs and no one wants that.

Shaun Alexander's injury deepens [Seattle Times]

Sonics Fight Turning Ugly Fast

Well that didn't take long. Just 2 days after Clay Bennett filed for arbitration to help him get out of the lease 2 years early, the City of Seattle files suit against the Sonics in King County Superior Court.

This is going to be a very ugly and dirty fight in the next 3 years. Bennett insists that he is still willing to keep the team in Seattle if an arena is built, but he sure doesn't act like it. The fact of the matter is that he and his ownership group never wanted to keep the team here. They always wanted to move the team to Oklahoma City so they could become local heroes. Of course if Seattle was willing to give them the world, a new $500 million arena, a favorable lease and all at no cost to them, they would have took it. But they knew that realistically that was not going to happen.

The thing I don't understand is where the hell is David Stern? He is hiding away, not getting involved when you have an ownership group from another city attempting to steal the team of a city that very clearly shows that it still cares. I do not disagree that the current lease may be the worst in the league, but the fact of the matter is they bought a team that agreed to that lease and therefore they must fulfill it. Bennett has already said that Oklahoma City will need to build a new arena within a matter of years in order to be successful as an NBA city. Why doesn't he look at the fact that cities similar to OKC are failing with NBA teams? New Orleans, Charlotte, Memphis are not have profitable teams. What makes him think that OKC will be any different.

The best chance OKC has of getting an NBA team is to hope that New Orleans bombs this year and their owners remember how they were treated in the 1st year of their stay in OKC. (Remember the 2nd year they were there they couldn't sellout on a consistent basis, hint hint) That way its a smooth transition up the road to OKC and Bennett will then be able to sell the team to a local buyer who will do things the right way.


Today the City of Seattle told Bennett to bring it on, well, he better be packin' cause the Sonics aren't leaving without a fight.

City files suit against Sonics to enforce lease [Seattle PI]
Seattle files lawsuit to keep Sonics in town [The Oklahoman]

Talk of the Towns: Quarterbacks

If there's one position that never goes a day without being discussed in any NFL city its the Quarterback. This week is no different with 2 veteran QBs leading their teams to victory and 2 young QBs faltering, possibly losing their starting positions.

The man of the week was Donovan McNabb, after telling HBO black QBs face more criticism then white QBs , he came out swinging on Sunday. Too bad for the Detroit Lions as McNabb played with a fire and lead his team to a blowout victory.

Up in Green Bay, the man, the myth, the legend was just that, leading his team to an upset victory over the lame San Diego Chargers. His performance has left him tied with Dan Marino for 1st all-time in TD passes and the Packers in sole possession of 1st place and has everyone in Chicago and Detroit nervous like it was 1998 all over again.

Down the highway in Chicago, Rex Grossman (or is it Wreck Grossman) might be seeing a lot more wood in the next few days. One regular Around The Horn panelist wants not only to see him get benched, but also the starting running back. I'm just glad I'm not a Bears fan right now.

Finally, this is great news for us in the Pacific Northwest. Golden Boy Matt Leinhart got benched yesterday for the former grocery boy Kurt Warner. Now there's a little controversy stirring up in the desert. Granted, Warner had a good game yesterday but it was only a half. Do you really think he can lead the Cardinals to a division crown? I know everyone in Seattle is hoping they let him try.

McNabb says black QBs under more pressure [ESPN]
Record reaps reward [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Phil Sheridan:McNabb talks a good game, too [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Patience lost: Bench Grossman, Benson [Chicago Sun-Times]
Warner proves worth [Arizona Republic]

Daily 10 - Sept. 24

The Daily 10 is ten interesting and note-worthy stories from all over the internet.

How bad is Notre Dame's 0-4 start, here's some perspective. [Fox Sports]

Arizona State makes its sesaon debut in the polls, Oklahoma jumps over Florida in the AP Poll. [ESPN]

The Brady and Moss Show, Patriots roll again. [Yahoo! Sports]

Red Sox lose again, that means the Yankees are 1.5 games back. [Sports Illustrated]

Texas Tech defensive coordinator Setencich resigns. [Lubbock Online]

This is a great review of the week that was in college football. [Fanhouse]

Stunning video of John Force funny car crash in Texas. I don't understand this sport, nor would I ever want to do it. These guys love what they do, lets hope this guy is going to be alright. [Jalopnik.com, through Deadspin]

The Indians are champs of the AL Central. [ESPN]

This is an older story but a blogger goes big time. [The Big Lead]

Long Over Due Baseball Post

Its been a long time since we've posted something about baseball. Its not that we quit watching or don't care about the Mariners anymore. Its because we were so disappointed in their collapse from being with 1.5 games back in the division and leading the wildcard by 3 games on August 24th to virtual elimination losing 15 of 17, falling behind both Anaheim New York by 6.5 games.

The reason why they fell apart and lost all of these games is because of their starting pitching. The offseason acquisitions of Jeff Weaver and Horacio Ramirez were complete busts. You knew that the bullpen was not going to be able to keep pulling the starters out of trouble and protecting 1 run leads all season. By the middle of August the starters had run out of gas and the bullpen became human.

It became official today when the Angels won the division today beating the Mariners 7-4. I know that they are not officially eliminated from the Wildcard, but realistically its only a matter of days till the Yankees make it official.

The Mariners have a solid offense although one that is aging. They have a good bullpen and got good play from their bench this season when they were allowed to play. If they have any ideas about playing in October next year they need to spend some money and find some quality starting pitching. There is not a lot out there, but in order to win you have to find it.

Felix, Washburn, and Batista will be back. Hopefully Morrow can use this offseason and spring training to develop another pitch and become a starter. If that happens you then need to add a solid 2nd starter, and if not, then a #2 and backend starter.

It needs to be a productive offseason for the Mariners. A question that needs to be answered first is if a new GM is going to trying to improve the team or is Bavasi still running the ship?

Angels finally clinch AL West Title [LA Times]

Angels lock up third AL West title in 4 years [Seattle Times]

Seahawks 24 Cincinnati 21

What an exciting game for the Seahawks today. I had to take alittle break to calm down after that come-from-behind victory. Here are some of our notes from the game:

- The run defense played exceptional. They held Rudi Johnson to only 12 yards and although his backup ran for 60 yards on 9 carries, overall they played well.

- The pass defense gave up a ton of yards, but limited Palmer to only 1 TD while collecting 2 ints. Clearly the Bengals plan was to attack Kelly Jennings and that was who the majority of their yards came against. Trufant played well in coverage and played strong in run help.

- Hasselbecks two interceptions were both tipped balls that were not his fault.

- Burleson dropped a few balls, but the game-winning TD saves him from any harsh criticism from A Sideline View

- Since the season-opener Deon Branch has played extremely well. Today he had 6 catches for 77 yards and 1 beautiful post pattern for a TD.

- Where the hell is Marcus Pollard, 1 catch for 4 yards? He needs to become a more integral part of the offense to give Hasselbeck a solid checkdown option.

- Special Teams played a hell of a game. If there was one aspect of the team that won the game today it has to be special teams. How many games has it been since you could say that about the Seahawks special teams not named Josh Brown?

- Cincinnati converted 11 of 18 3rd downs. That is when the defense needs to get off the field.

Hasselbeck, Burleson elude Bengals with last-minute score [ESPN.com]

Oklahoma State Coach loses it, for good reason

Check out this video of Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy going off on reporters after the game yesterday. The video is courtesy of Deadspin which got it from Sports By Brooks.

I am glad Coach Gundy took the time to lecture the media about their lack of respect for a college athlete. If what he says is true and the majority of the article was made up then Jeni Carlson should be punished by The Oklahoman. He is exactly right, attack him as a coach don't attack a amatuer athlete that is not getting paid to play.

Good job Coach Gundy, enough of this nonsense reporting by half-ass columists.

Reid is still the most talented signal-caller, but attitude is reason for change [The Oklahoman]

Pac-10 Recap

The first weekend of Pac-10 play was a wild one, without any upsets.

You know going into the game that in order to stay close and possibly upset #1 USC the Cougar offense had to play lights out. It would be an understatement to say they didn’t deliver losing to the Trojans 47-14. Alex Brink only through for 165 yards and made some costly mental mistakes. His interception was just plain stupid and his disgust with a screen play call caused him to chuck the ball into the ground and draw an intentional grounding penalty near his own goal line. The secondary is one of the worst in the country and just got shredded by John David Booty who was 28 for 35 with 4 TD’s. You knew it was going to be a long day when USC went for it on 4th and 2 on the 1st drive and scored the TD.

Down to their 3rd-string QB to start the 4th quarter UCLA used its running game to defeat the Huskies 44-31. Washington’s Jake Locker was 9 of 23 for 63 yds. through 3 quarters before heating up in the 4th. Although Locker finished with 216 yards and 4 Tds he did not look sharp at all. His accuracy was horrible and he showed that as a freshman he is not prepared to lead his team to a big road victory yet. The Husky defense knew UCLA was going to run the ball yet their top two Rbs finished with 193 and 109 yards respectively. I believe we are seeing the real Husky team, the one that will continue to finish with non-winning seasons.

Brink struggles against USC as Cougs fall 47-14 [Seattle Times]

Huskies can't stop UCLA in 2nd half, fall 44-31 [Seattle Times]

Justin Forsett leads No. 6 Cal’s quick start in 45-27 win over Arizona [USA Today]

Sun Devils rally past OSU [Oregon Live]

Cardinal just can’t hang on [San Jose Mercury News]

Night Games Review

Some exciting finishes in the night caps of another exciting Saturday of college football.

What a finish in Tuscalossa. Just when you thought the Tide was going to get another last minute come-from-behind victory the Bulldogs of Georgia end it with one beautifully thrown fade pass, Georgia 26-23, OT. This was a very exciting game between two evenly matched teams. On a sidenote, ESPN reported that Georgia offensive coordianator Mike Bobo has four children at home under the age of 4, with a 3-yr. old and triplets. He also has another child on the way with his wife expecting this week. Either this guy is out of his mind or he is so whipped by his wife that he can't say no. Keep it in your pants Mike, keep it in your pants.

Kentucky keeps on rolling with the 42-29 victory on the road against Arkansas. Heisman trophy candidate Andre Woodson threw for 262 yards and 2 TDs in the Wildcat victory. Darren McFadden had 173 yds. and Felix Jones had 133 yds. as the Razorback running was going good, just not good enough to beat Kentucky during this special season. Maybe some of that basketball magic is transferring over to Commenwealth Stadium.

Sort of a clunker in cheese country as the Badgers of Wisconsin win a slugfest with Iowa 17-13. Wisconsin has drawn some ire from bloggers and "experts" about their #9 ranking. They did not help themselves any with an unimpressive effort against an Iowa team that lost last week to Iowa State, the same Iowa State team that lost to Toledo earlier today.

A complete Pac-10 recap will be up in the morning.

Afternoon Game Reviews

The 3 big games of the afternoon just wrapped up.

This is what I get for putting my faith in Penn State. I was sure this was their year to win the Big 10 and maybe be in the national championship picture, but then today happened. Michigan 14 Penn State 9 Mike Hart had another great day running the ball. He got his 40 carries, getting the rock 44 times for 153 yds. and 1 TD. Now Michigan is 1-0 in the Big 10 and can put Appalachian State and Oregon behind them.

Down in the Bayou, LSU used their running game to beat South Carolina 28-16 and help Lee Corso out. LSU looked impressive running for 294 yards and 3 scores. Plus a nice fake field goal that was run to perfection. South Carolina just kinda hung around showing that they are improving, but are not yet at the level of the LSUs and Floridas of the conference.

Trivia Question: Who is the first Notre Dame coach to have his team start the season 0-4?
Answer: Charlie Weis.
His Fighting Irish lost to Michigan State 31-14. Notre Dame freshman QB Jimmy Clausen was 7/13 for 52 yds. The good news is they did score 2 offensive touchdowns. The Irish head to Purdue next Saturday to try and avoid 0-5.

Early Game Reviews

Some recaps of the early action on this "Hangover Saturday" (thanks ESPN):

Nebraska just squeaks by against a pesky Ball State team. Bill Callahan was sweating this one out knowing that a blowout home lose followed by a upset home lose is not what the AD was looking for after giving him a contract extension 3 weeks earlier.

Florida also escaped a scare against lightly-regarded Mississippi down in Oxford. Mississippi had the ball down 6 with under 5 minutes left in the game. A fake punt on 4th-11 turned the ball over to the Gators. Does this mean that Florida is not as good as once thought or is the SEC that good that there is no easy games?

Louisville could not avoid the upset, losing to Syracuse at home. The Orange offense played unbelievable with QB Robinson throwing for 423 yds. and 4 TDs. It's a good day in the Levy household.


Callahan receives new contract [The Daily Texan]

NFL Picks - Week 3

Time to put up the picks for this week in before the major college games start. I won the week last week going 10-6, not good, but my buddy was worse at 7-9. Through 2 weeks I'm up 1 with the first week being a tie. Here are the picks for Week 3:

My Picks:
Detroit over Philadelphia
Jets over Miami
New England over Buffalo
Baltimore over Arizona
Tampa Bay over St. Louis
Pittsburgh over San Fransico
Indianapolis over Houston
San Diego over Green Bay
Kansas City over Minnesota
Oakland over Cleveland
Denver over Jacksonville
Cincinnati over Seattle
Giants over Washington
Carolina over Atlanta
Dalles over Chicago
Tennessee over New Orleans

My Buddies' picks:
Philadelphia over Detroit
Jets over Miami
New England over Buffalo
Arizona over Baltimore
St. Louis over Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh over San Fransico
Houston over Indianapolis
San Diego over Green Bay
Kansas City over Minnesota
Cleveland over Oakland
Jacksonville over Denver
Seattle over Cincinnati
Washington over Giants
Atlanta over Carolina
Dalles over Chicago
New Orleans over Tennessee

WSU, UW looking for victory in LA

What a weird scheduling quirk that both Washington schools play in Los Angeles on the same weekend. While both teams are in LA, the story lines for their opponents are opposite: USC is good, UCLA is hurt.

While some college football fans located below the Mason-Dixon line think LSU and Florida are better than USC, I have to disagree. They have a fast and aggressive defense with the best linebacker corps in the country, a literal mini-van full of blue-chip running backs, and a Heisman trophy candidate at QB for like the 5th year in a row. The Cougar secondary is bad (8th in the conference at 403 ypg.) so the only way they can stay in this game is if the offense plays lights out. USC’s biggest weakness is its secondary and players like Alex Brink and Michael Bumpus need to step it up. Bumpus shouldn’t have been able to sleep last night knowing this is his last chance to go up against the school that recruited him, they asked him to wait to enroll so they could sign another player.

UCLA is hurting. Starting QB, guard, receiver, DT, DE and LB all out for today's game. Add on to that the embarrassing loss to Utah last week and this looks like a UW victory. As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friend." Rumor has it that UCLA responds better with backup Patrick Cowan as its leader and Coach Dorrell has said they've put last week behind them. Looks like it could be a very close game decided by home-field advantage and the mistakes of a freshman QB starting his first real intense road game.

We’ll see later tonight whether a state or a city is celebrating victories. I got a feeling it could be a late night for the boys from California.

SEC not what its cracked up to be this year [TC Palm]
"Bump" brings all as USC looms large [Seattle Times]
Bob Condotta's Huskies Blog [Seattle Times]
Bruins can't look back [LA Times]

College Picks - Week 4

So last week was bad, real bad. I went 47-18 overall with a 1-2-1 record against the spread. My overall season record is 156-41. A better 7-3-1 vs. the spread. I've already posted my picks for last night and tonight's game, but I'll post them again here.

Thurdsay Night
Texas A&M at Miami, FL
Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee State

Friday Night
Oklahoma at Tulsa

Pac-10 Games:
Washington State at USC
Washington at UCLA
Arizona at California
Oregon State at Arizona State
Oregon at Stanford

Non Pac-10 Games of the Week:
Penn State at Michigan
Georgia at Alabama
Kentucky at Arkansas
South Carolina at LSU

Other Games:
Miami, OH at Colorado
North Carolina at South Florida
Illinios at Indiana
Syracuse at Louisville
Army at Boston College
Florida at Mississippi
Clemson at North Carolina State
Maryland at Wake Forest
Ball State at Nebraska
Northwestern at Ohio State
Wyoming at Ohio
Connecticut at Pittsburgh
Georgia Tech at Virginia
William & Mary at Virginia Tech
East Carolina at West Virginia
Kent State at Akron
North Dakota State at Central Michigan
Florida International at Kansas
Arkansas State at Tennessee
Duke at Navy
Illinois State at Missouri
Air Force at Brigham Young
Howard at Eastern Michigan
Michigan State at Notre Dame
Texas Tech at Oklahoma State
Memphis at UCF
Colorado State at Houston
Northern Illinois at Idaho
Temple at Bowling Green
Baylor at Buffalo
Portland State at San Diego State
New Mexico State at Auburn
Florida Atlantic at North Texas
Rice at Texas
Troy at Lousiana-Lafayette
Gardner-Webb at Mississippi State
Marshall at Cincinnati
Iowa State at Toledo
Southeastern Louisana at Tulane
Central Connecticut State at Western Michigan
Sacremento State at New Mexico
Iowa at Wisconsin
San Jose State at Utah State
Southern Methodist at TCU
Purdue at Minnesota
Texas Southern at UTEP
Utah at UNLV
Charleston Southern at Hawaii

Spread Games:
Wyoming (-4) at Ohio
Arkansas State (+19.5) at Tennessee
Arizona at California (-14)
Texas Tech (-6) at Oklahoma State

Bennett Can't Understand Lease, Wants Arbitration

Apparently Clay Bennett does not know what a lease is. He has filed today for an arbitration panel to decide if the Sonics have to play there final 2 seasons in Key Arena. The Seattle Times acquired a copy of the arbitration document here.

The Seattle City Council passed a law holding the Sonics to the lease through 2010. Bennett and his lawyers do not believe this legal. He cites the fact that City officals have stated that it would be more profitable for the city to let the Sonics go and collect the funds from the early-lease buyout instead of holding the team to the lease.

It has to be in the best interest of the city to keep the Sonics. They have been here for 40 years and will provide much more revenue then the buyout would bring. If the panel upholds the lease then with the additional 2 years the Sonics and government will be able to come up with a workable plan, maybe using the land the Muckelshoot Tribe offered for free.

This is a desperate attempt by Bennett to try and weasel his way out of the lease. He was never serious about staying in Seattle and that is becoming more and more clear with every passing day. I just hope he is ready for a battle in Court because the Sonics aren't leaving this city without a fight.

Bennett seeks release from KeyArena lease [Seattle PI]
Ex-foes join up to save Sonics [Seattle PI]
When it comes to the Sonics, there's something in the coffee in Seattle [The Oklahoman]

Week 4 College Picks, Thurs. and Friday

This week's picks:

Maimi over Texas A&M
Middle Tennessee State over Western Kentucky

Oklahoma over Tulsa

Daily 10 - Sept. 19

The Daily 10 is ten interesting and note-worthy stories from all over the internet.


Denver’s playbook leads to solid running for Broncos [Fox Sports]

Tanks a Cowboy [ESPN.com] and Leftwichs a Falcon [ESPN.com]

Kevin Everett can begin next step of rehab assignment [Sports Illustrated]

McNabb thinks that white QB’s have it easier then black QBs [CBS Sportsline]

Budweiser is gonna sponsor Kasey Kahne next season [Sporting News]

Former NFL player Dave Pear is suffering, the NFLPA wants no part of it [Yahoo Sports]

Does Larry Johnson want out of Kansas City? [National Lampoon Splog]

Seahawks get Gus Johnson for the Cincinnati game [Awful Announcing]

Jordan Babineaux signs 5-year extension with Seahawks [Seattle Times]

Muckleshoots Offer Free Land to Sonics

This is only the beginning, but it's a step in the right direction. Hopefully now the Governor, area leaders, and Bennett can devise a workable plan for getting an arena in the Northwest.

The cost of the building is going to be very expensive, but it is difinitely worth it to keep the Sonics where they belong. Oklahoma City cannot support a permanent pro team and are not prepared to be the home of an up-and-coming franchise like the Sonics.

Tribe offers land to Sonics [Tacoma News Tribune]

Tough Loss for the Hawks Today

What a disappointing loss for the Seahawks today. It looked like they were driving for the game-winning field goal, then one of the most bizarre plays happened. On a broken play, Hasselbeck and Alexander both looked like they stopped, then a Arizona player hit Alexander, the ball got fumbled and recovered by the Cardinals. I can’t figure out what the hell happened. Why didn’t they continue to run the play? Did they think the play was whistled dead? It will be an interesting question to find out.

The game was definitely a tale of two halves. The 1st half could not have gone worse for the Hawks. They couldn’t run or throw the ball. The defense was getting beat in the secondary and not getting pressure on Leinhart. Alexander ran better in the 2nd half, the line gave Hasselbeck good protection, and Branch let us know that he was still on the team. You could see the major difference between two seasons: Last year the Hawks win the game on a Josh Brown field goal, this year they lose on a fumbled exchange. That doesn’t mean the team is going to be worse off this year, it just means those great finishes may be happening this year.

This could have been a huge win today. Start off the season 2-0, get a divisional win, and basically eliminate the Rams from the division title race in only Week 2. With two teams 2-0 and a two game lead, the Rams would never been able to pass both teams. Now the 49ers have the early lead. I expected the Seahawks to drop at least 1 road division game, but not in the fashion that they did today.

New England Spy Video

Here is a exclusive video of the Patriots spying on the Jets, courtesy of Youtube and Deadspin:

I can't get the video to upload to the site, so you can check it out here.

NFL Picks Week 2

Here are the picks for Week 2. First are my picks, second is my buddies picks. We are having a season-long competition to see who can pick the most games correctly.

My Picks:
Carolina over Houston
Cincinnati over Cleveland
Indianapolis over Tennessee
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
San Francsico over St. Louis
Pittsburgh over Buffalo
New York over Green Bay
Jacksonville over Atlanta
Seattle over Arizona
Dallas over Miami
Detroit over Minnesota
Denver over Oakland
Chicago over Kansas City
Baltimore over New York
San Diego over New England
Philadelphia over Washington

Here are my buddies picks:
Carolina over Houston
Cincinnati over Cleveland
Tennessee over Indianapolis
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
St. Louis over San Francisco
Pittsburgh over Buffalo
Green Bay over New York
Jacksonville over Atlanta
Seattle over Arizona
Dallas over Miami
Minnesota over Detroit
Denver over Oakland
Kansas City over Chicago
Baltimore over New York
San Diego over New England
Philadelphia over Washington

Week 3 College Picks

Last week I was 50-12, not a good week. I was 2-1 against the spread.

Here are this weeks picks:

Thursday, September 13
West Virginia at Maryland
TCU at Air Force

Friday, September 14
Oklahoma State at Troy

Pac-10 Games
Idaho at Washington State
Ohio State at Washington
San Diego State at Arizona State
San Jose State at Stanford
USC at Nebraska
New Mexico at Arizona
Idaho State at Oregon State
Fresno State at Oregon
UCLA at Utah
Louisiana Tech at California

Non Pac-10 Marquee Games
Louisville at Kentucky
Tennessee at Florida
Notre Dame at Michigan
Arkansas at Alabama

Other Games:
Alcorn State at UAB
Temple at Connecticut
Western Carolina at Georgia
Akron at Indiana
Pittsburgh at Michigan State
Western Michigan at Missouri
Virginia at North Carolina
Norfolk State at Rutgers
Illinois at Syracuse
Cincinnati at Miami (OH)
Buffalo at Penn State
Furman at Clemson
Mississippi at Vanderbilt
Texas State at Baylor
Citadel at Wisconsin
Minnesota at Florida Atlantic
Toledo at Kansas
Missouri State at Kansas State
Delaware State at Kent State
Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois
Central Michigan at Purdue
South Carolina State at South Carolina
Mississippi State at Auburn
Iowa at Iowa State
Ohio at Virginia Tech
Army at Wake Forest
Utah State at Oklahoma
Texas at UCF
Florida International at Miami (FL)
New Hampshire at Marshall
Ball State at Navy
Southern Miss at East Carolina
Wofford at North Carolina State
Louisiana-Monroe at Texas A&M
McNeese State at Louisiana-Lafayette
Southern Methodist at Arkansas State
Houston at Tulane
Boston College at Georgia Tech
Wyoming at Boise State
Duke at Northwestern
Middle Tennessee State at LSU
UTEP at New Mexico State
Jacksonville State at Memphis
Texas Tech at Rice
Brigham Young at Tulsa
Nicholls State at Nevada
Hawaii at UNLV
Florida State at Colorado

Spread Games:
Mississippi St. at Auburn (-13)
San Jose State (+7) at Stanford
Arkansas at Alabama (-3)
USC (-10) at Nebraska

Week 3 Thursday, Friday Games

Been too busy this week to do the picks yet. Since there are 2 games tonight and 1 tomorrow, I'll pick those 3 now. Later I will have time to do all of the Saturday games.

Thursday
West Virginia at Maryland
TCU at Air Force

Friday
Oklahoma State at Troy

All road teams for the 1st three games.

Patriots Cheating, Typical Boston

The Patriots were caught video taping defensive signals from the Jets coaches on Sunday. NFL security confiscated the tapes and Fox Sports is reporting that they may lose draft picks as a punishment.

The saddest part of the story is that I'm not surprised. This sounds like the exact kind of thing the Patriots and Bill Belichick would do. Dirty tactics by a dirty team. This just makes it even easier to root against them.

Commissioner Goodell has already decided that they are guilty and deserve to be punished. Keep up the good work Roger!

Source: Patriots could lose draft picks [Foxsports.com]
Sources: Goodell determines Pats broke rules by taping Jets' signals [ESPN.com]

Fisher Out, Frye In

Bryce Fisher was traded to Tennessee today, while the Seahawks acquired Charlie Frye from Cleveland for a draft pick. [Seattle Times]

I'm not sure I like the Fisher trade. He was your starting DE the last two years and has been a productive part of your defense. You know have a 2nd-year starter on the right side and no proven backup. Rookie Baraka Atkins and newly-acquired Jason Babin have not played a down for the team.

If Tapp or Kerney get hurt the pass rush could be in a world of trouble.

The Frye trade looks like a good deal. It has been reported that the draft pick was a 6th rounder. To get a QB that was starting last week, albeit for a crappy team, is great as your 3rd QB. This may also give the team the option of using Seneca Wallace in other roles if Frye learns the offense quickly and proves himself as a steady backup.

College Football Picks - Week 2

Wow, last week may have produced the biggest upset college football has every seen. I finished the week 59-11, would have been 60-10 had Michigan not melted like an ice cream cone on a hot August day in Boone, NC.

On to this week’s picks. This week I decided to do away with the Easy Picks section, because apparently there isn’t any easy games to pick. The games between FBS and FCS teams will be included in the Other Games section. Winners are in RED.

Pac-10 picks:

Oregon State at Cincinnati - Another Thursday night game for the Beavers, another hard-fought victory.

California at Colorado State - The Bears had a huge win last week, I don’t see a let down this week on the road against a mediocre MWC team.

Oregon at Michigan - Michigan will not lose a 2nd game at home to a nonconference opponent.

Boise State at Washington - The Jake Locker era got off to a good start last Friday. His Husky Stadium debut will not have the same results.

BYU at UCLA - UCLA starts the season 2-0 and BYU cannot beat both the Pac-10 schools on its schedule.

San Diego State at Washington State - Cougs pick up first win of the year with 40,000+ fans cheering them on at Qwest Field.

Colorado at Arizona State - The Sun Devils win big for a second week in a row.

Northern Arizona at Arizona - This FBS team will not pull a Michigan.

Non-Pac 10 Games of the Week:

Virginia Tech at LSU
Miami, FL at Oklahoma
South Carolina at Georgia
TCU at Texas

Other Games:

Middle Tennessee State at Louisville
Navy at Rutgers
Marshall at West Virginia
Nevada at Northwestern
Nebraska at Wake Forest
Miami, OH at Minnesota
Buffalo at Temple
Akron at Ohio State
Duke at Virginia
Alabama at Vanderbilt
Toledo at Central Michigan
Bowling Green at Michigan State
Rice at Baylor
Utah State at Wyoming
San Jose State at Kansas State
Missouri at Mississippi
North Carolina State at Boston College
Eastern Michigan at Ball State
Fresno State at Texas A&M
UAB at Florida State
Notre Dame at Penn State
Air Force at Utah
North Carolina at East Carolina - Upset Special
Southern Mississippi at Tennessee
Mississippi State at Tulane
Kent State at Kentucky
UTEP at Texas Tech
Hawaii at Louisiana Tech
Syracuse at Iowa
Indiana at Western Michigan
South Florida at Auburn
New Mexico State at New Mexico
Wisconsin at UNLV
Louisiana-Monroe at Clemson
Troy at Florida
Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma State
Ohio at Louisiana-Lafayette
Maryland at Florida International
Memphis at Arkansas State
SMU at North Texas
Eastern Illinois at Purdue
Western Illinois at Illinois
Southeast Louisiana at Kansas
Northern Iowa at Iowa State
Samford at Georgia Tech
Grambling State at Pittsburgh
Maine at Connecticut
Cal Poly at Idaho
Rhode Island at Army
Southern Illinois at Northern Illinois

Point Spread Games:
Indiana at Western Michigan (+1)
Memphis (-4) at Arkansas State
Southern Mississippi at Tennessee (-11)
Missouri (-6) at Mississippi

NFL Picks - Week 1

Here are my NFL picks for the first week of the season: Winners are in RED.

Thursday
NO at IND

Sunday
ATL at MINN
CAR at ST.L
DEN at BUF
KC at HOU
MIA at WAS
NE at NYJ
PHI at GB
PIT at CLE
TEN at JAC
CHI at SD
DET at OAK
TB at SEA
NYG at DAL

Monday
BAL at CIN
ARI at SF

Cougars vs. Wisconsin

It was a hot and cold day for the Cougars on Saturday. The offense looked good, but the defense, especially the secondary, was horrible. I think that the offense gave Cougar fans a reason to optimistic for the rest of the season. Scoring should not be a problem and the running game looked good.

Here are things that I was impressed and encouraged by:

The offensive line:
This unit held Wisconsin to only 1 sack. With both tackles being new, that is very impressive, even more if you factor in that Matt Shaughnessy was going against redshirt freshman Micah Hannam. The running game’s success was the direct result of the line’s play.

The running game:
Dwight Tardy: 21 rushes, 96 yards, 1 TD
Chris Ivory: 7 rushes, 29 yards, 1 TD
I liked Tardy’s speed off tackle and I thought he did a good job of not going down after the initial hit. Ivory was not a dropoff and he was able to give Tardy a breather without costing the team. Both also did a good job in protection, especially Tardy who picked up the blitzing LB a couple times when he was going to kill Brink.

Alex Brink:
Brink went 17 for 27, 171 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int. The most important thing was that he didn’t turn the ball over. He allowed the team to stay close for much of the game by not making mistakes. His reads were good, but his long ball needs some work. He had Gibson deep once that if he had thrown the ball accurately would have been a TD.

Here are the things I was disappointed in:

The defensive as a whole:
The line and LB’s were not getting any pressure on the QB. The secondary played like crap but the front 7 didn’t helpout by giving Donovan all day to throw the ball. The zone blitzes were not effective and the TE and slot receivers were sitting in holes in the middle of the defense. The secondary looked like they had no idea what coverage was. They got confused on the who’s responsibility was who’s. The holes in the zone were so huge and the receivers were just sitting in them that something had to be done. They never jammed the receivers at the line, allowing them to go 10 yards before they even were touched. I know that they are young, but its going to be a long season if that problem is not addressed.

Special Teams:
The blocked punt could have been disastrous. They got lucky with the recovery. The kickoffs were too short giving Wisconsin great field position all day. I know they moved the kickoffs back, but they still need to be improved. I do not like the new punt formation and I think it might cost them sometime this season.