Superbowl Predictions

After predicting that that Browns would go 5-11 (currently 4-10 with 2 to go) and also predicting that if the Browns had a bad season Romeo Crennel would be to blame (and he will be fired after the season no question) and leading my office pool Pick'em league with 150 right picks (i'm currently up 3 games with two weekends to go, i've won 5 weeks straight up already this year) i feel like i should make some Superbowl predictions as a heat-check.

So here we go, i'm just going to list the teams in order, 1. team being most likely to win the superbowl (IMO) and so on...:

1. Indianapolis
2.Pittsburgh
3. Carolina
4. NY Giants
5. Philadelphia
6. Tennessee
7. New England
8. Dallas
9. Minnesota
10. Denver
11. Miami

After pick 5 theres really no way of separating the teams. I guess we'll see what happens!

Bernie Kosar Interview

thanks to the Browns Board, they found these youtube clips of an interview by Steve Sabol (NFL Films) and Bernie Kosar, the great Browns QB.  these are pretty cool, even for the non-Browns fan, and especially for Bronco's fans, since Bernie was the QB when the Broncos were the anti-Browns (the Fumble, the Drive...). 

anyway, i love Bernie Kosar, so check these clips out.  Oh, and thanks to my pops for giving me the heads up about the post.

Part II

US Soccer Game at Dicks Park

About 3 weeks ago Noah, Scott, Nuccio and I braved the cold weather to take in a rare chance to see the Men's National Soccer Team play live. They played a World Cup qualifier game against Guatemala, unfortunately for us the US team had already qualified for the next round so this game wasn't that important.

It was great though to see some of the best US soccer players play live, including Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu, Brad Guzan, and Kenny Cooper. It was cool to see a lot of new players getting some attention like Kenny Cooper, Connor Casey and Ricardo Clark. Guatemala was really no match as the US won 3-0 with scores from Cooper and Adu.

The most notable thing about the game was the lack of support from fans. We attributed this to the fact that it was a Tuesday night, it was cold, and the game wasn't that important. The Dick was maybe 20% full, some sections were completely empty.

The other thing i noticed was the size of the players; they were much larger than i anticipated. Players like Cooper and Altidore are huge, and much stronger than they look on TV. it was impressive. It was a great time, its not that often that players this good play here in Colorado, luckily, we went to the Celtic vs MLS All-stars game a few years ago so we've seen a pretty impressive group of players.

Going to the Auction

so this is a little late, but i thought i'd share it anyway.

I've always been a fan of the auction, specifically Pacific Auto Auction on Denver. I was about it back in the day and decided to check it out. Its free to go, you can basically just check it out with no obligations. Well i ended up buying a 1991 Ford Bronco Fullsize that did me pretty well, i got it for $2200 back in 2003.

I've been telling all of my friends to check out the auction for cheap cars, i mean for $2000 or less you can get a commuter car no problem. Well finally someone took me up on the offer, Aaron, and so we headed down there with $1000 after his other car died.

We had some pressure to come home with a car, for cheap, and Aaron has some requirements, but i think we did alright, he got a 93 Volvo 850 for about $1100.

i think Kassie and i are going to check it out a little more often, maybe get a car and resell it. If anyone is interested in going, its every saturday morning, the auction starts at 10a and goes until about 1p. You can walk through the cars all day friday, and early saturday. It's pretty entertaining. here are some pics:
Here's Aaron pondering something




















Heres the little book, its a listing of the cars in order



















Here's what it all looks like, thats the auctioneer in the high booth, we're all checking out some minivan.

Last week i blogged part 1 of some posts about the Mocha Club. This is the follow-up to that post. Today Mocha Club is launching their website and have asked a handful of bloggers to help generate some traffic, you can see the blogroll at http://www.mochaclub.org/ .

Here is some text from the directors of Mocha Club:

When I think of Africa, the following images immediately come to mind: Starvation. AIDS. Child soldiers. Genocide. Sex slaves. Orphans. From there, my thoughts naturally turn to how I can help, how I can make a difference. “I am needed here,” I think. “They have so little, and I have so much.” It’s true, there are great tragedies playing out in Africa everyday. There is often a level of suffering here that is unimaginable until you have seen it, and even then it is difficult to believe. But what is even harder is reconciling the challenges that many Africans face with the joy I see in the people. It’s a joy that comes from somewhere I cannot fathom, not within the framework that has been my life to this day. [read more]

Sometimes its tough to be a Brown's fan

in case you haven't read or seen, the Brown's have lost both Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson for the rest of the season. This leaves Ken Dorsey as the long QB on the roster, with Joshua Cribbs backing him up, and i'm sure we'll pick somebody up this week.

Now i've been rooting for Quinn to play QB all season, nothing against Derek Anderson the person, but i think the management got this wrong. Whats worse is that the fans always take out their anger on the wrong person. It is not Derek Anderson's fault that the Browns have sucked this season. Just like when Tim Couch was the QB, even though he struggled, he didn't deserve the blame.

In another disappointing moment in Brown's fans history, the Browns cheered Derek Anderson's injury on Sunday. I know that the fans who cheered do not reflect the opinions of most of the fan-base, and i know that almost every team in the league would have the same result (some Bronco fans would have cheered a Jake Plummer injury) but i hate the fact that this is what Brown's fans are known for.

From James Walker of ESPN:

In an ugly scene Sunday, some Browns fans cheered when Anderson was injured.

"They were cheering the fact that I was hurt," Anderson said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "They don't like me. That's well known."

Mocha Club

So about a year ago Kass and I went to Boulder and got to see the Two Birds/One Stone tour featuring Matt Wertz, Dave Barnes and the Gabe Dixon Band. During the show, Matt and Dave took a few minutes to talk about Mocha Club, which is basically an organization that they put together to help raise money for projects in Africa. It was very interesting, the title implies that for the cost of two mocha's ($7) you could help this project (and cut back on expensive mocha's). A few weeks ago i was emailed and asked to help bring more attention to Mocha Club by blogging about it. I'm always a fan of easy/affordable/faith-based/passionate organizations, so i jumped at the chance to write about the program.



The first blog entry about Mocha Club is supposed to be about the concept of why 'I need Africa more than Africa needs me'. I think this brings me personally, back to the concept of short-term mission trips, trips i took in high school to Mexico over spring break or to Scotland for 10 days. While there is only so much one person can do in such a limited time, i personally was changed more than i anticipated.

I have been reading these blogs over at Compassion International, from some people who were asked to write about a short trip to Dominican Republic. One of the constant themes that comes up when people reflect on mission trips is the simple hope and faith people have even though they live in desperate situations. they're not caught up in theology, religion, or many of the issues that derail American Christians today, but they just simply believe, they have faith like a child. It's quite a lesson to be learned and this is why i think that i need Africa more than Africa needs me.

I need to get back to basics. I need to remember the poor and the oppressed. I need to not get caught up in the many materialistic things of our world, not get side-tracked with politics, not be distracted by different opinions, but to love others. I need Africa to show me what faith like a child looks like, what real suffering is, what hardship really means.

Share your thoughts in my comments, and even blog about it yourself. Join in the worthwhile cause of recasting the damaging images that force pity over partnership. I am one of many bloggers writing about Mocha Club, and i will be writing again on December 1st. I really encourage you to check organizations like Mocha Club out.

Why Quinn, Why Now?

I think i'm as surprised as anyone that the Browns have switched QB's to Brady Quinn on this short week, having a game Thursday night against the Bronco's. I figured they would make the switch eventually, Derek Anderson hasn't played well for over 10 games, and it was only a matter of time before Romeo Crennel's seat got hot enough.

Despite the record and the wins, Derek Anderson hasn't played well since about halfway through last season. I'm not going to drop all the stats here since a ton of other writers have already done that, but basically DA has been riding his surprising 6 game span from the beginning of last season. He couldn't get the Browns into the playoffs last season despite only needing 1 win at either Cincinnati or SF at the end of last season. He's had numerous chances to put the Browns over-the-top this season, including a 27-14 2nd half lead last week at home against Baltimore. He isn't delivering, a good amount of the Browns points have come off of special teams plays, interceptions/fumbles, and 54-yard field goals by Phil Dawson. Braylon Edwards has also dropped at least 3 touchdown passes that probably would have saved DA's job, but he didn't catch them, and DA is the scapegoat.

I like DA, and i hope we're able to move him for something valuable, there are quite a few teams that need a QB, i mean, Daunte Culpepper might be starting for the Lions this week, and we've already seen awesome QB's this season like Brad Johnson, Gus Frerrotte, Charlie Frye, Seneca Wallace, Rex Grossman, Trent Green, JT O'Sullivan, Patrick Ramsey, Damon Huard, Dan Orlovsky...

A quick look at the stats shows DA with a QB rating of 68.9, and that puts him 3rd from the bottom against other QBs, only better than Griese (TB), Hassellbeck (SEA), Thigpen (KC) and Fitzpatrick (CIN) and just behind Palmer (CIN) and Russell (OAK). DA's completion percentage is 49.8%, which is only better than Russell's 48%. I can understand Russell's terrible rate, since Oakland is a terrible team, but Cleveland has one of the best offensive lines in the leagues, and WR's like Braylon, Cribbs and Winslow. There's no reason he can't be better.

As for the Browns decision to go this week, i think it has to do with a few different factors. First of all the division is not out of reach; Cleveland is 3-5 while Balt is 5-3 and Pitt is 6-2. Although i think they only have about 2-3 more "easy" games, things could still change, especially in the wildcard race. Another factor is Denver's defense. Denver is terrible, they were terrible to start the season and since then they've lost both Bailey brothers, DJ Williams, Marlon McCree, and many other starters. Those loses combined with the fact that they'll be on the road in cold Cleveland with a rejuvenated fan base (last week's game ended with the stadium chanting BRA-DY BRA-DY) means this will be a tough game for Denver. The short week also gives Denver less time to plan for a QB that nobody really knows about, but that is two-sided since it only gives Brady Quinn a few days to prepare as teh starter.

Romeo Crennel should be fired by now, and if this season continues to be bad, he'll surely be fired by the end of the season. There is too much talent on this roster for the Browns not to make the playoffs. Hello, is this Bill Cowher?

Side Bets - reasons to get excited for the NBA

So i ran across this post on my favorite Sacramento Kings blog, SactownRoyalty.com , and thought it was awesome.

Seriously, the side stories around the NBA are more interesting than the actual games.  Stories about Charles Oakley/Michael Jordan, Barkley, betting, parties, video games, big houses and too many cars...

I think the NBA is clearly the standard when it comes to interesting side stories.

From the article:  "Kevin Martin knew he netted more than a sweet YouTube clip Monday when he crossed over Rudy Fernandez to dunk on Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge in the Kings' 112-98 loss to Portland.

Martin also won a $1,000 bet with teammate Mikki Moore on who would be the first to dunk on Oden.

Cuban Soccer Defectors

I've told a few people about the Cuban soccer players that defect whenever Cuba comes to the US to play soccer. I follow the US Mens Soccer team, and they're currently in the qualifying rounds for the 2010 World Cup. Currently they are in the group stage with 3 other teams, Cuba, Guatemala, and Trinidad & Tobago, the top 2 teams advance to the next round.

Back in March the Cuban Soccer Team was in Florida to play Honduras in an under-23 Olympic qualifier. 7 players escaped from the hotel they were staying at, seeking political asylum. Again last weekend Cuba was here to play the US team in the World Cup qualifying and 2 more players defected.

Its a very sad situation, i feel, that Americans tend to take their freedom for granted, demanding more of this great country when they already have so many blessings. These players are all risking their lives to escape a country that has a terrible past, and their stories are very remarkable. Please read the links, they're very interesting.

"Of course, my heart will be in Cuba with my family, but I want to have the freedom to better my life, to play professional soccer, to be the best I can be, and for that we had to make this sacrifice," Bermudez said in The Herald. "The key now is to get the legal paperwork out of the way as quickly as possible so we can get on with our plans."

Brady Quinn, When?

People are always asking me if i think Brady Quinn will be playing QB for the Browns anytime soon, and I, just like other Browns fans, don't know why he hasn't started playing yet.
But i think i figured out what might be holding the Browns staff from pulling the trigger on Quinn, here's an excerpt from an article by ESPN's James Walker:

"There is a lot of money involved between these two players as it pertains to playing time.

Anderson signed a three-year, $24-million contract before the season with incentives that could increase the deal to $26 million. The Browns gave Anderson $7 million up front in a signing bonus and their immediate returns would look feeble if Cleveland permanently benched him five games into the season.

Meanwhile, Quinn is sitting on the bench as one of the lowest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL this year. After the 2007 NFL draft, he signed an incentive-laden deal that could pay him up to $30 million over five years as the No. 22 overall pick. But through almost a year and a half of inactivity, Quinn has not met any of those incentives and the overall value of the contract continues to plummet. This year he is making the second-year minimum of $370,000. Quinn's salary would increase significantly to $1.693 million -- more than quadruple the original amount -- if Quinn plays 45 percent of the snaps this year.

It should only take Quinn eight starts to reach those playing-time incentives."

Browns Prediction

So, after a terrible start (1-3) the Browns might only win 2 or 3 more games. Romeo Crennel has destroyed this team, Derek Anderson has shown that he can't hang with the big boys, and Braylon just dropped his paycheck, among other things. After the first 1/4 of the season, the Browns have lost 3 games against pretty good opposition in DAL, PIT, and @BAL, and squeaked out a win @CIN.

i think i will start prepping my brown bag because the rest of the schedule is brutal. my prediction for their record is in the parenthesis:

NYG (1-4)
@WAS (1-5)
@JAC (1-6)
BAL (2-6)
DEN (3-6)
@BUF(3-7)
HOU (4-7)
IND (4-8)
@TEN (4-9)
@PHI (4-10)
CIN (5-10)
@PIT (5-11)

awesome, 5-11, thats just great, after a 10 win season we're going 5-11. ugh. Could we have gotten a tougher schedule? this is what happens after a season where the Browns played the NFC West, then this season we got the ridiculous NFC East. When's the draft?

JWill Retires

Jason Williams has called it quits. I can't say i'm surprised, but i am disappointed. Jason was my favorite player while i was in high school, and i followed him through Memphis and Miami. It's obvious that he has to retire earlier than he anticipated, but his body just seems to be breaking down faster than usual.

Jason was drafted by the Kings as a sort of unknown player, a gamble since he'd already been in trouble a few times in college for pot and other things. He instantly became a fan-favorite with his ridiculous ball skills and a sense for the dramatic with his 3-pointers which he would launch anytime he felt like it, even on fast breaks. His run-n-gun style quickly spread throughout the Kings roster and a year later we were playoff bound with what Sports Illustrated called the "Greatest Show on Court", the lineup included JWill, CWebb, Peja, Christie and Vlade.

Jason found himself on Sportscenter almost every night with his fake behind the back passes to himself, pop-up 3's, and creative dribbles, his high-point coming in the Rookie Game with a behind the back - off the elbow pass to Pau Gasol. But with the highlights came the criticism. Jason was pinned as a guard that took too many chances and had too many turnovers. He was later traded to Memphis for Mike Bibby. There, under the direction of Hubie Brown, Jason was slowly molded into a typical boring point guard, stressing defense and control. For the rest of his short career Jason would never really open up his game, though improving his assist/turnover ratio greatly, Jason appeared to give up his need to showboat and entertain people, instead just trying to get along with coaches like Hubie Brown and Pat Riley, in boring systems that didn't allow for creativity.

I don't think we ever really got the chance to see Jason in a great situation after Sacramento, where Rick Adleman's system allows players to flourish and score, sacrificing defense. It seems like the NBA sometimes forgets that its entertainment first and suppressing one of the most entertaining players ever has to be regrettable.

Check these highlights out, you'll see why Jason
was amazing! After you watch the elbow pass, just keep clicking on links of Jason Williams highlights, you'll get the idea (search Jason Williams Gary Payton and watch JWill cross-up Payton).


Elbow Pass:

Best NFL Fans

ESPN just posted a story ranking the best fanbase in the NFL. As much as it pains me to see Pittsburgh as #1, i'm happy the Browns are in the top 3, thats pretty impressive considering how bad the Browns have been.

Now it's time to see some playoff success to make this fanbase happy!

Browns Prediction

i just want to go on record here before the season starts and state that if the Browns are terrible this season, it is because of Romeo Crennel.

This guy is a terrible coach. he was almost fired at the end of the 06-07 season, and then was saved only by the miracle that was Derek Anderson last season. You didn't forget that yes the Browns started Charlie Frye at the beginning of last season right. If Derek Anderson doesn't come out and shock the world, Romeo Crennel doesn't have a job. seriously, how are you going to fire a guy after the best season Cleveland has seen since they were reinstated?

on paper, the Browns are one of the best teams in the league. But after a disappointing preseason i can conclude that Romeo is holding this team back. We have a QB who has proven he can go crazy, a backup who's better than some teams starters (arizona, chicago...) an offense that can throw the ball down the field and then slam it in behind the best O-line in the league. a top-flight receiver, the best tight-end, solid running back, dependable number 2 receiver. we have a reliable special teams with a good FG kicker and the best return guy in the league.

We have an okay defense, which was improved in the offseason yet has failed to show any real improvement on the field. we have good coordinators, especially Mark Chudzinski as the offensive coordinator.

so whats left? the head coach, and he's terrible, and yet he has the final say on everything that happens. if we don't make the playoffs this year we have totally under-acheived. heck, if we don't win in our first 2-3 games i'd fire Crennel right there.

Seriously Done with the NBA

i'm not joking when i say i'm over the NBA. after Tim Donaghy brought to light that the Kings/Lakers series of 2002 was fixed, i decided that was the last straw.

i wasn't so upset about the betting scandal, i mean, you have to think that this is happening in most sports on some level. But a team i spent my young life following, loving them even when the going was bad (it was never good), and for them to finally make the playoffs was awesome! the fact that we got to the Western Conference Finals and were playing against our rivals, the Lakers, and had the series lead 3-whatever, all we needed was a win and to lose was bad enough. through all of the bad calls, Robert Horry 3's, and media bias i was heartbroken, seriously, ask anyone around me that year, Kass, Tahoe, Isaac, my dad, anyone.

but now, after all this time wondering why Bibby was called for a foul after being hit in the face by Kobe we find out that the fix was in. its too much to take. the fact that this happen to my team, in my once in a lifetime chance to go to the Finals (and be the favorite) and to find about this scandal is too much. i hate the NBA. i hate the longer season, the playoffs setup, i hate slacker players, i hate the Spurs, i hate the ego's and gangsters, and now i really hate the history. there is no way to fix this, the NBA did a permanent thing in fixing this series and Kings fans, who could lose their team any time now, also lost out on a finals berth, among a million other things.

NBA, eff you.

Bibby Knows Whats Up!

so one of my favorite players, Mike Bibby, who has been banished to the derrty south, and with a losing record has made the playoffs in the east, has been talking some mean smack about Boston fans.

and rightfully so

I don't care if rajon rondo scored more points than Bibby, or got more assists, Rondo is playing on a stacked team whereas Bibby was moved midseason and has a bunch of scrums (who are being guarded by recently crowned defensive player of the year Garnett) to support him. if Bibby gets better stats than Rondo in any game that an achievement in itself

anyway, back to the smack

here's Bibby calling the Boston fans fair weather:

(sunday's crowd)“kind of loud at the beginning, but a lot of these fans might be bandwagon jumpers. They try to get on this now. Because I played here last year, too. I didn’t see three-fourths of them so it might be that."

“I remember them having bags on their heads,” he said. “Are they the ones that had bags on their heads last year? It’s just a different look, but I guess that happens when you win.”

I love Bibby, and i think he's developed a devil-may-care attitude this year since he was betrayed by Sacramento, where he wanted to retire. I mean he's like a 10-year vet, and he's a place in his career where he's past his prime, but still very very good. now he's on a team that is very young and might not be serious contenders for another 2-3 years.

As for the smack-talk this series, why not? if the Hawks win one game in this series that'll be amazing.

Playoffs!

no, i'm not writing about how the Nuggets managed to squeeze into the playoffs this season with a mere 49 (50?) wins. ps: good luck in LA LA Land!

I'm writing about the release of the NFL schedule! BAM! Cleveland Browns with 5 PRIMETIME GAMES:

9/14 vs Sunday vs Pittsburgh
10/13 Monday vs New York Giants
11/6 Thurs vs Denver Broncos
11/17 Monday at Buffalo Bills
12/15 Monday at Philly

Ah yea

It's time to get on the band wagon if you're a Bronco's fan, or any other team for that matter. and now you'll see why. its about time we got the spotlight. i just know (hope) that we'll be awesome and people will become Browns fans!

Kansas v Memphis recap

this is a post of anger/passion, so forgive me if the details are a little off

Last nights NCAA championship game got a little more interesting than i had anticipated. in what has been my best year ever in picking the tourney, it came down to the championship game, and coincidentally enough, me versus my wife, i having memphis.

So lets just recap what happened last night.

I had picked North Carolina over Memphis in the final, and could win the title if anyone but Kansas won, so suffice to say, the last few games have been brutal.

Last nights game was great. but everyone is wrong about why Memphis lost. Memphis point guard, Rose, was great, he was playing through a stomach ailment and was pretty much invisible through the first 3 quarters of the game. About midway through the second half, he decided to take over and that was when Memphis pulled away to get about a 10 point cushion the rest of the way.

As the game was coming to a close, highly touted memphis small forward, CDR, 1st team all-american, all-conference, all everything, decided to choke worst than anyone ever. People want to tak about Rose's desperation shot that was changed from a 3-point basket to a 2-point basket as the changing point in the game, but those were free points afterall. there's no way that shot shoould have gone in, so basically memphis got a break, whether it was 2 or 3 points. 2 plays later CDR misses an open layup, talk about that?

or how about with 15 seconds to go in the game, about this time, Kass realizes that she could beat me in the bracket contest if Kansas wins. so now not only am i frustrated with how the game is going, but kass has become quite vocal in her new-found love for the Jayhawks. In her diehard passion for Kansas she decides to invoke the "Mercer Curse", which if you don't know what that is, see Robert Horry 3 pointer to beat kings in conference finals, or Dennis Northcutt drop on 3rd down for the Browns, or...

so back to 15 seconds to go, Mercer Curse is on, and Memphis' lead had dwindled to 2 points after multiple blown offensive possessions. Trying to kill the clock, having the ball, memphis begins to pass the ball around, making Kansas chase. The ball gets to CDR, who could pass, but would rather pad his own points and hold it so he can shoot free-throws. so with 15 seconds to go, a 2 point lead, and your supposedly best player at the line, this game is over

nope, he misses both. but wait, somehow, the memphis tigers are given yet another chance to seal the game by getting the rebound from the missed free-throw and killing 5 more seconds before Rose is fouled and sent to the line. now Rose also appears to fold under the pressure and only makes 1 of 2 shots, pushing the lead to 3 and allowing Kansas to come down and sink a pressure-filled clutch 3 pointer and send the game into overtime.

This game is over before overtime starts. CDR hadn't made a basket in 20 minutes, memphis big man Dorsey fouled out before regulation, and Kansas has the momentum. woohoo. my dad and i find more misery yet again.

at least the NFL Draft is in like 2 weeks.

Rapids 4, Gals 0

Yes, the opening day that everyone is talking about: MLS!





The Footy Crew and I went to the Rapids opening day game against the LA Galaxy at the Dick, and it was awesome! The place was sold out, including standing room only tickets, and we had 8 seats near midfield, we got to see a ton of action.





The Rapids looked great, Terry Cooke (ex-Man United) played solid with 1 goal and 2 assists, Bouna Time had a great game in goal and Christian Gomez, the Rapids big name signing this summer, played good in the midfield and scored a goal, which totals 4 goals for the night!





as for the Gals? Beckham looked alright, but he has seriously no help. he's like a QB with no receivers or running backs. Landon Donovan was terrible, he had chances to show us that he's good but he failed. Ruiz was invisible all night, except near the end of the game when we were front row to an almost-brawl





Abel Xavi, the Galaxy high-profile, over-the-hill defender was burned all night. apparently he got fed-up and told the ref how he felt about it, resulting in a dismissal from the match. a few minutes later, (90 minute mark), Rapids rookie Ciaran O'Brien decided to wipe out Carlos Ruiz from behind. the tackle was bad, but not meriting the red card ejection that O'Brien got (Beckham later said he thought it was worthy of yellow, but not red). The situation was calm and fine until Little Landon ran across the field and tried to pick a fight. nobody picks on little kids so no fight happened.





anyway, the game was great, loved the atmosphere, the seats are great, and the Rapids came through. now just if we can get Rapidman back we'll be alright.





oh, and we were commenting on how everyone was booing David Beckham, and my lovely wife input that yes, they are booing while taking his picture. that pretty much sums that up!


Beckham, #23, frustrated after a 4th goal against

Nuggets = Browns

yes its true. After emailing with my sports-buddy Aaron all day about the Nuggets and their situation, i've concluded that i've heard all these arguments before:

but we've won alot of close games, and we've beaten just as many "big" teams as has GS

it will be the first time in the HISTORY OF THE NBA that a 50 win team has not made the playoffs.

We are 14 games over .500 and it's the best Nuggets record since 1987-88

Even if we don't make the playoffs,. . . it's a freak year

Toronto, the 4 seed in the east is 20 games out of first place. We, the 9 seed in the west are 7 games out of 1st. Crazy.

...um, oh yea, the Browns won 10 games and didn't make the playoffs. 5th team even in NFL history to do that. No one had sympathy for me and the Brownies when that happened, it was all about "thats a good season, but they just weren't good enough..."

At the end of the day, the Nuggets are the 9th best team in the west, and probably the 11th best team in the league. i don't care if they win 70 games, if 8 other teams have better records, it don't mean nothin.

Chucky Atkins: the REAL answer

hahaha

The Nuggets have been struggling all season, and they seem to have an excuse at every turn/loss. First it was losing Nene, or not having good chemistry yet, or JR Smith's late-game turnovers, or not having a point-guard. did they address any roster moves at the trade deadline? hell yea, Von Wafer to Portland for Taurean Green!!

So then it was "just wait for Chucky to come back". really? chucky atkins? career backup? where did he play last year.....memphis? I mean we're running a team with all stars at every position, Melo, AI, KMart (i think he was an allstar once), Camby. they brought in Anthony Carter and Chucky Atkins to run/direct/lead this group of allstars?? haha

anyway, everyone said just wait til Chucky comes back and it will be fine. so what has changed? we're still in 9th place, we can't win games we need, we struggle against the Raptors and the Grizzlies needing "late game heroics" from Melo? no ... AI? no.... JR SMITH? oh yea. all while the Warriors are actually competing and beating worthy teams. If Dirk doesn't get injured, the Nugz are watching the playoffs from home

But back to Chucky, so did he save the Nuggets? well, lets check his gamelog since he came back:

sorry it's so small, but it says this: no, it didn't help, he hasn't scored in his last 4 games

in other news, the Colorado Mammoth (lacrosse) average over 500 more people at their games than the Nuggets, they both play at the Pepsi Center. (according to the Rocky Mountain News)

Ginobili Top Ten??

So the increasingly impressive ESPN decided to wiegh-in on the Best 2-Guard debate that has everyone comparing Kobe and Jordan. I've stated on here that i think Kobe will be the best 2-guard ever, if not the best ever. I'm a Laker-hater so don't forget that, i don't like Kobe, but he's amazing, seriously.

read it here

Anyway, the article struck me as losing all credibility when i read the small print. Basically they had all the "NBA Experts" at ESPN including Greg Anthony, Jon Barry and Jemele Hill vote on their Top 10 2 Guard in NBA HISTORY, 10 points for the best and 1 point for 10th. obviously Jordan was #1 and Kobe #2, but Kobe isn't done yet, remember.

Here's the best part, Dwayne Wade, Manu Ginobili and Mitch Richmond all recieved votes! are you serious?? someone things Manu is among the TOP TEN 2-GUARDS OF ALL-TIME??

so weak ESPN, you have seriously discredited yourself. Freakin Ginobili isn't even the best player on his team, he doesn't even start!

weak

NBA Stuff

Last night Aaron and i got to go to the Nuggets-Suns game, so in honor of that, i thought i'd post my thoughts about the closing run of the season. By the way, the Nuggets destroyed the very flat Suns 123-111. JR Smith is going to make or break this team, he has a terrible shot selection but he redeems himself by making these ridiculous 3's. if he misses 2-3 three-pointers last night this game could have ended a lot different

anyway, lets talk about the West

Here's how i'm feeling about everything going on in the West. First, the trades

I like the Shaq trade even though it hasn't really produced results yet. Shaq is old, so is Grant Hill and Steve Nash so i'm not surprised when i see games like i did last night, these guys just don't have enough gas to play 82 games plus playoffs. I think as long as the Suns get in they'll be fine, Shaq will play better and D'Antoni has 20 more games to figure out how he'd like to play this squad. Remember, Shaq isn't going to fill up the stat sheet, he's more of a creating/holding player and he totally opens up the floor for Amare.

I don't like the Mavs and Jason Kidd. Kidd didn't do anything with Vince Carter and Jefferson in New Jersey in a weaker Eastern Conference so whats to say he's going to do anything with basically Dirk and Josh Howard? I'm not scared of the Mavs this season at all

Now the Lakers are looking great. Rumor is Bynum might not be on the fast track to recovery so that could suck for them, but they've shown they can win without Bynum for now. The thing i'd be worried about with the Lakers is peaking too early. They can't play a ton better than they are now, 9-1 in their last 10, but Kobe does carry the load and come playoff time he's gonna be a little worn out.

Now what about PLAYOFFS?

Well, the West is ridiculous! I think the Nugz might be in trouble, people thought Houston would fall apart without Yao but remember, this team has played so many stretches without Yao and/or McGrady that they can handle it just fine, especially with Scola playing awesome. Plus they have the greatest coach ever to get teams into the playoffs in Adelman so they'll get in.

I think the race for 8/7 will only be between Denver, Golden State and Dallas, with Denver being left out of the dance. None of these teams will be a factor in the later rounds of playoffs anyway.

As for the newcomers to the playoffs this season, the Hornets and Jazz, wouldn't bet on these teams either. I love both these teams, i really enjoy watching Derron Williams and Chris Paul play, and it looks like both of these teams will be around for awhile, but i just don't think you can do it with a PG as your key player, at least not in todays NBA. We're seeing the Nuggets suffer without a PG so yes, it's vital to have a good one, but you can't get points as easily through a PG as you can a PF like Duncan, Dirk, Amare, Carmelo. The Jazz do have Boozer but i'm just not excited about that. The Hornets have Peja, Chandler, and West but i don't know, none of those guys have shown the maturity to take a team far in playoffs.

Who does that leave? the Spurs and the Lakers and the Suns. You can't really discount the Spurs until they don't succeed in the playoffs, and this season has given us no reason to think they're any worse than they've been in the last few years, its the same team and they're all healthy.

The Lakers are my pick to represent the West, i'm just hoping that Kobe proves to everyone how good he is and carries this team to a championship.

The Suns will be competitive, but not good enough, Amare is too emotional to handle the playoffs and i'm not sure if Shaq and Nash are as motivated this year as they've been in the past.

So you heard it here first, i'm thinking a Lakers/Spurs western conf. showdown with a nod to history with a Lakers Celtics final. how amazing would that be? Go Celtics!!

Lots of stuff going on today in sports:

• Apparently Shaq is on his way to Phoenix for Shawn Marion. This could work very well for both teams considering Marion is a free-agent this summer and Shaq, well, lets just say that Lebatard puts its best: "Shaq's style doesn't work in Phoenix? Taking passes from Nash kind of works for anyone. And dunking and shooting 60 percent fits just about anywhere."
• Tonite the US Mens soccer team is playing a 'friendly' against Mexico at 7p on ESPN2. This is turning out to be a great rivavlry and this game will defintley be worth watching, even if you're not totally sold on soccer. look for Landon Donovan to have a big game, this is about the only team he plays well against.
• speaking of soccer, US rising star, Jozy Altidore was apparently almost tranferred to English Premier League bottom-dwellers Reading this past January. The deal fell through, which is both good and bad; Jozy is young and he's awesome and he brings a high-level talent to the MLS, but he would have been thrown into a starting role in England in arguably the best league in the world which would help him as a play instantly
• in NFL news....Patriots suck, and looks like they're in more trouble, no sympathy from me
• The Browns now have SIX pro-bowlers, and deservedly so, now that Brady and Moss have backed out. Derek Anderson, Kellen Winslow, Braylon Edwards, Joe Thomas, Ryan Pontbriand, and Josh Cribbs.
• In the best commentator news, still in soccer-mode, ESPN has dropped Eric Wynalda, who basically sucked as a soccer announcer and could be at fault for people not liking soccer.

Well that was fun

Nuggets Fans Beware

the Lakers just got a ton better. For a quick fix and showing that they're going for a championship this season, the Fakers just traded for Pau Gasol.

this is a pretty good upgrade to the lakers, i have always thought Gasol was good, and people don't know much about him because he's been stuck in Memphis since he was drafted.

did anyone catch the line about what the Grizzlies got in return?:
"The Grizzlies will get the Lakers' first-round draft choices in 2008 and 2010; guard Aaron McKie, signed earlier Friday for salary cap purposes; cash considerations, and the rights to Gasol's brother Marc, a 2007 second-round pick of Los Angeles."

thats wierd

anyway, if the Nuggets don't make a move for Ron Artest, i'd be surprised. The Nugz have a roster of people who are built to win right now, before their window closes. Camby, KMart and Iverson aren't getting any better, so get Artest and make a run!

Problems in the MLS

man, problems with Major League Soccer? no, tell me it can't be!

its true

I follow MLS because i like soccer, and i like to know who the players are that are playing for our National Team. Even though the average joe still thinks that players from the USA don't/can't play in Europe, most of our national squad is playing in the top level in England including:

Demarcus Beasly
Freddy Adu
Micheal Bradley
Tim Howard
Kasey Keller
Clint Dempsey
Eddie Johnson
Bobby Convey
Brian McBride
Bocanegra

and quite a few others, and they're getting starting minutes even

so here's the problem with MLS. last week they had the 'Superdraft', in which the MLS teams drafted the best players from college, just like every other sport. But unlike every other sport in America, drafting first is not good. The top players in college are trying to get jobs overseas and so if you draft Joe Schmo from UCLA, the best striker in the country to turn around your franchise, and then he signs with some Football club in Sweden, well, you're out of luck.

that sucks. if you pass on that kid, and he doesn't get a job overseas well then you miss out on some great talent.

it reminds me of when all of the good basketball players were skipping college to play in the NBA, colleges would sign these kids and then they'd get burned.

Drafting the right player is hard enough, but then for that player to skip out to Europe, that makes it even harder. i don't know how to fix this, but i hope the MLS continues to improve and our homegrown talent sticks around.

What Is There To Talk About?

ugh

I hate the time around the Superbowl, nothing going on. I'm not really looking forward to the big game for any reason, except maybe a Patriots loss which would be hilarious.

I've determined that there is no reason whatsoever to follow the NBA before the All-Star game every season because there are so many freaking games (82 in case you didn't know). But the All-Star game is coming up and i'm still not excited.

The Kings are playing way over their heads which is awesome and Reggie Theus is turning out to be a good coach, though i think it has to do with coaching scrubs and not stars. But that will change now that Bibby, Artest and KMart are back, lookout!

Some names you'll be hearing in the Association for the next 5-10 years are Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Kevin Martin, Dwight Howard, Derron Williams, and Spencer Hawes. Bosh is amazing! i love that kid. Same with Dwight Howard, this guy is only getting better. Spencer Hawes, well, that just hopeful.

At least Manchester United is on top of the table in the English Premier League, barely topping Arsenal. The league doesn't end until May, but its already intense. Arsenal and ManU are playing each other on Feb. 16 for the FA Cup which will be the most hyped game of the year so far!

And last but not least, the Rockies seems to be nailing down all the big names, Tulo, Holliday, Atkins. so its good to see O'Dowd spending some cash on a World Series calibre team!

The Birdman Could Fly Again

ex-Denver Nugget fan favorite, Chris 'Birdman' Andersen has begun the reinstatement process to get back into the NBA

Birdman's last flight was with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornet and missing dunks in the Slame Dunk Contest before being 'excused' for drug-related reasons.

The Hornets supposedly want him back.

i'm excited

more ugly white-dudes in the NBA, yes!

Go Giants?

well, we finally have the Superbowl teams. talk about a disappointing playoffs. first my Brownies don't make it in along with the Vikings and/or Donkeys so i don't really have a team to follow.

My backup team is always the Colts, i love 'em, and i love the whole Colts vs Patriots debate. When we look back on this era it was all be about the Manning vs Brady, and i'm hoping Manning can put it together the next few seasons.

But anyway, i was talking to my homies, and basically if i have to pick my 5 least favorite teams in the NFL it would be the Patriots, Giants, Packers, Chargers and Steelers. well that made for an interesting Championship weekend since 4 of 5 of those teams were playing, but above all, i'm anti-Patriots, so whoever beats them, i'll support.

So that brings me to the Superbowl, Giants vs Patriots. I've got to go with the Giants. i kind of like them now. and let me explain why.

I didnt like the Giants because i felt they were vastly overrated. i still think every team in the NFC is terrible, and the fact that the Giants came out on top isn't much to celebrate, but they did come up with some huge wins, including at Lambeau which is pretty crazy. gotta support that!

so Go Giants, but those evil Patriots and make history forget about this season.

oh, and watch out for the Kings, they're healthy and on a roll!

So a majority of my friends in Denver are part of the blind masses that are bowing down to Devin Hester, who in my opinion, is the most overrated player in the NFL. He's terrible, and this whole "Game changer" tag he gets is worthless if you consider that he's only the field for maybe 2 minutes the whole game.

the fact that the bears WR corps is so bad and Hester actually gets on the field during the game is embarrassing. Yes, he scored 6 touchdowns this year, but did you noticed the muffs, the fumbles, the mistakes, the times he should have just done a fair catch but didn't. he's too much risk for reward, and if he's the guy the Bears look to take over games for them, well, they're not going to make the playoffs, oh wait, they didn't.

Here's a comparison of Devin Hester, and the best returner in the game Joshus Cribbs from Cleveland:

Fantasy Recap

here's my 2007 Fantasy recap for football, and more proof you shouldn't listen to anything i say

Fantasy Football, Roto leagues:
i was in 3 separate leagues this year, big mistake. After starting the season 3-0 i went 8-42

8-42

i went 1-14 in my dad's league. i royally sucked this year.

Pick'em:

i picked 163 correct winners out of a possible 256, which is 63%. i'm actually proud of that, anything over 50% is considered good. I picked 13 games right on two separate weeks, and i also got 6 right on two different weeks.

Survival:

I survived 12 weeks out of 17. weak, very weak.

Recap:

i guess i left room for improvement. i'm going back to only playing in one league next year, i can't handle multiple teams. oh, and i'm 11-16 in picking bowl games. man i'm having a tough season.

NFL Playoffs and the Browns

This is all i'm going to post about how i feel about the Browns not making playoffs:

Cleveland is now the 5th team ever to win 10 games and not make playoffs. the last team was Kansas City in 2005 (remember, the year the Bronco's and Charger's made it and KC didn't). Only could Cleveland pull this off this season. Next year we play the AFC South (Ind, Jac, Ten, and Hou) and the NFC East (NYG, Phi, Dal, and Was). it was fun while it lasted.