Month: January 2008

"We’re Pretty Much The Smartest Thing Going" The 2007-08 New England Patriots Story

/ Jason / 2 Comments

So, not that I saw it coming or anything, but the Patriots pulled a fast one and everyone and it became very apparent yesterday with the release of the injury report for the Super Bowl, when Tom Brady’s ankle was not mentioned (don’t worry, his right shoulder was).  It was all a scam.  Brady’s ankle never hurt, just as I theorized last week.


I’m currently blogging at a Panera.  I feel like Perez Hilton.  Except I’m writing about sports and I’m not fat and effeminate.  

There is very little happening in sports today, besides the Johan Santana near-fiasco.  I’m terribly frightened that the Mets are not going to execute this signing and Santana will be the Twins opening day starter and my life from April to September will be a little sadder because of it.  Santana instantly makes the Mets the best team in the National League, though it is a little to early for predictions, especially with so many great signings going down, like the Yankees inking Morgan Ensberg (he NEEEEEEEVER took steroids) to a one year deal.

There is talk that the Blazers, Mavericks, and Nets have a proposed deal that involves Jason Kidd going to the Mavericks and the Trail Blazers ruining their magic karma.  New Jersey would stay the same.  In the deal, the Blazers would give up Jarrett Jack, Travis Outlaw, and Channing Frye and receive Devin Harris.  Now, Devin Harris is a quality point guard, but Outlaw is having a breakout year, Frye has a manageable contract, and Jarrett Jack is a more than capable NBA point guard.  Portland does need to start trimming down its roster, because they are gaining Greg Oden and a slue of previously drafted Euro players next year, however, I would not trade Travis Outlaw. If they’re looking to trim some fat, Steve Blake and Joel Pzybilla would be a good place to start.  I don’t know what the Mavericks are thinking, personally.  Kidd is still a great player, but he’s also a malcontent and the Mavs risk hurting whatever team chemistry they have.  This also would push Josh Howard back to a third man role, where he, I feel, would falter.  He’s becoming a star in the NBA and Mark Cuban would be wise to recognize that and not mess with that by adding a superstar and instead go out and find him some quality role players to fill in bench holes.  The Nets, well, they’re the Nets.

There are a number of different columns I’d like to write: Top Five best running back prospects in this April’s NFL draft, why the New Orleans Hornets are the greatest entity since air, a conference breakdown of Men’s College Basketball, etc.  If you read this every day (I’m looking your way, Matthew Minton) and you’d like to read my thoughts on anything, please, send them my way.  At this point, I feel like I’m only writing to give myself something to read when I have internet access.

Because I feel like a massive tool box, blogging in public, I’ll jump to my game o’ the day.

Game O’ The Day:  Boston @ Dallas.  (NBA)  This is the Celtics first west coast test of the year (yes, in January).  They beat up on the terrible Heat the other night without Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.  The question is, can they do that again tonight against a much, much better Mavs team.  I say no.  Dallas wins 103-90.

Some Information

/ Jason / Leave a comment

I apologize if anyone came here looking for a post from the previous few days.  We’ve been having some internet issues, in that the internet isn’t working very well.  I’m currently operating off of one wireless bar, which is one more than we’ve had in the past two days.  Because of this, Mid-Atlantic Bias may be taking an indefinite leave of absence, unless I can get some signal tomorrow.  I’ll cover a few thoughts now, before I turn off the computer and cross my fingers:


-My intended game of the day just ended.  Kansas State did what I didn’t think anyone was going to do and beat Kansas.  I didn’t watch, as I couldn’t because it wasn’t on regular ESPN, however, they did cut in during halftime of the Texas/Texas A&M game, just in time for me to see the Wildcat fans rush the court and Michael Beasley throw up gang signs.

-Plaxico Burress has reminded me why I didn’t like him before the NFC Title Game.  Seriously, just shut up.

-I’m going to continue watching the Cavs and Blazers now and perhaps go to bed.  Feel free to check back daily for new posts.  I apologize in advance if I am not able to post.  I’m glad that I’ve found something I like to do and something other than my laziness prohibits my ability to do it.  

-Good Night.

"We’re Really Just Preparing for the Giants. There’s a Time to Talk About the Past, I Just Don’t Think Now Is That Time." The Bill Belichick Story

/ Jason / 1 Comment

There is not anything I hate more than watching a Bill Belichick interview.  If I was a journalist, I would ask him the absolute most ridiculous questions possible:


Me: “Bill, what kind of hammock do you enjoy?  The one with the woven rope, or the one that is just one piece of material?”
Bill: (head explodes).

Media Day tomorrow should be a fiasco.  I can’t wait.  There’s nothing better than putting a microphone in front of Antonio Pierce and Osi Uminyora and watching the magic happen.

The Hornets blew out the Spurs Saturday night.  Just remember, while I wasn’t the first person to tell you the Hornets were good, I was the first to say that they are going to win an NBA Title THIS YEAR.  I would like to see them get more contribution from Hilton Armstrong, so as to spell Tyson Chandler with a defensively capable player, but really, I’m just grasping at straw to try and find something wrong with this team.  They have a manageable remaining schedule, with more games against Eastern Conference opponents than any of the other West contenders.  They could have 60 wins this year and they’re still young.  Can you tell that I’m super high on the Hornets?

Patrick Ewing Jr. is a goaltender.  West Virginia will get its payback in the Big East tournament.

With all the talk about upsets in college basketball this weekend, you would think that there was an actual upset.  There wasn’t.  Wisconsin losing in West Lafayette to Purdue is not an upset.  Wisconsin is a Big Ten school and the Big Ten is not a good conference.  Pittsburgh losing at the Pete to Rutgers would be an upset, if the Panthers weren’t without Lavance Fields and Mike Cook.  However, with Ronald Ramon left to carry the team…well…don’t bet the farm Pitt fans.
 Memphis and Kansas are still the creme-de-la-creme of the field in Men’s College Basketball.

As I mentioned in the weekend edition, I know how to save the NHL and it’s only going to take one step, but will take some analysis.  Allow me to explain:

THERE ARE  TOO MANY TEAMS IN THE NHL.  TOO MANY TEAMS MEANS TOO MANY PLAYERS WHO ARE LESS TALENTED THAN THE UPPER ECHELON PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE.

Surely, I’m not the first person to recommend contraction as a means to make the NHL more palatable for the thousands of people not watching.  And yes, contraction does alienate fans and anger fans of those teams who are contracted.  However, the NHL has made an egregious error that is not easily fixed and cannot remedy itself.  You cannot simply hope that the talent pool becomes a little more chlorinated, if you well.  For example, I pointed out that I attended the Capitals/Maple Leafs game on Thursday night.  What I saw was Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mats Sundin playing with guys who looked like they belonged in the AHL, not the big leagues.  The lines without these players were incapable of creating any offense and their defense wasn’t anywhere near stellar.  There are plenty of great goaltenders in the NHL, but beyond primary lines, for teams not named the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings, there are limited offensive abilities.  

My solution, contract 10 teams from the current NHL.  

The question then is, “Who do we contract?”  Well, the original 6 has to stay in the league.  That’s the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs.  We now need to eliminate 10 teams from a pool of 24.  Here are the 24:
-New Jersey Devils
-Philadelphia Flyers
-Pittsburgh Penguins
-New York Islanders
-Buffalo Sabres
-Ottawa Senators
-Tampa Bay Lightning
-Atlanta Thrashers
-Florida Panthers
-Washington Capitals
-Carolina Hartford Whalers Hurricanes
-Nashville Predators
-St. Louis Blues
-Columbus Blue Jackets
-Minnesota Wild
-Vancouver Canucks
-Colorado Avalanche
-Phoenix Winnipeg Jets Coyotes
-Anaheim Ducks
-Los Angeles Kings
-San Jose Sharks
-Dallas Stars
-Calgary Flames
-Edmonton Oilers

Step one is to look at attendance rankings.  The New York Islanders have the lowest attendance ranking of any team in the NHL.  The city of New York already has a team and really, Uniondale, NY is not exactly a media hotbed.  NEW YORK ISLANDERS are contracted.    The St. Louis Blues have been in the bottom 4 every year since the lockout.  The only other team that can say that is the Chicago Blackhawks, but they’re an Original Six, so they stay.  The  ST. LOUIS BLUES do not.

Lets be nice and list the teams that have to stay because of success and/or attendance: Tampa Bay Lightning (one of the best in the league, right with Detroit and Montreal), Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers (Canada doesn’t deserve to lose any more teams), Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild, and the next two important teams:

The San Jose Sharks issued in a new era of the NHL when they entered the league, now almost 20 years ago.  They were the first warm weather/smaller market team in the NHL to succeed.  Not long after, the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas and became the Dallas Stars.  They were a hit too.  This led the NHL to move and expand into asinine markets that weren’t craving hockey.  These teams, that will now be contracted:

FLORIDA PANTHERS
PHOENIX COYOTES (BUILT A NEW ARENA…STILL 29TH IN ATTENDANCE THIS YEAR.  NICE)
NASHVILLE PREDATORS

This leaves us with the following pool of teams that have not been contracted or saved, yet.  Remember, we have 5 more teams to contract:

Pittsburgh Penguins
New Jersey Devils
Atlanta Thrashers
Washington Capitals
Carolina Hurricanes
Columbus Blue Jackets
Los Angeles Kings
Anaheim Ducks
Colorado Avalanche

Let’s examine the two LA Market teams: The Kings and the Ducks.  The Ducks won the Stanley Cup last year.  The Kings haven’t won anything since Wayne Gretzky was there (and he’ll need a job now that the Coyotes have been contracted.)  Since the return of the NHL, the Kings have ranked ahead of the Ducks though in attendance rankings 2 of the 3 years (this year is the exception, likely because of Stanley Cup carryover).  However, the LA area doesn’t need two teams.  Despite the fact that the Ducks were once a marketing gold mine and are coming off a championship, their attendance number the last 3 years (in terms of ranking) are: (24,20, and 16).  They also play well outside of LA proper.  The ANAHEIM DUCKS  are contracted.  Four teams left…

The Pittsburgh Penguins have the NHL’s best and most marketable player in Sidney Crosby.  However, their attendance numbers are 20, 18, 17 (since the lockout).  They have also filed for bankruptcy more times than Donald Trump.  Sadly, because they are a historic franchise, though, the PITTSBURGH PENGUINS are contracted.

The New Jersey Devils have to stay because they just opened a new arena, and while the Coyotes did too and I contracted them, the Devils are a staple franchise in THE major media market, with a TV deal (MSG).  The Devils are saved.  

The Colorado Avalanche are saved too.  They’re down currently, but when they were hot, they were hot and Denver should have a hockey team.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are not saved.  They play in Columbus, OH.  They have never had actual success.  They have poor attendance numbers, despite having a new arena.  COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS, you are contracted.

The second worst attendance records.  No playoff or championship success since I was in middle school.  An urban northeast, football craved city.  So what if they play in the nation’s capital.  That nation isn’t Canada.  The WASHINGTON CAPITALS are contracted.

This leaves us in the southeast United States, where hockey is not exactly a hotbed.  We have the Hurricanes and the Thrashers.  One team is (sort of) steeped in history, dating back to their days in Hartford, CT.  The other is a new wave NHL franchise, playing in an urban market.  Raleigh went nuts for the ‘Canes when they won the cup in 2006.  Most people are unaware that there is a hockey team in Atlanta, despite the fact that they somehow got to host the All-Star Game this weekend (Hint: Put the game where it belongs, in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, etc.  Not Atlanta and Dallas.)  Long live the Whalers, the ATLANTA THRASHERS are contracted.

With the Thrashers, Capitals, Blue Jackets, Blues, Penguins, Ducks, Predators, Coyotes, Panthers, and Islanders eliminated the NHL takes the players from those franchises and sets up a weighted lottery system and has itself a draft.  Imagine the excitement, if you will, in a city like Edmonton, if the Oilers have the second pick and have to decide between Alexander Ovechkin,, Rick Nash, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Rick DiPietro.  

Four divisions of 5 teams each.  Six teams into the playoffs per conference (like the NFL).  Viola.  I’ve just saved the NHL.

Game o’ the Day: I’ll resist the urge to have another New Orleans Hornets game of the day (they’re playing the Denver Nuggets tonight) and go with, what???, a women’s college basketball game.  If you get the chance, please, do yourself a favor and watch Tennessee play at Duke tonight, if for no other reason than to watch Candace Parker, the most athletically dominant women’s player I have ever seen.  Diana Taurasi was a great shooter.  Rebecca Lobo was tall.  Cheryl Miller was a great scorer.  But Candace Parker can absolutely take over a game by being more athletic than anyone else on the court by leaps and bounds.  The Volunteers, despite a loss at Maples Pavilion to Stanford, the day before Christmas Eve, are the best team in the women’s game this year.  They’ll face a tough Duke team, in a tough environment, but escape with a big non-conference win.  Tennessee 77-68 over Duke.

"That’s What I’m F**king Talking About" The Kevin Garnett Story

/ Jason / Leave a comment

This is the Weekend edition of Mid-Atlantic Bias.  As I’ve previously stated, it’s easier to post when I’m trying to kill time during the week than on the weekend when I actually do things.  


Before I jump to the Game O’ The Weekend, allow me to discuss last night’s Celtics/T-Wolves game.

The T-Wolves fought to win this game.  Well, Sebastian Telfair fought to win this game.  Big Al reminded me a little of the old Big Al; half-hearted offense, quarter heart defense, 75 cents worth of rebounding.  Ryan Gomes is still Ryan Gomes.  Antoine Walker is killing the Wolves with his terrible outside shooting.  Gerald Green is not in the future of the Timberwolves, which is so telling when you see him sit on the bench the entire second half.  However, the biggest problem on this team is Rashad McCants, who, because of his Tar Heel roots, I have a previously seeded hate plant for.  However, whatever or whomever told McCants that he is a good iso 2-guard who should pull up for 17 foot jump shots with Paul Pierce on him was incredibly incorrect.  Telfair was taking over the game last night; there’s no doubt about it.  The look in Bassy’s eyes as he came back down the court after his second consecutive pull=up in Rajon Rondo’s face showed a swagger that was finally supporting by game.  However, the Wolves never went back to Telfair to go one-on-one with the weaker Rondo.

Garnett is the only Boston Celtic (other than Kendrick Perkins) who really cares, at least visibly, about what happens game-in game-out.  His (KG’s) reaction to the victory, popping the Celtics on his jersey and yelling “That’s what the f— I’m talking about repeatedly, even glaring at Minnesota’s bench as he was leaving the court, showed his heart more than his coming back with a strained abdominal muscle late in the fourth.  Ray Allen and Paul Pierce combined, are not even half as important to this club as Garnett.  Sadly, for KG, I still don’t think he’s going to get his well-deserved championship.  Not unless someone else decides to show some real heart.

Game o’ the Weekend: New Orleans Hornets @ San Antonio Spurs (Tonight 8:30 EST).  I’ve talked a good deal about my being enamored with the Hornets.  This is their toughest test of the season, thus far.  They are traveling to San Antonio, playing a game spurs team that should be fired up, because they’ve struggled of late against teams with winning records.  The Hornets pass tonight’s test and win by 9.  

I’ll be back on Monday, perhaps with my plan for saving the NHL (who happen to have some game tomorrow in Atlanta that no one cares about).

"My Life as an Irrational Malcontent" The Al Davis Story

/ Jason / 1 Comment

For those of you who don’t know, Al Davis is the owner of the Oakland Raiders.  They are an NFL franchise who play in some “Bay Area” where allegedly, another NFL franchise called the San Francisco 49ers plays.  Today, Al Davis has composed a letter of resignation for his 30-something Head Coach (who he just hired last offseason) to sign.  The coach is Lane Kiffin, former USC Offensive Coordinator.  Kiffin and the Raiders doubled their win total this season as compared to the prior one.  The problem with that is that the Raiders won 2 games that year.  Message to Al Davis: Do the Oakland Raiders and their incredibly loyal fan base a huge favor and get dead.  It will be a great day for the NFL.


Ben Roethlisberger is really grinding my gears.  He’d be wise to just shut up until about August.  Roethlisberger said in some interview somewhere that he wants a tall receiver.  I have mentioned in this spot that Hines Ward is my favorite professional football player.  He catches everything his wildly inaccurate quarterback throws at him.  He blocks like an offensive lineman.  He does everything that is asked of him and is a sure fire first ballot hall of famer five years after he retires.  “Medium Ben” is not a hall of famer, unless the Miami University of Ohio opens up a hall of fame for he and Travis Prentice.

I hate the people of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.  This was qualified last night when I attended the Capitals/Maple Leafs game and had to endure 10,000 of these people cheering on a terrible hockey team  (Sidebar: The Capitals have one superstar, a capable rookie, and a bunch of morons who can barely skate, never mind play professional hockey).  I got into a fight with some kids who go to Towson University (a shit school somewhere near Baltimore).  I watched students from THE Catholic University of America chant “asshole” at a female Georgetown student in a 2nd intermission college hot dog eating contest.  And then this:  San Francisco’s AT&T Park (and other sporting venues) has a policy that fans are not allowed to go to their seat until there is a break in action.  In baseball, that’s between pitches.  In basketball that’s during one of the 3,046 whistles per quarter.  In football, that’s after ever play.  IN HOCKEY, that’s 6 MINUTES into the second period.  6 MINUTES!!!  I stood for six minutes in the tunnel (of the cheapest of cheap seats) waiting to get to my seat.  I did tell the usher, “This is probably a good reason why you guys have the second lowest attendance ranking in the NHL.  

As far as a game o’ the day, the game was okay and the Caps won 2-1.

Game o’ the Day: Minnesota @ Boston.  (NBA).  You’re probably slightly confused about this.  However, the lowly T-wolves are going to beat the Celtics tonight.  Al Jefferson is going to outplay Kevin Garnett.  Bassy Telfair will go for 13 pts. and 7 assists off the bench.  Ryan Gomes will score at least 15.  Look, picking up Garnett is great for the Celtics in the short-term.  I don’t think they’re going to win a title.  I would love for them to do so.  Garnett is one of the best players of this generation.  However, six years from now, when the Celtics are wallowing in obscurity again, and Big Al is averaging 25 and 13 a game for the playoff level T-Wolves, just remember you read this.  Look at what the Blazers did.  They built up.  The reason why the Celtics “build up” mode never succeeded is because Danny Ainge is inept.  Pierce should have been traded years ago, for more value than they’ll get when they lose him in a few years.  Picking guys like Gerald Green set the Celtics back light years.  Here’s a list of the guys drafted after Gerald Green: Nate Robinson, David Lee, Francisco Garcia, Luther Head, Jarrett Jack, Jason Maxiell, C.J. Miles, Ronny Turiaf, MONTA ELLIS, Louis Williams, and oh, Ryan Gomes.  All of these players are making a significant impact on their current rosters.  So, if the Celtics don’t win a title with this current roster, all of this will be for loss and the Celtics will be in worse shape when they were on Lottery Selection night in May of 07.  Timberwolves win 108-103 in Boston.

"Tickets? You Got Tickets?" The O.J. Mayo Story

/ Jason / 1 Comment

I like that I mention O.J. Mayo’s issues being a, you know, jerk, in yesterday’s blog and what do you know…controversy happens instantaneously.  I will summarize simply: O.J. Mayo, star freshman, who recruited himself to Southern California (telling head coach Tim Floyd, “I’ll call you.”) recently accepted 200 dollar tickets for a Lakers game as a gift from Denver Nuggets Forward and Stop Snitching Enthusiast Carmelo Anthony.  This clearly violates NCAA rules that state that athletes cannot accept gifts that regular students would not have the opportunity to get. $230 dollar LA Lakers tickets from an NBA “star” (I dispute Anthony’s star status) falls under this category.  Now Tim Floyd says that he gave O.J. Mayo the okay to acquire the tickets.  Combine this with the Reggie Bush fiasco and USC is not in good standing with the NCAA currently.


Ron Hunter, however, is in great standing, at least with me.  Hunter is the Head Coach for Indiana University and Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI…yes, that’s a real Division I School).  Tonight, Hunter will coach barefoot to raise awareness for an organization helping to put shoes on the feet of African children.  Hunter had a goal to raise at least 40,000 pairs of shoes by the end of tonight’s game.  He achieved his goal earlier this morning when Converse donated 15,000 pairs of sneakers.  Hunter is incredibly involved in this project and is traveling to Africa with the shoes at the conclusion of IUPUI’s season.  Kudos to Ron Hunter.

Last night had Texas A&M and Baylor playing the longest game (5 overtimes) in Big 12 history.  This game was not on television.  ESPN had to use the web feed for its highlights.  Baylor has had a remarkable turnaround in the last 3 years.  After having one teammate murder another and a coach attempt to cover up that murder, followed by a mass exodus of players transferring out of the school, head coach Scott Drew (son of Homer Drew, brother of Bryce) has done an absolutely remarkable job of lifting the Bears out of the depths of failure.  They won in College Station last night to improve to 17-2.  They will likely make the NCAA tournament.  Kudos to Scott Drew and Baylor University.

No Kudos, however, to Texas A&M.  I would say that the Aggies are the biggest disappointment of the year, having begun it ranked in the top 10 and now having lost 3 consecutive games (to Texas Tech, Kansas State, and Baylor…not exactly potential champions of the NCAA).  Their best victory of the year is against Ohio State.  Or maybe Alabama.  Possibly Oral Roberts.  The point is that they haven’t played anyone and with games against Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas ahead, don’t look for the Aggies to get very far in the postseason.  Losing Acie Law IV, the best player in the history of the program, and head coach Billy Gillespie has hurt this team more than the experts thought.  That tends to happen.  

Someone should tell Rihanna that she is NOT SEXY.

Thanks to the joy of the NBA League Pass Free Preview I got to see my game of the day last night: Portland @ New Orleans.  The Hornets are fantastic.  The Blazers were ending a long road trip last night, so forgive them if they weren’t overly competitive, but the Hornets are outstanding.  Jannero Pargo scored over 20 off the bench last night.  The Hornets already have Chris Paul (who somehow is not going to be an all-star starter, even though he is the MVP of the first half of this season), Tyson Chandler, and David West.  If they can get performances from their supporting cast like last night, then they will win the NBA Championship.  Yes.  I mean it.

Game o’ the Day: Today’s game o’ the day isn’t really a game o’ the day.  However, I’m going, so it will be.  Toronto Maple Leafs @ Washington Capitals.  It’s the final game for both before the all-star break so neither will play hard and I’ll have wasted 20 bucks.  I’ll take the Caps to avenge last night’s loss to the Leafs 3-1.

"Now I’m Ready…" The Brady Quinn Story

/ Jason / 1 Comment

I’m not exactly sure what Brady Quinn is ready for.  Perhaps another season sitting behind Derek Anderson in Cleveland.


Loyal reader Matthew Minton posted that UNH is going to win the America East championship this year.  I respectfully disagree with him.  While I believe that the Wildcats could be a contender in the conference, I look for the University of Maryland at Baltimore County (UMBC) to win the AE and play in the play-in game (also known as the Right to Get Hammered By Kansas Game).

I’ve been watching a lot of the Senior Bowl practice this week on NFL Network.  Wideout Adarius Bowman, who played at Oklahoma St. (whose coach, I understand is a 40 year old man) had a terrible day on Tuesday in practice, but improved a good deal in this morning’s session.  At the quarterback position, no one is wowing me.  Joe Flacco improved this morning.  Colt Brennan looks terrible.  Mike Martz (49ers offensive coordinator) had to teach Colt how to execute a fake pitch, sweep strong side.  He eventually gave up when Brennan was incapable of cutting right after the fake pitch.  The best quarterback so far has been Michigan’s Chad Henne, who, while being slightly undersized, has the best chance at being this year’s 3rd round pick forced into starting time due to injury who is able to capably run an NFL offense.  Brennan just overthrew Harry Douglass by about 180 miles.  He has NO HOPE of being successful in the NFL.

With a 2 week lag before the Super Bowl, and no interest in writing about Tom Brady’s choice of shoe, I am left with the NBA, NHL, and Men’s College Basketball  (I’d write about women’s basketball, but I can sum this season up in one sentence: Tennessee will win the National Title because Candace Parker is the best all-around post player I have seen in women’s basketball).

Yesterday had me talking about the NHL about as much as I care to.  I intend on going to the Capitals/Maple Leafs game tomorrow night, just because.  I might talk about that on Friday if I go.  I’ve never actually been to an NHL game.

There is talk about a Ben Wallace to LA trade that the Lakers apparently don’t want to do.  Message to LA: You’re not going to win the title this year.  DO NOT TRADE FOR BEN WALLACE.  He has proven himself to be a misguided leader in Chicago this year, what with his conflicts with Joakim Noah, who is outplaying AND outhustling the 85 million dollar thief.  Someone needs to explain to me why Ben Wallace makes as much money as he does, based on what he does on the court.

College basketball is of course, my passion from December to April.  I’ve mentioned recently that my final four includes Memphis, Kansas, UCLA, and Tennessee.  Tennessee did lose last night to Kentucky and UCLA has had trouble with athletic swingmen in their 2 losses (to Texas and Southern Cal), but I still feel that, if they can defend (the Vols) and if they stay healthy (the Bruins) these two teams are legit title contenders.

This year has seen the best freshman class in quite some time come to the game.  Chad Ford’s (ESPN NBA columnist) top 5 2008 NBA Draft prospects includes Memphis Freshman Derrick Rose, Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley, USC freshman OJ Mayo, and Indiana freshman Eric Gordon.  Gordon is my favorite of this bunch.  Mayo is an ego-maniac, who will inevitably self-destruct in the NBA.  Beasley is a more under the radar version of Mayo, I feel.  While he did not recruit himself to Kansas State, as Mayo did to USC, Beasley has shown the negative signs of a ballhog in Manhattan (the Smaller one).  Rose is fantastic and would be a great selection by the Heat or Knicks, who are both desperately needing a true point guard.  Gordon, I believe, is the best of the bunch.  While he was at the center of a small controversy, when he withdrew his letter of intent to play for Bruce Weber at the Univ. of Illinois and instead decided to attend Indiana, he’s nowhere near the glory hog that Mayo is.  Gordon is a great scorer who doesn’t need to score 32 a night, like Beasley, to make a difference on the court and he is making a huge difference with the Hooisers.  

Game O’ The Day: Portland Trail Blazers @ New Orleans Hornets.  Instead of airing this highly important Western Conference Game, ESPN will be boring America with the Spurs and the Lakers.  Oh good.  I NEVER get to see those teams, expect on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sundays on the ESPN, TNT, ABC NBA lineup.  Portland and New Orleans are on a collision course with each other come playoff time.  I have written here that I think the Hornets are one of the NBA’s best and I love what the Blazers have done, remaking their roster from the Jail Blazers of 5 years ago into a team with quality players and people, led by Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge.  I’ll take the Hornets tonight by 9 over the Blazers.

"I Like Interceptions" the Brett Favre Story

/ Jason / Leave a comment

Sorry that I did not post yesterday.  If you came here and were stricken with mass amounts of disappointment, I do apologize.  Posting on the weekend when Amanda is around is more difficult, because, you know, I’m not trying to do things to pass the time.  However, during the week, I will be a blogging machine.


Sunday’s AFC title game was forgettable at best.  I was obviously off on the score.  Kudos to Phillip Rivers for playing with a torn ACL.  I hope that Marvin Harrison was watching the Chargers/Patriots game.  It’s not being mentioned very much, but Harrison should have been playing, hurt or not, in the Divisional game against San Diego.  I’m not a fan of Phillip Rivers, but kudos.

The real game of the weekend, however, was the classic Giants/Packers game.  This was the best NFL game I saw this season, closely edging out the Patriots/Giants game in Week 17.  You had the classic weather scenario in this game (just look at Tom Coughlin’s cheeks in the postgame conference).  You had the big market team (from New Jersey, no less) against the neighborhood football franchise.  Two of the NFL’s most storied teams.  Two name quarterbacks.  Two very underrated defenses.  All around, just a fantastic game.

The one thing that I took away from this game was how absolutely dominant Plaxico Burress is at receiver.  With one the toughest cover corners in the NFL (Al Harris) on him, Burress caught nearly everything thrown at him, no matter where the ball was thrown to.  I never appreciated Plaxico in Pittsburgh; I’ve always loved Hines Ward and I loved Antwaan Randle El out of the slot.  Burress was always just sort of there.  But watching Burress on Sunday really floored me.  

I hope Tom Brady is wearing the protective boot on his foot for jokes.  

I really don’t intent on talking about hockey very much, but the injury to Penguins star Sidney Crosby not only hurts Pittsburgh’s playoff chances, but really kills the NHL, especially with the all=star game approaching this weekend.  The one thing the NHL doesn’t need now is for their premier attraction, their best player, and their most marketable star to be hurt.  

Game o’ the Day: Despite being unwatchable, because no major or medium level channel is covering the game, the best matchup in sports today will happen in Omaha, Nebraska when Drake and Creighton face off tonight.  Drake has been the story that no one talks about so far this season and are flying way under the national radar.  Creighton is in a down year, but it is a tall task for any MVC team to come into Omaha and beat the Blue Jays.  For tonight only, I take Creighton 68-63 over Drake.

I hope Mercury Morris accidently drinks window cleaner.

If you have any column ideas for me, or if you read my blog and haven’t posted yet, please, post.  

Championship Sunday Quick Picks

/ Jason / 2 Comments

This is a rather quick post, but the Pats/Chargers game starts in two minutes.  Here’s the picks:


New England over San Diego 35-10.  Whether Phillip Rivers or Billy Volek starts is rather unimportant.  The Patriots hate the Chargers more than the Colts and will prove it.

Green Bay over New York 17-13.  Favre will probably lead a late rally to win.  This game will be a classic, even though I don’t really care for either team.  This is the Game o’ the day.

Tomorrow, perhaps some college basketball talk.

Ranking The NFL’s Best Quarterbacks Pt. 3

/ Jason / Leave a comment

Welcome back and congratulations for coming back or congratulations for coming here and exposing yourself to some real quality ramble.  


There will likely be a short installment of MAB tomorrow (Mid-Atlantic Bias) morning.

Some house cleaning:

My game of the day yesterday was not quite a good game.  New Orleans beat Charlotte by nearly 30.  It’s kind of a shame that the city of New Orleans is wasting a great basketball team.  David West is the NBA’s hidden jewel and Chris Paul is just fantastic.  Kudos to Tyson Chandler for becoming a force too.  At this point, I think the Hornets may be in the top 3 in the NBA.

With today’s completion of the list, I’m not going to write as much about the quarterbacks.  I’ll keep it simple:

10. David Garrard (Jacksonville Jaguars)
-He’s coming into his own.  He needs to do it for another year and I’ll be a believer.  One of the best game managers in the NFL.  I never thought I would type or believe that sentence.

9. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers)
-Roethlisberger is a choke artist, with great potential.  That’s what I’ve come to conclude from what I’ve seen of him i his career.  Despite this, and a lot of this animosity is due in large part to my adoration of the Steelers, I still have him in the top 10 because he’s at least shown that he can be a capable game manager.

8. Jeff Garcia (Tampa Bay Bucs)
-I’m not a big Garcia fan.  He’s the rich man’s Chad Pennington.  However, he can still get out of trouble with his legs and he doesn’t make stupid mistakes very often.  I’ve never been wowed by Garcia, but you can argue that before Peyton came into his own, Jeff Garcia was the best quarterback in the NFL.

7. Matt Hasselback (Seattle Seahawks)
-Hasselback will always be at this level.  Time will not regard him as one of the best of this generation, but he’s on the cusp really.  He’s just never gotten over the hump.  In a clutch game, he could either choke or come through.  I’d like to see how he could do with a head coach who knows what a clock is, as Mike Holmgren seems to be unaware most of the time.  

6. Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys)
-I’m quite the Romosexual.  He is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL and while he has choked in his only 2 playoff games, remember that one was as a holder on field goal kicks and the other was without any semblance of an offensive line during an entire half of a divisional round football game.  Romo makes plays.

5. Carson Palmer (Cincinnati Bengals)
4. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints)
-These two can be flip-flopped.  The funny thing is that while they are similar quarterbacks, they are completely dissimilar in size and stature.  Brees is not the ideal size for a quarterback at 6’0”, while Palmer is the ideal 6’5”.  Brees played college football at Purdue, where the only talent he had with him on offense was wideout Taylor Stubbefield.  Palmer played college ball at the glamor school: USC.  However, they both play in toilet bowl cities and both can easily put up 300+ yards every game against any defense.

3. Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers)
-I’ve never liked Brett Favre, but in an era where Drew Brees or Carson Palmer is the fourth most capable NFL QB, even though Favre is a superhero in his head, he’s won a Super Bowl and makes plays that make my head explode.

2. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts)
-He still chokes in big games, but he’s still the most prepared athlete I’ve ever seen.  Manning knows more about his opposition than his coaches do.

1. Tom Brady (New England Patriots)
-C’mon.

Game o’ the day: USC/UCLA.  I’m not sure who the home team is.  It really doesn’t matter.  They play in the same city.  The PAC-10 is the best conference in college basketball.  UCLA wins by 10, late.