Running Blogs

Well, at least one team Beat L.A.

Manny, welcome back buddy. I know plenty of fans cheered you, and plenty booed you. I just laughed at you, like I always laugh when I think about you playing left field with a water bottle in your back pocket. Or when you disappeared into the Monster because you apparently drank too much water and couldn't wait. Well, when nature calls... Anyway, I laughed when you slid for a fly ball, missed it, and proceeded to roll on the field until the ball was actually trapped underneath you. Normally I'd be mad at you for embarassing the Red Sox franchise with such ridiculous behavior... but it was part of your play style, and so really you just embarassed yourself, and I laughed. In fact, while remembering all your Manny being Manny moments, I laughed so hard that I had an epiphany of sorts. See, in Boston, we want to win. If we don't win, it better not be from lack of effort. Sacrifice your body. Leave it all on the field... all those cliches. Manny didn't believe in any of that. He worked hard at what he considered his craft, hitting the ball. Fielding the ball was not a priority. Running the bases was not necessarily his forte. No, Manny being Manny was Monster shot homeruns as much as it was RBI producing doubles. We cheered all that. We laughed at his antics. We booed his lack of hustle on the base path. If anything, Manny was the most complete and well-rounded character the Sox have ever sent to the plate. He had his strengths and his foils. Fans booed Manny because of how he left Boston. Why? He didn't want to be here any more. We sure as hell don't want players who don't want to be here. If anything, I'm glad he knew to leave when he did. Look at him now. Ortiz has more home runs, and he started the season batting around .200.

Continue reading "Sox Sweep Dodgers"

So much for Prophecy. Now we've got a broken Perk and a game 7.  Well, here's game 6...  

Kobe Misses a 3

KG for 2

Kobe for 2

Rondo for 2

Bynum with the hook for 2

Continue reading "Game 7 Necessary..."

It is early May and already the warning signs are here.  No lead is safe in the 9th inning for the White Sox.  If the Cubs strings hits together, they might win a game.  The Cubs have the pitching that the Sox don't.  Meanwhile Paul Konerko is leading the majors in the early going with 13 homers.  And Alex Rios is living up to his contract, batting .320 and hitting for power. 

Continue reading "Baseball's a Bust in Chitown"

Kentucky is one of the most crooked in the country in most things, Horse racing included. You can't tell by "reports", because a truly corrupt system will not report abuses.

But we knew they would do it for the huge pick six carry over Thursday. And I watched, and found an obvious cheat.

Continue reading "No pleasure in reporting horsemen cheating"

When you work at Keeneland, it doesn't seem like it takes long til Derby arrives.

First, the Oaks day. I'm not keen on Oaks-Derby Doubles. Doubles and pick Threes are for those who rely on dumb luck. Since one juiced up hot tip can beat you out of any win, it involves more luck for pick threes and doubles, and more handicapping for trifectas and superfectas.

Continue reading "Oaks and Derby"

And if we thought speed held at Keeneland, wait till they run on that hard surface at Churchill that hasn't seen too much rain the last month.

I feel guiting guilty, because I didn't give a lot of great tips over the Keeneland meet, yet still won big, patiently waiting for the big overlays. A huge payoff and exacta on Wednesday, along with an incredible payoff for the feature race on the final day, which involved the two top class runners (the winner running second in the same race last year miraculously went off at 7-1 against a lesser field) and the third place finisher at overlay odds after showing some of the best forward moves at Tampa. I boxed them in the trifecta and had them on top of the other 2 major contenders to hit the superfecta, and filled out the IRS forms for both.

Continue reading "Churchill opens"

And if we thought speed held at Keeneland, wait till they run on that hard surface at Churchill that hasn't seen too much rain the last month.

I feel guiting guilty, because I didn't give a lot of great tips over the Keeneland meet, yet still won big, patiently waiting for the big overlays. A huge payoff and exacta on Wednesday, along with an incredible payoff for the feature race on the final day, which involved the two top class runners (the winner running second in the same race last year miraculously went off at 7-1 against a lesser field) and the third place finisher at overlay odds after showing some of the best forward moves at Tampa. I boxed them in the trifecta and had them on top of the other 2 major contenders to hit the superfecta, and filled out the IRS forms for both.

Continue reading "Churchill opens"

Now for the spot play for Saturday.

Keeneland has been running horribly off form and not paying  the prices for it. This means too much interaction between backside people against the public, so I have found greener pastures at other tracks. For instance, Friday at Gulfstream, the ninth race couldn't have run much truer to form, yet a dead heat for fourth produced two superfectas that paid over $100 for a ten cent bet (payoff odds of over 1000-1)

Continue reading "Spot play for 04/17/2010"

There are many big races today, 03/27/2010, but most people will be looking at the two major Derby prep races.

Turfway has a solid favorite for the Lanes End, or as most people still call it, the Jim Beam. Fairgrounds will have about 5 horses byinf for favorite role in a wide open Louisiana Derby.

Continue reading "Lanes End with solid Favorite: Louisiana ..."

The NCAA Midwest region is by far the deepest when you consider how many teams could make it to the final four.

1--Kansas is still the best team in the country.  I'm pretty confident they will make the elite 8.  But, the sweet 16 game against either Maryland or Michigan St is the toughest that any #1 seed will face.

Continue reading "NCAA Midwest Region"

Former NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly is on to a new challenge, as he gets College Hockey Inc. off the ground and running. Thanks to the many friends he made within hockey, CHI is off to a quick start. I got an opportunity to talk to him about this new company and the direction Kelly intends on taking it:

Continue reading "Paul Kelly Interview"

Not even an hour into NFL free agency, ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that big fish defensive end Julius Peppers and highly touted running back Chester Taylor will both visit the Chicago Bears on Friday. Brad Biggs is also reporting that tight end Brandon Manumaleuna will also pay a visit.

Continue reading "Peppers, Taylor and Manumaleuna visiting ..."

Okay, so I’m not reallyat the 28th annual NFL scouting combine but it sure feels like I am.  With the great live coverage of the event on NFL.com as well as the NFL network, I feel like a real pro scout.  I’ve also been very impressed with my ability to predict the unofficial 40 times of the athletes as they cross the finish line, but that is neither here nor there.  You want to know what can really be taken away from this year’s pre-draft extravaganza, don’t you?  Well let me give you my take on a few of the happenings over the last few days. 

Continue reading "Observations from the Combie"

     There are only 12 days untill the Seaside School Half Marahton and 5k and it is sure to be an exciting event.  You may be a serious distance runner, putting in long and strenuous hours every day, beating your feet against the roads and trails, or you may be a cassual jogger, getting out on weekends to enjoy the lovely Monterey Bay weather.  Whether you're serious or casual, the Seaside School Half Marathon and 5k race is built to suit you.

Continue reading ""

     Did everyone recover from a wild weekend without Saints football? Big Daddy barely felt the Saints’ third bye week blow by thanks to Bobby Hebert honoring the Buddy “D” promise: to wear a dress if the Saints ever made it to the Super Bowl. Big Daddy wonders if seeing all those guys in dresses compelled the U.S. military to ponder abolishing their “don’t ask— don’t tell policy.”

Continue reading "Big Daddy Gets You Ready For the ..."

A few years back Mike Martz was hailed as the new genius in offense.  St. Louis had Kurt Warner and fleet receivers and won a Super Bowl.  But that seems a long time ago.  The Bears just need someone to help QB Jay Cutler to keep his sanity, not get injured, and throw more touchdowns than interceptions.  Especially less interceptions.

Continue reading "Mike Martz: New Offensive Coordinator"

This year’s Pro Bowl has sparked more controversy and debate than any Pro Bowl in history.  For one, the game is not being played in Hawaii. This year it has been moved to the Super Bowl site in Miami.  The game is also being played the week before the Super Bowl which eliminates any of the Super Bowl participants from the game.  This year has also seen an astounding number of opt-outs for the Pro Bowl which has resulted in an astounding number of Pro Bowl alternates.  Some of the positions are going as far as seven deep.  To give you an idea of how ridiculous this situation has gotten,

Continue reading "From Pro Bowl to Blow Bowl? (It's ..."

     Thank goodness The Times-Picayune finally jumped on the Big Daddy bandwagon by printing the “Big Daddy’s Suggestions to Promote Intensity” excerpt in the Living section article “ A playoff pep talk from your fellow Who Dats” last Saturday. Saints fans heeded Big Daddy’ s advice.

Continue reading "Big Daddy Celebrates a Playoff Pummel"

     Last Saturday and Sunday, America watched eight teams battle through Round 1 of the NFL playoffs. The four wildcard winners earned the right to travel to the hostile environments of the teams who garnered the best records throughout pro football’ s regular season. Wow, enjoying the playoffs stress-free, while the Saints got rested and ready made Big Daddy feel more relaxed than Tiger Woods when he travels the world. Hey local golf fans, are you pissed? Tiger’ s doing a sex clinic in Mississippi, but he won’t support the Zurich Classic. The Reverend Al Sharpton hopes there’s no white chicks on staff, otherwise Nike’s golf division will forced to break out the Salt Peter to keep Tiger’s Driver in the bag. In this week’s edition of the

Continue reading "Big Daddy Uses Second Bye to Prepare"

Seeing how today is my first day of " training" for the Green Bay Marathon, I thought it would be fitting to announce that my work with MDA is just getting started! The site has been up for awhile, but I wanted to wait for a few weeks before I sent it out for a few different reasons. Mainly, I wanted to make sure that I would have the mental toughness to gut through actually doing this and secondly that my knee would be able to hold up after the injury I suffered through. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but I'll bet it was close.

Continue reading "My MDA Donation Page is Here! Green Bay Marathon!"

Older horses are nominated in the Eclipse awards representing some professional race horses as well as a couple that captured the public’s attention. Nominees for the older male include Einstein (BRZ) Gio Ponti and Kodiak Kowboy while the females are Life is Sweet, Music Note and Zenyatta.

Continue reading "Eclipse nominees older horses"

One of the things I’ve always wanted to do in my dreams of being an ESPN analyst or sports writer is giving out the end of the season awards.  Now, with my world famous blog, I have the medium to express who I think should receive the sought after hardware.  Unfortunately the rookies of the year have already been awarded and so has the comeback player of the year.  Percy Harvin (my high school teammate), Brian Cushing, and Tom Brady all would have been my choices for their respective awards so it’s good to know that I am already an expert!  But in all seriousness, the following analysis will be a mixture of predictions and who I think should get the award.  Enjoy!

Continue reading "The Amari Awards"

I don't know if you know this or not, but the next Monday I am supposed to start training for my Green Bay Marathon in hopes of earning $2000 for Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). I have an 18 week training program all lined up from Hal Higdon which I will tweak here and there, as I see fit. Of course, that tweaking and this alliance might come crashing down sometimes in the next week or two. You see, I have had this knee pain for a few months now and I tried naproxin, stretching, stretching, icing, stretching and more naproxin to take the pain and swelling away. Sadly, nothing has really changed. It could be a problem with my knee cap sliding, could be irritation from a previous broken leg surgery or tendinitis. Or... it could be worse.

Continue reading "Nervous about Running the Green Bay Marathon"

The Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 37-23 last Sunday to finish up at 7-9.  The win most likely saves head coach Lovie Smith's job.  QB Jay Cutler threw for four TD's looking like the QB fans thought he would be.  Devin Aramashado scored twice on passes.  He should be a featured wide receiver, not Devin Hester.  Hester is a valuable player and should be retured to his best position, running back kickoffs and punts.

Continue reading "Bears End Season on Winning Note"

     Saturday night football in the Superdome had every member of the Who Dat Nation dreaming of an undefeated season with the Saints sporting a 13-0 record. Big Daddy’ s experiences have taught him how great expectations in sports can quickly crash and burn. Guiding the team through the emotional rollercoaster of an NFL campaign requires Coach Payton to juggle more than Tiger Woods managing his harem. Perhaps Tiger should make a guest appearance on HBO’ s series about Mormons,

Continue reading "Big Daddy Blames Lack of Balance ..."

     Sunday’ s lackluster Saints performance encouraged devoted Saints onlookers to do their best Fred Sanford impersonations (grabbing their chest, sensing “ The Big One” ), while the Saints struggled, but held off those rotten “ Dirty Birds” . The Saints surpassed another milestone in this magical 2009 season. Previously, 12 wins stood as the team record for the most wins in any season, which they achieved under Jim Mora in 1987 and 1992, led by Bobby Hebert and the awesome “ Dome Patrol” . As the pressure mounts on the ’ 09 players to stay perfect, Big Daddy believes the double-time formula will reduce Saints fans’ unbearable stress to a manageable level. If you normally drink one beer a quarter, make it two and everything will be all right. For those fans who don’ t drink, you better find Dr. Feelgood before the playoffs start. In this week’s edition of the

Continue reading "Big Daddy Embraces Lucky 13"

Hello Chargers fan! Loyal dieharders to erratic bandwagoners.. glad you are all on for the ride of this year and many more to come. I believe that as long as Rivers is OUR qaurterback we have a chance to make the Superbowl every year. That is my undying faith to San Diego, but also my belief in Philip Rivers. Props to the coaching staff(somewhat), the O-line, 6'4" recievers and up, and the backfield combo of Sproles and LT. Props to the defense the last couple weeks on creating turnovers, slowing down the run especially without Jamal, and our secondary which has become increasingly better without the pressure that we've put on the opponents QB the last couple years. Major props goto all the back-ups that are just inserted from all our injuries to make great contributions and keeping the team a cohesive "team".

Continue reading "First down post.. on 4th and 2."

Well, it's getting to be that time of the year where I'm about to turn up the heat for a full marathon in Green Bay, Wisconsin on May 16th (I think.. if that's a Sunday). Either way, business is about to pick up since I have my training picked out thanks to halhigdon.com! That's the same site I used for my half marathons, of course, now I get Runner's World magazine and I take workouts out of there from time to time and replace them with workouts that ol' Hal has me doing. It's a good mix, one that I've grown fond of and that's why I'm sticking with what works for my first full.

Continue reading "18 Week Marathon Training"

'm finally planning it; I'm going to try to pull the trigger soon. If my hamstring and body can take it; a full marathon is on my radar. Green Bay, Wisconsin, aka Titletown, USA. Land of Lombardi, start of a Legend (Brett Favre) and home of brats, burgers, cheese and beer. I've done three half marathons (1 in Madison, 1 in Green Bay, and 1 in Appleton). I loved Madison because of the college memories but last year they had a lot of complaints because of the course and lack of porta potties (interestingly, a key thing on runs). Green Bay was awesome because it started and ended near Lambeau; the start was outside on a street and you finished by running out the player's tunnel and onto the field for 1 lap. If you think of all the things that have happened and all the people that have touched the field.. its a surreal feeling. I almost floated around the field, on top of the world. I guess it's part of the sreason it was my best run, huh?

Continue reading "Running for Those Rollin"

The 2009 Heisman Trophy will be awarded to the most outstanding NCAA college football player by the Downtown Athletic Club at an annual ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in New York City on December 12. 

Continue reading "Heisman Winners Who Couldn't Hack The NFL"

     Sunday’ s flawless Saints performance had Big Daddy sifting through his old VHS library to determine whether the ’ 09 Saints unseated Bo Derek’ s smoking hot yellow one-piece as the real perfect “

Continue reading "Big Daddy Enjoys Bountiful Pirate Raids"

A few days ago I posted a blog listing the best scorers in the NBA today that have yet to have a 50-point scoring game.

While researching that post, I had an even more interesting idea for a post.

Continue reading "That Guy Scored 50??"

I grew up in a predominately black neighborhood, and back then there were very few hockey players around, especially black ones.

That same area is now over 90% black, and is still not producing many black players.

Continue reading "Hockey In The Hood"

     New Orleanians began their work week all smiles again Monday morning courtesy of the Saints’ record-setting 9-0 start. Even though our wallets were decimated for the ninth straight game, Saints fans ain’t complainin’. As the Saints aim to complete their second of three triumphant visits to the Sunshine State Sunday, Big Daddy mentally prepares to go where Who Dat has gone before. In this week’s edition of the

Continue reading "Big Daddy Feels Turbulence on Cloud 9"

     The Saints have gotten unprecedented rewards out of this season’s motto, “Finish!” Sunday the Who Dat Nation watched the Saints turn in another dominant second-half performance after trailing early to post a new franchise record 8-0 start. Saints fans remember last year’s painful gut-wrenching losses, when the team displayed innovative ways to snatch defeat from the hands of victory in the fourth quarter. In this week’s edition of

Continue reading "Big Daddy Navigates Uncharted Waters:"

Devin Hester is a player who is not a natural wide receiver.  He has learned this highly skilled position while having On The Job Training.   Gee, I wish I could do that and make millions.  What he is great at is playing on special teams.  He has returned a punt for a touchdown this season and needs to focus on what he is good at.  The Bears have young and talented wide receivers in Bennett and Johnny Knox. Give them a chance to mature and grow.  The way to do that is to let them make catches.  Olsen is a talented receiver.  He has become a number 2 guy on the depth chart.  Put him in situations that will help the team win a game. 

Continue reading "Bears Need To Switch Hester to Special Teams ASAP"

This means that the 2009 Breeder Cup Races overall were not successful.

First, the absence of the three greatest trainers meant that they didn't feel they had entries worthy. From my earlier posts, I did warn the public that this meant many of these more common trainers were just there to booze it up and bet other trainers' horses. This is very bad for the industry. It is corrupt.

Continue reading "2009 Breeder's Cup hurt the industry"

     Big Daddy's spectacular Halloween weekend could not have ended any better than with a Darren Sharper pick to clinch the victory against the hated Dirty Birds on Monday night. Don’ t you feel sorry for people around the country living in cultureless gated communities whose neighbors are from anywhere USA, half of which will move within a year chasing a more lucrative job to fulfill the false illusion of sprawling malls, 401(k)s, mortgages, car payments, and college funds which define success in today’ s misguided America? In this edition on the

Continue reading "Big Daddy’s Unforgettable Halloween:"

The Titans and Rams each found their first wins, another team fell from the undefeated ranks and both New York squads lost key division games. By the way, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning are pretty good. *cough*Favre won*cough* Let’s wrap the week eight in the NFL with the Final Drive!

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 8"

The Chicago Bears had an easy opponent in the Cleveland Browns, and finished them off 30-6 at Soldier Field on Sunday.

Jay Cutler said that the Bears offense needed to get going after the game. He said the team needed to make "big plays" in their mix.  That is true.  You can't depend upon a personal foul to get you close to the goal line. The Bears were the beneficiaries of such a penalty and Matt Forte punched it from the one yard line. Forte had 90 yards for the game. Which says, he is a pretty good runner against bad teams. Now, if you put him up against the Ravens, he might get stuffed.

Continue reading "Bears Beat Browns 30-6, to go 4-3."

Each horseplayer has to have an edge, which is a secret only he uses. If other people use it, then he gets underlays and not only does he become a loser, but so do the people who steal his picks. In other words, if Joe picks the 3 horse and bets 5 to win, and Jenny decides to do the same, and she tells Fran and Bill, who each tell two friends, and before long Joe's 5 dollars is represented by 300 dollars, since at least one of those friends is an idiot who bets big money, and there are those at the track who simply bet what they see money bet on, and they can easily turn a 28-1 into a 12-1. Joe's available profit turns from 56 dollars (58.00 payoff) to 24.00 (26.00 payoff). He has to hit this twice as often. He plays it because if he wins one time in 30 he comes out ahead. Now one time in 30 puts him behind, because his own friends cut their own throats just to cut his. That's what it amounts to.

Continue reading "2 year olds at Churchill 11-1-2009"

     The Saints unbelievably exciting come-from-behind victory forces Big Daddy to start working on his Super Bowl Shuffle, preparing for the Black ’n’ Gold’ s next visit to South Beach— in early February. Boy, things looked bleak until Drew Brees’ touchdown just before halftime sparked an amazing turn of events. Having a record of 5-0 following our destruction of the vaunted Giants felt great, but the Saints late afternoon fish fry had Little Havana muttering all sorts of Cuban expletives. In this week’ s edition of

Continue reading "Big Daddy Handles The South Beach Dress Rehearsal:"

     Big Daddy has a new appreciation for Frank Sinatra's famous New York, New York hit after the Saints completed their domination of the New York triangle. First they sent Buffalo to a watery grave over Niagara Falls, then put the Jets into an uncontrollable tall spin, and finally turned those scary Giants into frozen peas. Are you smiling, Big Daddy can't stop laughing out loud. In this week’ s edition of

Continue reading "Big Daddy Celebrates Owning The Big Apple:"

The season is still young. Teams are hitting their stride.  The Bears are 3-2 and have aspirations to make some noise in the NFL this year.  Their seismic trade to obtain Jay Cutler spoke volumes of management's desire to field a winning team.

Continue reading "Bears Have To Find A Way To Beat Bengals"

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost to the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans 34-27 Saturday afternoon in South Bend.

 

The Irish appeared to be on the cusp of being blown-out when Trojans running back Joe McKnight scored to make it a 34-14 game with only thirteen minutes remaining in regulation.

Continue reading "The Irish Should Axe Charlie Weis ..."

The Bears lost a tough game to the Atlanta Falcons, 21-14 Sunday night in Atlanta.

This game reminded me of the Jerry Senfeld comedy show.  Nothing happened.  The Bears scored in the 4th quarter to tie the game, only to see Atlanta move down the field at will, and score late with just over 3 minutes in the game.

Continue reading "Bears Lose To the Falcs, 21-14."

So, the saying goes that college football is only played on Saturdays and any Saturday.. anything can happen.  This is not always the case as some physical games occur on Friday nights.  Madison.com covered the basics of the story well, but they missed out a few things.. mainly my opinion.  For those of you that didn't click on the link, nearly every year for the past 10 the Wisconsin football managers have played the Iowa football managers in a slugfest of a football game.  The keys here are that the game is supposed to be:  1.  Friendly and 2.  Flag-football. 

Continue reading "The Rusty Toolbox. Wisconsin Badgers ..."

     Sunday’s rain showers didn’t slow down Black ’n’ Gold tailgaters readying themselves for battle. Entering the Superdome, Big Daddy encountered Jets fans displaying their typically rude, loud-mouthed New York attitudes, demonstrating why many despise New Yorkers. Cocky Jets fans’ relentless attempts to diminish Who Dat intensity were less effective than the Army Corps’ levees. After the Saints forced Jets fans to “eat it!” all day, those Yankees had nothing to say. In this week’s edition of

Continue reading "Big Daddy Screams For Defense"

     Sunday’s 3 o’clock start allowed Big Daddy extra time to properly prepare for a tough road test. Monday morning smiles around the Big Easy has made work so much easier as the Saints continue marching through the NFL almost as quick as than Mayor C. Ray Nagin accepts free first class vacations to Hawaii and the Bahamas from “friends.” In this week’s edition of

Continue reading "Big Daddy Says “Ask And You Shall Receive”"

The Chicago Bears don't know how to win the easy way.  Apparently, that is not in their DNA, or at least until Buddy Ryan led the "46" defense.  However, this season they have Jay Cutler who threw a late TD pass to converted receiver Devin Hester for 36 yards and the winning touchdown.  And, the Bears defense held off Seneca Wallace and the Seahawks to win and go 2-1 for the young season. 

Continue reading "Bears Beat Seattle 25-19 on late Cutler TD Pass"

     Experienced Big Daddy readers know a Saints road trip means a Kingpin blowout. Sunday’s relentless beat-down served notice to the football world that the Saints Are Coming! Perhaps Fats Domino’s old hit song “Blue Monday” soothed the City of Brotherly Love after the Saints took the Eagles to the woodshed Sunday. In this week’s

Continue reading "Big Daddy Kicks Off Kingpin Season"

I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a guru or anything, but I am getting pretty good at this fantasy football stuff.  I’ve been playing for about the last 6 years and I’ve at least made it to the playoffs in every league I’ve been in.  I’ve also won 4 championships.  This year I have 4 fantasy teams.  I have two in the free NFL.com fantasy and 2 in the Free ESPN league.  One of the leagues, “The Thunderk*%&s,”  is a little closer to my heart because I’m friends with most of the other owners and there are several bottles of liquor at stake.  So far I have been pretty successful in all my leagues and I’m hoping a perfect season in one of the leagues will truly validate my football I.Q. (or at least my almost self-destructive competitiveness).  Although I must reemphasize that I am not a fantasy football god or anything, I will be passing on some of my keys to fantasy football success throughout the season.  Although for many leagues it is too late to thinking about draft strategy, I have to start at the beginning. 

Continue reading "Fantasy Dynasty"

Somehow, someway, the Chicago Bears found a way to win this game and earn their first victory of the season against the defending Super Bowl Champs The Pittsburgh Steelers, 17-14 at Soldier Field on Sunday.

Continue reading "Bears, Cutler Make It Happen over Pittsburgh"

Alright...That's the way to get the season off the ground!!

In the words of Mike Sigletary..."we go in...we hit people in the mouth" And that's what the Niners did today in Arizona. The San Francisco 49ers went in and got things going from the start. Although they struggled on offense today, Hill managed to dig down deep and move the ball when it was needed. 

Continue reading "Week 1"

Now that the preseason is over, let the countdown to the real games begin.

The Dallas Cowboys open their 2009 NFL season on the road Sunday, 12 noon, in Tampa, Florida.
The Cowboys’ organization improved the team’s chances of finishing the season stronger by the decisions they made during the off season.

Continue reading "Dallas Cowboys "Reel" 09 Season Begins Sunday"

     Was it Halloween or Mardi Gras last Thursday night? Guys dressed like football players displaying Arena League talent tortured Saints fans worse than a Abu Grab sleepover. Preseason finales produce yawning spells throughout entire stadiums, while TV viewers simply flip to the Food Network. Big Daddy knows that football squads become cohesive units when coaches drill every offensive play and defensive scheme into players’ heads. Practicing each playbook entry until everything runs smoother than James Bond operating in a singles bar. This week’s

Continue reading "Big Daddy Says Lets Get It On:"

The Cav Report: Dark Days in ‘Hooville

Per request of one of my fellow UVa graduates, future business partner, and one of my best friends, Mr. Heron Mehrehtab, I am providing some analysis on the 2009 Virginia Cavaliers football team.  Being a former Cavaliers football player, most would assume that I have an insider’s knowledge of the Cav’s current situation and they would be partly right in that assumption.  I have played with many of UVa’s current players and I have played under the tutelage of many of the coaches.  But this team is much different from the one that went on to win the 2006 Music City Bowl.  This team doesn’t feature the likes of D’Brickishaw Ferguson, Tom Santi, Jon Stupar, Tony Franklin, Marcus Hamilton, Chris Long, Clint Sintim, Ahmad Brooks, Kai Parham, Jason Snelling, Wali Lundy, Cedrick Pearman, Brad Butler, etc. (all recent NFL players for those of you keeping track).  However, this team does have some exciting young talent and a coaching staff who tries and often succeeds at preparing their young team for every possible situation.  As a player I know that Coach Al Groh stressed the importance of situational football.  The question that has to be on Coach Groh’s mind right now is, “How the hell did we get ourselves into this situation?”

Continue reading "The Cav Report: Dark Days in ‘Hooville"

The Cardinals continued their dominance of the National League Central this week, going 5-1 on a road trip with a blown save on Sunday, meaning it could've been a 6-0 trip. Last night the Cards got a boost from John Smoltz who was rocky early, giving up three runs in the first two innings, but he stuck with it and shut out the Brewers over the next three innings before turning it over to the bullpen. The Brewers had their chances for a knock out blow, but they couldn't capitalize, just as the Cards couldn't do so with runners in scoring position. When a team goes 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and can still grind out a win, that's the make of a championship caliber team. Even when they don't play that well, they win.

Continue reading "Cards Continue September Tear and ..."

The first weekend of college football is nearly over; we've got the 2nd half of the Colorado vs. Colorado State game and tomorrow features Cincy vs. Rutgers and Miami vs. FSU.  I do have some interesting thoughts on the opening weekend. 

Continue reading "Random College Football Thoughts"

Curt Schilling is, according to his own big mouth is considering running for Ted Kennedys vacant seat. I will go out on a limb here and predict he would be the same pompous self promoting self absorbe

Continue reading "Curt Schilling For Senate? WHAT?"

     Kingpin regulars got served a heaping helping of Black ’n’ Gold passion Saturday night, courtesy of Big Daddy. The Saints inspired and aggressive play drew constant Big Daddy roars, curing patrons from their infection of Crescent City Malaise, a condition which strikes local residents every August, sinking victims into a coach potato hibernation. Hopefully, those lucky few will spread the “Good News” vaccine— Watch Saints Football! In this week’s edition of

Continue reading "Big Daddy Loves Intensity:"

As the free agent market is all but dried up for the summer of 2009, Donnie Walsh continues to work the back channels of the team player personnel. They are even doing their due diligence, in taking a look, or speaking to former household names, such as Jerry Stackhouse, Jason Willams, and Jamal Tinsley. These players are passed their prime, but i guess put in the right situation, help a team contend for a championship. But, contend for the bottom seed in the playoffs? I don't think so. My opinion is that of, making sure the New York Knicks have an identity on the basketball court. Last year an identity was being established. They had the ability to put points on the board. Much like any team that is given the freedom to play, and not have to be robotic in running plays all the time. Their defense caused them to falter down the stretch. Their inability to have a stable head given them sound direction and passing. If The Knicks had the Chris Duhon of the first half of the season, during the second half of the season, they still don't make it to the playoffs. I thought that Duhon was only a good signing if he had Marbury there also. (I guess Duhon wished he really consider that Orlando offer, and Walsh offered him that money early in the free agency period if i remember correctly.)

Continue reading "Knicks still searching...."

The Chicago Bears will be a schizo team this year. At times they might look great, at other times, like a team going no-where.  And, eventually, the team might finish 9 and 7 where they were last year.  Here's the deal, the Bears got a great QB, but there are about two guys who can catch the ball: Devin Hester, who used to return kick-offs and punts, and Greg Olsen, their tight end.   That essentially is their pass offense. They will move the chains, and at times it may be painful to watch.  And, they will score touchdowns, somebody will miss their assignment and leave a Bear wide open, or two defenders may collide and leave a Bear wide open, or someone will slip on the turf and leave Hester all alone. That will happen.  But this isn't the Chargers in their hey day.  Or T.O running routes. Or even Plax Burress.  Heck, he may be in jail. 

Continue reading "Bears Will Be A Work in Progress"

With the 2009/10 Premier League season just under two weeks away, it's time to start thinking about a projected final table. Because of the possible volatility in the transfer market before the season starts I don't want to make any projections just yet. But be sure to check back in next week to see how I see the 2009/10 Premiership panning out.

Continue reading "Premier League Predictions Coming Soon"

Did you know the Big 10 has been down for about 12 straight seasons according to the national media (ESPN) and ignorant football fans.. mainly in SEC territory?  So, Ohio State gets railroaded by one of the best teams in the nation yearly since Urban Meyer shows up, and that team features a QB some call "legendary" or the best ever in college history.  Michigan takes it on the chin against what some might call a semi-professional team (only semi because apparently some of the athletes are getting paid.. Reggie Bush?) and suddenly the conference is terrible.  They are slow.  They are mongrols; they can't throw the ball.. they can't stop the spread. 

Continue reading "Sick of the Big 10 Dissing"

                  Well it's July, and another training camp is in the works for the Steelers. Coming off a Super Bowl and not a real busy off season, there aren't allot of positions up for grabs. The ones that are though should be intense competition in training camp. Let's take a look at what we got, shall we.

Continue reading "Pittsburgh Steelers 09' Trianing ..."

                  Can the '09 Pittsburgh Steelers win the Super Bowl in Miami and repeat as champs? I say hell yes. Not the easiest thing to do in sports though. Last team to do it was the cheatn Pats in 03-04. Let's go over this team and schedule and make a decision from there.

Continue reading "2009 Pittsburgh Steelers, Can They Repeat?"

So Derrick Mason may or may not be retiring. All right, let's suppose he does --- where does that leave the Ravens' passing game?

The first thing to ask is how good it was expected to be even WITH a healthy Mason catching passes in 2009. And I don't imagine too many fans were so drunk on the purple Kool-Aid as to expect our passing attack to have finished in the top half of the league. We're bringing back pretty much the same cast from last year, when we ranked 28th in the league with a mere 175.5 yards/game. Even accounting for the continued development of Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, and that young offensive line, that's a heckuva lot of ground to make up. Unless Demetrius Williams finally becomes the vertical threat this offense hasn't had in over a decade, you're not going to shoot up that many spots riding an aging possession receiver, I don't care how good he is.

Continue reading "Breaking Down the Ravens' Receivers"

Saturday, July 11, 2009, features a big race in California, and those of us who saw Shug's Parading race at Keeneland in the flesh know he is a phenom, and Grade 1 Breeder Cup classic material. His price should be tiny Saturday.

Continue reading "Spot play in Arlington Handicap"

Alright people here we are, the 2009 college football season is upon us.  You've been reading the preseason mags all summer, the players, the coaches, the fans, they're all lickin their chops and anxiously awaiting that first kickoff, And what better way to start out the preseason speculation then with some BCS National Title talk.  The Florida Gators head into the 2009 season as the reigning national champs as well as the all around preseason #1 team(I've yet to pick up a mag or hit a website that disagrees). 

Continue reading "Gators Lookin To Go 3 Out of 4 (And ..."

1.  Michael Jordan:  6 titles.  3rd on the all time scoring list.  The greatest ever.  Easy choice.  

2.  Kobe Bryant:  4 titles, and counting.  Once scored 81 in a game.  Unlimited shooting range. 

Continue reading "The 10 Greatest Shooting Guards Ever"

1.  Magic Johnson:  Won 5 titles, is 4th all time in assists with over 10,000, and was the best ever at running the fast break.  

2.  John Stockton:  The NBA's all time leader in assists (almost 16,000) and steals (over 3,000).  Ultra durable & consistent.  Destroyed teams with the pick and roll.  

Continue reading "The 10 Greatest Point Guards Ever"

Long time no see! While this 65 degree sunny-sometimes summer has been upon us, I haven’t forgotten about my valued 6 and a half readers! Ha, getting back on topic, we’ve had quite the start to an exciting summer in the sporting world. Whether it be baseball, football, or basketball there’s been something to talk about.

Continue reading "NFL Summer Fun"

Plaxico Burress' case was postponed until the fall.  It will be heard 3 weeks into the football season.  Since Burress only caused injury to himself, and shot himself by accident. He will be judged on whether he was carrying a licensed gun, which apparently, he wasn't.  OK, maybe he's not the smartest bloke but he can catch passes big-time.

Continue reading "Bears Have to Inquire About Burress"

The agony of defeat!

After a serious battle in which the home team dominated play in every game but the last in the series, the Detroit Red Wings fell to the Pittsburg Penguins 2-1 in the final NHL game of the year.  Pittsburgh was obviously hungry for the Cup, and they played a great game and a great series to win it!

Continue reading "Wings Suffer Crushing Blow in Game Seven"

Dwight Howard? Average NBA player?  "No way" most of you may say.  Well average he is. 

Many of you have seen Dwight Howard throw down a thunderous jam.  In fact, you may have seen him do this quite often.  He led the league in dunks.  Glamour points.  He even wears the superman cape, giving him a bigger than life image as the NBA most dominant center. 

Continue reading "Dwight Howard is an average offensive ..."

The Chicago Cubs are still in the running for the divisional crown. They are only 2.5 games out of first place and one game back in the loss column.  You can look at it, and say, "Hey, the Cubs are right there."  I'm not looking at it that way.

Continue reading "Cubs Season May Be Over"

Racing starts in New York at 11:35 Eastern time, so go early if you want to make the thrid race.

It's a maiden race in which you have a triple whammy entrant. Trained by Zito, he raced at Keeneland, and he is a grandson of Star de Naskra. Allof these combine to figure on improved performance. WOODFORD MANHATTAN is likely to be about 15-1, coming off a poor showing on turf at Belmont. He ran second at Keeneland before that, and to be brutally honest, the best run at Keeneland.

Continue reading "Spot plays for Belmont and Churchill ..."

Clearly, the Derby winning Mine That Bird deserves to be favored. Usually, coming out of the Derby and Preakness is the kiss of Death simply because of such hard surfaces in 2 weeks time, but this year the surfaces had a bit of cushion. This doesn't mean Bird will automatically be unhurt, but his chances are much better. Still, while he outran his bloodlines in the Derby, and ran true to them in the Preakness, we can figure the Derby is the one race against form, and that he won't run as well in the Belmont.

Continue reading "Could the Belmont be Hot Stuff?"

Here we are less than 100 days before the start of the 2009 college football season and it's time to break down the Texas Longhorns.

What we know about the Longhorns:

The Texas Longhorns are primed for a run at the national championship. With QB Colt McCoy returning for his senior season after breaking the record for completion percentage in a single season last year with a ridiculous 76.7%, topping Daunte Culpepper's previous record, the Longhorn's passing attack should be lethal. Texas graduated receiver Quan Cosby but return star receiver Jordan Shipley, along with Brandon Collins, James Kirkendoll, and deep threat Malcolm Williams. The running game was questionable at best last season for the Longhorns, but look for 240 lb. RB Cody Johnson to bring some consistency to the position, as he had a great spring before tweaking his hamstring. Fozzy Wittaker provides a great change of pace back to compliment Johnson, as will RB Vondrell McGee. FB Antwann Cobb is back from his injury and flashed some great blocking in the spring game. The O-line should be a strength for the Longhorns as they are a very mature group with a lot of experience. Pass blocking hasn't been an issue; however, one of the goals of the spring was to improve the run blocking and bring some "nastiness" back to the O-line. The Defensive side of the ball looks to improve this season after leading the NCAA in sacks last season. The Longhorns lost All-American DE Brian Orakpo, stud DT Roy Miller, and DE Henry Melton to the NFL draft, but they return DE Sergio Kindle who recorded 10 sacks last season and was a nightmare off the edge for offensive tackles and opposing QBs. Lamarr Houston and Kheston Randle should handle the both the DT positions but depth is a concern. The DE position should be stacked with Sergio Kindle, Sam Acho, Eddie Jones, Russell Carter, and freshman Alex Okafor all competing for playing time. The Longhorns are stacked at LB as well with seniors Roddrick Muckleroy and Jared Norton returning, along with speedy OLBs Keenan Robinson and Emannuel Acho. The big question mark last year becomes one of this year's biggest strengths. It may be one of the most athletic defensive backfields manned by secondary coach Duane Akina, just behind the 2005 all star cast. Look for CB Aaron Williams to be a breakout player and lead the team in INTs, as he has incredible ball skills. CB Chykie Brown will be a lock-down defender at the other CB spot while Curtis Brown and Deon Beasley provide good depth at the position. At the safety position the Longhorns return both of their starters in freshman All-American Earl Thomas, who had a great spring, and Blake Gideon. Look for hard hitting S Christian Scott to get a lot of playing time too, as he is just too physically gifted to keep off the field.

Continue reading "Texas Longhorns 2009"

OK to get this started, I have to tell you why I've decided to write about the OC's Martz and Raye. I read an article that I found to be very interesting. I'll give a link at the end.

Last season, Mark Martz came to the 49ers with the thoughts of turning our offense into something special...

Continue reading "What a difference an OC makes"

OK, evrybody is talking about our QB issues. I don't really see the problem. Alex Smith is coming of an injury that has not COMPLETELY healed but, he's throwing well at the OTA's.

This shouldn't cause panic for Hill fans. Hill is very much as good a QB as we've seen him be. I read somewhere that some think it might have been a fluke because of the offense that was being used by Martz. I don't care what offense is being run, if you have time to get the ball to your recievers down field, you'll complete 60-70% of your passes.

Continue reading "QB Issue"

Sure he may be the last man standing at Rams Park, but Leonard Little has earned it. I know that Torry "Big Game" Holt was the 'man' on offense, but face it, the Rams had to get younger. Am

Continue reading "There's Little left from Super Bowl team"

As the hockey-watching world concentrates on the final two rounds of the NHL play-offs, the people of Orange County are again on retirement watch as questions about Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne’s future again rear their ugly head.

Continue reading "Retirement questions return for Ducks"

As the hockey-watching world concentrates on the final two rounds of the NHL play-offs, the people of Orange County are again on retirement watch as questions about Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne’s future again rear their ugly head.

Continue reading ""

Cleveland Indians @ Cincinnati Reds Sunday May 24th, 2009 I wasn’t able to catch all of yesterday’s game, so I didn’t write about it, but I was able to catch a good deal of it h

Continue reading "Alex Gonzalez, Reds make the Memorial ..."

We've had two fiascos so far. The Derby was unpredictable. The Preakness was an obvious jockey race, which is what you call an obvious fix, when a weak favorite is given an easy lead and practically wires a field, with the second choice running second.

Continue reading "Belmont usually the form filling race"

The first thing I said Friday night was, "I better remember to save 20 bucks to get into a pick six synidcate for the sure carryover on Wednesday.

This time, like most handicappers, I'm not even concerned about handicapping. I just want to throw in my money in any available synidcate to try to get that 700,000 or so dollars up for grabs. It's the one time that the odds are theoretically on your side, but you still have to get lucky. No one wants to pick the horses, though.

Continue reading "Styx pix for Churchill May 6, 2009 races"

The lakers knew what they had to do the moment the stepped foot on the court monday night. Knowing the CAVS already are set for round 2 the Lakers didnt want to extend their first round series cause all season it has been all about the Cavs and Lakers, Lebron vs Kobe!!! even recently there are commercials putting them up against one another for their sports drink ad. It's like it must be Cavs vs Lakers....

Continue reading "Lakers Eliminate the Jazz in 5!!! ..."

Opening Day at Chrchill couldn't have gone any worse. It was indeed the usual handicapper's nightmare, with underlays (hot tips for insiders) winning most races. They not only ran much against form, but they paid very little. This is what happens when you have a notoriously disreputable track as Churchill. Short fields, most of them only 5 to 7 horses, make for dishonesty. It is too easy to put a fix in, and one souped up horse is a hot thing among the stables. These stables know each other, and not only are willing to let each other know they are ready, but also if they are not ready. Too many high prices on contenders who don't hit the board. Add to this the rock hard surface, criminally negligent, which makes most six furlong races over after two furlongs, since the order of finish is close to the same as at the two furlong mark on this hard surface, and you have no credibility. Opening day discouraged any professional handicapper from returning.

Continue reading "Derby Field throwouts pre-form"

Keeneland is finished, and it was brutal for the handicappers. Too many inside tips winning. There were some good payoffs, but way too often there were very low paying favorites on winners who ran against form. These underlays are what signify shady dealings.

Continue reading "Churchill opens with Gato probable Trial favorite"

I walked in for the day and turned on the TV, the Bulls had a 5 point lead with 3:14 to play.  Ben Gordon (42pts) had just scored his 36th,   and the TV people were going into super hyperbole about the Bulls, which for me, is the kiss of death.

Continue reading "Bulls Blow One in Boston"

The Derby cast is probably set, and it is unlikely to see more than one Lexington entrant going to the Derby, if that many.

SQUAREE EDDIE could be a lukewarm favorite, despite running second in the Breeder Cup Juvenile last October. He suffered an injury, and even if he runs well in this race, it is not wise to back such a runner in the following race.

Continue reading "Coolmore Lexington, be brave or conservative?"

I haven't blogged since the Super Bowl, and I probably won't blog again for a while (at least not until the draft), but the 2009 schedule was just released, and it's worth taking a quick look at the way the upcoming season breaks down for the hometown team. One thing you can count on, there are games that look easy right now that will look a lot tougher when they get here, and there are games that look tough now that will end up looking much easier. The most one can do, therefore, is to say: IF LAST SEASON'S RESULTS CARRY OVER INTO NEXT SEASON ... which of course they never do.

Continue reading "Breaking Down the Ravens Schedule, part I"

Perhaps the spring brings more highs and lows to racing than any other time. There's the hope of brilliance as three year olds mature and find (or lose) what it takes to be a champion. There's disappointment, such as The Pamplemousse being scratched just before the Santa Anita Derby due to soreness and a concern on one leg - good for the horse but nonetheless disappointing. There's the buzz of a two year old by Songandaprayer who sizzled an eighth of a mile in 9.4 seconds at Keeneland Then there's the even more extreme off the track - the ushering in of a new generation of foals and too often saying goodbye to others.

Continue reading "The emotional time of year for horse racing"

With the Colts not re-signing Freddie Keihao and Tyjaun Hagler, should they start bringing in new ones in the draft?

Absolutely not!

Why bring James Laurenitis, like the NFL Network suggested in their mock draft, when they can bring back this important linebacker: Cato June?

Continue reading "Should the Colts Bring Back Cato ..."

 

The Art of the Buzzer-Beater

Ok, let me start by saying I'm not going to write about how to shoot a buzzer-beater. If I knew things the professionals don't about that, the Wizards would have called me in for a tryout by now, especially the way their season is going. No, I assume that the guys who take those shots know all about squaring up their shoulders and hips, following through, and shooting like it's practice (except Kobe, who I think would raise his shooting percentage about 15 points if he took every shot like it was a buzzer-beater). What I've been noticing about buzzer-beaters this year, in college and in the NBA, is that very few teams seem to be well-coached enough to know which buzzer-beater to take.

Continue reading "The end of Pitt-Villanova and how ..."

1:11 PM CST: Well, after staying up til 4 am watching videos from the Lonely Island (you know you've done it too), I managed to sleep through the majority of the first halves of the opening games. There are now just seven minutes remaining in my featured game and the 15 seed Cal State Northridge is down by just one to Memphis. They've even led the Tigers by as many as six points. I have Memphis and John Calipari's greasy hair going to the Final Four, but I want this to happen.

Continue reading "NCAA Tourney Running Commentary"

Sports fans eagerly await the Kentucky Derby. And 4 preps are this weekend. So we can post our pix.

As far as being Derby prepes, these 1 1/16 mile events will hide the best Derby contenders behind sprint winners. Derby horses to watch for will be more like Free Country than Friesan Fire.

Continue reading "Post your pix for this weekend's ..."

Kansas High School Basketball Coach Hypnotized Team 

A high school board in Kansas voted last month to ban hypnotism sessions after their Class 1A boys basketball coach employed the therapy to increase focus and concentration among members of his team.

Continue reading "High School Basketball Coach Uses ..."